Chapter 168: Quota Sales
"Compared to the ordinary social balls that His Majesty the King has expressly forbidden, Madame Butterfly's special gatherings are more suitable as a stage for Vivian to enter the upper social circle," Winston whispered. "First, it is not banned by His Majesty the King; second, Madame Butterfly enjoys a great reputation in the upper class, and every party she organizes is attended by many important people. The opportunity to appear at such a party will help her open up more connections.
"If we can curry favor with Madame Butterfly, we might even be able to gain more direct support from her. It's said that Madame Butterfly not only has connections with many nobles, but also holds leverage over even more high-ranking officials."
These nobles vied for this extra spot, probably all for the purpose of meeting Madame Butterfly.
Andre shrugged.
Unlike Winston, who was preoccupied with his relationships with the aristocracy, Andrei's focus was on the date of this special gathering: Vivian had just mentioned it was "two days from now." This date seemed to coincide subtly with Little Bone's suspicious "private chef invitation."
...Is there any connection between the two?
The auction for Vivian's spot came to a close soon.
Although Vivian disliked Baron Neumann's useless son, Victor, the Baron and his wife clearly had no intention of letting her leave so easily. Furthermore, since their family had never had the opportunity to receive an invitation from Madame Butterfly, they were even more determined to bid. As local tycoons, their readily available assets were indeed exceptionally substantial, quickly surpassing the other nobles' offers.
Vivian finally glanced at Victor's thin body, which was as thin as a boiled chicken, curled her lips in disdain, and agreed to Baron Neumann's offer.
"We agreed in advance that although he used my extra spot, the extra spot has no connection to the invitees themselves. You pay, I provide the cover letter for the invitation, and after entering, each of us will take care of our own business and have nothing to do with each other." Vivian said without question, "Madame Butterfly's parties have always had their own set of rules, and every participant is responsible for their own actions.
"Let me be frank. If he acts recklessly at the party and violates Madame Butterfly's rules, he will bear all the consequences himself, whether it's blessing or curse, life or death... It has nothing to do with me."
"...You're right," the Baroness smiled stiffly. "Victor is well-educated, knowledgeable, and well-mannered. How could he possibly violate Madame Butterfly's rules? With him by your side, perhaps he could even be a help to you!"
Vivian flicked the folding fan in her hand, and her smile became even sweeter. "As for me, I always like to be clear and straightforward when doing business. Madame Butterfly likes to hold various competitions at parties. The winners can get many rare prizes, while the losers have to pay a lot of gold and silver.
"As for me, I'm competitive but also a bit petty. I only like to compete fairly. I don't like relying on others' help to win, nor do I like being dragged down for no reason. If you can't accept my conditions, then I'll leave this spot to my half-sister..."
"Wait, wait a minute, we accept it." Baron Neumann glanced at his wife, obviously unwilling to miss the opportunity to establish a relationship with Madame Butterfly.
Baron Neumann had a plan in mind: Vivian thought she was the daughter of a marquis, and she was arrogant and looked down on him, the son of a baron, but this matter could be done slowly.
If they could establish contact with Madame Butterfly, they would gain even more connections and resources. As long as he could continue to strengthen his family's power, he would be able to control the resources of the old royal family and the nobility, while also exerting influence over high-ranking officials and the parliament. With real power in hand, even the king would be in awe of him. Wouldn't promotions and titles be a simple matter of a single word?
When the king issues an edict to demote old Leicester to a lower rank, then Vivian, the Countess who is now in her twilight years, will be a match for their family in terms of strength and social status. She will no longer be able to act so high and mighty like she does now, and she might even have to come back to beg him for help!
"Words aren't enough. It's better to sign a magical contract." Vivian smiled and raised her hand, snapping her fingers at Andre and Winchester's chief clerk. "I see you have both the kingdom's knights and the clerk here, which is convenient. Why not let these two professionals serve as witnesses? Andre is also a viscount, so it's appropriate for us both to witness."
The baron's face turned slightly greener, and his breathing became heavier, as if he was suppressing the anger in his heart.
Although Viscount was a nominal title without fiefdom, according to the official title of the Duchy of Huntington, it indeed ranked above Baron. However, in the eyes of most nobles, fiefdom, financial resources, and military strength were far more important than empty titles. Vivian's words were not wrong, but in the eyes of the Baron, they were a serious loss of face.
"...Suitable," he gritted his teeth and said, "Winchester Clerk, please sign the magic contract according to Miss Vivian's wishes."
Winchester looked up at Vivian. The petite beauty was fanning herself gently, with a familiar cunning look in her eyes. He replied, "As you command."
The parchment was spread out on the table, the quill dipped in ink danced lightly, and the magical earthworm words flowed on the paper... Contracts and agreements are the clerk's main job. The Winchester clerk finished writing in a moment and handed three copies of the perfect sales deeds, which were impeccable from the agreement to the neat handwriting, to the two masters.
The deed is a standard contract used exclusively for sales transactions in the Principality of Huntington, specifically for transactions where payment is made in full and there is no delay.
The deed clearly stated that Vivian was selling the invitation she had received for one spot at Madame Butterfly's party, using the letter attached to the invitation as proof of payment. Baron Neumann was required to pay all the resources he had promised at the same time. After the transaction was completed on the spot, both parties settled the payment and had no further ties.
The nobles around them all saw that Vivian was trying to avoid Victor, and their dissatisfaction with the Baron's high price for the order was immediately diluted: Look, look, you spent so much money, but they still avoid your son like the plague!
Victor's face was pale, his head hung low, and a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes hidden by his hair.
The nobles weren't a monolithic entity after all. They could be chatting and laughing one moment, then stabbing each other in the next. Baron Neumann was still grinding his teeth over the deed when a noble who had just been outbid by him began to urge him on. "Why, Baron Neumann, you were so generous when you made your bid, but now when it comes to signing the deed, you're dragging your feet? Could there be some unforeseen situation? If you don't want this position..."
He turned to Vivian: "...I am still sincere in my offer. Although my offer is not as generous as the Baron's, it is sincere after all. If the Baron is unwilling to fulfill his contract, I can add another 10% to the previous offer..."
"Who said I don't want to?" the baron shouted angrily. He picked up a quill and filled in the blank space on the deed with the resource price he had just promised and signed his name. "Alright! No one can compete with me!"
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