Chapter : 48
“You all will be staying here for a while and have been assigned a new task: conveying the beauty of the island to the public. Think of it as a long-term business trip~.”
“W-what?!”
“A long-term business trip?!”
The reporters’ faces turned pale.
I smiled brightly at them.
“How perfect~. Our island offers all kinds of experiences for tourists! We’ll provide them free of charge, so I’d like you to try them out yourselves and write vivid, firsthand reviews~.”
As I spoke, I handed them a list of exclusive activities on Tadbina.
From diving in the ocean, exploring undeveloped sea caves, to thrilling cliff diving!
There’s quite a lot.
Some people pay money and even make reservations for these experiences, and here they could enjoy them for free.
‘Of course, in exchange, they’ll have to be the first testers for the safety measures we’ve installed for tourists~.’
Since this is my first time setting them up, I had plenty of worries.
By the time the reporters read the warnings posted in front of each activity site, their faces were no longer just pale—they looked as if all color had drained from them.
“W-what do these warnings mean?”
“Oh, that~? …It’s nothing really~.”
“Nothing really?!”
“It looks like a lot, though.”
“Is it dangerous?”
I didn’t bother answering and just smiled.
The reporters shivered.
They looked as if they were about to protest, so I muttered quickly.
“Do you plan to refuse the favor shown by the Seind family…?”
“!”
The moment I directly mentioned the Seind family, the reporters froze.
They weren’t principled journalists to begin with—they were parasites who survived by creating malicious rumors about celebrities.
‘And such parasites always shrink in front of those in power.’
Moreover, they had spent the day following me around and realized that I was not the Ea-ni Nasel from the past.
Perhaps because of that, the reporters quickly erased any trace of defiance from their faces and waved their hands frantically.
“Of course not! I’m really looking forward to this long-term assignment on the island!”
“My fellow reporters will be so jealous! No work, free tourism!”
“Ahahaha! I never thought I’d enjoy such luxury in my life!”
“See? I knew you’d be happy~.”
Although they would soon be suffering under my picky demands, walking across the massive resort grounds under the blazing sun for promotional photos, and trying all sorts of extreme sports for the first time, of course.
‘Judging by appearances, they all seem like indoor types… is this cruel?’
But they were the ones who claimed to love work first, right?
So they’d do their best on their own~.
“Oh! Our schedule is busy, but I trust we won’t miss the pre-set deadlines~.”
“B-but with this unexpected long-term trip and additional advertising content to prepare…”
“I’m not even used to the camera yet, so I have to be very careful…”
“How about extending the deadlines a bit?”
I asked the flustered reporters innocently.
“Oh my? If you’ve been that diligent, writing articles about my every move without missing a single day, surely you can handle anything~?”
There’s that saying, after all: when things get tough, true ability comes out~.
When I brought up my past, the exhausted reporters couldn’t argue and were left screaming silently.
I smiled at the sight.
‘Judging by the fact they can’t even argue, I won’t need much time to train them to my liking~.’
I enjoyed playing along with the reporters and then headed to Weina for the evening banquet.
‘Harton’s engagement really is paying off.’
At first, I couldn’t even leave Tadbina, but now my range of action had expanded considerably.
Plus, my social status had skyrocketed—so the engagement ceremony had served its purpose perfectly.
Now it was time to use my status as Harton’s fiancée to build strong social connections.
‘Especially since the people in the south are favorable toward me right now, this is the perfect timing.’
I brought many benefits to the south.
Thanks to me, the attention of the nobles shifted to the south, new tourism businesses were emerging, and most importantly—
‘I even established a route connecting the capital and the southern key city, Weina!’
Rumors that ‘the Marquis of Seind suddenly built a new railroad entirely for his fiancée’ were spreading throughout the empire.
Would any noble dare refuse to make connections with me in such circumstances?
That would be utterly foolish.
