“Is today’s fatigue due to insomnia or because of the Master?”
Lamia playfully asked me, who was nodding off by the window since morning.
I greeted Lamia without even being able to open my eyes properly.
“Don’t say weird things in the morning...”
From my listless voice, Lamia quickly realized, strangely enough, that nothing much had happened between Callius and me last night. She said she could tell just by looking at the atmosphere.
“Hey, don’t be so petty. Well, it wasn’t just yesterday.”
I didn't have the energy to deal with Lamia, so I just waved my hand.
Lamia offered me a cup of warm milk tea with honey.
“Ta-da! Anyway, I thought you might need this, so I brought it.”
I received the milk tea from Lamia and drank it down in a hurry, as if it were the water of life.
Only after the warm, sweet drink was poured did I feel a little better.
“Thank you so much, Lamia.”
"You should be grateful. The chef kept nagging me about how difficult it was to get honey in the North. I bravely fought back and defended it, didn't I?"
Lamia, it may actually be true that a maid's job suits her quite well.
This was the first time in my life that I had ever seen a maid serve me with such passion and sincerity.
'I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't encountered Lamia when I went to steal Kavala's treasure.'
Then, Lamia poked my cheek and spoke worriedly.
“Your face looks more gaunt than before.”
"Yes?"
“Are you sick anywhere?”
“The doctor said I was healthy a while ago.”
Lamia tilted her head.
“It’s strange...”
“Don’t worry, just help me get ready.”
I'm now pretty good at doing things on my own.
When Lamia brought me water, I washed myself, and when she brought me clothes, I put them on myself.
I felt quite proud as each thing I could do on my own increased.
Granada said that, looking at me like that, it was like watching a child step forward and say that she would try anything.
After a while, I finished getting ready for breakfast and tried to shake off the sleepiness and left the room with a straight and upright posture.
Granada, who was just coming up, saw me and approached me.
“Today, you will finish looking around the East Wing, which you were unable to look around yesterday, and then look around the West Wing.”
“What about the accounting work?”
“In the afternoon, Mainz will prepare materials related to the internal management of the castle.”
“When will my aide be appointed?”
"That."
Granada, who had been talking fluently without any hesitation, sighed softly.
“Due to a lack of personnel, I think I will have to take charge for the time being.”
It seemed common in Ronheim Castle for one person to play multiple roles like this.
'There's nothing I can do.'
I nodded readily.
I wasn't particularly dissatisfied with Granada, as she seemed like she would do a good job as a maid while also being my capable assistant.
'Yes, in this life I will do my part properly without leaving it to others.'
I was determined.
In my past life, as a Countess, I did nothing and could not do anything, but now it is different.
At the Pelsus estate, I was always treated like a burden.
But I didn't want to live like that in Ronheim.
Together with Callius, I will establish myself as a leader who moves Ronheim.
"I was taught these things as a child. I can do them all."
Until the age of seven, when my mother was still alive, I had received intensive training as a successor to the throne.
'I didn't learn anything great when I was young, but I have enough knowledge to be a Marchioness.'
As I started to practice, things I hadn't used in a long time came flooding back to me.
Lamia whispered to me as I burned with determination.
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
"I'm okay."
I answered firmly and walked out briskly.
There was a lot of work to do.
Time passed quickly.
Over the next few days, I toured quite a bit of Ronheim Castle and learned the names of all the employees.
I've finally figured out how Ronheim's finances are running, what kind of welfare is being provided, what immediate needs there are, and what needs urgent attention.
Even though I was spending my time so hectically, I didn't forget to do my personal things.
'Let's get started.'
I took out a considerable amount of treasures from the teddy bear and the cushion and divided them evenly into several pockets.
'Let's leave a few things behind just in case.'
What remains are the unknown, the unnamed.
Among the things left behind and returned to the bear's body was a piece of the Holy Grail that had been taken simply to anger Kavala.
'There's no need to put out things that wouldn't attract much attention on the black market.'
I took several bags of treasures with me and went to find Callius.
“Are you going to sell this on the black market?”
Callius seemed a little surprised at the treasures flashing before his eyes.
I guess he never imagined I would have this many jewels.
Seeing his expression made me even more proud of having taken the risk and entered Kavala's warehouse.
“Why don’t you get it appraised and sell it through normal channels, but rather put it on the black market?”
I smiled mischievously and lowered my voice to whisper.
“These are all stolen items.”
"Yes?"
“Do you remember when the Empress’s warehouse burned down in the capital?”
Even though I only said that much, Callius's eyes widened.
"No way."
"Yes, that's right."
How fun and exciting it is to tell Callius that I am the thief who robbed the warehouse.
I couldn't control my pride and raised my chin.
"That was my doing! I took these things! And I brought them all the way to Ronheim without anyone knowing!"
