chapter 9
“So you're saying you need my help?”
“Yes. My instincts tell me that with your ideas, my lady, we can accomplish far more.”
It wasn't flattery meant to persuade her—it was a sincere statement.
After a moment of thought, Hystia put on a determined expression.
“...If you want my help, I have conditions.”
“What are they?”
“First, anything we discuss stays between us. Second, you will treat me as an equal person, not as a child. Third, you will never betray Frost.”
In effect, she was accepting Jerome as one of her own people and declaring that she would show him her true self.
Honestly, I don't know whether Jerome really sees me as a genius or just as a precocious child.
Still, wouldn't it be nice to stop pretending to be a child around at least one person?
Besides, from everything she'd seen so far, Jerome was tight-lipped and not the kind of man who would betray someone's trust.
“As expected, my lady is no ordinary child...!”
“Answer me.”
“I, Jerome, swear that I will uphold my promises to you for the rest of my life.”
Placing his right hand over his chest and raising his left in oath, Jerome's eyes shone with excitement.
It was exactly the same look he had worn the first time he saw her scented soap, and it made Hystia smile.
“You understand that what we discuss here cannot be shared with anyone, right?”
“Yes, of course. I won't tell my father or even the lord.”
“Good.”
For the first time, she felt reassured by the presence of a dependable ally.
“What do you want to hear from me?”
“Anything you have to say, my lady. Ah, actually, while developing the scented soap, I came up with some ideas. Would you take a look?”
Jerome pulled out a notebook and showed her a collection of ideas he had jotted down whenever inspiration struck.
As Hystia flipped through the pages, she couldn't help but admire him.
...As expected, he's incredible.
Several products she remembered from the future were already written there.
They were still rough concepts, but if she simply provided the knowledge she possessed, Jerome would be able to develop new products on his own.
“A moisturizer, huh? It is true that skin becomes dry after using soap.”
“Exactly. People usually use oils or scented lotions to keep their skin hydrated. But those are luxury goods, making them difficult for commoners to obtain. There aren't any affordable moisturizers aimed at ordinary people yet.”
“Wouldn't it be almost the same as making soap if you just changed the manufacturing process a bit?”
“That's exactly what I wanted to say. We already have the necessary ingredients and techniques. With a few new tools, we can produce moisturizers. And now that...”
“We've solved the odor problem with Black Herb.”
Jerome shivered with excitement.
The fact that she understood him without needing an explanation was exhilarating.
“Do you think it'll work, my lady?”
“Definitely. If we bundle it with the soap, it'll sell like crazy.”
The two launched into a passionate discussion about products that could follow the scented soap.
Whenever Hystia pointed out things Jerome had overlooked or shared knowledge from the future, he listened with sparkling eyes.
“Every single one of these ideas is remarkable. It'll take some time, but with this, we'll definitely make a fortune!”
“Let's not rush. Shouldn't we focus on successfully launching the scented soap first?”
Jerome stared at the notes they had organized before turning back to her.
“My lady, do you have a goal?”
“A goal?”
“Yes. You don't seem like someone who'll be satisfied with just scented soap.”
A goal...
She had never really put it into words before, but if she had to summarize it—
“I'll make Frost into a family that no one can ever threaten.”
“By that, you mean...”
“To do that, we need money. With money, we can accomplish many things and make Byren far more prosperous.”
At its root, however, she had begun all of this for a simpler reason:
To survive.
To protect her family from the future she had already witnessed.
In her previous life, she had lived as someone who possessed nothing.
The sorrow of having no parents.
The sorrow of losing her family.
The sorrow of poverty.
The sorrow of lacking an education.
Though born a commoner, she had grown up enjoying noble privileges. Starting over from nothing as an adult had been unimaginably difficult.
I have no intention of living that kind of life again.
“My lady truly sees far into the future.”
“Frost's situation isn't bad right now, but it's not exactly good either. This business will be the first step toward growing our territory.”
The product was already valuable enough to sell at high prices exclusively to nobles.
But that wasn't what Hystia wanted.
“I want as many people as possible to use it. That's why I'm planning to lower the price as much as I can and sell it to commoners too.”
“I was thinking the same thing. We can focus on luxury products later.”
“And now that we've secured investment, we can expand gradually.”
A few days earlier, Derek had visited the ducal estate to seek funding.
Fortunately, Duke Winston immediately recognized the potential of the scented soap, and they had secured a substantial investment.
“Developing the soap is one thing, but shouldn't we advertise it if we want people to buy it?”
“You don't need to worry about that. A huge event is coming up soon.”
The wedding of Duke Winston, scheduled for one month later.
Southern nobles and influential figures from all over would gather there.
That would be the perfect opportunity to showcase the scented soap.
One month.
The wedding would become the event that introduced scented soap to the entire Empire.
“Mommy, when are we getting there? Elvin's bored.”
“Just a little longer, sweetheart. We'll reach the ducal capital soon.”
“You always say that! I'm bored! Bored!”
Elvin whined and demanded to go outside.
After staring blankly out the window, Hystia sighed and turned toward him.
“Elvin, don't bother Mom.”
“But I'm bored. Play with me, Sis!”
“Ugh... Fine.”
If she didn't step in, her parents would have twice as much trouble dealing with him.
So, despite her reluctance, Hystia entertained her younger brother.
Two days had passed since they left Byren.
The Frost family was traveling to Chest, the capital of the Winston Duchy, to attend the wedding scheduled for the next day.
Everything is ready.
Two weeks earlier, they had finished production and released their products onto the market.
Four varieties of scented soap, including pine-fruit soap.
And two types of moisturizer produced in small quantities.
Since they hadn't actively advertised them yet, scented soap was still relatively unknown.
