Mother-in-Law Refuses to Regress! (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 45

“There is a way to distinguish nobles from commoners even among well-dressed people. For instance, a noble’s daughter would never show her bare hands. The upper class tends to be conservative and strict about etiquette—some young ladies even wear gloves indoors.”

Now that he thought about it, among the passersby dressed in expensive-looking attire, some wore gloves while others did not.

“The surest way is to attend high society gatherings often enough to memorize every face. Even then, people still occasionally get scammed by imposters posing as foreign nobles and end up ridiculed in social circles.”

“Why do they get scammed? They could just choose not to trust anyone from the start.”

Ah, that was a good point. Siod thought to himself in admiration.

“Of course, you can afford that because you’re a Rodante. Guinevere Rodante receives ten percent of the national defense budget as Adelia’s Warden. But how do ordinary nobles make money? Nobles don’t work.”

“Manorial rents?”

“Exactly. But apart from manorial rents or dowries brought by brides, there’s almost no additional income. So, what do you think nobles do when they want to earn more money?”

“I don’t know.”

“They invest. Nobles who make big profits through smart investments are praised for their discernment, while those who lose everything desperately try not to show it—that’s noble society for you.”

Now he understood why James’s father had often mentioned his latest investments. William had never been interested in such matters and had only half-listened before.

“Not trusting anyone sounds like a good strategy, but apart from the Rodante family, it’s generally not feasible for most. That’s why people occasionally fall for scams. What would you do if you had to sustain your house without Guinevere’s income? After all, the Rodante family’s only territory is barren wasteland.”

“…Should I try reclaiming the wasteland?”

Siod had never taught him anything, yet William kept giving clever answers off the cuff, which Siod found endearing.

“That’s a good idea too. Then, whom would you entrust with the work? How would you hire and select people to carry out the tasks? That’s when discernment in judging people becomes essential.”

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