“So, Young Miss, are you really planning to visit the Duke’s estate?” Outside the Silver Moon Trading Company, Lorenzo looked at Celineina, who was seated in a carriage, and asked.
“Mm.” Celineina nodded. “There are some matters I need to discuss personally. Uncle Lorenzo, I know why Father assigned you to stay at my side, but today, please take a break.”
“...” Lorenzo widened his eyes at her words, then fell silent before nodding.
“Very well, then. Young Miss, please be careful on your way.”
“Mm.”
The carriage then departed, disappearing down the road.
—
Inside his room, Orson sat at his desk. Ever since his conversation with Lucius that night, over two weeks ago, he had been steadily increasing the intensity of Litte’s training.
From barely being able to hold a sword at the start, Litte had progressed to swinging it with decent form.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Litte still couldn’t even reach Tier 1 strength, which left Orson deeply troubled.
Was he really incapable of changing the trajectory of the original story? Did Litte truly have no choice but to rely on Lucius’s recommendation slot to enter the academy?
Orson wanted to increase the intensity of the training, but Litte’s frail body clearly couldn’t handle it.
At that moment, the butler Albert entered the room.
“Young Master Orson.” Albert bowed respectfully as he greeted him. “Miss Celineina of the Silver Moon Trading Company is here to see you.”
Hearing the name, Orson furrowed his brow.
“What does she want with me? Didn’t I already send her detailed requirements for the new district’s construction in a letter?”
“That, I do not know.”
“Alright, bring her to my room, and have Vivian prepare two cups of coffee.”
“Understood.” Albert nodded and left the room.
A minute later, the door to Orson’s room opened again.
Orson was already seated by the tea table and gestured to the sofa across from him.
“Please, have a seat, Miss Celineina.”
“Mm.” Celineina nodded and sat down opposite Orson.
Out of habit, she reached out to the tea table and paused when she realized it was empty.
“Ah, my apologies. I wasn’t expecting your visit and only just sent for coffee. It might take a while,” Orson said with an awkward smile. “Miss Celineina, what brings you here today?”
“Let’s be honest, Young Master Orson.” Celineina sat back in her seat.
Over the past two weeks, every time she exchanged letters with Orson, he would include Litte’s name alongside his signature.
“There’s no need for you to use Young Master Litte to pressure me.”
“Oh?” Orson raised an eyebrow. “When have I ever used Litte to pressure you? If I recall correctly, I’ve only brought him to meet you once.”
“Heh.” Celineina’s gaze sharpened as she locked eyes with Orson. “I don’t know how you learned of my desire to interfere in the Stranick family’s succession, but I’ve never been one for beating around the bush when it comes to business.”
“As long as my goals can be achieved—”
“As long as your goals can be achieved and the price is right, you’ll go for it, correct?” Orson interrupted her, quoting a line from the original story that had become one of her famous sayings.
“How do you know—”
“I told you, we have shared interests,” Orson said calmly.
At that moment, the door opened, and Vivian entered with a tray holding two cups of coffee.
“This one is for Young Master Orson, and this one is for Miss Celineina—Young Master specifically asked for it to be sweetened,” Vivian said before setting down the tray, bowing to both of them, and leaving the room.
“You even know that?” Celineina stared at Orson in disbelief.
“Of course.” Orson nodded. “Coffee is inherently bitter. It works well for keeping you alert during work, but if you enjoy drinking coffee during your leisure time, it’s natural to add sugar. With sugar, while there’s still some bitterness, the lingering sweetness creates a much more enjoyable experience, doesn’t it?”
“My, how elegant of you, Young Master Orson, to derive such insights from my simple preference for sweet things,” Celineina said with faint sarcasm.
“So, do you want to know how I know?” Orson asked, taking a sip of his unsweetened coffee and smiling at her.
“...” Celineina felt uneasy under Orson’s gaze and averted her eyes, looking off to the side.
“The reasoning is simple,” Orson said.
“As the eldest daughter of the Bonaventura family and the only female heir, you were suddenly assigned six months ago as the head of the Silver Moon Trading Company’s Antica branch.”
“Your two brothers, meanwhile, are stationed in the prosperous duchies of Prussia and Aragon—both regions that are already economically thriving. Why, then, would the Bonaventura family’s precious Celineina be sent to the economically struggling duchy of Antica, which was only recently established?”
“Should I interpret this as a form of exile?”
“That’s why I said we have shared interests,” Orson continued with a smile. “The reason you’ve involved yourself in my family’s succession conflict is to leverage our family’s influence to secure your own position in the Bonaventura family, isn’t it?”
“This is exactly why I hate doing business with clever people like you,” Celineina said, biting her lip. After a moment of internal struggle, she sighed and relented. “Fine. What do you want? If it’s money, I can only access the funds from the Antica branch—I can’t give you any more.”
“I don’t need money,” Orson said, shaking his head. He looked directly at Celineina. “I want you.”
“What!?” Celineina’s face turned red as she shot up from her seat, glaring at Orson with indignation. Her body trembled slightly from the intensity of her emotions.
“Young Master Orson, I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person. You already have a fiancée, yet you’re trying to pursue someone else?”
“Don’t get upset, Miss Celineina. That’s no way to conduct business,” Orson said with a chuckle, gesturing for her to calm down.
Realizing her loss of composure, Celineina took a deep breath, regained her composure, and sat back down.
“I want you to support Litte.”
“What!?” Celineina’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Young Master Orson, what are you saying?”
“Weren’t you planning to support Litte anyway?” Orson said, his words making Celineina’s heart skip a beat.
From knowing what she had been about to say, to knowing her favorite drink, to understanding her initial intention to back Litte—how did Orson know all of this?
Could Orson read minds?
“Don’t look at me like that. I can’t read minds. My conclusions were based on your past actions. It wasn’t hard to deduce.”
“Coincidentally, I also want Litte to rise to the top. That’s why I said we have shared interests, don’t we?”