“…Hey. Was a store supposed to just pop up like this?”
Soone muttered in a bewildered voice.
Oliver, an older rchant standing next to him, felt similarly.
“Well, it’s the East rchant Group after all… so it’s not impossible.”
It seed like only recently that he had heard rumors that the East rchant Group had purchased the building, and now a swanky tea shop sat right in front of them.
What was clearly an empty building was transford into a wonderful store in just a few days of work.
The fragrant tea leaves that filled the stalls all looked of fine quality, and the interior also seed to have been decorated using a lot of money.
Oliver burst into laughter as he looked at the shiny interior and exterior of the building.
“But isn’t this a bit too much?”
It was just a store opening today, but the front of the store was packed with custors.
There were citizens who ca to see it out of curiosity and rchants who visited the East rchant Group in advance to do business.
It felt like the entire street was full of life, with all kinds of people coming and going, including laborers who had co to unpack tea leaves and other items for use in the store.
‘In comparison…’
Oliver’s gaze turned towards the street where the Khan Union was located.
Just a ten-minute walk away was the Khan Union, which was recently a landmark of the city.
But now that road was just deserted.
‘It’s over.’
He felt a little complicated.
If the Neumann rchant Group took over the Khan Union, it would be possible for them to survive for now.
However, it seed unlikely that Henry and Arcus, who did not like to be burdens, would pass the burden of the Union on to Neumann.
Because taking over the Khan Union now would an accepting a great deal of damage.
Now, the only path left for the Khan Union was to remain a small neighborhood teahouse or close down completely.
The young people’s small business that was just starting to bloom, was in danger of being suffocated by the breath of the giant called the East rchant Group.
Everything was going smoothly.
But Angela’s expression as she read the report was not entirely refreshing.
The secretary, who was very nervous, stayed silent and just watched her expression.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, Angela finally spoke.
“Is the store okay?”
“It is just a small store, but they say a lot of people ca. I think it will be able to establish itself in the long term.”
The head of the rchant group slowly nodded at the secretary’s answer.
“Alright. I don’t plan on holding onto it for long, but before I sell it, I should at least make sure it’s properly stocked.”
There’s no need to hold onto a store that’s so full of talk and trouble for too long.
The person to take over and the timing for the transfer were already decided, so at least until then, it was necessary to make the store look presentable.
The secretary spoke carefully to Angela again as she flipped through the reports.
“The buyer has indicated that they will visit within a few days.”
Only then did Angela look up from the report and look at her secretary.
A look of displeasure appeared on her expressionless face, which she did not bother to hide.
“Isn’t it too early?”
“I answered that way too, but since they said they had already left… … So I told them that I would ask the Lord first. It seed like they wanted to check it themselves.”
“Tsk. As expected, they’re always so impatient. I do appreciate their ticulousness, though.”
She clicked her tongue in annoyance and closed the report she had just finished reading.
“We’ll do as the custor wishes. I’ll adjust the visit schedule as soon as they arrive.”
“All right.”
The secretary bowed and left the room with quick steps.
Angela, left alone again, let out a short sigh and slowly ran her hands through her hair.
Yeah, everything went smoothly.
Most of what was planned ca true.
So might say that the arrogant apprentice knight was constantly trying to fight back, but it was not likely that a few words of gossip would ruin the reputation of the East rchant Group.
Although Neumann seed to be helping the Khan Union in both material and spiritual ways, even that was aningless.
Since the leader of the Union insists on running things on his own, there are limits to what an outsider like Neumann can do.
So now it was safe to say that she could take a breather.
‘It’s an obvious result…’
For so reason, one side of her heart felt uneasy.
It was because she kept on thinking about the conversation with Neumann.
The first ti she t Neumann after he beca independent, he looked much better than when he was the manager of the East Safe.
And the person who knew him best in the world was Angela.
Although he was a bit of a back-pedaler and sotis a bit lax, Neumann was by no ans dull or stupid.
He was no longer a braggart who made up stories that didn’t exist.
‘He is soone you should never touch…’
This was what Neumann said about Arendt von Eckhart.
But from what she had seen so far, he was just a kid who couldn’t handle his temper and kept causing trouble.
Thanks to the apprentice knight’s personality, her work actually progressed a bit more quickly.
In other words, from the perspective of the Khan Union, Arendt was nothing more than a spiteful person who was adding fuel to the fire.
‘Then it would be natural for words of resentnt to start coming out of Union Leader Henry’s mouth.’
He had been receiving help in running the Khan Union, so perhaps it was because of that favour that he could not bring himself to say anything unpleasant.
Even now, he was barely hanging on to his life by relying on the Neumann rchant Group through his connections with Arendt.
‘But there was nothing to be gained from the Union Leader’s position.’
If he truly wanted to preserve the Union, it would have been better to draw a line between himself and Arendt, saying that they had nothing to do with him.
But Henry and Arcus didn’t do that.
Although it was clear they were making an effort to maintain the quality of the product and protect the business, externally, it was as if no action had been taken at all.
They didn’t bla Arendt for making things worse, nor did they criticize the East rchant Group.
As if he was dealing with what he had to.
‘Is it because they’re just young pups…’’
If not, was it just blind faith in soone like Neumann?
