Chapter 149

“To think that the Grand Duchess’s first duty, even before the wedding ceremony, would be the Northern business affairs….”

Arsen spoke as he watched the door Enria had just exited. At his words, the corners of Caldeon’s mouth twitched upward.

“Don’t you think we’ve brought in a truly exceptional Grand Duchess—?”

Arsen turned his head toward Caldeon but cut himself off mid-sentence upon seeing his expression. Caldeon gestured for him to continue.

“—or… not?”

“Whose woman is she?”

As soon as Arsen finished, Caldeon asked the question with his chin held high.

“Pardon?”

“I asked, whose woman is she?”

“……Well, she is Your Grace’s woman, of course.”

“Exactly.”

Caldeon nodded, his lips twitching in that familiar smirk. Internally, Arsen was dumbfounded, wondering why Caldeon was acting so smug when Enria was the one that was praised.

***

[You want me to turn this into powder?]

Windel, who was carrying Hayden on his back, looked down at the Dapelle Enria held out in front of his snout and asked.

“Yes. Can you grind it into a fine powder? I’m going to make face masks out of it.”

[Face masks?]

“It’s something you put on your face to provide nutrients. So, is it possible or not?”

[It is possible. Give it here—]

When Windel asked for the Dapelle Enria was holding, she shook her head.

“No. I need a lot. You have to grind a massive amount for me.”

Enria explained to Windel that she intended to grind a large quantity of Dapelle to distribute to the people of the North.

[What use is there in distributing such a thing?]

“It will become a great business material for the Northern people.”

Windel looked at Enria with a somewhat confused expression, but eventually nodded.

[I do not fully understand what you intend to do, but if that is the case, I can certainly do it for you.]

“Thank you, Windel.”

As Enria beamed a bright smile, Hayden let out a giggle and stroked Windel’s head. With the supply of Dapelle resolved, Enria moved quickly to the next stage. Since she didn’t yet have information on which ingredients would create the best synergy when mixed with Dapelle powder, she had to find out starting now.

‘Rose, Beli, and Chavel are here, so the four of us can try mixing various ingredients and applying them to check the effects.’

She wondered if it would take at least a month to properly verify the results; she wanted to launch the mask business before the wedding if possible to help improve the lives of the Northern people even a little. As she headed down to the first-floor kitchen to scout for skin-healthy ingredients to mix with the powder, she thought it would be best to use things that were easily obtainable in the North.

“Your Grace!”

Just then, Arsen called out to Enria from behind. He ran toward her the moment he spotted her, as if he had been searching for her.

“What is the matter?”

“I have a question regarding the mask business.”

Enria turned to look at him, curious about what could be so urgent that he would rush out of the office during work hours.

“Regarding the ingredients for the masks. Would it be alright if floral varieties were included?”

“Flowers?”

“Yes. While Dapelle is the representative plant of the North, there is also the Romposa—the only flower that grows in the snow-covered fields. Its petals and seeds have many medicinal properties.”

Enria’s eyes sparkled at Arsen’s words. Since she had been hoping to use ingredients native to the North, those petals seemed like they would be a great help. The key would be whether they synergized well with Dapelle and whether they were effective for the skin.

“Could I see the data on its properties?”

“Yes, I have it prepared in the office.”

At Enria’s request, Arsen quickly guided her back to the office.

***

Time passed, and Enria’s mask business officially began.

With Roseanne, Belona, and Chavel participating in the experiments, sales began for masks made of Romposa petal powder mixed with honey and flour, as well as Dapelle powder mixed with egg whites or yolks. Arsen, who was in charge of promotion across the Empire, showed such flair that he could have been a professional marketing director.

The Romposa petal mask, which was particularly effective for wrinkle improvement, was so enticing that middle-aged noblewomen felt they simply had to buy it. The egg white Dapelle mask for whitening and pore tightening, the egg yolk Dapelle mask for elasticity and moisturizing, and the Romposa wrinkle mask became popular among all women in the Empire. Even commoners, who previously couldn’t dream of such treatments due to the high price of magic-infused masks, loved these because they were more affordable and easy to apply.

Furthermore, with the Emperor’s permission to sell these exclusively in the North, the masks could not be sold elsewhere in the Empire. This led to an increase in people visiting the North specifically to purchase them.

