“Upon verification, these are gold coins from 300 years ago. Not only are the coins themselves of immense value, but as historical artifacts, they could fetch twice their weight in gold if sold to the right collector.”

Daniel reported this to Annette and Darius, unable to hide his joy.

The discovered amount of gold coins was equivalent to a month’s operational expenses for the duchy, meaning with the right price, the duchy’s financial concerns could be alleviated for at least two months.

“How did you know there was hidden gold in our castle?”

Daniel’s eyes dripped honey when he looked at Annette.

‘Indeed, the lady is a blessing!’

“Well, I guess my ancestors looked kindly upon me. I was just trying to learn about the history of the North since I’m new here, and borrowed some materials.”

I tried to suppress my soaring pride and laughed, “Ho ho ho.”

Little did I know that the castle’s blueprint I was examining would mark the spot where the gold was buried.

‘I need to do thorough and meticulous item farming.’

“I’ll make sure the treasure is used for its intended purpose – to help in times of need!”

“Duke, I’m sorry about earlier. I was so overwhelmed with joy that I couldn’t contain myself.”

“It’s okay.”

Darius had been somewhat out of sorts since I had suddenly hugged him in my excitement over the treasure discovery.

‘Was he that upset because I suddenly dropped the formal speech?’

Regrettable, but I have to be more careful.

“I have something in mind for this money!”

The first thing I wanted to spend the newly acquired funds on was already decided.

“Wow, is this really our training ground? Look how smooth this surface is. Even a fly would slip.”

“The training ground is perfect! I can’t remember when the last time was that the straw dummies were this well-stuffed, Commander.”

The knights, grown men, shouted like boys at the sight of the transformed training ground.

The large Inkheart flag fluttered vigorously, and all the weapons and armor were new.

The once decrepit training ground, where merely stepping on it in high heels would cause damage, was now unimaginable.

Additionally, a newly built structure on one side of the ground provided a comfortable space for knights to change or rest.

“There are books!”

“‘Understanding and Practical Cases of Cross Tactics’ – this one is hard to get.”

“Think they’ll actually read it?”

For those ‘diligent ones’ who might want to focus on self-improvement during their leisure time, expensive strategic books were also provided. In an era where books were valuable, strategic literature was especially pricey.

“Having seen the cover is as good as having read it.”

Now, they no longer needed to practice carefully on worn-out dummies or use toothless second-hand weapons.

A woman in a veil watched the knights, who were like delighted children, with a content smile.

Lady Annette. The woman who came from the South, now the lady of the lord.

‘Why?’

Lucion was perplexed. Rumors had reached him too about the newly arrived duchess uncovering hidden treasure in the castle.

More surprising was that the discovered gold was immediately used to refurbish the training ground.

Having blatantly disregarded the duchess at their first meeting, instead of retribution, the training ground was improved.

‘What’s her angle?’

Unlike other knights, who were simply elated, Lucion felt uneasy due to his guilt.

“When I first came here, I remembered. Our Northern knights are strong and brave, a pride to the kingdom. But it was regrettable to rely only on talent and leave the environment outdated.”
“My sincerity was genuine. Everywhere in the North, people’s will to overcome harsh conditions was evident.”

‘Still, they should be given something to work with. How long can they get by on grit alone?’

“Now, finally, we have a training ground worthy of the kingdom’s finest knights. Ah, and I can wear my high heels without worrying about damaging the ground!”

“When I first met you, Your Grace, I remember your words clearly, and yet you chose to renovate our training ground.”

“Well, I don’t hold onto many things in my heart, so I don’t quite recall what you said, Commander. But I do know this.”

Annette smiled brightly at Lucion, who looked conflicted.

“The loyalty of the Black Knights – whom it’s directed towards. Who is the closest shield of the Inkheart Dukedom. Isn’t this what’s important, not whether someone likes or dislikes me?”

Lucion Temeri’s loyalty was genuine, unlike Egret, who struck from behind. As the steadfast right-hand man of the male lead, I couldn’t hate someone fighting alongside him.

A few days later, Lucion visited my room.

“Are you here because of the knights’ oath of allegiance?”

I had said it wasn’t necessary, but after Darius heard about the commotion at the training ground, he insisted all knights of the North must swear allegiance to me.

“It’s not merely for you. As the Duchess, I must establish my wife’s authority.”