《The Goal is to be Self-made》 CH 1 ¡°Your Grace, please marry me.¡± Violet Hale asked calmly. She was a beautiful woman with light blonde hair and red crimson eyes, but she did not look like a lady who confessed earnestly because of overflowing love. At that, Grand Duke Sheldrick Etzel knew that her true purpose was not to propose a romantic marriage. ¡°Pardon me, but I do not understand.¡± Sheldrick was genuinely puzzled. Violet Hale was about to get married to Cassard, the Crown Prince of Arnold Empire. The wedding was only a month later. Cassard Arnold was indeed an elegant prince. He was handsome and kind, and he was destined to become an emperor someday. If a person were asked to pick the best groom in the empire, anyone would pick him as their top priority. As soon as he reached adulthood at his 16th birthday, people began to wonder who would obtain the position next to him. Numerous dignified ladies from prominent families were also mentioned as candidates for the Crown Princess vacancy. However, in the end, it was Violet, a girl who had just had her coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 16. She was the stepdaughter of Duke Basel, who possessed both strong military power and wealth. The Imperial family and the Duchy. Two great families were united. The capital was already crowded with people who had come to witness this grand wedding. Aristocrats, as well as commoners, were very excited about this splendid event. It was even spread widely that the reason for the young Duke of Etzel, who hardly ever traveled out of the empire¡¯s eastern territory, appeared in the capital was because he had received a wedding invitation from the Emperor himself. But how could one of the main stars of this great wedding make such an absurd proposal? ¡°I know this is a sudden request. But provide the current situation, you are the only one who can help me.¡± ¡°Why do you think I am the only one?¡± ¡°The wedding is only a fortnight away. Now, if I say I do not want to marry the prince, who would listen to me?¡± That brought the case, she came to the Duke in hope of finding her way out of it, even that meant having to recklessly pose an unreasonable demand. ¡°Since Duke Etzel has the right of a meritorious retainer, I would like you to use it to welcome me as your wife.¡± At the word ¡®meritorious retainer¡¯, Sheldrick frowned. 6 years ago. Sheldrick¡¯s father, the former Duke of Etzel, was killed while defending the Emperor from assassins blended in a hunting competition. His only successor, Sheldrick, was only 13 years old at the time. The Emperor comforted the young Duke who had just succeeded the title. And in commemoration of the loyalty of Etzel¡¯s predecessor, he issued a decree of meritorious retainer to the Etzel family. The right to be forgiven of any sin and to be granted any request. Violet was suggesting he used his precious privilege to help her. ¡°It is not like I¡¯m going to live with Your Grace for the rest of my life. I just want you to preserve a safe place for me for a few years until I acquire complete freedom.¡± ¡°I will not ask why the Miss wants to hold a wedding with another man when there is only a half month left until your marriage with the prince. It has nothing to do with me anyway.¡± Sheldrick smirked and looked at Violet. ¡°But I want to ask you this. Why did you think I would help you? Only because the Emperor has granted our family the right of meritorious retainer that I am obliged to help you?¡± The two were not close at all, they were not even acquainted to begin with. This was because Duke Sheldrick Etzel seldom visited the capital. He always stayed at the Eastern Grand Duchy, even during the social season, when all the nobility gathered in the capital. He had no contact with Violet, who had never left the capital because she was raised by her mother, who was called the flower of society. And given that her mother was a star in the social world at the capital, she was also stuck there with her. Of course, he heard a lot of rumours. Violet¡¯s mother, Lady Adeline, was a famous socialite. Everyone loved Lady Adeline for her beautiful appearance and pleasant personality. In a conservative aristocratic society, thanks to her gorgeous look and popularity, she was never once criticised even after having married four times. Violet was the daughter she gave birth to in her first marriage. Ever since Violet was young, people frequently said that she would be as beautiful as her mother, no, she would be even more beautiful than her when she grew up. Did she think of me as a fool who could be easily deceived by her beautiful look? He knew that there were also baseless rumours circulating that ¡®Unlike the predecessor, the current Duke of Etzel estate is stupid, that¡¯s why he only remains in the Grand Duchy to hide it¡¯. Violet must have heard the rumours too. He speculated that she brought up this proposal as she thought it would be easy to handle a so-called foolish young master. But the words soon escaped her lips were something he had never expected. ¡°I know how to help the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°You asked for my help a while ago, and now you want to help me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s support each other.¡± ¡°Support each other?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± How can a little girl help him? It must be nonsense. But Violet¡¯s eyes were glinting with confidence. Sheldrick was somehow shaken by that gaze. As the Grand Duke gave a slight nod as a gesture for her to continue her speech, Violet parted her lips. ¡°The Duke is said to come here to attend the Crown Prince¡¯s wedding. But in fact, you are looking for someone for that ¡®certain task¡¯. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Sheldrick¡¯s face stiffened. It was because the girl had just hit the nail on the head. ¡°I know a competent doctor, who is especially knowledgeable when it comes to infectious diseases. Is this enough to use the meritorious retainer¡¯s right?¡± It was basically a question, but it did not sound like the girl was waiting for an answer. She seemed already convinced about how the outcome would be like. And that conviction was not wrong. The young Duke¡¯s eyes were filled with surprise. There was now a deadly plague going around the eastern Grand Duchy. It had already been more than a month, but even the true nature or the source of the disease had not been identified. Grand Duke Etzel, who was anxious, hurriedly came to the capital in seek of a doctor that could cease this epidemic. However, it was not easy to find a doctor with such skills. If it had been a simple matter, there would have been no need for the Duke himself to come forward in the first place. Above all, everything was top secret, but Violet was well aware of this. In all honesty, she could not help but know, because¡­ This world is inside a game I played. CH 2 ??? She was terminally ill. It was an incurable disease even with advanced modern medicine and technology. Therefore, the only thing left was to wait for her life to be devoured slowly until she parted the world. Because it was such a rare disease, the doctors thought of her only as a research subject. With every day passing lying in the hospital, receiving unknown medications, and checking her body¡¯s physical reactions, she gradually lost her will to live. Until¡­ She met that game. As one could guess from the title, it was a game that made a character an emperor. The player must become the advisor of the chosen character and make them the emperor of Arnold Empire. The concept was simple. Take the throne by all means! In accordance with the concept, all kinds of strategies such as conciliation, intimidation, and assassination were included in the game. A world of chaos where children kill their fathers and fathers sell their children without hesitation. I was excited when I play it. She was intrigued to see that she was able to use all kinds of strategies that she could never conduct in real life. In reality, she was sick and bedridden 24/7, but she could do anything in the game. She was exhilarated when she beat her rivals one after another and put her chosen character in the Emperor seat. There were three candidates for the throne in the game. Crown prince, ¡®Cassard¡¯. Second prince, ¡®Yediel¡¯. Grand Duke Etzel ¡®Sheldrick¡¯. The easiest was the Crown prince Cassard. His difficulty level was one star. Since he had already firmly established himself as the emperor¡¯s successor, he could easily become an emperor unless he made a big mistake. The next candidate was Grand Duke Sheldrick. The difficulty of this character was three stars, slightly higher than that of the crown prince. The progenitor of Etzel was a general who laid a foundation with the first emperor when the Arnold Empire was first established. Since Grand Duke Etzel was of the same rights and authority as the Imperial family¡¯s members, he also had sufficient legitimacy as a candidate for the succession. If he used a little trick, he could easily pull down the crown prince and become an Emperor. Both were eligible to be the Emperor, but young Duke Etzel voluntarily gave up on the position and remained as a subject. He thought the crown did not suit him very well. However, the situation of the second prince Yediel was completely different. The difficulty of this guy was as many as five stars. Perhaps it was to send a warning signal that it was extremely difficult, but the stars that rated the difficulty even flashed ominously red. Born from the body of a lowly dancer, Yediel had a great weakness of being the Emperor¡¯s illegitimate child. To make up for his lack of legitimacy, he had to come up with all sorts of schemes and conspiracies, so the second prince route was considered the toughest. However¡­ Without much thought, she chose the second prince, whose path to the throne was the thorniest. It was because this bastard¡¯s desire to win would burn harder the more challenging it got. Even so, it was just a game. Thus, she thought that it could not have been that bad even in the ultimate hard mode. However, when she started the game, the situation got more serious. The second prince was not only illegitimate. His look was plain and was nothing outstanding, his abilities were also at the bottom, and his personality was quite messed up. Anyone would have thought that it was impossible to put the crown on him. That was why there were five red stars. But what could she do? She had already chosen to make the second prince emperor. With that, she ambitiously continued the game, determined to make this guy an emperor. Yet, failed, failed, and failed again. Over the course of several iterations of the game, the second prince was assassinated, expelled, or crippled by his opponent. He grew further from the throne in various ways and eventually met a bad ending. Still, she did not give up, she reconsidered all the tactics, sinister schemes, as well as their potentials. In the end, she succeeded in making the second prince the Emperor. The dirty moves she had planned out was as follows: First of all, the second prince seduced Vivian, the biological daughter of Duke Basel, who held strong military power, to form an alliance. The Duke of Basel, who did not have much affection for his stepdaughter, eagerly joined in. When the second prince ascended to the throne, his biological daughter Vivian would become the empress, so he had no reason to refuse. Then he caused serious problems in the Etzel estate and took the Duke¡¯s time away from central politics. The problem was no other than to spread a serious epidemic in the Grand Duchy, blocking all trade routes and cause a dreadful famine, and creating a war between neighboring kingdoms. His most powerful opponent, the Crown Prince, married Violet, the stepdaughter of the Duke of Basel. But that woman was used as a spy under Yediel¡¯s command. Thanks to the fact that the duke¡¯s stepdaughter was planted in as the Crown Prince¡¯s wife and spy, the second prince was able to not only obtain all kinds of key information but also frame Cassard with his scheme. The crown prince was stabbed in the back by the blended enemy from the inside and helplessly collapsed. The stepdaughter of the Duke, who was ignorant of the world, did not know that she was being used. Eventually, on the second prince¡¯s coronation day, she was beheaded miserably. After the game¡¯s ending, ¡®Arnold Empire ruined by the Emperor¡¯s tyranny¡¯ ¡ª the story¡¯s sequel was unlocked and it was kind of uncomfortable to go through. She wondered what kind of game had such a bitter aftertaste, but wasn¡¯t it just a game after all? She did not give it much thought back then. But I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m now in this game. The day her body could not adapt to the newly administered drug, her vitality faded with grave pain. She opened her eyes again to find herself in a new world, in a stranger¡¯s body. It was Duke Basel¡¯s stepdaughter, one of the chess pieces at the beginning of her vicious plan, Violet Hale. ¡­I¡¯m screwed. CH 3 ¡°How can I trust you?¡± While reminiscing about her past, Sheldrick seemed to have organised his thoughts as well. There was still a hint of skepticism in his eyes as he looked at her, but she remained unwavered. It was natural for Sheldrick to have such doubts. ¡®Violet¡¯ grew up as a typical aristocratic lady under her socialite mother. Originally, it was natural for her not to know a doctor with extensive knowledge of infectious diseases. However, in the game, she became the advisor of the second prince, Yediel, the one who spread the plague to the Grand Duchy. Of course, a contingency plan was prepared in advance as well. If an epidemic were to spread to the capital city, it would be difficult for the allies to suffer, so a doctor to treat the disease was also arranged for. If this world was exactly the same as the game, she thought that the doctor would also exist. And her prediction was undoubtedly right. She was the only one who knew about his situation, so she would not be able to earn the Grand Duke¡¯s trust that easily. If it had come to this, she had no choice but to show it in action. ¡°What if I decide to send the doctor to the Grand Duke first? There is no more convincing proof than that.¡± ¡°A doctor first?¡± Sheldrick asked. He did not expect her to be the first to make an offer. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I might pretend to not know about the deal with you after I have the dilemma solved?¡± ¡°That would never happen.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Grand Duke hates debt. You will surely repay me.¡± At her words, Sheldrick slightly frowned. He stared at her as if she was some strange creature. ¡°¡­You sound like a person who knows me well. There is no contact between us.¡± You had no idea how many contacts we had. I was the one who brought you down. Duke Etzel was killed in a war against another country that broke out due to her intervention. The Grand Duke, who passed away at a young age, had no wife nor children. Thanks to this, Yediel, who became emperor, was able to effortlessly take over the abandoned Etzel estate without a successor. She slightly lowered her head, swallowing words that she could never be allowed to mention. ¡°You are the one who will open the way for me to escape, so I worked hard to find out. I cannot just entrust my future to someone I do not know well, am I right?