Kaella’s stay in Lucenford was much longer than she felt. This was because she spent more time lying in bed unconscious and ill than awake and active.

Spring, when she could have seen many of her favorite flowers, was already approaching its end before she knew it. Now the season that Lucenford called summer, though not very hot, was drawing near.

While Kaella was asleep, even the kitchen renovation, which even a wealthy lord would have to undertake with great determination, was completed. Surprisingly, the person who felt most relieved after the major construction that even fixed the sewage and water supply facilities was the doctor, who had nothing to do with the kitchen.

“It’s become very clean. Cleanliness is really important wherever you go, Your Highness.”

Darinka emphasized as she performed her daily morning examination.

“Thanks to this, the laundry workers’ jobs have become much easier, so they can take better care of their children. There are also fewer accidents from carrying water. Many people used to slip on the slippery paths while carrying heavy water, break bones, and die from their injuries.”

Kaella knew this too. During her life as a Grand Duchess, she was so mistreated that she knew even the lowliest tasks that a Grand Duchess shouldn’t need to know, and she also diligently sought out work to do.

Naturally, she knew how harsh the winters were and how many people died in the cold. Slipping and breaking bones or dying in the cold were things she had experienced herself.

“That’s why I requested more soap. The children are so filthy. If they just washed their hands and feet well, they’d get sick less often.”

Although it wasn’t necessary, the head maid Mrs. Sirenster, who always came along for the examinations insisting she needed to know the mistress’s health condition, solemnly nodded her head.

She must be quite a clean person herself, as she immediately ordered the large quantity of soap Darinka had requested. The former butler would have thrown a fit, asking how much a single bar of soap cost.

“We can import them cheaply from Ostein.”

Kaella, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. Mrs. Sirenster’s eyes immediately lit up. Ostein, where all sorts of goods were said to be abundant, was by the sea, so salt would be plentiful and soap would naturally be produced in large quantities.

“If we bring them in by water rather than land, we can reduce the freight costs. We can come in along the coast and then up the river, can’t we?”

“Are there ships that can sail upriver?”

Mrs. Sirenster asked with wide eyes. Kaella looked at her quizzically.

“Of course. We can use small boats, can’t we?”

“My goodness, I never thought of that…! I was only thinking of very large merchant ships!”

“If we’re buying soap in bulk for the castle, we can make a contract for several years at once and ask them to deliver it. They’ll send as much as we want. Anything bought in large quantities on a big contract is cheaper.”

“I didn’t think of contracting directly with Ostein.”

Mrs. Sirenster shook her head in admiration. Rather, Kaella tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s something anyone could think of.”

“Oh my, how could we dare to import goods from Ostein? Let’s just look for a merchant to deal with nearby. This place is…, well, you know. There aren’t many merchants coming in here.”

She meant it was closed off. That’s why local forces had monopolized all of Lucenford’s commerce. To bring in new goods, one had to pay an exorbitant price.

The Grand Duchess who had tried to ignore this and deal directly with Ostein was naturally hated for reducing their profits. Money matters are sensitive everywhere, and people’s lives depend on it.

‘They had plenty of reasons to hate me, evenly distributed.’

The young Grand Duchess had no backing and no skill in persuading and placating people. Yes. It was all her responsibility and fault. What more was there to think about? Kaella habitually cut off her thoughts of ruminating on the past.

“Then, how should we contact Ostein…?”

“Ah. I should do that.”

That was only proper.

In Ostein, Kaella was Her Highness the Princess and the heir who would become the future Duchess of Ostein, so if she just wrote one letter, it would be nothing for Ostein’s merchant ships to regularly come and go from Lucenford.

Would this closed-off place become a bit more open then?

“…Won’t there be… problems?”

Kaella hesitated after thinking quietly. The people of Lucenford wouldn’t like outsiders coming and going.

“We’re just buying soap…”

“Actually, I’d like to buy salt too. It’s so expensive here. Ostein is in the south and on the coast, so can’t we get salt cheaply there? Let’s bring in salt along with the soap. It would be wasteful for a ship to come just for a few boxes of soap.”

Mrs. Sirenster’s eyes sparkled. In her mind, she was undoubtedly already compiling a list of a year’s worth of castle supplies to buy.

“We actually need a lot of clean bandages too. This is an area with frequent battles, so supplies for the wounded must always be prepared.”

It was all correct. These were thoughts Kaella had already had four years ago. But she couldn’t implement them.

“There will be strong opposition.”

“Pardon? What opposition?”

Your Highness wants to buy things cheaply, and through her home country at that – what fool would oppose that? The head maid and Darinka looked at the hesitant Kaella, unable to understand.

“In Lucenford, they don’t like outsiders very much, so they won’t take kindly to southern sailors coming and going. If we just bring in soap once this time, wouldn’t there be less opposition?”

