Penelope wracked her brain, her thoughts nearly bursting from the strain. After a moment’s deliberation, she quickly decided on her next destination.

“Take me to the stock exchange.”

“…Excuse me?”

Sir Kane’s gaze wavered as if an earthquake had just struck.

Even in this world, stock trading was widely regarded as a fast track to ruin, so his reaction was entirely reasonable.

Penelope, however, pretended not to notice his incredulous look. She didn’t have a convincing justification to offer, after all.

“Just take me there. Who knows, there might be a stock that’s about to skyrocket.”

***

The official name of the stock exchange was "Rendberk Trading Company."

Founded by the renowned architect Rendberk, it began as a means to attract investment for developing various regions of the continent. Over time, as investors started receiving profits and dividends, stock trading emerged.

As the number of shareholders grew, intermediaries aiming to collect fees appeared, gradually evolving the trading company into the modern stock exchange it was today.

“Buy now! Lassel Construction stocks are dirt cheap—no, they’re practically being given away!”
“I’ll buy all the East Continent Shipping Company shares!”
“Argh! It’s over! My money!”
“I’m completely bankrupt!”
“I’ve been scammed! At this rate, I’ll have to throw myself into the Ferrun River!”

Penelope and Sir Kane stared blankly at the chaos of the stock exchange.

Just like in the original story, the stock market was in utter disarray.

This mess, too, stemmed from the heroine’s actions three months ago when she lopped off the Emperor’s head.

The Emperor, the pinnacle of conservative power, had supported traditional forces that crumbled with his sudden death, leaving them leaderless and exposed.

Trading companies operated by the great nobles couldn’t escape the fallout either.

Established trading companies that had provided stable income collapsed like autumn leaves, leaving the burden squarely on ordinary individual investors.

‘The butterfly effect is impressive.’

The heroine, consumed by her vendetta, likely had no capacity to consider the collateral damage caused by killing the Emperor.

Her actions were a desperate struggle to survive in her own right.

Even so, Penelope found it hard not to harbor personal resentment toward the heroine.

‘Wiping out not just the northern estates but the stock market too… Should I call it impressive or just reckless?’

Sir Kane flinched as he watched an ant-sized investor tearfully leave, muttering about the temperature of the Ferrun River. He cautiously approached Penelope.

“Are you planning to stay here?”

“I wasn’t going to mention this, but I have incredible information from a cousin of my father’s old friend,” she said dramatically.

Sir Kane’s expression darkened visibly. It was the classic prelude to financial ruin through stock speculation.

Those with real insider knowledge never shared it with minor investors. Anyone with a brain could figure out that much.

‘Chasing after luck, huh? The baroness must be feeling the pressure of managing the estate alone.’

Sir Kane sighed inwardly.

Unaware of his thoughts, Penelope calmly examined the trading companies’ catalog of stocks.

‘East Continent Shipping and Trading Company stocks are already a red ocean. As for the Western Temple Construction project, the heroine is going to destroy that entirely—out. What about lesser-known stocks…?’

Narrowing her eyes, Penelope’s gaze landed on a name.

‘Durek Railroad Company?’

The name felt oddly familiar, rolling off her tongue effortlessly.

Penelope wracked her brain, trying to recall where she’d seen it before.

“Ah!”

She suddenly shot up from her seat.

‘The heroine secretly invested in creating this railroad company!’

The Durek Railroad Company had been a collaboration between the heroine, the Magic Division, and the Alchemy Division after she became Empress. It was meant to redistribute wealth and power concentrated in the capital to other parts of the continent.

Right now, it was in its infancy, and the price per share was dirt cheap.

‘At 50 gold per share, I can buy 2,000 shares with 100,000 gold.’

Penelope quickly calculated in her head.

‘I remember the heroine briefly mentioning her plans in the later part of the original story. I didn’t think she’d create it so soon.’

Her determination had been swifter than expected. Then again, this was the same determination that had dethroned the Emperor.