¡± Sheldrick Etzel, who she associated with while playing the game, was a cold-hearted and distrustful character. He was that kind of character who was always certain of his calculations. He was a person who could never live in debt to others. Therefore, he was perfect for a trading partner. ¡°The doctor has already been sent to the Grand Duchy. Perhaps he has already started researching.¡± ¡°I have not agreed to anything yet.¡± ¡°Even if you turn down the offer, you will not be able to turn a blind eye to my help if the doctor succeeds in healing the patients. You would somehow want to settle the debt.¡± ¡°¡­so my answer did not matter in the first place.¡± ¡°I am sorry if you are offended by that. Nonetheless, I want you to know that my situation was that desperate.¡± ¡°What in the world¡­¡± Sheldrick sighed briefly as he touched his head with one hand. Sheldrick¡¯s eyes looking at her were still filled with confusion. There seemed to be so much he wanted to say that it was rather difficult for him to open up. He did not know where to start. ¡°Your Grace.¡± Then someone¡¯s cautious voice was heard from outside. He was Seardrick¡¯s subordinate. ¡°I received an urgent call from the Grand Duchy. It is urgent so¡­¡± He delivered the matter in a hesitant and cautious voice. Perhaps it was out of consideration of her, a stranger, being with him. There was no important emphasis in his words, but both she and Sheldrick were well aware of what that urgent news was. ¡°It looks like the news has just arrived.¡± After hearing the news, it will be easier for Sheldrick to make his decision. ¡°I will leave you alone for a moment. Please come back to me when you have made up your mind.¡± She greeted him politely and withdrew. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± However, before she could turn her back, Sheldrick, who had been contemplating for a while, grabbed a hold of her. ¡°Why would you want us to get married? Can¡¯t I just use authority as the meritorious retainer to ask for your freedom?¡± ¡°I do not wish for others to find out that there is a deal between us. I want to get out of this situation as naturally as possible.¡± It was best if it did not appear like she was the one who initiated and took the lead of this whole affair. ¡®Violet¡¯ was not that kind of character. If a person were to change overnight, they would invariably be suspicious. His reason is different from hers, but Sheldrick also needed to hide the back story about the Dukedom¡¯s state. If the real reason for her taking advantage of the meritorious rights were to be revealed, it would be difficult to hide the truth that a pandemic was spreading in the Grand Duchy. ¡°On that account, it is most natural that the Grand Duke fell in love with me at first sight and therefore, tries to prevent the marriage¡­¡± Sheldrick, who had been quietly listening to her, hurriedly raised his hand and to stop her from speaking. ¡°¡­Did you just say fall in love at first sight? Me? To you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. At first sight, Your Grace, to me. Isn¡¯t that a possible enough story?¡± The Grand Duke¡¯s mouth was slightly agape, he was at a loss for words at her brazen attitude. It could not be helped, it was only a given seeing how many people boasted about her appearance so directly. Her confidence was there for a reason. ¡°If you say that, anyone would believe it. Everyone said that I look very pretty.¡± Violet was quite a beauty. She looked young since she was still 16 years old, but her beautiful appearance was inferior to no woman in the kingdom. ¡°Is it not?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­not wrong, but¡­ ¡± When she asked, Sheldrick covered his mouth with one hand, blurring the end of his words. His face, which could not be obscured entirely with his hand, noticeably blushed red. Duke Etzel is nineteen years old, isn¡¯t he? She was not conscious of this fact at all as he was maintaining his composure and dignity with that expressionless face of his from earlier. But with this face, she could now clearly see his real age. She smiled softly as she gazed at her cute little brother. T/n: omg cringe, but the age of her soul is technically older so¡­ CH 4 *** Realising that this was in the world of , she did everything she could to keep her current peaceful life, to escape from the cruel reality of the modern world for a while. At first, she thought it was only a dream, but each time she woke up from her sleep, it still came to her as a surprise to find herself remained in Violet¡¯s body. Even when she regained her consciousness after having fallen down the stairs, she still saw the exact same scenery. No matter what she did, her circumstance did not change. She was still there. It doesn¡¯t matter if this is a dream or whatever. When I wake up, I will be stuck with that incurable disease again, suffering from agony, and eventually, die. But for now, let''s focus on living here first. As soon as she accepted the situation, a thought swept past her mind. Let¡¯s stay away from the battle for the throne! Unlike when she was playing the game, she had no intention of going out of her way to make someone the emperor this time around. When a game failed, it could be reversed, but in the reality she was facing, there was only one actual battle. If she were to get involved in the battle for the throne, it would be inevitable to get caught up in all sorts of schemes. And in the end, she would be sent to her early grave. Whatever people might say, she thought it would be best to bail before it was too late. I don¡¯t want to die. She used to lie in the hospital and imagined her death every single day. Now, she was too tired of thinking about death. However¡­ When she opened her eyes, Violet had already decided to marry the crown prince. Time was running out, so there was not much to make use of. The thought of living as quietly as possible after marrying the crown prince once hovered in her head. Nevertheless, if she were to live in the imperial palace, variables would happen and she would be swept away by conspiracy. ¡®Quiet¡¯ was never an option in the first place. In this world where all kinds of chaos would unfold, one would never know when and where they had a dagger flying at them. It was fun to walk on a tightrope back then just because it was a game. But since it had already turned into reality, it was best to be calm. I must run away, escape at all costs. It was most important to leave the capital, the center of the storm, the eye of the typhoon. However, to straightforwardly tell her stepfather, Duke Basel, that she did not want to get married was not on the list of solutions. He promoted this marriage from the beginning to use Violet as a spy. Her objecting to it merely because she ¡®did not like it¡¯ would not work now. Vivian, Duke Basel''s biological daughter, is now in love with the second prince, Yediel. However, Duke Basel was an ambitious man. He had a desire to make his daughter the most noble woman in the empire. Yet, Vivian insisted on choosing Yediel. No matter how much the duke lectured her, she did not listen. In the end, instead of persuading Vivian, the Duke decided to make Yediel a man suitable for his daughter. It was the beginning of a strong alliance between the two. If Violet''s mother had been alive, she would have made a good shield. Lady Adeline had a strong influence in the social world and had a wide network. She could have been Violet''s solid support. Unfortunately, she died in a fire accident three years ago. That was why she was able to easily use Violet as a long-term in the game. Why did you do that, past me?! She became resentful of her past self, who pushed Violet into the abyss of evil with excitement. The bigger problem was that this wedding was organised in the form of a supreme marriage ceremony. In fact, Violet in the game was moved thinking that her stepfather and step-sister had given her a good marriage, so she did whatever they told her to. She did not even question the real intention behind it. I need assistance to overcome this situation. Perhaps it was natural for the Grand Duke of Etzel to come to her mind in such a hopeless situation. The wedding ceremony with the crown prince was not only promoted by the Duke¡¯s coming all the way to the capital, but also permitted by the emperor. To go against this much power, it had to be someone with high status like Duke Etzel. Besides, if it''s Duke Etzel¡¯s residence, it''s an ideal place to get away for a while. Located in the eastern part of the empire, Etzel Duchy was far from the turmoil of the capital, so it was good to build up her foundation quietly. The second prince had a few years to spare when calculating on attacking the crown prince while keeping Duke Etzel tied to the territory. I have no intention of living as the Duke¡¯s wife forever. Grand Duke Etzel was also an eligible imperial successor. Soon or late, one day, an arrow would return to aim for his life. She was going to divorce him once the time came and leave after having laid the foundation for a liberated life. My ultimate goal is to make my own fortune! Her life would only be peaceful once she cut all ties with the characters of the game and become completely independent. It''s hard to get by on my own right now, so only until I build a proper foundation... Marriage with Duke Etzel was an intermediate step toward the goal of becoming a self-made person. After all, Sheldrick probably would not wish to carry on the marriage formed from a deal for the rest of his life. Of course, the details should be coordinated through conversing with each other. But later on, they would probably need to write a marriage contract. The nobles here usually did that. As she was planning out her future like that... ¡°Violet!¡± With an angry shout, the door swung open without any notice beforehand, Duke Basel and Vivian rushed inside. He never sees Violet as a family member, but on the surface, he always pretends to be a good father. He was not even wearing such a mask today. I wonder what happened? ¡°Your Grace, Miss.¡± Puzzled, she stood up to greet the two of them. And all of a sudden, her vision shook aggressively. The duke gave her a hard slap in the face. ¡°What the hell have you done?!¡± At that moment, a small warning beep sound rang in her head and a translucent black window promptly appeared in front of her. [!] You have been attacked. [!] Vitality -100. CH 5 She blinked blankly, covering her cheek. She was hit before she could even prepare for it, it came as a huge shock. Still, one hit in the cheek cuts your vitality by 100?! Apparently, it was the body of a frail girl, so it seemed that she was vulnerable to attacks. Well, at least it¡¯s easy for me to see how hard I¡¯ve been hit from how the numbers show. The guidance window that just appeared in front of her was full proof that she had fallen into the game world. Even though the world was so realistic, some of the systems used in the game were still available. She managed to come to her senses and turn to look at the Duke. An elegant middle-aged man with blonde hair and blue eyes was looking down at her with cold eyes. ¡°Duke Etzel has asked for His Majesty¡¯s consent to make you his bride. He even pulled the Meritorious Right card on him! It¡¯s now an issued decree!¡± ¡°¡­I did not know that.¡± It was not a lie at all. She did not expect Duke Etzel to make a move this soon. He acted faster than I thought. But Duke Basel didn¡¯t seem very interested in whether her words were true or not. It didn¡¯t seem like he was listening to her in the first place. ¡°How dare that Eastern peasant makes my business go awry?¡± Duke Basel was trembling with rage. He was ready to slap her once more at any moment. However, Vivian, wearing a mask of a kind sister instead of a cold face, lightly grabbed Duke Basel¡¯s arm. ¡°Father, don¡¯t be too mean to her. Violet did nothing wrong.¡± With blonde hair and blue eyes that resembled the duke, she was a typical beauty in people¡¯s opinion. In addition, she had a good reputation in social circles for her high status and elegant dignity as the daughter of the Duke. All the nobles praised her beautiful heart for being kind to her stepsister Violet, who was brought by her father¡¯s remarriage partner. Whenever she called someone into the mansion to match her clothes, she pretended to care more about Violet¡¯s than her own dresses. People praised Vivian even more when they saw her like that, but¡­ The clothes she picked out for her stepsister were all designs that did not suit Violet. All of them were sophisticated and expensive, but they were emphasised with too much glamour, so it was difficult for Violet, who was still young, to get accustomed to them. Nevertheless, Violet appreciated her stepsister¡¯s kindness and always wore the clothes she had chosen. That being said, people acclaimed behind her back that ¡®Lady Adeline¡¯s daughter, Violet, only has a beautiful face, since she has no fashion sense at all¡¯. It was also said that Vivian, who had both looks and a great sense, was not to be compared to her, as the Duke¡¯s real daughter was definitely a world different. She used Volet as an accessory to make her shine. It was a really wicked method. ¡°Were you startled, Violet?¡± After comforting her father, Vivian came to her and let out a small sigh. ¡°I heard that Grand Duke Etzel came to the capital and happened to see you and fell in love with you at first sight. He even mentioned the Meritorious Right to His Majesty and asked for you to be his wife. The imperial family turned upside down because of that.¡± So he really said that. He hated it so much when he heard the idea from me though. In the end, Grand Duke Etzel seems to have accepted her words that it was the most natural excuse. ¡°His Majesty has persuaded him to reconsider since the wedding is just around the corner, but the Duke insisted.¡± ¡°As long as Grand Duke Etzel has issued a decree, His Majesty cannot refuse the request.¡± While Vivian explained the situation to her, the Duke of Basel, who had regained his composure, looked at her coldly. ¡°You¡¯re destined to get married into that poor eastern corner of the country now.¡± It was intimidating, perhaps. Born and raised in the capital, if she was the real Violet who knew nothing about the outside world, she would have been terrified as the Duke intended. After the death of her mother, Adeline, Violet became even more dependent on the Duke and Vivian. Thus, leaving the capital without them was a death sentence for Violet. But she wasn¡¯t that violet. ¡°Father, what are you saying? Poor Violet has turned pale.¡± Vivian once again blamed her father and clasped her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Violet. We still have a chance to turn things around.¡± ¡°Turn things around?¡± ¡°His Majesty hasn¡¯t given a definite answer yet. He¡¯ll take quite much time. In the meantime, you just have to convince the Grand Duke.