Even so, the people of Byren who had tried it first reacted very positively.
Not only that, we've placed scented soap in inns and hotels to introduce it to travelers as well.
Because the product's quality was so high that people might mistake it for a luxury item, commoners could hesitate to buy it.
To solve that problem, they placed scented soap not only in hotels frequented by nobles but also in affordable inns used by ordinary people.
Small sales stalls were even set up inside those establishments to encourage purchases.
And at only two silver coins, the price isn't unreasonable.
Commoners who admired noble lifestyles would gladly spend a little extra for scented soap rather than settle for cheap ordinary soap.
Furthermore, many nobles traveling to the duke's wedding would pass through Byren, creating additional exposure.
In truth, all of this was part of a larger strategy to create a dramatic promotional moment at the wedding.
Even before we left Byren, quite a few nobles had already visited the soap workshop.
Everything was going smoothly.
At this rate, supplying scented soap throughout the entire Empire no longer seemed far away.
“Hehe... Hehehe...”
“...Sis is weird.”
Elvin made a face as Hystia suddenly began laughing suspiciously to herself.
“Kids, we're here.”
At Derek's announcement, Hystia and Elvin pressed themselves against the carriage window.
“Wooooow! It's huge!”
“...As expected of a duchy.”
She had always thought Byren was fairly large, but the sight of the enormous city left her speechless.
Garlands decorated the streets everywhere, and cheerful crowds celebrated in festival-like excitement.
No doubt they were commemorating Duke Winston's wedding.
As Hystia lost herself in the scenery, she suddenly noticed something strange.
The carriage wasn't stopping.
“Dad, where are we going? The hotels are over there.”
“We're not staying at a hotel.”
“This time, the Duke personally invited us.”
“...Huh?”
“The Duke is showing us special consideration. So don't cause any trouble while we're staying at the ducal castle, understand?”
“Wow! A castle!”
Elvin bounced up and down with excitement.
Meanwhile, Hystia sat frozen in shock.
We're staying in the ducal castle?
That had never happened before her regression.
Back then, they stayed at a hotel.
Only distinguished guests were normally allowed to stay inside the ducal residence.
Even branch families usually stayed in hotels.
The future has changed.
And there was only one reason why.
The scented soap business.
The Duke thought highly of it.
The seed she had planted two months ago had finally sprouted and begun to bloom.
This wasn't merely a success.
It was a massive success.
For the first time, she found herself eagerly anticipating how the wedding would unfold.
“Welcome, Baron Frost. You must have had a tiring journey. Was the trip difficult?”
“Thanks to Your Grace's consideration, we traveled comfortably. This is my wife, Anna.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Anna Frost.”
“This is our first meeting, Baroness. The pleasure is mine.”
After greeting Duke Winston, Derek turned and called for Hystia and Elvin.
“Children, this is Duke Icarus Winston. Be sure to greet him properly.”
“Hello! I'm Elvin Frost! I'm three years old!”
“A pleasure to meet you, Elvin.”
The Duke patted Elvin's tiny head before shifting his gaze.
When their eyes met, Hystia swallowed nervously and gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt.
“I am Hystia Frost, eldest daughter of House Frost. It is an honor to meet Your Grace.”
Icarus Winston.
A young duke of twenty-two.
He looked exactly like the man who had killed her.
Naturally so.
That man had been his son.
Only three months had passed since her regression. She had thought she was mostly over it, but the sight of his blood-red hair and crimson eyes made her body tremble instinctively.
Determined not to show it, Hystia clenched her skirt tightly and maintained a calm expression.
“Oh? So this is the stepdaughter you've recently taken in.”
His voice brimmed with curiosity.
Unlike Victor, however, there was no contempt in it.
If anything, he seems friendly.
Watching Icarus's sparkling eyes, Hystia fidgeted with her fingers.
She tried to remember whether he had been kind to her before her regression, but the memories were too distant.
Besides, they had never met this closely before.
At least I've done my duty by greeting him...
As she began to raise her head—
She suddenly froze.
Icarus had somehow moved right in front of her.
“Your name was Hystia, wasn't it? How old are you?”
“E-Eight years old.”
“Really? Then you're only two years older than my younger sibling.”
Younger sibling?
Ah, right.
Icarus had a much younger sibling.
She had completely forgotten.
“Well then, shall we continue this inside?”
Icarus personally guided them into the residence.
Anna decided to rest in her room after traveling for two exhausting days with little Annie, and Elvin accompanied her since it was nearly time for his nap.
As a result, only Hystia followed Derek to the reception room.
“Wow...”
The room was so luxurious that it made Frost's manor look ordinary by comparison.
“You can look around as much as you like.”
Startled by the gentle voice behind her, Hystia quickly regained her composure and smiled awkwardly.
“No, it's okay. I've seen enough.”
Icarus narrowed his eyes briefly before picking up a golden model ship displayed in one corner of the room and handing it to her.
“Would you like to play with this?”
“Huh?”
A flustered Derek immediately stepped forward.
“Your Grace, something so valuable...”
“Hm? Do children not like things like this? Then what about this?”
This time he offered a bear statue studded with gemstones.
The sheer extravagance nearly made Hystia's soul leave her body.
“You don't need to go to such lengths. Tia is unusually mature for her age and doesn't really care for toys.”
“Really? Children are so difficult to understand.”
Icarus visibly deflated.
Feeling unexpectedly guilty, Hystia quietly took the golden ship from his hand.
“...I'll play with it.”
Icarus's face brightened at once.
“Play with it as much as you like. Feel free to explore the room too. Don't worry about us, all right?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl.”
Smiling warmly, Icarus gently patted her head.
Feeling strangely unsettled, Hystia moved away and resumed exploring the reception room she hadn't yet finished examining.