NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 150.1
“I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.”
That’s what Jeron told me when he heard how it all went down. I just smiled wryly.
The negotiations with the King went off without a hitch.
No, I’d barely say
‘uneventful’.
I fulfilled my promise admirably.
To be honest, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. Well, not that I wasn’t anxious at all.
Especially after a few days of giving her medication and not seeing any reaction.
At times, I even thought,
‘What if I’ve given her the wrong medicine?’
But along with the anxiety, I also felt a strange sense of foreboding.
A sense that things were going to work out. Surely the Princess would wake up, and I would get the business.
And indeed, she did open her eyes.
— ‘Oh, my heavens. Yurina…!’The King, who was even more skeptical than I was, froze in his tracks as the Princess awoke.
And when he heard his daughter say that her vision was blurry, he burst into tears.
‘Oh dear, even I was tearing up watching them.’
Of course, I didn’t see it myself and had to rely on Hestia to tell me about it, but I could tell how moved he was.
Not long after, I got to witness it myself.
— ‘Thank you. Thank you so much. How can I repay you for this favor…’The next time I went to see the King, my situation was completely reversed.
When I entered the palace, instead of sitting on his throne as usual, the King himself came down to greet me.
As if that weren’t enough, he grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet, and thanked me over and over again.
— ‘I only did what was right, Your Majesty.’ — ‘Forgive me for not trusting you. You have told me nothing but the truth, and my suspicions have led me to make unreasonable demands…’ — ‘That is quite all right, for I, too, believed that her ladyship would recover, and I made those terms.’ — ‘Still, I can’t bear to look at you. I’d do anything for such a benefactor…’ — ‘Then I can expect the same from you, can’t I?’The King laughed softly at my mischievous words.
— ‘Don’t worry.’Even with the King’s assurance, Jeron still looked dissatisfied.
“Still, how can you risk half of the profits? Do you have any idea how much money Averine makes here?” “Uhh… Still, what, less than the Empire?” “It’s the equivalent of a year’s worth of finances for most kingdoms, eh? And half that, even every year?” “That’s because I was confident that it would work…” “You don’t have that kind of power, and if something goes wrong, you’ll be kicked out of Averine, let alone become the successor!”As Jeron pounded his chest in frustration, I gave him a wry look.
Honestly, I thought I was taking it a little too far, but I didn’t think it was that serious.
I scratched my cheek as the King’s expression of disbelief became a little more understandable.
“Ah, but at the end of the day, things worked out, right? I was promised the transfer of business rights!” “How can this be called a good outcome? Hah… I really don’t like this place.” “Okay, I’ll think more carefully next time.” Take it easy, okay?” “I’m not angry…”Jeron stared at my face for a moment, unable to continue, then shook his head with an earth-shattering sigh.
“Forget it. Well, it worked out just like you said, anyway.” “Right?” “So when are you going to release the business?”Jeron’s words brought me back to a moment earlier.
“At the party.”That’s what the King had apparently said, as he thanked me profusely.
I wanted to announce that the Princess had been safely recovered, and I wanted to make sure everyone knew it was my work.
And, at the same time, an official declaration that the business of Beloa would be handed over to Averine.
“Is that correct?” “Well, actually, I already have the deed of transfer. They even stamped it with the royal seal on the spot and gave it to me.” “What? Really?” “Well, check this out.”I was flabbergasted to receive the deed, as I honestly didn’t expect it to be so generous.
And it was clear that Jeron, who took the certificate from me, was feeling the same way.
“…You’re not going to bite this, are you?” “No way. It’s even stamped.” “Well, that’s a good thing. At least it’s a relief.”I agreed with him. After receiving the certificate, I felt like I had finally finished a big project. But my work was just beginning.
“So, do you have an idea of what you’re going to build?”I nodded quickly. And then I told him bluntly.
“I’m thinking of opening a hotel.” “A hotel?”Jeron’s response was less than enthusiastic.
“Well… I know you don’t really have a lot of options since you’re in the lodging business, but…” “That’s true.” “Are you sure you’ll be okay? Hotels have a strong prejudice that they’re only for nobles, so we might not be able to make much profit. Of course, we’ll be building it in Beloa’s harbor, so we’ll do the basics, but…”Jeron’s concerns were understandable.
At first, I wondered if we should have built something other than a hotel.
What we got was a great location. It’s a port city, the center of all trade, so there’s going to be a lot of people moving around, and whatever business you do there, it’s probably through the middle.
So it was actually enough to build a moderately successful establishment or inn and maintain the status quo.
The fact that I got the business license was more important than how well I ran the inn.
But it wasn’t enough.
Not enough to win over my great-aunt and win the unanimous approval of the vassals.
As a port city, the center of all trade, there would be a huge amount of people traveling through, and whatever business you did there would go somewhere.
So it was actually enough to build a moderately successful establishment or inn and maintain the status quo to be recognized.