¡± So that¡¯s how the story came to be. The emperor could not directly refuse. The Meritorious Right was bestowed upon the family of a loyalist who died while protecting him. If he had promised to grant any request of theirs but then go back on his words, the monarch¡¯s authority will fall to the ground. When the Emperor¡¯s in such a difficult position, no one could step forward to help him. Therefore, there was no choice but to force Grand Duke Etzel to change his mind and withdraw the decree on his own. ¡°If he like you enough to use the Meritorious Right, he will surely be shaken by your request. You want to stay in the capital too, right? It is an honour to become the Crown Princess after all.¡± As Vivian patted her on the back with friendliness, Duke Basel, who was standing next to her, also joined her. ¡°You must change the Grand Duke¡¯s mind at all costs. It¡¯s all for your sake.¡± The Duke of Basel looked at her, emphasising the phrase at all costs. ¡°He¡¯s someone who is obsessed with a woman he does not even know well, to the point of using his family¡¯s merits. Sure enough, he will easily be swayed by your words. Meet the Duke and persuade him.¡± In the end, it was about passing all the responsibility on to her. But she didn¡¯t protest. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll meet with His Grace and try talking it out.¡± Formally and decently, she would have another opportunity to meet and talk with Duke Etzel. There was absolutely no reason to refuse. CH 6 ??? The Duke of Basel and Vivian made her as glamorous as possible and sent her off in on a carriage. Clothes made from the finest fabrics, necklaces and earrings adorned with large jewels. They were all gorgeous clothes and ornaments if one were to look at them one by one, but putting them all together could not be a more ridiculous choice. She suddenly seemed like someone who had too much money but did not know where to spend it. Perhaps it was a plan to make the young Duke tired of her by turning her into ¡®a girl who does nothing but buys luxuries¡¯. Of course, they could not have been any more hypocritical when they said to her, ¡®you should pay special attention to your appearance since you shouldn¡¯t look funny meeting the Grand Duke¡¯. The carriage rode for a long time before stopping in front of a huge mansion on the outskirts of the capital. It was the townhouse of Duke Etzel. In fact, most wealthy aristocrats with territories owned townhouses in District 1 near the Imperial Castle. Whenever the House of Lords took place, aristocrats from all over the country flocked to the place to socialise and form ties. It was the so-called social season. The townhouse was usually smaller than the main mansion in their estate, but¡­ Isn¡¯t this just huge? Grand Duke Etzel¡¯s house was too large to be called a townhouse. It even had a proper garden, so it could be called a mansion. It was difficult to find a mansion of this size in the capital. The size of the imperial villa owned by the emperor was comparable to this place. She followed the guidance of the butler, who was waiting for the guest at the entrance and arrived at the drawing room. The interior also exudes an old-fashioned atmosphere just like the exterior, drawing admiration. The paintings and sculptures that filled the interior, as well as the small props, all gave off a classy vibe. It was an atmosphere that only a mansion with a long history could exude. She found herself a seat and drank the tea a maid had given her. It wasn¡¯t long before the door to the drawing room clicked open. ¡°How have you been, Your Grace?¡± She got up from her seat and greeted Sheldrick, but he didn¡¯t come in right away but stiffened in place. Sheldrick¡¯s brows frowned as he looked at her, his mouth slightly opened. It was obvious what thoughts were running through his mind. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about what to say. I know I look funny right now.¡± ¡°¡­ Did you know though?!¡± ¡°Sir Grand Duke, in a case like this, maybe you should tell me that I don¡¯t look that funny.¡± She sighed and sat back down. ¡°I think duke Basel wanted to show you that I was a lavish brat. That I¡¯m not the right person to be the grand duchess.¡± ¡°Is that not true then?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Sheldrick answered vaguely and sat across from her. The maid then quickly prepared another cup of tea for him. Sheldrick opened his mouth only after making sure that the maid had completely disappeared after doing her job. ¡°I have heard a lot of rumours about you.¡± Rumours? She was also curious about her rumours. Rumours often did not reach the person concerned after all. ¡°Did you do a background check on me?¡± ¡°I did put a bit of effort into digging myself. I cannot entrust my future to someone I don¡¯t know well.¡± She got back what exactly she said to Sheldrick not long ago. She did not expect Grand Duke Etzel to have such a wit. He was so blunt that she thought he was someone who could not tell jokes at all. She gazed at Sheldrick¡¯s face quietly. He had dark hair and purple eyes. They were all of dark hues overall, but his skin was as pale as that of a person living without sunlight. If the solemn demeanor of his was left out of the picture, there was also the impression that he might be a gentle and sensitive person. Considering his large physique, it was quite surprising. And he¡¯s handsome. As one of the three main characters in the game, his appearance was so outstanding that it was pleasing to the eyes. Actually, all three of them look great. Or should she say that they were all handsome in different ways? Crown Prince Cassard was a sweet-hearted man, and the second prince Yediel exuded a calm princely demeanor. Grand Duke Sheldrick was always indifferent and gives off the vibe of an enigma¡­? She thought he was handsome while playing the game, but in reality, his destructive power was on a completely different level. ¡°What did the rumours come off to be?¡± As soon as she asked that question, her eyes met with Sheldrick¡¯s deep purple ones. CH 7 ¡°I told His Majesty that I want you as my wife. I think this might be the answer to your question.¡± ¡°Hmm, I guess it wasn¡¯t something worth mentioning in front of me then.¡± As she shrugged, Sheldrick sighed in awkward. With this kind of reaction, she was even more curious about what kind of rumours were circulating. But Sheldrick avoided her gaze and changed the subject. ¡°The doctor you sent me was very competent. He made a treatment on a trial basis, and it seems to be quite effective.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortunate.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised at all.¡± Of course. Because she knew that doctor must invent a cure. ¡°I told you that he is a competent doctor. He is especially versed in infectious diseases.¡± ¡°But I guess my men didn¡¯t seem to expect much.¡± ¡°What about you? Did you have any expectation, Your Grace?¡± ¡°Because I talked to you in person. It didn¡¯t sound like you were lying as you were really confident. I thought you must have had a good reason. Or maybe you¡¯re just a good scammer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t turn out to be a scammer.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you on behalf of all the people of the Grand Duchy. This has allowed us to put a stop to the pandemic before more people were sacrificed.¡± Sheldrick slightly bowed at her. His gratitude was sincere. ¡°Etzel is thorough in reciprocation. Whether it be a favour or a grudge. You helped us first, so I will help you with all my heart.¡± I was the one who advised the second prince to spread the plague in the first place though. It was uncomfortable receiving such kind words. What could have been done indiscriminately because it was a game suddenly became the reality. She couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty in the corner of her heart. Before I leave, it¡¯s better to correct what I¡¯ve done wrong, right? In that case, she wanted to use this chance to make amends as much as she could during her stay in the Grand Duchy. With that in mind, she bowed, and Sheldrick touched his necked awkwardly with his hand. ¡°By the way, what brought you here today? If it¡¯s about the marriage issue, we were going to send someone to the duke¡¯s residence soon¡­¡± He went over her outfit again, blurring the end of his words. ¡°I don¡¯t think you are here for a good reason.¡± ¡°¡­That would be correct. The Duke wants me to marry the Crown Prince. He told me to persuade the Duke to change his mind.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve come anyway?¡± ¡°We can meet and discuss countermeasures. There is no reason to refuse since they¡¯ve created perfect opportunities for us.¡± ¡°Countermeasures¡­¡± Sheldrick, who tilted his head to one side as if contemplating for a moment, looked back at her with a strange expression. ¡°You seem to have thought of countermeasures, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then please do tell me right away.¡± said Sheldrick without hesitation. It seemed that the doctor sent to the Grand Duchy had established a great trust toward her for making good results. ¡°You might be angry after hearing this¡­ so please make a promise that you won¡¯t get angry first.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Really? You answered so quickly that I cannot sense any sincerity.¡± ¡°¡­I promise.¡± This time, the answer came back one beat slower. I was just playing around, but that sure is a rewarding response. Suppressing a laugh inside, she came up with a solution that she had been thinking about since leaving the duke¡¯s house. ¡°You can choose one of the two.¡± ¡°There are two options? Let¡¯s hear it first.¡± Sheldrick nodded and lifted the teacup. She parted her lips as she watched him elegantly sipping tea in a textbook-like upright posture. ¡°The first way is for me and the Duke to spend the night together in the same room tonight.¡± ¡°(Cough!)¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Sheldrick started coughing. Hard. He could barely calm down as he seemed to have gotten choked. Once, he finally managed to catch his breath, he set the teacup down on the saucer. ¡°What kind of¡­ bizarre solution is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really going to sleep with you. I¡¯m just trying to get people to believe that.¡± Once that happened, neither the Emperor nor the Duke will be able to get their hands on them. Rather, the emperor himself will come forward and prevent me and the prince from marrying. The emperor valued honour. He would never tolerate the Crown Princess¡¯s honour falling to the ground due to a scandal. But Sheldrick shook his head resolutely. ¡°We will do it the second way.¡± ¡°You still don¡¯t know what the second one is, do you?¡± ¡°One way or the other, it¡¯s better than the first. Let¡¯s go with the second.¡± ¡°Okay. Personally, I think the first is the better way, but if that¡¯s the Grand Duke¡¯s wish, I shall respect it.¡± She nodded obediently and offered the second solution as he wanted. ¡°I want you to confine me.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the second way I¡¯m proposing.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I am serious.¡± The Grand Duke has requested this by the Meritorious Right, so technically, it could be said that it was a legitimate act to have her. The Emperor would not be able to actively deny this, and even the Duke of Basel could not take her out by force. And sword-wielding in the capital was out of the question because the emperor would not want it. Sheldrick was staring into her eyes with disbelief as if he was trying to gauge the truth. Briefly after, he rubbed his head with a long sigh. He had seemed to realise that she was not joking. ¡°What are all the solutions so¡­ extreme?¡± ¡°To phrase it, they are bold.¡± She realised it while playing the game. If one were to play the game in a clumsy way, they would surely be beaten by their opponent. Players could carry out their plans successfully only if they put forward a powerful move that could never be undone. She decided to make a bold decision based on the strategy that had led her to success. ¡°Sleeping option it is. I¡¯m ready.¡± She smiled lightly. However, Sheldrick, who was speechlessly staring at her, suddenly frowned for some reason. His gaze landed on her left cheek. ¡°Your cheek¡­¡± ¡°My cheek?¡± Naturally, she touched her cheek to see what that meant, belatedly realising why. It was the exact spot where the duke had slapped her. Even though it was covered with makeup as much as possible, it seemed like it was showing. Sheldrick continued without taking his gaze off her cheek. ¡°The Duke of Basel is said to value and pamper his stepdaughter too much. That¡¯s why his stepdaughter always acts recklessly and wastes her family fortune immaturely. People often find her ignorant and laughable.¡± ¡°Have there been such rumours?¡± This must have been one of the stories that Sheldrick could not bring up in front of her. Vivian always took along Violet when she was invited to a tea party or ball. It was rude for anyone who wasn¡¯t invited to attend, but Vivian always said, ¡®It¡¯s nice to have Violet with me¡¯, and ended up going with her stepsister. Rumours of ignorant behavior must have come from here. The one about her spending her family¡¯s fortune immaturely was probably because of the clothes or accessories that Vivian gave her. She always said to her, ¡®This looks perfect on you!¡¯ ¡°I thought Duke Basel was an unbiased gentleman.¡± ¡°To correct you, he wants to be seen like that.¡± The Duke of Basel was a character that resembled the emperor in that respect. He valued practical gains, what could truly benefit him, but how he was seen was important as well. He could be said to be very aristocratic. Sheldrick, who was looking at her quietly as she answered, lowered his eyes slightly and fell into thought. After a while tapping the table with his long, thin fingers, he soon came to a conclusion. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m going to keep you confined like this. His Majesty won¡¯t be able to drag you out with you in my hand.¡± ¡°The second way is to defame the Duke, are you really okay with that?¡± ¡°Your reputation will be tarnished first. Now it¡¯s our turn to repay you, so it¡¯s right for me to be at some degree of loss. Good reputation doesn¡¯t matter to me anyway.¡± In fact, she was also not very interested in having a good reputation. The capital, the center of the struggle for the throne, was a dangerous place to get caught up in, so even after leaving the Grand Duchy, she did not plan to return. There was no need for her to step forward and stop the other party from saying they were willing to take the loss. However, she just wondered why he was so uninterested in the affairs of the capital. This part was not revealed even when playing the game. The nobles of the empire always strain their ears for news about central politics. It was because of this tendency that everyone flocked to the capital during the season when the House of Lords was held to socialise. His father, the predecessor of the Grand Duchy, also had a great deal of influence in central politics, but Sheldrick was an exception. Perhaps if I had chosen Sheldrick¡¯s route, I would have known all the hidden stories¡­ Since she poured everything into the second Prince Yediel route, she didn¡¯t know much about the other routes. In the case of the Crown Prince, she knew a lot of things because she used Violet as a spy, but there was still a lot of uncovered information about Sheldrick. Is it possible to learn this gradually in the future? ¡°If there is something you must bring from the dukedom, I will send my subordinates to get them.