☣ Chapter 2 ☣
“Don’t let the turnips rot. Divide them fairly among the people of the estate… Hmm, please distribute them. Have them dry the turnips so they can use them as food throughout the winter.”
“That would be the best choice.”
The steward answered as if he had been waiting to hear those words.
This still feels awkward.
Ever since recovering the memories of her previous life, Penelope felt awkward about every word she spoke and every action she took.
Her body belonged to a medieval fantasy world, but her mind remembered living in modern society.
It was a strange sense of conflict.
Although she had been confused at first, she was slowly adapting.
After all, she had spent over twenty years living as a noblewoman.
Noble etiquette was as natural to her as the clothes she wore.
Penelope spoke again.
“Tell me about the problems we have to face first.”
“The castle has enough emergency food for the people of the estate to last only ten more days. Even if we keep it only for the lord’s castle and don’t distribute any to the villagers, it won’t last more than three months.”
The steward’s explanation darkened everyone’s expressions.
Only ten days? At this point, shouldn’t we just declare bankruptcy?
Penelope hid her shock and calmly asked,
“What other problems are there?”
“When winter comes, monsters will become even more active. We need to hire mercenaries before it’s too late.”
“We’re also terribly short on magic stones. Buying enough will cost at least fifty thousand gold.”
“The people of the estate need at least three months’ worth of emergency food if they’re going to survive the winter.”
“We also need firewood…”
“And water…”
In the end…
It was all about money.
Another headache spread through Penelope’s head, and she pressed her temples.
My status has gone up, but somehow my life is even harder than it was before.
“How am I supposed to get this estate through the winter?”
She let out a silent groan.
She had expected at least a month’s worth of emergency food.
But only ten days?
The future looked so hopeless that she almost cried.
The more I think about it, the more I dislike the heroine.
Penelope doubted she would ever like her.
The heroine had cut off the Emperor’s head to take revenge.
But the people suffering from the consequences were all the extras.
Somehow…
Penelope felt like she was suffering the most.
“Someone save this extra!”
Still, she couldn’t spend all her time blaming someone else.
No one could survive without eating.
She had to find a way.
Let’s start with something I can do right now.
After thinking for a long time, Penelope finally made up her mind.
She stood up from her seat.
“We’ll borrow money from the Imperial Bank. As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll leave for the nearest branch. Please prepare everything.”
“Do you really think the Imperial Bank’s branch manager will approve a loan for the Halo Estate?”
The retainers looked doubtful.
None of them believed the Imperial Bank would lend money to such a poor countryside estate.
The oldest and most stubborn administrator even criticized Penelope.
“The branch manager doesn’t even hold a noble title granted by His Majesty the Emperor. How can Your Ladyship lower yourself before nothing more than a merchant? If the late Baron knew about this, he would be furious.”
…What?
Penelope was speechless.
This was an age where magic rifles had already been invented and magical engineering trains crossed the continent.
And yet…
Someone was looking down on capitalists?
In this world too, power and money rule everything.
“No wonder this estate is on the verge of collapse.”
The retainers had no understanding of money.
Nor did they understand reality.
Managing an estate required the mindset of a businessman.
Even though the lord had died, these stubborn retainers were also responsible for driving the estate into such terrible condition in such a short time.
Maybe I should just run away from this estate.
It really felt like she was trapped on a sinking ship.
Anyone with common sense would escape before it sank.
Once it went under…
Only broken pieces would remain floating on the water.
Why did I remember my previous life only two months ago? If I’d remembered just one year earlier, I could’ve secretly taken my dowry and escaped to the capital.
Unfortunately…
Penelope had nowhere to go.
Her parents’ family was in an even worse situation.
As a fallen noble family, they would never welcome back their widowed daughter.
They might even marry her off to an old nobleman.
To them, an unmarried daughter was simply another burden.
“No! I can’t let that happen. I have to use my authority as acting lord while I still have it.”
Strengthening her resolve, Penelope declared,
“Tomorrow I’ll go to the Imperial Bank and get a loan. We’ll survive this winter with that money.”
“But…”
“But nothing. If we don’t want to starve to death, shouldn’t we be ready to grab the bank manager’s pant leg and beg if we have to?”
“…?”
The steward flinched.
The retainers stared at her as if they couldn’t believe their ears.
A noble…
Begging a commoner for money?
Even though their situation was miserable, no noble in a conservative countryside estate would ever bow to a commoner.
Yet their acting lord was saying she would do exactly that.
Lady Penelope… speaking so roughly…?
When she had first married into the estate, she had been so quiet and graceful that people barely noticed her presence.
Everyone looked confused by her sudden change.
But Penelope remained firm.
Unlike the nobles of this era, who valued pride above everything…
Her soul, shaped by capitalism, valued practical results.
“If you have another solution, tell me.”
Silence filled the room.
“Or are we all going to starve to death together?”
The Next Morning
At dawn the next day, Penelope boarded a small carriage bound for Pellar.
Pellar was the territory of the Grand Duke of Rahinsel.
It was a large city filled with huge marketplaces, government offices, and an Imperial Bank branch.
Her companions were few.
Only an escort knight, the coachman, and one servant traveled with her.
Before leaving, Penelope ordered them to load the carriage with Green Herbs.
Her reasoning was simple.
“No matter how cheap they’ve become, we can’t just destroy the herb fields. Let’s take them to the market and sell them.”
The carriage carrying the herbs traveled along the winding, unpaved road.
Half a day later, they finally arrived in Pellar.
“We should stay at an inn tonight and start our business tomorrow morning.”
“You’ve all worked hard.”
Penelope spent the night in a shabby inn.
As soon as morning came, she ate a light breakfast and headed straight for the Imperial Bank.
Even though it was still early, many people were already waiting inside the lobby.
Penelope quietly joined the line.
The only thing that set her apart was her noble posture.
Her back was perfectly straight, and her chin was slightly raised.
People waiting in the bank secretly glanced at her.
Although her dress was no longer fashionable, it was clearly expensive.
She looked elegant and proud—
Like a graceful noblewoman from the pages of an old catalog.
Meanwhile…
Inside, Penelope was incredibly nervous.
“Will the bank manager really lend me the money?”
She hadn’t even been this nervous when taking out a housing loan in her previous life.
But now…
Borrowing money as the acting lord of an estate made her heart pound wildly.
She wasn’t even sure she could repay the interest—
Let alone the full loan.
The people running my estate are all incompetent… Is taking this loan really the right choice?
Working together with people who had no sense of money felt like a disaster waiting to happen.
If everything failed…
The estate wouldn’t just sink.
It would completely fall apart.
If they couldn’t pay the monthly interest, the bank would send mercenaries to collect the debt.
If she ran away from them and got caught…
There would probably be bloodshed.
“No, no! I can’t start doubting myself already. I have to be brave at times like this.”
Penelope took a deep breath.
As she held it, she could hear her heartbeat even more clearly.
“Maybe… I should just go back while I still can.”
She tried to calm herself.
But regret kept flooding her mind.
No matter how much she thought about it…
She couldn’t understand how she had managed to rush all the way to the Imperial Bank without thinking twice.
