Joshua, Richmond, and Father opened their eyes wide at my words.
Only Balzac looked at me and said, “Huh?”
I spoke with a mischievous grin.
“Whether we calm Jörmungandr down or offer a sacrifice, either way, over there, they can’t help but watch the dragon’s mood, right?”
Joshua and Richmond glanced at each other and smirked.
“On the other hand, it’s simple on our side.”
Father nodded at Richmond’s words.
“If we just make Jörmungandr uncomfortable, Grimmy won’t even be able to approach.”
That was true.
Jörmungandr was originally a very angry dragon.
Lagon, by merely staying in his territory in the west, kept the Crimson Ghoul’s domain from being completely wrecked.
“Let it vent, let it vent its anger.”
And I was a kid who was an expert at making others angry.
Joshua chuckled as he raised his teacup.
“Well then. Our uncle is going to have a very hard time.”
I hummed a tune and looked out the window.
“There are about a hundred ways to make him uncomfortable. Which one would be best to use?”
Father and my brothers burst into laughter.
A few days later.
I was quietly letting Jeanne tie my hair.
Nearby, Heidi and Betty were engaged in lively conversation.
“So, we’re going to lead the treasure salvage operation starting from Grimmy’s jurisdiction!”
I smiled slightly.
“They made an excuse to go to Jörmungandr’s nest.”
I couldn’t brag about going to find the Emperor’s treasure.
That would be admitting there was a deal between the Emperor and Grimmy.
If the Emperor gave a position in the Central Tower as payment, it would cause an uproar.
I looked in the mirror and said,
“That sea is where Jörmungandr’s nest is. Even if we mobilize troops, it would be a massacre.”
Then Heidi and Betty giggled.
“The Duke warned us not to mobilize the manor’s troops!”
Grandfather was refusing to get involved in dealings with the palace.
It meant, ‘If you want to get into the Central Tower, do it on your own.’
I smiled, and Jeanne took her hands off my head.
“How do you feel, my lady?”
“I like it very much.”
“I’m glad.”
I checked my appearance one last time and spoke.
“If I can’t use Astra troops, I’ll have to hire mercenaries. They’d have to be quite skilled...”
Jeanne chuckled softly.
“If they’re mercenaries willing to go to Jörmungandr’s sea, they’d have to be at least tier one.”
“Then we’ll have to pay the mercenary group a considerable fee.”
“If it’s Jörmungandr’s opponent, they might demand at least five times the usual fee... no, maybe even ten times.”
“Oh my, all the pocket money Uncle collected will be gone.”
Jeanne and I chatted in sync, and Heidi and Betty giggled along in harmony.
“Poor things~.”
“Indeed~.”
From the morning, the air felt like honey.
I happily put on my coat.
“Well then, I’m off.”
Jeanne and the maids bowed as they handed me a basket with snacks.
With the basket, I headed to the palace.
As the Astra carriage arrived at the palace, guards hurriedly shouted,
“The Western Wonhwa approaches!”
The massive palace gates opened, and our carriage glided smoothly inside.
The carriage waiting area was packed with people.
Today was the day of a grand assembly for palace officials.
Moreover, the social leaders gathered ahead of the Empress Dowager’s birthday ceremony.
Familiar faces approached and greeted me.
“Long time no see, Miss Astra, daughter of the Count!”
“Here, you are Western Wonhwa.”
I greeted the young ladies whose faces I had recognized at the Paangte party.
“It’s even nicer to see you at the palace. Miss Cleore, Miss Tasilo.”
“You remember us! How delightful.”
“Of course.”
“If you’re heading to the office, may we accompany you partway?”
“The walk will be enjoyable.”
When I answered kindly, the fathers or mothers of the young ladies smiled gently.
“Count Cleore has the largest port in the east. Count Tasilo is affiliated with the palace intelligence agency.”
If you treat adorable children well, your points go way up.
I glanced at the two counts affectionately and chuckled inside.
I walked across the palace with the young ladies.
“Miss Paangte and Miss Trang had a big fight again, right?”
