The Groundbreaking Ceremony (4)
On the barren plains of the Far East Maritime Province, a rather impressive stage had been erected for the occasion. Below it, laborers who would develop the vast site destined to become the Empire's paradise mingled with local dignitaries who had come to witness this historic moment, buzzing with anticipation.
Standing at the center of the stage, Mikhail fiddled lazily with the collar of his ornate uniform—one he hadn't worn in quite some time—clearly finding it cumbersome. He opened his mouth with a drawl.
It was quite possibly the shortest and most half-hearted groundbreaking speech in history, yet no one complained. Not only did they not dare to, but they too wanted this tedious formal event over with as quickly as possible.
After finishing his speech, Mikhail called Laura and Josepina to his side for the final ceremonial act: the first groundbreaking scoop. A golden-haired merchant and a silver-haired bureaucrat. To the eyes of others, these two capable subordinates of the Grand Duke looked exactly like office wives.
'Even though His Highness has zero interest in that sort of thing…'
As Laura took her place beside Mikhail, she unconsciously glanced sideways at Josepina, who stood a mere handspan away. That rigidly frozen, expressionless face. Her presence grated on her nerves.
Laura Valeriano was the one responsible for all practical operations and financial management of this project. So why? Why was that silver-haired wench standing on equal footing with her? She was nothing more than a bureaucrat dispatched just a few days ago.
Of course she wasn't actually an office wife, but for some reason, it pissed her off.
"Come on, smile. It's a good day today, isn't it?"
Mikhail's mischievous whisper reached her ear. Laura reflexively lifted the corners of her mouth. It was the perfect business smile unique to merchants—one she had practiced to exhaustion in front of countless clients.
Unlike her, Josepina didn't change her expression in the slightest.
With a thunk, the gleaming shovel dug into the dry soil. At the same moment, celebratory fireworks exploded and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Boom!
After the groundbreaking ceremony ended, a modest reception was held. Mikhail escaped the dignitaries who kept showering him with endless flattery and led the two women to a quiet corner of a tent.
He handed each of them a glass of Mikhail Blue Label mixed with carbonated water and lemon syrup, then got straight to business.
"Now the real work begins. Let's start with the first item on the agenda. How are things going with the labor force?"
Laura answered confidently, as if she'd been waiting for the question.
"We've already secured half of the required workforce."
Her voice overflowed with self-assurance.
"We've also completed preliminary negotiations with guilds and employment offices in each city. Once we have Your Highness's approval, we can secure the remaining half within two weeks."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Mikhail nodded in satisfaction. As expected of Laura. She was moving faster and more precisely than he'd anticipated. He turned his gaze to Josepina.
"What do you think, Josepina?"
"It is not permissible."
Her voice was decisive, like a knife slicing through the air. Laura's eyebrow twitched.
Josepina ignored Laura's glare entirely and continued speaking while looking only at Mikhail.
"Hiring without following proper procedures is illegal. All personnel must undergo background checks and formal contracts. This is a national project, after all."
There was no emotion whatsoever in her voice.
"Therefore, securing the workforce within two weeks using the Valeriano Merchant Coalition's methods would clearly constitute illegal activity."
At those words, the smile completely vanished from Laura's face.
"Miss Jugashvili. Did you just say my methods are illegal?"
"I merely stated the facts, Chairwoman."
Josepina didn't yield an inch.
"Pushing for speed by breaking the law may seem efficient in the short term, but it will only cause greater problems in the long run. What if the central government finds fault with it? There's a high risk the entire project could be derailed."
"What if, you say."
Laura scoffed.
"For a merchant, there's nothing more foolish than entertaining 'what if' scenarios. Risk is something to be managed, not feared. Every contract comes with corresponding responsibilities and collateral. If you're worried about the central government nitpicking, just slip them some bribes and be done with it."
"Bribes? Did you just say bribes?!"
"As a bureaucrat, you should know this. What stands above law and principle is power and money. There's policy at the top and countermeasures at the bottom. They say you were top of your class at the academy—didn't they teach you that?"
