Esika had once advised her to quickly sell the land in Chichen.

Helenia persuaded her husband with what she heard from her and sold the shares accordingly.

And soon after, the announcement of the western stronghold was made.

Most of the nobles were shocked by the news that Chichen was not selected.

This was especially because most of the Klaus faction nobles had their feet dipped in Chichen.

The Klaus family suffered the most damage, but most noble families lost at least 30 percent of their family assets.

Some families were hastily holding auctions, and some nobles were closing their businesses.

Meanwhile, only the Merhin baronial family, who had sold their Chichen land at the peak, suffered no losses.

The baron, who initially opposed selling the Chichen land, is now praising his wife Helenia.

“…Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I’ll do whatever I can, my lady. You are the benefactor of our family.”

Helenia spoke with her fist clenched.

To be honest, she couldn’t understand how the Klaus family had ended up like this.

Wasn’t it the duchess who told her to sell Chichen?

Surely the wicked people of the duke’s family must have ignored the lady and not listened to her advice, leading to this situation.

The lady must have surely said to sell the Chichen land.

“……”

Esika, who had been watching Helenia with a determined look, smirked.

Helenia only blinked at Esika’s reaction.

She thought that as a dignified person, she was not showing her impatience in order to maintain her dignity despite the difficult circumstances.

The smile just now seemed like that of a person with not a hint of depression.

“Thank you for your concern, Helenia.”

Esika glanced back at the mansion spread out behind her like a painting.

Although it was quickly aging, not long after the employees had left, the mansion was still magnificent and beautiful.

“I’m really worried about you, my lady. I know you’re a strong person, but there are storms in the world that are hard to endure. I wish you would think of me as a younger sister. I’m ready to be family who shares in your difficulties.”

“Oh my, I’m more touched the more I hear.”

She knows what Helenia Merhin in front of her is thinking.

And how much the public thinks of her as an unfortunate woman.

That misunderstanding will gradually clear up so there’s no need to worry about it, and from now on there’s something Esika needs to start doing.

“If you really want to help me that much… how about a partnership?”

Helenia made a puzzled expression at Esika’s casual suggestion.

“…A partnership?”

“Yes. Doing business together with me.”

The Merhin baronial family’s roots in the Sainan region are a dairy stronghold, and they had come up to the capital to expand their cheese business.

And at Riona’s birthday party she held last time, Esika had deliberately served desserts using various ingredients and tracked their consumption quantities.

It was to prepare for business.

“Your baronial farm produces Marnel cheese. I’m planning to sell desserts that could become trendy among noble ladies. Cheesecake using Marnel cheese.”

“Certainly, making cheesecake with Marnel cheese would be really delicious. But every family has a dedicated chef… will cakes sell? And how will you sell the cakes?”

Helenia Merhin, befitting the wife of a merchant noble family, asked about the key issues.

“I’ll make boxes about this big, that can hold the cakes securely.”

Esika made a square shape with her index fingers and thumbs.

“Cakes in boxes…? This is like a bakery? But I’ve never heard of a bakery selling cakes using Marnel cheese.”

“That’s because bakeries have many products for commoners, not nobles. As you said, noble families use chefs and don’t need to buy desserts.”

“…Yes… that’s right.”

Helenia nodded with a dazed expression.

Small cakes in square boxes, what would that be like?

Suddenly remembering that delicious cake she ate at the grand lady’s birthday party, her eyes lit up.

“Certainly, this cake is difficult to make delicious unless you’re someone who handles cheese well. But the Marnel cheese cake my chef makes is very delicious. Moreover, Marnel cheese acts as a preservative, so it’s easy to store.”

“A cake that’s easy to store.”

“That’s right.”

Esika nodded.

“Then you really could distribute the cakes. If it’s Marnel cake that can be distributed, it might sell incredibly well among the ladies? But……”

Helenia tilted her head.

“To do business and distribute products, you need a large quantity of products. Because you can’t make a profit by selling only a small amount. But the amount of cake one chef can make is limited, isn’t it?”

“There are ways for that too.”

Esika raised the corners of her mouth confidently.

A chef taking on an apprentice and passing on their skills is no different here than in the Middle Kingdom.

