Knock knock.
“Madam, Mr. James has arrived.”
Right at that moment, the clear voice of a maid rang out. Cassia, who was sinking into dread as she thought of the impending territorial war, immediately brightened.
“Right, that was today. I’ve been looking forward to making progress on the wig business.”
Cassia sat up, her cheeks flushed with excitement. Paul stared at her then let out a small laugh. As she turned to leave the room, Cassia tilted her head curiously.
“What are you laughing?”
“Ah, I apologize. I was just reminded of when you first arrived at the castle…”
“Hm?”
“Do you remember when your relationship with Master was still a bit on edge?”
Cassia blinked blankly. If Paul was referring to the very beginning, then that would be around the time she found herself ten years back in time and declared that she wasn’t going to lift a finger. Not only did she openly tell Zester, ‘Don’t expect me to fulfill the duties of a lady of the house,’ but in front of Paul, whom she trusted with her candid self, she would openly lounge around like a sloth.
She had been the epitome of a good-for-nothing, although that didn’t last long. She couldn’t just sit by and watch her husband, who would surely run the territory into the ground if she left him alone.
“I thought you were unfamiliar with your new role as lady of the castle but I’m proud to see how you’ve become a true madam in just two months.”
“Oh, I see…”
Cassia scratched her cheek. Now that he mentioned it, even though she promised herself that she would idle around and play, nowadays, she didn’t really think of it.
What was the point of living so busily and diligently with only ten years left anyway? But perhaps out of habit from her previous life, staying still made her restless, and watching her foolish husband blunder about drove her mad.
There was no helping it. When one is used to surviving on something, they can’t force themselves to survive on something else.
Even after returning ten years, her days remained full, but strangely, she didn’t feel tired. It didn’t even seem hard. In fact, the thought of building up the wig business and seeing her people thrive with newfound wealth made her heart flutter.
And then there was her affectionate husband.
Yes, it was a little embarrassing to admit, but maybe, just maybe, thanks to Zester’s newfound tenderness, life as the lady of the territory didn’t feel so burdensome.
Since the night he’d brought his pillow and moved into her room, every morning she opened her eyes to find his gentle gaze beside her. In her previous life, she could have never imagined something like this.
“Madam?”
“Huh? Yes…”
At Paul’s call, Cassia smiled awkwardly, finally snapping out of her thoughts of Zester.
Paul’s warm expression made her feel like he could see what she was thinking and she felt embarrassed.
“I better hurry.”
“Yes, of course.”
Paul smiled and opened the door for her. Cassia pressed her flushed cheek with the back of her hand and hurried out of the room.
***
Even from her very first meeting with James, she could sense that James was quite articulate and had a sly style that was perfect for charming nobles. Still, she was relieved because she could tell he wasn’t a bad person.
The wigs James had prepared were completed without any trial and error, thanks to Cassia’s advice, which was also very fortunate.
When wigs were first introduced in Viche territory, they were poorly ventilated and widely criticized. But this time, thanks to Cassia’s forewarning, he avoided such mistakes. Taking her suggestion, James had brought several excellent wigs that needed no further adjustments.
“Look at this! Madam, like you suggested, I used Rugla leather (leather from a type of mammal native to the south) for the inner lining and that solved the ventilation issue right away. Without airflow, they were stuffy and in the worst-case scenario, it could have even caused skin problems…”
James turned the wig in his hands, full of admiration.
“I’m already grateful you gave me the opportunity to use this expensive Rugla leather, and now you’ve even invited me to this lovely meal. I don’t know how to thank you.”
James glanced around the table, which was clearly arranged with considerable care and scratched his head awkwardly. Sitting next to Zester and across from him James, Cassia gave a small smile and gently shook her head.
“No need for thanks. You’ve promised to share such a promising business to our territory so what is one meal in return? Eat without reservation.”
“Thank you. But I must say, you always amaze me, Madam. I was already shocked initially when you accepted a nobody like me as a resident of your territory and supported my wig venture and then you immediate saw the flaws in my wig after just seeing it a few times…Barmant leather(leather from a type of mammal native to the north) is easy to source, but it’s too thick and doesn’t breathe well, which is a problem I had.”
Cassia felt a bit embarrassed by his awe and the way he was shaking his head like she was amazing. Strictly speaking, she hadn’t come up with the idea on her case. If the previous Cassia were here, she wouldn’t have been able to give such advice.
However, she had used one of the later wig models which were improved after extensive research after the early wig ventilation problems became widely known. Which is why she had suggested using the softer, thinner Rugla leather from the warm south as the lining. Since they were in the North, the cost of purchasing Rugla leather had been significant, but she had covered it with her dowry and jewelry.
Supporting the wig business was a gamble with no guarantee of success so James was naturally moved by Cassia’s support.
Cassia flushed slightly and replied.
“If we want to profit from this wig business, we’ll need to aim for the nobility so of course, the design must reflect their standards of luxury. Furthermore, since it touches the skin directly, we need to take that more seriously. It’s nothing particularly extraordinary.”
“No, this is an extraordinary achievement. It’s nothing to be humble about.”
