“5 million...”
Dale muttered, surprised.
“It's a down payment.
I've entered into a contract to mass produce the herbs and sell them through Rosanna Trading Company.”
I had asked Rosanna, who would grant any wish, to distribute the herbs.
“But the amount is too large for the down payment.”
Dale, who was watching quietly, pointed out a practical problem.
It was an enormous amount to hand over with no guarantee of success.
“Actually, I made another bet with Rosanna.”
“You won?”
Dale smiled slightly and asked.
“Yes, I was able to get 1.3 million Crobats from it.”
In the end, she received the entire original value of the necklace, which was 5 million kroups.
The bet was with Rosanna about the future of Grünewald and Kydland.
I gave her a hint
“Grunwald will soon become more prosperous than Kydland.
Trust me and turn your support to Grunwald.”
But Rosanna was skeptical.
She told her about the misdeeds Kydland was committing, but she did not believe Grunwald would rise up.
The bet was as follows:
If I'm wrong, I'll sell the necklace for 1 million krups, a discount of 2.7 million krups, which is a large enough sum to interest her.
On the other hand, if Rosanna is wrong, she will pay me an additional 1.3 million Crobats.
Thus, the winner was determined.
I packed all the boxes in my unlimited suitcase.
“I'm curious what you plan to do with this money.”
“First, most of it will go to buy herb seedlings.
As for most of the rest, I’m not sure yet, but for now, that’s where we’ll go.”
As I left the store with Dale, we entered the largest boutique on the street.
“I'll buy Dale some clothes first.”
When Dale entered the store, the salespeople's heads turned like meerkats.
“You're welcome!”
Inside the bustling boutique, the employee with a bright smile greeted us warmly.
She couldn't take her eyes off Dale.
It was moments like this that reminded me how handsome he was.
But Dale may feel uncomfortable with this kind of attention given his personality.
I wrapped my arms around Dale's arm and pulled him close to me.
She gestured to Dale, pointing at him.
'Don't worry, I'm here.'
“….”
Dale seemed to understand my gesture and nodded and smiled.
He looked around and then leaned into my arm with a frightened puppy-like expression.
“I've never been to a place like this before, so I feel scared and confused.
Please take care of me.”
* * *
I ended up buying twenty items of clothing for Dale.
I shook my head at my extravagance as I wrote in the ledger.
A day when I earned a lot and spent a lot.
She looked at Dale, who was asleep on the couch, and then turned away.
'But someone as handsome as him needs elegant clothes.'
Yes, it was a necessary expenditure.
'But Dale must have been very tired.'
I looked at Dale, who had the happiest expression on his face even in his sleep, like someone enjoying a happy dream.
'I think he's sleeping well now.'
The Emperor and Dale had one thing in common: extreme insomnia.
But lately, perhaps because he comes home so late, he seems to fall asleep as soon as he lies down.
‘Sofia wants to visit our house.
Is it possible for us to continue to use separate rooms?'
The rumors in Grunwald were as fast as ever.
Somehow, word got around Grunwald that Dale and I were going to market.
After the Lord's recovery, interest in me and Dale increased from the people of the area more than before.
‘Using separate rooms may seem strange to residents.
There are limits to how much we can prevent people from coming into this house.
What should we do?'
I wrote with my pen.
But sharing a room with Dale...
A little….
Am I curious?
I peeked at Dale as he shifted on the couch.
It was funny how he furrowed his brow as if he knew I was thinking about him.
'Beautiful men are dangerous.
They charm people.'
Every time I look at Dale, I realize the power of good looks.
But Dale is my precious husband.
I need to protect him, too.
Plus, Dale is very shy.
Even today at the boutique, he followed me everywhere.
'Ah, the boutique.'
It reminded me that I noticed an unexpected side of Dale today.
When he was being measured, he spread his arms naturally as if he knew exactly where they were going to measure him, and he wasn't nervous at all.
I thought he would be startled by the touch of strangers, but there was no change in his facial expression.
It wasn't just a matter of buying from a boutique; Rather, it was a custom order that would take a few days, and he seemed to naturally know that.
And that we will have to visit the boutique several more times to take measurements.
'It seemed to me that he was quite familiar with fabric materials, or was I wrong?'
I tilted my head curiously.
The Dale I saw today seemed very accomplished, and was not at all bothered by others serving him.
'That's right, why was that?'
Did Dale have something he wasn't telling me?
Or it could be.
My eyes widened in realization.
'A fallen noble?'
It's a possibility
‘It is true that this sofa is also made by the most famous craftsmen in the region.’
I pressed my thighs against the plush sofa.
For someone who was supposedly indifferent or uninterested in interior design, the inside of the house was elegant and beautiful.
'Should I ask Dale about that?'
I stared intently at Dale, who looked like an angel in his sleep.
He seemed to me to be a man with a long history.
Working as a mercenary, living alone in a house with a dressing room – all of this pointed to a complicated past.
Dale was mysterious.
'Anyway, I'm holding Dale's bank account now.'
When we started living together, Dale handed me his bank account.
To ensure he wouldn't spend it frivolously on something outlandish, to keep him from running away mid-contract, and to give me peace of mind.
It was a form of identification, he said.
***
Meanwhile, without Enya knowing, Dale, who was pretending to be asleep, gently opened his eyes and looked at her.
The sight of her little head moving was like a dream, yet it left a bittersweet feeling in his heart.
This unexpected period of time had extended longer than he thought.
Dale felt increasingly tired and closed his eyes.
* * *
Three weeks passed, and the weeds grew significantly.
I looked at the well-tended herb garden.
“Herbs grow best in slightly dry soil.”
I removed the earthworms and watered the garden.
"that!"
I saw Sofia running towards me from afar.
“Anne, why are you so far away?”
Sophia arrived, panting heavily.
Her face was brighter.
During the three weeks, the territorial dispute between Grunwald and Kydland was properly resolved.
Kydland returned to its former size, and all the mines returned to Grunwald's possession.
The large compensation obtained from Kydland greatly increased the funds needed to restore the Grunwald lands, and the quality of the soil improved significantly.
The link with Hexagon was also severed.
Without my direct intervention, the Emperor was able to uncover the relationship between Kydland and Hexagon.
According to my source, Count Kydland admitted to obtaining certain techniques from the Hexagon family, which caused problems for them as well.
As a result, Count Kydland abandoned Hexagon.
Sometimes, I felt like the Emperor knew exactly what I wanted.
'It would have been a good partnership if we hadn't gotten married.'
What a pity, truly a pity.
“Ann, it’s lunch time, my grandfather told me to bring you with me.
Let’s have lunch together.
Come!”
She followed Sofia into the castle.
After fully dealing with Kydland, Grunwald's financial situation improved significantly.
With the recruitment of around 30 new staff from abroad, the Lord's Castle has been transformed impressively, and renovations to the moat and castle gate have been completed.
Although there were not many special soldiers yet, there were enough to form a guard unit, which made the villagers feel comfortable.
“Please have a seat, Anne.”
“Hello, Miss Anne.”
The Lord greeted me with a hearty laugh showing his complete recovery.
“You can feel free to call me Anne.
And you can talk to me informally, too.”
“….”
For a moment, the Lord's face turned pale, displaying an inexplicable sense of betrayal.
“Hahaha...
How can I do that...”