The Family's Heart
Virginia, United States.
"This region has been observed to show clear growth trends over the next thirty years..."
A building of white marble rose before them. Its architecture was pure ancient Rome, as solemn and forbidding as a temple. The interior, however, was thoroughly modern.
"That concludes my report."
"It doesn't differ much from the existing information."
"No, sir. I observed nothing that required addition or revision."
"See that you do better."
Beneath a brilliantly lit chandelier stood a conference table of polished marble. Twelve young men and women sat along either side. At the head sat a white man whose hair had almost entirely receded.
"You occupy these seats by the family's silver."
"Sir! Yes, sir!"
"Not a single minute, not a single second, is to be wasted."
"Sir! Yes, sir!"
"Everything exists solely for the family."
"Sir! Yes, sir!"
He conducted the meeting. The white man's name was Balblair, an elder of the Rothschild family. He was evaluating these twelve. One among them would succeed as head of the house.
If there is nothing to observe, you create something and bring it back—that is how you repay the family.
It repeated every generation. The secret that had allowed the Rothschilds to endure for centuries was that they never feared change. These new-generation candidates possessed none of it. They did only what they were told and nothing more. The current crop of head candidates was truly unreliable.
"Next is East Asia."
"Yes, Elder."
"Ah, Rachel. Do not disappoint me."
She was one of the few he could still trust. No—judged purely by ability, she stood comparable to the heads of past generations.
And she has results to show for it.
Bitcoin. An asset that had recently begun to surge. The public made a great noise about cryptocurrency and the like. The family had been preparing for a decade. They had entrusted a portion of the project to Rachel, and she had delivered results beyond expectation. Considering how she had even shortened the timeline, the unseen work far exceeded what was visible.
Ability is ability.
That she was only in her early twenties made it all the more remarkable. Even the content she was reporting now struck him as genuinely interesting.
"Based on an understanding of the Korean stock market, if we construct a new system-trading model, I believe it is possible to improve returns by a significant margin."
There was a conventional wisdom that investment cycles shifted every ten years. At present the center was America, but what came next, and what would follow after that, no one could say.
One cannot claim Korea's possibility is zero.
That was why each head candidate trained in a different region—to adapt in advance to that region's financial environment, so the family could respond to any future. No matter which region became the center, the Rothschilds would have no problem.
"A presentation with a fresh perspective."
"Thank you."
"So how much profit can you generate?"
"We have not yet reached a concrete model—"
"That is not what I am asking."
He did not believe the answer lay inside her report. Even though the content itself was satisfactory, Balblair's brow furrowed.
In the end, it is only Korea.
A country the size of a palm, with a population of barely fifty million. That was the entirety of what Balblair knew of Korea, and it was more than enough. When one projected from numbers and data, the limits appeared with perfect clarity.
"Required budget? Operating personnel?"
"That is..."
"And the opportunity cost? Is Korea an attractive enough investment destination to justify bearing all of that? Never!"
It had already grown as far as it was going to grow. He did not believe the future lay there.
Why, of all places, did she choose Korea?
He himself had recommended East Asia to Rachel. Foolishly, she had selected Korea.
"The rest of you candidates, listen carefully as well. Our family is the center of the world. We are the force that moves the great currents. We must not cling to small rivers and streams."
"Sir! Yes, sir!"
Had it been China, the conversation would have been entirely different. A nation called the G2, holding the world's second-largest GDP. The probability that it would seize hegemony in the future was extremely high. Many economists were already saying as much.
If she had analyzed the Chinese market...
It would have been worth mobilizing astronomical capital and personnel to build a trading model. In fact, attempts were already under way—India, China, Southeast Asia. Their political and financial systems remained backward; nothing had yet reached a meaningful level.
"I trust you understand the meaning of my words."
"Yes, Elder."
"It would be wise to consider a regional transfer even now. Even if not China, options such as Japan remain."
It was a difficult domain. Human psychology was intricately entangled. That she had provided a clue was, at least, interesting.
In the end, the lowest seat of a branch family. A small vessel is inevitable, is it?
The problem was Korea. Korea occupied a fairly important position as the canary of the financial markets. But it was a small country. If it was not the center of the world, both the PERs assigned to it and the flow of money itself veered away from the mainstream.
...
Rachel was not ignorant of that fact. Returning to the family after a long absence, she still found the air stifling enough to choke her. She had come to attend the regular meeting, where the head candidates of each branch gathered to report their recent activities.
