The Villain Changed the Ending

073 First Futures Trade

***[The Earl of Wheat Sales]***

The start seems fine.

The daughter was also blunt at first, but it seemed that her heart was relaxed as she sat next to the dinner table with the Duke and talked.

There was nothing special about the conversation between the two.

Sometimes I would lower the volume so that only the two of us could hear.

Perhaps he was asking about his daughter’s dead husband.

When meeting for a match, the daughter who showed rough behavior smiles softly.

“…”

It’s been a long time since I saw a gentle smile on my daughter’s face.

My chest hurt a little bit.

I didn’t want to erase that kind of smile from my daughter’s daily life, but from the child’s point of view, did it just feel vulgar?

But life is not something you can live with memories alone.

eat and live

Even the wealthy count family lived in a dream without knowing the reality.

‘At this rate, that child will also miss out on the position of second wife.’

When you’re a little bit younger, when you’re even a little bit beautiful, if you have a chance, you have to push through anything.

Almost until the dinner was over, the count checked the mood of the duke and daughter several times.

‘As expected, it’s soft.’

It’s not just appearance.

For some reason, the Duke was showing a fairly relaxed attitude toward his daughter.

‘I don’t know what I liked.’

The duke’s response to the woman was well known.

At first glance, it is soft, but it is cold and hard, only on the surface.

The Count had met the Duke several times at banquets, but it was the first time I had ever seen him treat a woman so kindly.

The daughter is as pliable to the duke as her daughter is, okay, I think this is enough.

‘Since we said goodbye this time, we should aim for the next one.’

Giving the impression that you are pushing your daughter too visibly will backfire.

The Duke will be offended, but the daughter will also be repulsed.

‘This year is already over, so next year’s banquet in the royal capital is the battleground.’

The competition will be huge.

Suddenly, the count’s shoulders drooped.

If you take your daughter to the royal capital next year, you will have to spend money on dresses and jewelry.

I don’t know if the relationship with the peacock continues, but if it doesn’t, it will be wasted.

‘In the meantime, I’ll have to keep looking for a second wife.’

I could feel the wrinkles on my forehead deepening.

*

When the dinner was over, the wife and children said goodbye and withdrew, and the Count headed to his private room with the Duke.

The private rooms are filled with expensive furniture that does not go out of fashion, and it is decorated in a form that shows the family style a little better.

However, the furniture that is placed in the parlor or reception room is in fashion.

Even if the basic interior is not touched, props are placed according to each era.

When money is comfortable and prestige is good, the props in the reception room are also filled with expensive and fancy things.

There were rather inferior items placed in the count’s house now.

Of course, it is a high-end product that most people cannot recognize, but a person who has been accustomed to good things since childhood, such as a duke, will quickly see the difference.

Therefore, it is better to show the duke a private room rather than a reception room.

If that’s the case, the family will look more relaxed.

It won’t look like you’re tight on money.

‘Haa, really, I have to pay attention to a place like this.’

If the daughter liked the Duke, wouldn’t he be a little more forgiving about the deal?

With that thought in mind, the Count entered the private room with the Duke.

The duke’s escort tried to enter, but the duke blocked them.

“Wait a minute outside.”

“… Duke.”

“It’s okay. It’s an important deal. It’s not polite to go into a private room like this.”

“Okay. Then.”

lived honestly.

If the duke said he would bring an escort, the count could not stop it.

However, the duke would have the upper hand in the transaction, and the embarrassing circumstances of the count’s family would be revealed.

I don’t think the duke will spread rumors, but once word starts to come out of nowhere, the family’s situation will fall into hell in an instant.

I’d really appreciate it if you could hide a story you don’t want to reveal.

‘Maybe this is because I like my daughter.’

Little by little, hope arises.

But that hope quickly faded when we got into the story of the deal.

The amount offered by the duke was quite harsh.

It’s such a price that you can’t consider negotiating or anything like that in the first place.

It was an amount that made me ponder whether or not to accept it really tight.

It seems that my family already knew that smuggling was rejected by the company.

A slight improvement in the atmosphere with her daughter doesn’t seem to have an impact on the deal.

Well, of course it is.

‘What should I do?’

The Count was disappointed, but no matter how much he thought about it, he had no choice but to accept it.

At this time, the wheat harvest begins almost everywhere.

Even if it’s not here, there are places that sell it cheaply.

If I didn’t use the river, I had to take a long detour from this territory to the capital, and there were areas where thieves appeared on that road.

You will have to spend a lot of money for that alone.

Above all, there is no place to sell this amount at once unless it is a large merchant.

The store I was dealing with joked that if the price was lowered, I would buy it even if I lost money on shipping, but there were other conditions besides the price.

It is to ask for a delay in the delivery of the purchase price.

‘They’re like rats.’

The price was lowered to the limit, and the money was delayed, which was unacceptable.

However, the duke’s proposal is also tight on the price.

I hesitated without answering, but the duke put a smile on his doll-like face.

“And if you accept the deal, subject to conditions, I will pay you in full on the spot as soon as I receive the wheat.”

“!”

Unknowingly, I raised my head.

Such conditions cannot be heard anywhere.

In large transactions, payment was usually received in several installments.

Because the amount is so large.

Nowhere else can such a huge payment be paid all at once.

The store I had dealt with so far was large enough to have branches abroad, but it was the same.

But you want to give it all at once?

‘It looks like the duke is really wealthy.’

I knew he had made a lot of money in the past few years, but it seemed that the amount exceeded expectations.

“…”

If you do, you can spend your money a little more tactfully.

