Chapter 37
The comment fairies who lived off oddly named foods seemed to still have access to basic staples like bread.
And apparently, even fairies had bakeries that everyone knew.
‘Since it’s in the fairy kingdom, I guess the bakery has a holy name. Like a cathedral.’
└ [It is pretty sacred]
└ [But the price, though…]
Well, even in local temples, they hand out bread to gather followers.
Using food to bring people together was effective in both the human world and the fairy world.
Choosing bread as a business item had been the right call, I thought as I continued my conversation with Hestina.
“We should put the bakery next to the school so lots of kids can come by, and the cake shop should be next to the clothing store we visited yesterday. That way all the pretty things are together!”
“Hmm, good idea. People don’t usually go all the way to the market just to get bread for meals.”
Let the market area go for a luxury strategy, and the village for a more practical, hunger-free environment for the people.
A proper lord should aim for both.
‘Though it’s really Duke Valent who needs to understand this.’
Before my regression, this ducal territory was treated like nothing more than an annex to the capital. They hadn’t capitalized on being so close to the imperial city.
Instead, other areas supported by the noble faction gained fame for their commerce.
Following that trend, nobles like Count Torto rapidly grew their wealth.
‘But it’ll be different this time.’
Even if Duke Valent couldn’t do it alone—if Hestina is with him!
└ [At this point, Dad should just pledge loyalty to Mom]
└ [LOL this side of the story is more interesting]
└ [Why doesn’t Mom just run the territory herself?]
Duke Valent hadn’t mismanaged the territory, just lagged behind commercially.
But to not fall behind the fast-expanding noble faction, he’d need backing from someone like Hestina or the Linward family.
“I guess it’s time to assign Rose a new role.”
“Huh? What kind of role?”
Just as I was about to ask, Damian entered the side annex classroom, last of all.
“Damian. Did you come straight from morning training?”
“Yes!”
Hestina dusted off his clothes and knelt to meet his eyes.
“I have a favor to ask, Damian.”
“What is it?”
“I need subordinate No. 1 for a bit. Could you lend Rose to me?”
“Huh? Rose? Are you going into battle?”
└ [Yeah, right…]
I wasn’t too thrilled about battle either…
Of course, Hestina had no intention of taking a five-year-old into a fight.
Straightening her posture, she looked at both me and Damian.
“I want to make Rose my aide.”
“Then… what happens to my subordinate?”
Damian’s face started to crumple in despair at the thought of becoming a loner again, so I quickly whispered to him,
“Dual role, Damian. I’ll still be your subordinate.”
“Really? Then I’m fine with it!”
With the commander’s approval secured, I turned to Hestina with a determined look.
“I’ll do anything!”
I’d said this once before—to Count Torto, asking him to let me do anything.
But this time, I didn’t feel heavy or afraid.
“Your first task is to get along well with Damian and think about what else we need around here. Then let me know, okay? Think you can do that?”
“Yes!”
“Great. I’m counting on you, little aide.”
Even though it was a sloppy contract sealed with a handshake instead of a signature, I felt more fired up than ever.
✦ ✦ ✦
Duke Valent had a lot to manage—this estate came with the title, and there was a lot to renovate. He was often out of the house or away from his office.
Which meant the more I wandered the mansion, the more often I’d run into him.
“……”
How many times had he offered to lend me a carriage when I mentioned going out?
Even today, I ignored him and kept bustling around the estate. The duke looked down at me with a strange expression.
“I’m here now as Lady Hestina’s aide, you know?”
“…I see.”
He still had the face of someone who wanted to send me away, but at least he didn’t say it out loud anymore.
Hestina must’ve gotten through to him.
‘Lady Hestina is so powerful!’
└ [LOL he listens to Mom so well now]
└ [At this point he’s basically pledged his loyalty]
└ [Feels more like a robot with fixed input/output]
Even the comment fairies seemed to have accepted the duke’s personality thanks to Hestina.
