Chapter 46
~Chapter 46~
As expected, Roxana let out a deep sigh and pressed her hand to her forehead.
Harriet clung to her even more.
“Please give me just one more hour of economics lessons. And could you recommend some books worth reading? If you have any summary notes… could you lend them to me…?”
“You really are a shameless thief.”
“But knowledge doesn’t diminish no matter how much you steal it, right? So I’m not really a thief.”
When Harriet flashed a playful smile, Roxana finally gave in. After all, Trisha had asked her to help.
“I don’t know what your true intentions are, but your enthusiasm is impressive, to say the least. Very well—I’ll help you, if only for Mrs. Phelon’s sake.”
“Thank you, Teacher!”
“Honestly, it’s rather refreshing. You’re the first student I’ve ever had who’s asked for more classes or more homework.”
That day, Harriet saw Roxana smile for the first time.
The tavern’s night was dim and rowdy, filled with juvenile jokes, shady schemes, debauched parties, and sudden bursts of rage.
“What did you say?! Say it again!”
“C-Calm down, Albert! I just said I was jealous!”
It had only been a casual remark about how lucky he was to have a duke for a cousin—yet suddenly Albert grabbed the man by the collar. The man, startled sober by the shock, desperately tried to explain that he’d only said it out of envy.
But Albert’s anger didn’t subside easily, and the scuffle soon turned into a full brawl. It only stopped when the tavern owner intervened.
As his friends spat in disgust and left, one of them muttered, “Does he think he’s something just because his cousin’s a duke?”
Albert’s mood plummeted to rock bottom.
“Damn it. They don’t know a thing. Our uncle and father were twins. That position could’ve been mine. Cedric just got lucky….”
He downed another drink and muttered nonsense to himself—until someone nearby nudged him.
“Huh? Who’re you?”
“Excuse me, are you all right? You looked like you got hurt back there….”
It was a young woman’s voice, but her pronunciation and accent were a bit peculiar.
“A foreigner?”
“I’m originally from another country, but I’m a citizen of the Empire now. My name is Leslie Ogden.”
“Albert… Kingsley.”
She gave a light smile and sat down across from him. Then she pulled out a handkerchief, dampened it with the strong liquor, and gently wiped the cut on his face.
“Ow, that stings!”
“It’s just a light scrape, but if you leave it like that, it might scar. High-proof alcohol makes a good disinfectant, even if it’s just a temporary measure.”
“You seem to know your way around this stuff.”
“Isn’t it common sense?”
Leslie let out a soft giggle. In the lamplight, she looked even more beautiful—sleek black hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and red lips. Almost seductive.
Buoyed by the alcohol and stung by his earlier bruised pride, Albert didn’t push away this beauty’s kind touch. Talking to someone who knew nothing about Cedric was far more comforting than dealing with friends who kept bringing up his cousin.
“A commoner?”
“Daughter of a rural baron. My father earned his title for helping with trade to the Firma Kingdom. But ever since the war ended last year, people have been cold to anyone from Firma. Even though I have no real memories of the place.”
“Oh….”
Albert feigned sympathy, but inwardly he looked down on her. Judging by her plain clothes, she must be from a poor noble family, even if she was nobility. And in a tavern at this hour? She might be lying about being noble and actually a woman who sold her body.
“But isn’t it dangerous for a young lady to be in a tavern this late at night?”
“This place is also an inn. I arrived in Genoa today and am staying here. I came down for a late dinner and ended up seeing that commotion earlier.”
She spoke as if she already knew exactly how Albert was judging her.
“I thought you might treat me without prejudice, so I approached you. I’m sorry if I offended you. You seemed upset by all the ignorant chatter….”
At those words, Albert stared at her for a moment before extending his hand.
“Let’s introduce ourselves properly. Albert Kingsley. Pleased to meet you.”
Leslie smiled and took his hand.
Despite being strangers, the two clicked surprisingly well, and they ended up talking for quite a while. Albert couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had such a relaxed, comfortable conversation.
As they talked, his head began to clear. By the time their conversation wound down, he was almost completely sober.
Around then, Leslie was talking about concepts and items from Firma that didn’t exist in the Empire.
“My father was really surprised to learn there’s no ‘Dascenzo’ herb here. In Firma, it’s used like a cure-all.”
“Dascenzo? Never heard of it. What’s it good for?” “It’s a powerful painkiller, and it lifts the spirits of the depressed. They say it’s even used for people driven mad by grief. And when mixed with other herbs….” She glanced around and lowered her voice.
“…it’s said to arouse sexual desire.”
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t know much about it myself. But I heard there’s a tradition in Firma of giving newlyweds liquor laced with Dascenzo on their wedding night.”
That was an intriguing story. If such an herb existed, it would surely be popular among nobles worried about their bedroom troubles.
Wait. Hold on. Isn’t this… actually a huge business opportunity?
Albert’s eyes lit up.
Almost no one in the Empire knows about Dascenzo yet. That means the first one to import it could dominate the market.
He hurriedly grabbed Leslie’s hand.
“Leslie, can you get me that Dascenzo herb?”
“It’s not hard. My father knows someone in Firma who makes medicine with it. But why? Are you ill?”
“Never mind that—I need to meet your father. I want to talk business.”
“So suddenly?”
Leslie seemed surprised but didn’t refuse.
“Our family has a baronial title, but we’re not wealthy. Will this business idea really make money for my father?”
“Of course! I’ll turn your father into a viscount.”
Albert had completely forgotten about his fight with his friends earlier. Now he was chasing a golden goose.
“Phew… I think I’ve taken care of everything on the list.”
Harriet drew a line through the last item on her notepad’s to-do list and scanned it once more.
She’d told Cedric things were urgent, but even she hadn’t expected everything to go this smoothly.
She’d introduced Abbess Catherine to the Aster Merchant House’s contact, so transportation would be handled on their end… Tomorrow, she needed to check on the interior construction progress.
It had only been ten days since she first proposed the business idea, but she’d already visited everywhere necessary for final checks and approvals.
It had been hectic, but not as tough as she’d feared. Aside from the convent trip, most of the work was in Genoa proper, so it hadn’t been too difficult.
She’d also contributed many ideas for the store design on Seriol Street. The experienced carpenter Cedric had brought refined her ideas into something even more elegant.
“We’ll keep the basic structure, so the renovations should take about a fortnight.”
“That fast?”
“His Grace ordered us to finish as quickly as possible.”
It had already been a week since she’d marveled at how fast the carpenter started work once the design was finalized.
Honestly, watching Cedric move, it almost felt like it was his business.
Well, at this point, maybe it really is.
Harriet adjusted her hat and let out a sigh.
In any case, today she had to attend the invited charity bazaar. To boost soap sales, they needed to spread the word before the store officially opened.
She’d heard Bella would be there too.
It’s been a while, Bella. Will you pretend to be happy to see me like an angel again this time?
Of course, Harriet had no intention of playing along anymore. She used to smile for her uncle’s sake, but not now. There was no reason to hold back.
Harriet wore the white dress Trisha had picked out for her. The black trim on the collar, sleeves, and hem looked quite sophisticated.
She tilted the hat with its large black ribbon slightly to the side, giving her the air of a seasoned socialite—which was amusingly fun.
It was astonishing how much a change of clothes and hat could transform a person.
Suddenly, she recalled her aunt forcing her into dresses that didn’t suit her at all.
