Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 154

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 154
“Lady Deborah Simour, you’re saying uncertainty makes money? What do you mean by that? The more uncertain people are about the future, the more they save and hoard. It means they spend less money.”
Duke Basslein looked bewildered at my words.
“Your Grace. In times of chaos like these, we need a shift in perspective.”
“A shift in perspective?”
“To give you a hint, the business I’ve conceived requires no special resources.”
Kev Blancan, searching for new investment opportunities, seemed intrigued by my words. He had stopped conversing with his wife and was now glancing sideways at me.
“Now that’s an interesting proposition. Let’s hear what this perspective shift of yours is.”
“In exchange, would you be willing to hear my request?”
Duke Basslein clicked his tongue and rubbed his beard roughly.
“Building curiosity and then adding conditions? You’re quite bold. Very well, what is it that you want from me?”
He seemed impatient, lacking in forbearance as he asked eagerly.
“If you generate profits using the business model I propose, please sign a contract transferring 30 percent of the net profits to me as the idea provider.”
“Ha-ha-ha! Your confidence is truly remarkable. Aide!”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Prepare to draft a contract. Bring paper and pen.”
Duke Basslein was half-skeptical yet amused by my audacity.
“People who love the sea truly have different mettle. Yes, indeed they do.”
‘He still thinks this is child’s play.’
The Duke rarely stayed in the Capital, so he wouldn’t know much about the scale of Armand, and since I was just a green debutante in his eyes, it was natural he didn’t take me seriously.
Shortly after, the contract was completed in a properly authenticated form.
“Now then, we’ve signed the contract. Let’s hear what this shift in perspective you speak of actually is.”
“It’s simple. We assume and manage risk—in other words, uncertainty. When anxiety is amplified by the rifts as it is now, we can secure the most contracts.”
What I was proposing to him was maritime insurance.
England’s fire insurance was born after the Great Fire of London. The rifts, whose cause was unknown and destroyed everything people possessed while threatening their very lives, were the perfect catalyst for an insurance business.
Everyone wants to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
“I’ve heard that in the nearby Busez County, maritime accidents caused by monsters from the rifts have resulted in numerous deaths.”
“You’ve done thorough research, Lady Deborah Simour.”
“When the head of a household dies, the family left behind faces the misery of poverty. If luck is poor, even children can be sold into slavery.”
“That’s true…”
“So we have sailors pay a small monthly fee to prepare for such worst-case scenarios. Then we distribute substantial compensation to the families of subscribers who suffer tragedy.”
“How does that make money for me?”
Duke Basslein looked utterly confused about insurance. Meanwhile, Kev sat with a serious expression, lost in thought.
“Let me give you a simple example. Your Grace, you receive reports on both the number of ship departures and maritime accidents each year, so you’ll understand.”
“That’s right.”
“Assuming an annual accident rate of 1 percent, if there are 100 subscribers paying 1 gold per year, and you set the compensation payout to less than 100 gold per person, you’ll have a high probability of remaining profitable even after paying claims.”
“…This is absolutely brilliant!”
Kev, sitting beside me, couldn’t contain his excitement and suddenly interjected with admiration.
“Truly, I haven’t been this shocked all year. Turning anxiety into gold—now that’s a genuine shift in perspective!”
Kev praised me profusely, his face flushed with excitement.
‘That’s good.’
The fact that he had taken a liking to me was encouraging.
Meanwhile, Isidore laughed heartily, much like he had in Blanche.
“Ha ha! So you’re betting on the side where accidents don’t happen. It’s similar to how casinos operate… You truly are a genius, my lady. I could use this myself.”
‘Isidore, after all… his mind is remarkably sharp.’
The insurance business hinges on statistics and data. A lord who possessed the roster of sailors frequenting the harbor, information about them, and received various reports on maritime accidents and the frequency of incidents could design insurance products to ensure his own profit.
This meant that Isidore, who held a coastal territory, could also earn money through maritime insurance.
“…But Lady Deborah. If accidents occur more frequently than expected and I must pay out large compensation multiple times, wouldn’t that result in significant losses for me?”
Those two clever men seemed to have already grasped everything, while Duke Basslein was only now beginning to catch on.
“Duke Basslein. Even if the total compensation results in a loss, by receiving gold coins from thousands of sailors each month as compensation for managing risk, the liquidity of money increases. This place becomes a small bank.”
The Duke suddenly rose from his seat.
“I see. Banks multiply money deposited by others! So I too can play with other people’s money like a bank!”
Duke Basslein, finally catching the scent of profit, became elated. He even grasped both my hands and shook them up and down excitedly.
“Business has been sluggish lately and gold coins have been scarce—this is a perfect venture. You’re truly a blessing, my lady!”
“Well, it mustn’t be operated too recklessly, though.”
Isidore gently withdrew his hand from the Duke’s grasp.
“Lady Deborah. Sell me that business model as well.”
“Wait! Cousin, I made the contract with Lady Deborah first.”
As Isidore interjected and played the role of instigator, Duke Basslein’s mustache trembled with even greater excitement.
“Uncle. After all, you’re contracting with sailors who frequent each of your respective territories, aren’t you? Since your domains don’t overlap, there’s no issue.”
“Now that you mention it, Isidore, you’re getting a free ride without giving the lady any stake at all!”
The Duke seemed to have only just realized he had handed over too large a share of the business to me.
‘A full thirty percent, no less.’
“After all, Lady Deborah and I are business partners, and if we proceed with the insurance business, we plan to operate it through the Leticia Trading Company, which we run together.”
