---
After explaining how to build a watch shop, I immediately began my next plan, a propaganda campaign to improve the image of the Archduke.
When I told them that Archduke Richard was the one who planned all this, all eyes in the place turned to him.
Suddenly, the eyes that had been avoiding him until then were fixed on him, and a slight tension crept into him.
It looked like fear.
'Maybe he's afraid he'll receive even the slightest look of contempt.'
The only ones who looked at him positively were the few soldiers who fought alongside him on the battlefield.
I poked him and whispered quickly.
“Archduke, just smile!”
"What …?"
"Quick!
We've been training!
It's time to smile!"
The Archduke looked confused.
Without asking him any questions, I urged him to continue.
“Is this what you're talking about?”
He couldn't resist my urging, so he raised the corners of his mouth, which were stiff, in embarrassment.
His symmetrical lips formed a long, curved line.
As they bent down, his eyes naturally softened.
“Oh my God...”
“Woe!”
A smile spread across his usually calm face, eliciting a distant gasp from the people of the region.
“I have lived in the Archduke’s territory for ten years, and this is the first time I have seen His Excellency smiling...”
“I thought it was a fabricated rumor because the newspapers said he was handsome...but it turned out there was nothing wrong with him...”
As expected, people are weak in front of handsome faces.
Also, as I expected, the people of the region were fascinated by its beauty.
I continued talking at a rapid pace, like rowing a boat on water.
“Archduke Richard worries about you all, day and night.
Even in prison, he worries about how you will survive the bitter cold of winter.”
“The Archduke?”
The eyes of the people of the region widened upon hearing this sudden conversation.
Of course, the Archduke's face crossed his face with a question of 'Me?', but I completely ignored it.
"He wondered if Thomas and Sarah's child, Matilda, born on November 17, was growing well.
He wondered if Seymour and his wife's son, Peter, born on December 2, was feeding well."
“Oh my God...he even remembered our children’s birth dates.”
The parents, who were supposed to be Matilda and Peter's guardians, were astonished.
‘Okay, this is the birth record attached to last year’s estate report.’
I flipped through the pages of the 20-year-old estate report.
Then there were records of incidents reported within the estate for the first quarter of this year.
“His Excellency could not sleep because he was so worried about whether Charlie’s barn, which collapsed on February 14, had been properly restored.”
“I didn't know that His Excellency would be interested in something like this!”
Charlie, with his full face, was both stunned and surprised.
I smiled at him gently.
“Do you remember the subsidy you received to repair the barn?
In fact, it was from the Archduke’s personal treasury.”
"I, I didn't know!
Thank you, thank you, Your Excellency!"
Charlie almost cried after learning of the Archduke's kindness.
I patted his back and spoke in a voice as if I was giving a sermon.
“Now, everyone.
You may not know this, but the benefit you received every year at harvest was also a gift from His Excellency.”
“Huh?
We thought she was from the imperial family!”
As expected, they were not aware of this at all.
Managing the region in this way would inevitably tarnish the Archduke's reputation.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and continued.
“The Archduke always said, ‘Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.’”
That's why I spoke so loud so everyone would know.
Thanks to this, the faces of those who had feared the Archduke moments before were filled with emotion.
“I heard that His Excellency was a great champion in the last battle against Montero.”
“Sure.
He has no mercy on the enemy, but he is kind to his people.”
Now, I folded my hands in front of my chest with an expression of respect on my face.
“Ah, I pledge my loyalty to His Excellency Archduke Richard...!”
"See?
Didn't I say the Archduke would never kill anyone?"
The residents of the region were swept away, unable to come to their senses, by the torrent of beautiful and terrifying stories flowing like lava.
The atmosphere had turned into a memorial meeting for Archduke Richard, and the Archduke simply blinked.
“Oh, no...
I'm not that type...”
Surrounded by a barrage of praise, the Archduke stammered in confusion.
“I believe you!
