Chapter 134
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134
On the surface, the Cheslows went about claiming they were delighted to welcome Bella—a lady renowned for her beauty and grace—as their daughter-in-law. The reality, however, was quite different.
They were deeply disappointed in their eldest son, James, who had broken off a long-standing engagement to choose a woman from a lower-ranked family. They had only permitted the marriage because they couldn’t break their son’s stubborn will and the situation had become irreversible, but a look of disdain always lingered in their eyes whenever they looked at Bella.
‘Must I endure this treatment until those people finally pass away?’
Even if she bore James's child and became the Countess, she wouldn't be treated well. If she was going to be ignored either way, wouldn't becoming a Duchess be far better?
What’s more, James’s occasional habit of comparing her to Daphne irritated her to no end.
‘If we ever fought, he’d definitely spout some nonsense about how he should have married Daphne instead. And if Daphne somehow remains single, he might even cheat.’
Fragments of unsettling possibilities swirled through Bella’s mind like a blizzard. Was the title of ‘Countess Cheslow’ truly worth enduring all of that?
‘No. It doesn’t compare to being the Duchess of Kailas.’
Her glittering green eyes, which had been fixed on the table in thought, turned back to Albert.
“Perhaps… could you arrange a meeting with Duke Kailas?”
“Pardon? Surely, Lady Bella, you aren't thinking of trying to handle him yourself?”
Instead of answering, Bella picked up a sachet of Angelic, shook it, and said, “If he comes seeking this out, it would benefit you as well, Sir Albert. I’d appreciate it if you could provide the necessary amount of the drug for free when I meet him.”
“Hahaha! Of course. If you can turn Cedric into a customer for Angelic, why stop at free drugs? I’d have to give you a generous reward as well.”
“That won't be necessary. If I succeed, I’ll be the Duchess of Kailas, won’t I?”
“Th-that’s right, exactly! Hahaha! Forgive me for not recognizing the future Duchess.”
Albert laughed jovially, but inwardly, he was astonished.
‘Do women truly understand each other’s hearts? Leslie’s advice actually worked—she’s taking the bait!’
Leslie had told him: “If you immediately suggest helping her addict Cedric, she’ll try to gain the upper hand. You need to provoke her competitive spirit and her greed. Mention, as if in jest, that no woman has ever ‘conquered’ Duke Kailas, and that if she succeeds, she could become the Duchess.”
“Bella Listerwell isn’t the type to fall for such words, is she?” Albert had asked.
“Appearances can be deceiving. Oh, and it might also be good to add that if she were to bear a child, her status would be secured immediately.”
When Bella had first come to buy the drug, Albert thought she seemed a bit prim and cold, contrary to her reputation. He had assumed it was a facade to hide the shame of buying a stimulant known for its... specific effects.
But the expression Bella wore now clearly displayed the ‘competitive spirit and greed’ Leslie had predicted.
‘Ha! Things are getting interesting.’
To unexpectedly gain the cooperation of the woman hailed as the most beautiful in high society was a stroke of luck. Moreover, he had little to lose.
‘If this woman succeeds, it’s good for business; even if she fails, it’s no loss to me.’
Albert grinned and set a new appointment with Bella, promising to arrange a meeting with Cedric by then.
*
“Ahem! Ahem!”
The man, dressed in his finest clothes, kept glancing around nervously while clearing his throat repeatedly. He tried to hide his tension, but it wasn't easy. He had never imagined sitting as a guest in such a spacious, elegant drawing room.
As he tried to soothe his ticklish throat with a glass of water offered by a maid, the door finally opened, and a woman entered.
“Welcome, Mr. Declan!”
Smiling brightly and offering her hand, she was Harriet Listerwell—the woman he had coincidentally met at a cafe about a month ago.
“Ah, ah, good day, My Lady!”
Morris Declan stammered his greeting, but Harriet’s radiant smile remained as she invited him to sit. Morris, who had worried he might be turned away at the door despite coming all this way, felt strangely moved.
“It’s been a while since we last met,” Harriet said.
“I apologize for the delay. I’ve been meticulously refining the plan, so…”
“It’s alright. What I want is a perfect plan, not a rushed one.”
