Chapter 5

It had already been a month and a half since returning from the royal capital’s social season.

“…Haa.”

That day too, I had a thoroughly exhausting night class—on sex for marital duties. Such lessons were difficult to conduct while abroad, so I assumed they wanted to get them over with while I was still in the castle. The session dragged on for hours, and I found myself laughing multiple times, only to be repeatedly struck with a whip as punishment.

Logically, I understood it. As a woman, this was the most important subject for me. If I couldn’t bear children, if I couldn’t perform sexually, I’d be the one facing consequences. If my husband had erectile dysfunction, I’d have to find some way—any way—to make it work.

Learning practical knowledge and techniques for that purpose was essential. Essential… but still, I didn’t want to face it head-on.

If I didn’t laugh, I’d lose my mind.

Speaking of which, that dildo they used—it was long and thick, but there’s no way that’s the average size for men in this world, right? There’s no way I could fit something like that inside me.

“Are you tired, Princess? We can postpone today’s administrative duties until tomorrow…”

“No, it’s fine. If I put them off, I’ll just stay up all night thinking about them.”

I instructed my lady-in-waiting to summon the knight who had been standing by during my lesson. A short while later, a pink-haired female knight entered the room. She looked to be around twenty and greeted me with a noticeably tense expression.

“Then let’s start with the soap sales report.”

“Y-yes…”

Soap. An absolute necessity for modern Japanese people, but something that simply didn’t exist in this world. And to me, that was a major problem. Just think about it for a second—would you really want to let some filthy guy’s peepee inside you?

I absolutely would not. At the very least, I want him to be clean.

So I developed a gentle soap that could be used even on genitalia, and I tried to spread it throughout this world. But I hit a major roadblock.

It wasn’t selling at all.

Looking back, it was obvious. These people didn’t wash their hands, didn’t bathe—so of course they had no use for soap. The lack of soap wasn’t due to a lack of technological capability, but a simple lack of demand.

I even considered just handing it out for free. Maybe if it were free, people would accept it and try using it. But then my father scolded me, saying, “When the higher-ups dump unwanted things on others, all they do is breed resentment. Don’t do it.”

Feeling hopeless, I ordered the unsold inventory to be disposed of as waste and sulked in bed.

Some time passed, and then one day, I suddenly started receiving soap orders from the women of noble and knightly households under our vassalage. …Why? I didn’t do anything—just sulked and slept.

Curious, I investigated and one of my female knights finally confessed.

Apparently, she thought it was a waste to throw them out, so she pretended to dispose of them and secretly sold them off instead. She looked utterly lifeless as she came to confess—clearly expecting to be punished.

Technically, even if it was just waste, it was still embezzlement.

But what I really wanted to know was how she managed to sell them.

When I pressed for details, she told me that she had sold them using the pitch, “Princess Roselia is beautiful because she uses this soap.”

Roselia is beautiful + Princess Roselia uses this soap = Using this soap makes you beautiful.

That was the formula she’d come up with.

In other words, instead of marketing it as a “hygiene product,” she sold it as a “beauty or cosmetic item.”

People in this world may not care about bathing or hygiene, but they are interested in beauty.

That’s why it sold.

…Was she a genius?

This knight girl, who had been profusely apologizing the whole time, had greatly impressed me.

When I asked more about her background, I learned she had been born into a merchant household in a major city under the control of a duke’s domain.

That explained her sharp instincts in these matters.

It became painfully clear to me that rather than some clueless idiot like me haphazardly making decisions, it’s better to entrust things to someone competent and experienced like her—along with the necessary funding.

Now, you might be wondering—is she a merchant or a knight?

In this world, “knight” can refer broadly to the entire “knightly class.”

And the “knightly class” refers to the wealthy and powerful who are capable of wielding magical power.

To elaborate, in this world, magic can be bought with money. Of course, it also takes grit and perseverance.

Among knights, there are both military officers and civil officials.

This knight girl was the latter—a civil official.

She was apparently in charge of accounting. That’s why she had the opportunity to quietly “divert” the discarded soap.

“…That concludes my report. I believe we can categorize sales as strong. The field team is requesting expanded production facilities.”

The female knight—Sheik—gave her report to me.

Currently, Sheik is serving as an executive in the Budoudarl Ducal Trading Company, an organization I established to sell goods based on knowledge from my previous life. She’s been demonstrating her impressive capabilities there.

She’s down-to-earth in a good way, and practical. Yet, at the same time, she’s open-minded—able to grasp my intentions and reframe them in a way that fits this world’s value system.

My current perspective is a chaotic blend of values from my past life and those of noblewomen and princesses, making me rather out of touch with common sense. That’s why someone like her—who can correct my unconventional thinking—is invaluable to me.