‘So that’s what it was?’
Since the idea had come to me on the spur of the moment, I hadn’t had time to think through such specifics. Besides, since Isidore is mine, there’s no harm in giving him the idea for free.
It was then.
“Duke Basslein, Lady Deborah. Forgive my presumption, but I too wish to invest in that insurance business.”
‘Finally, he’s asked.’
Watching the merchant Kev Blancan, flushed crimson and about to kneel, I smiled with satisfaction.
Kev was precisely the sort of person who, with dangers scattered across various regions lately, had been unable to find an appropriate investment opportunity. For him, this risk management venture was irresistibly appealing.
“Kev, you too?”
“In exchange for allowing my investment, I will investigate trading contacts within Ferdin where the excess copper produced in Ripples Estate can be sold at premium prices.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. In Ferdin, copper is used in minting coins. With connections to the royal family, it can certainly be sold. My wife happens to be of Ferdin nobility and knows many royal administrators.”
Duke Basslein’s face grew even more radiant as he listened to Kev’s words.
“Not only is the copper that was difficult to dispose of now being sold, but Lady Deborah, you are truly the noblest of the noble.”
“Duke Basslein, Kev. What if we did it this way?”
I began speaking to them both in a hushed voice.
“What will you say this time, making my heart race and my chest tighten?”
By the time I finished discussing copper, Duke Basslein’s gaze had transformed into something almost reverent—the look one might reserve for an angel. Facing a duke who seemed willing to grant any request, I picked up the contract we had drawn up together.
“I will cede half of my thirty percent stake, as written in this contract, to Kev Blancan.”
“You speak in earnest, my lady?!”
Duke Basslein’s eyes widened with astonishment. By transferring my insurance business shares to Kev in exchange for the copper trade, the duke’s remaining stake would diminish further—which made my proposal all the more enticing to him.
“If the duke and Kev Blancan will each grant me one request, I shall amend this contract without hesitation.”
“Speak freely, then.”
“First, I shall prepare a new contract.”
I glanced between them both and smiled knowingly.
* * *
“I suspect you, my lady, are the one who gained the most from today’s dealings in the Southern Region.”
Knight Isidore spoke with genuine delight in his eyes.
“It was thanks to the information you provided.”
“I merely offered raw, unrefined material. It was you, my lady, who transformed it into a delicious dish.”
He certainly does lavish praise generously.
The three of us—myself, the duke, and Kev—each obtained what we desired, so the banquet concluded in the most harmonious atmosphere. Afterward, I found myself walking along the coastline with Knight Isidore, engaging in pleasant conversation.
This journey has yielded far more than I expected.
I was glad I had come to the Southern Region. In exchange for ceding shares in a business not yet launched, what I had secured from Duke Basslein was exclusive rights to all coffee beans entering Baslein Territory in the future.
My original purpose in coming here was to establish a stable supply of coffee beans, after all.
Notably, Baslein Territory had been importing exotic spices and silk from Ferdin Duchy. While distributing these rare goods to merchants throughout the Asteia Empire would yield substantial profits, their scarcity in Ferdin meant limited supply and bulky cargo—leaving ample room in the ship’s hold for coffee beans.
For Duke Basslein, it was a favorable arrangement, allowing him to earn intermediary commissions on goods that previously did not exist in his territory.
This alone fulfilled my initial objective, but the greatest harvest lay elsewhere: I had established a trading relationship with a merchant couple who possessed countless connections throughout Ferdin Duchy!
Thanks to Kev Blancan, I could now trade with the farm producing the finest coffee beans in Ferdin, and I had even secured the services of a coffee specialist.
I had finally found it.
A barista!
“Kev Blancan, is there perhaps a coffee specialist in Ferdin Duchy?”
I posed the question with cautious hope.
“My wife mentioned that among the maids serving the nobility, there are quite a few skilled at brewing coffee beans.”
And I had struck gold.
Ferdin Duchy, being the birthplace of coffee and a nation that had consumed it for centuries, possessed many people with deep expertise in handling coffee beans.
“My lady, I shall search for a coffee specialist willing to remain in the Empire. There are many in Ferdin Duchy who admire the Empire, so it should be relatively easy to find one.”
I intended to purchase the know-how for brewing excellent coffee from the specialist and teach it to the staff at Armand.
When I actually attempt something, it somehow comes to fruition.
As I drew closer to realizing the franchise business I had boasted about to Knight Isidore, I felt a strange sense of wonder. In truth, it was only possible because I had Master, a limousine bus driver with such a comfortable ride.
“Why are you looking at me like that? It makes me want to kiss you.”
He pressed his lips lightly against the corner of my eye and pulled away.
“I’m sorry to leave so soon.”
I tapped the sand beneath my feet gently.
“The waters before the castle in Visconti Territory are far grander and more magnificent than this beach.”
Watching him boast of his castle like a child, I let out a soft laugh.
“When the holidays arrive, invite me to Visconti Territory.”
That old-fashioned… no, conservative Duke Simour would never approve. But what if I simply lied and said I was traveling to Basslein Castle on business? That could work, couldn’t it?
‘It’s probably just my imagination that I keep feeling like I’m taking advantage of Basslein Castle.’
“…I wish I could.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Aren’t you cold?”
“A little.”
The moment he drew my shawl closer around me, I nestled into his warm embrace.
“You’re becoming more beautiful and adorable by the day. This is troublesome.”
Isidore spoke as though sighing, pulling me into his arms. I held him in return, and we spent some time like that together.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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