Episode 123

The land where the Crown Prince’s building stood was truly the most prime of prime real estate.

It was located right in the heart of the main street, in the busiest, most populated area.

Surprisingly, despite its value, the luxurious building had been left unused for a long time.

The first use of the blank check the Duke had given me? Remodeling costs.

“Lady Belze, how about covering the entire outer wall with marble? As per your request, we will also accentuate the elegance by gilding the upper sections with gold.”

“Umm… I don’t really know much about this, so just do whatever you think is best, Charlotte!”

The agent introduced to me by the Duke was a sharp-looking young woman.

Charlotte was incredibly competent—handling not just financial matters but also many other tasks on my behalf.

Opening a store turned out to be much more complicated than I had expected.

Having only run a small online shop in my past life, I found everything completely overwhelming.

I had thought that once the trademark was registered, I could just stock the products and start selling.

But Charlotte had nearly jumped out of her seat at my suggestion.

She said that if I did that, I wouldn’t even make enough to cover the first month’s rent and would go bankrupt immediately.

‘But… I don’t pay rent, though…’

In any case, thanks to her, I was able to focus solely on product development.

Once the major remodeling work began,

I sent invitations to fifty noblewomen, including Madam Cloud, the lady who had purchased my hair mist at the charity event.

The grand opening party would be an extravagant VIP-only event.

The goal? To make those who weren’t invited feel envious and left out.

And just like that, a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, many things happened.

First, Logan, who had been captured and imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the Kallios Knights, died.

His cause of death was a mix of suicide and murder.

He had hidden poison in the arm of his glasses, but having lost both hands, he had been unable to use it.

He was tortured for a long time, but during an interrogation, his glasses miraculously broke—allowing him to finally die.

Second, Magnus, who had been exiled to the southern region, disappeared without a trace.

Because of these developments, unfortunately, we had not been able to uncover much about Ursisism.

All we knew was that they practiced forbidden dark magic and were plotting to overthrow the state.

But not all the news was bad.

Upon receiving this information from Kallios, the temple launched a large-scale inquisition to root out heretics and issued an official warrant for Magnus’s arrest.

Furthermore, there was a major purge within the Duke’s estate.

All the incompetent and questionable servants were either dismissed or mysteriously vanished.

Those who remained had become thoroughly disciplined and diligently carried out their duties.

Security was now airtight, and the once-lax order had been swiftly restored.

These were events that had never happened in my past life.

So many changes.

That alone helped ease some of my lingering unease.

‘Yes… There’s still time. I can take my time figuring out the truth about Diana.’

My plan to use Logan and Magnus to confirm whether Diana was a heretic had crumbled.

There were many suspicious things about her, but as a five-year-old, my ability to investigate was severely limited.

Then again… so was hers.

That thought helped me calm my growing impatience.

And finally, the grand opening of <Belze’s Beauty Salon> arrived.

* * *

“It’s decorated pretty well.”

The Crown Prince had only stopped by briefly before the grand opening party.

Unfortunately, he could not officially act as a VIP for our salon.

Not only was he the landlord of this building, but there was also an undisclosed deal between us that no one could be allowed to know about.

“This is innovative, but… do you really think noblewomen will go for it? These are things they can just do at home.”

Caesar found my business intriguing but was still doubtful.

It seemed he knew far too little about women, probably because he was still young.

“Just wait and see! Hehe!”

I simply grinned at him in response.

The next morning, as soon as we opened, the noblewomen who had received invitations began arriving one by one.

“Welcome, Countess Selena!”

“Baroness Lorea! Thank you sooo much for coming!”

Using the guest list I had obtained from Madam Cloud’s tea party, I warmly greeted each of the guests.

“Oh my, aren’t you that child from before…?”

“You’re the one being sponsored by the Kallios family, aren’t you?”

Their faces were filled with curiosity as they spotted me.

I had the staff guide each of them to a private room.

Because our shop wasn’t just an ordinary boutique—

It was a skincare salon!

While thinking of ways to maximize the effects of Fairy Herb through aromatics, I had a sudden realization—

Aromatherapy from modern times!

Saunas, full-body massages, facial skincare treatments…

Using Fairy Herb-infused candles, hair mists, and a few cosmetic products developed by Grandpa Gordon,

I would pamper the guests and then sell them the products at a premium!

Luckily, skincare salons didn’t exist in this world.

Just as the Crown Prince had pointed out, noblewomen could already enjoy such luxuries at home through their maids.

But!

What they didn’t have was Fairy Herb and Grandpa Gordon’s expertise!

「All treatments within <Belze’s Beauty Salon> are conducted under the guidance of Gordon Pelliatche and other medical professionals.」

The notices posted throughout the salon made it seem even more reliable.

At first, some noblewomen were skeptical, hesitant about undressing anywhere but their own homes.

But soon—

“Oh… my… goodness… M-Madam Cloud?!”

“It’s like seeing you exactly as you looked on your wedding day 30 years ago…!”

“Dear heavens! Is that really Countess Selena?!”

The women who had undergone treatments looked significantly younger upon leaving their rooms.

Seeing such visible results, the others immediately clamored to receive the treatments as well.

The reaction was nothing short of explosive.

With private, exclusive rooms and undeniable results, even the most skeptical noblewomen eagerly opened their purses.