"I too am in East Asia. In Shanghai, China, I have seen much and felt much."
A white man with bright blond hair. The moment Kaloy's report began, the atmosphere shifted—because of the standing his household held within the family. Even among the Rothschild branch houses, ranks were divided.
When Grandfather was still young...
Her own household had been no less formidable, they said. An accident had occurred in her father's generation, and ever since they had been treated as leftovers.
"Kaloy, you will need to put in more effort."
"Haha, my apologies."
"China is a critical region. You must devote special attention to it."
"Understood, Elder!"
In other words, competition on the same line was impossible. She had not chosen China precisely because she knew that.
The regular meeting ended. Just as she was trying to escape the family's heart that constricted her breath—
"Rachel!"
An unwelcome voice reached her. She had no choice but to stop and turn.
"What is it?"
"What do you mean, 'what is it'? Are we the sort of people who can't even speak unless there's business?"
"Please keep it brief and to the point."
"Haha! Always with the jokes!"
It was Kaloy. He harbored feelings for her—so direct in his approach that it had become troublesome.
Does he understand our respective positions, or does he do this knowing full well?
They were both Rothschilds, yet that did not mean they exchanged freely. On the contrary, the more common practice was to avoid exchange entirely, so as not to show one another any opening. Even minimal conversation was rare; the atmosphere of the regular meetings was always frigid.
"I'm currently an assistant professor at Fudan University. You have no idea how popular the young, handsome professor has become."
"You still enjoy drawing attention."
"Of course. I'm not excellent like you, after all."
Only he was different—in family standing and in temperament. He even maintained friendships with the other head candidates. Had it stopped there, she would have let it pass. She had no desire to manufacture enemies herself.
"I grow anxious if I don't always give my best. I'm afraid I won't be able to converse with you at the same level."
"Do I appear to be giving less than my best?"
"You're living a leisurely life in Korea, aren't you?"
The direction had grown more tenacious. The reason he clung with near-obsessive persistence even when she drew a clear line was—
Pure goodwill... no. Of course not.
He knew her circumstances. He might even have investigated her thoroughly. No—it was certain, if one considered the demands Kaloy had already made of her.
"You, as an outsider, have no authority to interfere in my decisions."
"Right, right. Then it would be fine if you simply stopped being an outsider, wouldn't it?"
Marriage. It was absurd. And yet it was not unheard of. The Rothschild family was special; marriage between branch houses was permitted.
There is also the advantage of strengthening one's position when putting forward a head candidate.
Political reasons. Had that been the case, he would never have approached her. Hers was the weakest of the branches. Forming a blood tie offered no particular merit.
"It's because it's you, Rachel."
"State your business only."
"Haha... so cold."
She could not grasp the true intent behind his approach. Unlike the suspicious Rachel—
She is a truly charming woman.
Kaloy was sincere. He loved everything about her—her appearance, her ability, her values. Because she was superior. If he himself was an artificially manufactured fake diamond, she was the real thing.
"I never expected you to agree easily. Contact me whenever your heart opens. Even for the most trivial matter."
"To me, this present situation is trivial."
"Haha... joking again."
The value assigned to her, the depth of her beauty—both were of a different order. Even among elites, ranks were divided.
But what you lack, I possess.
His power combined with her ability would end the succession contest before it began. They could take the Rothschild family—and the world—into their hands. Of course, the one holding the reins would be him.
Vroom—!
Having barely shaken Kaloy off, Rachel climbed into her car and headed for the airport. She wanted to return even one hour sooner. Her heart was more at ease in Korea. Among the humans connected to the family, not a single one was normal.
...
But would returning change anything? It was nothing more and nothing less than a momentary escape from reality. In the end she would have to face it—the competition within the family, and Kaloy, who clung with such relentless persistence.
Was my decision a mistaken judgment?
The Elder's words. Extreme, yet they contained reason. No—from the perspective of finance they were one hundred percent correct. Korea, if compared to a person, had already passed youth and entered middle age. That difference was truly vast. Just as Japan, which had once threatened to overtake America, had faded with aging, there was no guarantee Korea would not follow the same path. Her studies in Korea might prove wasted effort. Her competition within the family might leave her a dog with its tail between its legs. No matter how much she fretted, she could not know.
The only way to relieve this stifling heart—
What answer would you give me...
There was only one person.