‘Well, the truth is the rumor spread this far because I had some influence in the Areph newspaper company.’
Not wrong, right?
As a result, I and the nearby southern cities of Weina were reaping the most benefits, and the southern social scene’s interest in me was enormous.
‘Then I must capitalize on it properly.’
After changing into a new outfit at a famous boutique in Weina, I arrived at a mansion by carriage.
The banquet was hosted by Rahiru Edana, the owner of the swimsuit brand “Edana,” whom I had met during the engagement ceremony.
“Miss Nasel! Thank you for attending!”
Inside the hall, Rahiru, who was talking with guests, smiled brightly and approached.
I greeted him with a small smile.
“Thank you for inviting me. I wanted to speak with the southern nobles, and this is a great opportunity~.”
“Ha ha ha! I’m honored! Please, come this way! Everyone was eager to meet Miss Nasel!”
Rahiru extended his hand.
I glanced at it briefly and gently took it.
The ring on my fourth finger glimmered under the banquet lights.
‘Well, now even if Harton gets notifications, he won’t say anything.’
Now, using my fiancée status as a stepping stone, I had to be active in this social circle.
Since I had already informed Harton, he wouldn’t mind if I interacted with other men.
‘Hmm… though he’ll probably get jealous, so I should calm him with a letter if it happens.’
“Nice to meet you, Miss Nasel.”
“I’ve heard so much about you. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you in person.”
“Our next southern leader has arrived! For a young lady like you to run a business is not an easy path!”
Escorted by Rahiru, I approached, and the southern nobles greeted me with bright smiles.
As I expected, most of them were very favorable toward me.
I accepted their welcome gladly and started cheerful conversations.
‘Since this is the first meeting, I should try to get acquainted with as many people as possible~.’
The discussions were mostly about the new rail route and my business.
Everyone seemed surprised that such a young woman was managing her own business.
“Miss, you personally manage the resort? Without a professional manager from the Seind family?”
“Remarkable. That’s rare.”
“Heh, even she didn’t start a business at such a young age.”
I smiled.
“Does age or gender matter when handling money…?”
I said, raising my champagne glass.
The surrounding nobles laughed heartily and clinked their glasses with mine.
“Ha ha ha! Miss Nasel is right! Wealth has never discriminated!”
“A young lady already understands such truths!”
“A toast to Miss Nasel!”
The rigid social hierarchy was shaking, and capitalism was rising as the new order.
Along with it, nobles who had looked down on labor were also changing their mindset.
So everyone at the banquet joyfully accepted my potentially bold words.
‘It’s only natural that they find me fascinating.’
Female business owners running their own operations were extremely rare in this vast empire.
Among them, unmarried women without husbands were even rarer.
‘Even I wouldn’t have qualified under those conditions.’
I had the Seind family behind me and Harton as my fiancée.
Without them, it would’ve been hard to proceed so smoothly.
‘Hmm, but honestly… I don’t mind a bit of noise~.’
I had lived my whole life surrounded by noise and rumors.
Endless envy, betrayal, and schemes—surviving through it all and rising to the top.
So, a situation this peaceful was almost boring.
‘Maybe that’s why my half-brothers with strong backing kept causing trouble—they were bored?’
Fools causing unmanageable problems out of boredom.
Just then, I was interrupted from my thoughts.
“Ea-ni.”
Elin, my aide, approached with a serious expression.
And so no one else would hear, whispered quietly in my ear.
“The Crows sent someone. They said you must see this note.”
I had expected the Crows to track my location in real-time.
‘But why give this information to me at the banquet…?’
I unfolded the small note Elin gave me and smiled brightly as I read it.
Someone nearby asked,
“Is it good news?”
I folded the note and answered cheerfully.
“It’s an event I’d be disappointed to miss~.”
“Quind Hotel Silver is preparing special discounts for all branches in celebration of the Founding Day holiday.”
“The Weina branch is expected to have particularly high discounts.”