Angela’s brow furrowed slightly.
She couldn’t figure out what could turn this situation around.
No, to begin with, she questioned whether there was such a thing.
Anyway, the dice were rolled, so she would soon be able to see the results of the bet she made with her dear brother.
It’s been five days since the East rchant Group’s tea shop opened.
The usually crowded Khan Union tea shop was now deserted.
Even Henry, who couldn’t find anything to do, went so far as to sweep the road in front of the Union with a broom.
The first person to spot this was Oliver, who had co near the Khan Union to briefly check on the situation.
“…Union Leader, what are you doing here?”
When he hesitated for a mont and then spoke, Henry, who had been busy cleaning, raised his head and soon smiled pleasantly.
“Mr. Oliver, it’s been a while. I don’t really have anything to do, so I thought I’d do so cleaning myself.”
Although Henry, the Union Leader, probably had no such intention, to Oliver’s ears, the greeting of “it’s been a while”, sohow sounded like a reproach.
Oliver turned his horse away, avoiding Henry’s gaze.
“What about that… servant?”
“It was so quiet that I gave him a few days off. But I, as the Union Leader, can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
It was sothing he had never seen before: the son of a Duke holding a broom and sweeping the front of a store.
That must an that the Khan Union is not in good shape.
But Oliver couldn’t just show sympathy there.
The rchant group he was in had already settled its dealings with the Khan Union and decided to set up shop in the East rchant Group’s new store.
Henry, the Union Leader, could not have been unaware of that fact.
Even in such a situation, Oliver felt his insides burning as he saw the leader of the Union not losing his politeness and kindness.
“Would you like to have a cup of tea before you go? We have so leftover stock, so I’ll treat you to so good tea.”
So, it was an offer that he should have refused, but Oliver couldn’t.
He smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“Yes. Thank you for your kindness, Union Leader.”
Just that answer alone seed to make Henry’s smile brighter.
In the end, he ended up stepping into the Union, his heart half-dragged along.
“…”
Oliver couldn’t help but be surprised at the empty tables without a single guest.
The hall, neatly organized without a speck of dust, was waiting for visitors, but no one ca.
The stalls were full of unsold tea.
Contrary to rumors that the quality was poor, the products were all good-looking and had nice colors and scents.
“Oh, right. Soone arrived before you, but you don’t need to worry about it, Oliver.”
Oliver, who had been blankly looking around the inside of the Union, suddenly ca to his senses at Henry’s voice.
“Visitors? Do you have guests?”
“No, they’re not guests…”
Henry pointed quietly into the store.
Only then did Oliver notice the two people sitting across from each other in the corner and he involuntarily took a deep breath.
One of the two was Arcus, who rarely ca out of his office, unlike Henry, who was always friendly and talkative to guests.
The person sitting across from him was his younger brother, Arendt, who was currently the center of attention.
“Sir Arendt ca to visit briefly to discuss business matters. I decided to step aside for a mont as it is sothing the two of them will have to deal with.”
“Oh, yes…”
As Henry added his explanation, Oliver nodded like an idiot.
After a while, the kitchen staff brought out tea and snacks and placed them in front of Oliver.
Henry sat across from him and poured tea into his own cup.
“This is a newly imported tea from the North. It has a unique aroma. I think you’ll like it.”
“Thank you.”
Oliver accepted the teacup with a slightly uncomfortable feeling.
Henry had always been kind to him whenever he visited the Union, but as things turned out, that familiar kindness had beco burdenso.
Oliver knew all too well that this ca from his own guilt.
As if reading his mind, Henry was the first to smile bitterly.
“It’s okay. I know very well that it can’t be helped.”
“…I see. Thank you for your hard work, Union Leader.”
Oliver lowered his gaze, not having the courage to et his eyes.
He fumbled with the teacup a few tis, feeling an unnecessary warmth, before hesitating and continuing to speak.
“That, the Union Leader originally worked in the palace… and is also a mber of the noble Duke’s family, so you may not have realized it.”
“Yes?”
“rchants are, by nature, the most sly people in the world. So, don’t trust people too much, and… well, that’s why…”
Oliver just wanted to comfort him and tell him to not feel too hurt, but he couldn’t finish his words.
It was because he knew very well that he had no sha.
If a business failed, it ans that you had to accept that much loss.
At the sa ti, he knew very well how much of a sense of defeat that experience would bring.
Even if the economic blow were that great, Oliver could not even begin to imagine the humiliation this young man must have felt inside.
Henry, who had been silent for a long ti, opened his mouth.
“…Sly people.”
His tone sounded sohow awkward.
Oliver, who had raised his head in puzzlent, soon found himself face to face with the nobleman’s bitter smile.
Henry added, slightly avoiding Oliver’s gaze.
“It’s… it’s okay. I appreciate your concern, though.”
“Yes?”
Henry smiled awkwardly at Oliver’s bewildered question.
“There are truly sly people out there.”
“What do you an…”
Oliver still looked like he didn’t understand, but Henry just smiled and tried to cover it up.
This guy was a good rchant and it seed that it would probably be better for him to remain ignorant in the future.
From the mont he followed Henry into the Union, he too was caught in the net of a certain apprentice knight.
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