“Oh my, Your Highness. What are you saying? You’ve suffered too much hardship in this short time…”

Mrs. Sirenster, who had a personality strong enough to openly clash with the expelled butler, choked up and turned her head, unable to continue speaking properly.

She seemed to think that the Grand Duchess’s wounds were very deep, having collapsed after drinking Ferenko as soon as she arrived, and then attempting to resign voluntarily, unable to bear the humiliation of the butler’s false accusations.

Kaella had simply recalled some very old thoughts. What if we do it this way? What if we modify it like that? These were byproducts of thoughts she had while lying in the confined tower, going over each thing she had done wrong.

It wasn’t bothersome to recall old thoughts, but it was annoying to think of new ones. But as she belatedly began to worry, everything became troublesome. She shouldn’t have spoken.

“That’s not at all the case, Your Highness. No one in the castle would dare to say such things. You don’t need to worry. It’s not like that at all.”

Mrs. Sirenster was trying to comfort the Grand Duchess while wiping away tears.

“Right. There are no such people.”

The Grand Duke, who cherished the Grand Duchess enough to immediately dismiss the butler and head maid who had raised her for a long time, entered and spoke.

“How is Bi’s health today?”

“She has improved a lot, but I wish she would eat a little more and take a few more walks.”

“I think so too. Bi, shall we get up? You need to take a walk. Bring comfortable shoes and clothes.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Peon removed the thin blanket covering Kaella’s knees and knelt before her to put on her shoes. Kaella shook her head in embarrassment and hid her feet.

“Your Highness, I can do this myself, or the maids can do it.”

“It’s also my pleasant hobby.”

The Grand Duke, who made such an embarrassing statement without hesitation, gently pulled out the feet hidden between the folds of the dress and put on the shoes.

While everyone, including the maids, watched this scene with great fondness and quickly helped prepare the couple for their walk, Kaella knew that Peon had changed somehow since the day she met him in the cave.

The small Grand Duchess had no choice but to get up as the Grand Duke lifted her up.

Although spring had deepened, he always made her wear an outer garment. As if even the slightest northern chill should not harm the Grand Duchess, he skillfully dressed her and took her hand.

“Let’s go.”

While they seemed to maintain formality by using honorifics, the Grand Duke behaved like a very affectionate older brother to the Grand Duchess he had known since childhood. Mrs. Sirenster beamed as she watched the Grand Duchess bewilderedly take the large hand.

“Have a good walk.”

Vowing to definitely push forward with importing soap, salt, and all other daily necessities that could be bought cheaply in Ostein but were hard to obtain in Lucenford, she bowed deeply.

“It’s a good idea to import goods from Ostein.”

Peon muttered as he gently enveloped Kaella’s hand and walked, matching her very small steps.

“…How did you hear that?”

“With my ears, well.”

Peon had definitely changed. He hears everything through walls and thick doors.

“It was unnecessary talk.”

“It wasn’t unnecessary talk. It was something this place really needs.”

Kaella didn’t even want to engage in this pointless exchange. She regretted having spoken. It was an old, worn-out idea that she had long pondered alone but failed repeatedly. There was no way it could work. It was all just tiring.

“It just slipped out without me realizing.”

“It seemed like a deep thought.”

“Anyway, it’s something that already failed, right? You know there will be opposition.”

“Rather than failing, I ruined it.”

Kaella lifted her head sharply. He seemed to know after all. Peon nodded.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Kaella, startled by the purple glint in his eyes, lowered her head again. She sometimes forgot that her husband was a dragon. Thump-thump, her pulse raced in the hand he held. Did he know?

He bent down and kissed Kaella’s exposed forehead. Kaella, so surprised that her shoulders trembled, tried to step back, but he instead pulled on the hand he was holding.

“People are watching, Your Highness.”

“Let them watch. Everyone should know that I cherish you because you’re pretty.”

“Such a thing is impossible in Lucenford…”

“There are no fools who would dare to spout such nonsense, Kaella.”

Peon gently whispered to Kaella, who was repeating words that had been hammered into her ears from hearing them so often. After kissing her once more with a smack on her flushed cheeks, he walked on, almost cradling her in his arms.

“And there’s no one who would oppose what you do.”

It would have been better if her expression had been full of doubt and distrust. Kaella weakly gave up after saying a few words and finding that they didn’t get through.

“Come here. Let’s go see.”

If kneeling and apologizing would make her feel better, Peon would have done so. He could have spent his entire life apologizing on his knees if told to do so.

But such apologies wouldn’t raise Kaella up. If there was no motivation, the only option was to create motivation. That was how he would raise her up, even if she had completely broken down and collapsed. Peon smiled leisurely as he slowly led her down the stairs.

“Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, have you come out?”

“Your Highness, good day!”

Greetings flew in from all directions. Knights saluting properly, passing secretaries bowing deeply and greeting Kaella with bright smiles.

She unconsciously hunched her shoulders. The Grand Duke simply walked on with his wife, wearing that strange smile of his.