After dressing appropriately, the two asked for dinner to be served in the room. The spacious tea table was already inside in the first place. So no need to be busy to pull one in. Dinner arrived at 7, not many menus were provided because Alruna would be really troubled. Kirsi feels guilty, so she offers to help. But Cedric wasn't going to let that happen, considering that the last time Kirsi had been in the kitchen, there was almost nothing to save except a set of charred pans.
Kirsi is now feeling confident in her cooking skills. She has lived for 18 years cooking her own food. But no matter how much she spoke, she couldn't convince Cedric that she was a different person. Giving up, Kirsi let Alruna prepare everything alone.
Several dishes such as mashed potatoes with tomato sauce, a loaf of bread, and two slices of roast beef are served on the table. It had been a long time since Kirsi had eaten so well. The sour sensation of the tomato sauce makes the tongue and belly comfortable.
"What's this, shouldn't there be another sauce for the bread and mashed potatoes?" Cedric wanted another sauce with sliced scallions, but didn't get it. He rummaged through his mashed potatoes unappetizingly.
Kirsi stopped scooping food into her mouth to reply, "Oh sorry. Lately, I've been uncomfortable with onions and asked Alruna not to include them in my menu."
Cedric did not further comment. Instead, he pushed his plate of mashed potatoes towards Kirsi. He also pulled out her plate of roast beef and cut it for her, then pushed it back towards her. Kirsi's voracious way of eating made him interested to watch. He sat bent forward and supported his face with one hand. Looks comfortable and lazy.
Kirsi swallowed the meat and asked, "You're not eating?"
Cedric boasted, "Watching you eat already fills me up."
Food was eaten in less than a quarter of an hour. When everything was finished, Alruna was called to take care of it. It wasn't good to lie down right away after eating, so the two stayed where they were and started having a serious conversation.
"A large amount of the capital's furniture supply comes from the Goldstein family. There will be a large amount of wood residue during the production process, and I'm eyeing that." Kirsi explained, sitting opposite Cedric who was looking at her calmly.
Cedric asked, "What are the long-term plans."
Her husband was truly a man that one could not hide anything from him. It only took her a few days to completely change her impression of Cedric. Not only was he not impulsive and hopeless, but he was also even able to control the situation around him well. In stark contrast to the rumours about him circulating in the palace. Was this the reason the Emperor entrusted the position of the crown prince to him? That he was more than capable, but couldn't be careless with showing off his abilities just like that. Because the more your enemies underestimate you, the less they will care about you.
It's not that Kirsi doesn't want to tell Cedric about her plans, but what will the man think if the girl who has been causing trouble in the upper social circles suddenly has an invention about the tea plantation crisis that the country has been experiencing for years without any bright spot? Instead of feeling helped, Cedric would surely be suspicious of her. And if she says she's from the 21st century, who can prove that? Even though there is magic in this world setting, not everyone can do it, and because so few people can do it, magic is starting to be considered a myth.
Lost in her thoughts, Kirsi was silent for a while. She tried to dig up all the contents of the novel she had reluctantly read recently, and tried to find a way to make excuses. Cedric didn't urge her. In fact, he seemed patient enough to wait.
Several minutes had passed. Staying in the same sitting position for quite a while, Cedric suddenly stood up. It startled Kirsi in front of hm. Cedric stretched his arms up, inadvertently making his sleeping pyjamas lift, revealing his burly stomach that looked like a sculpted block of ice. Kirsi's conscience didn't let her peek further, but something unique caught her eye.
There was a small downward-facing sword tattoo just below his navel. The last time Kirsi saw him shirtless, there was no such tattoo on his body.
Cedric, who had finished stretching his body, majestically stood on his hips. And while looking at Kiris with an inexplicable look, he said, breaking the woman's thoughts, "If you're worried I'll ask where you got the idea from, don't worry. I can't even say for sure that I know you, considering our meeting so far can only be counted on fingers. Even then, most of my knowledge about you comes from what other people say, which is completely irrelevant. If you suddenly have a good idea, I can't blame you. "
Cedric had said something unexpected. Kirsi suspected that the man could read her mind. She said, "I would say the same about you too."
