Chapter 91
“Shelby is a beauty.”
“That’s true…”
“A husband with a beautiful wife has a lot to do!”
“Absolutely…”
I narrowed my eyes at Zen and scolded him lightly.
“From now on, use those strong arm muscles of yours a bit more!”
“…”
“What if Bermad had been allowed to switch Shelby’s medicine for over two weeks?”
Zen hung his head low.
For someone so big, he looked completely deflated. Somehow he seemed a little pitiful, and I was just about to comfort him when—
“…Can’t you listen to what the Princess says?”
A hoarse, cracked voice came from beside Zen.
Startled, I turned my head and saw that Shelby was conscious again.
Even with her eyes closed, she had been stunning—but now that she opened them, her beauty shone even brighter.
I forgot to even greet her and stared into her mesmerizing teal eyes.
“Honey! You’re awake?”
Zen, his eyes red, grabbed the bed frantically.
The makeshift bed shook slightly, and Shelby frowned sharply.
“Don’t let go! What if it collapses under that big frame of yours?”
Zen quickly pulled his hands back.
While he struggled like a puppy in distress, Shelby slowly sat up.
The bandages on her legs now showed only a faint trace of blood.
The emergency treatment I’d done as soon as I arrived was already showing its effect.
“Princess, I don’t even know how to thank you…”
Shelby’s fierce eyes softened as she looked at Zen.
Her jewel-like eyes blinked at me.
“You already welcomed us immigrants so graciously… and now, you’ve even handled the mess our husbands made—or rather, their mistakes.”
“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. Really.”
“No, I had somewhat expected that the person I wanted to get back at would find a way to screw me over that I never imagined.”
A grinding sound escaped her fine lips.
“Even though I’m a married woman, the guys who approach me are predictable. I should have hung him upside down from a tree and beaten him unconscious on a frying plate…”
“Sh-Shelby!”
Zen tried to stop her, and she snapped back to reality.
She covered her mouth and looked at me sheepishly.
“Oh my… sorry. I spoke harshly in front of the young Princess.”
I shook my head.
“No, no! It’s fine! Let it all out!”
Shelby’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
She frowned again and muttered to herself.
“The reason I got so angry listening to your conversation with my husband earlier… I realized the wound wasn’t healing because the medicine had been switched…”
“Hmm, something like that did happen…”
“Yes. Thinking that a crazy, shameless jerk had done such a disgusting thing, and that we ate and slept in the same barracks… it makes my blood boil. I should have fried him like a squid.”
Zen lowered his head in fear.
Shelby then turned her gaze on him.
“You too. Are you really an idiot?”
“Sh-Shelby…”
“When we got married, I told you—only act like a timid puppy in front of me.”
“No, I got mad at that Bermad guy!”
“And you just got mad?! How many times have I told you not to hold back your fists on a guy like that! Even if I had to take responsibility!”
“I-I’m sorry…”
I watched with fascination as Shelby scolded Zen, who was three times her size.
Shelby shook her head and then looked at me again.
“I have nothing more to say. I don’t even know how to repay this favor.”
“Then I’ll tell you! How to repay a favor!”
“Huh?”
Shelby tilted her head.
Zen did the same.
After briefly meeting Soya’s eyes, I asked Zen:
“Zen, are you good at carrying sacks?”
Zen looked puzzled for a moment but then hesitantly replied:
“Yes, I used to run a fried-food stall in a coastal village…”
“So you carried ten sacks of flour at once?!”
“Ah, ten is too much… but five at a time was fine.”
I beamed and then looked at Shelby.
“What about you, Shelby? What are you good at?”
“I’m not as strong as my husband, but I’m fairly skilled with my hands.”
“Skilled with your hands?”
“After processing 150 squid, 500 shrimp, and 20 fish as big as my forearm every day, you naturally get better.”
Zen added with a bright face:
“Yes, no one in the village handled seafood as well as Shelby! People even paid her to prepare ingredients.”
Shelby tilted her head slightly, as if to say, “You really think so?”
She looked ready to hear more.
Zen hesitated, then continued:
“And, when arranging food on a plate… Shelby sometimes decorates with leaves or carves shells into lime peels…”
“Oh.”
No matter how I looked at them, this couple was perfect for working in a greenhouse.
We still needed to hire a few dozen more people, but it was a smooth start.
Soya was busy taking notes in the background.
I was acting as the interviewer for now, but soon Soya would handle it herself.
“Alright! You’re hired!”
I called out brightly, and Zen and Shelby tilted their heads.
“Please take care of things from now on! You two will work in the new greenhouse being built at Evehill!”
“The greenhouse?”
“Yes! You’ll have good lodging, money, and meals too!”
I glanced at Zen and added:
“Zen, you’re tall, so one portion might not be enough—eat plenty!”
Zen’s face lit up for a moment, but after glancing at Shelby, he quickly returned to a serious expression.
“Are we really allowed to take on such an important task?”
“Yes! We’ll be hiring more people—do you have anyone to recommend in this barracks?”
Zen looked around the barracks.
In one corner, an elderly man sat upright, looking curious.
“That gentleman over there nursed Shelby every morning. He said I couldn’t get any sleep…”
Shelby nodded and added:
“That’s right. Also, I couldn’t eat the distributed bread well, so someone made me wheat porridge.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yes. Even though it was just wheat porridge, it was amazing. Even while sick, it made me hungry.”
Soya nodded.
“Anyway, someone has to be in the greenhouse even at night… maybe those who don’t sleep in could take the early shift, baby?”
I answered proudly.
“Yes! That’s a great idea.”
“And the person who made the porridge could work in the kitchen.”
Soya had clearly learned how to assign people quickly and efficiently.
I stepped back with a thrilled expression.
Now Soya began asking Zen, Shelby, and the newly recruited people various questions.
Others in the barracks watching also volunteered.
Soya would later filter and select the people who would work in the greenhouse.
‘I’m glad I chose Soya as my first aide.’
The Evehill greenhouse recruitment was mostly complete.
Before returning to the capital, only one major task remained.
“Grandma! Give Chairman Hermann to Ria!”
I shouted in the middle of a snack, and Grandma’s eyes widened.
She stared at me, bewildered.
“What’s this all of a sudden… while talking about the greenhouse?”
“I want the second viewing session to be with Chairman Hermann!”
Grandma frowned lightly.
“Chairman Hermann of the Elder Council? You don’t even have any connection with him.”
“I’ll make a connection from now on!”
Then I explained my reasoning.
“Chairman Hermann is sharp-minded, and we need that!”
“Sharp-minded? Needed for what?”
“That old man is extremely calculating. In the capital, there will be countless unseen political struggles, and we need someone ruthless for that!”
At that moment, there was a small sound at the door.
I turned and saw Chairman Hermann standing awkwardly in the doorway.
“I… I knocked, but there was no answer…”