Thanks to this, the North became a “holy land” for many young noblewomen, and the Northern citizens began to grow their wealth through the masks Enria had developed. Of course, since all Northern citizens were allowed to trade freely, there were some minor issues, but they were all resolved under the supervision of Fyoren and Arsen.

“I really didn’t think it would do this well.”

On the day of their gathering, Belona arrived at the Grand Castle earlier than Roseanne. She spoke to Enria without even taking off her cloak and gloves. She looked slightly stunned, having seen the streets filled with noblewomen from all over the Empire on her way there.

“Me neither. It’s all thanks to you and Roseanne.”

Belona’s eyes widened at Enria’s smiling remark.

“How is that thanks to us? It’s because of your genius idea.”

“It’s because you told me I could start a business, and Roseanne helped me with the ingredient ratios.”

Enria added that because they had all tested the masks together to verify the effects, she was able to push forward quickly, expressing her sincere gratitude. Belona smiled warmly, looking a bit embarrassed that Enria was giving others the credit.

“So, how does it feel to be getting married in two days?”

Belona asked, linking her arm with Enria’s. As they walked toward the drawing room where tea and refreshments were prepared, Enria smiled.

“It doesn’t quite feel real.”

“Is that so? Since life is too short for anything but happiness, I truly hope you’ll be happy.”

Belona added that given how Caldeon had been acting, it would be more strange if she weren’t happy, but she wished it for her nonetheless. Enria nodded and thanked her.

“Rose is getting married soon, too… All of you are becoming married women.”

Belona sat on the sofa and let out a short sigh, smiling somewhat bitterly. Enria, who had recently learned that Rahar harbored feelings for Belona, curiously and cautiously asked if there had been any progress between them.

“Are you and Rahar getting along well?”

“Huh? Well, of course….”

Belona nodded, an awkward smile on her face. Her expression made it clear that she was well aware of Rahar’s feelings.

“You know, don’t you? About Rahar’s heart.”

At Enria’s words, a shadow immediately fell over Belona’s face.

‘He’s still hidden by Groen’s shadow, isn’t he…?’

Enria felt pity for Belona, who seemed unable to move forward, living in the past because of Groen. She also noticed from Belona’s expression that she was indeed mindful of Rahar’s feelings.

‘Since the two of them are living together at the Kaznaren estate, wouldn’t their relationship naturally progress over time? The problem is Rahar’s overly considerate personality….’

He was likely holding back from being more aggressive out of respect for Belona, who was still caught in the shadow of her past.

‘Well, if he were to push his feelings without consideration, it would definitely make things worse.’

Enria simply hoped that as they spent time together, their relationship would gradually change.

“Sorry, am I too late?”

Just then, Roseanne arrived and hurried inside. Hearing her voice, Enria and Belona both turned to greet her warmly. “Are you allowed to be late to a gathering just because you’re busy with wedding preparations?”

At Belona’s light scolding, Roseanne handed her cloak and gloves to a servant and walked toward them.

“I’m sorry. Sir Tearen kept insisting on dropping me off personally.”

“Did he come with you?”

“Yes. He went to see Lord Caldeon.”

After answering Enria, Roseanne turned to Belona.

“Come to think of it, my brother was worried that you might have noticed his feelings.”

“…….”

“Is it burdensome?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Belona shook her head quickly at Roseanne’s direct question. Roseanne said that was a relief and continued.

“My brother knows very well how much you loved your previous boyfriend, so he won’t put that much pressure on you.”

She went on to ask Belona not to feel uncomfortable and to continue getting along as friends and colleagues.

“Once I get married, my silly brother will be lonely for a while. He’s the type who hates being lonely.”

A gentle smile spread across Enria’s lips as she realized Roseanne was subtly entrusting her brother to Belona without making it too burdensome. It seemed Roseanne also hoped for the two to be together, which was a relief. After all, even if Rahar and Belona were to pair up, if Roseanne disapproved of Belona’s past, their future could be unhappy.

Though it might be premature, Enria hoped that whatever happened between them, there would be no obstacles other than their own hearts. In that sense, she was overjoyed by Roseanne’s gesture of allowing Belona a place by Rahar’s side.

Enria, feeling a swell of emotion, beamed a bright smile at the two of them.

“I’m so happy to have become friends with you both.”