SWTI 04

Chapter 4

2. Overprotection Always Begins with a Misunderstanding

The construction of the new train station officially got underway once the financial administrator issued the business permit.

‘But I’m worried. Even if we build a train station, it’ll be useless if the railway guild doesn’t actually establish a route.’

Before stamping the permit, Bella had voiced that concern.

I laughed as though she had just told me the most amusing joke in the world.

‘Mother, did you forget? I’m the owner of Seton.’

‘Hmm?’

‘Who do you think funds the guild that operates the magical trains?’

Unless the guildmaster was an idiot, he would cooperate if he didn’t want his investment funding for the next quarter to be slashed to pieces.

I casually waved the daily newspaper I had been reading.

“Hmm, just as I expected.”

[The Empire’s Greatest Heiress Has Disappeared for Two Weeks. What Happened During That Time…?]

[Where Did the Party Girl Go After Leaving the Parties Behind?]

[EXCLUSIVE! Elysia Runein Heads to the Grand Duchy of Runein—]

It had already been two weeks since I came to Runein.

Since I hadn’t shown my face in high society for a while, the reporters were happily churning out mountains of trash.

‘Though I subtly leaked the last one myself.’

I had laid the bait. Now all I had to do was wait for someone to bite.

“The train station is going smoothly too.”

As construction workers began being recruited in earnest, Vikal told me that the Grand Duchy had become lively for the first time in ages.

After all, once money started circulating, the market naturally became more active.

I went through everything I had set in motion one by one, then dealt with the documents coming in from the Seton Merchant Guild branches across the Empire.

By the time I was done working like a madwoman, the entire morning had passed.

I was drinking tea as a short break when I heard a horrified voice from somewhere in the distance.

“Elysia!”

It was Bella’s voice.

Two weeks after coming to Runein, the distant title of “young mistress” had already changed to simply “Elysia.”

‘Though I think she calls me that whenever she gets startled.’

Well, who cared? A good thing was a good thing.

Feeling rather proud, I left the room and headed downstairs.

“What on earth is all this?”

When I entered the hall, Bella was clutching her head as she stared at the mountain of luggage piled up there.

Even now, workers were busily unloading more luggage from the carriages.

I answered proudly.

“My luggage.”

“What?”

“I really need to get that train station built as soon as possible. I had this shipped when I left the mansion in the capital, and it’s only arriving now.”

Thinking back on my two weeks of life that had been so frugal it was practically poverty, I dabbed at the corners of my eyes with a handkerchief.

Of course, I was acting.

“Oh, and I called some contractors while I was at it.”

“……Contractors?”

“We need to change the interior.”

At the same time, a large group of people came rushing inside.

“Greetings, Madam. Young Madam. Where shall we begin?”

“Welcome. The hall is crowded right now, so please start from the inner rooms. The butler will show you around.”

“Understood.”

Once the contractors left, Bella muttered in disbelief.

“You really intend to turn the entire Grand Ducal Castle upside down.”

“Oh, Mother. ‘Turn it upside down’? Such frightening words.”

This was obviously something that would benefit the Grand Ducal family as well.

Of course, there was a tiny bit of selfishness involved. I was going to be living here for three years, after all. There was no way I could stay somewhere this shabby.

Besides, it was all my money anyway.

And the guests didn’t stop there.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace. And…… Madam Runein.”

“Welcome, Madam.”

It was the madam of the only high-end dress shop remaining in the Grand Duchy.

With even the Grand Duchess forced to dress simply in order to manage the territory’s finances, there was no way custom-made clothing could possibly be popular.

Yet this woman had somehow managed to keep her dress shop alive despite those terrible circumstances.

I smiled at her.

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

“Not at all, Madam. I sincerely thank you for calling for me.”

“……What is all this? Clothes?”

Bella had managed the territory through frugality and thrift for years, so she had an aversion to extravagance.

Even though she was a high-ranking noblewoman, she wouldn’t even spare a glance at glittering dresses or jeweled accessories.

