Chapter 8 – “To the Duke’s Territory”
I couldn’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs waiting for a reply.
While waiting, I discussed the magic-item business with Scar. Once our talks ended, I hit the books again.
“Studying means I need books, right—”
< Frugality Points –1. >
“Ugh, why spend money on books? Isn’t there a library here? …Nope. Maybe a used-book shop? Somewhere cheap?”
< Frugality Points +1. >
‘This brings tears to my eyes.’
Other people get reincarnated or possessed and meet handsome jerks and live in luxury.
Me? I only meet the jerks—no luxury attached.
No matter the world, poverty is always the problem.
So I gathered information, saved money, endured poverty, and listened to Tangent’s daily scolding of, “My lady! You can’t live like this forever!”
Two weeks passed like that.
And then—
‘Today’s the day.’
The moment the sun rose, I jumped out of bed and polished the spoon until it gleamed.
Steam puffed up, and out popped Grandpa Pola.
< Yaaawn… let me sleep… why are you shouting this early in the morning… >
“Hurry! The ledger! Quickly!”
< You’re so loud, girl! Fine, fine. >
Like a kid on summer vacation, I harassed him until he handed over the magical ledger.
♡ Project: Save the Beautiful Dante Marquisate ♡
- Develop a mine (Locked)
- Rehire former workers (Lv.1)
- Restore the family’s reputation (Locked)
After a month of painful penny-pinching, I had saved 2 points.
I’d spent all night deciding how to use them.
Now I drew two confident lines across the ledger.
“This is my choice.”
< Got it. I’ll start the upgrades today. >
I had chosen to unlock both “Mine Development” and “Family Reputation,” bringing everything up to Level 1.
‘Let’s see how much this helps.’
My heart thumped with excitement.
‘If this works, maybe I can fully open the mines next month!’
< Oh, right, one more thing, granddaughter. Each upgrade costs more points. Level 2 takes 5 points, and Level 3 takes 20. Keep that in mind. >
“What?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”
< Don’t raise your voice at your elders! Be respectful, kid! Anyway, stronger effects require stronger investments. You greedy little bandit! >
…After a month, I’d learned one thing for sure.
Grandpa Pola had a fiery personality.
If he’d been alive in modern Korea, he’d be the type to throw a Go board at someone’s head at the senior center.
Before I could argue back, there was a knock at my door.
“Tangent? Is that you?”
“Yes, my lady. Are you feeling well? I brought your dress.”
“Thanks. Help me change, please.”
Tangent came in with a perfectly pressed dress.
Lately, she’d been taking over for Scar, since having a male butler help me dress was a little awkward.
“Also, there’s something big in today’s morning paper!” she said brightly.
“I’ll read that myself. But before that, can you finish telling me the story about that street girl, Camelot, who got pregnant—and her lover turned out to be a count’s son?”
“No, my lady. Gossip later. News first! Noble ladies are supposed to start their day with information, not scandal.”
“Ugh, fine…”
No matter how much I pouted, Tangent never gave in.
Over the past two weeks, she’d been teaching me noble etiquette and laws—something the old Aileen Dante clearly hadn’t known.
She was strict, but honestly, she made a great teacher.
While brushing my hair, she handed me an envelope.
“This arrived by carrier pigeon this morning. The seal belongs to the Asser Duchy.”
“Thanks.”
I tore it open immediately.
“What does it say?” Tangent asked curiously.
“Curious? That’ll cost you 500 gold.”
“…You’re joking, right?”
“Of course. He just said he wants to meet.”
“Meet? Where? Here? Should I prepare a guest room? We’ll need time to cook something suitable for a northerner—”
“No, he wants me to come to him.”
“…What?”
Tangent froze mid-sentence.
After glancing around to make sure no one was listening, she spoke carefully—but firmly.
“My lady. I normally avoid insulting powerful nobles, because I value my neck. But this time, I’ll make an exception. How dare he tell a lady to come to his territory?”
“Maybe he just wants to switch things up. He came to visit last time, so it’s only fair I go now, right?”
Technically, last time he’d shown up uninvited, but still.
Tangent’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“No! You can’t compare the two! The northern lands may look close, but the cold there is brutal. The moment you cross the border, the chill cuts through your bones. No proper gentleman would summon a lady there! Especially not his fiancée! What are we, slaves on auction?!”
Her voice shook with outrage.
‘…Guess she didn’t know I don’t think of Cartiman as a fiancé.’
In my mind, he was just my rich hamster sponsor.
And when your sugar hamster says, “Come here,” what do you say? “Yes, sir!”