They were about to start calling him “old man,” their nickname for people they didn’t like, but looks like they held back. Thank goodness.
Still, the lord here was Duke Valent, so I repeated my business plan to him that I had explained to Hestina.
“Lady Hestina said she’ll build a school. Then the kids who grow up there will really like you, Duke.”
“You sound like Count Mateo.”
“The Count?”
“Yes. He told me to support an orphanage. Said the children would come to respect me.”
No wonder. When I saw him at the orphanage, he had that “I was pushed into this” face.
But thanks to Count Mateo shoving the duke’s back, I narrowly avoided Count Torto, so I guess I should be grateful.
Not just to Count Mateo.
“That’s right. I respect you too, Duke.”
“…What?”
“Not many adults really listen to kids, you know?”
Sure, I kind of blackmailed him into letting me stay by threatening that I’d be ruined otherwise, but hey—it only works if the adult listens.
The duke looked at me like I was a strange new creature.
“Of course, if you try to kick me out again, my feelings might change.”
He told me to prove my worth by staying here, so I can put conditions on my respect too, right?
└ [Rose really holds grudges LOL]
└ [If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten revenge on Torto]
Nothing wrong with remembering things. Gratitude or grudges.
Including my life before regression, this is the first time in ages I’ve had relationships that made me feel positively. I hope these feelings don’t change.
✦ ✦ ✦
Hestina left me with some homework.
While I explored the area where the cake shop might open, I should think of anything else that could be added.
She herself headed to her family home, the Linward estate, to talk business.
‘She said she’d stop by the Zelton orphanage on the way too.’
Until the children are adopted or grown up enough to be independent, they officially belong to the orphanage.
So they had to be informed that a guardian had been found for me.
‘I can’t even imagine the director’s face right now.’
After all, the kid they were planning to introduce to Count Torto had run away and suddenly showed up with a new guardian.
I’m sure Hestina will handle the procedure properly, but I still felt a little bad, so I decided to write a letter.
‘While I’m at it, I’ll write to Edin and Leon too.’
I hadn’t sent anything from this address yet. I was afraid I might be kicked out.
└ [Wait… so you were totally out of touch with Leon all this time?]
└ [#RunawayHeroine]
If Leon sent a letter to the orphanage, maybe the director or a new teacher replied instead?
But still, disappearing without a word could’ve really hurt his feelings, so I’d write properly.
‘Leon, how have you been? I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m living at Duke Valent’s estate now.’
└ [I love you. Let’s get married.]
└ [If she gets adopted soon, no more class difference!]
The comment fairies added their wild edits, but I ignored them and kept writing the next letter.
‘Edin, there are a lot of knights here. And there’s even a young master learning swordsmanship. I’ve been watching him closely… and I think you could do it too.’
└ [Is that a low-key diss to Damian? LOL]
└ [If Damian can do it, so can Edin…]
Just as I carefully sealed the letter, I heard a voice outside the door.
“Hey, short stuff. You ready to go? I don’t wait long~”
“All ready!”
Today, my outing buddy wasn’t Nella, but Sage.
Unlike Nella, who always had a full workload inside the estate, Sage’s main job was to go out, check supplies, and place orders.
“Sigh… I’ve got work piling up, and now I gotta babysit a kid too.”
“Lady Hestina gave me allowance money and said we should stop by a dessert café!”
“Hmmm. Really? Well, I guess we can take our time then.”
Sage’s mildly annoyed expression changed immediately.
└ [Authorized slacking LOL]
└ [Not all maids are as intense as Nella]
It’s Nella who’s the odd one, trying to work nonstop.
And so, we headed to the market next to the shopping district.
“First, let’s check the fruit shop and see how many apples came in…”
Crash!
We both stopped in our tracks as the sound of something collapsing and spilling echoed through the street.
“Oh no! What are you doing?!”
In one alley of the market, a knight from Duke Valent’s household was causing a commotion.