"Do you truly believe this massive project can be run by relying on such pathetic countermeasures?"
A taut tension filled the tent. Invisible sparks flew between the two women's eyes.
'Hell yeah, this is it!'
Mikhail cheered internally. This was exactly the picture he had wanted. When you pitted two smart people against each other, you could just mediate and pick the conclusion you liked, making work incredibly easy.
But it seemed the fight was getting a bit too heated. While they weren't about to start pulling each other's hair, if feelings got too hurt it could cause problems later. So he stepped between them, downing his drink in one go.
"Whoa, whoa. Let's not get too worked up. First, finish your drinks. It's still the groundbreaking celebration, after all."
At his intervention, both women's momentum faltered at once.
Laura and Josepina stared silently at the glasses in their hands for a moment.
"..."
"..."
The first to empty her glass was Josepina. The moment Mikhail finished speaking, she downed it in one swift gulp, as if following an order. It seemed she had judged this the most rational way to end this awkward situation.
But there was one thing she hadn't calculated.
"Cough! Kgh, kghk!"
The sharp, tingling sensation of carbonation—the first she'd ever tasted. The piercing bubbles mercilessly stabbed at her throat, twisting her usually expressionless face in a rare display of discomfort. Her desperate attempts to hold back the coughing fit looked almost pitiful.
'...Amateur.'
Laura sneered inwardly as she gracefully lifted her glass and took a sip. The refreshing lemon aroma, sweet syrup, and the clean flavor of the Blue Label created perfect harmony. She glanced sideways at Josepina. Top of her class at the academy or not, in the end she was just a desk-bound rookie who couldn't even handle a single drink properly. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Whoops, careful there."
Just then, Mikhail's lazy voice sounded. He pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Josepina, who was still coughing uncontrollably. In one corner of the pure white silk handkerchief, his initials were delicately embroidered in gold thread.
"......!"
Josepina's blue eyes widened ever so slightly for a moment. She hesitated briefly before carefully accepting the handkerchief and gently dabbing at her mouth. The soft texture of the silk felt unfamiliar.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I will wash it and return it without fail."
"Ah, it's fine. Do whatever."
Mikhail waved his hand dismissively. His attention had already shifted elsewhere.
It was at that exact moment.
The gentle business smile Laura had been wearing vanished from her face like a lie. She was irritated. That wench coughing pathetically, and that scoundrel of a prince showing her kindness—everything displeased her.
She tossed the entire contents of her glass down her throat in one go. The cold, sweet liquid sliding down her throat felt like it was extinguishing the fire burning inside her.
"Want another?"
Mikhail grinned as he looked at her.
"No thank you."
Laura snapped back.
"Alright then. Back to the main topic."
Mikhail set his empty glass on the table and continued.
"You're both right."
His voice remained light, like an adult breaking up a children's quarrel.
"The law is important, and time is important too. But here's the thing."
He paused deliberately, looking back and forth between the two women.
"As long as it's not outright illegal, it's fine, right?"
"..."
"And I hate bribes. They're annoying as hell. Who the hell do they think I am—a prince having to bribe some low-level central bureaucrat? Besides, once you give a bribe and build rapport, you have to keep giving them stuff. What a pain."
It was a perfectly Mikhail-like reason.
"So."
Leaning back on the sofa, Mikhail lazily delivered his conclusion.
"You two figure it out between yourselves. Find a nice sweet spot between loopholes and outright violations. Got it? Since I'm a prince anyway, as long as you pretend to follow the law somewhat, they'll look the other way."
He yawned widely and stood up.
"I'm tired, so I'm gonna go lie down. Enjoy the reception yourselves. Later."
True to his word, Mikhail left the tent without so much as a backward glance.
What remained was an awkward, chilly silence.
And the two women.
Laura was the first to break the quiet. She fixed Josepina—who was still tightly clutching the handkerchief—with eyes as cold as ice.
"Miss Jugashvili."
Her voice was frigid.
"Come to my office first thing tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises."
"Understood, Chairwoman."
Josepina answered calmly, showing not the slightest sign of intimidation.