Please Lend Me 50 Million - Chapter 54

Smack, Asha’s hand hit Harriet’s thigh sharply, but he only showed a low laugh without any sign of pain. When Harriet’s finger pointed to a corner of the document, Asha’s gaze followed his fingertip.

“It’s Bedelline’s dress shop?”

Bedelline’s dress shop, the most famous in the capital, was the place Asha had referred to when she first started her dress shop business. For some reason, while that dress shop was thriving, Asha had ruined everything.

“Asha, what do you think is the secret to Bedelline’s success?”

“Is it perhaps the quick release of new products? Since they are evaluated as being the most sensitive to trends among the capital’s dress shops.”

“And what is needed to release new products the fastest?”

At the piercing question, Asha’s thoughts deepened. Although her surname changed when she married, Bedelline Angela is the daughter of Count Perso. Adding the information that the Empress’s maternal family is the Count Perso family, a simple conclusion was drawn.

The way for Bedelline Angela, a maternal relative of the Empress, to quickly lead the trends was simple.

“You need an acquaintance with a young lady who leads the trends.”

Or an acquaintance with the ‘Empress’ who creates the trends herself.

“Correct.”

“But I already knew that. When I started my dress shop business, I actually recruited several people who led the social circles.”

Asha, who had been expecting some grand secret to success, showed a faint disappointment. Harriet, who chuckled low at her quick change in attitude, lightly bit her cheeky cheek.

“Ah!”

“You shouldn’t be so distrustful of your teacher.”

“I thought you said you were my husband!”

Asha covered both cheeks with her hands to protect them from Harriet’s nipping. Even so, the only thing that changed was that the teeth marks would now be left on the back of her hands. Harriet continued in a playful voice.

“What I want to say is in a slightly different direction. Isn’t your goal to succeed quickly and stably, Madam?”

“That’s right.”

“At this point, raising or recruiting a trend-setting lady to create a strength would take too long, and the success is uncertain. So… we use our innate strengths.”

Harriet’s hand slowly stroked down her thigh.

“Nobles who own jewel mines usually jump into the jewelry processing business. It’s because they can supply jewels more stably than nobles who don’t own mines. The connections Bedelline has with the Empress, and the nobles who own jewel mines. These are innate strengths. Doesn’t Asha have a strength no less than theirs?”

“Me?”

Asha, who had been nodding quietly, tilted her head up. What on earth could be the strength of someone like her who only had a million Rublangs? Despite her gaze urging for an answer, Harriet only gave a round smile and did not provide the solution.

“Wh—what is it, Harriet?”

“If I tell you that much, it won’t be a lesson, will it, Asha?”

“After making me this anxious?”

She asked back, but his lips showed no intention of moving. Should she find out even by pestering him, or should she figure it out herself as a businesswoman? Her pride as a businesswoman and her desire to terminate the contract fought a seesaw battle. Despite having ruined seventeen businesses, she wondered why her pride was so resilient; the issue simply wouldn’t be settled.

Watching Asha lost in deep thought, Harriet rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Asha.”

“Yes?”

“Lately, you’ve been avoiding me particularly often. And you’ve been lost in deep thought every time.”

“M—me?”

Asha’s body froze stiff at the sudden question. At her honest reaction, Harriet swallowed a snort inwardly. To think she would even consider lying with a body like this—she was so cheeky he wanted to bite her.

“Since I am a gentleman of Peliche who loves you, I will not corner you to find out.”

Of course, he intended to find out by any means necessary if Asha kept her mouth shut, but Harriet’s long tongue spat out only sweet words.

“Let’s make an exchange. I will tell you what your strength is. So, tell me the reason you’ve been acting so cute lately.”

“I never avoided you.”

Asha, not even knowing how precious this opportunity was, feigned innocence first. Harriet’s hand brushed over Asha’s thigh.

“Asha, a lie is….”

Squeeze—

“Ugh!”

“Not something you tell while your body is stiffening like this. It makes it too easy to know, doesn’t it? That you’re lying.”

His dark green eyes shone coldly. It was a new discovery of the green eyes she had always thought were warm.

“It hurts, huu—it hurts…. Harriet.”

“It hurts? You shouldn’t be hurting….”

As if he had never squeezed her thigh, a soft touch brushed over it. Asha quickly pulled her legs together so he couldn’t covet the inner flesh, but she couldn’t shake off the hand that had already taken its place. She leaned her body away as if fleeing from his lap, but the body that immediately followed clung to her persistently. Her unsightly, upturned skirt crumpled. Ticklishness spread from the stimulation given to her thin skin.

Harriet nibbled at the area where her thighs met and asked.

“What are you plotting, Asha?”

At the low voice brushing her ear, Asha realized his patience was running thin. But… but….

“C—can’t you let it slide just once?”

“What?”