Still, I needed to calm her down.
“Anyway,” I said, “the letter mentioned sending a small gift in light of our family ties.”
“Oh, at least he knows basic manners,” Tangent muttered. “Among noble families, it’s customary to include a gift with correspondence—rings for close ties, pens or perfumes for acquaintances, or at least a bouquet if it’s just formal courtesy.”
“I bet it’s the bouquet,” I said dryly.
“Wait—nothing was attached to the letter?”
“Not a thing.”
“Maybe it’s being delivered separately? Let’s wait a little longer. Oh, and your hair’s done—you can move now!”
I handed her the envelope.
“Keep the wax seal, but tear off the rest.”
“Do you want me to store it somewhere?”
“No. It looks expensive. Sell it.”
“Normally, I’d say that’s improper for a noble. But since he ordered you to travel all the way to that frozen wasteland, I say we toss propriety out the window. Gladly.”
Tangent’s eyes burned with righteous fury.
***
I’d been wondering when the ledger’s effects would start showing—and I didn’t have to wait long.
The rumors about “the incompetent, foolish Lady Aileen” had begun to fade.
‘Changing gossip is never easy. This is already a huge improvement.’
The mine upgrade, on the other hand, barely showed results.
Even if a vein appeared in the mountain behind the mansion, we didn’t have the manpower to mine it.
‘Tsk. I need to raise the manpower level to 2 soon.’
While I was planning my next move, Scar came running up—looking grim.
“My lady! Something terrible has happened!”
“What’s wrong? Did the mage run off or something?”
“No, it’s the Asser Duchy! Five of their carriages have stopped outside our gates! And you know the state of our stables—they’re basically compost heaps now!”
“Five carriages? Why would they send that many?”
I hurried outside—and sure enough, there they were.
“Are all these horses his? What is this, an attack by horse dung? Is this his revenge plan? Because if so, it’s working—horse droppings never come off easily, and I hate that smell.”
“Stop talking about it! You’ll make me throw up.”
I found one of the coachmen from the North. He beamed at me.
“You must be Lady Aileen Dante! The Duke instructed us to prepare transportation for your journey. We’ve also brought a few valuables as gifts. Please accept them.”
“Cartiman said that? I don’t really know him well, but he doesn’t strike me as the ‘thoughtful gifts’ type.”
“Uh—y-yes, of course! Who else but the Duke himself would order this? Ha… ha ha…”
There was just a bit too much hesitation.
‘Liar.’
Judging by his expression, someone else must’ve arranged all this—someone from the Asser Duchy who wanted me to come quickly.
‘No idea who, but whoever it is really wants me there.’
Still, if they’d sent such luxurious carriages and treasures… how could I say no?
“Scar, gather everyone. I want to say goodbye before I leave.”
“You’re really going? You’re leaving me here, alone, in this miserable estate?”
Scar made what I assume was meant to be a “cute” face. Unfortunately, with his tall frame and broad shoulders, it came off more horrifying than endearing.
“There are plenty of people here now,” I said. “See that old man fixing the door? You’ll have company.”
“But I’ll miss you, my lady.”
“The hills out back are huge. Go treasure hunting or something.”
He frowned. “Are you sure you want to marry that man? I’ve heard terrible rumors. People say the Duke kills anyone who annoys him.”
“I’m not really going to marry him, remember? It’s not a honeymoon—it’s a business trip. For money. Money, money, money. If I had any, I wouldn’t be working this hard—I’d be lounging in a warm room eating gourmet food and binge-watching jesters’ plays.”
I laughed, but Scar didn’t. His expression turned strangely stiff.
‘Wait… he’s serious?’
He didn’t want me to go. He looked like a little kid clinging to his mom’s skirt before she left for work.
It was so absurd I almost laughed again.
“Scar,” I said softly, “this is something I have to do.”
“…Right. Something you have to do,” he repeated quietly.
The air felt oddly cold for a moment.
Come to think of it—I didn’t actually know much about Scar. He’d been by my side since the day I arrived in this world, but I’d never really asked about him.
“Is there… something wrong?” I asked.
“Wrong? Oh, very much so! I’m worried the whole kingdom will find out my lady is a mischievous troublemaker who refuses to sit still!”
He laughed loudly, brushing off the tension, and I couldn’t help but chuckle too.
“Oh? You care that much? You can’t stand to be apart, huh? Then you’ll share a 5-gold salad with me when I get back, right?”
“Don’t worry,” he said, his tone suddenly serious again. “The Dante estate will be safe with me. Enjoy your northern trip, my lady.”
Scar’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