¡± ¡°There is nothing in particular though.¡± If she were the real Violet, there might be some things she wanted to bring, but to her, all of them were meaningless. Thanks to Duke Basel and Vivian sending her to the Grand Duke whilst adorning her with expensive clothes and accessories, she would already have a decent saving from it. With this as the basis, it is called independent funds. Wasn¡¯t that a great plan? ¡°By the way, how were you planning to get the items from the duke¡¯s mansion if I were to need something? The duke won¡¯t open the door for you.¡± As she tilted her head at the sudden thought, Sheldrick slightly raised one corner of his mouth. ¡°Who knows.¡± He did not say much, but she thought it wouldn¡¯t be a very elegant way whatsoever. ¡°¡­I shall not pry further then.¡± Sometimes one¡¯s better off not knowing. ¡°Right, Your Grace. I have a place I need to stop by for a while. It¡¯s important.¡± ¡°At this point, it won¡¯t be a confinement, but an outing.¡± Sheldrick said with a smirk. ¡°I will tell the coachman. If you want to go somewhere, just tell him.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we going together?¡± ¡°Do you want me to come along?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just that you trust me a bit too much.¡± Sheldrick stared at her, questioning. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­I know I¡¯m suspicious. I came out of nowhere and asked you to marry me. This is going to be a confrontation with His Majesty, so you might think that I am trying to create a conflict.¡± ¡°You knew that and still made the offer?¡± ¡°There was no other way. I thought I would put up with a little bit of doubt. So you can openly monitor me for anything suspicious. At least that way, I won¡¯t feel bad.¡± Shedrick¡¯s mouth stayed shut for a moment as he stared deep into her eyes. She too looked straight ahead without averting his gaze. His brow furrowed slightly. ¡°¡­there were no rumours that you were such an assertive person.¡± ¡°Right, like I would expect the rumours to say that.¡± ¡°I have never heard of someone so confident.¡± Sheldrick smirked, but it did not last long. ¡°I contemplated for a while whether I needed to repay you even when I had to go as far as confronting His Majesty, but¡­ I have no regrets now.¡± Before she could even ask why, Sheldrick looked at her and said. ¡°It would be such a waste for you to become the Crown Princess, my lady.¡± It was as if there was a faint smile on the corner of Sheldrick¡¯s lips when he said that. CH 8 ¡°I¡¯m Tallinn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jen.¡± Two people standing in front of her gave a deep bow. They were the knights that the Grand Duke assigned to take her wherever she wanted. Tallinn was a female knight with neatly bob-cut hair. She had slightly tanned skin and red hair, so Violet could feel the beauty of power and strength from her appearance. The person was so upright and disciplined that she wondered if a specimen of a knight would look like that. Jen, with his shiny blonde hair and green eyes, had a more amiable impression compared to her. She would not have believed that he was a knight if it wasn¡¯t for the sword he was wearing around his waist. Both were dressed in black uniforms neatly adorned with silver thread. ¡°Are the knights always dressed like this?¡± As she asked out of her curiosity, Tallinn smiled softly and shook her head. ¡°In the Grand Duchy, I wear comfortable clothes, but in the capital city, I live in conquest. The Black Wolf is our pride.¡± At that, Tallinn proudly pointed to the wolf symbol embroidered with silver thread on her left chest. Ah, come to think of it, it¡¯s true that the Knights of Etzel Duchy are called the Black Wolf. Because the crest of Etzel Duchy itself was the black wolf. Similarly, the Imperial Knights were named the Golden Lion, and the Knights of the Basel Duchy were called the Silver Hawk. They were the Arnold Empire¡¯s third generation of knights. The three knights¡¯ orders were very competitive and they prided themselves on being the best in the empire. But rumours had it that the Black Wolf was the best of the three. Unlike the other two knights¡¯ orders, which were based in the capital city, the Black Wolf Knights were located in the east and had a sense of mystery to them. ¡°As Etzel¡¯s Black Wolves, it is an honour to escort madam to the Grand Duchy.¡± ¡°Madam?¡± As her eyes widened with surprise at the unexpected way of addressing, Jen just shrugged with a smile that made her feel burdened. ¡°You¡¯re going to marry our captain soon, so it is natural to call you madam.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­?¡± ¡°Thank you so much for saving our poor Captain. We thought he would live in solitude for the rest of his life. But luckily, he suddenly met his fated partner in the capital.¡± ¡°I apologise. This guy is the talkative type.¡± Tallinn smacked Jen in the back of his head, as she cut him off and apologised to her. But to Violet, his words were quite useful. Because thanks to that, she could tell that the knights who trusted and followed him had yet been told about their deal. I said he could send a watcher after me, but who would have thought he¡¯d send real escort knights. They seemed to think that Sheldrick had fallen in love with her so madly that he even risked a confrontation with the Emperor. I guess that¡¯s why these people are so excited. Not only Jen, whose face revealed that fact, but also Tallinn, who though looked serious, still had the corners of her lips raised subtly. Well, the fewer people know, the better. And so she was self-convinced and tried to ignore the eyes of the two, which were sparkling with interest. ¡°I¡¯m Violet. The title ¡®Madam¡¯ is a little awkward, so you can just call me by my name.¡± ¡°Then, Violet.¡± Tallinn grinned and lowered her head. Again, it was a disciplined and well-mannered act. ¡°I have been told there is a place you must visit.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s called Pallerus, a small town on the outskirts of the capital, do you know it?¡± ¡°Pallerus?¡± Jen, who had been disgruntledly stroking the back of his head after being hit by Tallinn, stepped in. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the city of the dead counsel?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± According to the setting of , there was a great advisor by the side of the king who founded the Arnold Empire. The advisor recognised that the king was a gifted monarch and gave him various advice so that he could become a great ruler. Thanks to this, the Arnold Empire was able to enjoy a long period of peace after its founding. The advisor lived a long time and left excellent advice to the three generations of emperors. He gave advices about the empire¡¯s affairs until the moment of his death and left a strange prophecy before his last breath. ¡°One day my successor will appear and find the true emperor!¡± People built a city where he used to live, waiting for the fulfillment of the deceased advisor¡¯s prophecy. That place was called Pallerus. In the ancient language, it meant ¡®deceased advisor¡¯. The successor in the prophecy left by that advisor is the player of . The reason she must go to Pallerus was that she could get useful items there. Particularly, the Skill Book! ??? The most important thing in was all about the scheme. But just figuring out how to trap your opponent did not mean things would go well. The reality of the Arnold Empire was not very different from Korea where she used to live, so she needed money whenever she did anything. Of course, it costs money not only to buy things necessary for the operations, but also when conciliating or hiring people. It seems to be an eternal truth that money is important wherever you go. On that account, gave players special abilities so that they could earn money. That¡¯s the Game Skills. If the player learned the skill, they could master useful abilities to make money. The most useful skill was crafting or collecting. If the crafting skill was acquired, one could analyse the items to obtain a design plan, then make a product based on it and set up a business. Another skill, collecting, was literally the ability to acquire various items scattered around the world. In the beginning, only trivial things could be collected, but as the skill level increased, valuable things such as ancient artifacts and diamonds could also be excavated. To learn these skills, one would need a ¡®Skill Book¡¯, and the place to get it was the World Library in Pallerus. ¡°So now, are you here to find a book?¡± Standing in front of the huge library true to its name, Jen spoke up, his face filled with disbelief and absurdity. The library was her must-visit place on the way to the Grand Duchy. It was something that would certainly seem strange to those who did not know her circumstances. ¡°Yes. Would you like to come in?¡± When she turned to ask the two knights, different answers came out of their mouths. ¡°Yes.¡± / ¡°No.¡± Tallinn, who agreed with her, shoot a glare at Jen, and he shrugged, avoiding Tallinn¡¯s eyes. ¡°Because I hate books.¡± The annoyed Tallinn was about to retort to Jen when she found Violet watching, and immediately shut her mouth. It seemed like she did not want to show their bickering in front of her. ¡°Then I shall go in with Tallinn. It feels weird to go in a library packed with this many books anyway.¡± ¡°You are indeed really wise.¡± Tallinn, standing behind her, spared a glare at Jen as he sighed in relief as if he was saved. Before long, she said. ¡°Miss Violet, let us go inside.¡± ??? The World Library was an open space for everyone. However, she must be the only person in this world who knew that they could get a ¡®Skill Book¡¯ here. She moved to a familiar location where the Skill Book might be. As they passed through the hallway and reached the end of it, a quiet library that no one had been visiting appeared. As she entered, a strangely cool source of energy enveloped her body. Tallinn, following her, stopped at the entrance. ¡°Tallinn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My head strangely hurts¡­¡± She had a frown on her face as if she found it hard to understand her condition. Perhaps there was a device that made non-players feel repulsed so as to prevent them from entering this place. ¡°Wait here then. You don¡¯t have to come in.¡± ¡°¡­I apologise.¡± As Tallinn grabbed her head and took a step back, Violet scanned through the library full of books. There were a total of three skills a player could possess in the system. The last one was . It was a skill that could confirm information about objects or people. If you focus on the object you want to check information on¡­? Tallinn. [Occupation] Knight (Etzel Duchy, member of the Black Wolf Knights) [Speciality] Entering an unauthorized space, temporarily falling into a state of helplessness. She was able to see information like this. Occasionally, there was information that appeared with a question mark, but most could be identified in this way. This was a skill she had from the beginning of the game, it was basically defaulted, so she could not choose whether to have it or not. Hence, there were only two skills were optional to the player. Since the did not work on the Skill Book, one would have no choice but to randomly pick from among these many books. However, after repeating the game several times, she knew exactly where the Skill Book was. Of course, the skills she would choose were both collecting and crafting, which were advantageous for making money. From her experience with multiple iterations of the game, those two were the most useful. The location of the collecting skill is here. After judging the location, she took out the book. As she flipped through the thick book with no title written on it, a soft blue light rose from the pages, and a guide window appeared before her eyes. [!] You have acquired the Collecting Skill (Normal). [!] Due to the ¡®Deceased Advisor¡¯ effect, the collecting skill is raised to Legendary level, which is a hidden level. Huh? Deceased Advisor? Hidden level? It was a guide she had never seen nor had she ever thought of. CH 9 The rating in the game was a system in which the value increased from normal to advanced, rare, and ultimate treasure. It was the same whether it was a skill or an item. In the case of skills, it was common to get a normal level and then gradually raise it to treasure level through training. The higher the level, the better the performance of the skill, so in the beginning, she spent more time working on the skill level than devising a strategy. But now she got the ¡®Legendary¡¯ skill. Perhaps it was like a perk for she had seen the ending of the game. As she blinked in confusion, guide windows appeared one after another. [!] Acquire [!] Acquire [!] Acquire Usually, in games, the hidden skills are much better than the general ones. What¡¯s more, it was legendary. From the name, she could just tell they were good skills. If so, there was no reason to panic. She calmed her startled nerves and confirmed the identities of the acquired skills one by one with a bit of anticipation. [Skill] Great Exploration [Classification] Collecting ¨C Passive [Rank] Legendary It would be easier to find things that people have been hiding. Any concealment is meaningless in the presence of your keen and great exploration power. [Skill] Perfect Collection [Classification] Collecting ¨C Passive [Rank] Legendary People say it¡¯s impossible, but you can collect all of those things. You are the perfect collector! [Skill] Infinite Pocket [Classification] Collecting [Rank] Legendary It is a pocket of infinite space that can store anything you gather. Stored objects can be retrieved at any time by opening the pocket, regardless of location and time. However, only was the one that she could clearly guess the effect by looking at the description. Great exploration and perfect collection are somewhat vaguely explained¡­ She thought she would get a feel for it once she tried it herself, but she could not use it right away because the passive skill would only be automatically activated by the system when a specific situation called for it. Hmmm¡­. She reached out to the next skill book, feeling disappointed. [!] You have acquired the Crafting Skill (Normal). [!] Due to the ¡®Deceased Advisor¡¯ effect, the crafting skill is raised to the legendary level, which is a hidden level. This time, the same guide window appeared with only the name of the skill changed. [!] Acquire [!] Acquire [!] Acquire Check all! [Skill] Godly Hands [Category] Crafting ¨C Passive [Rank] Legendary You are a great craftsman that doesn¡¯t make sloppy mistakes with your hands. As long as you have a solid formula, your amazing handwork will make it perfect. [Skill] Perfect Design [Category] Crafting ¨C Passive [Rank] Legendary Everyone says it¡¯s impossible, but for you, the perfect designer, it¡¯s a piece of cake. You can develop any method of production. [Skill] Thorough Analysis [Category] Crafting ¨C Passive [Rank] Legendary You can grasp the essence of things. Perhaps even the creation of great craftsmen can be thoroughly analysed by you. After checking the following skills, it became even more vague. All of the newly acquired skills were passive. They seemed like good skills just looking at the description, but there was no way to test them right away, so she could not be sure of anything. I guess there is nothing I can do for now. It was not a question that could be answered by standing there pondering. First¡­. She took off the necklace and earrings that were too flashy and put them in the infinite pocket. There was no difficulty because she used her pockets a lot in the game. Of course, the pockets she used back then were much smaller and had more limitations than this. As she threw off all the cumbersome accessories, her body seemed to feel vividly lighter. Much better. Anyway, she got everything she needed to get. Once the goal had been achieved, there was no need to rush. She could slowly study the skills acquired today in the future. Her current self, Violet Hale, was not a terminally ill patient. It was now different from the days when she was pressed for time and her life was slipping away day by day. There was a lot of time. That fact alone made her feel at ease. ??? ¡°I didn¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be like this¡­. Confinement?! How could he do such a thing? The Grand Duke must be crazy.