MTDL 15

Chapter 15

I’ve experienced this kind of déjà vu before.

“Mrs. Allens.”

“Yes, Arinel? Go ahead.”

Mrs. Allens’ eyes sparkled.

I felt a little guilty, but I answered clearly and firmly.

“I’m sorry, but I already have a path I want to learn and follow. I don’t think it’s the same path as yours.”

If I became Mrs. Allens’ successor, I could gain tremendous influence.

Even someone like Lariel Machert, who kept picking fights with me, wouldn’t dare challenge me anymore.

“I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

But I couldn’t say I would become her successor.

If I did, I’d have to devote most of my time to that work.

And I have far too many things to do!

“Oh, Arinel…”

Mrs. Allens’ brows drooped, but her eyes gleamed sharply.

“Hohoho! You didn’t fall into my trap. That only makes me want you even more.”

Hmm… What’s with that villain-like laugh and those words?

In any case, it seemed I’d successfully avoided the path of becoming a graduate student in social etiquette.

“If it’s the path you truly want…”

Mrs. Allens smiled wistfully.

“It must be the path your father, Marquis Myla, walked.”

I simply smiled in response.

Rebuilding the Marquis household was my highest priority.

Mrs. Allens quietly muttered,

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

I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant.

“And if you ever change your mind about social etiquette, come find me. Hohoho!”

She winked, leaving the door open.

I laughed awkwardly before continuing.

“You know, Mrs. Allens, I agree that my claim about preparing for the famine needs evidence. If you argued for spending such an enormous budget, you’d be risking your political career. I truly want to save the country, but I don’t want to put that burden on you.”

Looking at Mrs. Allens, I’d been thinking.

If that was the case, then what was the most effective thing I could ask her to do to help prepare for the famine?

“I just want you to start a trend.”

“A trend?”

If Mrs. Allens carried a peacock feather fan, peacock feather fans became fashionable that very day.

If she wore red lizard-skin boots, red lizard-skin boots would immediately sell out.

Grand Chamberlain Allens was admired by every noblewoman in high society, and they all wanted to imitate everything she did.

“Ah.”

She smiled, finally understanding what I meant.

“That won’t be difficult.”

Murmur, murmur.

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

“She’s the one Mrs. Piolena Allens chose at Lady Machert’s birthday party…”

“I heard she’s from the countryside, just like Schiller. Look, the backs of her hands are tanned.”

I can hear every word, you know…

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

Lady Anners, the host of today’s tea party, looked so nervous that her face had turned completely pale.

She had invited me, but apparently she hadn’t expected me to actually come.

“I-it’s… it’s an honor, Lady Marquis. My name is Eilrn Anners.”

She had green hair styled into two fluffy pigtails like sheep’s wool and wore a yellow dress.

She looked about my age.

Her face was covered in freckles, but she was quite cute.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

I confidently held out my hand.

She hesitated for a moment.

Then she slowly reached out and took it, and I happily shook her hand up and down.

Our tiny hands swung together.

There were only six people attending today’s small tea party.

I recognized a few faces from Lariel Machert’s birthday party, though they hadn’t been part of Lariel’s group.

That means they aren’t part of high society’s main circle.

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

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

None of their families were famous enough for everyone to recognize.

Even the Count Anners family was smaller than ours.

After I sat down, they all kept glancing at me nervously.

“To be honest… I never thought you’d actually come, Lady Marquis. It’s truly… an honor!”

Eilrn finally spoke, her voice hesitant.

She seemed genuinely touched that I had attended her little tea party.

“I’m happy to be here.”

Fortunately, unlike last time, I wasn’t unwelcome.

“Our group’s name is Rapiole. We’re… well… a group that admires Mrs. Piolena Allens. She’s a legend in high society. Since none of us come from particularly prestigious families, we know we’ll probably never catch her eye. But we thought that if we followed her example, maybe we could become better ladies ourselves…”

Ever since Lariel Machert’s birthday party, invitations from children who wanted to become acquainted with me had been piling up at our house.

Adam and I had carefully gone through them to decide which parties were worth attending.

The reason I came today wasn’t to make friends.

“If it isn’t too much trouble, we’d be so grateful if you could tell us about Mrs. Allens! Even just a little…!”

“Well… Mrs. Allens…”

The moment I began speaking, all of them stared at me with sparkling eyes.

“Please… please come to our next tea party too!”

Eilrn pleaded while seeing me off.

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

I had chosen today’s gathering very carefully after reviewing the guest list.

Well, I hadn’t expected Rapiole to practically be a fan club for Mrs. Allens, but their families happened to be connected to the business I wanted to start.

The Count Anners family deals in land sales, the Viscount Borden family operates underground storage facilities, and the Baron Parmers family works in distribution.

I had made a favorable impression on their children.

Naturally, word that I had attended today’s tea party would reach their parents.

That meant when Adam later approached them about a business partnership, they wouldn’t be caught off guard.

The business I had chosen to ensure the Marquis household’s long-term prosperity was simple:

Processed red sugar beet products.

Very few crops could grow in barren land.

Red sugar beets, which produced a sweet flavor, were one of those rare exceptions.

They were also one of my favorite ingredients back in Galnem.

Among nobles, red sugar beets were considered a low-class vegetable.

But that was only because everyone processed them incorrectly.

If you washed them twice in cold water and carefully removed the thin bitter outer skin and core, they revealed a sweetness comparable to real fruit.

People simply didn’t know that technique.

After coming to the capital and looking into it further, I realized I seemed to be the only one who knew.

So people only ever tasted the bitterness and dismissed red sugar beets as inferior ingredients.

When I compared the red sugar beet snacks I had made in Galnem with desserts sold in the capital, I didn’t think the quality of the beet desserts was inferior at all.

That means they’ll be competitive.

My plan was simple.

First, Mrs. Allens would make red sugar beet desserts fashionable in high society.

Once everyone became interested, I’d sell processed red sugar beet products and earn profits.

With that money, we’d be able to cultivate even more red sugar beets on barren land.

When the famine arrived, they would surely become a great help to the Empire’s people.

It would both generate income for the Marquis household and prepare for the coming famine.

Killing two birds with one stone.

I stretched happily with both arms raised high, pleased with how smoothly everything was progressing.