-43-
“Are you enjoying your newlywed life?”
“Yes. We’re happily doing well.”
“It seems so. I can tell from your brother’s recent behavior. Ah, are your injuries okay? I heard you were hurt in the Synadelli incident. I forgot to ask earlier.”
“My wounds are fine. They weren’t serious, and I received treatment from the priest right away, so I’m almost fully healed now.”
“That’s a relief.”
“But you said you can tell from Lucius’s behavior lately? What do you mean?”
“Don’t even mention it.”
Alexandra burst out laughing loudly after I asked. Surprised by her reaction, I focused on what she said.
“When he’s at the palace, he never stops smiling all day long. Not a big laugh or anything, but since he used to have such a blank expression, even a small smile stands out quickly.”
“That’s true.”
“He used to be expressionless and wasn’t good at showing emotions, so it didn’t show on his face. But lately, he smiles occasionally, and everyone is surprised. I’ve seen it sometimes before, but for others, it’s the first time seeing that many different expressions from him.”
“Ah…”
It was the reaction I had anticipated—concerned but expected. The people at the palace probably haven’t yet realized the truth behind it, so it was natural they were surprised. Even the ducal family was just starting to get used to it.
“Compared to when he was stiff, it’s better, but people can’t get used to the sudden change. I’m glad because I know he’s not just a scary person, but for a while, I think there will be a lot of talk both at the palace and in the social circles.”
“What do you mean?”
“After getting married, even the ‘Grand Duke Roderick’ is said to have changed. Ah, I’m sure there’ll be more talk about getting married soon. Everyone is just lucky to have met the right partner. Not everyone succeeds just by getting married.”
I smiled softly at Alexandra’s grumbling expression. Still, it was a relief that the talk wasn’t too negative. Although it seemed to cause her some minor trouble.
Alexandra was at an age when marriage pressure would definitely come. Her situation was somewhat special, though.
Besides her age, the previous emperor had died and Rayel had ascended the throne, so it was appropriate for her to marry or leave the palace to become independent. But she was the only princess of the previous emperor and the current emperor’s only younger sister, so she still kept the title of ‘Princess’ and stayed at the palace.
In the original story, she never married until later becoming independent, and I wonder if it will be the same this time. It would be interesting to see her free-spirited nature dating and marrying.
We slowly caught up on her recent news and talked about social matters in a casual way. She was drinking a second cup of flower tea and then spoke up.
“I heard you started working at the Grand Duke’s household. Is it manageable?”
“Yes. Fortunately, it’s similar to the work I did at the Duke’s household, so it’s not a big problem. Since it’s on a much larger scale, I rely a lot on the help of the steward and the head maid.”
“You’re doing well then. Those two are capable and reliable, so that’s good. Is there anything difficult?”
“Well, there is something I’m worried about.”
“What is it?”
“The budget Lucius allocated for navigation is left over a lot… I was wondering how to spend it, so after consulting with him, we decided to try doing some business.”
“Oh, really? What kind of business?”
She seemed interested, her eyes changing. Hesitating for a moment, I explained.
“To put it simply, it’s an investment in welfare projects. Because of what happened in Synadelli, I thought it might be good to provide welfare to orphans and lower-class commoners.”
“I see. That’s a good cause. And then?”
“Since the amount available was bigger than expected, we decided to run it as a business on a larger scale. But Lucius said that for it to be a proper business, it would be better to include not just the lower class but also nobles as the target.”
“Ah… that makes sense. I get it. Nobles tend to be petty and jealous, so they won’t quietly accept welfare going to the lower classes. The more they have, the worse it gets.”
“So, for the nobles, we plan to do it in the form of ‘investment.’ We got some data to focus on nobles who run businesses or those of lower status who can’t showcase their talents due to financial problems, but selecting them is not easy.”
We had set criteria and thanks to Lucius we could easily get data, so we just had to select, but judging only from written documents was tricky. Warren prepared detailed reports for each business which was helpful, but somehow it lacked a vivid feeling. I wanted to see firsthand what kind of business it was, who the people were, and whether they were worth investing in, but that’s not easy either.
“Is there any noble or business that caught your eye?”
“I haven’t looked through many yet, but there was one.”
“What kind?”
“It’s a cafe business run by the Viscount Ebit of the Grasel territory. It seems he is planning to expand branches.”
“Viscount Ebit…? He’s the owner of the cafe ‘Roland’!”
“Really? I didn’t know the cafe in Synadelli was that one, though I noticed him because he’s a noble from Grasel territory that I recently visited.”
