BOPE 14

~Chapter 14~

The Chloe Grace they knew couldn’t even count, let alone read properly.

Donghee blinked in surprise, taken aback by the two men who were shocked by her simple arithmetic.

“Of course. I could do this kind of calculation with my eyes closed. Anyway, what do you think, Steward?”

“I believe we could ask for 150 gold coins in total.”

“Not 200 gold?”

Donghee had no idea how much 1 gold coin would be in Korean won, but she decided to aim high. Sure enough, Gold Rich, who had been calmly offering a price earlier, flinched at the amount she quoted.

“I’m disappointed in you, Gold Rich. Didn’t you say you had plenty of these? Looks like I’ll need to do business with a different jeweler.”

Donghee had no means to actually call in another jeweler, but she decided to play hard to get for now.

She stood up as if the deal was off and slowly walked toward the table with the jewelry box.

As Chloe got closer to the table, Gold Rich’s head started darting back and forth between her and the jewelry.

Donghee, pretending to be completely unfazed, casually packed up the necklaces while glancing sideways at Gold Rich’s expression.

His sallow face turned even yellower each time a necklace disappeared from the table.

At this rate, he’s going to turn the color of poop.

“Steward, contact another jeweler…”

“N-No! I’ll pay 200 gold!”

Gold Rich hastily grabbed Chloe’s hand.

His thick hand was hot and clammy, likely from his anxiety.

Donghee frowned and pulled her hand away, wiping it off on her dress.

Flustered, Gold Rich pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and offered it with both hands.

“I apologize, my lord. I got ahead of myself. Please forgive the rudeness of this ignorant merchant.”

Quick on the uptake. I like that.

“So, 200 gold for the four pieces, right?”

“Yes. I’ll pay you immediately.”

Realizing the deal had been struck, a flush of relief washed over Gold Rich’s face.

“Bring 1,000 gold coins. You can come back later and take the rest.”

“Excuse me?! You just said 200 gold! That’s an outrageous price!”

Gold Rich sprang to his feet in disbelief.

His thick cheeks flushed red in anger. Looking at his face, Donghee thought he resembled a toad heated over a fire.

“Such a temper.”

She brought another box from the bed and set it on the table.

It was an old box that looked like it should hold cheap cookies. Gold Rich’s face twisted in annoyance at the sight.

Even for someone like Chloe Grace, who supposedly couldn’t tell night from day, hiking the price this high was absurd.

But when the lid opened, all of Gold Rich’s complaints disappeared along with his jaw, which dropped straight down.

Inside the unimpressive box were four more necklaces identical to the ones he’d just seen.

“How about it? 1,000 gold.”

Donghee asked smugly. Gold Rich reached for the box with trembling hands.

“May I examine them more closely?”

“Of course.”

The moment Chloe gave permission, Gold Rich plopped down on the floor, all sense of dignity forgotten. He pulled out white cotton gloves embroidered with his name in golden thread and slipped them on.

“Alright, then.”

He looked as determined as a knight preparing for battle.

Gold Rich took a deep breath and slowly reached into the box. Donghee calmly watched his fingertips tremble as they descended into the jewelry.

If I told him I had a hundred more of these, he’d probably faint.

Since Bo-rim-dang became an active area, Donghee had been hauling gemstones nonstop until the day before Gold Rich arrived.

Every box in the room was now packed to the brim with jewels, and she was only showing a small portion today.

“How can such craftsmanship exist?!”

“My God! They’re beautiful!”

“No human could’ve made these! Oh Lord, this must be a dream!”

“I can’t believe this day has come! Hahaha— hic!”

Gold Rich spent the rest of the day alternating between laughter and tears.

Only when night fell did he rise, his face puffed up, but glowing with satisfaction like someone who had just had the best nap at a sauna.

“1,000 gold! I’ll give you that—no! I’ll give you 1,100! Please, I beg you, trade with me again, my lord!”

He bowed deeply and earnestly, not asking but pleading.

Donghee’s lips curled up at his offer to pay even more than initially agreed, but she kept her expression dignified.

“I’ll think about it.”

Chloe responded casually, like she was doing him a favor. Gold Rich bent his stubby body in a sharp 90-degree bow.

“Please, I beg you. I’ll give you a very generous price.”

“We’ll see, depending on how you behave.”

“Thank you.”

Gold Rich grinned sheepishly and brought in a large trunk himself, carefully packing the jewelry inside.

Donghee silently watched, thinking she should prepare proper cases next time.

After all, when it comes to inflating prices, nothing works better than fancy packaging.

And since the materials don’t even exist in this world, the cases might fetch a high price on their own.

Once he finished packing the jewels privately, Gold Rich locked the chest tightly and hid the key inside his shirt on a necklace. Only then did he call someone over.

The man who entered looked remarkably like Gold Rich.

The only real differences were his taller stature and younger face.

“Your son?” Chloe asked with interest.

Gold Rich smiled proudly.

“Yes, I bring him along to teach him the trade.”

“I see.”

“What are you waiting for?! Aren’t you going to greet Lord Grace?! Even if he’s my son, he’s completely clueless! My apologies!”

