“If we make this… I mean, if we have the people of Rocksenhart territory make and sell this, wouldn’t it improve their livelihood?”

The White Forest that Yuan had been observing and wandering through was barren and remote, with few human footsteps, so there were many rare medicinal herbs.

Moreover, there was an abundance of green dandelions that one might trip over, which was sufficient as an ingredient for cleaning potions.

In addition, while researching with Hille, they added a few more herbs, and these minor supplementary herbs were also plentiful in the White Forest, if nowhere else.

Clard skimmed over the neat handwriting that resembled hers with a subtle expression.

Judging by the patchwork of white paper overlays and rewritten sections, it was clear that no ordinary effort had gone into this.

“Why are you giving this to me? Do you want me to tell you to go make money by giving you work?”

“No!”

“Then?”

“Why would you… That’s not it at all! I just want to help…”

“So, why.”

Why?

Clard was neither blaming nor angry with her.

Yuan was on the verge of a headache trying to figure out what answer he wanted as she traced his low voice asking so casually.

Judging by his apparent reluctance to utter each word in the sentence ‘to make you work to earn some money,’ was he uncomfortable with the idea of making Yuan earn money?

Come to think of it, he should know that she would be the one giving orders, not doing such work herself, right?

‘He was like this before too.’

When he asked why she wanted to sleep with him despite the pain.

When he asked why she cleaned the West Annex so diligently without being told to.

He always asked with that face.

Always with a languid expression as if facing something tedious, yet persistently, as if there was some answer he was hoping for.

Yuan’s mind became complicated, and she just rolled her eyes before focusing on his grape-flavored candy-like eyes and answering.

Strangely, her mouth felt dry. So much so that she had to swallow the urge to gulp down that seemingly tangy and sweet thing in one bite and roll it around in her mouth.

“Because I want Your Highness to be happy.”

“…”

“If Your Highness is happy, I’m happy too.”

“…”

“Is that not a good enough reason?”

For some reason, a suffocating silence fell.

It was always like this when she was with him.

There were moments of comfortable silence where just being together without words felt like having everything, and then there were moments of unexpected, breathtaking silence that made her foolishly wonder if her heart might be attached to her ears.

After a long silence, Clard finally spoke just as Yuan’s heart was about to burst.

“I told you you could do whatever you want.”

“Then…!”

“But make Hille or that wooden stick or whoever the person in charge, not you.”

With those words, Clard stood up.

“Are you allowing it?”

“Do I need to say it again? I said you can do whatever you want.”

“As long as I don’t die, right?”

As Yuan spoke with a grin, Clard briefly frowned before lightly tousling her hair.

Stunned by this sudden action, Yuan stood there blankly, wondering what had just passed between them.

Clard had already sauntered to the door and was holding it open, waiting.

“What are you doing?”

Making space for her to go out first.

“Didn’t you say we’re going for a walk?”

Yuan led Clard’s hand outside, feeling as if she were walking on clouds.

As the now perfectly clean West Annex revealed itself before them with dazzling presence, Clard came to an abrupt stop just before reaching the entrance.

Yuan, who was about to release his hand and open the gate first, looked down at their still-joined hands with wide eyes, then looked up at him.

And she admired the sight of the owner of this mansion, which had reclaimed part of what was once called the red brick mansion, quietly appreciating it.

Between their unreleased palms, a ticklish and hot sensation surged and ebbed like a tidal wave, making her shiver once more.

****

One month later.

Brief news appeared in the newspaper that the “Cleaning Potion” which had advanced to the capital through the trading company operated by the Lev Marquis family, was gaining huge popularity in Yufris.

It was inevitable that the rumor of this boring trading company, which had only sold moderately high-end items while maintaining aristocratic dignity, was now raking in gold by making a hit with something unheard of called “Cleaning Potion,” would eventually reach the Peliesse mansion located at the edge of the capital.

Count Gerret Peliesse was barely containing his anger at the successive news arriving.

Until he saw the Lev Marquis family’s trading company, which had been running a stagnant business and couldn’t even compare in scale to the Pelt Trading Company—though it had now cut ties with him—rake in gold.

More precisely, until he had a very reasonable suspicion that this suddenly appearing item called “Cleaning Potion” was made by Yuan Peliesse.

“Impossible!”

Count Peliesse finally threw down the newspaper after reading the clause about the flood of inquiries to the Lev Trading Company for regular supplies from the great noble houses of the capital, Cielo.

