MTD 15

I had experienced this déjà vu before.

“Um, Lady Alens.”

“Yes, Arinel. What is it?”

Lady Alens’ eyes were sparkling.

I felt sorry, but I still answered in a firm and clear voice.

“I’m sorry, but I have a direction I want to learn and go towards. However, I don’t think that path aligns with yours.”

Certainly, if I were to become Lady Alens’ successor, I could wield tremendous influence.

I could even make someone like Lariel Matzert, who picks fights with me, unable to move an inch.

“I’m truly grateful for the great help you’re offering me.”

But I couldn’t agree to become Lady Alens’ successor.

If I did, I’d have to dedicate most of my daily schedule to that work.

I have so much to do!

“Oh, Arinel…”

The corners of Lady Alens’ eyebrows drooped, but her eyes gleamed coolly.

“Hohoho! You didn’t fall into my trap. That cleverness of yours only fuels my greed.”

‘Hmm, what’s with this villainous laughter and statement?’

Anyway, the path of a graduate student in social studies seemed to be fortunately moving away.

“If it’s the path you want to take…”

Lady Alens asked with a regretful smile.

“It would be your father’s path, Marquis Mylar’s, right?”

I answered with a smile.

Rebuilding the Marquis’ house is the most important task for me right now.

Then Lady Alens muttered something.

“I’ll always support you, but that path won’t be easy either, Arinel. Be prepared.”

I couldn’t understand exactly what she meant.

“And if you ever change your mind about social studies, contact me, hohoho!”

The lady winked, leaving room for possibility.

I laughed, “Hehe,” and continued what I was going to say.

“You know, Lady Alens, I agree that we need evidence to support my argument about preparing for famine. To propose using that enormous budget, you’d have to risk your political life. I desperately want to save the country, but I don’t want to put you at such risk.”

I thought while looking at Lady Alens.

Then, what’s the most likely thing I can do to help prepare for famine through her?

“I just want you to create a trend for me.”

“A trend?”

When Lady Alens held a peacock feather fan, peacock feather fans became trendy from that day. When she wore red lizard leather boots, red lizard boots sold like hotcakes from that day on.

Lady Alens, the Minister of the Imperial Household, was admired by all the ladies in high society, and they wanted to imitate her every move.

“Aha.”

A smile formed on her lips as if she realized what I was about to say.

“That wouldn’t be difficult.”

***

Murmur, murmur-

“She’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”

“At Lady Matzert’s birthday party last time, she was chosen by Lady Fiolena Alens…”

“I heard she’s from the countryside like Shiller. Look, her hands are tanned.”

‘I can hear everything… you little…’

As I passed through the tea party garden, curious children stared at me and whispered.

The hostess of today’s tea party, Lady Annes, stood tensely with a face that had turned pale at my appearance.

She had invited me but apparently didn’t expect me to actually come.

“It… it’s an honor, Lady Marquis. My name is Eileen Annes.”(T/n: In the raws it´s 후작(marquis)영애 (daughter of (noble family). I´m not good with noble titles so if some of you know if there is a better way to name it then feel free to comment. If not “Lady Marquis” it will be. Since she is still young.)

She wore a yellow dress with her green hair styled in two buns like a sheep, and she looked about my age.

She had many freckles in the center of her face but was quite cute.

“Nice to meet you.”

When I confidently extended my hand, she flinched for a moment.

Then she slowly reached out to take my hand, and I shook it vigorously.

The two girls’ delicate hands intertwined and shook.

There were six people gathered at this small tea party today. I recognized some faces from Lady Matzert’s birthday party before, but they didn’t seem to be part of the group that had gathered around the lady.

‘That means they’re probably children who are distant from the mainstream social circle?’

“Hello, Lady Marquis. I’m Julie, daughter of Baron Farmers.”

“I’m Shiller from the Viscount Borden family. It’s an honor.”

Their families weren’t famous enough for anyone to recognize immediately.

The Annes Count family was also smaller in scale compared to even our house.

As I sat down, they watched me intently.

“Actually… I didn’t expect Lady Marquis to come. This is really… an honor!”

Eileen’s mumbling voice was heard.

She seemed very moved that I had come to her small tea party.

“I’m glad.”

Fortunately, unlike last time, I didn’t seem to be an unwelcome presence.

“Our group’s name is La Fiolet. It’s… a group that admires Lady Fiolena Alens. She’s a legend in high society. We don’t have prestigious backgrounds, so we have no chance of catching her eye, but we thought if we imitate her, we might become more elegant ladies…”

After visiting Lady Matzert’s birthday party, my house started receiving party invitations from children who wanted to form connections with me, and I spent time with Adam carefully selecting which parties to attend.

My purpose for coming here today wasn’t to make friends.

“If it’s not too much trouble, we’d be so grateful if you could tell us anything about Lady Alens! Even just a little…!”

“Well… Lady Alens is…”

As I opened my mouth, they all focused on my words with sparkling eyes.

***

“Please… please! Attend our next tea party too…!”

Eileen implored as she saw me off.

She looked so proud that I had attended her tea party.

Today’s tea party attendance was the result of careful selection after reviewing the list of participants.

Well, I didn’t know that La Fiolet was already practically a group following Lady Alens, but the families of those kids were related to the business I wanted to do.

‘The Annes Count family is in the land sales business, and the Borden Viscount family is in the underground storage business. The Farmers Baron family is in distribution.’

I made a good impression on the children of those families, and the news of my attendance at today’s tea party will surely reach their parents.

In other words, conditions have been created so that they won’t be surprised when Adam visits for business partnerships.

The business I chose for the continued prosperity of the Marquis family is the ‘Red Sugar Beet Processed Food Business’.

Red sugar beets are one of the rare crops that can be cultivated in barren soil.

It’s also an ingredient I loved when I was in Galnem.

Red sugar beets were generally not eaten by nobles and were considered a low-grade vegetable, but that’s only because the processing method was wrong!

Red sugar beets should be washed twice in cold water, and the thin outer skin and core that give a bitter taste should be carefully removed to bring out the true fruit-like sweetness, but people didn’t know this process.

‘After coming to the capital and looking into it more, it seemed like information only I knew.’

So people would eat bitter-tasting red sugar beets and discard them as poor-quality ingredients.

When I compared the red sugar beet slices I made in my way in Galnem with the desserts here, I didn’t feel that the quality of the red sugar beet snacks was inferior to the capital’s desserts.

‘So it should have some competitiveness.’

My plan is as follows:

First, when Lady Alens makes red sugar beet desserts trendy in high society and people’s attention is drawn to them, I will sell red sugar beet foods to generate business revenue.

With that money, I can plant more red beets, which can be grown even in poor lands, and it will definitely be of great help to the people of the empire during the famine.

It’s killing two birds with one stone since I can make a business that can generate income for the Marquis and prepare for the famine at the same time.

I was stretching my arms and cheering happily at the situation that was progressing smoothly.