Chapter 35
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 35
They say when a person does something they've never done before, it's time to die. Or perhaps... time to kill.
C-could it be that the brute from the Underground Prison really did take a vacation?
Consumed by anxiety, my mind spiraled through countless dark possibilities, and I could only shake my head weakly.
Then, the Grand Duke's voice reached my ears.
"I wanted to repay you for the gift. Of course, this hardly seems sufficient."
'Hmm?'
As my prejudice peeled away layer by layer, I finally noticed the remarkably gentle expression gracing his features.
If he was speaking of a gift, he must mean the blackout curtains I'd given him.
Though I'd secretly hoped he would appreciate them, I never expected such a gesture in return, and I couldn't hide my bewilderment.
Seated at a measured distance from me, he gazed directly into my eyes.
"Is there anything you desire?"
"If there's something you want, tell me."
"Can you grant anything at all?"
"Anything except leaving this place."
A familiar sense of déjà vu washed over me.
It seemed I'd received a similar question from the Grand Duke before.
But this time, rather than request something new, I decided to simply answer with honesty.
"I didn't do it expecting anything in return."
"So you want nothing?"
"No. I-it's just that Your Highness has helped me greatly as well. Please consider this simply a natural expression of gratitude...."
As I rambled on, the Grand Duke's expression grew increasingly peculiar.
As though he'd heard something entirely unexpected.
"I helped you?"
"You provided me with food and shelter, didn't overwork me, and never summoned me during my personal time to assign tasks...."
As I enumerated the ordeals I'd endured in Salt, I deliberately let my words trail off and met his gaze.
Though embarrassing, I felt that perhaps I could afford to be a little honest now.
"So I simply wanted to repay the Grand Duke's kindness. It's nothing much, but...."
Yet in that moment, the Grand Duke's eyes deepened with intensity.
"The princess certainly has a generous heart."
Splat.
The moment those words reached my ears, I reluctantly spat out the peach tart I'd been about to place in my mouth.
"Pardon?"
"To think you're showing such kindness even to the person who kidnapped you."
"Ah...."
Right, I had been kidnapped.
Having grown comfortable in body and spirit within the Grand Duchy, I'd simply forgotten.
To be honest, life in the Salt Kingdom had been so wretched that this place was nothing short of paradise to me.
Moreover, as I'd mentioned before, the Grand Duke hadn't subjected me to excessive labor in exchange for room and board, and my account was steadily accumulating funds proportional to my work....
'What more could I want?'
Yet one cannot simply bare one's true feelings.
I answered while feigning the utmost innocence.
"What does the beginning matter? As long as the relationship we build going forward is good, that's all that matters."
Yes. My path was already decided—escape Salt and make a fresh start in the Blaire Grand Duke Territory.
The blackout curtains were, well... a form of flattery, so to speak.
"A relationship to build going forward, you say."
Yet something seemed to catch in the Grand Duke's response, and his voice that followed remained laden with meaning.
More than that, his eyes pierced through me with an unwavering stare.
Though I'd felt it many times before, I could never quite figure out how to handle my gaze when such a handsome man looked at me so persistently.
"Hmm."
Unable to bear the pressure any longer, I was the first to avert my eyes, and then his next words came.
"Then, for the sake of the good relationship we shall build with the princess going forward, I propose once more. If there is anything you desire, do tell me."
"Ugh."
The conclusion circled back to the starting point.
At this rate, I'd have to squeeze out a desire even if I had none.
But how could I think of anything on the spot?
Normally I would have made an effort to come up with something, but faced with the Grand Duke's sudden kindness and the gravity of the moment, my mind felt utterly bleached white.
"Princess."
When he called me once more, pressing for an answer.
I grasped at one of the scattered thoughts drifting through my mind and blurted it out.
"I mentioned it to Liam beforehand, but... I would like to hire a personal guard knight!"
My voice rang out loudly, slightly cracked from the strain of the pressure.
And a very brief silence.
"Ah."
With a dry exclamation, the Grand Duke's face tilted slightly to one side.
"The man who helped the princess."
"Ah, you've heard about it!"
In truth, it wasn't strange that the Grand Duke knew—I had requested confirmation from Liam regarding the hiring of a guard knight.
