"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to introduce good works today as well."
"That's what I have to tell you. I'm satisfied that you always introduce high-quality art."
"I don't know what to say. I'll be going now."
'See you later, senior.'
Elena gave a meaningless smile. Khalif was dazed by the friendly smile that he felt was different from what he had been dealing with until now.
'Oh? I think I've seen that smile somewhere.'
The thought suddenly crossed his mind, but Khalif thought it was an illusion and left the drawing room dormitory. Elena, who ordered May and Anne to send the artwork to the Grand Duke, also left the dormitory.
After stopping by the library's archives and dressing up as Lucia, Elena headed toward the front gate of the academy.
"Hey, look over there. Hey."
"Her? The one that watered Lady Avella's love?"
"It wasn't exactly her, it was His Highness. She's not that pretty, I don't understand."
"I know. Rumor has it that Senior Ren helped her, too. I envy her."
Elena, who had sold her face over Avella, couldn't help but feel the stares pouring in all the way through the central street where the students were gathered.
'What I was worried about became a reality.'
Eventually, Elena became the talk of the town at the academy.
'I'd rather go to the library and the studio.'
Fortunately, the Academy was a place where gossip never stops. She was now at the center of gossip, but when a bigger gossip occurs, they'll be distracted by something other than Elena then.
Of course, most things won't settle down as it was a rare love triangle between Crown Prince Sian and the Ugly Ren.
When she arrived near the entrance of the Academy, ignoring the pouring gazes at the back of her head that were hot, a knight who controlled outside access blocked it.
"Are you going out?"
"Yes."
"Write your name down here in the guest book and get an outing card over there."
Elena left the academy with her going-out pass, which had been issued to her after the procedure, in her jacket pocket. This was the second time she had gone out disguised as Lucia, but the streets near the academy were as clear as her front yard. This was because in her past life, she had frequently gone out and spent no small amount of time in the streets, moving between restaurants, stores, and stores, enjoying desserts and shopping.
Elena was headed to a restaurant at the end of the street. This place was well-known for its delicious steak, and it was a place where many students from the aristocracy visited in ordinary times. But somehow today was quiet from the entrance. The reason could be confirmed by the door plate hanging at the fancy entrance.
Closed.
This means that they are not operating. In principle, it was right to turn around because they would not accept customers, but Elena ignored the letters written on the plaque and entered the store.
"I'm sorry, but we're closed today."
"I'm Lucia. I'm here to see my father."
Elena identified herself to the employee who politely recommended going back. Then, their attitude changed as if it didn't happen.
"I'm sorry I don't recognize you, miss. Your father is upstairs."
The employee bowed politely and led Elena to the front of the line. Sir, Miss… As one might guess from the straightforward wording, the restaurant was owned by the Castol Chamber of Commerce. It was a safe house that had been set up in case Khalif and Elena, who went back and forth between the academies, came out in an emergency.
"Here you are."
When they arrived at the room at the end of the corridor on the second floor, the employee opened the door.
"Have you come?"
Elena went inside, and Khalif happily pretended to know her. It was a face he would see only a few hours after they had parted, but Khalif, who did not know it, looked very happy.
"Long time no see, Senior."
Elena turned her eyes to greet him. The wind from beyond the window ruffled the inside of the curtain. Emilio was sitting in front of him.
"How have you been?"
"My regards are L's regards. I've been doing very well."
Elena and Emilio exchanged greetings naturally and acted in a relationship between father and daughter. Elena, who could not reveal her identity yet, had no choice but to deceive Khalif.
"Why are you standing there? Come on, sit down. We have a lot to talk about."
Elena nodded and sat on the chair. Three people made a triangle with the round table between them.
"I think it's the first time the three of us are together."
"Don't talk. While you were concentrating on your studies, I and Emilio were busy with construction."
Khalif complained a little. Elena pretended not to hear and looked at Emilio.
"What's the Grand Duke's reaction?"
"I think they're still eager to demolish the slums, but I think we'll know in a few days."
Elena nodded.
"It would be crazy for them to know that we have an exclusive supply contract with marble mines."
Elena had Emilio sign an exclusive contract with mines around the Empire dealing with natural marble at the time of the purchase of slum land. A general building could be constructed without marble, but Noblesse Street, a symbol of luxury, could not proceed without natural marble. As Noblesse Street itself was a discriminating street that emphasized aristocratic elegance and dignity, the use of natural marble was a must.
"For the Grand Duke, it's a bolt from the blue. They would suffer enormous losses because they would have to pay not only a small amount but more than three times the cost to purchase it."
"Only three times? You've spent a lot of money trying to get the exclusive right, haven't you? You need to get four times to get the money left."