Cedric gave a sinister smile, "Then let's be a little more open."
Kirsi said, "I have a way of turning wood waste into eco-friendly fuel. As soon as I patent it, there's no way other people will act idly. They will immediately copy it and seek out Goldstein for the same purpose. Therefore, I want to monopolize Goldstein to be a loyal business partner."
Cedric looked neither surprised nor stunned. He still looked as if he was discussing his lunch menu, looking calmly at Kirsi with his blue eyes shining in the dimly lit room. He said, his voice deep and charming, "Have you thought about what kind of proposal you are going to offer?"
"I've thought about it. But I'm still unsure about the next step."
"And what is it?"
Kirsi looked Cedric straight into his blue eyes, "About the patent. I have no intention of registering it under my name."
Cedric chuckled, sounding more like an insult to himself. "Nor do I intend to put my name above the achievements of others."
"I wouldn't mind that."
"I'll object." Cedric sat down across from Kirsi again. His body sticks to the back of the sofa which is spacious and luxurious. The burgundy colour contrasted with the rest of his pale figure. He continued lazily, "After all, what's wrong with making one achievement to your name? That way, at least people will appreciate you a little more."
"How about you? "
Cedric laughed mockingly once again, his eyes full of contempt. And even though he was speaking with kirsi, it was clear that the hatred wasn't directed at her. He said, "I don't need other people's appreciation."
After living a home life with Cedric for a few days, Kirsi realized that this man didn't want to take attention for himself. Kirsi didn't know how he behaved in his work environment, but from the rumours heard, Cedric was still not that much different from the rumours about him in the original novel setting. That means, Cedric purposely leads people to think that way about him. But if in the original novel he also thought the same way, wouldn't dying at the hands of his younger brother while running away with his evil wife, be a bit too much to do?
In that case, there must be something big that had forced him to give in and throw everything away for it. If so, then the plot of this novel is not as simple as she imagined.
"Well, let's think about that later. More than that, when are we going to my parent's house?" she still remembered the last time Cedric had asked to go over to her parent's house in exchange for introducing her to Eugene Goldstein. She doesn't like being in debt for too long. She wasn't looking forward to meeting her chaotic family, it was just that instead of continuing to dodge, it would be better to deal with it as quickly as possible. Kirsi also wanted to see who had made the real Kirsi have such a corrupted personality.
Kirsi crossed her legs elegantly. Coupled with her frigid expression, she looked like a real villainess. Just like Cedric, she was wearing a white clothes. The difference is, if Cedric uses pyjamas, Kirsi uses a thin nightgown. It silky soft fibres run along her body, with the top low enough to almost show off her entire chest. Kirsi didn't choose it herself. Alruna forced her. Cedric across from her said, "After the fall hunting event."
Kirsi nodded. "I'd like to suggest that too." If they had met Evander before the hunt started, there was no way they wouldn't have met on the hunt later, and the situation would definitely have been unfavourable as Cedric didn't appear to have the best intentions on his visit. If they show an awkward interaction, people can't help but be suspicious. It will only make them disadvantaged in many ways. But if they visited and caused trouble with the Evander household after the hunt, the public view could definitely be avoided. Both of them had a fantastic tacit understanding.
The matter regarding her plans against Eugene Goldstein was more or less resolved, the next morning, another problem awaited Kirsi.
The crown prince's residence is at least larger than a modern-day football field. It still doesn't cover its entire page which could be many times that. And to take care of such a large residence, would take at least so many servants to do so. As many as 187 servants were just sent home by Cedric, by noon the next day, 90% of that number had come to be rehired. Losing as much as 10% of workers is not the main problem. What bothered Kirsi was that these people would no longer have a good impression of her.
When they were all gathered in the main hall for the announcement of Kirsi's apology, no one listened to her seriously. Not to mention, when the group was disbanded and everyone returned to their respective posts, Kirsi was confused about re-appointing her lady-in-waiting. She felt she could take care of herself better than anyone else, but her position wouldn't allow her to be relaxed. So she had to choose.
