Chapter 90

# 90

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* * *

Margaret headed to the dining room without insisting on a stronger argument.

Schleman complained about waiting until his neck was sore, but then he was puzzled when he saw the empty plates.

"Did you wait for His Lordship to finish eating?"

Margaret shrugged slightly and said,

"I kept finding fault with Miss Navia for not cooking. We should look into hiring a chef."

"What? He said to hire a chef?"

Charlotte, who was clearing away the empty tray Margaret was holding, tilted her head.

'Is that surprising...?'

Isn't it more surprising that there isn't a chef?

Schleman stroked his beard as if it were a big deal.

"His Lordship saying to bring in an outsider, that's a first."

"He was so harsh, criticizing the food as being too salty, too sweet, and too bland."

"Oh dear..."

Navia blushed in embarrassment.

She had enjoyed cooking enthusiastically, but now she felt like she had just caused everyone trouble, making her heart heavy.

"It seems he didn't like the taste."

"Miss Navia, that difficult person would just throw the food away if he didn't like it."

"…Oh."

It was a very barbaric action, but nobles often behaved cruelly when there was no one to show respect to. Navia had often witnessed such behavior among the people of Agnes.

She sat down with a somewhat awkward smile.

They started eating together a bit late.

Navia carefully tasted the food she had made.

'It tastes good to me. Is what Lady Margaret said true?'

As if reading her thoughts, Margaret said,

"It really is delicious, so don't worry. I want to know how you made this pork roast; I'd love to get the recipe."

"Is it at the level of a top chef's recipe?"

Navia smiled.

It was indeed a recipe from a top chef she had worked with in Agnes.

"I can tell you anytime. I'm glad everyone said it was delicious."

They discussed hiring a chef during the meal.

Having someone to cook would definitely save time, so everyone was very positive about it.

"I'll look into it as soon as it's light. We also need to find a merchant to supply Miss Navia's clothes and other daily necessities. Oh, and I need to visit someone named Ricardo tomorrow. I have a lot to do."

Schleman said this with a gentle smile.

At that moment, Margaret, who seemed to have thought of something, said to Navia,

"By the way, what about having Minerva make Miss Navia's clothes?"

Navia nodded.

Minerva's skills were so outstanding that it would be better for her.

"I'm fine with it, but won't Minerva be too busy?"

Minerva quickly answered, as if it were no trouble at all.

"I, I want to do it!"

Schleman chuckled, as if the decision was made.

"Then Minerva will write down the necessary items, and we'll commission a merchant."

After finishing their meal, they had dessert with tea and moved to the first-floor study to continue talking.

Meanwhile, Navia had changed into her nightgown and was ready for bed.

Minerva, feeling tired, went to bed early, and Navia, staying a bit longer, started dozing off as the time grew late.

"I'm glad I had her change into her nightgown earlier."

Schleman picked up Navia with a smile.

"I'll take Miss Navia to her bedroom, so everyone should go to bed now."

Navia was carried to her room on the third floor and placed in bed.

"Sleep well."

Hearing the affectionate farewell, Navia smiled slightly in her sleep.

Schleman smiled back at her and closed the door, heading to the opposite room.

* * *

Knock knock.

"His Lordship, I have something to tell you."

Lark was writing a research paper, with a light near the table.

"Oh, your hairstyle is very cool. Where did you get it done?"

Lark frowned at Schleman's teasing.

"Enough. What is it?"

After hearing about the assassin, Schleman thought it would be a good idea to assign a knight to guard Navia.

"When the knights return, how about assigning Captain Nero Silas to guard Miss Navia?"

He expected Lark to be writing in ancient language, as usual, and glanced at the paper without thinking.

But what he saw was not ancient language, but the common language of the continent.

"What's this?"

"For sale."

Thud.

He put down his pen and handed the organized research paper to Schleman.

Schleman's eyes widened as he read the content.

Mages were just people who used magic, but Lark was one of the few who also studied magicology.

Eselred was the most powerful family not because they owned mines or were good at business, but because of this.

"A method to safely double one's mana. We can sell it to the old man Mason from the Mage Association."

"How can you just hand over something so great to the Association? It would become the achievement of the Association's president."

"That's why they'll pay a lot. It's just a shoddy technique to double mana. We can give it away. Oh, when we hand it over, we'll claim it's a secret technique of our family. That way, they won't try to squeeze us for more."

Schleman couldn't fully agree with Lark, but he could feel that this research would bring in a huge amount of money.

"And when Nero arrives, assign him to guard her."

"Understood."

Schleman said this and muttered as he left the bedroom.

"Will it work out as Margaret said?"

The combination of His Lordship and Navia...

"No matter how I think about it, they strangely resemble each other."

He shook his head, as if it were a mystery, and went down to the third floor.

* * *

Before dawn.

Navia woke up early out of habit. The sky was still dark, and the room was pitch black, making it feel like she was still trapped in the night.

Navia stared at the canopy for a moment, lost in thought.

'I woke up too early.'

In the past, she had liked the night. It was a time when people's gazes were hidden by the veil of darkness, and she could be alone.

But since coming to Eselred, Navia had vaguely realized what it felt like to be bored when alone.

She had become accustomed to having people around in just a few days.

Really... it was unbelievable.

Swish.

She pulled back the soft blanket and put on fluffy slippers. Since she didn't have slippers her size yet, the slightly large ones dragged on the floor.

Navia went to the window and pulled back the curtains completely.

The sky was still dark, covered in clouds.

'Is it going to rain?'

If she wasn't busy, Navia would check the sky and the wind when starting her day to see how the weather was.

The weather could affect her schedule, so it was natural to do so.

"Trouble."

Navia rubbed her eyes and muttered.

Today, she planned to go to Zenodic Street, the largest commercial district in the capital.

She needed to sell information and buy necessary information.

'I need to find out the weaknesses of Theorban's anesthetic herb farm quickly to start the process of transferring rights to Eselred.'

But the weather wasn't good.

'Without a coat or an umbrella, it will be difficult to go to the small commercial district near Eselred.'

To get to Zenodic Street, she would need to rent a carriage from the nearby small commercial district.

Navia was conflicted.

Should she not push herself too hard?

Or should she go despite the difficulty?

'If Theorban finds out I'm on the third floor, he'll immediately cut off the anesthetic herb supply and strongly pressure me to make his daughter the successor.'

She seemed to have some time before that happened.

'Although my injuries have mostly healed...'

Navia checked her body.

The pain she felt all over was now faint, and she no longer needed to take anesthetic drugs.

'The bruises have mostly faded, and the wounds have mostly healed.'

She should still be careful, as some wounds had recently reopened, but they seemed to be healing quickly.

'I should prepare for the outing anyway.'

Navia started preparing to go out.

She washed her hair with cold water and took out an elegant comb with jewels from the drawer to brush it.

"This comb dries my hair incredibly fast."

She remembered Margaret mentioning that it was a magical tool.

'There are such convenient magical tools. But why can't I find them in the market?'

Soon, Navia's silver hair fell neatly, emitting a pearl-like luster.

Brushing and styling her long hair, which reached her thighs, made her arms sore.

This time, she took out a black ribbon from the drawer. As she was about to tie her hair in the usual style, she tilted her head.

"Where did the torn ribbon go?"

She was sure one of the ribbons was slightly torn, but now both were intact.