No wonder I kept noticing him. I never thought the cafe business was that ‘Roland.’ Surprised by this unexpected fact, she suddenly raised her voice.
“He’s planning branch expansions. Well, the cafe is just starting to gain popularity, so increasing branches now is a good idea. I heard that since it’s Ebit Viscount’s first business after becoming independent, he’s paying a lot of attention to it.”
“Is that so?”
“But it seems difficult for him to expand a lot with his own wealth, so he’s looking for investors, though it doesn’t seem easy.”
“Why? The products are good and it’s gaining popularity, so if the scale grows a bit, he should be able to earn profits quickly.”
“That’s true. It’s a good product. But no matter how profitable a product is, it’s hard to find investors. If he were a duke or a marquis, maybe, but he’s just a viscount.”
“Ah… Is the problem that he’s of low rank?”
So, here too, the ‘rank difference’ was an issue. I had expected it, but hearing it in reality felt different. The problem wasn’t just among commoners but also among nobles.
Unable to help but frown, Alexandra sighed softly and continued.
“There are many rank distinctions even among nobles. Nobility itself is a closed social group, so it’s even more so.”
“Yes, a group that values power, wealth, and rules, and dislikes anything that breaks those rules or changes the status quo.”
“Exactly. Because it’s such a group, there’s a lot of discrimination between ranks. Even marquises usually have small territories or some wealth, so they’re not easily ignored, but viscounts mostly just have the title and sometimes aren’t even treated as nobles.”
“That’s… no matter how low-ranking nobles are…”
“Some say there’s no difference between them and knights, but they are noble titles that can be inherited. Still, many ignore them because they are lower nobles with no wealth or influence. What kind of behavior is that?”
Shaking her head in dissatisfaction, she quickly drank her cold tea. I had thought there was some discrimination, but her reaction showed there was quite a lot.
From the way she spoke, Alexandra seemed not to discriminate against lower nobles herself. Watching her quietly, I cautiously asked.
“Are you okay with being a lower noble, Alexandra?”
“Of course. They are nobles too. Even if they are far from me in rank, I don’t want to judge people by rank alone. What’s important is their character and heart.”
“Right? I think so too. Then do you know what kind of person Viscount Ebit is?”
“I haven’t met him personally, but I heard he has a gentle personality. He was originally the second son in his family but didn’t want to fight for the heirship, so he chose to become independent and took the title of viscount.”
“I see.”
“He likes flowers and tea enough to run a flower tea cafe business. I heard she knows about it in more detail than most young ladies. The reason for independence was partly because he wanted to pursue the cafe business.”
There’s nothing harder than doing what you love as work. If he chose independence for that, he must really be passionate about the business. He seemed like a good person.
Since it was Alexandra’s information, I could trust it, but I still wanted to meet him for sure before deciding. While I was pondering how to meet him, she looked at me carefully and said.
“Are you really planning to invest in Viscount Ebit’s business?”
“Yes. The ‘Roland’ cafe I visited left a good impression, and his reputation doesn’t seem bad. I want to meet him directly and decide, but I wonder if there’s a way…”
“There is! Not a direct meeting right away, but I think I can connect you.”
“Really?”
Surprised by the good news, I asked again, and she smiled happily and nodded.
“That’s perfect timing. Actually, I came for another reason too. Your social activities will start soon, right?”
“Yes. My injuries have mostly healed, and I’m planning to start soon.”
“I thought so, so I brought you an invitation. As the Grand Duchess, I want your return to the social scene to be with a party I host.”
“That would be an honor. Thank you, Alexandra. What kind of party is it?”
“Since spring is in full bloom, I thought a tea party in my garden would be nice. I’m still making the guest list, but I think it would be good to invite Viscount Ebit’s older sister.”
“His older sister?”
He has an older sister? Certainly, if she is Viscount Ebit’s sister, she could be the bridge to meeting him. She would also know about him well, so I might hear more about him and his business.
“Viscount Ebit’s sister married into the Marquis family, so she is now the Marchioness Garnet. I’ve talked to her a few times at social parties, so I can easily speak with her.”
“Is that so? Won’t it be uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. If anything, she’ll welcome it, not dislike it. She’s a good person, so don’t worry.”
“That’s a relief.”
Is this how fate works? Somehow, I felt a little hopeful that I would be able to meet Viscount Ebit. Since this is my first investment, I want to observe carefully and decide. I hope he is as good a person as the rumors say.