“I agree,” Zester added, “James has been preparing this business alone for quite some time, so he might have noticed some issues, but you haven’t. Furthermore, how easy could it be for one raised as a noble lady in Ruberno gave such excellent advice? This is definitely impressive.”
“Well said, Lord Baron.”
“James, you might not have heard but do you know how much she surprised me as well when we conducted the territory inspection?”
Zester quickly spoke after James, clearly waiting for a moment to jump in,. His excited face full of praise turned Cassia’s face red.
“Oh, I’ve heard too. The people of the territory continue to praise the Madam even now. Everyone’s been saying it’s a blessing from God that someone so beautiful and wise became the lady of Greze.”
“Hahaha… I couldn’t agree more. I was never good at managing the territory, so I’ve decided to follow my wife’s advice closely. It feels like the territory is finally finding its footing, and while I’m grateful, I’m also a little embarrassed. Ahem… Don’t you agree she’s amazing?”
“Oh, absolutely!”
“Honesy, that’s enough.”
Cassia gave Zester a warning tap on the arm, but he just smiled like he was pleased.
She still couldn’t get used to this. The once tight-lipped man who used to frustrate her now showered her with praise so cringeworthy it made her squirm. She used to wonder if he had any emotions at all, but now he smiled so easily.
Maybe sensing Cassia’s embarrassment, James quickly added.
“Of course, everyone is also saying the Baroness is a perfect match for the great lord of Greze.”
“What are you saying now? Tell them not to talk nonsense. If such word spreads, people will laugh at me.”
Zester retorted.
“Why would they laugh at you?”
It was Cassia who replied when she heard Zester’s hasty response. She paused from slicing the cheese-topped bread and turned to him, with displeasure on her face.
“Why wouldn’t they? Anyone can see you’re too good for this place.”
Zester, who spoke with a look that said this was obvious face and it showed that he hadn’t improved much.
How on earth could she revive this rock-bottom self-esteem of his? Was it going to stay this way for the rest of his life? Cassia shook her head wearily.
“My lord, of course, we can all agree that the Madam is indeed remarkable in lineage and in grace, but you are just as brave and worthy. In fact, one of the reasons I came to Greze was to meet you, my lord.”
“Oh, really? Why?”
Cassia, who had been quietly listening to James, brightened up and asked.
“I mean…he’s the famous war hero. I may not hail from the Empire, but even I’ve heard about the Imperial War. The mercenary legend, defeating 150,000 with only 50,000!”
Cassia’s eyes widened. She knew about the imperial war in the North, but not the specifics of Zester’s exploits. She had never had much interest in war itself. Though she’d been well-educated as Ruberno’s heir, military history never excited her.
Still, defeating a 150,000 strong army with 50,000 was quite a feat. That was an almost three-fold difference in forces.
Zester’s face flushed red as Cassia turned to look at him with surprise and he waved his hand.
“I don’t deserve the credit. It was all thanks to Count Axios’s brilliant strategy.”
“I was too young then, and uninterested in war, so I don’t know much. How are you so knowledgeable, James?”
Cassia casually dismissed Zester’s attempt to heap praises on Count Axios and turned to James.
“Well, my lord is so famous I can’t help but know. Of course, I’ve heard stories about Count Axios too, but it’s my lord’s great accomplishments during the Imperial War that truly stood out to me.”
“No, no. If it weren’t for Count Axios, a nameless mercenary like me would have never dared to wield a sword in that great war. It’s all thanks to him.”
“Right, what kind of accomplishments?”
Zester tried to explain with a fluster, but Cassia simply ignored him and asked James to continue with a smile.
Sensing the strange atmosphere in the air, James glanced back and forth between the two of them then awkwardly began to reply.
“The Bert army suffered a crushing defeat and started to retreat with 150,000 soldiers but then my lord led 50,000 men and annihilated them.”
“My goodness. How was he able to win with such a huge difference in numbers?”
“No, no. I wouldn’t call that my achievement. I went there on Count Axios’ orders and—.”
It felt awkard to keep talking in front of Zester who kept adamantly refusing to accept verbal praise, yet Cassia kept insisting like she didn’t care. James had no choice but to answer.
James was already regretting bringing up this subject but he continued speaking, with his voice growing softer every second.
“I remember the battle happening the North’s Algore gorge…I heard my lord was able to subdue the Bert army with a much smaller force because the gorge was too narrow for their retreat. Um, I really wanted to hear tales of your exploits from my lord when I visited the castle.”
“Oh, so he took advantage of the terrain. Even though I don’t know much about war, it sounds very impressive.”
“I’m telling, it’s really not? I didn’t even think about chasing the retreating Bert army but Count Axios…”
Bam!
Cassia slammed her knife down on the table. Her stiff expression made it obvious she wasn’t pleased as did her behaviour.
I knew this would happen. James cleared his throat pointlessly and poked at his now-cold gratin.
Zester clamped his mouth shut once he saw Cassia’s reaction which showed she was very annoyed. His wife’s very dissatisfied gaze turned straight to him and he swallowed hard.
Gulp.
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