Chapter 52
“How poor must the Marquis of Rodrian be? For the servants to tremble in fear just because he buys his wife a single dress.”
At this point, perhaps Vanessa disliked the people of Ronheim so much that, without realizing it, she had ended up on my side.
‘It seems best if I cover the cost of the dress myself.’
I praised my past self for the reckless risks I had taken for moments like this and looked proudly at the teddy bear and cushion.
‘Maybe I should secretly send Lamia with the jewel and have her pay the bill…….’
……I thought about it, but then changed my mind.
When only Lamia was left in the room, I cautiously asked her just in case.
“Lamia, when are you leaving?”
Lamia protested with a disgruntled tone.
“Why do you keep pushing me away?”
“Well, for a fugitive, you seem a little too carefree.”
“That’s not true~! I have a plan too~! Why are you trying to chase me out~! After all the good things I’ve done for you~!”
Lamia rolled around on the floor, denying it.
Her whining voice was like that of a child forced into doing chores she didn’t want to do.
I narrowed my eyes and asked,
“If you got money, would you leave?”
“Oh, of course! Don’t worry~! I’ll take care of my own future just fine. I don’t plan on clinging like some parasite! Really, don’t worry.”
“I see……”
I was thankful for her honesty, but a little bitter.
‘So she’s really set on leaving.’
It felt like if I gave Lamia gold on the spot, she would vanish immediately, so I let her go without another word. Then I called Granada and secretly handed her a ring taken out of the teddy bear.
“What is this?”
“Pay the merchant with this.”
“Pardon?”
Granada’s stone-like expression cracked ever so slightly. She seemed startled.
“Just do it.”
I didn’t offer much explanation, only added briefly:
“Make sure to take care of it quietly, without my maids knowing.”
Granada stood silently for a moment, staring at the ruby ring in her palm.
It was a ring called Dragon’s Eye, a large, high-quality ruby tightly encircled by tiny diamonds.
It was the final masterpiece of a world-renowned jeweler, made before his death — the only one of its kind in existence.
I didn’t know the exact price, but considering Caballa had treasured it enough to lock it away in his jewel vault, it must have been extremely valuable.
Even at a discounted price, it would more than cover the cost of a dress.
And even if sold cheaply, the deal would still be fair.
A jeweler, even without recognizing the full provenance of the piece, would certainly recognize the ruby itself as a rare, top-quality stone.
‘So, hopefully, it sells without anyone recognizing its true worth.’
For me, it was safer if it passed from hand to hand, with its origins forgotten.
“That should be enough. Is there a jeweler in Ronheim?”
“No, there isn’t.”
Good. That meant the merchant wouldn’t appraise it locally.
If he had to sell it abroad, Caballa wouldn’t be able to trace me so quickly.
Of course, the more jewels I liquidated into cash, the sooner Caballa would realize the thief was me.
So before then, I needed to establish safeguards.
“I’ll vouch for you. Go abroad, have the jewel appraised, and if it doesn’t sell fairly, come back to me. Not that such a thing will happen.”
Despite her bad leg and her old age, Granada was always fast and diligent. But this time, uncharacteristically, she lingered at the door.
Then, as if making up her mind, she turned back to me.
“……What is it?”
“Why are you suddenly paying the bill out of your own pocket?”
“Ah……”
I scratched my cheek, a little embarrassed.
“I didn’t realize the clothes were so expensive. I only just figured it out.”
“Did you hear something the servants said, by chance?”
I hadn’t heard directly, but Vanessa had told me — and she wasn’t exactly trustworthy. She could’ve twisted the story.
So I only smiled vaguely.
“Go, quickly, before the merchant leaves.”
Granada seemed to conclude that I had overheard the servants gossiping.
“From now on, I’ll make sure the servants don’t speak carelessly. It was my negligence. I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
“…It’s not just the head maid’s fault. I’m still unfamiliar with the household matters too.”
“How could it possibly be your fault, my lady?”
Granada pressed her lips together, silent for a while.
Then, as if making a decision, she spoke.
“There is something I must ask of you.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, after your meals, please allow the leftover food to be given to the lower servants.”
I blinked at her in confusion.
“The leftovers…?”
“Yes. For us, eating the food that our lord and lady have left behind is considered a privilege of those serving in the castle. In Ronheim, we rarely have the chance to eat food of such quality.”
