The Duke of Babyloa, his neck itching with hives, headed for the banquet hall. He spotted Hildegard, who was directing the maids in preparation for the banquet. He strode toward his wife.
"Greetings, Your Grace." The Duchess bowed her head in a formal manner.
"Do you know? It's Meldenique!" the Duke of Babyloa exclaimed loudly.
"Oh, yes, is she running a business in front of the Academy?" the Duchess of Babyloa replied calmly, seemingly unperturbed.
"No, you knew, but why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't like her much, did you? It was you who cast her out. I couldn't say anything, fearing I might offend you." A suspicious smile played on her lips.
"…It's true that I cast her out and had her excommunicated," the Duke of Babyloa replied, rubbing his sweaty forehead. "How do you feel about it… Hmm."
"…"
"Anyway, I'll go to her again. Of course, she'll welcome me with open arms. She always craved my approval." With that, the Duke of Babyloa turned. "The excommunication trial date is just around the corner, so I'll allow her back into the family. I'll observe her closely."
The Duchess of Babyloa glared at him with a terrifying gaze. The indecisive Duke must have been thinking about his childhood memories with Meldenique.
'I need to understand his true intentions.'
He wants to ignore her, leave her alone, and then ask how she is again? It's utterly ridiculous. While Hildegard herself was not above using people as tools, the Duke of Babyloa seemed to have no qualms whatsoever. She brushed her red hair back and bit her lip.
It had been a long time. For the first time in a long time, it seemed Meldenique might threaten Sheria's position, even though she was still not the slightest hint of a threat.
'I need to stop the Duke of Babyloa from interfering with her.'
She chewed her lips, plucking at the flower stalks she had prepared for the gardening party. Recently, Hildegard had hired the Red Sheriff Pirates, who were known to control the area, to deal with Meldenique. But Meldenique dealt with them decisively, earning herself a reputation. Of course, the fact that Meldenique had opened a stationery store was not yet widely known; there was only a brief article in a newspaper from the outskirts of the country about her dealings with the Red Cult Pirates.
But…
'Did she also use magic artifacts? According to the three works, the skills of the sorcerer she is with are not good enough, and they live a hard life every time. Was it a coincidence?'
Hildegard covered her nervousness with a fan and bit her lip.
'I have to deal with her before my daughter returns.'
How long did she stand like that? The handmaiden carefully cleared her throat, sensing the tense atmosphere.
"It's time, Madam."
It seemed all the young ladies and wives had gathered, their anger palpable. Hildegard gently relaxed her tense expression and sat down.
"Ah, you're all here. Everyone, please be seated. Handmaiden."
"Yes, I'll serve it right away, Madam."
The handmaiden winked, and several maids brought in a mobile trolley laden with tea and refreshments. There was a sweet tart topped with elderflower syrup, a shortcake with seasonal fruits, a hot salmon pie, and warm black tea with a rose scent.
After a few minutes of silence, she took a sip of tea and chuckled softly.
"The reason I invited all of you, wives and young ladies, to this gathering is to discuss a new project our family is about to implement."
"Oh my!"
"Our family will now be collaborating with Duke Hessmann to support children who are soon to make their social debuts." Hildegard smiled lightly, addressing the assembled crowd.
"I'm so excited!"
She was known as the 'Golden Hand Duchess.' It was not unreasonable for her to start a new venture and garner such enthusiastic responses.
"We will be launching soon, so please look forward to it. Oh, and…" Hildegard paused deliberately. "Speaking of which, my daughter Meldenique also set up a new business in front of the Academy."
"Oh my, I don't think she'll fail again."
"I feel it's truly admirable to see her continue to overcome failures and start a business." The Duchess of Babyloa, known as the 'Angel of the Social World,' wore a beautiful smile. "So, when Sheria returns, I'm going to partner with Meldenique. Meldenique alone would be impossible to manage…"
She feigned kindness and gentleness, causing the wives of the high-ranking aristocracy, including the duchess, to whisper amongst themselves.
"The Duchess is so kind. Regardless, Princess Meldenique is a bit…"
"…That's right."
Covering their mouths with butterfly fans, they looked at each other. There were so many ventures Meldenique had started and subsequently ruined. Meldenique was, to put it mildly, nothing more than a socialite's laughingstock. And today was no different.
"That's right. It will take a lot of time." Hildegard chuckled softly.
This year, Meldenique had been lucky. She ran a small, inconspicuous business away from Hildegard's watchful eyes and was fortunate enough to deal with the Red Cult Pirates.
'But…'
The small shop in front of the Academy was doomed. Because the colossal enterprises of Babyloa and Hessmann were about to appear right in front of the Academy. Hildegard smiled softly. Meldenique Baveloa would lose this time as well. It seemed she was able to interact with some children moderately for now, but even that connection would soon be severed.
'Enjoy the moment, Meldenique. Sooner or later, you'll fall miserably again.'
She tried to smile while hiding her bitter heart.
I chuckled softly as I unfolded the note the mailman had given me a while ago. There were three weeks left until the excommunication trial. It was finally D-3 weeks. Moreover, no one was visiting me. Perfect. I laughed contentedly and crumpled up the note. It was going well as planned.
"Dominic, we don't have many customers today, do we?"
Indeed, there weren't many customers visiting the stationery store today.
"Is it because they're aristocrats that they don't want to come to a place where commoners play?" Stationery stores seemed to have a surprising barrier to entry for them. The children who had visited once were returning steadily…
'Is the problem simply the small number of children…'
"It will work out somehow!" I clenched my fists and tried to think of a happy thought.
At that moment, a clear knock sounded from outside.
'Who could that be?'
"This is trouble." Dominic frowned slightly. He was a magic sword who was bothered by everything, but he had never seemed so hypersensitive.
'What the hell is that?'
I shrugged and opened the stationery store door, assuming it was just a child visiting late. However, it was Prince Cassian standing before me, not a child.
"Princess Meldenique." He then handed me a small flyer and asked bluntly, "Have you ever seen this flyer?"
I blinked as I looked at the flyer he handed me.
The new general store, a joint venture by the Babyloa and Hessmann families, was about to be put to the test.
A large general store, planned by Duchess Hildegard, had broken ground right in front of the Academy.
This place would soon be transformed into an exclusive shop aimed at aristocratic children.
It was even more significant, as it would be the first time a product made in collaboration between the 'Baveloa-Hessmann' families would be launched.
Until Sheria returns, it was known that Madame Hildegard would take the lead for the time being.
'Oh, a large general store?' Was this what Hildegard and Duke Delkman were doing in the original storyline? Moreover, it was a business aimed squarely at aristocratic children. If this came to fruition, it would be difficult to avoid them. An all-out collision seemed inevitable.
"…Thank you." I snatched the flyer from his hand and immediately headed to the address written on it. It was to check the situation in detail.