Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

The room was filled with an overwhelming amount of paper.

Not only was the desk covered, but stacks of paper spread out over the tea table and the cabinet. It even extended onto the floor, as far as the eye could see—everywhere was covered in paper. And on all of them, there were writings and drawings.

Ogran stood there stunned for a while, then noticed something other than the paper... a human figure. In the center of the room, Ms. Kaede was crouched on the floor, writing something on the papers.

Lord Cyrus gave a wry smile.

“Hey, Kaede, that’s quite a pile you’ve got here. How many project proposals have you written since yesterday?”

“P-project proposal?”

“That’s right! Business proposals, yes!”

Suddenly, Ms. Kaede lifted her face and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“This is the best news you could ever hope for! I should be bowing down and thanking Ms. Marie and the granado trading company so much that I fracture my skull!”

“Huh? What?”

“I said it’s good news! So at least say thank you!”

“Calm down, ms. Kaede,” Mr. Angelo said gently, stepping in for the incomprehensible Kaede.

He was half-sitting up on the bed in the back, beckoning Ogran over. In his hand were a few sheets of rough draft paper.

“These are just the preliminary drafts before finalizing, but they should give you a good idea. Please take a moment to read them.”

Lord Cyrus and I moved closer with Ogran to peer over his hand. In large letters in the flarian language, the title was written:

— “Old Town Redevelopment Plan” —

“...Redevelopment...”

“Yes, that ruined ghost town—the old town—that granado trading company has decided to purchase the entire land.”

“You’re buying the whole town!?”

Ogran’s eyes widened in shock and he shouted, but Lord Cyrus remained calm.

“That’s not unusual. When we built the Baltandels ocean trade ships, we bought an entire village for manufacturing space and personnel. We’ve also developed multiple warehouse districts in various port towns.”

“N-no matter how rich you are, that’s not normal!”

“What do you mean? I’m the manager of granado trading company and, at the same time, hold the count title of Dilz. Managing national irrigation projects is my main business. Land reclamation is nothing new to me.”

Ogran stood there, mouth agape, frozen.

...Apparently, this wasn’t difficult for him at all. When I desperately proposed it, he simply nodded, saying, “Ah, I see, understood.”

“The ghost town’s deterioration and the worsening security were a headache for the country. The land price was dirt cheap. The cost to demolish the old buildings was much higher.”

“Th-then... does that mean... we’ll have nowhere to live anymore...?”

Ogran muttered in fear.

They, the orphans, were only living there because the country had abandoned the area. Redevelopment meant they’d lose their homes. Smart as he was, Ogran must have been prepared for this day to come. He tremblingly closed his eyes in resignation. I forcibly pried them open.

“—You won’t lose your home. It will just be new.”

“...New...?”

“Yes. New homes, new jobs too.”

I looked around, searching among the documents for the one with the information I wanted. At that moment, Ms. Kaede tossed me a scroll. Though focused on her writing, she had been listening to the conversation.

I thanked her and unrolled the parchment.

It was a large sheet—so long that even my tall frame couldn’t fully spread it open with both hands. Yet, I could clearly see what was written.

It was like a map. The old town’s redevelopment and the creation of a new urban area... no, it was the urban development blueprint for the “Kiowin & granado trading company Ipsandros joint branch” and the “employee dormitories.”

“The old town will be demolished and reborn as a massive industrial city. The main industry will be textile production. Using high-quality silk threads imported from Mizuho, we will mass-produce clothing, carpets, and other fiber products.”