Elena was talking casually, but if Leabrick heard this, she might have felt the murderous desire to kill Elena right away.
"I'd love to, but I'm being careful because my client is going to pay dearly."
Emilio suffered a number of hardship crises before putting the Castol Corporation on the edge of the continent's top ten. If he had to pick the most critical moment, it would have been when the aristocrats were offended during the transaction.
"As you know, the Grand Duke is not a regular nobleman. If they pull a knife on us, the Castor Trading Company may have to withdraw from the empire."
"It happens. She's a woman who, once she has bad feelings, still stays."
Elena was proud to say that she knew more about Leabrick's relentlessness, precision, and lechery than anyone else, even if others didn't know it. If the price of natural marble was a whopping four times higher than the cost, she couldn't rule out the possibility of using her power to put pressure on the Chamber of Commerce or suppress it. Khalif was surprised.
"Isn't that a big deal? We've already signed an exclusive contract for double the price."
"There's nothing to worry about. They'll have no choice but to buy it for four times as much."
"There's a trick. Right?"
Khalif had a hunch that Elena was hiding a trick. Otherwise she wouldn't have the time to do so.
"I have something for you to do."
"Tell me."
"I'd like to start a rumor."
"Rumor?"
Elena gave a meaningful smile.
"The headquarters of the Gaia Church, the Vatican, is trying to build a cathedral that will remain in history."
"…!"
Emilio's pupils went wide. The news he had just received was so unprecedented that he reacted in such a massive way in his life that he was not surprised by a little or a lot. The reason for the monopoly on the marble mines had changed to the name of pre-purchasing materials to be delivered to the Vatican instead of for the Grand Duke. Khalif stammered at the tremendous story.
"Y-You're crazy. Are you out of your mind? I don't know about anything else, but if you touch the Vatican by mistake, it will hook you. What are you going to do with a false rumor like that?"
"Who says it's a false rumor?"
"What?"
"The Vatican has already completed the purchase of a site on the outskirts of the capital, near the main complex, the year before last. They just didn't announce it to the outside world in order to enhance the contents of the cathedral, as it is the future headquarters of the Gaia Order and the new epicenter of the Order."
All of this was not a vague presumption, but an actual story that was about to happen. For the last hundred years or so, the Gaia Cluster had experienced a sanctification unparalleled in history. Aristocrats donated tremendous amounts of money to the pulpits in order to be guaranteed happiness after death, and commoners, whose lives were made difficult by the deprivation of such aristocrats, relied on religion. In such a holy spirit, the Vatican accumulated enormous wealth and made a grand plan to build a cathedral that would be the headquarters and epicenter of the church.
In the original history, architect Verna participated in the construction of Santa Maria Cathedral as one of the first architects chosen by the Vatican. However, his health deteriorated, and he died early three years after the construction began.
'The second-generation architect after him is Randol.'
Elena, who visited the Vatican by chance, met with art broker Khalif there. Therefore, she knew the rough outline of how Randol took charge of the construction of the Santa Maria Cathedral and became the second-generation architect.
"No way! Let's say they make a hundred concessions and build a cathedral. How do you know that?"
"Are you curious about that?"
"Oh, I'm crazy curious!"
Elena said, wearing glasses.
"It's a secret."
"Emilio, are you really going to believe this? It's too much of a gamble. If you don't do it right, you'll be out of the Vatican's sight. Then it's over!"
"Senior, I'm sure there's no such mishap."
Despite Khalif's concern, Elena didn't change a single look. Her eyes had a firmness that would never waver.
"By attracting the Vatican, we have two benefits. First, justification. It's not the Grand Duke, it's the natural marble that's prepared in advance to make sure the cathedral trades."
"That makes sense."
Emilio agreed.
"Secondly, our offer of four times the purchase price of natural marble will not be cheap at all. We will soon sign an exclusive contract and bear the cost of buying twice as much, but once we start building the cathedral, the damage will be enough to fill the void."
In the meantime, Elena had not neglected to study commerce and market principles, going back and forth between the libraries. She knew that in order to use her future memories as they were meant to be used, she would need to have the appropriate knowledge.
Her efforts did not betray her. Elena derived many plans from a single memory, and was able to sway the version of the Grand Duke's plan by using it against him and gaining a lot of wealth.
Emilio marveled purely.
"The more I hear, the more surprising it is. How far are you looking at? It's amazing."
"It's not that much. I just thought about it one more time than anyone else knew."
Elena speaks humbly, but Emilio knows. Even if he combined all the experiences and years he had gone through his whole life, Elena's cleverness could not be matched.