"Curse..."
Charlotte turned over the last sheet of the manuscript and found nothing behind it. The story had stopped just as the prince recovered some of his memories and confirmed that his family's deaths were connected to a curse from the Fourth Epoch.
She looked up at Morvan, who sat opposite her, and asked:
"What happens next?"
"The rest of the story?" Morvan picked up his teacup and took a sip, his expression composed. "I haven't decided yet."
"Huh?" Charlotte looked a little blank.
"This is already enough for several months of serialization. Once the backlog is nearly used up, I'll naturally keep writing."
How could anyone stop a story at a point like this, then shamelessly say they'd write the rest later? Are you a webnovel author transmigrated from Earth...? Charlotte held the manuscript, almost blurting out the words "cliffhanger bastard."
Unlike Earth, this world really had divination and curses. Wasn't he afraid some reader would divine his address and turn up at his door to demand the next installment?
Charlotte grumbled inwardly for a moment, then remembered that she had long suspected he was a Beyonder. She immediately decided this was none of her concern.
They were currently in the drawing room of the Gustav Mansion. On the table lay a trial copy of the Sushit Weekly and the serial story Morvan had just finished. All four partners-Charlotte, Roselle, Green, and Morvan-had gathered for one final meeting before the newspaper officially launched.
While Charlotte and Morvan discussed the serial, Green Randall was also talking over the details of newspaper distribution with Roselle.
"We're tentatively printing a thousand copies for the first issue. My family's freight network will handle the Harbor District and the Old District. In the Bols District, we'll place copies in bookstores, cafés, and a few shops willing to work with us. The rest will be sold by temporary hires along King's Road and near several bridges."
A thousand copies wasn't much for a large city with over two hundred thousand residents, but the Sushit Weekly was a new venture, after all. No one could say how many people would be willing to pay for news, notices, and serialized stories.
"Let's start with that many," Roselle agreed. "If sales go well on the first day, the Printing House can print more at any time."
Charlotte looked at the headline typeface on the trial copy, which had already been adjusted several times. Anticipation stirred within her, but then she said regretfully:
"It's a shame I won't get to see the first issue officially go on sale."
Green and Morvan both looked up, while Roselle immediately asked:
"Why not?"
"I'm leaving for Trier with my father in two days," Charlotte explained, glancing at Roselle. "Since I'm now the sole heir to my father's title, I need to visit the White Maple Palace after coming of age to have an audience with the King and complete the official registration. I also have to visit a few elders in the family. Father has some affairs left in Trier to attend to as well. Unless anything unexpected happens, we won't return to Sushit for a month."
After hearing this, Roselle's face first showed undisguised disappointment. Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to him, he leaned forward slightly.
"This is actually an opportunity."
"Trier is much larger than Sushit, with more active commerce, arts, and social life. That's where newspapers are truly suited to flourish. You could use this opportunity to see whether there are any similar publications locally, whether booksellers and cafés would be willing to sell the Sushit Weekly, and how much it costs to distribute a publication there."
Charlotte's eyes lit up. She thought it was an excellent suggestion.
The Intis Kingdom had a postal system connecting its major cities and towns. Traveling from Sushit to Trier by carriage took three to four days, which was barely acceptable if they were only transporting a newspaper published once a week. But to operate in Trier long-term, they would need local writers, a printing house, and distribution channels. Otherwise, by the time news from Trier reached Sushit, was compiled, typeset, and printed, then spent just as long traveling back, much of it would already be over ten days old when local readers saw it-"old news."
Green frowned and said cautiously:
"We haven't even sold our first issue yet. Isn't it too early to talk about selling in Trier? We should at least wait until we've confirmed we can make a profit here in Sushit before considering expansion."
Morvan, whose age was roughly equal to that of the other three combined and who ought to have been more conservative, instead sided with Roselle.
"There aren't many technical barriers to producing a weekly. As long as it sells well, printers in Trier will soon imitate it. We have to prepare in advance, so that by the time they think of doing it, they can no longer catch up with us.