You don’t have to worry about bankruptcy or late payments.

I am out of breath.

‘Perhaps… I made a little convenience for my daughter.’

I thought so.

If you can have a connection through your daughter, this deal is good.

No, it’s not just good, it’s very good.

excellent.

The dukedom was gradually developing.

The Marquis of Petrie and the Marquis of Hoven, which have a close relationship with the duke, are also prospering day by day.

Something is going on between the three families.

Whenever the duchy did business, the benefits fell to the two families.

It felt like the duke’s family was pulling the carriage in front, and the other two families were chasing it from behind.

‘If only we could join the ranks.’

That way, while my head was full of energy, the duke smiled and continued.

“Instead, I would like you to promise to sell it to the dukedom at the same price as next year’s density.”

“…”

Not knowing what he meant, I looked at the duke, and the duke took out a contract and held it out.

“This is a contract to purchase the remaining amount of wheat produced by the county next year at the same price as it was purchased this year. Please read it.”

Come to think of it, the Duke just said that there are conditions for a lump sum payment.

The Count was confused and read the contract.

It was the content that he would sell all of next year’s goods to the craftsmen this year, without knowing at all what the harvest or quantity would be like next year.

‘What the hell is this?’

I’ve never seen a contract like this.

The Count, puzzled, began to read the contract he had already read.

***[Heroine Oscar]***

What I’m talking about is futures trading, where you decide in advance how much to buy without knowing next year’s yield.

Cabbage plowing, as it is said in modern Korea, is also a kind of futures trading.

The Count seems bewildered.

There is no futures trading in this country yet.

When it was time to harvest the crops, merchants saw the crops and bought them.

There are some cases where trading is done before harvest, but even in that case, it was done after checking what the crop was like and how much it could be harvested.

Perhaps this current transaction is the first futures transaction in this country.

The Count re-read the contract several times with a confused face.

It may be that I am afraid because it is different from the way I dealt with it until now.

People get scared when they stray from their familiar paths.

It’s similar everywhere, but that tendency is especially strong among nobles.

Maybe it’s because the future is guaranteed even if you don’t take risks.

I waited quietly for the Count to think things through.

If next year, the evil of the river is resolved and trade with the merchant is possible again, the count’s family will hand over the wheat to the duke’s at a very cheap price.

But what if next year is the same?

If the same thing happens consecutively, next year the amount offered by the chamber will be lower than this year.

The place where this count family does business is a large trading company that has branches even abroad.

There are many families that trade with them because of the low risk of bankruptcy and stable payments, but they are notorious for undercutting prices and putting forward harsh transaction conditions.

The count’s forehead was deeply wrinkled.

This count is a conservative family.

It seems that it is not easy to come to a conclusion because he is unfamiliar with the new form of contract.

“If you’re having a hard time deciding, that’s fine.”

“That word…”

“This year’s wheat has been bountiful. Our duchy is also producing quite a lot, and we’ve already promised to buy elsewhere. There’s no reason to buy more here.”

“…”

The count’s face went white.

His head went down weakly, and his gaze turned to the contract.

The count pondered for a while, but in the end picked up the pen.

I’m a little sorry.

At this price, even if it’s just a flat production next year, the work price will be greatly advantageous.

Of course, the count is a loss.

If there was a bad harvest, of course the duke’s family would lose money, but even in that case, it wasn’t too bad for me.

Buying here is not just about seeing wheat.

It was more meaningful to transport the wheat traded here to other places.

It will take several years before the cultivation of sugar cane becomes more or less normal and the amount of sugar increases.

Since they were working with a store that is different from the current sugar importing and selling business, it was necessary to hide information until production increased to a certain extent.

When wheat is transported here, sugar can be mixed into the load to hide the yield.

After getting the contract signed by both of them, I opened my mouth.

“I’m looking forward to the banquet in the royal capital next year. There are a few people I’d like to introduce to the Count.”

I listed the names of several families with a light topic.

The county’s situation is not so good these days.

Overall, it was underdeveloped and lacking in vitality.

You must have realized that I was trying to connect you with a family that could help you in that situation.

A few wrinkles disappeared from the count’s face.

“Thank you, Duke.”

“From now on, we are comrades on the same boat.”

When I smiled, the Count also smiled bitterly.

After spending the day at the count’s house, I headed for my next destination.

It’s really busy during harvest time.

I planned the shortest route in advance, but as I moved, useless distances were bound to be in the way, and time passed by so fast that I couldn’t even open my eyes.

In the midst of that, I suddenly remembered the count’s daughter.

Talking about her dead husband, she seemed happy.

But suddenly, he had a very sad gaze.

To the point where I thought maybe he wanted to die.

‘What if I entrust her to my mother?’

It is common for daughters of nobles to become maids of high-ranking noblewomen.

Many families were willing to send their daughters to the duchy as maids, as it was a great opportunity to learn etiquette and make connections with high-ranking nobles.

In the case of unmarried women, they often find a marriage partner through the arrangements of their wives while serving as maids-in-waiting.

It may not be what the count wanted, but even if left as it is, the woman would have a hard time finding a marriage partner.

If she catches her mother’s eyes, she might become Catherine’s maid.

Wouldn’t that be the best ending for that woman?

‘Because I need Catherine’s handmaid from now on.’

This county’s prestige has declined, but it is a historical place.

A woman from this family would be of great help as Catherine’s maid.

Above all, since she was married once, it would be suitable for future Catherine to consult with.

‘Okay, I’ll have to talk to my mother once.’

For some reason, I missed Catherine very much.