Chapter 54

Bertine returned to the capital of the Allied Nations, and busy days began again.

Furniture, linens, and tableware. There were many things to buy.

She chose furniture with gentle curves, lightness, and a simple design that would fit the hotel. She bought them and had them shipped, and once they arrived, they were transported by cart.

A letter from Franz arrived: "The hotel is starting to look more and more like a hotel."

The riverboat Carina was recently being used by wealthy merchants traveling to the south. Initially, Bertine had intended to use the boat only for hotel guests and her own group, but the crew members said, "If we keep being idle, our skills will get rusty."

"Why don't we lend it to regular customers as well?"

That's what they decided.

At first, the passengers on the Carina were only men, but soon, their wives, daughters, and their friends started to join, increasing the number of female passengers. The beautifully elegant riverboat, with its excellent meals and high-quality furniture and interior, satisfied the women.

The news spread among the women, from the northern to the southern regions of the Allied Nations. Wealthy women enjoyed short boat trips, boarding in the morning, enjoying lunch, and returning home in the evening. This unexpected demand was a pleasant surprise.

Preparations for the hotel's opening were steadily progressing, and Bertine herself stayed multiple times to check for any issues with the facilities and service.

Finally, it was time to welcome the first guests.

"Hey, Dorothe. I want to invite someone as our first guest. Who do you think we should invite? I want to invite your father, who is an expert in hotel management, but that's impossible, right?"

"Your husband is the prime minister, so it would be difficult for him to leave the country. What about Dalila?"

"Yes, it might be too much to ask, but let's try."

Bertine immediately wrote a letter:

"I have built a hotel with a unique design in the heart of the Allied Nations. Would you like to stay as our first guest? We have a chartered boat available for the round trip from near the empire's border."

She received a quick reply:

"I would be delighted to stay."

Bertine felt reassured that Dalila, who had served as a head maid in the imperial palace, would visit. She would surely point out any deficiencies in the facilities and service.

The night before Dalila's arrival, a celebration for the hotel's opening was held with everyone involved in the construction. The hotel was named "Bilva Hotel," after the district's name.

Evans was crying tears of joy.

Franz, the manager, and his wife Elise were also crying. The architect Eckart smiled wryly, saying, "Evans cries easily when he's happy."

"Bertine, are you going back to the empire now?"

"No, Bertine. This is the first time I've had such a fun job. It was even more enjoyable than building my first building. I want to help build Evans' second and third homes as the structural engineer. Do you have any plans?"

"I do, but first, we need to get this hotel on track."

Eckart looked up at Bertine, who was slightly taller than him, and said,

"Then I'll travel around this country until then. I've come to love living here so much that I think all my hard work and earnings were for this. Thanks to the climate here, my knees and back don't hurt anymore. I feel like I've become young again."

"Oh, then please do. It would be a great help to have you around when Evans builds his next house."

"Master, if you travel, I'll be your guard and guide."

It doesn't have to be a hotel. It could be a library. I'll cover the expenses. It would be an honor to contribute to this country. Besides, it would be interesting to see Evans' buildings all over the country.

That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Bertine stood in front of the hotel.

"I will create my own place." She had been running towards this goal, and finally, her dream had taken shape. The funds to build this hotel were created by the people and materials of this country.

"I was born to come here."

Now, she could say that. She wanted to tell her past self, who had left the country in despair, "It's okay. There will be many good things ahead. Stay strong."

Finally, the day of the hotel's opening arrived.

Bertine was staying in a management building in the forest near the hotel. As she waited, the sound of a carriage approached, and Dalila arrived, smiling, with two maids.

"Welcome from afar, Lady Dalila."

Bertine led the way, and the staff, dressed in uniforms, welcomed her.

"The boat was wonderful. I was initially worried about not taking a carriage, but the riverboat journey was fantastic. What an amazing hotel! It looks like a fairy's home!"

"Isn't it interesting?"

"I'm impressed that you came up with such a building."

"I'm proud of my good fortune in meeting the genius who designed it."

"Perhaps it was your ability to attract good luck."

After receiving her kind words, Bertine showed Dalila to her room.

The first-floor room had one wall attached to a large tree, allowing guests to touch the trunk. Dalila found this interesting and said,

"Oh, what a pity. I should have brought a painter!"

"Bertine, I didn't think of that. I'll arrange for a painter to capture the hotel's charm and share it with many people."

"That would be great. If possible, have them paint two copies and make an album. I'll show it to other nobles."

"That would be wonderful! I'll arrange it quickly."

Dalila, who was initially afraid that the suspended walkways would sway, learned that they were secured with vines and didn't move. She climbed to the third floor and said,

"Amazing... such a deep and vast forest. The richness of the greenery is something you don't see in the empire."

She leaned over the railing, looking into the distance.

The next morning, Bertine visited Dalila's room to deliver breakfast and hear her thoughts. Dalila, excited, greeted her.

"Bertine, this place is a paradise! This morning, a wild bird perched on the railing of my third-floor room and sang! It wasn't afraid of me sitting on the lounge chair. It sang a long song, preened, and then flew away. It was a small, bright red bird!"

"That bird has a long, beautiful song. I love it too."

"And the food! The meat of the tamauri rabbit is so delicious. It's completely different from the wild rabbits in the empire."

The conversation went on, so Bertine quietly offered a tray with a variety of fruits, bread, eggs, butter, jam, and tea.

"Look at this! The variety of fruits is amazing! The syrup is good, but the fresh fruits of this country are truly delightful. I was planning to stay for a week, but now I want to stay for two weeks, no, a month. But if I introduce this place to many people, I might not be able to stay. It's a dilemma."

Bertine smiled, understanding Dalila's dilemma.

"I recommend a walk after breakfast. There are many flowers in the forest. Also, hotel guests can eat fruit freely from the orchard, as we have a contract with the owner. You can also see emus walking along the path next to the orchard."

"Emus! I've only seen them in books. Bertine, you really chose a wonderful location for the hotel."

Bertine couldn't help but giggle.

Dalila particularly enjoyed the star fruit wine and declared that she would buy fifty bottles to take home, which made the clan leader Bruno panic, saying, "We need to make more wine quickly."

After a week, Dalila left, repeating, "I wish I could have brought Diana and Prince Claudius here!"

Naturally, many letters requesting hotel reservations arrived at Bertine's home in Ibit from the empire. Bertine decided to build another hotel a little further from the current one and started budgeting for it.

The two hotel introduction albums she later sent to Dalila featured the hotel's exterior, nearby animals and plants, and the hotel's cuisine, with Bertine writing explanations for all the illustrations.

The albums became so popular that Dalila complained, "Once I lend them to a friend, they never come back." She received many letters requesting the albums and had to hurry the painter to create many more copies.

Claudius' birthday was a year away.

In the Kingdom of Sanlouan, Prime Minister Maxim was steadily laying the groundwork. The senior officials, knowing that the king and prince had no will or desire to lead the country, immediately agreed to Maxim's secret plan. If the empire and the Allied Nations were to join forces, they had no choice but to follow this path to survive.