Kirsi sat in the living room accompanied by a set of documents scattered all over the table. In front of her, her assistant whom Alruna had invited on behalf of the residence of the Crown Prince sat with his forehead covered with beads of sweat. Beside the reddish-haired man, there was another pile of documents that Kirsi had asked to bring.
Based on the novel's description, this man is Kirsi's childhood friend and distant cousin who is not very close to Evander's core family. That's why Kirsi dared to appoint him as the manager of her assets. The reason why he was sweating profusely right now was that Kirsi suddenly felt so cold and turned on all the heating as if it was already the peak of winter.
"Well, there's been around 1,5 million silver coins in profit for all the plantations in the East over the past year. That's already the net profit. If you want to take it, you'll need to at least borrow the Eastern border command's bridle line or maybe Maxima's naval base. It would cost a lot due to the situation of creating a new silk road. If you want to do it, then do it shortly, while the Grand Marshal is still in the East. At least he will surely return to the capital soon. If he is the one who escorting, you won't have any worries against your entire carriage of silver coins."
Kirsi read the document, "Well, I don't intend to take all of them. I just need a few. Maybe around 200,000 coins."
The paper money system existed nowadays, but only as temporary depositors and loans, which would still be exchanged for silver by imperial standards. Depositors can be submitted only through commercial banks, and even then it is limited to a certain amount. If the loan amount exceeds the specified limit, then the person who applies must contact the local government office in the vicinity and take care of the legal letter. Even then, melting it back into silver is very difficult, and at least requires effort and time. Disbursement applications are often rejected if they have a face value of more than 500,000 silver coins. Even then, it still has to convert into gold coins. With a note, 400 copper C = 100 bronze C = 25 silver C = 1 gold coin weighing 4.5 grams. Therefore, it is not recommended to use a promissory. In the end, the money transfer expedition must still be carried out.
Vyn Evander furrowed his brows, and looked at Kirsi suspiciously, "You're in trouble?"
Kirsi put her document back down and looked to astonishment, asking, "Why did you instantly associate it with trouble?"
"You know if it wasn't for me, you would have been broke a long time ago," Vyn said a striking fact, so Kirsi was speechless. "Tell me. 200,000 silver coins may not be big to you, but that amount of money is at least capable of causing big trouble if you are not wise."
Kirsi cleared her throat in embarrassment, her cheeks slightly flushed, though her relaxed and calm impression was still firmly attached to her. She replied in a low voice, "I want to attract some people's attention."
Vyn looked on the verge of exploding, he quipped, "Who else do you want to draw attention to, huh? Do you want to add more trouble to me?"
"No, I just wanted to raise the fall allowance fund for the servants of this residence." She was the one who had caused trouble the other day. If the servant felt uncomfortable with her, it was already a risk. And if she wanted to make a good impression on them, at least she needed to put in the effort. She planned to increase this fall allowance fund and give them a nice fall uniform.
When Cedric heard this wise idea, he just laughed until his stomach ache and gave a huge amount of money like throwing chewed gum. Kirsi wouldn't dare to use Cedric's money to settle her problems, so she immediately called Vyn to ask for her money.
Vyn, who would never have thought that his troublesome cousin would suddenly have such a benevolent idea, could only roll his eyes and gape open his mouth as wide as an adult's fist, a shock to the bone. He didn't dare to question Kirsi's seriousness for fear that this woman would change her mind, and didn't ask any further. He said, "It's not that hard. I'll make the promissory note for you."
"A-ahem. I'm counting on you."
After tidying up the paperwork and finishing his tea, Vyn hurriedly said goodbye before he passed out from dehydration. The person who took the place of her cousin was Alruna who came with warm chrysanthemum tea with lemon wedges. In addition, she also tucked the document containing the budget of this residence in the fall of last year in the pocket of her apron.
After receiving the tea, Kirsi invited Alruna to sit down and read the document. Last year, there were more than 200 servants in this residence, and each person was given about 25 pieces of silver coins. It was already highest than usual. For example, the generous Third Prince's residence only took out 15 pieces of silver. A budget fall dress that can be worn until the end of winter costs about 2 silver coins per person, and that is included in the quality of classy clothes. And this fund every year always comes out of Cedric's pocket. Actually, he could have asked the ministry of personnel and the Director of the Imperial clan for funds, but Cedric didn't do because of the long disbursement of funds for such a small amount.
