SMR | Chapter 46

~Chapter 46~

As expected, Roxana sighed deeply and held her forehead.

Harriet clung to her more.

“Please give me one more hour of lessons about economics. Also, could you recommend some books to read? And if you happen to have any summary notes… maybe I could borrow them…”

“You really are a shameless thief.”

“But no matter how much I steal your knowledge, it won’t decrease, right? So I’m not really a thief.”

Harriet gave a cheeky grin, and Roxana finally gave in. Trisha had asked her to help, after all.

“I don’t know what your true motive is, but you seem to have passion. Fine. I’ll help—for Madame Pellon’s sake.”

“Thank you, Teacher!”

“Honestly, it’s kind of refreshing. I’ve never had a student who wanted more classes and more homework.”

That day, Harriet saw Roxana smile for the first time.

***

The night at the pub was dim and noisy, filled with silly jokes, shady schemes, messy partying, and random outbursts of anger.

“What did you say?! Say it again!”

“C-calm down, Albert! I just said I was jealous!”

He had only said one thing about how lucky it must be to have a duke as a cousin— But suddenly, Albert grabbed him by the collar. The man, startled enough to sober up, tried to explain it was out of envy.

But Albert’s anger didn’t fade easily, and soon the fight turned physical. Only when the pub owner stepped in did it finally stop.

As his friends left, spitting in disgust, one of them muttered, “So you think you’re above us now because your cousin’s a duke?”

Albert’s mood sank to rock bottom.

“Damn it. They don’t even know. My uncle and father are twins. That position could’ve been mine. Cedric just got lucky…”

He muttered nonsense to himself while drinking again— And then someone nearby touched him.

“Huh? Who’s there?”

“Excuse me, are you okay? I think you got hurt earlier…”

The voice was a young woman’s, but her pronunciation and accent were a bit strange.

“A foreigner?”

“I’m originally from another country, but I’m a citizen of the Empire now. I’m Leslie Ozer.”

“Albert… Kingsley.”

She smiled lightly and sat across from him. Then she took out a handkerchief, soaked it in strong liquor, and gently cleaned a wound on his face.

“Ow, that stings!”

“It’s just a scratch, but if you leave it, it could scar. It’s a temporary fix, but high-proof alcohol is good for disinfecting.”

“You know a lot about this stuff.”

“Isn’t that just common sense?”

Leslie chuckled softly. Under the lamplight, she looked even more beautiful— Sleek black hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and red lips. She was almost seductive.

With the alcohol, and his pride hurt from earlier, Albert didn’t push away the kind hand of this beauty. Talking to someone who knew nothing about Cedric was more comforting than dealing with friends who kept bringing him up.

“A commoner?”

“I’m the daughter of a countryside baron. My father earned his title for helping with trade with the Kingdom of Firma. But ever since the war ended last year, people treat anyone from Firma coldly. I don’t even remember anything from there myself.”

“Oh…”

Albert pretended to feel sorry, but inside, he looked down on her. Her clothes were plain—so she was clearly from a poor noble family, if noble at all. And being in a pub at this hour? She might even be lying about being a noble and actually be selling herself.

“But isn’t it a bit dangerous for a young lady to be at a pub this late?”

“This place is also an inn, you know. I just arrived in Genoa today and am staying here. I came down for a late dinner and ended up seeing that whole mess earlier.”

She spoke like she already knew how Albert might be judging her.

“I talked to you because I thought maybe you wouldn’t be so judgmental. But I’m sorry if I offended you. It just sounded like you were upset that people were talking without knowing anything…”

At that, Albert stared at her for a moment, then offered his hand.

“Let me introduce myself properly. Albert Kingsley. Nice to meet you.”

Leslie smiled and shook his hand.

They got along surprisingly well for two strangers, and ended up talking for a long time. Albert couldn’t remember the last time he had such an easy, relaxed conversation.

As they talked, his head started to clear up. He was almost sober by the end.

Around that time, Leslie was talking about things from Firma—concepts or items not found in the Empire.

“My father was really surprised when he realized there’s no ‘Darsenger’ herb here. In Firma, it’s used like a cure-all medicine.”

“Darsenger? Never heard of it. What’s it good for?” “It’s a powerful painkiller, and it lifts the mood of depressed people. They say it’s even used on people who’ve gone mad from grief. And when it’s mixed with other herbs…” She glanced around and then lowered her voice.

“…it’s said to increase sexual desire.”

“How would you know that?”

“I don’t, really. But apparently in Firma, it’s tradition to give newlyweds a drink with Darsenger on their wedding night.”

That was quite an interesting story. If such a herb existed, it would definitely be popular among the nobility for their bedroom affairs.

Wait. Hold on. Isn’t this… actually a great business idea?

Albert’s eyes lit up.

Almost no one in the Empire knew about Darsenger yet. That meant whoever introduced it first would control the market.

He quickly grabbed Leslie’s hand.

“Leslie, could you get that Darsenger herb for me?”

“That wouldn’t be hard. My father knows a Firmian who makes medicine from Darsenger. But why? Are you sick?”

“Forget that—I need to meet your father. I want to talk business.”

“So suddenly?”

Leslie looked surprised, but she didn’t say no.

“My family may have a baron title, but we’re not exactly wealthy. Do you think this business idea could actually help my father earn money?”

“Of course! I’ll help you make a fortune.”

Albert completely forgot the fight he had with his friends earlier. Now, he was chasing a goose that laid golden eggs.

***

“Whew… Looks like I’ve done just about everything.”

Harriet crossed off the last item on her to-do list in her notebook, then looked over the list again.

It was true she’d told Cedric things were urgent, but even she hadn’t expected everything to move this smoothly.

I introduced Mother Catherine to Aster Trading’s contact, so they’ll take care of the shipping… Tomorrow, I should check how the interior construction is going.

It had only been ten days since she first proposed the business idea, but she’d already gone everywhere she needed to for final confirmations and approvals.

She had been incredibly busy, but it wasn’t as difficult as she’d feared. Aside from the trip to the convent, most of her work took place within Genoa, so it wasn’t too hard.

She had also shared many ideas for the design of the shop on Seriol Street. The experienced carpenter Cedric had brought in built on those ideas and suggested something even more stylish.

“We’ll keep the basic structure, so the renovation should take about fifteen days.”

“That fast?”

“The duke ordered us to finish as quickly as possible.”

It had already been a week since then—when she was amazed by how the carpenter started construction the moment the designs were finalized.

Honestly, with how fast Cedric was moving, it almost felt like it was his business.

Well, at this point, maybe it kind of is.

Harriet sighed as she adjusted her hat.

Anyway, today she had to attend a charity bazaar she had been invited to. To boost soap sales, she needed to spread buzz before the shop officially opened.

She’d also heard that Bella would be at today’s bazaar.

It’s been a while, Bella. Will you pretend to be all happy to see me like an angel again?

Of course, Harriet had no intention of playing along anymore. In the past, she’d had to smile because of her uncle’s watchful eyes—but not anymore. She had no reason to hold back now.

Harriet wore a white dress Trisha had chosen for her. The black trim on the collar, sleeves, and hem looked quite stylish.

Topped with a hat adorned with a large black ribbon, slightly tilted to the side, she looked like a seasoned socialite—it was oddly amusing.

It’s amazing how clothes and a hat can make someone look so different.

Suddenly, she remembered her aunt, who used to force completely unappealing dresses on her.