¡± Duke Basel sighed, his mind was a mess. The man sitting opposite him, Prince Yediel, who had light blue hair close to silver, also could not hide his troubled look. ¡°Your Highness, what did His Majesty say?¡± ¡°He said he has no other choice. The Meritorious Right was given at the price of protecting his life. If he¡¯s said to grant him anything, but refuse this request of his, his honour will come crashing down. So he was trying to somehow change the Grand Duke¡¯s heart, but¡­.¡± ¡°Maybe he chose something as crazy as confinement because it was rather a stimulus. This must be it.¡± The Duke of Basel sighed in disbelief. ¡°I have insisted him to somehow return your daughter, but His Majesty was a bit lukewarm. He even asked if Your Grace had another daughter, and in fact, from the beginning, he had wanted your biological daughter, so I could not continue any longer.¡± The emperor meant to take this opportunity to match the Duke of Basel¡¯s real daughter, Vivian, with the Crown Prince. After all, it was just about the bond between the two families, so it would not matter whoever the bride was. The situation felt a bit embarrassing to Duke Basel, who had once thought differently behind his back. Vivian made a fuss about not marrying anyone but Prince Yediel, so things have come to this point. Now Vivian and the Crown Prince could not get married. They had come this far because of that. ¡°What shall we do next, Your Highness?¡± Even though the Duke was obviously the older one, he asked for Yediel¡¯s opinion first. It was Yediel who came up with the idea of ??marrying his stepdaughter Violet to the Crown Prince and making her a spy. However, Yediel, who had always made unpredictable moves, was keeping his mouth shut today, unable to find a solution. ¡°Your Highness?¡± The Duke urged him with a little frustration, but Yediel could not say anything. It¡¯s gone. There was once, the voice of the advisor which had come to him like a revelation from God suddenly disappeared. As if it had never existed in the first place. It was thanks to the advisor¡¯s voice that he had been able to lay his foundation so far. I can¡¯t do anything without the voice of my advisor¡­ Yediel clenched his fists. I need to get my advisor back. But how? All of a sudden, the advisor died, and all things that were going smoothly went awry. Everything was in chaos. Yediel closed his eyes and focused on his thoughts. If he were the advisor. How would he have sorted out this situation as he had always shown him in a strange yet incredible way? First, we need to figure out the variables. The advisor had always considered variables important. The scheme could be completed by finding the variable, then eliminating or controlling them. So, what were the variables in this situation? Considering that, the answer was very simple. Even Yediel, who was not someone with great intelligence, could tell. Grand Duke Etzel. And Violet Hale. He needed to get rid of them. CH 10 She and Sheldrick sat down at a negotiating table. It was to talk about how to lead this marriage in the future and to write a marriage contract. It should have been dealt with immediately, but the situation was urgent and important issues were pushed back. ¡°How many people know the truth about this marriage?¡± ¡°Me, you, and the knight you saw that day. Among my subordinates, he is the most reliable guy.¡± She nodded, remembering the knight who had come to see her with a perplexed look when she first offered Sheldrick a deal. ¡°Okay. The fewer people know, the better, so I hope we don¡¯t add more here.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Moving on, I was given the title Grand Duchess, but I do not need the real power at all. Of course, I will not touch any of your property. However, I should have all the rights to the money I earned myself while I am the Grand Duchess.¡± ¡°You will make money on your own?¡± Sheldrick tilted his head as if he had heard something unexpected. It was only natural that ordinary nobles did not work themselves to make money. Most aristocrats made a living on the taxes they collected from their estates. They were seldom interested in making money because they could live happily with that money alone. Their mindset was that if there was not enough money to spend, they could just raise taxes anytime and problems solved. In particular, young nobles, especially females were very keen on spending money lavishly but had no knowledge about making money. ¡°If you don¡¯t want the Grand Duchess to actively work to make money¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m conservative. I¡¯m also interested in running a business.¡± ¡°There should be no problem then.¡± ¡°Yes. But in order for this marriage to be seen as normal, you must act as the Grand Duchess. It is the mistress¡¯ job to manage the family¡¯s household.¡± He was implying that he would leave the domestic affairs to her. She had not thought of that at all. ¡°Are you really okay with me taking care of your household?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already confirmed that you¡¯re a smart person, so there¡¯s no reason to worry.¡± ¡°You know, I might steal your money with that smart head of mine.¡± ¡°A person who really does that wouldn¡¯t even say such a thing out loud.¡± She knew that Sheldrick wasn¡¯t saying that because he trusted her completely. He was a cautious and detailed person. He would probably have someone to watch over her. ¡°If you say so, I shall do my best.¡± After all, the Grand Duchess did have a debt to repay. Because of her, the epidemic caused many people to suffer, so she thought she should compensate as much as she could. And it would be much easier if she had the authority as the Grand Duchess. In the process, if she could carry out her personal business simultaneously. It would create a synergy effect. ¡°The Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess¡¯ rooms are connected by a door in between. I¡¯ll leave the key to you, my lady, but¡­¡± Sheldrick hesitated for a moment before speaking again. ¡°There may be talks about us having successors around.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± It was the natural duty of an aristocratic couple to produce heirs to inherit their title and property. Violet was sixteen at the time, and Sheldrick was only nineteen. As a Korean, she was too young to think about such a matter. But here she was clearly an adult, and she was old enough to have children. ¡°You see, I have been alone ever since I was young, and the people around me were eager to make a large family for me. Everyone seems to think of me as a son, nephew, or younger brother, not the Grand Duke.¡± Sheldrick, who hardly ever exposed his innermost thought, showed a humane side for the first time. He grumbled as if he didn¡¯t like the situation, but affection could be heard in his tone. ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, I will deal with that in moderation.¡± ¡°I intend to keep the marriage for about three years. You can make it longer if you need more time.¡± Three years. It was enough time to gather the strength to quietly become independent. ¡°No. I think three years is enough for me. If you happen to find someone you like and want to get a divorce, please tell me.¡± ¡°Someone I like?¡± She thought it was a matter that should be addressed, but Sheldrick laughed as if he had heard the funniest thing. It was an unexpectedly cynical smile. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t happen. If it wasn¡¯t for this deal in the first place, I wouldn¡¯t have married anyone.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Sheldrick was the Grand Duke of Etzel. Under the title of the Grand Duke, vast land and numerous properties were at stake. If he were not to get married, how was he planning to have an heir to inherit all these things? Noticing her doubts, Sheldrick shook his head nonchalantly. ¡°Don¡¯t take it too seriously. It was meant that I had no intention of breaking the three-year contract in the first place.¡± ¡®It was just a contractual relationship. There was no need to dwell on each other¡¯s circumstances.¡¯ That seemed to be what he was implying. As she nodded, Sheldrick, with his face slightly relaxed, brought up the next matter. ¡°If you have someone you like, milady, and want to divorce earlier than three years, please feel free to tell me.¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m not going to do that either.¡± It was most important to build up her strength right now, so where¡¯s the time for dating? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will work hard as the Grand Duchess during the promised period.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ it is unfair to entrust you with the work of the Grand Duchess only. According to the rules of the Grand Duchy, dues are paid to the Grand Duchess. Let¡¯s say it¡¯s your salary.¡± ¡°My salary?¡± ¡°Yes. That is the personal asset of the Grand Duchess, so you can take it with you after the divorce.¡± It was a surprisingly unexpected proposal. The amount he subsequently brought up was even more astonishing. ¡°1% of the profits from the Grand Duchy is to be paid as personal salary for the Grand Duchess. Perhaps, based on the current income, it would be about a thousand gold per month¡­¡± ¡°A thousand gold every month?!¡± ¡°Yes. Is it not enough?¡± ¡°No. Rather, it¡¯s more than necessary¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll discuss it with the butler. If I look up the rules, there will be more to pay the Grand Duchess.¡± B-boss! He must be a very generous and detailed executive. Best employer ever! ¡°And about the wedding.¡± ¡°Oh, you want there to be a wedding?¡± As she blinked absent-mindedly at the unexpected suggestion, Sheldrick tilted his head to one side. ¡°Isn¡¯t it most certain to have a ceremony before the rumours come out?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the reason, I don¡¯t think a grand wedding ceremony is necessary. Wouldn¡¯t it be enough just to call a priest and sign the marriage pledge?¡± This time, Sheldrick blinked blankly in surprise. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay with it though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even real after all.¡± They did not have to be bound by form. If she had really minded it, she wouldn¡¯t have even thought of changing her groom a week before the wedding in the beginning. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want then. But instead¡­¡± Sheldrick got up from his seat and walked over to her. He was holding a small box in his hand. ¡°This ring had been passed down to the mistress of the Etzel Duchy for generations. It is usually given to the bride at a wedding, but we won¡¯t have anything like that.¡± When Sheldrick opened the box, a beautiful ring came into sight. It was a ring studded with black pearls that were close to perfect spheres. ¡°As long as you wear this ring, you are a part of the Etzel family, regardless of what anyone says.¡± Sheldrick said as he put the ring on her left ring finger. ¡°No matter what you have run away from or wherever you want to go in the future, I will do my best to protect you.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a contractual relationship?¡± ¡°Even so, as long as you are under Etzel¡¯s name, I¡¯m willing. Etzel doesn¡¯t turn away from its family.¡± She gazed at the ring on the ring finger of her left hand, dazed. She thought it was just a contract. No, it¡¯s still simply a contract, though. She felt weird because Shedrick seemed to have put her behind his fence. He even says I¡¯m family. It was the first time someone had said such a thing to her. Even her parents never said that. Rather, it¡¯s a nuisance to have someone like me as family¡­ She grinned at Sheldrick, trying to shake off the heavy feeling. ¡°I will do my best to protect the Grand Duke while I am under Etzel¡¯s name, too.¡± ¡°You, protect me?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡± As she nodded resolutely, Sheldrick laughed amusedly. ¡°Is that so? You seem like a strong ally. I shall look forward to it then.¡± CH 11 As the period of confinement became longer and rumours spread that Violet and Sheldrick had summoned a priest and signed the marriage pledge, the emperor could not withstand it any longer. In the meantime, the emperor had been avoiding giving a definitive answer, excusing that ¡®Miss Violet¡¯s opinion is also important, so it is best not to draw conclusions recklessly¡¯. However, she had even signed the marriage pledge with Sheldrick herself, causing him to lose his excuse as well. Eventually, the emperor approved their marriage, and her short confinement came to an end. And as for today. She and Sheldrick were leaving for the Eastern Grand Duchy. Like the world in the game, there were teleportation gates everywhere. People could easily move from city to city at any time as long as they paid for it. While Jen was talking with the gatekeeper, Sheldrick gave her a brief summary of their upcoming trip. ¡°Since there is no gate that goes directly to the dukedom, we will have to move to the nearest place and then get on a carriage.¡± ¡°How long does it take to get to the Grand Duchy by carriage from there?¡± ¡°An hour is enough. We¡¯ve sent a message in advance, there should be a carriage ready for us in front of the gate.¡± At the end of Sheldrick¡¯s explanation, Jen came up to them after talking to the gatekeeper. ¡°It¡¯s ready. We can depart right away.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They followed Jen to the front of the gate. Etzel Duchy. The main stage of the game was the capital of the Arnold Empire, so the destination was an unfamiliar place even to her, who had repeated the game several times. What kind of place is it? Perhaps it was because she had never been able to travel in such an extraordinary way, she was more excited than worried. ¡°We shall set off now.