“Oh, both were very worried when they heard the Western Wonhwa had taken sick leave again.”
I listened to their stories attentively and nodded.
Then near the Empress Dowager’s palace, I saw a familiar face.
‘Huh?’
I opened my eyes wide, and the young ladies beside me exclaimed, “Oh my....”
“That’s the Duchess of Isiron.”
Since Alexis was the Duke of Isiron, the duchess was my prospective mother-in-law.
‘It’d be strange not to greet her given our relationship.’
I approached the duchess.
“Good day, Madam.”
The duchess, watching servants carry luggage, looked at me.
“Ah, Western Wonhwa.”
Behind the duchess appeared familiar faces.
‘Masa and Marine.’
Masa was about to show a pleased reaction with an “Ah!” but Marine quickly grabbed her sleeve.
Showing a personal friendship with servants ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) among nobles was not good.
‘She’s sharp.’
Although Marine had only been a servant for a few months, she acted very cleverly.
I smiled at the duchess.
“You’re here for the Empress Dowager’s birthday ceremony.”
“Yes. I heard you were on long sick leave, but are you well now?”
“Thanks to your concern, yes.”
“Are you on your way to the office?”
“That was the plan...”
I trailed off and looked at the duchess.
[‘The Empress Dowager hinted to me that she was watching Miss Astra as a suitable granddaughter-in-law, and then the engagement to Alexis happened....’]
It seemed the duchess was troubled by our engagement.
So she must have paid attention to the birthday gift.
I smiled gently and said,
“May I accompany you to pay respects to the Empress Dowager?”
“Eh?”
“I also prepared a gift.”
The duchess’s eyes widened.
[‘If it’s a gift clever enough for the child to be confident about, it might be helpful to me.’]
The duchess smiled softly.
“Of course.”
The duchess, the young ladies, and I walked amicably toward the Empress Dowager’s palace.
After some time, a sharp voice sounded behind me.
“Hey, Masa! Can’t you be more careful!”
It seemed Masa almost stumbled carrying a gift.
That’s why a senior maid warned her.
The senior servant of Isiron immediately bowed when our eyes met.
“My apologies, Miss.”
I said to a passing courtier,
“You.”
The courtier recognized me and hurriedly bowed.
“Yes, Wonhwa.”
“Fetch a cart from the Empress Dowager’s palace.”
I handed over the identity badge proving I was Western Wonhwa.
The courtier hurried off.
I said to the duchess,
“I dared to interfere in case the precious gift might be damaged.”
“A welcome piece of advice.”
The duchess, the young ladies, and I exchanged gentle smiles.
Masa stared blankly at Erilot’s retreating figure toward the Empress Dowager’s palace.
Marine tapped her sister.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and carry it and catch up to Madam.”
“Umm...”
“Why are you spacing out like that?”
“Isn’t she really pretty...?”
Marine looked at Erilot, who was growing more distant.
“It’s no surprise she’s pretty. She’s the spitting image of Daymond Astra, the empire’s most beautiful.”
“That’s not it...”
That thin bracelet wrapped around Erilot’s wrist.
“How much do you think that bracelet costs...?”
“We probably couldn’t buy it even if we worked our whole lives.”
Though the chain was very thin, it clearly looked expensive.
It was about the size of an adult fingernail, with a coral-colored diamond attached.
“That diamond is probably a Fairy’s Tear.”
“Fairy’s Tear...?”
“A special diamond with high magic conductivity. Mostly used in magic tools, but it’s said to be worth as much as a couple of decent mansions.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read about it in a book.”
Masa rubbed her fingertips with a disappointed look.
Marie frowned.
“Why, again?”
“Why are all young ladies so pretty?”
“Uh...?”
The luxurious lace ribbons.
The skirt hem shimmering beautifully like the lake’s surface.
A platinum necklace set with sun-shaped gems...
Wearing all that, her clear smile showed not a shadow of gloom.
Marie looked at Masa, whose expression had darkened.
“...Stop thinking pointless thoughts and move.”