“Next, regarding the development of paper and white porcelain…”

Sheik’s report was concise and easy to understand. She’s competent, no doubt about it. Though, if I had to nitpick… she’s a bit stingy, maybe even money-hungry. That’s her only real flaw.

“Very well, proceed with it. …Ah, that reminds me. As for the soap—I plan to bring some to the Duchy of Larknoll. Make the necessary preparations.”

Merchants usually accompany such diplomatic trips. If possible, I’d like to sell soap to the Duke of Larknoll. I’ve heard they have a steam bath culture there, so there should be a market for it.

“Naturally, I’ll be taking you with me. Get ready.”

“…Understood. As you command.”

Sheik bowed and exited the room.

After that, I continued with paperwork, studied, and trained to increase my magical power—until the day came to depart for the treaty signing.

Our departure point was the “Northern Castle” of House Budoudarl, where I currently reside—namely, Torunia Castle. Our destination was the “Southern Castle” of the Larknoll Ducal House.

The one-way trip would take about ten days at best.

But since we planned to visit the noble and knightly houses under our vassalage along the way, the estimated total travel time was around two weeks.

Naturally, I wasn’t traveling alone. I would be accompanied by guards, attendants, scribes, and others.

The total number of personnel came to roughly two hundred.

In terms of whether that was a large or small group—it was on the larger side.

Given that we were still in the midst of a war, the ratio of guards was quite high. For a domestic tour, fifty people would normally be more than enough.

“Princess, we’ll be arriving shortly. Please prepare yourself.”

“Alright, thank you.”

I closed my book and quickly adjusted my appearance.

After a short while, the carriage came to a halt, and the door opened.

With help from a knight, I slowly descended from the carriage.

“Welcome, Princess Roselia.”

As arranged in our prior correspondence, the one greeting me was Thor—Thor-kun.

He raised his right arm to chest level with his palm open, while his left hand remained lowered but away from his waist. A slight bow accompanied the gesture.

It was a greeting that meant: I carry no weapons in my hands or at my side.

Of course, just behind him stood his armed attendants, and a little farther back were his soldiers—fully equipped.

Their numbers combined with ours totaled around two hundred.

“I appreciate your warm welcome, Lord Thor.”

I pinched the hem of my dress and lifted it slightly.

That motion too conveyed, “I’m unarmed.”

Though in this world, female knights do sometimes hide weapons under their dresses—so the tension compared to my past life’s world was of a whole different level.

That’s exactly why, the moment our mutual greetings concluded, I could feel the sharp tension in the air ease up slightly.

Magic in this world has a kind of telepathic effect—it conveys emotions like that.

“I shall lead the way. This way, please.”

“Very well.”

I got back into the carriage, and under Thor’s command, we proceeded into the Duchy of Larknoll.

After half a day’s journey, we finally arrived at the “Southern Castle” of the Larknoll Ducal House.

When you hear the word “castle,” you might imagine something like a certain famous kingdom’s fairy tale structure—but this place was different. It had the rugged look of a fortress.

A one-hundred-percent pure military installation.

The intent to kill was overflowing, and everyone was fired up for war. The neighboring counts must have been quite scared.

The castle was already filled with the counts involved in the war, the noble witnesses, and diplomats from the royal family. It seemed we were the last to arrive.

The Duke of Larknoll was not present—but that was as planned from the start.

Since the Duke of Budoudarl had sent his heir as his representative, it was only natural for the Duke of Larknoll to follow suit. Perhaps the Duke also wanted to give Thor the honor of taking the lead.

With everyone gathered, it was clear the war couldn’t drag on forever. So, we decided to swiftly finalize a ceasefire agreement.

The main points were already prepared; all that was left was for each side to review the details and sign.

Finally, one by one, each declared, “We promise to keep our word!” and the ceremony ended.

Since it was already evening by the time the signing concluded, everyone was dismissed for the day.

The next day, a luncheon was held to celebrate peace.

However, since the castle had no suitable dining space, the event took place outside, beneath the open sky, just beyond the castle walls.

The format was a standing buffet.

With so many people, seating might have been preferable... but probably no one wanted to deal with organizing seats. Having me as the guest of honor first and Thor second, they would have had a hard time deciding the order for the counts involved.

Tensions were still high just after signing the ceasefire; making things complicated would have been bad.

“May I have some raw oysters, please?”

I requested the server to place some raw oysters on my plate.

Since I had mentioned it was a favorite of mine in advance, oysters were on the menu.

Given the season and the letter’s context, I assumed they were rock oysters.

“Do you find the oysters from our territory to your liking?”

“Yes, very much so.”

Thor spoke to me, and I nodded emphatically.

Then, I subtly lifted the corners of my mouth to show my pleasure—just enough to keep it tasteful.

“You remembered my preferences. That makes me very happy.”

The Duchy of Larknoll borders the sea and is rich in seafood—but that applies mainly to the northern part.

This location was at the very southern tip of the duchy.