¡± With the keeper¡¯s mechanical guidance, a strong, blinding light enveloped her body. As soon as she closed her eyes reflexively, her head went dizzy. She had used the gate a lot in the game, but it was the first time she actually felt it. Ugh. It¡¯s dizzier than I thought¡­? It was several times dizzier than riding on a spinning ride. She could not stand it and her body was shaking. She tried to stabilise herself, but it was no use because she could not tell which direction was the ground and which was the sky. As the surrounding light faded and the dizziness subsided, her body lost control and fell to the ground. Even though she could feel it clearly, she could not cope with it. I guess I¡¯m going to roll on the ground at this rate. She shut her eyes tightly with that thought in mind, but the pain she expected did not hit her. When she opened her eyes in shock, she found someone completely unexpected holding her firmly. It was Duke Etzel himself. ¡°Are you okay? If you¡¯re not used to the gate, you could get dizzy.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, I¡¯m fine now¡­¡± As his body, which had obscured her view, slowly moved about of sight, the scenery of the Etzel estate caught her eyes. The land was vast and beautiful. It was completely different from the capital. Wow¡­ It was such a beautiful landscape that she was in awe. Sheldrick held out a document in front of the mesmerised Violet. At first glance, the emperor¡¯s seal could be seen under the thickly written letters. ¡°This is our wedding pledge, written by His Majesty himself.¡± She scanned the name written on the marriage certificate. Grand Duchess Violet Etzel. An awkward title was added to her name. She would live by this name for at least a few years ahead. ??? It had already been a week since she settled in the Grand Duke¡¯s residence. It was a short period, but it was enough time to adjust to the new space. Duke Basel sent letters several times even after the marriage between her and Sheldrick was confirmed. I know you were forced to sign it. If your signature was forced, the marriage can still be annulled. If you want to escape, we will help you. The power of the Meritorious Right ends with getting you as his bride, so if you run away from the Grand Duke now, His Majesty can help you from then on. Well, that was what it is anyway. She gladly replied to it. Grand Duke Etzel is very kind to me. It was sudden, but I am very satisfied with this marriage. I wish for the Duke and Miss Vivian¡¯s blessings. She wrote a reply with the content that Violet, who was a flower garden in his head*, would never have sent. And now the letter with threats had arrived. T/n: *flower garden in one¡¯s head ¨C a term used to despise someone who is too idealistic to the point of having an empty head / being air-headed. The content of the letter read that he would send someone to the Grand Duke¡¯s residence secretly, so she had to meet with that person and then run away, or else she would be in big trouble. What on earth is he on about now? She snorted and ignored the letter. It seems that the situation is so hopeless that he can¡¯t even make a specific threat. It was a threatening letter that did not work for her, not even for the real Violet to say the least. It was far better to focus on adapting to life at Etzel estate than to worry about the duke who would be boiling with rage without any countermeasures. The attitudes of people at the Duchy toward her were largely divided into two. Curious or wary. If she were to look at the ratio, the latter was the overwhelming majority. It was natural to be wary of strangers, so there was nothing to be sad about. I just have to do what I am supposed to do. That was the best way for a stranger to blend in. First, she put a lot of effort into understanding the situation of the Grand Duchy. Didn¡¯t people say that if you know your enemy and yourself well, you can win every battle? It was more important than anything to understand their current state well. The Grand Duchy was quite wealthy. The large territory was rich in resources, and the tax rate was not very high, yet, it was still making high profits. The problem was that all the sources of revenue for the Duchy were stuck in the old-fashioned industry. The Grand Duchy is significantly dependent on agriculture. Of course, agriculture was the source of all life. However, there were too many variables beyond human control. Depending on the weather, poor harvests might occur, and if manpower was drained due to an epidemic like the recent period, the yield would be greatly reduced. In other words, It was an unattractive field as a business. If you want to make big money, you have to turn to commerce or industry. Even the Duke of Basel was successful by making a big deal of commerce. Unlike the Etzel estate, where the land was fertile, the estate of Duke Basel was barren and farming was not done properly. For that circumstances, he turned to commerce early and made his fortune by monopolising many business sectors. The greatest product of Basel was potions. They summoned famous pharmacists and developed various potions. There was a type of potion that restores energy from fatigue, a potion that clears the skin, a potion that heals wounds, etc. He made and sold potions of various uses. The formulas for the potions were top secret, and only the head of state could see them. Since that was the family¡¯s cash cow, the security was very tight. It would be nice if we could make something like that and sell it. If she were to make a new and mysterious potion to put on sale, it would become a hot topic. If one drinks it, that person¡¯s body will smell pleasant. It¡¯s a potion that can be used as a substitute for perfume. Of course, it was an absurd idea. Talented pharmacists were concentrated in the Basel estate, so development was not easy. But at that moment, a window popped up in front of her unexpectedly. [!] Under the influence of the Perfect Design (Legendary) skill, great ideas run wild in your head! [!] Start designing . [!] Consumes 300 energy. Huh? As soon as she read all the incomprehensible phrases, her body moved at its own will and started to write something on a blank paper. Startled, she tried to stop her arm, but to no avail. As if possessed by a ghost, her arm, which had been scribbling hard, stopped moving as if it was satisfied only after the paper was filled. She rubbed her stiff wrist and looked down at the paper, bewildered. 100ml water 10g of Armaline flower root 0.5g of Philon¡¯s Poison 5g of Axus¡¯ heart ¡­ After reading the content with much speculation, she came to a conclusion. Could this be¡­ the ingredients and the method for making the potion? She quickly went back and read the writing at the top of the paper again. Huh? It seemed that she had made a formula for this ridiculous potion that she could only imagine in her head. CH 12 But the ingredients are a bit¡­ The roots of Armaline flowers and the poison of Phillon were easy to obtain. If she went outside right away and roamed around the fields, she could see dozens of Armalines and Philons in one day. The problem was the heart of Axus. Axus was a small demon that only lived in the deep forest. Subjugation was not easy because they were monsters with strong power and tended to stick together as a pack. Since it revealed its presence with a strong smell from afar, people said that if there were to be a strange smell in the forest, do not go deeper but run away immediately. A potion made using its heart. Then the production cost would be too high. Considering the labour cost of getting the heart of an Axus, we would still be at a loss even if we were to sell the potion for 500 gold. And certain enough, there was no fool who would spend more than 500 gold just for their body to smell good. This formula has no future in business at all. It would not be sold anyway, and even if there was someone foolish enough to buy it, they would still be at a loss. However, by creating this formula, she was able to learn how to use the skill called ¡®Perfect Design¡¯. That alone was a great harvest. Hmm¡­ If so, next time, I¡¯ll come up with a more realistic and practical potion¡­.. Minutes later, she thought of a potion with another effect in her head. I want to make this! This time as well, a translucent black guidance window appeared. [!] Under the influence of the Perfect Design (Legendary) skill, great ideas run wild in your head! [!] Start designing . [!] Consumes 300 energy. She was reminded of a potion with the functions of shampoo and conditioner. People here only washed their hair with water, making it easily oily and frizzy. When she first came here, the things she desperately wanted were shampoo and conditioner. Fortunately, the nobles applied perfume to soften their hair, but they were so expensive that they could not use it often because it had to be used sparingly. Unlike the first time, she was getting the hang of it and just observed at her hand moving freely. Because it was the second time, she felt less repulsive even though her body moved uncontrollably. It felt like it was moving at her will. Somehow she had a good feeling. Unfortunately, the result was disappointing. The new instruction still contained materials that were difficult to commercialise. But luckily, she was quick to find the problem. Washing your hair with this potion will make your hair smooth and shine. Duration of efficacy: 1 month. No, it¡¯s not necessary to have nice hair for a whole month. Of course, if she was going to use it, that would be convenient, but if it¡¯s for sale, it would be a different story. If a person only uses it once and would have their hair smooth for a month or so, wouldn¡¯t it be too long for people to purchase new potions again? Hmm¡­Can this part be specifically set up? She decided to recreate the formula by setting more specific conditions. Make hair smooth and shiny like when using shampoo and conditioner. Smells like flowers. Instead, the duration is set to 24 hours. At last, a new script of instruction with a different result than before was made. When you wash your hair with this potion, your hair will feel soft and smooth with a touch of fragrance to it. Duration of efficacy: 24 hours. It been recorded in the system! She gladly went through the required components and the process of making the product. The components and procedure were also much simpler than before. It seemed that this was feasible enough for a business. Of course, I¡¯ll come to know of the complete product as well as its flaws and lackings clearly once I discuss it with other people. But just seeing the potential made her excited. This skill is very useful. At that time, she had acquired a total of six skills in the World Library. Except for ¡®Infinite Pocket¡¯ and ¡®Perfect Design¡¯, four other skills remained unknown. This alone is good enough, I¡¯ll figure out how to use the other four soon¡­ It was amazing. This would surely be a huge hit. It¡¯s worthwhile to clear the game¡¯s hard mode, right? I got such a good skill after all! She had now forgotten about all the time she cursed at how crazy the game was. She smiles excitedly and got on to designing many more products. Among them, potions that change hair colour or potions that change curly hair into straight hair gave pretty good results. Let¡¯s make three kinds of potions for smoothing hair. In order to do business properly, she needed to test first. Alright, I¡¯m going to the butler to ask for the ingredients right away! However, the moment she got up from her seat with that determination, her head started spinning. It was so grim that it felt kind of dangerous. She felt like blood was draining from all over her body. Ugh¡­what¡¯s wrong with me? She moved her staggering body difficultly and managed to lean on the table. But the dizziness was not going away. [!] Extremely low energy. [!] You would feel dizzy and nauseous. [!] You need a break right now. Ah. Come to think of it, it did say that every time I use a skill, I will consume an amount of energy. She had never used up her energy before, so she didn¡¯t know what would happen when her energy dropped to the bottom. That being said, she never paid much attention to that part, and she used her skill like crazy. Urgh. I guess I can¡¯t use my skills however I pleased thoughtlessly. I¡¯ll have to be careful in the future. All of a sudden, her vision turned black. [!] Your energy is now exhausted. You will fall into an unconscious state. ??? When she opened her eyes again, she was on bed. I fainted. Actually, she was used to fainting. She had spent such a long time as an incurable patient, that she was prone to pains and fainting. Thanks to this, she was able to naturally perform the following actions. She calmly raised her upper body and took a deep breath. After taking a breath, the energy in her body seemed to be refreshed little by little. I¡¯m thirsty. At that thought, she began searching around. Briefly after, a maid came in and exclaimed in a startled voice. ¡°Madame! You are awake!¡± It was Nisha, the maid that Sheldick personally sent her. Because Violet was unfamiliar with this place, he said that Nisha would be of help to her in many ways as she had worked in the residence for a long time. As he said, Nisha was indeed very skillful. She could read the room well. She knew when to be there and when to step down, so there was no need for orders. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°Half a day has passed, Madame. The Grand Duke was also very worried.¡± It was obvious that it was all empty talk. She had heard this kind of pleasant words a lot while she was lying in the hospital. If you¡¯re really worried about me, I¡¯ll see for myself. Not just with your words alone. After all, they weren¡¯t even that close. ¡°I see.¡± She answered half-heartedly and got out of bed. To be precise, that was what she was striving to do. Had it not been for the weight that was heavily pressing down on her legs, that would have certainly been the case. ¡­what? Puzzled, she shifted her gaze to that specific direction. Before long, her eyes rounded in surprise at the unexpected. ¡°¡­A wolf?¡± A little wolf with black fur was sleeping there. At first, she thought it was a dog, but on closer inspection, it was clearly different from a dog. ¡°Why is a wolf here?¡± No matter how small it was, it was an animal of the beasts¡¯ family. It living with people would be dangerous. The maid smiled softly at her bewildered face. ¡°The black wolf is the symbol of Etzel. It roams around a lot.¡± It was strange. Very strange indeed. The symbol of the Basel Duchy was the silver hawk, but no hawk had been seen roaming around the mansion. She watched the wolf cautiously. ¡°It doesn¡¯t attack people? It¡¯s a wild beast though.¡± ¡°Of course, there are a lot of beasts like that¡­ but this one is fine. Ever since he was born, he has been growing up among humans.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± She blinked dazedly and looked back at the little wolf. It was the first time she had ever seen a wolf up close. The little wolf¡¯s chest was going up and down regularly, perhaps he was in a deep sleep. If it had been awake, she would have been more wary. But since he was asleep, she didn¡¯t think it was too dangerous. She cautiously reached out and stroked the wolf¡¯s head. His hair, between her fingers, felt softer than she expected. He rubbed his face with his hand as if he could feel her touch even while sleeping. It really looked like he was acting cute, just like a child. This is¡­more than I think¡­ ¡°Cute¡­¡± The word ¡®cute¡¯ popped out of her mouth unwittingly. Nisha, who was watching from the side, burst into laughter as if it was funny. ¡°Actually, the previous Grand Duchess loved him a lot. Perhaps he has not forgotten that time, as he often came to the Grand Duchess¡¯ room to sleep.