Chapter 15
Chapter 15
[‘Greeting the People of Orsha Palace (Grand Duke Luwin’s Mansion)’
You are now a worker for the Grand Duke Luwin family!
While earning money is important, wouldn’t it be more efficient to get to know people first?
Let’s at least find out who’s who.
Most of the Grand Duke’s household probably won’t dislike ‘Irina Seike’ who volunteered to pay off 99,999,999+ jurang.
(Completed) 01. Greet the butler – William Ken
(Completed) 02. Greet the head maid – Anna Jillard
03. Greet ■■ ■■ – ■■ ■■
04. Greet ■■■■■■■■
05. Greet ■■■■■■■
(Omitted)
(Completed) 08. Greet the Grand Duke’s chief aide – Roen Blonde
Reward: None
You can proceed to the next quest even if you don’t complete this one.
This quest progresses simultaneously with the ‘Repaying Debt’ quest.
There may be errors due to the system’s imperfections.]
[‘Letter from ■■■ ■■ ■■’
To start a new business, you need to know about the Luwin domain!
Let’s complete sub-quests while exploring various parts of the domain!
01. Exchange ‘???’ and ‘???’ will be added in order.
Reward: ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■■]
As I gazed at this beautiful city and mansion, I thought about how to make money.
How… could one earn money in this desolate yet beautiful land?
“But it’s pretty.”
I stood by the window with a blanket over my shoulders, endlessly staring outside.
A world completely different from what I had grown up seeing was unfolding before my eyes.
Although I had claimed to Cassis that I could repay the debt well, I couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed now that I was actually faced with the situation.
[Don’t worry. Your 5 million jurang debt wasn’t a small amount either.]
‘…I suppose that’s true?’
“Right. As I progress through quests, I’ll naturally find a way to repay the debt somehow.”
I was unnecessarily opening and closing the quest window repeatedly.
At the sound of a knock, I said it was okay to come in, and the door opened with the sound of refined footsteps.
“Oh, Lord Cassis?”
“Have you finished unpacking?”
“Yes!”
I didn’t have much luggage to begin with.
And if needed, I could use the premium delivery service I got from the system once a month, so I had packed as lightly as possible.
“Did you bring enough clothes?”
“Well, I think so?”
Of course, I didn’t know the north would be this cold, so I’m not sure if those clothes alone will be enough to live with.
“I momentarily forgot that Luwin is a cold place. I apologize.”
“It’s okay. As for clothes… I’ll manage somehow for now.”
“Somehow, well…”
Why is he suddenly like this?
As I frowned deeply, Cassis finally smiled gently and extended his hand to me.
It’s been a while since I received such special treatment.
I had only experienced this at parties where I wore dresses.
Cassis had such elegant manners ingrained in his daily life.
Even though we weren’t wearing party dresses or tailcoats, it felt like we were at a ball in a historic family’s mansion.
Without realizing it, I placed my hand on Cassis’s and blinked.
Cassis gently held the tips of my fingers with his calloused hand.
As I unconsciously moved my steps following his gentle lead, I asked:
“Is something the matter?”
“I don’t think you’ll be able to endure even a week with the clothes you’re wearing now.”
The place he led me to was a slightly chilly room.
As I turned to look at Cassis in the spacious, cozy, and beautiful room with wide-open windows, he rang a bell.
A maid appeared silently.
“This is the room that the late Grand Duchess used.”
The late Grand Duchess means Cassis’s mother.
“We’ve kept all of my mother’s clothes without selling them.”
Cassis met my gaze and spoke matter-of-factly.
“It might be good for you to prepare clothes for this winter. This is Betty, the maid who will assist you.”
“Greetings to Lady Irina Seike. I am Betty Camel.”
“…Nice to meet you.”
[SYSTEM | ‘Greet the People of Orsha Palace (Grand Duke Luwin’s Mansion)’ Quest 03 Completed!]
I felt a bit intimidated by the maid who bowed deeply, but I tried not to show it.
“Then, I’ll see you at dinner later.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After Cassis left, leaving me alone with the maid, I lightly ran my fingertips over the clothes and fabrics left by the late Grand Duchess.
The fabrics that fell softly at the slightest touch were all high-quality items.
He gave me his mother’s clothes, which he didn’t sell but cherished…
[Could he be interested?]
[More like a bribe, isn’t it? Now you have to repay Luwin’s debt well. Something like that.]
[…That could be it too.]
“…Then, Betty.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“It’s a bit overwhelming, so shall we select just a few outfits?”
If I were the female protagonist of this world, I’d say, ‘Ha! The male lead must like me!’ But in my eyes, Cassis was just a debt-ridden Grand Duke suffering from depression and lethargy, so I only felt burdened.