Immediately after they exchanged greetings, a maid entered to pour tea. Morris, unable to contain his excitement, tried to pull out his proposal, but Harriet stopped him with a small shake of her head. She waited in silence until the maid had left the room.
Morris, sensing the shift in atmosphere, placed his hands on his knees and awkwardly pressed his lips together. Only when they were finally alone did Harriet smile again.
“I apologize. This matter requires strict confidentiality.”
“Pardon? Confidentiality?”
“Yes. I’d prefer it if my involvement as an investor in this venture doesn't become public knowledge.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Morris nodded, though he didn’t quite grasp why. To Harriet, however, it was vital. She had recently discovered that old documents had disappeared from the bag she’d taken to Saint Clarissa Convent. She had never imagined someone within the Fellon Estate would tamper with her belongings, and she had been lax in organizing her papers.
‘I don’t know who in the estate is stealing my information. I need to be as careful as possible.’
If word got out that she was investing in a hull salvage business, Bella and John would undoubtedly try to obstruct her with everything they had.
“Now then, let’s take a look at the business plan. Have you addressed the points I mentioned last time?”
“Of course. I’m not very skilled at drawing, so it might look a bit crude, but I’ve included detailed explanations. Please let me know if there’s anything you don’t understand.”
Harriet carefully unfolded the plan.
The proposal, which had clearly begun as a fantasy of salvaging sunken merchant ships and claiming dormant treasures, had evolved. It looked as though Morris had thrown out an absurd idea and then painstakingly patched the flaws. While some parts were unrefined, it was no longer a preposterous delusion.
According to Morris’s plan, salvaging small to medium-sized vessels from shallow waters seemed entirely feasible.
“How do you plan to salvage ships in shallow coastal areas with so many reefs?” Harriet asked.
“After a ship sinks and time passes, the force of the tides often pushes it away from the reefs where it initially ran aground. It usually settles in deeper, softer sandy areas. Therefore, the actual salvage operation wouldn't take place in the reef zone.”
Morris’s eyes held a glint of certainty, the mark of extensive research. He unrolled a map of the Empire’s western coastline.
“The skilled divers I’ve secured have an average dive time of about two minutes. With that, even if Penaxstone is out of reach, the Uliden coast or Batel Bay are certainly worth attempting.”
“Are there really that many ships sunk at a depth reachable within a minute’s dive?”
“There are two. Both are in the shallow waters of Batel Bay. If we succeed in raising them, I plan to use the funds from the treasures—combined with additional investments—to build a machine that supplies air to the divers.”
Morris presented a second plan. It detailed equipment consisting of a bell-shaped object made of cast iron connected to a rubber hose. According to Morris, it would allow divers to rest inside the bell and descend to much greater depths.
“However,” Morris added, “if the water is murky, visibility will be poor, making it impossible to properly hook the grappling irons. That remains a challenge.”
“Even if you succeed in everything, there’s one more problem,” Harriet noted. “The number of ships to salvage is finite.”
Even scouring history, the number of merchant ships that had sunk in Uliden or Batel Bay wasn't large. The same held true for slightly deeper waters. Even if they managed to salvage every single one, what then?
In response, Morris burst into a hearty laugh.
“If, by then, the technology to supply air to the deep sea still hasn't been developed, then we simply move on to a different venture.”
“What? You mean you’d just abandon the business?”
“You can’t force something that isn’t working, can you? There are many other ways to make money in this world; there’s no need to cling solely to one that has run its course.”
At his answer, Harriet felt embarrassed for her serious expression and laughed along with him. Honestly, she felt as if she’d been blindsided in the best way possible.
She had just learned something new: starting a business didn’t mean staking one’s entire life on a single idea. If its viability declined, one could boldly abandon it and jump into the next venture. Roxana’s words—that investors are attracted to bold, confident entrepreneurs—now resonated with her deeply.
“Excellent. I will invest in your business, Mr. Declan. I’ll also look for others in my circle who might be interested.”
“Are you serious?”
“Would I have brought you all the way here just to joke around?”
As Harriet laughed, Morris pressed both hands firmly over his heart, his face beaming with pure joy.