The Cat's Perfect Terms (2)
In a building draped in an old-fashioned atmosphere and the finest materials, inside the Imperial Palace in the capital, the First Prince’s private study.
The First Prince, Cassian de Valentis.
He entered the study with a weary body. The senior aide who followed him quietly received his outer coat and arranged it neatly.
The First Prince sat in the chair for a moment and muttered.
“Those damned nobles… they never give a straight answer no matter how long I talk to them.”
The First Prince had been at the social gathering just moments ago.
For the succession struggle, he had to attend social events with other nobles on a regular basis. He had to put on a mask for political purposes and engage in sharp, meaningful conversations.
“Yeah… he still doesn’t have enough confidence to let go of the Second Prince and the Third Princess completely.”
He sighed heavily. His self-deprecating words brought a calm reassurance from the aide standing before him.
“No, Your Highness. Most of the families present at the social gathering today were those who had maintained political neutrality from the beginning. Not offending them at all is already a success.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. The current crown prince is still Your Highness. The noble forces supporting him are an absolute majority. You can afford to relax.”
“…I see.”
Comforted by the aide’s words, the First Prince slowly nodded. After a moment of pressing his temple, he asked the aide.
“Speaking of which, has the investigation I asked for yesterday finished?”
“Yes, I will report immediately.”
“Quite fast. Good.”
The single thing he had asked investigated was the current situation of the academy graduates.
Especially those who had maintained political neutrality were important. They could become major variables in the succession struggle.
“To begin with, overall, most did not stray far from expectations. Many entered the Magic Tower or the Imperial Knights Order.”
“That’s fortunate. Were there any that stood out to suspicion?”
“Vioden, Shulitz, and Gaivi. We estimate that the Second Prince and the Third Princess approached these three, but we are not yet certain they have formed any bonds. We are investigating further.”
“…I see.”
The First Prince nodded indifferently.
Anyway, those three were not worth worrying about.
They simply weren’t important talents.
The real important one was elsewhere.
“So, where is Kyle right now?”
The First Prince stared straight at the aide.
Actually, those others weren’t particularly important.
In this investigation, the core was Kyle.
A commoner who had graduated second in the Magic Department. He acted as if he maintained political neutrality, as if he sided with no one.
At first glance an ordinary person, but the First Prince had reason to be most worried about him.
“…He definitely isn’t ordinary.”
With anyone else it might not matter, but the First Prince knew. He knew what was hidden in Kyle’s inner self. Because he made it a habit to analyze people’s minds by observing them every day, the First Prince was even more certain of his judgment.
“…I can’t forget that gaze.”
The gaze he had seen from Kyle.
The ambition hidden within it.
The First Prince had clearly seen that scorching, enormous something. How massive it was, and perhaps even grander than his own dreams.
What was even scarier was that Kyle had tried to hide it.
Always acting as if he had no thoughts, always as if he was just a diligent, ordinary student, quietly acting.
“A cruel fellow…”
That was why he could never figure out his true intentions.
He had thought about it for hours, but still had no idea.
With no choice, the First Prince told the aide.
“Keep monitoring for now, and report anything unusual.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Hah…”
What on earth was he planning?
What kind of picture was he drawing?
With that uncertainty swirling in his mind, the First Prince once again pressed his temple.
***
Physical labor really has one excellent point.
That the time passes incredibly fast.
Waking up in the morning, preparing the inn,
Cleaning the guest rooms and the first floor,
Helping with food preparation,
Taking orders and serving,
Doing dishes and handling trash,
Having small talk with the guests,
Solving minor problems,
And then, as he threw himself into work like a madman, before he knew it, a whole month had vanished like a ghost.
And finally, today.
The day he would finally check the results of the partnership he had proposed for the first time.
“The calculations are finished.”
“How was the calculation?”
“This is already the third calculation! Father!”
“Ah, no, I just can’t believe it…”
Chloe had finished organizing the sales ledger for the past month and simply reported the final result to her father.
“This month’s sales are thirty-one gold coins, two silver coins, and ten copper coins.”
“T-thirty-one gold coins?!”
The father asked with a trembling voice.
“T-then, what about the net profit?”
Chloe subtracted the taxes and each expense one by one, calculating as conservatively as possible.
“…Sixteen gold coins and six silver coins.”
Even so, the number was enormous.
The father, upon hearing those words, closed his eyes tightly.
“Oh, Goddess….”
He held the pendant around his neck and prayed for a moment. Chloe also blinked back tears and quietly held her father’s hand while waiting.
The result was just as satisfying for me.
It was even better than my expectations.
Last month’s net profit was almost certainly less than two gold coins.
He had raised it by nearly eight times.
A wave of pride washed over him.
Once the prayer ended, the father spoke to me.
“Kyle. What were our original contract terms again?”
“If sales reach double, the long-term lodging costs including meals would be reduced to four silver coins per month.”
“And?”
“If net profit exceeds double, then one-quarter of the increase.”
“I see.”
The father confirmed the conditions once more and then spoke with an extremely resolute expression, his tone sharp and decisive.
“No.”
“…What?”
“We cannot provide such a small amount.”
“Small”? Wasn’t it usually the opposite? But as if he had misheard, the father continued.
“Because of you, Kyle, we were able to reach this point. We truly cannot offer even this little.”
“No. I think that’s enough. You’ve both suffered so much…”
But the father ignored my words.
“We will not receive any long-term lodging costs at all. We’ll just give you one room. Go ahead.”
“Huh?”
“And we’ll give you half of the net profit increase.”
“Ah, no…”
I tried to refuse, but the father spoke firmly.
“I said no, so it’s no.”
“……”
With that force, all I could do was nod.
“Understood.”
Why are you so firm, Mr. Father…?
Anyway, for me it was a good thing.
***
At the end of the second floor of the inn, Room Eight.
The place the father had given away entirely.
Inside that room, I washed my body and sat at the desk.
Time for the future check.
“…I should calculate the money first.”
When I first came to this city, I had around twenty gold coins.
Now I have around twenty-six.
“In just a month I’ve earned six gold coins.”
Based on my previous life, one gold coin was roughly forty thousand won. So I had earned about two hundred forty thousand won. Of course, because prices here are far lower than in my previous life, the actual value is even higher.
Well, in any case.
For a commoner, that was more than enough.
If I earned just that much, I would be completely satisfied.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping here.
This was the only thing I had received after giving almost everything I had. And because it was still a scale too small to compare with other places where academy graduates could find work.
My grand dream was still far away.
“Still, I feel good.”
Anyway, I had finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I no longer had to worry about food and lodging costs. I had also created a pretty decent cash flow. It was a far better result than my initial goal.
So, finally,
I could take the next step.
“…Now I can truly start my own business.”
My heart raced.
Once I finish stabilizing the inn and secure my own time, the real game will begin.
Well, let’s work harder again.
Young & Rich
Towards that dream.