Since the railroad shares were currently available, construction would likely begin next year.

Though the original story never showed the results of the railroad project, Penelope was certain of one thing: the heroine never failed.

‘This will work…!’

Especially not by the end of the story—and certainly not in any epilogue. By then, she’d be too busy basking in her happily-ever-after with the male lead to worry about failures.

In short, Penelope had hit the jackpot.

‘She’s got guts. Big-picture thinking, for sure.’

Forgetting her earlier complaints about the heroine, Penelope confidently strode toward the office.

Sir Kane followed with a bitter look on his face.

A stock exchange employee greeted her warmly.

“Welcome! If you’d like to buy or sell any stocks, feel free to let me know.”

“I want to purchase 2,000 shares of the Durek Railroad Company.”

The employee hesitated.

“Durek Railroad Company? Hmm… That might not be the best investment. Perhaps you should buy just 100 shares and allocate the rest to the East Continent Trading Company instead. It offers a more certain short-term profit.”

“All of it. 100,000 gold. Sir Kane, pay in gold coins.”

As Sir Kane retrieved thick gold coins from the pouch, the employee’s demeanor brightened instantly. At the end of the day, selling stocks meant commission fees.

“Oh, Imperial Bank gold coins! Please wait a moment while I prepare the stock certificates.”

The overly helpful employee gleefully gathered the paperwork.

It was thanks to the gold coins she’d practically wrung out of the Imperial Bank branch manager.

After a cup of tea’s worth of waiting, Penelope held the stock certificates stamped with the Durek Railroad Company seal.

The commission fees were steep, but short of traveling to the capital to visit the company directly, it was a cost she had to accept.

Relieved by the relatively modest scale of the transaction, Sir Kane spoke up.

“Shall we head to the inn now?”

“Yes. It’s about time for lunch.”

But the two never made it back to the inn.

“My lady, there’s an emergency!”

“What’s going on?”

The commotion came from Hans, one of the castle servants.

Hans, who had left after breakfast to check herb prices, had arrived in a rush.

As Penelope tilted her head in confusion, Hans blurted out,

“The price of herbs has halved!”

“What? Are you saying that even selling an entire cart won’t fetch 10,000 gold?”

“That’s correct, my lady. At this rate, plowing up the herb fields and using them as cattle feed would be more profitable.”

Hans was on the verge of tears.

Sir Kane let out a low sound of dismay.

‘So the price of herbs has finally hit rock bottom. That was the estate’s last hope.’

With the 1,000,000 gold debt looming, the weight on Sir Kane’s shoulders felt unbearable.

Meanwhile, the murmuring among the stock exchange’s small-time investors, who had been side-eyeing them since Hans arrived, grew louder.

“The price of northern herbs has tanked.”
“Tsk, tsk. There’ll be plenty starving to death in the north this winter.”
“It’s not just their problem. I’m about to starve myself.”

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Penelope asked,

“Where is the cart carrying the green herbs?”

“It’s nearby. The usual merchant tried to cut the price in half, so I left in anger and came straight back, my lady.”

“Well done.”

Penelope answered calmly and began walking toward the cart. Hans and Sir Kane scrambled to follow her.

Turning back, Penelope gave instructions.

“Hans, bring the cart and follow me. There’s somewhere we need to go.”

“No matter where you sell them, you won’t get more than 5,000 gold.”

“We’re not heading to the market.”

Hans looked puzzled at her response, and Sir Kane wasn’t any less confused.

“I heard there’s a Mage Tower branch nearby. Take us there.”

***

By now, as the original story neared its conclusion, the heroine was likely enjoying a rosy honeymoon with the male lead.

Thinking about it made Penelope feel a pang of bitterness.

Some people were out in the middle of nowhere, struggling through endless hardships, while others were basking in love and happiness in the imperial palace.

On top of that, the heroine's protagonist privileges practically guaranteed her a perfect, secure future. The more Penelope thought about it, the more envious she felt.