But great chefs, like martial artists creating secret manuals, record important content and leave it in books.

The chefs here generally disliked such things, so Esika had to persuade Hemos.

It took a long time to get him to leave a ‘recipe’ through accurate measurements and records, but he eventually fell for a pouch of pearls.

“I’m going to hire several bakers. And I’ll have them all make cakes in one way. My chef has recorded the method well.”

“My goodness, like making things in a factory?”

“That’s right.”

“Chefs are proud people who don’t like to leave cooking methods in records, so it’s amazing that you persuaded them.”

Then it’s enough with mid-level bakers instead of high-end ones, saving labor costs and increasing margins.

Helenia looked at her with eyes full of admiration.

“And I’m also planning a set paired with Charemvel wine. The butler Hans here is preparing a contract with the Charemvel winery.”

“If it’s a set with Charemvel wine… it can’t not sell, can it?”

She was surprised just hearing about cakes in boxes, but now a set? She was simply amazed by Esika’s ideas.

She had always thought she was a wonderful person, but her current appearance planning and preparing for business looked even more impressive.

Klaus may have fallen, but it made her think that they might be able to rise again someday through her efforts.

“But……”

However, that admiration was brief as a practical problem came to Helenia’s mind.

Funds, funds are the problem. Because funds are needed at the beginning of a business.

Esika wouldn’t have money now. Because her family has gone bankrupt like this.

“Um… I’ll talk to my husband about the financial part and try to bring the cheese on credit first. Let’s settle after sales.”

“……”

“If you need advance payment for the Charemvel wine, I can lend you my emergency funds. As I said earlier, the Klaus lady is our benefactor……”

But as soon as Helenia finished speaking, Esika took out a money pouch and placed it on the table.

Helenia was surprised to see it at the sound of heavy coins touching.

The pouch was full of gold coins. It was a lot of money.

Helenia could only blink without answering.

“It’s an advance payment. I have no intention of requesting credit. It’s better to have clear calculations between long-term business partners.”

“Ah….. My goodness……”

“Esika Brigitte, that’s my original name.”

It was already known in social circles that the Klaus couple was facing divorce.

But she couldn’t help but flinch the moment she heard her name. Why had she forgotten her real surname?

Brigitte. A merchant noble family from the Frihatz region, also famous for jewels.

It was a moment when both her business acumen and financial power made sense. Helenia nodded blankly.

“Yes, my lady.”

She thought she was trying hard to appear strong in a miserable situation where her family had collapsed.

But Helenia began to realize that her thoughts were a misunderstanding.

There was vitality and energy in Esika’s eyes.

Esika looked happier than when she first saw her at the tea party, and when they met again recently at the grand lady’s birthday party.

The scenery of the mansion was different from before, messy, but Esika was shining.

She continued speaking.

“I’m going to put ‘Merhin’ in front of the product name of Marnel cheese. Merhin’s cheese is already trusted, and it will help improve the favorability of cakes made with Merhin’s Marnel cheese. Your role is to supply fresh, quality cheese. This is the share I’m proposing for the partnership.”

Helenia’s lips parted in surprise.

Esika held up no less than three fingers.

Helenia waved both hands and said.

“It’s too much just for borrowing the Merhin name.”

“Haha, who said your role ends with just lending the name? There’s one more role.”

She continued with a smile.

“When I divorce Duke Klaus, I won’t be able to attend noble social parties. But I’m thinking of sponsoring our cheese cakes at various social parties for a month to promote the product, and I want you to do this under the Merhin family name.”

“…Wow. …Yes, of course I’ll do that!”

In Helenia’s view, Esika’s business acumen was beyond good, it was exceptional.

Promoting the product by sponsoring social parties and then taking orders, it was a good idea.

“Um, but… one last question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Where will you manufacture the cakes? You also need a place to store the wine.”

At those words, Esika slowly turned her head to look around the mansion.

She was scheduled to meet Callian in the afternoon to sign the divorce agreement.

Now this mansion would become Esika’s property.

“No way……”

“Yes, I……”

Esika’s lips moved.

“I’m going to remodel this mansion for my business.”

Her first goal was to regain power, her second goal was to succeed in revenge, and her third goal was…….

A wealthy and free life with no regrets.