44.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I felt certain he would sneer, questioning whether a mere soap business—something every shopkeeper and their grandmother was peddling—really required a non-disclosure agreement.
But I couldn’t retreat now, not after coming this far.
“Here is the business plan. I prepared this thinking it might save you time to look it over first.”
The document had felt ironclad when I double-checked it early this morning, but now, as I withdrew it, it suddenly seemed riddled with flaws.
Cedric took the pages, his gaze drifting over them in silence.
*‘So this is what it feels like to be on pins and needles. What if he just tosses it aside after reading? Was coming here a mistake?’*
Just as my resolve faltered, I remembered the advice Roxana, who had helped me draft the proposal, had given me.
“Half of business success is thorough preparation; the other half is guts. No matter how perfect your plan, if you look timid, no investor will entrust you with their capital.”
How did I look to Cedric right now? Would he think it ridiculous that someone who had held her head high and acted with such insolence was now currying favor just because she needed a loan? But did I have any reason to feel small?
That’s right. There’s no need to tremble. Cedric isn’t the master of my life or death, is he?
*‘I even refused his help when I was in a position where I had to leave the convent with nothing. Where did all that nerve go?’*
I drew a steady, silent breath and looked him straight in the eye.
His eyelashes, lowered as he read, were long and thick. The eyes that flickered whenever he blinked looked serious—a sharp contrast to the moments when they were filled with that mocking smile.
Finally, having reached the very last letter of the final page, he set the papers down and sat up.
“Honestly……”
Gulp. The sound of my own throat swallowing echoed in the silence. Or perhaps, only I could hear it.
“There are a few interesting segments, but I cannot fully trust the competitiveness of the product itself. I doubt a convent could produce soap superior to a company specializing in beauty products.”
For a moment, memories of stirring the cauldron for hours to craft that soap surged up, and a prickle of defiance rose within me.
“Are you comparing it to products made in factories, where they boil ingredients carelessly in unwashed, massive vats and add unverified chemicals and synthetic fragrances?”
“If you repeat such claims outside these walls, you should be prepared for a lawsuit.”
“But every product I researched failed to list exactly what kind of fragrances or foaming agents they use. I couldn’t find a single ingredient list on their packaging. How is that any different from something unverified?”
The causes of the hives and acne that once covered my skin might have been varied, but beyond diet or lifestyle, the influence of commercial soaps and cosmetics surely played a role.
“St. Clarissa’s Convent can disclose every single ingredient. Since they are materials we have harvested and used for years, we can guarantee their safety. The nun at our workshop even tastes the soap to ensure it has been brewed properly.”
“But such soaps already exist. The olive soap from the Natarixen region is also famous.”
“It doesn’t have Harriet Listerwell attached to it.”
I smiled brightly.
The true hook of this business, beyond the superior product, was having a face that could command attention.
“Having a good product doesn’t guarantee sales. There must be an element that induces people to purchase, and in this business, that element is me.”
“You are quite…… confident.”
“It’s not groundless. It’s surprising enough that a Scandal Maker who was holed up in a convent for a year has reappeared in high society; it is even more shocking that the skin once marred by disease has become clear.”
Only then did Cedric sink back into the sofa, a look of satisfaction dawning in his eyes.
“Everyone will be curious about the secret, and that is precisely when you sell the St. Clarissa products that you yourself have benefited from. I see.”
“That’s why I’m in a bit of a rush. I have to strike while the interest is high.”
Cedric’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“Miss Harriet. You shouldn’t show that you are in a rush in a business relationship. It’s as good as admitting defeat.”
“Seeing you say that, it seems you have no interest in getting the better of me.”
“Pfft, hahaha!”
He burst into laughter once again.
When his father was head of the house, he had sat in on such meetings as part of his succession training, and he had met many people since inheriting the dukedom.
Not a single one of them was like Harriet.
What an insolent, bold, yet clumsy and unpredictable woman.
Cedric thought he had done well to grant her audience. Truly, this woman never gave him a moment of boredom.
“In return for making me laugh, I will point out a few things. You would be better off securing a store in the Sevioll area than in Payton. You looked into the Harrow Trading Company for a distributor, but they lack trade routes toward St. Clarissa’s Convent; they will charge you exorbitant shipping fees, and……”
He offered detailed advice on storefronts, logistics, and distribution methods. It was a gesture I hadn’t expected at all.
*‘Is he telling me to revise the plan and find someone else?’*
If so, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I clenched my fists and said,
“If the Duke invests, I could use the Aster Trading Company, which handles the Duke’s estate. It has the most extensive network, which would cut costs, and they would know how to manage products sensitive to temperature.”
At that, Cedric rested his chin on his hand with a faint smile.
“It’s not a business that would yield such a huge profit for me or the House of Kaylas.”
“I know. But the reason I sought out the Duke first, even knowing that, was because I wondered if you might have the intention to help St. Clarissa’s Convent.”
I finally revealed the story I had been holding back.
The convent’s long-cherished project, the ‘Girls’ Haven,’ could have been launched with his past donation, but a nearby orphanage had closed, forcing more girls into our care. We were now in a state where we couldn’t delay the project, but we lacked the funds to proceed.
“St. Clarissa’s Convent doesn’t receive many donations. To protect the girls with nowhere else to go, we need a channel for long-term funding.”
“So, Miss Harriet, are you saying you conceived this business not for your own gain, but for the convent?”
“I’m not such an altruistic person. I just thought it was a way to help the convent while helping myself.”
Was that the right answer? Cedric nodded.
“Very well. Let’s invest.”
“Are you serious?”
I asked, stunned by his sudden acceptance.
“You asked me to invest, didn’t you?”
“Oh? W-well, I did. I’m just… happy.”
“Since you are in a rush, I will inform my assistant about the details today and seek ways to help. First, we need to secure a storefront.”
Pondering for a moment, he rang the bell on the table.
Soon, an assistant appeared without a sound.
“I recall a vacant store on Sevioll Street became available half a month ago.”
“Yes. We are currently looking for the next tenant.”
“That has just been decided.”
While I watched, bewildered, Cedric picked up the business plan again, flipped through it, and continued.
“You set the business costs including rent, distribution, and advertising at 200,000 Dirham, with a net profit for the first three months at 50,000 Dirham. Let’s raise the standard.”
“What does that mean?”
“Let’s scale it up. It makes no sense for the House of Kaylas to be involved only for the return to peak at a mere 50,000 Dirham in three months.”
He picked up a pen, crossed out several lines, and wrote over them.
“The rent for the Sevioll store owned by the Duke’s house is 80,000 Dirham a month.”
“Pardon?”
“I will charge you only half.”
It was still more expensive than the 30,000 Dirham I had budgeted for, but for a store on Sevioll Street, it was a price that went beyond exceptional to disruptive.
“You will also use the Aster Trading Company for distribution, but contrary to your expectations, Miss Harriet, the costs are substantial. As you said, their shipping is faster and their management is superior to other firms.”
“T-then, perhaps a different trading company……”
“Where did you learn your business ethics—to avoid using our firm when I am the one investing? The rent for the store was reduced on the condition that you use the Aster Trading Company.”
“Ah, yes.”
From that point on, I was simply swept away, as if being dragged by my hair by Cedric.