Chapter 62
62
The Hope Merchant Group in the Capital's shopping district, at the same time.
Seria, who had become an elderly noblewoman with a hunched back instead of her original youthful appearance with the help of a Black Magic User, was checking the Hope Merchant Group's ledger.
"Vice-Chief."
The man who approached her looked around and lowered his voice.
"We don't have much Luminous medicine left in stock."
It was Curtis, her acquaintance who had brought Seria's bounty to Dubled's greenhouse in the past.
"I told the Wizard to quickly bloom the flowers and bring them. Refine them as soon as they arrive."
"Yes. Oh, and the Chief told me to keep a close eye on the doctors."
He handed Seria a letter from LeBlaine, the Chief.
The letter read: [Be careful that the doctors don't prioritize making money, and from now on, sell a little less medicine to the sellers than usual].
Curtis, who checked the letter with her, said.
"Why are you suddenly telling us to reduce sales? When popularity is increasing day by day, we could make a lot of money if we increase the distribution volume."
"Well. All I know is that the Chief never gives frivolous orders."
Curtis paused for a moment and nodded.
He didn't know or guess the identity of the Hope Merchant Group's Chief, but he knew that she was an amazing person.
Like knowing in advance about disasters such as famines and floods, the Merchant Group was able to avoid danger and acquire enormous wealth just by following the Chief's words.
'Amazing sense.'
Seeing that she had Spinelle's landfill even before the Merchant Group was launched, she must be the owner of enormous capital.
If so, she must be a noble, but she also knew how to understand the feelings of the Merchant Group's workers. She never treated the workers poorly.
Thanks to the generous rewards and certain punishments, it was not so difficult to control the workers, which other Merchant Groups always considered a problem.
With higher wages and welfare compared to other Merchant Groups, the workers' loyalty increased day by day, and there were more than enough people who wanted to work for the Merchant Group.
There was even a Chief's fan club in the Merchant Group.
"Oh, did you find the person the Chief told you to find?"
"There are a few people I can guess, but it's difficult to confirm because the information is not certain."
"Find them at all costs. We can never disappoint the Chief."
Seria, the Vice-Chief and representative of the Chief's fan club, glared.
\\
The day of the banquet.
I came down the stairs after getting dressed up.
As soon as I saw Dad and my brothers waiting at the bottom of the stairs, I exclaimed, "Wow-!"
The three of them, dressed to the nines, were dazzlingly beautiful.
I had seen them dressed up before, and I was surprised every time, but now I see that it was just formal attire, not intentional dressing up.
Dubled's symbol, brilliant and chilling silver hair and deep, transparent blue eyes, as if embodying winter.
A high and straight nose, neatly placed eyes, and slightly sharp eyes.
Not only their appearance, but also the fact that they were all tall and slender like panthers, made any clothes look good on them.
But now that they were wearing custom-made, luxurious, and special formal wear, it made people feel overwhelmed.
"You're really cool!"
When I said that, Dad gently stroked my cheek and smiled.
"You're very pretty too."
Maybe this isn't just a case of seeing through rose-colored glasses.
In the past three lives, I had suffered and lived, so my face was haggard, and no one thought I was pretty.
A skinny body with unsightly protruding bones, scabs on my face caused by not eating well, and shaggy hair that I had cut sparsely to save on beauty expenses.
Even if you tried to see me nicely, I wouldn't have been pretty.
But in this life, I received the utmost care from Dubled's employees and retainers, so it was definitely different from my past lives.
My body gained weight, so there were no unsightly protruding parts, my face was smooth and flawless, and my curly hair, which was a complex, was luscious without a single strand damaged.
In addition, I wore a dress and cute lace ribbon and shoes that Melbein had put his heart and soul into making.
The me in the mirror was a pretty little lady who looked like she had grown up well in a wealthy family.
'This is the miracle of capital.'
I thought so and laughed.
"Shall we go?"
Henri asked, and I nodded.
We took a carriage to the banquet hall. The Sowing Festival, one of the Empire's three major festivals, was held in the Imperial Palace's open hall.
At the door of the hall, the voice of the servant announcing the entrance echoed.
People's attention turned to us at once.
I had attended the Sowing Festival as a Young Lady of the Duke's family in my past life, but it was always a nerve-wracking experience.
The sharp gazes of those at the pinnacle of the Empire's pyramid scanned my whole body as if they were appraising me.
'And…….'
I clenched my sweaty hands tightly.
Duke Amitié and Duke Valois will not attend this year's banquet.
Duke Amitié doesn't attend these parties as much as Duke Dubled, and Duke Valois left in a hurry because of the floods in his territory.
I know, but my throat was parched with fear that I might meet them. My trauma was stimulated, and I was more nervous than ever before.
'Calm down. Today's goal is the Empress Dowager.'
I'm just going to meet the Empress Dowager and go back.
Dad and my brothers were already surrounded by people.
Dad had the same dry expression as always, Henri was smiling and talking to people, and Isaac had a very annoyed face.
'I need to blend in too…….'
In situations like this, I usually mingle with Young Ladies of my age through my mother's introduction, but I didn't have a mother, so I was hesitating and looking around.
Then, the servant's loud voice was heard.
"The Empress Dowager is entering!"
People stepped back to the wall at once.
Henri gently pulled my arm so I wouldn't get swept away.
"Glory to the Mother of the Empire!"
"Glory."
When someone started, people paid their respects to her.
"Thank you for coming to my party."
People who saw the smiling Empress Dowager looked at each other with troubled expressions.
'Oh my, not again…….'
Strictly speaking, the Empress Dowager is the one who hosts the Sowing Festival, but this was an imperial event.
Not 'the Empress Dowager's party'.