‘Yuan. Yuan Peliesse… It can only be Yuan Peliesse.’

Trading companies operated by noble families only deal with precious items shared among themselves, they don’t handle such miscellaneous goods—they usually just acquire or invest in trading companies run by commoners for such things.

Could Yuan Peliesse really not be involved in the Lev Marquis family selling such miscellaneous goods—albeit profitable ones?

‘When did that high-and-mighty Lev Marquis family research and make such a potion? Nonsense!’

Gerret Peliesse, his temper flaring, gulped down cold water repeatedly, then stomped on the thrown newspaper while circling the reception room, before suddenly glaring at the paper Priscilla was reading with satisfaction.

It was a reply confirming that the Lev Marquis family and the monster former prince willingly agreed to his unreasonable demands for the groom’s dowry.

“Why on earth did they agree to all of that?”

Even as he was writing the list, Gerret Peliesse himself had thought confidently, ‘Even if the bride were a national beauty, they wouldn’t give this much.’

Naturally, the groom’s side should have sent someone to say the demands were excessive, and Count Peliesse was planning to insist right there that if they couldn’t provide such a dowry, they should send Yuan back and grant a divorce.

“If a man’s wife is pretty, he should bow even to the fence post of his in-laws’ house.”

Priscilla answered with a grin from ear to ear.

Since Yuan left, as if under a curse, the emptying coffers had filled to the brim, and she had temporarily stopped nagging her husband or enduring the humiliation of borrowing money from her family’s Pelt Trading Company by selling the name of the First Prince Boloniko.

Towards his wife who was smiling without a care while he felt sick to his stomach, Count Peliesse immediately sneered.

“Ah. So you’re saying Yuan was that much of a beauty?”

“She was decent enough. Just gloomy and always looking like she was about to cry, but quite… You always threatened her to serve guests well with that pretty face of hers.”

“So. Has that monster former prince now settled down with Yuan, stopping all the crazy things they talk about in the world?”

“All relationships between men and women are like that, what’s the big deal. If it was predictable, who would find poems or novels or plays interesting? Look at us. A nobleman like you without a title and me, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, met and now we’re married, making money and holding a title, aren’t we? Who knows. Maybe that timid girl Yuan acted like a hundred-year-old fox in front of men. Remember how she left home without looking back, finding her own way to survive. That ungrateful girl.”

“The former prince was once engaged to ‘that’ Ariesta Grand Duchess! Can you imagine how high his standards must be? And what about those girls who entered that ominous mansion and came to harm? You think the Imperial family would have sent girls with flaws? He has discerning eyes!”

“Anyway, it’s fortunate things turned out this way. Thanks to this dowry, we can breathe so much easier now. It’s a hundred, no, a thousand times better than getting nothing at all.”

Priscilla smiled contentedly as she looked at the sparkling rings on her fingers.

It was a shower of gold that came just as their fortunes were declining, as if Yuan had left a curse when she left.

She was about to make a show of forgiving her husband’s ungrateful niece who had left home and created a gap in their workforce.

“Regina is also getting along well with the First Prince. Frederick is about to graduate from the military academy. Now that our warehouses are filled enough that we don’t have to worry about food for a few years, let’s multiply this and prepare the dowry to present to the Imperial family when Regina gets married.”

“Are you still dreaming such nonsense?”

Count Peliesse frowned deeply and snorted with disdain.

It’s true that this ridiculous dowry has eased their situation.

He doesn’t have to see his wife contacting her uncomfortable in-laws. They can pay more attention to Regina’s debutante, and they don’t have to pull their eldest son, who was at least decent at swordsmanship, out of the military academy that required enormous tuition fees.

Moreover, how fortunate it is that he can now show the great nobles who were pressing for research results on good medicines proportional to their investments, “See, I’m keeping your money safe, not wasting it.”

But what he truly desired was not the gold spread out before his eyes, but the goose that laid the golden eggs, Yuan Peliesse.

If only Yuan were locked up in the side room, everything would be in his hands.

The gold to marry Regina off to a suitable man from a suitable family who could bring a territory as a groom’s dowry.

The gold to bring a noble’s daughter—one who could bring even a small territory as a bride’s dowry—for Frederick when he graduates from the military academy and officially receives his knighthood, and later becomes Count Peliesse.

If he had Yuan, it wasn’t an unreasonable dream.