¡± The smile on Nisha¡¯s face disappeared as she continued to speak. ¡°So, if this guy pops up in the middle of the night and takes over the bed, please don¡¯t be too harsh on him.¡± CH 13 T/n: There was a little misunderstanding in the pronunciation, and so from this chapter onward, Sheldrick will be changed to Sheardrick. Since the tragedy of the former Duke and Duchess of Etzel was such a famous story, there was no need to ask why. The Grand Duke died protecting the Emperor, and the Grand Duchess, who was deeply shocked, also passed away. Sheldrick became the next Grand Duke at the age of thirteen, after the death of his parents. That was six years ago, so the wolf must be at least six years old. ¡°Is this guy that old already? He looks young though.¡± ¡°Oh, no. He only looks small now because he¡¯s curled up, but he¡¯s bigger than you thought once he stands up properly.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Still, even when he curled up, he covered her entire lap. He would be much bigger when properly stood. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a name?¡± ¡°You can call him however you want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a talent for naming things¡­¡± The wolf¡¯s fur was dark black, so she couldn¡¯t help but think of Sheardrick. Since his hair was also of the same colour. ¡°¡­Sid (Shead).¡± (but Sid sounds better so..) For her, who had no talent or experience in name application, it was the best she could come up with. ¡°I¡¯ll call him Sid.¡± As soon as she decided on a name, Nisha widened her eyes. ¡°Is he named after the Grand Duke?¡± ¡°Yes. Doesn¡¯t the colour of his fur resemble the Duke¡¯s hair?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± Nisha agreed strongly, as if she had come to notice it for the first time. Even for someone who had worked in the mansion for as long as her, she was trying too hard to please her new master. She felt the bitterness of society once again and patted the wolf. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind that this might be rude. ¡°Oh. Do you think the His Grace would be offended? That I gave the wolf a name after his?¡± ¡°Oh, our duke is not that narrow-minded.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± She still hadn¡¯t been able to figure out exactly what kind of person Sheardrick was. It was because it felt quite three-dimensional and real, unlike the 2D character she saw when playing the game. It was the same for other figures such as the Duke of Basel and Vivian. She recalled Sheardrick¡¯s expressionless face. There was often a perception that an expressionless face was cold, but his face was closer to insensitive. He gave the impression that he was indifferent rather than cold-hearted. She would say that it was more like the sensation of living on while thoroughly killing and burying deep his emotions. Therefore, it was quite difficult to understand his feelings. He was completely different from Duke Basel or Vivian, whose desires were clearly revealed. ¡°If you are concerned, you can ask His Grace yourself.¡± ¡°The Grand Duke?¡± ¡°Yes. Just tell him that you saw a black wolf sleeping on the bed, and asked if you could call him Sid.¡± Nisha wasn¡¯t wrong. Rather than worrying in an ambiguous state, it was better to ask Sheardrick directly and put her mind at ease. Seeing her nod, Nisha smiled broadly. The maid looked strangely happy. ¡°But do get some sleep first. You just collapsed, and the doctor said you need more rest.¡± Nisha laid me back on the bed and covered me with a blanket. She thought she was wide awake, but when she lay down, she fell asleep again. Consuming a huge amount of energy apparently left a big impact. She closed her eyes without resisting as the drowsiness sank in. A deep sleep soon struck her. ??? When she woke up in the morning, the black wolf, Sid, had already left the room. As the guy who kept her warm all night had long disappeared, she felt somewhat empty. She waited until the afternoon, so as not to be rude, and then went to see Sheardrick. It wasn¡¯t just to get permission for Sid¡¯s name. She was about to start a business in earnest after they had a talk about the recipe she made with her Skills. He accepted her sudden visit without refusal. On the surface, they were a couple, so it would be strange to say no. ¡°Has your body fully recovered yet?¡± Sheardrick greeted her calmly, and so she responded in the same way. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to push yourself too hard. There is nothing urgent in the Grand Duchy, so we can take it slow.¡± He was right. When she checked the ledger, she could clearly see that. ¡°In the meantime, the butler and the maid have been doing their job really well. They seem like capable people.¡± ¡°They have been loyal to the Etzel family for generations. They are trustworthy people.¡± ¡°But Etzel¡¯s business is overly focused on agriculture, so I think it¡¯s better to try to improve that in the long run.¡± At her words, Sheardrick¡¯s eyes widened a little. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s also been discussed among the vassals recently. However, it is difficult to change the business structure right now¡­¡± ¡°For that, I want to make a suggestion. Why don¡¯t you try making and selling potions?¡± She then presented the formulas for the three most profitable potions to Sheardrick. His face, which had been examining the papers she held out with a questioning face, soon turned serious. ¡°I knew that the Duchy of Basel was famous for potions, but I didn¡¯t know you had a talent for making potions.¡± She had never learned the knowledge of potion-making from Duke Basel. But she could not explain her ¡®skills¡¯, so she left his misunderstanding uncorrected. ¡°There seems to be some potential to it.¡± ¡°I think so too. Which is why I want to do business with the Grand Duke.¡± She had the ideas, but she didn¡¯t have the basis to implement them. The power of the Grand Duchy was not wholly developed either. On that account, it was necessary to join hands with Grand Duke Sheardrick. ¡°I want to entrust the potions production to the Grand Duchy. It will require a lot of manpower, so a new job will be created within the Grand Duchy. I will give 30 percent of the potion¡¯s selling profit for the production cost.¡± ¡°So besides being a couple, you want us to become business partners.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a production process from which you would receive good results no matter where you conduct it. Considering the couple¡¯s relationship, I¡¯m giving the Grand Duke a chance to consider first.¡± As she stated confidently with her chin slightly raised, Sheardrick leaned back on his chair and tilted his head. ¡°But 30 percent is too little. Let¡¯s go with 50 percent. I shall get half of it.¡± ¡°Are you trying to start a bargain between a married couple?¡± ¡°There is also some young lady that wants to run a business concerning the said couple.¡± ¡°¡­Then, 40 percent. You actually thought about that price from the beginning and called for 50 percent, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Milady also thought about 40 percent and offered 30 percent.¡± It certainly was the case. She admitted by keeping silent in response. Seconds later, Sheardrick put the formulas down on the desk. ¡°Then we will set the production cost at 40 percent. Do you have any sales channel* in mind? That won¡¯t be easy either.¡± T/n: sales channel ¨C one of the ways in which a business provides customers with a particular product ¡°If that¡¯s your concern, do not worry. I already have something in mind.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s one more thing I want to ask you.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°A little wolf came to my bed yesterday. I¡¯d like to name him Sid. As you may have noticed, he¡¯s named after Your Grace. Since the colour of his fur is similar to your hair¡¯s. But if you feel displeased, I¡¯ll call him by another name.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t a very difficult matter to ask for, but for a moment, Sheardrick was speechless. He looked kind of dumbfounded. ¡°Um, Your Grace?¡± As she called him, Sheardrick came to his sense and opened his mouth. ¡°About that¡­.Did you say a black wolf? About this size?¡± Sheardrick asked, measuring the size with his hand. It was exactly the size of the wolf. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sheardrick sighed and dragged his hands down his face. ¡°Do you know him?¡± ¡°¡­The problem is I know him too well.¡± It was something the deceased Grand Duchess cherished, so of course he would know it well. ¡°Nisha said that the duke would not pay too much mind about his name.¡± ¡°So Nisha said that¡­¡± Sheardrick sighed helplessly, blurring the end of his speech. ¡°Do whatever you want. If I refuse, I will become a petty man, so there is no way I¡¯d do that.¡± ¡°Thank you. I think Sid will also be thankful.¡± ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± Sheardrick¡¯s face looked somewhat complicated. ??? ¡°Nisha.¡± ¡°Oh god! You surprised me.¡± Startled, Nisha stroked her chest as she looked at the huge man sitting in her room. Her master, the grand duke, often behaved in such an indecent manner. ¡°If you had something to say, you should have called me. Don¡¯t come to me in person.¡± ¡°This is faster.¡± ¡°Sometimes formality is more important than speed.¡± ¡°Would a person who knows that formality matters do such a thing?¡± As she shrugged, Sheardrick sighed and swept up his hair. There was no specific subject in their conversation, but she seemed to already know what he was referring to. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. It was you who jumped onto the Madame¡¯s bed.¡± ¡°You know very well that my instincts become stronger when I become like that. I did it because I wanted to sleep. That¡¯s where I can get the most sleep.¡± ¡°No matter how strong your instincts are, you must know that your wife¡¯s there.¡± ¡°¡­I forgot. I was too tired.¡± As Sheardrick rubbed his neck as if he had no face, Nisha became sterner on the contrary. ¡°So, who is it to be blamed?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t encourage her too much. I know what you want, Nisha.¡± ¡°Oh. What do I want?¡± Sheardrick frowned as Nisha blinked, faking innocence. ¡°I don¡¯t want to bring her into our affairs.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Nisha smiled amusedly. She realised that there was a subtle favourable feeling in his words. ¡°She is still a kid. Don¡¯t think of anything weird.¡± ¡°And you married that little kid?¡± ¡°That¡­.¡± Sheardrick sighed in frustration. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve made it clear. Do not encourage her. This is an order from the Grand Duke.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Hearing Nisha¡¯s answer, he quietly turned around. And his shadow, moving away, could be seen taking the form of an animal rather than a human. It was a dark black wolf. CH 14 She was stuck in her study every day and only looked at ledgers. Until there were no more ledgers left to look at. Ugh! I think I¡¯m going to die. A record of a total of six years from the time Sheardrick inherited the Grand Duke title until now. She did not think she would review all those documents. When she first asked for the account books, the administrator in charge looked at her with suspicious eyes, which were now different from back then. ¡°You have worked hard, Your Grace.¡± The administrator in charge of the records took the last book back and bowed his head deeply. The people of the Grand Duchy called her ¡®Your grace the Grand Duchess¡¯ or ¡®Madame¡¯. The administrator mostly used the address of ¡®Your Grace¡¯, and those of the Grand Duke¡¯s residence mainly used the title of ¡®Madame¡¯. Neither of them seemed familiar. When she found it awkward being called ¡®Madame¡¯ because she felt like an old lady. And when she was called ¡®Duchess¡¯ or ¡®Your Grace¡¯, she felt like she had become some great person, so she was embarrassed. But it¡¯s no use no matter how much I ask them to call me by my name. Tallinn and Jen, who first accompanied her to the Grand Duchy, were the only two knights that did it without hesitation. It seemed that it was easier for them to talk comfortably because she met them first in the capital, not the Grand Duke¡¯s residence. I think I should look around the Grand Duchy in person now. The ledgers were neatly organised, but whether there was a discrepancy from the reality was a different matter. It¡¯s best to see it with her own two eyes. But the Grand Duchy was very large. Since it occupied most of the eastern part of the empire alone, it was unreasonable to look at all of them like when examining the ledgers. While reviewing the papers, she had no choice but to look around places where she thought there was a problem first. The most urgent thing right now is¡­ It was the cocoba farm area. Cocoba was the main product of the Grand Duchy, and it was a crop similar to modern cocoa. After the cocoba fruit was harvested, the seeds were picked and then produced into chocolate. Since chocolate was a high-end food consumed by the aristocracy, it was sold at a high price, so cocoba seeds, the raw material, also cost quite a bit. More than half of the Duchy¡¯s revenue came from the sale of these cocoba seeds. However, in the books she reviewed, it was recorded that the cocoba production had recently decreased significantly. If cocoba production decreases, the Grand Duchy¡¯s profits will drop as well, and if it does, so will my money¡­ That would be a problem. For my splendid independence, the Grand Duchy must earn more money than it does now! From the moment Sheardrick said that he would regard her paid as her personal asset, it was as if they had become comrades on the same boat. Three years of hard work and comfortable living. However, the product that was responsible for the main business profit of the Grand Duchy was in crisis. The only thing that appeared in the ledgers was the number of reduced yields, so it seemed like she would have to look around the site to figure out the problem. ¡°Now, would you like to tour the cocoba farmland?¡± As if reading her thoughts, the administrator smiled and said. It was such exquisite timing that she wondered if she was voicing out her thought. Perhaps, even that thought had been read properly, the administrator opened his mouth, still smiling. ¡°He said you would definitely want to tour the cocoba farmland after reviewing all the account books.¡± ¡°The Grand Duke?¡± ¡°Yes. His Excellency the Grand Duke told us to have it ready for inspection at any time.¡± ¡°So he said that¡­¡± It was ambiguous whether she was taken care of or whether she was being tested. Of course, her sense was leaning more toward the latter. Although the cheeky thing was that he was expecting her actions in either way. ¡°The documents said that the farmland is not too far from the Grand Duke¡¯s residence.