socalfunplaces Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Chapter 157. Love and the Culinary Revolution
The following morning. Another peaceful day at the Y&P Trading Company office.
"……."
Penelope was staring down at the thick leather ledger in front of her. The ledger of The Golden Mermaid that Jurgen had brought back the previous night.
After Belheim had been taken to the capital, Penelope had resumed handling the accounts. She was still working with guidance from veterans, but she had a basic grasp of things.
The reason Penelope's fingertips were trembling faintly was this — every single figure written in The Golden Mermaid's ledger was absolutely absurd.
"Jurgen."
"What is it?"
"This woman is out of her mind."
"You mean Countess Blanchard?"
"Look at this! Outstanding debt to the Black Sail Guild! Balance owing on the interior construction! Chandelier instalment payments! Employee wages in arrears! Good heavens, how can this even be possible?"
Penelope shook the ledger in the air. The numbers scrawled in livid blue ink came pouring down like rain.
"How on earth has this woman been breathing all this time? At this level, a court wouldn't even accept a bankruptcy filing!"
Let it be said once more.
Penelope respects and supports Jurgen's dream.
She believes Y&P should grow on its own terms, but she also wants to cooperate with the Culinary Revolution. It wasn't that she was won over by talk of portfolio diversification — she wanted to be part of his dream.
That was the same reason she had readily nodded along when she heard his vague proposal of 'wouldn't it be nice to establish a proper high-end Fine Dining venture too?'
"Jurgen, this one is a no. Let's drop her. How is this an acquisition! It's charity work!"
But she hadn't anticipated that he would willingly consider investing in a woman running things this catastrophically.
She was already rubbing her the wrong way with all that pecking at people — and now who exactly was this supposed to benefit?
"Don't look at it so rigidly."
"Am I being rigid?! You're extremely good at reading financial statements yourself!"
"Hear me out. I see three main things of value in Countess Blanchard."
Jurgen let out an easy laugh and held up one finger.
"The first is the Blanchard name itself."
"The name? The Rosemore name is more than sufficient for that."
Penelope's lip jutted out.
"It is, indeed. But the fact that you, Clarisse Rosemore, have you under check is widely known throughout the North."
This meant that with Penelope's Y&P alone, it would be difficult to form a complete centre of culinary culture. The moment Penelope tried to stand as the heart of that culture, political interpretations and calculations would start seeping in.
"But Countess Blanchard is different. The Blanchard family has no particular friends, but no clear enemies either, does it?"
In that respect, the Blanchard Countship holds a very free-standing position. The idea being that they could fly the banner of authentic Northern nobility while avoiding unnecessary enemies — a shrewd play.
Penelope's lips moved slightly. Infuriating as it was, it wasn't wrong.
No matter how high Y&P flew, they couldn't completely erase the label of 'street origins' or the risk of 'the Rosemore family rift.'
The former — well, looking ten or twenty years down the line, who could say — but at any rate, they currently lacked heritage.
"Hmm, well…… fair enough, I suppose."
Seeing Penelope concede to some degree, Jurgen held up a second finger.
"The second is the restaurant, The Golden Mermaid, itself."
"That place?"
"You saw it yourself, didn't you? Countess Blanchard made good use of the luxury items that had been packed away in the family storeroom."
Penelope had seen it. Marianne was a dark sorceress who conjured terrifying negative numbers into financial statements, but her aesthetic sensibility was exceptional.
The problem was that it was all a touch excessively lavish.
"Hmm……."
The abacus in Penelope's head clicked into motion.
Certainly, when one considered the cost and time of constructing a building of that scale from scratch and fitting it out to the highest standard — taking on this debt was actually the cheaper option.
"Even so, did she really need to go that overboard?"
"But you already know the answer to that yourself, don't you?"
Well — if it was Fine Dining, atmosphere was certainly just as important as the food.
"Ugh……."
There are moments when knowing each other too well is inconvenient like this, Penelope thought.
"Haaa…… fine, then. What's the third and final reason?"
At Penelope's question, Jurgen smirked and held up a third finger.
"Like it or not — she's a kindred spirit of the Culinary Revolution."
"Hah?"
"Is she not the very first challenger, outside of Y&P Trading Company, to have joined this culinary venture in earnest?"
"That last part is pure sentiment."
Penelope made a face of utter exasperation. Her tone of objection was sharp, but inwardly she was already coming around.
No — she had no choice but to come around. In the past — when Jurgen had extended his hand to Penelope, who had been called a useless flower.
Had he moved on cold calculation alone? No.
Standing here now saying 'there's no profit in this, let's drop her' — that would be quite unseemly for someone who had been saved by Jurgen in the past. It would be unbecoming of a noble young lady.
"All right, all right. If it's you, I'm sure you've thought it through."
In the end, Penelope let out a deep sigh and raised both hands in surrender.
"Then I'll arrange an appointment shortly."
Watching Jurgen leave with a light step after receiving her acceptance, Penelope let out a second sigh. Deeper than the last.
"Haaa……. I genuinely don't know anymore."
It was an inexplicable unease.
Penelope believes there is a deep, unshakeable bond between herself and Jurgen. She believes there is a trust that transcends calculation.
And yet — Countess Blanchard, and her own past, and Jurgen reaching out a hand to that woman —
She couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu, as though she had seen this scene somewhere before.
***
Meanwhile, at Blanchard Manor at that same hour.
"My lady, this afternoon at three o'clock. You have a scheduled meeting with Y&P Trading Company."
