Wheels of Change

After a while, the door creaked open. Jonny entered first, looking a little uneasy. He clenched the hem of his shirt, his brown eyes darting around nervously—until they landed on Seraphina. A calmness settled over him, and with a small smile, he sat beside her.

Seraphina grinned, pulling him close and ruffling his hair. 'If I didn't have him, I'd be a laughing mess again.'

But then, another figure walked in.

Lucian.

Clean and dressed in proper clothes, his white hair glowed under the dim lighting, his blue eyes sharp and captivating—almost unnaturally beautiful.

Seraphina squeezed her eyes shut. 'It should be illegal to be this cute!'

The moment Gideon's eyes landed on him, his body froze. His breath hitched. Then, before anyone could react, he fumbled up from the couch and kneeled before Lucian.

His shoulders trembled, head bowed low in respect. His voice cracked.

"I failed you, Young Master!"

The air grew heavy. Seraphina, Jonny, and Julian all watched, silent.

Lucian's eyes twitched. He pulled Gideon up with force, his small hands gripping the man's sleeve. "Shut it." His voice, though childish, carried a commanding weight.

Then he turned his face away, huffing as he muttered, "It wasn't your fault to begin with." Barely audible, but unmistakably honest.

Seraphina sighed. "Why are you here?"

Lucian shrugged. "I sensed him nearby." His tone was nonchalant, but the way his fingers clenched against his pants betrayed his emotions.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "And you don't mind me knowing about your identity?"

This time, Lucian fully turned to face her. His deep blue gaze locked onto hers.

"It was going to come out sooner or later," he said, voice serious. "And I knew you'd be the first to realize it. You're my friend—so why would I mind?"

Seraphina blinked.

'This little brat… as expected of the future villain.'

She let out a breath, shaking her head. "Fine. But we have bigger problems."

Her gaze shifted to Julian and Gideon. "The Ravensdale Duchy will figure out what happened soon. We need to plan carefully and expand our foothold in society."

Julian raised a brow. "But you know it's not that easy to compete with them. The Ravensdales are everywhere—food, textiles, metalwork. And where they aren't, they have connections with those who are."

Seraphina frowned, deep in thought.

Gideon folded his arms. "Even if we create something innovative, they won't let us reach the nobility to sell it."

Lucian, who had been listening, finally spoke.

"Then why not use something that already has access to the aristocracy?"

Seraphina turned to him, her hazel eyes narrowing slightly. "Go on."

Lucian leaned back, tapping his fingers. "The Ravensdales control the market because they dominate supply chains. If we introduce something new, they'll either destroy or steal it before we establish ourselves. But nobles love trends, status, and entertainment."

He met Seraphina's gaze. "So we make them desire it before they even realize they need it."

Seraphina smirked. She knew this strategy well.

"Ah," she exhaled. "Surrogate advertising."

Julian blinked. "Surrogate… what?"

She chuckled. "We don't force our product onto the nobles. Instead, we attach it to something they already crave. We introduce our invention in a way that makes them see it, admire it, associate it with prestige. And once demand peaks—"

Lucian's smirk widened. "—we control access to it."

Understanding dawned on Julian and Gideon.

Julian whistled. "That's ruthless."

Gideon crossed his arms, eyeing the two of them suspiciously. "And you both are awfully familiar with this strategy."

Seraphina smiled. Of course she was.

In her past life, she had worked under CEOs who weaponized marketing strategies to build empires. And Lucian? He was born for this game.

Her smirk deepened. Future villain indeed.

Julian scratched his head. "Alright, but what's the target?"

Seraphina leaned forward. "Theatre."

Julian looked skeptical. "That's mostly run by commoners."

"Exactly." Seraphina's voice held certainty. "If we back a struggling theatre, help them rise to fame, we can quietly become their major shareholders."

Gideon's eyes gleamed in understanding. "And once they become famous, we introduce our product through their stage. By then, nobles will be desperate to own it."

Seraphina grinned. "Exactly."

Julian hummed. "I know a few theatre owners… I can try negotiating."

"Good," Seraphina said. "And when you do, tell them we'll fund their biggest production—under one condition."

Julian raised a brow. "Which is?"

Seraphina's smile was sharp. "They promote our product in the play itself."

Julian exhaled. "You're a dangerous kid."

Seraphina chuckled. "You have no idea."

They spent the next hour fine-tuning their plan before finally moving on to the bicycle prototype.

Seraphina sketched out the design but struggled with the chain mechanism. Frowning, she handed it to Jonny.

"Jonny, can you adjust it like this?"

Jonny inspected it, muttering to himself as he made adjustments. With trial and error, they finally completed the blueprint.

"These tires," Seraphina explained, "will need a tube filled with a mixture of rubber and coal dust for durability."

Julian and Gideon exchanged glances.

Gideon spoke first. "Coal is easy, but rubber is rare. It'll take time to acquire."

Seraphina smirked. "Then let's start acquiring it."

Gideon's sharp gaze landed on her. "…You planned all this from the start, didn't you?"

Seraphina didn't answer. She simply smiled.

Gideon's expression darkened slightly. But then, he let out a chuckle.

"You're terrifying."

Seraphina tilted her head innocently. "Why, thank you."

Gideon exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Fine. I'll get you your rubber. But this better be worth it."

Seraphina's eyes gleamed.

"Oh, it will be."

After all, the wheels of change were already in motion.