Transporting oysters fresh enough to eat raw from north to south must be quite the challenge, even with magic.

This was surely a sign of goodwill toward me.

“U-um… well, it was written in the letter, after all.”

Thor blushed and looked away.

I felt his affection for me had grown stronger than before, but perhaps it was just my imagination.

Had time matured his feelings into something more…?

That’s a bit troublesome…

“By the way… how do you like the taste of the wine named after me?”

The drink Thor held was a special liquor called Roselia Wine.

It was a distilled liquor made from grape wine—in other words, brandy.

The reason it bore my name was simply because I had commissioned its development.

Although what I really wanted wasn’t liquor, but a high concentration of alcohol.

The leading cause of death among women in this world was puerperal fever, caused by unclean hands of midwives, so I simply wanted disinfectant alcohol.

The distillers in my domain managed to make a strong alcohol into a palatable drink.

Later I learned that this world had magic that could accelerate the aging of alcohol.

The high reputation of the wines from my territory wasn’t only because of the land’s suitability for growing grapes, but also because many families there had inherited such magic for generations.

It reaffirmed my belief that you have to entrust things to people who have both skill and motivation.

The distilled liquor thus developed even earned my father’s approval.

And, showing his doting side, he named the finished liquor “Roselia.”

I wish he hadn’t.

I hadn’t done anything, yet…

So, this Roselia Wine made its social debut today.

It hasn’t yet been mass-produced, so for the foreseeable future, it will likely remain a diplomatic tool.

"This is absolutely delicious. The aroma and the color are both superb. It captivates, ensnares, and intoxicates… ah, much like you. I—I can’t tell which one has me more drunk."

Thor said, his face bright red.
But it sounded somewhat unnatural—almost like he was reading off a script.
He probably came up with that line ahead of time, intending it to be a killer pickup line.

"My, how charming."

I decided to clap lightly and show my delight.
I’m a woman who knows how to make a man feel good.
Even if, on the inside, I used to be a man…

Thor beamed and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.
Then, he handed the empty glass to a servant and closed the distance between us.

"A-actually… since I returned home, I’ve been practicing ballroom dancing…"

Shuffling awkwardly, Thor suddenly launched into a story about dance.
I already knew where this was going, but I’m a good woman who lets a man finish, so I waited patiently.

"There will be a session for ballroom dancing after this. At that time… I’d like to show you the results of my training. So… would you honor me?"

In short, he’s asking me to dance with him during the ballroom session.
Honestly, there’s no need to make a reservation—he could just ask me then and there.

"Yes, I’d be happy to."

When I answered, Thor's face lit up with an unmistakable grin.
He looked like a middle school boy who just got his confession accepted.

I didn’t expect to be this adored.
The chances of our marriage ever becoming reality are practically zero...

What would I do if he threatened me with “Marry me or face invasion!”?
I might need to think of a way to keep him in good spirits while gently steering him away from marriage.

As we continued to chat lightly, a man approached us.
He seemed eager to speak with Thor, but the boy was so focused on me he hadn’t noticed.

Left with no choice, I glanced conspicuously toward the approaching man and said, “Oh?”

Finally, Thor noticed the man and turned toward him.

"Why, if it isn’t… Count Lazabel. It’s been a while."

"It has indeed, Lord Thor."

Count Lazabel—our own Marshal—bowed politely to Thor.
Thor looked slightly surprised and glanced at the Marshal’s right hand.

"Thanks to Her Highness’s grace, I was blessed with restoration."

"Ho…"

Thor’s eyes widened.
My skill with healing magic is well-known, but seeing someone who literally regrew a limb must be a whole different level of impact.

"I had been looking forward to seeing you again."

Marshal Lazabel then started some light conversation with Thor.
At first, the young man responded politely, but his mood clearly began to sour.

"Your son is unharmed."

Then, cutting the small talk clean in half, he dove straight into the real topic.
Marshal Lazabel, who had been carefully steering the conversation to check on his son’s safety, looked visibly startled.

So was I. Probably everyone nearby was.

The tension skyrocketed.

"Not a scratch on his eyes or anywhere else on his body… well, since after that moment, of course. Your son fought valiantly to the end. While it was regrettable, we had to take necessary action. I ask your understanding."

Thor showed no sign of remorse as he spoke.
Then, without waiting for a reply, he continued.

"Though only temporary, both our houses have now sheathed their swords. Once the ransom is paid, he will be returned to your custody."

This is what you came here for, isn’t it?

If there’s anything else you want to ask, just say it—don’t dance around it.

It was entirely unbecoming of a noble. No elegance at all…
Yet there was something brazen and impenetrable in his presence.

This is the young Duke of Larknoll.

…Totally out of character, isn’t he?

Will I really make it back home in one piece?
I’m starting to get a little worried.

Please, spare me from kidnapping, imprisonment, or… worse.