“……!”
It was something I had never considered.
Seeing my dazed expression, Granada smiled faintly, almost relieved.
“I thought I should mention it, just in case. And it seems you truly didn’t know.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
“My goodness.”
Only then did I realize why the head cook had asked me what to do with the leftovers after breakfast.
“I thought he was testing my character……”
I murmured, then explained to Granada,
“In Arental, sharing food that someone else has already eaten is considered sinful. So naturally, I ordered it to be thrown away.”
“I see.”
Granada nodded, her expression visibly brightening.
“It was my mistake not to explain the difference to you sooner. Please forgive me.”
“I suppose I’ll need to learn much more.”
“I’ll teach you everything, without leaving a single thing out.”
Finally, saying she would see the merchant, Granada left the room.
Somehow, her limping steps looked lighter than usual.
Granada truly was a sincere person.
‘To be so honest with the daughter of her enemy…’
It wasn’t because she liked me after only two days. It was because her conscience couldn’t bear the weight of silence.
And right now, sincerity like hers was exactly what I needed.
‘So Calias was right. She really is a good person.’
And if Calias, who had called Granada a good person, thought so, then surely he was good too.
Though they seemed very different at first glance, Calias and Granada were similar in essence.
‘That’s just the feeling I get.’
At last, I felt I was beginning — just a little — to trust my own judgment of people.
After Granada left, her words kept echoing in my head: the servants considered eating their masters’ leftovers a privilege.
‘For food to be that scarce…’
If the castle servants lived like that, then the common people’s lives must be even harsher.
I called Mainz and asked,
“Last time, the chieftain of the Utar tribe told me that northerners don’t farm much because of the climate. Is Ronheim the same?”
Though surprised by my sudden question, Mainz answered kindly.
“Yes. It’s cold all year round, so farming is nearly impossible. They grow hardy crops like potatoes and barley, but never enough.”
“Then how do they make up the shortage?”
“Most commoners rely on hunting for food. That way, they can also sell hides and other by-products to neighboring lands for a bit of income.”
The Utar tribe’s Lassa had also said that while they had plenty of meat, they lacked grain for bread.
“Don’t they import food from outside?”
Mainz’s expression darkened.
“Frankly, Ronheim doesn’t have the funds. We can’t afford to collect enough taxes.”
He seemed uncomfortable admitting the marquisate’s poverty to the new bride, avoiding my eyes.
“So the problem is only money?”
“Yes, I’d say so.”
“So if there’s money, the people wouldn’t have to starve……”
I smiled.
“Then money is something I can easily provide.”
“…What?”
Mainz blinked rapidly.
I was confident. After all, making money was exactly what I had planned to do upon coming to Ronheim.
‘Let’s start with something that doesn’t require much initial capital.’
Running a business and building wealth was far easier for me than dressing or bathing myself.
Thanks to Count Pelsus and Andrea, who had often treated me like air while babbling on about business, I had picked up plenty of information.
I just had to pass on what I had overheard to someone else — my representative.
After all, even Pelsus and Andrea never executed things personally; they left that to others.
‘And I already have a capable representative.’
Montreal Phireas, deputy of the Seged Merchant Guild — the very man I received as a wedding gift.
In my past life, after my mother, the guild master, passed away, the Seged Guild had nearly collapsed.
But Montreal had saved it, and raised it to rival even Count Pelsus’s guild in influence.
‘An impressive man.’
What I really wanted was not the guild itself, but Montreal.
In my past life, Count Pelsus had tried everything to bring Montreal down as a rival, but Montreal’s incredible resourcefulness had foiled all his schemes.
‘I remember Pelsus raving drunkenly about Montreal for days.’
According to him, Montreal was hostile to both him and Andrea, and he even defied unjust orders from the imperial family, choosing harder paths over easy ones.
What better partner could there be for my revenge?
And personally, I owed him something.
‘He never once visited me, but strangely, he sent me a birthday gift every single year.’
In this life, I wanted to meet him.
‘If I tell Montreal my plans now, he’ll surely be intrigued. With the guild struggling, he’ll want to help me.’
So I told Mainz,
“Bring me paper and pen. I’ll give you the method to solve the food problem.”