"Of course, there's no need to invest money immediately. We can have Miss Charlotte do some preliminary work first, then decide whether to increase our investment once we see results here in Sushit."
The three of them then looked at Charlotte together.
After a moment's thought, she nodded in agreement.
"I'll investigate, but you'd better give me a list of things to find out first, so I don't get there and spend all my time attending aristocratic balls."
At the mention of balls, Roselle, who sat beside her, visibly straightened. His expression shifted, and only after several seconds did he speak.
"I happen to have prepared some material. It's all upstairs. I'll take you to get it."
Roselle seems awfully sensitive to that word. We did dance that day, but I really only wanted to tease him a little... Hmm, if a lady like that had taken the initiative to invite me back when I was still a man, I'd probably have picked out our children's names already... Charlotte followed Roselle to his bedroom door and stopped there out of courtesy, waiting for him to bring out the material, while thoughts continued to tumble through her mind.
Suddenly, she noticed a notebook lying open on the desk, with something scrawled across its pages. It was too far away, however, and Roselle's body blocked most of it, so she couldn't make out what it said.
Roselle followed her gaze and looked back. His expression suddenly changed, and he immediately went over, closed the notebook, and stuffed it into a drawer.
His reaction only made Charlotte more curious.
"What's that?"
Roselle hesitated for several seconds before answering.
"A diary. I write down the important things that happen each day, along with any ideas that occasionally occur to me, so I can look back over them whenever I want."
What self-respecting person keeps a diary? I certainly never do... Charlotte grumbled inwardly, but an approving smile appeared on her face.
"That's a good habit. No wonder you always come up with unexpected ideas."
The praise made Roselle a little uncomfortable. He gave a light cough, turned around, and picked up a stack of papers from the other side of the desk, then brought them to the doorway and handed them to her.
"These are some ideas I wrote down earlier. I haven't had time to organize them yet."
Charlotte took them and casually flipped through a few pages. They listed the preparations needed to establish newspaper distribution channels in different cities under current conditions. The entries were jumbled, clearly written in haste, yet they covered almost every aspect that needed consideration.
She looked up at Roselle and had to admit that his talent, combined with the effects of the Savant potion, had already put him far beyond ordinary people.
Seeing her carefully put away the papers, Roselle added:
"By the time you return from Trier, the Sushit Weekly will definitely be the best-selling publication in the city."
This time, Charlotte didn't mock him inwardly. Instead, she answered earnestly:
"I believe in you."
When Charlotte went downstairs, Green had already left, but Morvan stood by the door, holding the antique candlestick purchased for 240 Verl D'Or.
Isn't that the gift I gave him? Did he discover it was a fake after examining it closely...? Charlotte looked at him in confusion, and he spoke in a gentle tone:
"Although this may disappoint you after your thoughtful gesture, I've considered it carefully and believe this antique isn't suited to staying with me."
"Why?"
Morvan fell silent for a moment. His gray-blue eyes looked past the candlestick at Charlotte.
"By your side, it may have some wondrous effect."
A wondrous effect... The image of that mysterious seller with black hair and blue eyes surfaced in Charlotte's mind.
Morvan, standing before her, also seemed to know what secret the candlestick concealed, yet was unwilling to explain it outright.
After hesitating briefly, Charlotte accepted it, considering that the antique had already been inspected by Viève of the Purification-ers.
Morvan nodded in satisfaction, then added:
"One more thing. You'd best pay attention to any unusual occurrences around you. Some... some misfortunes brought by fate do not strike their intended target directly, but first affect the people around them."
Fate... That nebulous word made Charlotte frown. She couldn't shake the feeling that he meant more than he was saying, but before she could press him, Morvan gave another polite smile and said:
"Just a small reminder. Perhaps nothing will happen."
Charlotte looked into his eyes and found that his gaze wasn't cold as it had been last time. Instead, it held... sorrow.