Chapter 9

In the earl's study—next to my own office, the sealed envelopes for the bidding are lined up on the desk. In the salon, representatives from each company, carrying these envelopes, are probably waiting with tense expressions for the results.

"The Eubachar territory, bestowed by the earl, is rich in dark crocodiles, and I believe the companies will face this threat during development. Currently, the residents are also suffering from the attacks of these magical beasts. For this bidding, we have informed each company of this situation. Based on this, each company has agreed to participate in the development under the terms and conditions stated in their envelopes."

In this office, we will open and select the envelopes from each company, but those present for this process are the lord of the territory, myself, the head butler Norman, Lord Brackley, whom I invited to the ball the other night, and for some reason, His Grace, the Duke of Redcliff.

His Grace... has come...

"It would be fortunate to hear the opinions of the two experienced individuals here. However, the final decision rests with the lord of Eubachar, Vincent Rockwell. I kindly ask for your understanding of this."

I said this, bowed, and left the office. Yes, this is the final selection, so I don't need to be there. After all, the master of this house, his brother, and his father are present. Besides, Lord Brackley, his brother, might start saying something like, "What kind of bastard is this amateur, telling Vincent what to do with his territory!"—or something to that effect.

Even if I leave the scene, I have already investigated the companies participating in the bidding, so I remember the preliminary information. What I realized is that any of the companies would be fine. None of them have any strange conditions. It's just a matter of the amount they are willing to take on and their track record.

I left the room and instructed Cheryl and the footman Jack to arrange tea for the representatives in the salon, and if necessary, to allow the use of the smoking room, ensuring that the representatives waiting in the salon for the decision are well entertained. After all, I am, in a sense, the fiancée, and the maids, starting with Cheryl, already treat me as "madam." I had also received advice from my sister Patricia in a letter.

In short, it's like applying the tea party event from my school days. Lord Brackley's recent comments seem to have reached the ears of the Russell's Trading Company, and my sister Patricia was worried. I might not be as capable as Patricia, who visited my family home and arranged everything internally, but I have attended such evening gatherings.

When I entered the salon, I greeted the representatives, who were unable to hide their tense expressions as they waited for the results, and had the maids serve tea, creating a relaxed atmosphere for conversation.

"Will Lord Wilcox be the one to make the selection?"

One of the representatives waiting for the results asked me this.

"It is the earl's territory. However, I was the one who selected the representatives present here."

At these words, a tense atmosphere seemed to spread among them. Oh no, I was supposed to ease the tension during the wait! I shouldn't have said anything extra. Silence is golden. I should have thrown out a safe topic...

Just then, the butler Norman appeared in the salon. The representatives gathered again, and the earl made his appearance. It's nerve-wracking, isn't it? I'm nervous too.

"To all the companies, we are very grateful for your participation in the bidding for the Eubachar development project. After careful consideration, we have decided to entrust the town development to Nair Company and the trade route development to Skywalk Company."

The representatives of the two selected companies shook hands, and the representatives who were not selected also gave scattered applause. Hmm... they chose these two companies...

By the way, the person who spoke to me earlier was from Nair Company. They're all smiles, aren't they? Yes, yes.

I hope they do their best.

Nair Company was originally founded by a group of carpenters. When a noble with a territory builds a town or village, they often subcontract to this company. They don't have experience building a town from scratch, but they have a good reputation for their work and track record as a subcontractor.

And Skywalk Company for the trade route. Skywalk Company has a lot of people who are close to Lord Brackley. Was it Lord Brackley who recommended them? Or perhaps His Grace suggested them. But this company is well-known for participating in the expansion of the capital's carriage roads and the national magic train tracks. Considering this, it might have been the earl who recommended them. I want to set up a tram at the mining site in the List Mountains to increase the extraction of resources. With railway expertise, it should be possible to install it. And I want something to facilitate the flow of these resources to other territories and the capital. The earl and I are in agreement on this.

We want to bring the Lazulite Kingdom's magic train to Eubachar.

Normally, it would be impossible without money. You would need to build a track record and save money first. However, by building an academy research institute and military facilities in this border area, we can get the government to provide the funds and secure a route to the capital. Even though it's a border area, we want to make it a well-connected territory, improve the circulation of resources and products, and transform a desolate, cold village into a local city. If the selected companies complain about this remote, monster-infested area, we have already gathered the funds to request their services, so they will have to do the work.

And this time... even the companies that were not selected will, at the very least, have come to a place where there are potential major clients. As soon as the results are announced, they will try to pitch to me. After all, I am still the head of a viscount's family. If there is work in the Wilcox territory, they will offer to take it on. I have connections with Russell's Trading Company, and although I don't have a territory, I am the sister of the Magic Earl. I don't intend to just say goodbye to the companies I have selected up to this point. Of course, if anything comes up, I will let them know that I would like to seek their assistance. Nair Company will probably invite them to collaborate or subcontract.

I should write a letter to Percival. If there is a need in the Wilcox territory, it would be fine for Percival to reach out to them.

On February 9th, Kadokawa BOOKS will publish the book version of "The Reincarnated Lady is the Infamous Viscount's Heir." I have posted the cover and activity report, so if you see it in a bookstore or online store, I would be very happy if you could purchase it. It has been expanded and has beautiful illustrations. If you could also bookmark it and leave a review, it would make the author cry with joy m(__)m.