Not only did they purchase the products used in the treatments, but many also splurged on long-term memberships without hesitation.

“500 gold for a six-month membership? Here. Also, I’d like to buy about 100 of those scented candles used in the massage.”

“I’ll just go for the one-year membership.”

Charlotte, the de facto manager of the salon, was frantically busy handling the flood of transactions.

“Five years.”

And amidst it all, there was one overwhelming VVIP…

“Lady! My apologies, but I don’t believe we’ve met before. May I ask which family you’re from?”

“You adorable thing.”

Fresh from her treatment, Madam Cloud let out a hearty laugh at my feigned ignorance.

“I knew you were bold, but I didn’t expect you to have such remarkable business skills.”

“Hehe… You’re not feeling any discomfort, are you, Madam?”

“This was the best massage I’ve had in years. The service, the quality—everything was impeccable.”

I had been anxiously waiting for her response, so hearing her unexpected praise allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief.

“As expected, Duke Kallios has an eye for talent. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to show off at the tea party.”

“You’re always the most beautiful one, Madam!”

“Tch… You’re quite the flatterer for someone so young. Let me know if you have new products ready—I’ll drop by before the next tea party.”

Despite clicking her tongue, she readily gave me an opportunity to sell to her again.

‘Wealthy connections are the best! It’s thrilling! It’s exciting every day!’

After completing their purchases, the noblewomen were escorted upstairs to the spacious reception hall, where champagne and lavish food were served.

Thus, the soft opening and exclusive VIP grand opening party came to a successful close.

Needless to say, the revenue from that single day had already exceeded the remodeling costs.

In the days to come, news of my salon would spread like wildfire, carried by the noblewomen’s word-of-mouth beyond the capital and throughout the entire nation.

Having celebrated the successful launch with a small afterparty for the staff,

I left the salon with Charlotte to head home.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t invited the Duke’s household to today’s opening event.

Even though the private rooms made it possible, it just seemed odd to have the three noblemen standing around in a place full of women.

Instead, I decided to buy them gifts with the money I had earned myself.

Feeling lighthearted, I walked toward the waiting carriage—

And just as I was about to climb in—

“Belze.”

A voice called out, making me flinch and turn around.

“…Diana?”

To my surprise, it was Diana.

It had been a while since I’d seen her. She was walking down the street accompanied by a maid.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“The Marchioness’s birthday is coming up, so I’m out shopping for a gift.”

“Oh….”

“But what’s this? Belze… Beauty Salon?”

Just my luck.

I didn’t want to run into her now of all times.

It wasn’t a secret, but still—

Watching her curiously read my shop’s sign with sparkling eyes made me feel uneasy.

“Yeah. It’s my shop.”

“Wow, really? What do you sell? The things you sold at the charity event?”

“Yeah.”

“You should have told me! I would’ve bought a bunch!”

Diana stepped forward, as if she was about to enter the building.

I quickly blocked her path with an awkward smile.

“It’s closed now.”

“Gasp! Already?”

Diana blinked in surprise and muttered,

“I guess business isn’t going well…”

“What?! Business is not bad—”

Charlotte, exhausted from counting money all day, nearly exploded in outrage.

But I quickly grabbed her arm.

There was no point in reacting to that kind of provocation.

As expected, Diana ignored Charlotte’s reaction completely and smiled kindly.

“You already had your opening? Let me know when you open again—I’ll come buy something!”

“Yeah. But since business is slow, I don’t know when that’ll be.”

“Oh no…”

Diana made a sympathetic face.

In the past, I would have found that expression disgustingly fake.

Now, I just found it… unsettling.

Ever since the thought crossed my mind that she might be a heretic, Diana had become my number one person to avoid.

“Well, I should go find a present now. See you later, Belze!”

Fortunately, she seemed to lose interest at the mention of bad sales and quickly turned away.

But for some reason, I called out to her.

“…Diana.”

“Hm?”

She turned back without a hint of irritation.

As she looked at me with that ever-so-gentle face, I hesitated before asking,

“Do you… know where to find a Yellow Furry Spider?”

“A s-spider…?”

At my question, Diana grimaced in disgust.

“Ew! I hate those things. Just thinking about them gives me the creeps!”

“Oh…”

“Why are you suddenly asking about spiders?”

Watching her shudder with genuine revulsion, I felt a deep sense of relief.

‘…Thank goodness.’

Even though Logan was dead, I could now be sure of one thing.

Diana hadn’t regressed.

If she had, then she would’ve known about the heroine’s buff item that was coming soon.

In fact, it didn’t even make sense that I had been able to take the Fairy Herb from her in the first place.

“N-no reason. Never mind. Bye!”

Feeling much lighter, I waved her off and quickly turned away.

All the way to the carriage, my heart pounded irregularly.

‘…I’m sorry, Diana.’

I had thought that stealing the Fairy Herb would be the only thing I took from the heroine.

But unexpectedly, I had been given another chance.

Exactly one year later—

A mysterious epidemic swept through the capital, causing severe coughing and rashes.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before a cure was developed.

The main ingredient?

The fur of the Yellow Furry Spider.

These spiders primarily lived in fields that had entered fallow periods after harvest season.

Someone had stumbled upon their medicinal properties entirely by accident.

And that person was none other than—

Me.

I had discovered it while out foraging herbs with Grandpa Gordon, who had caught the disease himself while working on new product development.