“I have no excuse.”
Liam, standing in front of Kayan, lowered his head.
“I tried to prioritize the most urgent approvals, but due to a press inquiry from the Imperial about following up on ‘Safety Rules for Writing Horror Stories’, I couldn’t even finish half of it. I sincerely apologize.”
In the dreary hour of dawn, Kayan, who was staring at the dim moon behind the window, turned his head, ignoring his constant fatigue.
His lips parted slightly as he looked at the towering pile of documents in front of him.
"It's okay. Is there anything else I need to report?"
“We are distributing food and essential supplies to the people of Sault near the border under the name of the Grand Duchy of Blair.”
“What was their response?”
“The Royal Family of Salt stands idly by and just watches.”
Kayan, who was listening in silence, asked casually:
“How about April salt?”
"…Sorry?"
“Haven't we heard from her since then?”
Liam, who had been lost in thought for a moment, finally caught on to the question and nodded
There was news related to April that, while not particularly important, is worth mentioning.
“…I inquired about the possibility of hiring a bodyguard.”
trembling.
One of Kayan's eyebrows rose.
Just in case, he used the Grand Duke's ring to change his appearance and secretly followed her
However, he simply couldn't ignore April when she was mugged and ended up helping her, which led to this involvement.
Although the Grand Duke's Ring was changing a person's appearance, it did not completely change their identity – it only modified their distinctive features and overall aura.
To avoid the doubts caused by her repeated rejections, he reluctantly accepted her proposal… but he did not expect her to be so serious about hiring him.
Liam felt the Grand Duke's dissatisfaction, so he hesitated before continuing his speech.
“It seems she thought you were a mercenary who entered the Grand Duchy in search of work. How should we handle this matter?”
Kayan's green eyes turned to Liam, and after a short silence, his lips parted again.
“Since his background is unclear, tell her we need to conduct an investigation first.”
"concept."
It was true that April needed a bodyguard. Whether it was intentional or not, she was a talent bringing enormous wealth to the Blair Grand Duchy
But the problem was determining its current position.
Since Salt had not yet publicly announced the disappearance of the Second Princess, leaking any information about April was unlikely.
However, since she was the one who brought up the topic of hiring a bodyguard herself, it was necessary to have a backup plan.
Sound.
The door closed, leaving Kayan alone once again. انغمس في كرسيه الجلدي
“Is it because I'm tired?”
He frowned involuntarily.
He didn't care what April Salt did, but he couldn't get rid of her image when she was robbed.
“She must have been really surprised.”
Despite her bold appearance, April was actually very shy and cautious – just as her frightened face suggested.
If it wasn't for him stepping in to help, she would have been hurt trying to deal with things on her own.
It broke.
Kian looked up, realizing that the pen he was holding out of habit had broken in his hand
“I need to clean this up.”
Yes.
The reason this continued to bother him was simple. While he was busy, security in the Grand Duchy had deteriorated to the point that pickpockets were roaming freely in broad daylight
That was the conclusion Kayan came to as he got up from his seat.
The reason he mobilized the security forces, despite his busy schedule, was nothing more and nothing less than ensuring the safety of citizens.
...At least, that's what he told himself.
* * *
“Money is a really wonderful thing.”
The words came out of my mouth as if I was haunted.
Honestly, after entering this world, I lived a life where I rarely needed to deal with money directly. Maybe I've forgotten the satisfaction that wealth can bring.
But at this moment, I remembered a basic truth.
Materialism.
“I agree...”
Bonita unconsciously nodded in agreement
On the day I withdrew a large sum of money from Pascal Trading Company, I hired workers to process buletta leather.
Itinerant workers looking for seasonal work were more common than I expected. I selected the most skilled of them and employed them in Mrs. Lenny's tailoring shop.
With the right amount of manpower and enough funds, everything started going smoothly.
At first, Lady Linney hesitated, intimidated by the sheer amount of hides that needed to be processed. But soon she was so thrilled by the extra pay that she volunteered to work extra hours.
And now—
The little hut that was piled high with foul-smelling raw bolita hides was completely transformed
This was all thanks to abundant financial resources.
“Oh my God...”
After a moment, the maids let out admiring murmurs.
“So, this is what Pauletta's treated skin looks like.”
“This doesn’t even look like the same material I knew before… couldn’t it be presented to the imperial family of this quality?”
Their praise was somewhat exaggerated, but I had no intention of denying it.
As they said, the treated skins neatly stacked inside the hut showed beautiful and unique patterns.
Its products were high-end enough to be sold directly to the nobility.
“All of this is thanks to your generous support, ma’am.”
Mrs. Linney bowed her head as she stood at the entrance to the hut.
At first, she was most skeptical about the success of this project. But now she is even considering specializing in processing bolita leather.
“But… are you sure about this?”
“Why?”
Perhaps she still saw me as a naive, noble girl playing, Lady Lainey spoke cautiously again
“It's simply… the quantity seems too large. Even if the leather is of good quality, wouldn't its popularity as a curtain material be limited?”
“Oh, that won't be a problem.”
I shook my head vigorously.
Of course, boletta leather curtains could not compete with the light, flowing curtains that were in vogue at the time.
But they serve a completely different purpose.
My curtains were for those who work at night and need to sleep during the day.
“Let's try it first, shall we?”
Since I had not used it properly yet, the first test site was located – a small hut filled with manufactured hides.
Under Bonita's guidance, the maids began hanging curtains on all the windows.
Once every window and even the small openings in the doors were covered, Bonita gave the signal, and the thick curtains were drawn in one go.
"Oh, my God…!"
"Oh, my God!"
Although it was bright daylight outside, the room was plunged into darkness
“It feels like night.”
"I know, right? How could it get so dark?"
As murmurs of astonishment spread throughout the shadowy space, I felt an inner joy.
success!
Compared to the threadbare blackout curtains I had once sewn randomly from discarded scraps in Salt, this was on a whole different level.
Even better, Lady Linney has written a detailed how-to guide on how to handle these curtains. If distributed correctly, there will be no problems in practical use.
“Bonita.”
“Yes, ma'am?”
Came her quick response as I called out excitedly, my body shaking with anticipation
“Can you arrange a meeting with the head maid?”
“Head maid? Why…?”
“Well, there's something that only she can help with.”
At my answer, Bonita's eyes widened slightly, as if she was surprised.