chapter 33
As I ate the seaweed soup, even smiling a little at the corner of my mouth, the Marquis looked at me in surprise.
Then he burst into a hearty laugh.
“Haha! I wondered where the heir of the Marquis’ house went, and here you are. I heard you’ve lived your whole life in the capital, but have you ever had seaweed soup before?”
I quickly wiped my mouth with a napkin and replied.
“I had the chance to try it once while I was at the Academy.”
Of course, that was a lie. But neither Dorian nor the Marquis knew whether I had actually eaten seaweed soup at the Academy or not.
The Marquis, showing no effort to hide his curious expression, asked further.
“For someone like that, you seem to have eaten seaweed soup quite often.”
“I fell in love with it at first taste, so I looked into it in various ways afterward. As far as I know, seaweed is only harvested in winter, but was this frozen?”
I countered with a question. The Marquis’ eyes widened, then he stroked his chin with a satisfied expression.
“Exactly. We freeze what is harvested during the winter outdoors and store it in a special warehouse all year round. Thanks to that, we can enjoy it even in midsummer. Miss Rohela, you seem to be very interested in seaweed.”
Yes, I used to eat it on the first day of every year, I thought to myself, swallowing my words and nodding with a smile. He chuckled.
“Then, perhaps there’s a way to distribute seaweed to the capital?”
“Well…”
I wanted to say, “Just freeze it like you do for storage and transport it!” but I closed my mouth. There were no large refrigerated trucks in this world.
As I hesitated, the Marquis scooped another spoonful of seaweed soup and savored it slowly, wiping his mouth afterward.
“Rügen’s seafood is diverse and fresh, but due to distribution issues, exporting it to other territories is difficult.”
There were magical freezing tools, but no iceboxes. Transporting by carriage took too long, and trains were expensive.
In the end, they would have to use magical transportation, which would exponentially raise prices, and the profit would ultimately go to middlemen.
“The citizens work hard, but most of the harvest stays local. They only sell a little to neighboring territories in winter to buy necessities.”
Higher prices meant lower demand, and the profits returning to the territory were limited.
I recalled the windbreak forest I had seen on the way here. The Marquis’ territory was long and narrow, bordering the sea, making it unsuitable for farming even with a windbreak.
Besides, windbreaks took up more land than expected.
“Recently, the transportation magic business increased their fees, which has made matters difficult for the Marquis’ territory.”
The Marquis smiled bitterly. Only then did I understand why the entire Marquis estate looked so antiquated.
The tableware had tiny flaws; the trolley had circular grooves perfect for embedding pearls; the chandelier’s cracks glinted dazzlingly.
“Miss Rohela, if you truly wish to become the heir of Hivener,”
His eyes, as deep as the sea, seemed even more profound.
“I hope you can find a method while you are here.”
At that moment, it felt like a quest window had popped up in front of me. If this were a game rather than a novel, perhaps it really would have.
The meal continued smoothly. After finishing, the Marquis personally guided us to our room.
The room was decorated with sand-colored silk walls reminiscent of the beach, with a large bed and a long couch in the center.
Our luggage seemed already moved and organized during the meal. A large window faced outward, though it was too dark to see outside.
“Please rest comfortably, Miss Rohela.”
With the Marquis’ friendly voice, the servant, Acantus, closed the mahogany door. As soon as it shut, I quietly exclaimed to myself:
“Status window! Hint!”
It would have been great if the genre was mixed enough that a window actually appeared. Sadly, nothing appeared before my eyes. I sighed and moved to the couch in the center to sit.
Taking off my shoes and putting my feet up felt slightly better. I placed a cushion behind my back.
“Hint.”
I wondered if I had to say it aloud. Still, nothing came to mind.
I frowned. It was good to know exactly what the Marquis wanted, but… I knew nothing about distribution!
Distributing seafood inland was simple: build roads, develop transportation. The key was just to get it there before it spoiled.