“No need. It happens. If I don’t like it, I’ll just trade elsewhere. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, my lord! You rascal!”

Gold Rich smacked his son on the back of the head and bellowed.

“Apologize to the lord immediately!”

“…Yes. I apologize. Please forgive my rudeness.”

The son, clueless about what he had done wrong, bowed deeply in apology.

Just moments ago, Gold Rich had been badmouthing Lord Grace. Now, he looked like the most loyal vassal alive.

Aha. So this is what power tastes like.

Donghee savored her victory and smiled benevolently.

“Don’t tell me your son’s name is… Silver Rich?”

“How did you know?!”

Gold Rich’s eyes widened in amazement at what Donghee had intended as a dad-joke.

“What the—seriously?”

This world was definitely not ready for a baby-naming business. These names were way too on-the-nose.

Gold Rich even went on to proudly tell her that his second son was named Bronze Rich and his youngest daughter was Diamond Rich before leaving the drawing room.

“We’ll see you again soon, my lord!”

“Yeah, go on.”

Donghee waved lazily, mimicking the indifference Gold Rich had shown when they first met.

“Thank you.”

Gold Rich bowed deeply, and his son Silver Rich called over one of their attendants from outside. A large man strode in, carrying a huge chest.

Donghee gulped instinctively at the man’s sudden appearance.

He looked to be at least two meters tall. And he wasn’t just tall—his entire body was stacked with muscle. His thighs were as thick as Donghee’s torso.

His feet were so big that making shoes for him would probably take several times more leather than for the average person.

Despite his intimidating physique, the man had a surprisingly cute face. His big, shiny eyes and long lashes gave off a gentle vibe.

The contrast between his face and body made Donghee unsure whether to be scared or amused.

The man set the trunk down as lightly as if it were a lunchbox.

“There are 1,000 gold coins inside the chest. And here are the 100 extra gold coins I promised.”

Gold Rich placed a leather pouch on top of the chest and spoke politely.

“I trust you.”

“Thank you.”

Gold Rich, unaware that Donghee simply couldn’t be bothered to count it all right now, looked sincerely moved.

Inside the chest he left behind, shiny gold coins were stacked high.

Scrooge the steward, who had been managing the domain’s finances with a tight belt, rubbed his eyes repeatedly in disbelief at the overwhelming pile of gold.

“Steward.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Even his voice trembled slightly with anticipation.

“We may still be far from having enough, but let’s start with the urgent things.”

“The most urgent would be…”

“Let’s take care of Morta Village first.”

The Chloe Grace they knew couldn’t even count, let alone read properly.

Donghee blinked in surprise, taken aback by the two men who were shocked by her simple arithmetic.

“Of course. I could do this kind of calculation with my eyes closed. Anyway, what do you think, Steward?”

“I believe we could ask for 150 gold coins in total.”

“Not 200 gold?”

Donghee had no idea how much 1 gold coin would be in Korean won, but she decided to aim high. Sure enough, Gold Rich, who had been calmly offering a price earlier, flinched at the amount she quoted.

“I’m disappointed in you, Gold Rich. Didn’t you say you had plenty of these? Looks like I’ll need to do business with a different jeweler.”

Donghee had no means to actually call in another jeweler, but she decided to play hard to get for now.

She stood up as if the deal was off and slowly walked toward the table with the jewelry box.

As Chloe got closer to the table, Gold Rich’s head started darting back and forth between her and the jewelry.

Donghee, pretending to be completely unfazed, casually packed up the necklaces while glancing sideways at Gold Rich’s expression.

His sallow face turned even yellower each time a necklace disappeared from the table.

At this rate, he’s going to turn the color of poop.

“Steward, contact another jeweler…”

“N-No! I’ll pay 200 gold!”

Gold Rich hastily grabbed Chloe’s hand.

His thick hand was hot and clammy, likely from his anxiety.

Donghee frowned and pulled her hand away, wiping it off on her dress.

Flustered, Gold Rich pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and offered it with both hands.

“I apologize, my lord. I got ahead of myself. Please forgive the rudeness of this ignorant merchant.”

Quick on the uptake. I like that.

“So, 200 gold for the four pieces, right?”

“Yes. I’ll pay you immediately.”

Realizing the deal had been struck, a flush of relief washed over Gold Rich’s face.

“Bring 1,000 gold coins. You can come back later and take the rest.”

“Excuse me?! You just said 200 gold! That’s an outrageous price!”

Gold Rich sprang to his feet in disbelief.

His thick cheeks flushed red in anger. Looking at his face, Donghee thought he resembled a toad heated over a fire.

“Such a temper.”

She brought another box from the bed and set it on the table.

It was an old box that looked like it should hold cheap cookies. Gold Rich’s face twisted in annoyance at the sight.

Even for someone like Chloe Grace, who supposedly couldn’t tell night from day, hiking the price this high was absurd.

But when the lid opened, all of Gold Rich’s complaints disappeared along with his jaw, which dropped straight down.

Inside the unimpressive box were four more necklaces identical to the ones he’d just seen.