Seeing Callius's expression of disbelief made me even more excited.
I wanted to show off what a great job I had done.
"It was no easy task. Sneaking into the Empress's palace, finding the key, and stealing the treasures within would have been a daunting task even for the thieves of the century who have made their mark on history."
The bridge of my nose was high up in the sky.
“But I did it.”
I used to keep my mouth shut because I didn't trust Callius as much as I do now, but things are different now.
He and I were in the same boat perfectly.
Besides, it's time to sell these now.
I didn't bring this with me to use as an ornament to adorn myself like Kavala.
To cash out, I needed Callius' help anyway.
Because I can't go around the black market myself.
'If they see my silver hair, many people will know who I am.'
Callius looked at the treasures seriously and said.
“Wouldn’t it be a bit risky to put these on the black market at a time when the Empress is spreading wanted posters and searching for the thief?”
"That's why I brought it to Callius. We need to use this as a smokescreen."
“Smoke screen operation?”
I was sure that by now the Dragon's Eye had passed through many hands and ended up in the hands of Kavala.
When a famous gem comes out into the world, the market becomes abuzz.
Kavala, who was already searching for the treasure, could not have been unaware that the Dragon's Eye had come to market.
'They're probably already tracking me back.'
Once the dragon's eye had opened the floodgates, it was better to quickly deal with the remaining jewels.
“Can you forge an ID card?”
“That’s not that difficult.”
"Yes. Get me some fake IDs for a bunch of people. And..."
I whispered to Callius the plan I had in mind to avoid Kavala's pursuit.
“...You understand, right?”
“Let’s give it a try.”
"Yes. Please take care of it. Don't make any mistakes. You understand, right?"
“Don’t worry.”
Callius, who said that, was very dignified.
I was about to leave Callius's office, satisfied, but stopped in front of the door.
“Oh, right. There’s one more thing I need you to do when you do that.”
“What is that?”
“This is a separate matter from the treasure, but there’s a rumor going around that Restio is in season in Ronheim right now.”
“Isn’t Restio a plant used as a medicinal herb?”
“That’s right. It’s a strange plant that blooms in winter.”
Callius tilted his head.
"Restios are always in bloom in Ronheim. It's not even in season. Is there any reason to spread the word about it?"
I smiled meaningfully and nodded.
"Outsiders often don't realize that the Restio always blooms in Ronheim. It's a flower that will bring us welcome guests."
Lamia playfully asked me, who was nodding off by the window since morning.
I greeted Lamia without even being able to open my eyes properly.
“Don’t say weird things in the morning...”
From my listless voice, Lamia quickly realized, strangely enough, that nothing much had happened between Callius and me last night. She said she could tell just by looking at the atmosphere.
“Hey, don’t be so petty. Well, it wasn’t just yesterday.”
I didn't have the energy to deal with Lamia, so I just waved my hand.
Lamia offered me a cup of warm milk tea with honey.
“Ta-da! Anyway, I thought you might need this, so I brought it.”
I received the milk tea from Lamia and drank it down in a hurry, as if it were the water of life.
Only after the warm, sweet drink was poured did I feel a little better.
“Thank you so much, Lamia.”
"You should be grateful. The chef kept nagging me about how difficult it was to get honey in the North. I bravely fought back and defended it, didn't I?"
Lamia, it may actually be true that a maid's job suits her quite well.
This was the first time in my life that I had ever seen a maid serve me with such passion and sincerity.
'I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't encountered Lamia when I went to steal Kavala's treasure.'
Then, Lamia poked my cheek and spoke worriedly.
“Your face looks more gaunt than before.”
"Yes?"
“Are you sick anywhere?”
“The doctor said I was healthy a while ago.”
Lamia tilted her head.
“It’s strange...”
“Don’t worry, just help me get ready.”
I'm now pretty good at doing things on my own.
When Lamia brought me water, I washed myself, and when she brought me clothes, I put them on myself.
I felt quite proud as each thing I could do on my own increased.
Granada said that, looking at me like that, it was like watching a child step forward and say that she would try anything.
After a while, I finished getting ready for breakfast and tried to shake off the sleepiness and left the room with a straight and upright posture.
Granada, who was just coming up, saw me and approached me.
“Today, you will finish looking around the East Wing, which you were unable to look around yesterday, and then look around the West Wing.”
“What about the accounting work?”
“In the afternoon, Mainz will prepare materials related to the internal management of the castle.”
“When will my aide be appointed?”
"That."
Granada, who had been talking fluently without any hesitation, sighed softly.
“Due to a lack of personnel, I think I will have to take charge for the time being.”
It seemed common in Ronheim Castle for one person to play multiple roles like this.
'There's nothing I can do.'
I nodded readily.