“The problem is, there are no proper roads or suitable transport.”
There were roads, but most were dirt paths, making movement inconvenient. And there were no cars.
Trains were out of the question. Even with mana, steam engines weren’t fast like on Earth, and there were no freight trains to begin with.
Loading cargo onto passenger trains was impossible… the facilities made it expensive, and they could carry very little.
“Should I try building a cargo train and pave a new path?”
It was a cliché action in a fantasy novel. But I shook my head.
A new road was irrelevant. Seafood spoils quickly, so freshness must come first.
“If only I had an icebox!”
Freeze everything. Ask Iba to develop dry ice, put it in the icebox, and even slow transport wouldn’t matter…
Using magical tools was tricky too; stones were heavy, mana crystals were needed, and it was costly. The Marquis also disliked magical tools.
“So many obstacles.”
While I racked my brain for alternatives, someone knocked on the door.
“It’s Iba.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Iba peeked in, then stepped inside after seeing me on the couch. She had already changed into indoor clothes.
“Oh, weren’t you uncomfortable? My room is connected by a narrow passage; you could have called. Have you washed? Should I help?”
“Uh… thanks. But can I just stay like this for a while?”
“You need to rest. The schedule isn’t over, so you should conserve energy whenever possible.”
Iba spoke maturely, helped me stand, and led me to the bath. She filled it with warm water and immersed me up to my shoulders.
The bath essence smelled like the sea.
“The more you think, the better you need to rest.”
The warm water relaxed my body. I realized how tense I had been. I let Iba massage my shoulders and arms.
“Thanks, Iba. I’ll handle it now.”
Immersed in the hot water, my mind slowly cleared. Iba stepped back, and I washed myself. With her help, I changed back into indoor clothes.
“You know, Iba,”
“Yes?”
Her voice was gentle, and her hands smoothed my clothes effortlessly.
“You’re a noble, yet you’re so good at taking care of others.”
Back in Korea and here, I had done everything alone. This was all familiar, yet Iba’s skill despite being a noble was impressive. She must have had maids doing this back home.
“I never wanted to be someone who couldn’t do anything alone.”
Iba smiled as she said this, examining me carefully.
“That’s why I got so into alchemy too. Now, you’re ready for bed. Leave unsolved problems for tomorrow, and sleep well tonight.”
Iba sometimes spoke in a way unlike the locals.
She twirled me and led me to the bed, covered with a deep navy blanket. The canopy was teal, with golden tassels swaying from the posts.
Iba laid me down and loosened the canopy. The thin fabric layered like waves fell gracefully.
“Good night.”
The canopy closed, the glowstone light vanished. The silhouettes blurred as the door opened and closed with a faint sound.
Can I really sleep like this?
My body relaxed, and my mind felt dull. Eventually, I closed my eyes.
“Marquis is quite whimsical, isn’t he?”
A soft light appeared in the dark room, candlelight rather than glowstone.
Though faint, it was enough at night. Iba approached the window with the candle and drew the curtains, facing the cliff, just in case light leaked.
In the darkened room, the candlelight appeared even brighter, casting long shadows on the walls.
“Will the lady be able to come up with a solution?”
A blonde man leaning against the wall spoke, brushing his hair back.
“I’m not saying we can’t trust her, but doesn’t the Marquis dislike magical tools?”
“That’s right.”
Another man, lounging on the sofa, swirling his glass leisurely, replied. His voice was as relaxed as his movements. Sweet aroma came from the glass.
He tilted the glass, sipping lightly. The blonde, Hartmann, continued:
“She didn’t say it herself, but we all know she’s specialized in magical engineering. We should at least figure out a solution…”
“No.”
A soft, low voice interrupted him. Dorian sipped the sweet fruit wine in the small cup. Not popular, but suitable for someone who disliked bitterness.
Why would there be wine in an empty room matching his taste, placed right in the glass cabinet where it catches your eye?