“You should have one indoor dress, several shawls and blankets to wear with the clothes you brought, an outdoor dress and coat, and an evening gown for parties. I think you’ll need at least these.”
“R-really?”
“And I am the personal maid who will serve you from now on. Please speak to me more casually.”
I’ve got a personal maid now, which I didn’t even have in Seike.
“Alright. That would be better.”
Thus, with Betty’s excellent eye and my picky taste, we were able to unearth quite excellent fabrics and dresses.
Betty dressed me, matched various fabrics, and recorded everything on paper.
Feeling a bit tired, I sat on the couch and asked Betty:
“Does a Grand Duke’s family have a separate sewing room in the house?”
“Of course.”
“I see, so that’s what it means when they say dressing up is a duty for those in high positions.”
Probably, the clothes we chose today will be altered through tailoring to fit me perfectly.
Since Betty had already gone through the clothes I brought, the work could be completed smoothly.
I chose quite a lot of coats and shawls that could be worn with my existing clothes, and I was unnecessarily excited because they were high-quality items I had never touched before.
Moreover, winter fabrics were almost a luxury for southerners, so it felt even more special.
“Actually, in the north, summer fabrics are considered the highest quality.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Don’t they use thin and soft fabrics that incorporate as many techniques as possible, without considering warmth or practicality at all?”
“…Well, I’ve never used them myself, but that’s right.”
“In the north, wearing clothes made of such fabrics means you spend all day in a warm place.”
I see.
If I were in the south, I might have said, ‘I’d like to wear that someday.’ But it was so cold here that such thoughts didn’t cross my mind at all.
‘Warm is best.’
I wrapped the shawl tightly around my shoulders and practically lay down on the couch.
“The late Grand Duchess also had a dress made of such fabric… Would you like to try it on?”
“It’s bothersome.”
Not just the dress, but since arriving, my mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of how to earn money in such a cold place.
“But it’s a dress you might wear if there’s a summer party.”
“Is there a big party in summer?”
Betty’s face brightened at my words.
“Yes! It’s the Subjugation Festival event, a very big party held when the weather starts to get warm.”
A very big party… Can they hold it when Luwin’s Grand Duke is bankrupt?
[…Might this become Irina’s great task?]
Oh, f*ck.
[Why are you cursing?]
‘Ah, it’s nothing. Crisis is opportunity. If it’s a big party, people will gather, and that could be the perfect time to make money.’
[Mm-hmm, I like how positive our Irina is.]
‘So give me more quests until then. Help me come up with business ideas to make money too.’
[…Aren’t you being a bit of a con artist?]
Ding-!
[SYSTEM | The reward for the quest ‘Letter from ■■■■■’ has been updated.]
[SYSTEM | Reward: ‘■■■■■ ■■ ■■■■’ has been updated to ‘Successfully host the party’.]
Hah. Nothing in this world is easy.
Ignoring the system’s words, I abruptly got up from my seat.
If it’s party preparation, I should start early.
“Then I’ll try it on.”
The dress I finally put on with Betty’s help was light and thin.
The fabric, which a master craftsman must have woven over a long time, was so thin that you could see through it even when layered.
The dress made of such fabric was built up with dozens of layers of cloth.
Thanks to this, it fluttered at the slightest breeze.
I twirled around several times in front of the mirror in the light and beautiful white dress.
“It suits Miss Irina’s hair very well.”
“Does it?”
My long, curly platinum blonde hair was left naturally loose, which seemed to suit it even better. It swayed along with the dress hem in the breeze.
“Your skin is also quite fair.”
“Unlike a southerner?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
I smiled and shook my head at Betty, who immediately bowed her head.
“It’s okay. If you’re sorry, could you bring me some tea?”
“Yes, excuse me.”
After sending Betty away, I stood in front of the mirror again.
My skin, so white it could be called pale, had many disadvantages in the south.
Southerners pitied this snow-white skin that was different from theirs.
It was very weak to sunlight.
Mine and my brother’s skin tended to turn red rather than tan under the sun.
“The late Countess was from the north.”
Thanks to that, my sibling and I inherited our mother’s sun-sensitive skin and weak platinum blonde hair.
It was fine when I was a precious count’s daughter, but it became troublesome when I started doing business myself.
After going around the winery once in midsummer, my skin would break out, to the point where the systems, unable to bear it, gave me steel skin as a quest reward.
[You should be grateful.]
“Thank you.”
[That’s right.]
As I looked at my reflection in the mirror and spun around once, the long dress hem fluttered. It’s a very beautiful dress.
[Do you like it, Irina?]
“…It reminds me of when I was a department store VIP in my past life.”
[You too? Me too!]
“There was a time like that.”
Hah, Kim Irina used to be doing well, but now I’m just paying off debts.