"I remember it perfectly well."
Marianne, dressed in her most magnificent gown, was touching up her makeup in the mirror and humming to herself. Bernard, standing beside her, lamented inwardly: 'The young lady has finally lost her mind…….'
"Bernard, why that expression?"
"Are you not nervous, my lady?"
Marianne gave a dismissive snort.
"Nervous? Why on earth would I be?"
"My lady! Today's meeting has the very fate of The Golden Mermaid riding on it!"
Despite Bernard's anguished cry, Marianne spritzed on her perfume and laughed coquettishly.
"Bernard. You know one thing but not the other."
"I beg your pardon?"
After receiving Jurgen's help. Marianne had turned the matter of that man over carefully in her mind.
"Think about it. In truth, Y&P Trading Company had absolutely no reason to help us."
They could simply have waited for the place to go under, then swallowed up the building at auction for a song. That was the thoroughly rational thinking of a merchant.
And yet Jurgen, under the feeble-sounding excuse of 'kindred spirit of the Culinary Revolution,' had willingly helped Marianne. Not only that, he had offered to pay off her debts and keep Marianne in the position of representative.
"Why would he do that?"
"W, well……?"
That was something even Bernard couldn't make sense of.
Marianne was certain. Kindred spirit of the Culinary Revolution? Business partner? No. Between a man and a woman, since when did that sort of thing exist?
"This is love! He has been utterly captivated by my vision, my beauty, and my refinement!"
Watching Marianne fling her arms wide open, Bernard involuntarily slapped his own forehead.
"No, but — isn't that its own kind of problem, my lady?"
"How is that a problem?"
"Because they will obviously bring up that kind of condition as leverage over you! My lady, you are a Countess — a Countess! The thought of marrying a mere commoner! The dignity of the family……!"
"Tsk tsk, such a lack of perception."
Marianne wagged her finger with a laugh.
"Do you know how foolish a man in love can be?"
She called to mind those idiotic young nobles from when she was still a young lady herself — the ones who would even come to duels over a handkerchief of hers. Men were all the same. Fall in love, and they're ready to hand over liver, kidneys, and all.
Today's contract? Obvious. He would put on a show of being strict and exacting on the surface, but in the end he would give Marianne everything she wanted. Because that was the weakness of a man in love.
Femme fatale. Perhaps that was synonymous with Marianne Blanchard.
"Oh, what manner of sinful fate was I born into?!"
"……."
"Very well. I shall strip out all the advantageous terms — and in return…… I shall allow him to experience something resembling a courtship! That is my mercy."
Marianne struck a dramatic pose and winked at her reflection in the mirror.
"Good grief."
That is definitely not what's going on. Bernard let out a deep sigh. It was a moment in which he felt an acute longing for the days when he had been able to freely take a switch to the young lady.
3 o'clock in the afternoon. Y&P Trading Company's main conference room.
The moment of reckoning had arrived. Penelope was in full combat readiness.
She was aware she was more tense than necessary.
But…… there was no helping it.
'Serena, I need some advice.'
Penelope had swallowed her pride and, on a recent occasion, laid out her tangled feelings to her friend Serena.
Summarising, very briefly, what she had conveyed in the most roundabout of terms —
'What am I to Hanbin?'
That would cover it roughly. The moment she heard this question, Serena shook her head vigorously.
'Penelope, I think that might be a form of attachment anxiety.'
'What?'
'Ask anyone — ten out of ten would say Hanbin clearly has feelings for Penelope.'
'No, that's not what I was asking!'
'It's true that Hanbin does seem to be the type who doesn't give reassurances readily. But there's no need to fret this much over it.'
'I, is that right?'
'Haaa…… I know this area very well indeed, so there's nothing to worry about.'
'Then what…… what if the opponent was Countess Blanchard?'
'…….'
Serena, who had been talking nineteen to the dozen, suddenly found herself at a loss for words. Her gaze began darting about.
'……Serena?'
'……Ah, um……. W, well…… if Countess Blanchard were the opponent…… it would be a union with both legitimacy, and symbolic significance in terms of the reconciliation between the North and the royal family, but…… Penelope has the advantage of having known him longer, so…… it would be a good match…….'
'Hey!!!'
It was no use at all.
No — she had ended up far more anxious than before the consultation!
At any rate, the carriage could now be seen approaching in the distance.
"Huu, pull yourself together, Penelope."
Penelope steadied herself.
Whatever tangled feelings she had, business was business. She would respect Jurgen's wishes, but she would not do business at a loss.
The door opened, and Marianne stepped inside.
Penelope's eyes went wide.
"My, Penelope. It has been a while."
The state of Marianne as she entered was quite something.
Dressed in a gown so dazzling one might think she was heading to a ball, her expression moreover overflowed with ease and magnanimity. Only Bernard, following behind her, had his head bowed like a man guilty of some offence.
'What is this? That brazen attitude?'
Penelope's brow furrowed.
"Welcome, Countess. Jurgen has stepped away momentarily. As the person in charge of finances, I will be conducting the contract negotiations."
"Oh, is that so? Well…… I understand."
Marianne, without the least hint of disappointment, dropped into the seat of honour and snapped open her fan.
"Perhaps it means we ought to sort things out cozily between us girls, don't you think?"
"……Pardon?"
"I'm joking. Shall we begin?"
Penelope pushed aside a vaguely uncomfortable feeling and placed the contract onto the table.