Chapter 54: Indifference

Chapter 54: Indifference After the guests were welcomed and assigned to their rooms, Agnes and Alessia met in the south garden. With the gentle spring breeze blowing through their hair, the two ladies did not say a word, enjoying the moment of tranquility. The first to break the silence was Agnes, who took a piece of cake: "I apologize for my daughter’s behavior. She was raised that way by her father." There was a smile on her lips, but her eyes were fixed on Alessia’s face, waiting for any kind of reaction. However, Alessia shook her head gently, causing her beautiful hair, black as night, to move in a hypnotic rhythm. "There’s no need to apologize for something so trivial. She knows what’s good and bad." She sympathized, albeit only a little, with Evelyn. Not out of pity or affection, but because she understood that kind of mistake. She had made it herself. When she met Zephyr, she was attracted to him. It wasn’t anything deep or romantic, just a basic reaction. He was handsome, he was a good talker, and he treated those he cared about well. Like many others, he used his presence as a weapon, and she fell for it. She thought maybe he was different. She thought she could trust him. But then she saw him act without the mask. She discovered that everything she believed was false. The smiles were mechanical. The words were empty. And the attention he gave her was nothing more than part of a game. That’s when she understood something simple: relationships aren’t what they seem. They’re not sincerity, affection, or a real connection. They’re lies. They’re manipulation. They’re two people playing roles that don’t belong to them, pretending to be something they’re not, just to get something from the other person. Attention, power, validation, control. She understood it late, but she understood it well. At that moment, a phrase she had heard from her adoptive father came to mind: With age comes experience. She laughed to herself with a certain bitterness. Understanding her father’s simple but wise words. Upon hearing the response, Agnes did not pursue the topic related to her daughter any further. "By the way, our business is doing very well among noblewomen. We are overwhelmed with orders. Why don’t we open more stores and expand?" "We still can’t expand or open more stores. As you know very well, both your family members and the Clan have their eyes on our business. And if we want to expand, we can only do so by giving them a percentage, because that would guarantee the safety of our products." Alessia had great business acumen. When she spoke to her son about expanding the business and he told her it was too soon, she understood why it wasn’t the right time to expand. There were many eyes on her business, which was growing rapidly. Agnes paused for a moment, thinking, and said: "Why don’t we give both families 5%? That way, everyone is satisfied. Plus, we’ll have the support of both of them. As you know, trade is very difficult because of the danger in this area. This would save us a lot of labor." Alessia took a sip of tea, deep in thought. Because what Agnes said made a lot of sense. Besides, they would only be giving up 10% of their business, but there was a problem with that: would they accept that 10%? No, they wouldn’t accept such a small percentage of a business as lucrative as ours. They would ask for 30 or 40%, which wouldn’t be as profitable for us to give up. Alessia’s mind was weighing all the pros and cons of letting the two families get involved. Because if they gave them only 10%, they would be paying for the security of their products. In other words, they would be paying for a security service, but if they ask for 40%, a quarter of their business would belong to the two families. This would not be very profitable for them, as they would only be left with 30% each. After thinking about it deeply, Alessia finally spoke again: "That’s a good idea. But will they accept 10%? I don’t think they’ll agree to such a low percentage." Agnes popped a piece of cake into her mouth as her thoughts raced. "We can try. But if they ask for a higher percentage, it can’t be more than 12%." After that, the two continued talking, catching up on what had happened in their families. Although they weren’t "friends," they were now partners. Time continued on its course as Agnes and Alessia chatted calmly in the south garden, surrounded by the rich aroma of the different flowers in the garden, with the soft sound of the fountain and the birds. Until they sensed someone approaching them. It was a young man with long black hair, dark eyes like gems, and a fairly ordinary face. He was wearing an elegant black suit, but it wasn’t overly flashy. It was none other than Kael Medici. He was accompanied by Eren and Lydia, who walked behind him. "Kael, you’re back from the city. How did it go?" asked Alessia with a big smile. "Fine. The city is bustling with the arrival of the caravan," replied Kael calmly, his expression remaining indifferent. His gaze fixed on Agnes, who was watching him with curiosity and anticipation. Bowing slightly, he greeted her: "It’s been a long time, Miss Agnes." There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes remained as empty as ever. Agnes elegantly opened her fan, hiding most of her face. "Fufu~ It’s been too long. But you seem to have changed quite a bit." Kael simply smiled slightly. He turned to leave the south garden; now that he had identified the infiltrators, he was going to start moving to reap all the benefits. A cold smile slowly spread across his lips. "Son, wait a moment. I have something to ask you," Alessia’s soft voice echoed in his ears. Kael turned to look at his mother’s face. "What do you want to ask me?" Alessia told him everything in detail: about giving both families a percentage so that their products would not suffer any kind of accident, and with their support, they would be able to expand throughout the kingdom of Aragon. Kael, after listening to everything, put his hand to his mouth and looked at the two women in front of him. The idea wasn’t bad, but he knew that neither the Blossom family nor the Medici Clan would accept such low percentages. Although their idea is good, they will have to sacrifice much more to gain the support of both families. After thinking about it for about eight seconds, he spoke: "The idea isn’t bad, but you’re being too optimistic," said Kael, without taking his eyes off the two women. "Neither the Blossoms nor the Medicis would accept 10%. They’re not that cheap." He took a deep breath, crossing his arms as he calculated. "Offer them 20%. Tell them there are other nobles eager for that deal, and whoever accepts first will get priority. In return, they’ll get complete security without giving up control of the business." Agnes’ eyes widened in surprise, and a broad smile appeared on her lips, but it was hidden by her fan. She wanted that talent for herself, but when she thought of her daughter, a trace of disappointment flashed across her eyes. They had just lost a great son-in-law who could have elevated both the Medici Clan and the Blossom family to heights never before seen. And she couldn’t make a move either, because she wasn’t going to cheat on her husband with a boy her daughter’s age. Ah, what a great loss. Why is my daughter blind...? If only I were 20 years younger, I would make Kael mine. Too bad I already have a husband. Agnes sighed deeply to herself. Kael noticed all the changes in Agnes, but he said nothing. He watched as his mother was lost in her thoughts, and his gaze softened a little. He turned to leave. ... After leaving the south garden, Kael returned to the mansion, which was bustling with servants from different families moving quickly toward their respective masters. Kael passed by them calmly, thinking about how to make use of the people infiltrated in the city of the Lion Kingdom. When he entered the room, he was met with an interesting sight: Evelyn, his "fiancée," was lovingly embracing his older brother, Jasper, in full view of everyone, as if the world belonged only to the two of them. At least they’re not hiding like in my past life. Kael chuckled to himself as he watched this. He felt nothing when he saw them; on the contrary, he was somewhat happy to see that the people who had made his life hell before he left Kiran Mountain had not changed, despite his influence. In his past life, that image would have destroyed him. Now, it only brought a faint smile to his face, like someone watching rats mating. As he had mentioned long ago, Evelyn was just a well-wrapped piece of meat. Why bother with her? She wasn’t worth it. With his usual calm demeanor and indifferent expression, Kael sat down on one of the luxurious pieces of furniture and picked up the famous book, <<The First Human.>> He completely ignored the two individuals in front of him. Evelyn and Jasper, who were lovey-dovey, came out of their bubble when they saw Kael and stood frozen, waiting for some kind of reaction from him. But all they got was... Indifference.