Clearing my throat awkwardly, I nodded with a more composed expression.
"When my coin purse was stolen, it felt as though the heavens themselves had collapsed. But he stepped forward and helped me without hesitation."
The man who had helped me in front of the Pascal Merchant Guild.
Though I had initially assumed he was a nobleman based on how he naturally spoke to me as an equal, Ian—as he introduced himself—revealed he was a commoner, not of noble birth.
Yet regardless of his origins, he seemed like a good person. He was the sort to offer help to those in need without reservation, and he neither sought credit nor expected anything in return.
"For now, this is all I can think of. If it's inconvenient..."
"I hear Liam is currently verifying his identity, but it would be difficult to bring an unknown person into the Grand Duke's Residence."
Ah, I suppose that's how the Grand Duke sees it?
He doesn't know Ian well, so he thinks that way, but if he met him directly, his opinion would surely change.
"He's a person worthy of gratitude. He helped me without asking for anything in return...."
"I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing that. But from my perspective, I cannot relate to such sentiment."
"Then what if you met him once?"
The Grand Duke's expression hardened.
Only then did I realize I had made a grave mistake, having grown comfortable from our frequent recent encounters.
To ask the already busy Grand Duke to meet a stranger—and in a society bound by such rigid class distinctions, no less!
"Ah, that is..."
I hastily tried to take back what I had just said.
"Please forget that request. I suppose my heart got ahead of me because I felt such pity for him."
"...Pity?"
"Yes, in a situation where I knew no one and had nothing to rely on, he even returned my purse full of money. I couldn't help but feel concerned for him."
"...."
"In this harsh age, you might call him a rare 'righteous person.' Even now, I keep seeing the image of his back as he rushed forward faster than anyone else the moment he learned of my theft...."
I continued to praise the nameless kind stranger, hoping he would not be remembered poorly by the Grand Duke.
"Moreover, even though he didn't know my station, he didn't treat me carelessly—he was respectful. You know, his tone was curt, but he was truly courteous and refined, that kind of..."
"Wait."
That was when the Grand Duke raised his hand, cutting off my words.
"Yes?"
"That's... enough."
The Grand Duke's expression had become rigid, as though he had heard something he shouldn't have.
"But...."
"...No. Since the princess... speaks so highly of him... I will grant the request. I'll have him employed... and the Grand Duke's household will cover his wages separately."
It was an unexpected answer. Yet no matter how I studied his face, I could not read his expression.
'Something feels off.'
As though I were missing something crucial?
"You're... truly certain?"
"I am. ...On the condition that he accepts."
"Ah, thank you so much!"
Caught momentarily in an awkward silence, I suddenly recalled something and let out an exclamation.
"Ah! Um, would it be alright if I asked for one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"I'd like the Grand Duchy to purchase Poleta leather on a continuous basis."
"They're just discarded anyway, so you could take them for free."
"No."
After shaking my head firmly, I finally tasted the peach tart I'd been holding back from all this while.
The crispy-textured peach was genuinely sweet enough to bring tears to my eyes.
"I want to make it an official purchase. In exchange, we'd select higher quality pieces than what I received initially. If we do that, wouldn't it create jobs and... well, improve the Grand Duchy's finances overall?"
If things worked out that way, I could also free myself from the burden of pushing forward with the business while unilaterally relying on the Grand Duke.
Not to mention the various employment opportunities that would naturally arise in the process.
The expansion of the job market would naturally increase the influx of population toward the Blaire Grand Duke Territory, and in this medieval era where human resources remain the most precious commodity, the supply of labor would naturally lead to territorial development...!
After finishing my chain of thoughts, I carefully observed his reaction.
"That makes sense."
Fortunately, when the Grand Duke looked up and met my gaze again, an enigmatic smile played across his face.
"Hehe."
What lay beneath that low, resonant voice was unmistakable approval.
Delighted at having secured his consent so easily, I broke into a foolish grin before I could help myself.
'Then the deal is complete.'
I'd confirmed user satisfaction, verified the manufacturing process, and secured sufficient inventory...
Now all that remained was the advertising phase.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org