“How about it? 1,000 gold.”

Donghee asked smugly. Gold Rich reached for the box with trembling hands.

“May I examine them more closely?”

“Of course.”

The moment Chloe gave permission, Gold Rich plopped down on the floor, all sense of dignity forgotten. He pulled out white cotton gloves embroidered with his name in golden thread and slipped them on.

“Alright, then.”

He looked as determined as a knight preparing for battle.

Gold Rich took a deep breath and slowly reached into the box. Donghee calmly watched his fingertips tremble as they descended into the jewelry.

If I told him I had a hundred more of these, he’d probably faint.

Since Bo-rim-dang became an active area, Donghee had been hauling gemstones nonstop until the day before Gold Rich arrived.

Every box in the room was now packed to the brim with jewels, and she was only showing a small portion today.

“How can such craftsmanship exist?!”

“My God! They’re beautiful!”

“No human could’ve made these! Oh Lord, this must be a dream!”

“I can’t believe this day has come! Hahaha— hic!”

Gold Rich spent the rest of the day alternating between laughter and tears.

Only when night fell did he rise, his face puffed up, but glowing with satisfaction like someone who had just had the best nap at a sauna.

“1,000 gold! I’ll give you that—no! I’ll give you 1,100! Please, I beg you, trade with me again, my lord!”

He bowed deeply and earnestly, not asking but pleading.

Donghee’s lips curled up at his offer to pay even more than initially agreed, but she kept her expression dignified.

“I’ll think about it.”

Chloe responded casually, like she was doing him a favor. Gold Rich bent his stubby body in a sharp 90-degree bow.

“Please, I beg you. I’ll give you a very generous price.”

“We’ll see, depending on how you behave.”

“Thank you.”

Gold Rich grinned sheepishly and brought in a large trunk himself, carefully packing the jewelry inside.

Donghee silently watched, thinking she should prepare proper cases next time.

After all, when it comes to inflating prices, nothing works better than fancy packaging.

And since the materials don’t even exist in this world, the cases might fetch a high price on their own.

Once he finished packing the jewels privately, Gold Rich locked the chest tightly and hid the key inside his shirt on a necklace. Only then did he call someone over.

The man who entered looked remarkably like Gold Rich.

The only real differences were his taller stature and younger face.

“Your son?” Chloe asked with interest.

Gold Rich smiled proudly.

“Yes, I bring him along to teach him the trade.”

“I see.”

“What are you waiting for?! Aren’t you going to greet Lord Grace?! Even if he’s my son, he’s completely clueless! My apologies!”

“No need. It happens. If I don’t like it, I’ll just trade elsewhere. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, my lord! You rascal!”

Gold Rich smacked his son on the back of the head and bellowed.

“Apologize to the lord immediately!”

“…Yes. I apologize. Please forgive my rudeness.”

The son, clueless about what he had done wrong, bowed deeply in apology.

Just moments ago, Gold Rich had been badmouthing Lord Grace. Now, he looked like the most loyal vassal alive.

Aha. So this is what power tastes like.

Donghee savored her victory and smiled benevolently.

“Don’t tell me your son’s name is… Silver Rich?”

“How did you know?!”

Gold Rich’s eyes widened in amazement at what Donghee had intended as a dad-joke.

“What the—seriously?”

This world was definitely not ready for a baby-naming business. These names were way too on-the-nose.

Gold Rich even went on to proudly tell her that his second son was named Bronze Rich and his youngest daughter was Diamond Rich before leaving the drawing room.

“We’ll see you again soon, my lord!”

“Yeah, go on.”

Donghee waved lazily, mimicking the indifference Gold Rich had shown when they first met.

“Thank you.”

Gold Rich bowed deeply, and his son Silver Rich called over one of their attendants from outside. A large man strode in, carrying a huge chest.

Donghee gulped instinctively at the man’s sudden appearance.

He looked to be at least two meters tall. And he wasn’t just tall—his entire body was stacked with muscle. His thighs were as thick as Donghee’s torso.

His feet were so big that making shoes for him would probably take several times more leather than for the average person.

Despite his intimidating physique, the man had a surprisingly cute face. His big, shiny eyes and long lashes gave off a gentle vibe.

The contrast between his face and body made Donghee unsure whether to be scared or amused.

The man set the trunk down as lightly as if it were a lunchbox.

“There are 1,000 gold coins inside the chest. And here are the 100 extra gold coins I promised.”

Gold Rich placed a leather pouch on top of the chest and spoke politely.

“I trust you.”

“Thank you.”

Gold Rich, unaware that Donghee simply couldn’t be bothered to count it all right now, looked sincerely moved.

Inside the chest he left behind, shiny gold coins were stacked high.

Scrooge the steward, who had been managing the domain’s finances with a tight belt, rubbed his eyes repeatedly in disbelief at the overwhelming pile of gold.

“Steward.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Even his voice trembled slightly with anticipation.

“We may still be far from having enough, but let’s start with the urgent things.”

“The most urgent would be…”

“Let’s take care of Morta Village first.”