Kirsi put the document back in Alruna's hand and said, "I'll double the allowance. Also, give each one an extra pair of gloves, a scarf, and socks. Moreover, buy quality groceries for the season's banquet fall of this residence. Not for the head of the family, but for the servants. Master and I will most likely eat at the palace, so just think about your meals. I will give the funds before the palace fall hunting event takes place. Please remind me then."
Alruna heard it with a raging feeling. Kirsi noticed that, folded her arms across her chest and chuckled. Kirsi asked, "Is something bothering you?"
"Madam, I think this is too impulsive. I know your good intentions but, aren't you just going to humble yourself for this? They may feel grateful for you, but the rest will think of you as childish and just trying to win their little sympathy."
Kirsi listened, elegantly crossing her legs. The high slit of the winter dress she was wearing showed off her smooth thighs. Even Alruna who was a woman in old age was in awe of her. Kirsi said, "Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me the point."
Alruna said firmly, "They will think you are stupid."
Kirsi chuckled, "It doesn't matter to me. It's better to be considered stupid than disliked. I don't want to make enemies in my husband's residence. Do you still want to ask?"
"No, madam."
Kirsi had thought about it too. And when she discussed this matter with Cedric, the man said that a servant who thought his master was stupid was no more troublesome than a servant who served him half-heartedly. That is, if you are underestimated, then the enemy will not use difficult tricks to bring you down. But if they hate you, they will not hesitate to use the cruellest means to bring you down. Again they thought the same thing. There is an unspoken match between the two. And that was enough to make Kirsi lower her guard on Cedric.
After Alruna said goodbye to the kitchen, Kirsi walked alone to her room. She wanted to rest. Despite barely doing anything all day, she was mentally exhausted. Kirsi turned the gold-plated doorknob, pushed open the ivory-painted double doors, and entered. Her pointy-toed stilettos no longer creaked as she stepped on the velvet carpeted floor of the room. Before reaching her giant bed in the corner of the room, Kirsi passed a 2-meter-high obsidian stone glass. She reflexively turned towards the mirror to see her appearance. But she was stunned to death when what she saw was the face of her husband who was smiling kindly. The kind of smile Cedric never gave off. Kirsi backed away and almost tripped over the table behind her.
[Oh my gosh! I thought you were Alexander! ]
"!!"
The surprise came once again when the reflection in the mirror spoke to her. If she didn't remember that this world setting had an element of magic in it, Kirsi might have looked for a therapist to make sure she wasn't crazy.
Kirsi stabilized her shock and immediately returned to her calm demeanour. She tucked her long straight black hair behind her ears, with her chin raised asking, "Do I look like my husband?"
The shadow smiled like a child, with a wide arch, even showing its two long canines. Caught sight of from everywhere this is Cedric, but with a different inner. He said, [Well, you carry a little bit of Alexander's in you I guess? Now it's a bit difficult to tell the two of you apart.]
Kirsi coughed softly, a little embarrassed. She understood why this mirror said so. It can't be helped, they're husband and wife. Surely sleeping together, right? Even though the current Kirsi didn't remember it, the real Cedric and Kirsi had gone even further than sleeping together. It wouldn't be strange if they started sharing something. Kirsi nodded, reassuring herself. She said, "I think this is the first time we've met. Do you have a message to pass on to my husband?"
[Well, I guess it's fine conveying this to his wife. Tell Alexander that the cycle is coming soon.]
Cycle?
What kind of cycle can a man have?!
There's nothing like that in novels. In fact, it was never told that Cedric had a talking mirror. Not only that, Cedric was even explained many times that he couldn't use magic. So what is Kirsi looking at right now if not the application of magic?
Kirsi bit the inside of her cheek and the tangled threads of her mind became more and more tangled, like a string of abandoned cassette tapes.
The more days she spent with Cedric, the more she knew about him, and the more things she didn't know about him.