I quickly linked my arm through the flustered Bella’s.

“Summer is almost here. It’s going to get hot, so we should have some new clothes made as a change of pace.”

“Let go of me…… Runein spends half the year in winter. It doesn’t become as hot here as it does in the capital just because it’s summer.”

“But winter clothes are uncomfortable, aren’t they?”

I looked around.

Unlike the workers from the capital, who were wearing relatively light clothing, the people in the north were still dressed in winter clothes.

Even though they were sweating profusely.

‘It means they can’t afford to change their clothes according to the seasons.’

As a businesswoman who valued extreme efficiency, I couldn’t simply stand by and watch this.

“Madam, where are the things I ordered?”

“They’re in the carriage. Shall I bring them in?”

“Yes. Please distribute them among the servants.”

The maids who had accompanied the madam busily returned carrying various items.

They were uniforms designed specifically for the conditions in the north.

‘I paid quite a bit of attention to the design, too. I have a condition where my eyes go blind whenever I see something ugly.’

The more money I spent in the north, the more the northern economy would come alive.

Making clothes wasn’t something that benefited just a single tailor. There were the people who transported the materials, the people who wove the fabric, the people who grew the materials, and countless others connected to the process.

So from now on, I intended to continue playing the part of the extravagant heiress of a mega-conglomerate and spend money like there was no tomorrow.

Then whether they were scammers trying to get their hands on my money or genuine jackpots desperately in need of sponsorship, people would hear the rumors about me and flock to the north.

‘If I gradually absorb material and human resources like that, eventually the Runein economy should recover too, right?’

Once that was accomplished, I could stop the false accusation against the Runeins, smash the original story to pieces, and return to my own sweet home!

“…….”

Bella silently watched the servants happily receiving their new clothes before turning her gaze toward me.

I winked at her.

“Everyone will feel more comfortable wearing them if you lead by example, Mother. Ah, but I have so, so much money. I feel like indulging in luxury. Is there anywhere I can spend some money?”

I deliberately acted like a spoiled heiress who had more money than sense.

Bella raised an eyebrow.

The workers from the capital, who had been pretending not to listen, stole glances in our direction.

Bella lowered her voice so that only I could hear.

“Are you making this bigger than it needs to be?”

“We have to make it this big.”

I kept smiling sweetly as I spoke using ventriloquism.

That was right.

If I wanted people to become curious, I had to make a sufficiently flashy spectacle.

‘Is something happening in the north? What is Elysia up to this time?’

I wanted people to wonder.

For now, the more people who paid attention to Runein, the better.

That way, once the train station was completed, we could make a huge splash and create a synergistic effect.

‘That’s also why I deliberately called workers from the capital even though the northern workers alone were more than enough.’

Those workers would eagerly carry whatever they saw and heard in the north back to the capital as gossip.

Bella swallowed a sigh at my words and walked toward the staircase in the hall.

I stayed still, wondering if perhaps I had gone too far.

Then Bella turned around, and what she said made my eyes widen.

“Daughter-in-law, what are you doing? Come help me.”

The Grand Duchess was a stunningly beautiful woman with such an upright bearing that it was hard to believe she had a grown son.

She clearly didn’t need any support.

I blinked, then smiled brightly and approached Bella.

“Oh, come on. If you like me that much, you should just say so.”

“……I was surprised when Schubel suddenly brought home a bride, but now I understand why you two got married.”

“Mother, that’s a bit much.”

I was chatting away while linking arms with Bella when I happened to run into Schubel, who was coming down the stairs after delivering some luggage.

“Mother, Madam. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to enjoy watching my daughter-in-law amuse herself. You go do your work.”

“I’m going on a date with Mother, so you carry the luggage.”

Schubel slowly blinked as he watched the two women briskly pass him without a second thought.

For the briefest moment, the corners of his mouth lifted clearly.

“Interesting.”

It was an unfamiliar, twisted smile, completely unlike his usual expression.