“Okay...”
Just then, the courtier brought the cart.
At that moment, the butler called Marie.
“Marie.”
“Yes, Butler.”
“You are to attend to Madam.”
“Yes.”
Marie hurried after the duchess, and Masa headed toward the cart.
When Masa and the servants tried to carry a famous sculptor’s ivory statue prepared by the duchess, a maid quickly spoke.
“It’s fine. Step back.”
“Huh?”
The sharp tone just moments ago had softened like a lie.
She asked kindly,
“You came recommended by the Astra Countess, right?”
“Y-yes...”
“I heard she vouched for you with past ties... and today she seems to care a lot about you.”
“Oh, well...”
Masa hesitated.
Her older sister Marie had always warned her.
“Don’t let on about your ties to Erilot.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not good if rumors spread that a mere servant is close friends with a noble.”
I didn’t understand.
‘I wish everyone knew Miss Astra was really kind, so why not?’
Masa always wanted to tell how well Erilot treated her.
But whenever the topic came up, Marie quickly changed the subject, so there was no chance.
The maid spoke kindly.
. “What is your relationship with Miss Astra?”
“Well, um, uh...”
“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. You know how tight-lipped we are.”
“Well...”
Masa glanced behind her and said,
“We met by chance in our hometown, and since then, she’s looked after me in many ways...”
“Why? How did you come to know her?”
“Well, I took care of my sick older sister without parents back home. She seemed impressed...”
“Oh my, she must really like you.”
“Is that so?”
The servants looked at Masa with interested expressions.
A male servant spoke quietly,
“Well, Masa has a certain noble air about her. It’s not strange she’s friends with a noble young lady.”
“Is that so?”
Noble air?
Do I have noble air?
Masa gave a shy chuckle.
“It seems Miss Astra thinks well of me... We even met outside for tea once.”
The servants’ eyes widened as if about to pop out.
“A friendship with the Duke’s family?!”
“She must really think well of you...”
“Wow, having a friend who’s a noble. That’s like something out of a novel.”
The maid looked at Masa kindly.
Her expression was almost flirtatious.
Only Lady Peony and the butler made that kind of face.
“I heard the Astra Countess’s wages are quite generous. Do you know?”
“Oh... I didn’t.”
“Apart from wages, she gives you huge sums under various pretenses. I heard it’s about three to four times the wages of a second-tier servant...”
“Oh...”
“Could you ask if there’s an opening?”
Masa said hesitantly,
“Uh, that’s hard to say...”
“The Astra Countess really adores you. No, it’s not adoration. You even meet for tea outside.”
“...”
“That’s friendship, friendship.”
Masa’s cheeks reddened.
Friends with a noble...
The sweeter the thought, the more it lingered.
The maid smiled coquettishly and held Masa’s hand.
“You know Baron Shueliz, right?”
“Yes. He’s Lord Adelric’s close friend...”
“His father was a close friend of Duke Chateaubriand. He was a commoner, but the duke gave him a title and made him noble.”
“Really?”
“Of course! You never know. You might get a title too.”
The servants chuckled.
“Then you should start making connections from now on, right?”
“Miss! You must be called Miss.”
“Miss Masa.”
Miss...
Masa muttered drowsily.
The servants clung to her, whispering.
“Please ask if there’s a position at the countess’s residence, okay?”
“If we get into the countess’s house, we can speak well for you.”
“Yeah, like Baron Shueliz’s story.”
The servants treated her as if she were really noble.
Masa smiled bashfully.
“Then... I’ll ask...”
“Thank you, Masa!”
“You’ll look after us if you become noble, right?”
“If you become noble, don’t forget us?”
Masa lowered her head shyly.
“N-no way... I’d never forget.”
Then, from a distance, the butler who had been talking to the courtiers shouted,
“What are you all doing?!”
The servants hurriedly started moving the gifts onto the cart.
When Masa tried to move, the servants waved their hands.
“Miss, you should rest.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Masa shyly adjusted her neck.
‘Miss...’
It was not an unpleasant feeling at all.