¡± ¡°Yes. Just climb the steeple and you will be able to see the farmland right away. It¡¯s very close to the Duke¡¯s manor. It¡¯s just a short ride in a carriage.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go right now.¡± ¡°Yes. I shall you myself, Your Grace.¡± ??? ¡°Thanks to Violet, I¡¯m excluded from training.¡± Unlike back in the capital, Jen, dressed in comfy activewear, looked around and smiled. It¡¯s fine for Violet to move around comfortably inside the Grand Duke¡¯s residence, but she needed an escort whenever she went out, so he followed her. But to have a black knight as an escort¡­ Was it really alright for her to take a knight from the Third Great Knights Division of the Empire just for farm inspection? She thought it was a huge waste of manpower, but since the person looked so happy¡­ She sighed inwardly and looked around the Cocoba Farm. Green trees were planted on the vast expanse of land, full of light green and scarlet fruits. Contrary to the figure indicating that the yield had greatly decreased, it was a very rich land. The administrator sighed next to her as she looked at the cocoba trees questionably. ¡°The epidemic has reduced the number of people able to harvest cocoba. For a while, there was no harvest at all.¡± It certainly looked like there were fewer people working compared to the size of the farm. The doctor had invented a drug that can cure the plague, so this problem should soon be resolved. ¡°However, even before the epidemic, I saw that the cocoba yield had already started declining. Isn¡¯t there another problem?¡± Violet inquired. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s because there¡¯s a problem with the fruit¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the fruit?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably faster to see for yourself.¡± The administrator called a worker passing by to bring the fruit. The worker nervously cut the ripe scarlet fruit in half and politely held it out in front of them. Then Jen, who was standing behind, quickly snatched the fruit, put its flesh into his mouth, and handed her the seed embedded in the centre. ¡°This is the raw material from which chocolate is made.¡± The seeds were relatively small compared to the large fruit. I heard that the flesh is discarded and only the seeds are used. There seemed to be a lot more wasted than expected. ¡°How does the flesh taste?¡± When she asked Jen, who was muttering while chewing the mesocarp, he shrugged and offered it to her so she could try it herself. At his unconcerned attitude, the administrator standing next to him got startled and pulled the hem of Jen¡¯s clothes, but she had already put the piece that Jen had handed out into her mouth. Oh? As soon as she put it in her mouth, she could feel the sweetness. The texture was similar to tangerines, there was no sour taste, and the sweetness was very rich. ¡°Are you throwing away all this delicious food? Are you only selling seeds?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it often goes bad during the distribution process.¡± The administrator shook his head as if it could not be helped. ¡°If we sell it as a whole fruit without removing the seeds, it will be less damaged, but the seeds are much more valuable¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Obviously, considering the distribution structure of this world, it was difficult to sell the mesocarp of the fruit. Then, what if we make a transferring cart that has a refrigeration function? The thought crossed her mind but soon she shook it off her head. She could make blueprints using , but it was obvious that it would require extremely hard-to-find materials. ¡°Then what is wrong with the seeds- ¡­?¡± The moment she grabbed the cocoba seed while asking that, the seed lost its original shape and crumbled. ¡°Are the seeds really this weak?¡± ¡°No, not really. Originally, it was solid. So it was possible to process it and sell it.¡± Could it be that not only people but also the fruits were ¡®sick¡¯? That said, the overall condition of the fruit looked very good. The question was quickly resolved. ¡°It¡¯s not to the point of calling it a drought, but the amount of precipitation in the Grand Duchy has decreased significantly recently. For that, the fruits¡¯ flesh has become sweet, but it seems that the seed lacks moisture¡­¡± The administrator looked up at the sky and blurred the end of his words. The sun was shining brightly without a single cloud in the sky. ¡°At least, we are selling the ones that are in good condition. As you can see from the ledgers, about a third of what we normally sell has decreased.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a huge loss.¡± ¡°Yes. But the weather is bad luck, it gets out of hands, we can¡¯t do anything about it so everyone is troubled.¡± She could see why Sheardrick just stood by watching the yields drop with his own eyes. Even if water is drawn from nearby areas, it would be impossible to wet all of this large area. As the administrator said, this is a matter of nature. It was not an area that humans could control. In that case¡­ Let¡¯s deal with the part humans could handle! ¡°Let¡¯s raise the selling price.¡± Chocolate made with Cocoba was a luxury. Since it was a snack eaten by nobles, no matter how high the price of cocoba, they would have no choice but to buy it. ¡®I couldn¡¯t buy chocolate because it was too expensive¡¯ would be a detriment to their self-esteem and faces. ¡°If we have a monopoly on the supply of cocoba seeds, this is possible. But there are other households selling cocoba besides us.¡± In other words, if they raised the price, buyers would flock to other sides and their Cocoba seeds would remain. ¡°Can¡¯t we make an agreement with them and all raise the price? The other party might want to sell Cocobar at a high price too if possible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if our competitors will join hands with us. Rather, they might be using this as an opportunity to take our prospective customers.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a lot of production on our side?¡± ¡°Yes. We have the most, but there is another formidable one as well. That¡¯s why we are always competing on prices.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± The answer was simple. There could be a problem with their cocoba as well. ¡°Where is the family that produces as much cocoba as the Grand Duchy?¡± CH 15 ¡°Cocoba. I need it. A lot.¡± It was poor imperial language. Count Bellot was leisurely drinking tea when a merchant came directly to his manor, saying he wanted to buy Cocoba. The County of Bellot was regarded as one of the Empire¡¯s representative cocoba producers along with Etzel Duchy, so it was not surprising that its reputation spread to foreign countries. For that, there were many cases where merchants came to the County to ask for supplies of cocoba. But he doesn¡¯t look¡­. Count Bellot glanced up and down the merchant¡¯s figure. Aside from being a foreigner, his attire was quite bizarre. ¡°Where¡¯s the merchant from?¡± ¡°Across the sea. Cappadonian. I like Cocoba.¡± ¡°Cappadonia? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± However, there were various countries beyond the sea, so it was inevitable that it sounded unfamiliar. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve come at the wrong time. Currently, the crops in other places are not good, so orders are pouring in on our side. It¡¯s hard to distribute it overseas because it is already difficult to take care of all the domestic orders.¡± Count Bellot said arrogantly. Recently, their competitor, Etzel¡¯s cocoba harvest was not very good, so orders were rushed towards Bellot. It was a huge opportunity for Bellot, who was always behind Etzel and stood in second place in sales. Count Bellot did not miss this opportunity and actively expanded its business partners. If they advanced one more step ahead, they could have made a huge profit by raising the price of cocoba, but the cocoba business was a long-term family business. Rather, he opted to lower the price of cocoba to attract the clients from Etzel¡¯s side, one by one, toward his. So far, he had been able to form verbal contracts with some clients. ¡°Though you came from afar, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I really want to buy it. The Cocoba. I brought a lot of money.¡± ¡°Sorry, even if you say that, we have already decided to deliver it to another place¡­¡± ¡°100 gold.¡± Before Count Bellot could refuse flatly, the merchant opened his mouth. ¡°100 gold per kilogram.¡± It was an unconventional price. Originally, cocoba was priced at about 80 gold per kilogram. In addition, it was now sold for 70 gold per kilogram because 10 gold was cut to find new customers. But now, it costed 30 gold more per kilogram! If 1 kilogram is 30 gold more in cost, then¡­? If considering the units sold, they would see huge profits. It was too much money to refuse right away for long-term reasons. Let¡¯s-, let¡¯s calm down first. Count Bellot stablised himself and straightened his posture. If he let his joy show, the other party might notice that he had bid an overly high price and lower the price. He had to pretend to be as nonchalant as possible. But contrary to that thought, Count Bellot¡¯s lips were already twitching up uncontrollably. ¡°Oh, well, since you¡¯re insisting, I¡¯ll try to arrange it and give you as much as possible. How much are you planning to buy?¡± ¡°Fifteen thousand kilograms.¡± ¡°Fif- fifteen thousand??!¡± That¡¯s about the amount of production for one entire year at the Bellot. Except for the Cocoba which had already been delivered, they would have to put in all the mentioned quantities in order to meet the order. ¡°Are you sure you have the ability to pay that much¡­?¡± ¡°I have a check. It¡¯s from the Imperial Bank. A sure guarantee.¡± The merchant took out a checkbook from his pocket. It was a golden checkbook issued by the Empire only to people with good reputations. It meant this man¡¯s wealth was enormous. Count Bellot opened his eyes and looked at the merchant. This ridiculously dressed man who didn¡¯t look the part at all was an immensely wealthy merchant. ¡°Write a contract. The down payment is 10%.¡± The merchant wrote a check on the spot and handed it to Count Bellot. The Count, who had been in the business for many years, recognised immediately that the check handed to him was authentic. His hand trembled as he received the check. ¡°How long. You need to prepare? Cocoba. Fifteen thousand.¡± Count Bellot came to his senses at the merchant¡¯s calm question. Before the man could have the thought that he had been ripped off, the Earl would have to hand it to him as soon as possible. ¡°A fortnight, no, just wait for a week!¡± The Count said urgently, worrying the merchant might change his mind. Upon hearing the answer, a satisfied smile hung on the merchant¡¯s face. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll wait. A week.¡± ??? ¡°I¡¯ve bought all the cocoba from Bellot.¡± ¡°Good job. Now that there are no more cocoba in the empire, all orders will come to our side. Therefore, let¡¯s unpack the quantity we¡¯ve bought from Bellot. The price will be set at 130 gold per kilogram.¡± It¡¯s a lot more expensive than usual, but no one would be able to refuse, for they wouldn¡¯t be able to buy cocoba anywhere else. This is why monopoly is so scary. However, the administrator was concerned. ¡°If the raw material price suddenly jumps, the chocolate will also become expensive. Then fewer people will buy chocolate, and eventually, the raw material cocoba¡­¡± ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°Is not it?¡± ¡°It would be true if the commoners were buying it. But only the nobles can afford chocolate and eat it, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Because it is so expensive, it is difficult for commoners to get their hands on chocolate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point. It¡¯s a luxury snack that can only be consumed by wealthy aristocrats, and the more expensive it gets, the more popular it becomes.¡± It was an indirect way of bragging that ¡®I¡¯m eating such an expensive thing without any problem¡¯. It was obvious that everyone would be buying chocolates to show off their wealth in a discreet way. Later on, chocolate would appear as a refreshment during teatime of the nobles. The decline in cocoba yield was both a crisis and an opportunity. ¡°You¡¯ll see. The order volume will only increase, it will never decrease.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­..¡± The administrator nodded, still puzzled. He was worried because they had spent a lot of money at once buying cocoba from Bellot. He was concerned that if cocoba orders did not pour in soon, they would be forgotten and would be at a huge loss. ¡°And the cocoba¡¯s flesh. It also tasted pretty good¡­ I want to sell it somehow.¡± In one cocoba fruit, the percentage of the flesh was bigger than that of the seeds. Yet we¡¯re throwing it all away. It¡¯s too bad. At this time of the year, the weather was really nice. Wouldn¡¯t the flesh taste best at this point? ¡°But as I said, there is a problem in distribution.¡± ¡°You can sell processed flesh instead of raw flesh.¡± ¡°Flesh through being processed?¡± ¡°Yes. Dry the flesh and make it into a snack¡­¡± In her head, she recalled a snack she ate often in Korea. People who went on overseas trips used to buy sweet treats of dried mangoes. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible for cocoba flesh to be processed that way? There was also a way to make it with jam, but sugar was also quite valuable here. Dried cocoba would be the better option. She only knew of it, but she had no idea how such a snack was made. It didn¡¯t matter anyway. Because she had the Skills! [!] Under the influence of the Perfect Design (Legendary) skill, great ideas run wild in your head! [!] Start designing . [!] Consumes 300 energy. As soon as the skill was activated, her hands began to move freely. At first, she was perplexed and didn¡¯t know what to do, but now she just naturally left it to the movements. The administrator¡¯s mouth slowly gaped as her hand filled the paper without rest. The production method was not that complicated. As for the ingredients, only cocoba flesh was enough. Eventually she handed out the recipe, full of letters and illustrations, to the administrator. ¡°Here. Let¡¯s make it like this.¡± Just as the administrator nodded with a baffled face, the door to the Grand Duchess¡¯ private office opened and Nisha entered. ¡°Madame.¡± She looked rather troubled. ¡°Is there a matter?¡± ¡°About that¡­ a man came from the capital.¡± ¡°The capital?¡± ¡°Yes¡­It¡¯s Madame¡¯s father¡­¡± Her brows furowed at the word ¡®father¡¯. Because she ignored the letters he sent every time, the Duke of Basel decided to come to the Grand Duchy himself? She didn¡¯t know that he was such a free man. It seemed like he just had too much time on his hands. But the name that came out of Nisha¡¯s mouth belonged to someone else, who she had never thought of. ¡°Count Hill is leading his men and encamping in front of the Grand Duchy!¡± ¡°¡­Count Hill?¡± Isaac Hill. He was the third husband of Violet¡¯s mother, Lady Adeline, and the second stepfather of Violet. That person¡¯s here.