Your Excellency!”
“I will work hard from now on, Your Excellency!”
In fact, the people of the province grew more enthusiastic, finding his presence very human, and flocked around him.
I stood a step away from the noisy crowd, content to enjoy the spectacle I had created.
'It's more enjoyable than standing alone, listening to someone scream that he's a murderous monster.'
I realized later, looking at his reddened face, that the corners of my mouth had twitched involuntarily.
∗ ∗ ∗
A radical change began to arise in the Archduke's lands.
The red soil that once filled the barren land was turned into bricks for the workshops, and even became valuable materials for the artisans who flocked there after seeing the posts.
“Oh my God, this soil is rich in iron!”
The land, once so barren that crops struggled to grow, was now the perfect setting for the workshops of the metalworkers who flocked to it.
As paying jobs were created and people flocked, the Archduke's lands became more vibrant.
The Archduke's residence also became more crowded.
Even today, the Archduke and I have been poring over documents in his office.
New craftsmen visited the Archduke's grounds daily, and we had to distribute them to workshops and accommodation within the Grand Duke's grounds based on their specializations and experience.
Then we would connect them with existing residents to transfer their skills.
One quiet afternoon, Mrs.
Perona entered my office and placed a hot tea set on the table.
“Your Excellency, please have some tea.”
“Thank you, ma'am.”
Mrs.
Perona smiled warmly at us, sitting at a table with two chairs.
“Seeing you together with such warmth and familiarity makes me feel close to you!”
Even though we were crowded, only one table apart, trying to pass documents efficiently without having time to copy them, I was relieved that this misunderstanding existed.
At least we didn't have to pretend to be a couple in front of everyone with our busy schedule.
I stretched out and spoke to the Archduke, who was sitting across from me.
"I see.
Isn't that good luck?"
"Yes."
He answered briefly, his eyes still fixed on his papers, as if he was not interested.
Rays of afternoon sunlight streamed through his head as he sat by the window.
“The sun seems to be very bright, Archduke.
Your ears are red.”
“...!”
The Archduke must have just realized how hot his earlobes were, so he quickly grabbed them.
I laughed, it seemed kind of cute how he held them in his big hands.
“Do you want me to change my seat?
I like to be in the sun.”
“As you wish.”
He jumped out of his seat, seemingly unconcerned with the situation.
The chair creaked loudly on the floor.
Even after changing seats, the Archduke remained occupied only with his papers.
I stared at him for a long moment.
'Anyway, you're too cold.'
We had been together all this time, preparing for the kingdom and business, so we should have been friendly even without a contract.
But he seemed completely uninterested in getting close to me on a personal level.
I rested my chin on my hand and stared out the window, boredly leafing through documents I had already memorized.
The garden, now lush green, was refreshing to see.
The Archduke stared at the accumulated documents and muttered.
“Isn’t the second workshop suffering from a shortage of manpower?”
“The second workshop is smaller than the first, 218 square yards, and we have already employed 17 people, so it should be good.
And the number of technicians looking for housing in the region is increasing.”
“Budget...”
I continued to answer, my eyes fixed on the view out the window.
“According to estimates, 138,893,214 gold should be enough.
Albert also confirmed this.”
“……”
I turned to the Archduke, who suddenly fell silent.
His expression as he held the documents was strange.
“The documents are in my hands, but you are very precise, as if you were holding them and reading them.”
"What do you think?
It was fun working together, wasn't it?"
I answered smiling.
At first, he frowned repeatedly at the mere thought of me coming into his office with documents.
He sighed quietly, put down the documents, and raised an eyebrow.
“How do you do that?”
"What?"
“The estate report, the business report, the paintings from Count Bonetta’s house… as if you were looking at them with your own eyes.”
What do you want me to do?
I leaned towards him, resting my chin on my elbows on the table crowded with documents.
The table shook a little.
“It's a secret...are you curious?”