SMR 109

~Chapter 109~

Roxana’s words gave Harriet a lot to think about.

If what she said was true for everyone, then how much effort must Cedric have put in to look like someone who had never once failed?

She couldn’t even imagine the kind of pain and struggle that must have taken.

“Haa…”

She sighed, annoyed at herself for drifting into thoughts of Cedric yet again. Roxana glanced at her and casually remarked:

“I don’t know what you’re struggling with, but if it’s making you miserable, it might help to find something to distract yourself.”

“Something to distract me?”

“I mean, work is so demanding that you won’t have the time to think of anything else.”

It was a very workaholic kind of solution, but Harriet didn’t have a better idea, so she decided to ask for more advice.

“What sort of thing do you suggest?”

“Usually, a large investment works well. The bigger the sum, the more it consumes your thoughts.”

Harriet burst out laughing, but Roxana wasn’t joking.

“You earned money from the soap business, and you’ve got funds from Perillas. Are you just going to let it sit there doing nothing?”

“Uh… isn’t it good to keep some cash on hand for emergencies?”

“Right now, while the Countess is providing for your living expenses, is the perfect time to invest. Even if you lose money, you won’t go hungry.”

That made Harriet consider her words more seriously. She thought about what she might invest in, and then remembered something she had overheard long ago.

At the Vanderbilt family’s party—her first event after returning to society—Greg Lambert had mentioned it. He had suggested investing in land or buildings near Bowt and Chadbury.

“Within a year, this project will be announced, and construction will begin soon after. By then, the land and buildings will already belong to someone else.”

Since then, Harriet had occasionally looked into information about Bowt and Chadbury.

The project hadn’t been officially announced yet, but rumors about a new bridge were already spreading. Anyone interested in investing would know at least that much. Which meant the best opportunities might already be gone.

But maybe there’s still room to catch the last train?

She quickly calculated the money she had. Since she hadn’t spent much, she had around 300,000 dirham to spare.

“What do you think about investing in land or buildings?”

“Not a bad idea. There’s a real estate auction the day after tomorrow. If you go and watch which properties people flock to, you might pick up some hints. And if something looks good, you could buy it within your budget.”

It was a surprisingly bold suggestion coming from Roxana.

“If I buy a small piece of land or a building, I could at least use it as a place to live. That way, it wouldn’t be a total loss.”

With Roxana’s encouragement, Harriet decided to attend the real estate auction in two days.

***

It was her first time at an auction, and it wasn’t quite what she expected.

Honestly, she thought that since large sums of money were involved, the place would look very grand. But in reality, it was just an old, dim hall with rows of hard chairs facing a stage where the auctioneer stood.

The auction staff looked stern and uninterested, flipping through papers without expression.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come…”

That was her first thought. Especially since there wasn’t a single young woman in sight.

Most attendees were older men, and they kept sneaking curious glances at her.

She considered leaving, but since she had already spent the time to come here, she decided to stay. She paid the deposit to get her bidding paddle and took a seat. Even if she didn’t bid, she figured watching would be educational.

It took a while, since so many people were participating.

Feeling nervous, she took a deep breath and opened the auction catalog in her hands, partly to ignore the stares.

She had come because she heard land near where the new bridge or station would be built often came up for bidding. And sure enough, one of the Chadbury properties caught her eye in the middle of the catalog.

“An old factory site, 2,000 square meters? Appraisal value, 230,000 diram…”

It was a little expensive, but if a bridge was built nearby, land prices would skyrocket. It seemed like a reasonable investment.

Of course, if too many people wanted it, the bidding could push the price much higher.

It’s not more than I can afford… maybe I should try bidding?

Harriet carefully read through the entire catalog, marking properties that seemed promising.

Just as she was finishing, someone sat down beside her.

There were plenty of empty seats, so it annoyed her that they had chosen the one next to her. Then a familiar scent hit her. She turned her head quickly.

“Oh?”

She was so surprised she couldn’t even greet him.

Because sitting calmly beside her was none other than Cedric Kailas.

He clearly knew she was staring, but he acted as if nothing happened, reading through the catalog.

“Duke Kailas?” Harriet whispered.

Only then did he glance at her.

“Didn’t expect to see you here, but it’s a pleasure.”

“What a coincidence. I never imagined meeting you here…”

“I heard today’s auction had several interesting properties, so I came. Seems you’re also interested in real estate investment, Miss Harriet?”

“Well, um… I’m just here to look around.”

Cedric nodded and turned back to the catalog, ending the short exchange of greetings.

Harriet grew nervous, worrying people would notice Cedric and start whispering. But everyone else was too focused on the properties they wanted.

Realizing she was the only one paying him too much attention, she felt embarrassed.

‘Get a grip, Harriet!’

Pressing down the silly flutter in her chest, she forced herself to focus on the auctioneer. She didn’t want to look foolish in front of Cedric.

“Welcome to the 149th General Real Estate Auction. First item, a two-story building on Peyton Street. The land area is…”

The auctioneer spoke so fast that if she looked away for even a moment, she would miss everything.

But as soon as the signal to start bidding was given, paddles shot up from all sides, proving how sharp and focused the participants were.

Harriet gripped her paddle tightly, determined to raise it when one of the properties she marked came up.

But when those properties did appear, the bidding was so intense that she didn’t dare lift her paddle.

‘At this rate, I’ll just go home without even trying.’

That would’ve been fine if she were alone. But with Cedric sitting right there, she felt pressured to do something. She didn’t want to seem weak in front of him.

So she waited for the Chadbury land she had her eye on. And finally—

“Item 2241, land in Chadbury. Currently, an old factory still stands on it. The area is 2,000 square meters. Appraised at 230,000 diram. Bidding starts at 184,000 diram, which is 80% of the appraisal.”

Harriet straightened in her seat and tightened her grip on the paddle.

Now it was all about timing. Around the room, paddles were rising and falling quickly.

“200,000… 202,000… 203,000… 205,000!”

The auctioneer rattled off the prices at lightning speed.

Harriet planned to raise her paddle around 210,000.

“209,000!”

The moment the auctioneer called the last price, Harriet raised her paddle—just high enough to be hidden behind the head of the man in front.

But her paddle was suddenly pressed back down into her lap. By Cedric’s hand.

“W-what are you doing?” she whispered, eyes wide.

Cedric leaned slightly toward her and shook his head.

Then he bent closer and murmured,

“That property isn’t worth investing in.”

“Isn’t that just by your standards? They said a bridge will connect Chadbury and Bowt soon. The land isn’t huge, but surely it could bring some profit.”

But Cedric only gave a faint smile and shook his head again.

“The profitable properties are already gone. And didn’t they say that site still has an old factory?”

“They said demolition wouldn’t cost much.”

“Demolition isn’t the problem. It used to be a leather dyeing factory. When it shut down, they dumped dyes and waste water right next to it. That entire area is contaminated. You wouldn’t know just by looking.”

Harriet froze. She had never heard that before. She had researched Chadbury and Bowt as best she could, but she had completely missed this.

“They’d really put something like that up for auction?”