HOFRS 23

Chapter 23

“You worthless idiot!”

“S-sorry, sir…”

“Shut up! Get out of my sight right now!”

Bang!

Baldini slammed his desk furiously, glaring at the man whose teeth were knocked out and cheeks were so swollen he could barely speak properly.

The man quickly scrambled to his feet and fled the room, terrified by the explosive dismissal.

“Moron!”

Unable to contain his anger, Baldini hurled a glass toward the closing door. It shattered into pieces on the floor with a sharp crash just as the door shut.

He heaved with rage, shoulders rising and falling, before slumping back into his chair.

He had ordered the man to take over Second’s coconut shop—an eyesore he had been meaning to eliminate for a while—and he came back with missing teeth.

Worse yet, he got beat up by his own younger sister.

He always knew Yullizé was no ordinary girl—never playing with dolls, always beating things up—but still, she was a woman.

Women, by nature, were weaker than men. And yet, not only did she catch on to his scheme, she physically beat the guy. Pathetic.

“So she knows everything.”

Baldini muttered to himself, tapping his desk with his index finger.

Yullizé must have found out that he was behind the ploy to sabotage the coconut shop in Second. And yet she remained silent.

“Cunning little fox. What’s she plotting?”

She irked him to no end. Everything about her rubbed him the wrong way. The whole succession contest was absurd to begin with. Traditionally, inheritance of the family title went to the firstborn—it was the natural order.

But a few months ago, their mother declared that the heir would be chosen fairly, through competition.

“That woman must’ve whispered in her ear.”

Even now, the memory made Baldini grind his teeth in fury.

It had to have been Yullizé’s suggestion. Ever since they were children, she had gone around declaring her desire to be the head of the family, completely unaware of her place.

Their mother—the Marchioness of Heden—was a fair and just woman. Baldini’s objections fell on deaf ears.

In the end, he used underhanded tactics and secured the First for himself. Yullizé got stuck with Second, and their youngest sibling—who had no interest in leading—took Third.

Everything was going according to plan.

Until the coconut shop opened in Second.

The coconut trend that had taken the capital by storm had now reached their territory for the first time.

Second, once on the verge of ruin, began to show signs of life. People started visiting just to get coconuts.

Baldini had tried to woo the Marquess of Lochens, who held a monopoly on coconuts, offering better terms to get a shop in First—but he was firmly rejected.

“Damn it. How the hell did she convince him?”

The Marquess was like a stone wall. How did Yullizé persuade him to open a shop in Second?

Granted, a single coconut shop wouldn’t be enough for Second to win. First still had far more customers.

But Baldini couldn’t allow any seeds of success to grow. He had to nip them in the bud—immediately.

“Lord Baldini.”

“What now?!”

When a knock sounded, he shouted back furiously. A subordinate entered.

He walked briskly to the desk, bowed, and got straight to the point.

“A new employee has registered with Second.”

“You’re seriously reporting that? Instead of figuring out how to steal the coconut deal, you’re wasting time on this?”

“But you know this person, sir.”

Baldini, who had been grimacing at the seemingly pointless report, raised an eyebrow.

He didn’t care who they hired. Running such a large shopping district alone wasn’t feasible. Baldini himself had five employees.

In the House of Elstine, the ability to spot and utilize talent was considered a key quality of a leader.

“Who is it?”

“Dia. That woman has been appointed as a consultant to Second.”

“Puhahaha!”

Baldini, who had momentarily stiffened at the name, burst into uncontrollable laughter.

He clutched his stomach, laughing so hard tears welled up in his eyes.

“Ha! Yullizé’s really lost her mind now. That woman couldn’t even manage her own household—what’s she gonna do there?”

He could already picture the outcome, and a sneer crept across his lips.

First Yullizé, now Bendia. These women should’ve just stayed home embroidering or preparing for marriage. What a joke.

“What should we do?”

“Ha! Leave them be. As if a bunch of women can achieve anything. Let them learn firsthand how monumental the work of real men is.”

He chuckled darkly, full of contempt.

“Milady, how did you get the coconut shop to open here?”

Bendia, watching the unending line at the coconut store, asked Yullizé.

Just a few days ago, Bendia had given her successful presentation and was officially appointed as Second’s consultant. Now she and Yullizé were surveying the district together.

There were only three coconut stores in the entire empire, selling coconuts grown exclusively on the Marquess of Lochens’s island.

Two were in the capital, and the third was right here in Second.

It was surprising enough that coconuts even existed in this world. Apparently, they had only been discovered less than a year ago.

The climate on the Marquess’s island had changed drastically, with increased rainfall and sunshine, allowing coconuts to grow—unlike on any other island.

Even more surprising was their quality. The coconut water was sweet, not bitter, and wildly popular throughout the empire.

“I begged them,” Yullizé said casually. “Threw myself on the floor.”

“…….”

“I’m kidding, sis. You actually believed that?”

Bendia, momentarily stunned, watched Yullizé burst into a playful laugh.

It was hard to tell whether she was joking. Yullizé would totally do something like that.

“I’m friends with the Marquess’s daughter. I helped her once, and when she found out I was struggling with this, she spoke to her father on my behalf.”

“So even if someone tried to bribe an employee…”

“They’d fail.”

Yullizé gave a smug shrug. What goes around comes around, after all.

That meant Baldini’s plan was a complete waste. Bendia let out a short laugh, clearly enjoying his failure.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

Their grand plan to revive Second.

“Free samples! Try one, free samples!”

A loud-voiced part-timer shouted enthusiastically, carrying a large tray.

They had specifically hired someone with a booming voice—and it was working.

Customers heading to the coconut shop turned their heads at the echoes bouncing through the shopping district.

“Free samples! It’s free!”

Hearing the magic words free and samples, a few people broke away from the line to take a look.

The worker flashed a bright smile and held out the tray.

On it were small paper plates, each holding a few pieces of a golden, crispy-looking snack.

“Please try one!”

“One each?”

“Yes! One plate per person!”

The clean, appealing presentation and the word free did the trick. People eagerly reached for a plate.

“What is this? A new dessert?”

One curious customer stared intently at the snack.

It looked like thinly fried dough, but something was different. It was even thinner, and part of it seemed coated in a glossy finish.

“They’re coconut chips!”

“Coconut? Isn’t that a drink? Is this made from coconut water?”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the unexpected ingredient.

Even passersby started to gather, intrigued by the mention of coconut.

“It’s made from the white flesh inside the coconut. Tastes great and super healthy—it’s a real wellness food!”

“You made that into chips?”

The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Most people only drank the coconut water and discarded the rest.

Some ate the flesh straight from the fruit, but no one had ever seen it turned into chips.

Crunch.

That sound did it.

The satisfying crunch echoed, and every eye turned to the person who just bit into a chip.