I wasn't particularly dissatisfied with Granada, as she seemed like she would do a good job as a maid while also being my capable assistant.
'Yes, in this life I will do my part properly without leaving it to others.'
I was determined.
In my past life, as a Countess, I did nothing and could not do anything, but now it is different.
At the Pelsus estate, I was always treated like a burden.
But I didn't want to live like that in Ronheim.
Together with Callius, I will establish myself as a leader who moves Ronheim.
"I was taught these things as a child. I can do them all."
Until the age of seven, when my mother was still alive, I had received intensive training as a successor to the throne.
'I didn't learn anything great when I was young, but I have enough knowledge to be a Marchioness.'
As I started to practice, things I hadn't used in a long time came flooding back to me.
Lamia whispered to me as I burned with determination.
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
"I'm okay."
I answered firmly and walked out briskly.
There was a lot of work to do.
***
Time passed quickly.
Over the next few days, I toured quite a bit of Ronheim Castle and learned the names of all the employees.
I've finally figured out how Ronheim's finances are running, what kind of welfare is being provided, what immediate needs there are, and what needs urgent attention.
Even though I was spending my time so hectically, I didn't forget to do my personal things.
'Let's get started.'
I took out a considerable amount of treasures from the teddy bear and the cushion and divided them evenly into several pockets.
'Let's leave a few things behind just in case.'
What remains are the unknown, the unnamed.
Among the things left behind and returned to the bear's body was a piece of the Holy Grail that had been taken simply to anger Kavala.
'There's no need to put out things that wouldn't attract much attention on the black market.'
I took several bags of treasures with me and went to find Callius.
“Are you going to sell this on the black market?”
Callius seemed a little surprised at the treasures flashing before his eyes.
I guess he never imagined I would have this many jewels.
Seeing his expression made me even more proud of having taken the risk and entered Kavala's warehouse.
“Why don’t you get it appraised and sell it through normal channels, but rather put it on the black market?”
I smiled mischievously and lowered my voice to whisper.
“These are all stolen items.”
"Yes?"
“Do you remember when the Empress’s warehouse burned down in the capital?”
Even though I only said that much, Callius's eyes widened.
"No way."
"Yes, that's right."
How fun and exciting it is to tell Callius that I am the thief who robbed the warehouse.
I couldn't control my pride and raised my chin.
"That was my doing! I took these things! And I brought them all the way to Ronheim without anyone knowing!"
Seeing Callius's expression of disbelief made me even more excited.
I wanted to show off what a great job I had done.
"It was no easy task. Sneaking into the Empress's palace, finding the key, and stealing the treasures within would have been a daunting task even for the thieves of the century who have made their mark on history."
The bridge of my nose was high up in the sky.
“But I did it.”
I used to keep my mouth shut because I didn't trust Callius as much as I do now, but things are different now.
He and I were in the same boat perfectly.
Besides, it's time to sell these now.
I didn't bring this with me to use as an ornament to adorn myself like Kavala.
To cash out, I needed Callius' help anyway.
Because I can't go around the black market myself.
'If they see my silver hair, many people will know who I am.'
Callius looked at the treasures seriously and said.
“Wouldn’t it be a bit risky to put these on the black market at a time when the Empress is spreading wanted posters and searching for the thief?”
"That's why I brought it to Callius. We need to use this as a smokescreen."
“Smoke screen operation?”
I was sure that by now the Dragon's Eye had passed through many hands and ended up in the hands of Kavala.
When a famous gem comes out into the world, the market becomes abuzz.
Kavala, who was already searching for the treasure, could not have been unaware that the Dragon's Eye had come to market.
'They're probably already tracking me back.'
Once the dragon's eye had opened the floodgates, it was better to quickly deal with the remaining jewels.
“Can you forge an ID card?”
“That’s not that difficult.”
"Yes. Get me some fake IDs for a bunch of people. And..."
I whispered to Callius the plan I had in mind to avoid Kavala's pursuit.
“...You understand, right?”
“Let’s give it a try.”
"Yes. Please take care of it. Don't make any mistakes. You understand, right?"
“Don’t worry.”
Callius, who said that, was very dignified.
I was about to leave Callius's office, satisfied, but stopped in front of the door.
“Oh, right. There’s one more thing I need you to do when you do that.”
“What is that?”
“This is a separate matter from the treasure, but there’s a rumor going around that Restio is in season in Ronheim right now.”
“Isn’t Restio a plant used as a medicinal herb?”
“That’s right. It’s a strange plant that blooms in winter.”
Callius tilted his head.
"Restios are always in bloom in Ronheim. It's not even in season. Is there any reason to spread the word about it?"
I smiled meaningfully and nodded.
"Outsiders often don't realize that the Restio always blooms in Ronheim. It's a flower that will bring us welcome guests."
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