She has such a kind and gentle face that you don't notice it at first, but the Empress Dowager had a tendency to show off. In addition, she was very greedy, so she boasted her authority with such subtle words.
'If the Emperor heard, he would have rubbed his forehead again.'
"Oh my, the Child of Destiny."
When the Empress Dowager's gaze turned to me, the audience also paid attention to me.
"Come here. Come here."
When she gestured to me, I naturally looked around. Henri nodded slightly to me.
I carefully walked through the crowd, which had parted like the Red Sea, and approached her.
"Glory to the Mother of the Empire."
I said, spreading my skirt and looking at the Empress Dowager.
I'm going to win the heart of that old woman on this trip to the Capital.
\\
The Empress Dowager took my hand with a kind face.
"You've grown so much. Oh my, you've really grown a lot."
I had seen the Empress Dowager often in my past life, but in this life, thanks to Dubled's strong refusal and close protection, she hadn't seen a single strand of my hair.
"I couldn't take care of the child who will become the savior of the Empire until she grew up so much, so how can I raise my head to God when I die?"
Trouble was written on the faces of the audience again.
It was not right for a member of the Imperial Family to talk about God in public.
The Empire was not a Holy State ruled by the Pope. In other words, even if the Neriad Church was the state religion, it was not necessary to believe in it.
However, if the Imperial Family stepped up to give strength to the Temple, it was no different from forcing the people of the Empire to believe.
In addition, the Empress Dowager's words just now could be seen as expressing displeasure to Duke Dubled.
'Hmm, the Emperor would have grabbed the back of his neck instead of his forehead.'
I skillfully hid my feelings and smiled.
"I wanted to see the Empress Dowager. I saw you a long, long time ago, so I don't remember you well. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of person you would be, but you're much more wonderful than I imagined, so my heart is pounding!"
I deliberately spoke in a childish tone. So that they wouldn't think I was flattering them because I was a child.
As expected, the Empress Dowager smiled very happily.
"How can you speak so well? I was worried that you would misunderstand me because you grew up under Duke Dubled, but I guess that was a hasty thought."
"Yo, Your Majesty."
The maid called in embarrassment, but the Empress Dowager didn't even listen.
"Come, come. Sit next to me. Tell me how you've been."
Next to the chair prepared for the Empress Dowager, a short-legged chair for children was placed.
I sat next to her and chatted.
"So, Prince Constance had an affair."
"Really, these days kids are amazing."
The Empress Dowager, who lightly put her hand on her cheek, shook her head.
But even if she says that, she'll be very excited. As evidence, her cheeks are red and she's out of breath.
There was no one who would tell such low-level rumors to someone of high status like the Empress Dowager.
How fun would my story be when she's bored and listening to boring stories in the boring Imperial Palace?
'So I deliberately asked Laura about the most outrageous stories.'
Mina said in the first life.
There's something called morning drama in her world, and it's almost all outrageous stories. And there's no adult who hates that morning drama. They curse in front of them, but they have the remote control in their hands behind them.
Of course, I also prepared topics that the Empress Dowager would like in front of her.
"During the worship, a woman had a very bad stomachache. She wanted to go to the bathroom so badly, but she couldn't leave her seat. So she aimed for when the hymn was being sung and farted! Then the Priest said to the hymn players, 'Today the trumpet player played very loudly'."
"Ohohohoht-!"
In a way, Temple gag.
I don't know what's so funny, but people who go to the Temple diligently seem to find this story so funny.
"It's always difficult because the worship is long. It can be painful for older people like me."
Hmm, it was an empathetic laugh.
"Talking to the baby is so much fun. It's been so long since I've been so happy."
When the Empress Dowager was very happy, the people who were glancing at us were amazed.
The Empress Dowager is a person who lives as she wants to the point of being embarrassing, but she rarely shows her affection for someone like this.
"Come and play at the Imperial Palace next time."
'Okay, the words I wanted came out.'
I deliberately said with a sullen expression.
"But if the Priest comes, Dad will be in trouble."
Everyone in the Empire knew that the relationship between Dubled and the Temple was bad, and the Empress Dowager knew it especially well.
She understood what I meant and nodded.
"I won't call the Priest when the baby comes."
"Really? Wow! I really wanted to go to the Imperial Palace where Your Majesty is."
To be exact, to a secret space where I can see the Empress Dowager's skin condition.
I need to know how much her skin disease has healed so I can manipulate the Empress Dowager to abandon the Temple.
I hid my true feelings and smiled brightly.
Then, the Empress Dowager looked at her watch and stood up, saying, "Oh my."
"Wait a moment. It's time for me to take my medicine."
When she held out her hand to the maid, the maid took out a small medicine bottle from her arms and handed it to her.
In the first life and the second life, the Empress Dowager was healthy during this period. There were no problems other than skin disease.
But she's taking medicine?
"Your Majesty, are you sick? I'm so sad that you're taking medicine."
When I asked, forcibly lowering my eyebrows, the Empress Dowager laughed.
"Don't worry. This is the medicine of youth. It's a somewhat embarrassing name."
What are you talking about?
I never sell that much medicine at once.
"I know too. I heard the retainers talking about it. They said it's sold by the Hope Merchant Group?"
When I deliberately pretended not to know, the Empress Dowager bit the bait.
"It's not the Hope Merchant Group. It's a new medicine made by the Temple."
"I want to see it too. Can you show me what it is?"
"How can I refuse the request of the baby who will become the hero of the Empire."
The Empress Dowager handed me the medicine bottle without showing any displeasure, as if she liked me very much.
I smelled the scent and checked the color, and I froze.
'It's not a new medicine made by the Temple. This is my medicine.'
They just changed the bottle of my medicine.
In other words, the Temple stole the recipe for my medicine.
