Margaret did not insist further and headed to the dining room.
Suleiman complained playfully about almost losing his patience while waiting, then expressed surprise at the empty plates.
"Did you wait all this while for the lord to finish eating?"
Margaret shrugged her shoulders slightly and said, "Navia had to deal with all sorts of nitpicking not to cook. Looks like we need to hire a chef."
"What? The lord said to hire a chef?"
Charlotte, while clearing the empty tray Margaret was holding, tilted her head in confusion.
'Is that something to be surprised about…?'
Wouldn't it be more surprising not to have a chef?
Suleiman stroked his beard as if it were a significant matter.
"It's the first time the lord has suggested bringing someone from outside."
"He spoke so harshly, criticizing the food as too sour, salty, and bland."
"Oh dear…"
Navia blushed with embarrassment.
She had enjoyed cooking enthusiastically, but now felt guilty for bothering everyone.
"It seems the lord didn't like it."
"Navia, that fastidious person would just throw it away if it didn't suit his taste."
"…Ah."
It was a shockingly barbaric act, but nobles often behaved brutally when they didn't need to maintain decorum. Navia had seen such behavior from the people of Agnes, as they did not consider her someone to show courtesy to.
But this was not something to be mentioned so casually without shame.
They all started eating together belatedly.
Navia carefully tasted the dish she made.
'I find it tasty. Could Margaret's words be true?'
As if reading her thoughts, Margaret said, "It's really delicious, don't worry. How did you make this pork roast? I want the recipe."
"It seems like a recipe from a top-class chef?"
Navia grinned.
After all, it was a recipe from a top-class chef she worked with in Agnes.
"I'll gladly tell you. I'm relieved everyone finds it tasty."
They discussed hiring a chef while eating.
Having someone to cook would certainly save time, and everyone reacted positively to the idea.
"I'll look into it as soon as day breaks. We need to find a supplier for Navia's clothes and other essentials. Ah, and I need to visit Ricardo tomorrow. There's so much to do."
Suleiman said this with a gentle smile.
Then, Margaret, as if remembering something, said to Navia, "How about commissioning Minerva for Navia's clothes?"
Navia nodded.
It was a better option for her since Minerva's skills were outstanding.
"I'm fine with it, but wouldn't it be too hard for Mine?"
Minerva quickly replied, indicating it was not a problem at all.
"I, I want to do it!"
With that single sentence, Suleiman laughed heartily as if the decision was made.
"Then Minerva will write down the necessary items and request them from the guild."
They finished their meal, had dessert with tea, and moved to the first floor library to talk more.
In the meantime, Navia had changed into her pajamas and was ready for bed.
Minerva had gone to bed early due to tiredness, and Navia stayed a bit longer, but as it got late, she began to doze off.
"It was a good idea to change into pajamas in advance."
Suleiman laughed and picked up Navia.
"I'll take Navia to the bedroom, everyone else should head in now."
Navia was carried to her third-floor room, snuggled in Suleiman's arms.
"Sleep well."
Hearing the affectionate farewell, Navia slightly smiled in her half-asleep state.
Suleiman smiled back and closed the door, heading to the room opposite.
He felt he had to talk to Lark about the problem he'd been pondering all day.
Knock, knock.
"My lord, I have something to tell you."
Lark was writing a research paper near the lit table.
"Oh, your hairstyle looks very nice. Where did you get it done?"
Lark frowned at Suleiman's teasing.
"Enough of that. What do you need?"
Suleiman thought it would be good to assign a knight to guard Navia after hearing about the assassin.
"When the knights return, how about assigning Nero Sylas as Navia's guard?"
He expected Lark to be writing in the ancient language as usual, so he glanced at the paper without much thought.
But it was written in the common language of the continent.
"What's this?"
"Selling it."
Thud.
He put down his pen and handed the organized research paper to Suleiman.
Suleiman's eyes widened as he read.
A wizard was just a person who used magic, but few were like Lark, who also specialized in magic science.
Eseled was the strongest family not because they had mines or were good at business, but for this reason.
"A safe way to double magical power. Just sell it to Mason of the Wizards' Association."
"Why would you sell such an amazing thing to the association? That would be credited to the chairman."
"That's why they'll pay a lot. It's just a simple technique to double magic power. It can be given away. Oh, when you give it, lie that it's a secret family technique. That way they won't pester us for more."
Suleiman couldn't fully agree with Lark, but he felt this research could make a tremendous amount of money.
"And assign Nero as her guard when he arrives."
"Understood."
Suleiman said and left the bedroom, muttering to himself.
"Is it really going as Margaret said?"
The combination of the lord and Navia...
"It's strange how much they resemble each other."
He shook his head as if it was something he couldn't understand and walked down from the third floor.
* * *
Before dawn had even broken.
Navia habitually woke up early. The sky and the room were still dark, making it feel like she was still trapped in the night.
Navia gazed at the canopy with a dazed expression for a moment and thought,
"I woke up too early."
She used to love the night. It was a time when she could be utterly alone, hidden from people's gaze by the veil of darkness.
But since coming to Eseled, Navia had begun to faintly understand what it felt like to be bored of being alone.
It only took a few days for her to get used to having people around.
It's unbelievable, really.
Swoosh.
She pushed aside the soft blankets and slipped into her fluffy slippers. They were slightly large as there were no slippers for children yet, dragging on the floor as she walked.
Navia went to the window and fully opened the curtains.
The sky was still dark and overcast with clouds.
"Looks like it might rain?"
If Navia wasn’t busy, she would start her day by looking out the window to check the clouds and the strength of the wind.
The weather was a natural factor affecting her schedule.
"It's a big day."
Navia muttered, rubbing her eyes.
Today, she planned to visit Zenodic Street, the busiest street in the capital.
She needed to sell information and buy what was necessary.
'I need to find out quickly if there's a weakness in Theorban's anesthesia herb farm, so I can start the process of transferring rights to Eseled.'
But the weather wasn't great.
'Going to the small busy area near Eseled without a coat or umbrella seems difficult.'
To go to Zenodic Street, she had to rent a hired carriage from the nearby busy area.
Navia was torn.
Should she not overdo it?
Or push through despite the difficulty?
'If Theorban finds out I'm on the third floor, he'll immediately cut off the supply of anesthesia herbs and strongly pressure the Duke to appoint his daughter as the successor.'
It seemed there was still some time before that happened.
'My wounds have healed quite a bit, though...'
Navia checked her physical condition.
The pain throughout her body was now faint enough that she no longer needed painkillers.
'The bruises have mostly faded, and the wounds have healed quite a bit.'
Still, there were a few recently reopened wounds, so it would be best to be careful, but even those seemed likely to heal soon.
'I guess I should prepare to go out.'
Navia started preparing to go out on her own.
She washed her hair with cold water and took out a luxurious comb inlaid with jewels from the drawer to brush her hair.
"My hair dries incredibly fast when I use this comb."
She remembered Margaret casually mentioning that it was a magical tool.
'It's such a convenient magical tool. Why isn't it commonly available in the market?'
Soon, Navia's silver hair fell neatly down her back, shining softly like pearls, reaching down to her thighs.
Her arms ached from brushing and arranging her long hair.
Next, she took out a black ribbon from the drawer. As Navia was about to tie her hair in the usual style, she tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh, where did the torn ribbon go?"
One of the ribbons was slightly torn, but now both looked intact.
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