RLPE Chapter 41

The Duchess stared at me with an unreadable expression. Naturally so. The idea of pricing per chapter, and then further breaking it down into smaller units, was an entirely foreign concept.

Yet, instead of chastising me, she humored my thoughts.

“If you divide it into twenty parts, then each part would cost 5 silver?”

“Yes, that’s right. Now, for the final question—do you happen to know the price of a newspaper?”

“This feels like a riddle. Hoho… I’m not sure. I’ve never had to buy one myself.”

“A newspaper costs 10 bronze.”

I took a deep breath.

“This series has been published for quite some time now. By now, any noble or upper-class individual who would be interested in purchasing it has likely already done so. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“That’s true.”

“Then what if we were to take one book, divide it into five chapters, and then further split those into twenty sections to print in a newspaper?”

“A novel in a newspaper? Why would you do that?”

The Duchess looked at me as if she couldn’t grasp my reasoning.

“Newspapers contain information about how the world moves, but in reality, very few people can actually read them.”

Many commoners were illiterate, yet newspapers still existed. The reason was simple—newspapers were the cheapest form of paper available to them.

Surprisingly, despite being unable to read, commoners still bought newspapers. They used them to wrap goods, to clean windows, and for various other purposes. For them, newspapers weren’t reading material; they were packaging or cleaning supplies.

“But what if your writing appeared in a newspaper? What if they discovered that the words printed on the very paper they were using for wrapping and cleaning were actually incredibly entertaining?”

I flashed a knowing smile at the Duchess, who finally seemed to grasp my idea.

“Wouldn’t more people start wanting to learn how to read? At the very least, I believe it would encourage more people to pursue literacy.”

“My goodness! Vivian, what a brilliant idea!”

The Duchess looked at me as if I were some kind of angel sent to eradicate illiteracy from the world.

With the affection overflowing in her gaze, it was hard to tell her the truth—that my real motivation was far less noble. I simply wanted more readers so that more writers would emerge, ensuring a steady supply of romance novels for myself.

“Oh my! I really do have a good eye for people. How did you come up with such a wonderful idea, hmm?”

“Ah… haha. I just thought it would be nice if more people could experience the joy of reading…?”

The lie slipped out of my mouth with surprising ease, even though I hadn’t planned it. The Duchess, however, seemed even more moved by my supposed altruism.

“What a truly marvelous idea. I’d like to invest in your venture. What do you think?”

“What?”

The Duchess held out the very same 400-gold check I had given her, pushing it back toward me.

“Here, consider this my initial investment.”

I widened my eyes in shock.

Even if her older novels didn’t sell as well anymore, R.G.’s books were still among the most expensive in the bookstore. Offering to publish them in a newspaper for free would have felt like outright theft.

“No, you must take this money.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. In terms of the Duchy’s wealth, 400 gold is like adding a single teaspoon of water to the ocean.”

“But still…”

The Duchess, who had just casually dismissed 400 gold as a mere teaspoon of wealth, smiled and gently took my hands.

“This is a challenge no one has ever thought of before, isn’t it? If this business succeeds, it will bring good results for me as well.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve spent the past few years diligently writing books. It was fun, but… do you think you can understand what it feels like to be lonely?”

I wasn’t sure I fully understood. The Duchess spoke again.

“I know there are people who enjoy my stories, but I was never someone who could step forward and be acknowledged. And I could never meet others who wrote like I did.”

“Oh…”

“That’s why my friendship with you has been so special and enjoyable, Vivian.”

She didn’t say anything further, but I felt like I understood what she was trying to convey.

If my newspaper venture succeeded, writing novels might become more highly regarded. Perhaps then, she could be more open about her own work.

“And if more people start writing, there will be even more stories to enjoy.”

“Yes! Exactly!”

The Duchess had perfectly grasped what I had been thinking.

Her face was slightly flushed, making her resemble a well-ripened peach. She seemed just as excited about my idea as I was.

“That’s why I should be the one investing in you—to help your business succeed. If the newspaper business thrives, more people will want to publish their writings in it.”

“Then we could even gather those people and create a newspaper dedicated solely to serialized novels.”

The Duchess nodded enthusiastically. Seeing her bright, cheerful expression eased my nerves. Having someone support you in an uncertain endeavor was more reassuring than I had expected.

“Have you decided on a newspaper publisher yet?”

“Um, I still need to look into it.”

Currently, there are three publishers that print newspapers. However, one of them dominates the market, while the other two are struggling to survive.

“Then… is it really okay for me to take this money?”

“Of course! And if you need more, just let me know. I’ll support you as much as you need.”

Despite having parents who were among the wealthiest nobles, hearing such words from the Duchess gave me an odd sense of guilt—like being fed a delicious meal at a friend’s house and then receiving pocket money from their mother on top of it.

“Um… Duchess, I think I should be going now.”

“Oh, come on!”

I had intended to ask her to keep this a secret from the Duke, but before I could, she playfully rolled her eyes at me.

“What kind of title is that?”

Thinking she disliked the formality, I quickly changed my approach.

“Oh, then… Madam Author?”

But that wasn’t the answer either.

“How long are you going to keep calling me that?”

“Huh?”

“Vivian, you’re friends with my son, aren’t you?”

I hesitantly nodded.

“From now on, whenever you’re at the Ducal estate, just call me ‘Mom.'”

“…What?”

But…my mother is back home at the Roha Viscount estate?

The utterly shocking proposal left my mouth hanging open in disbelief. Seeing my reaction, the Duchess seemed even more flustered than I was.

“Oh, I misspoke. Not ‘Mom’…”

Of course, she must have said that by mistake. I quickly nodded in agreement.

“Not ‘Mom,’ but ‘Mother.’”*

[T/N: She uses the casual version first and then switches to a more formal version (which could also be for your friend’s mom). So I did this so it didn’t seem as awkward as Vivian calling her ‘Friend’s mother’ or ‘Armin’s mother’ each time.]

“…Pardon?”

“Strangers call me ‘Duchess,’ don’t they? But not you, right, Vivi?”

“Well… that’s true.”

“And what does my husband call me?”

“…‘Wife,’ I suppose?”

“Right. And what about Armin?”

“He… would call you ‘Mother,’ wouldn’t he?”

“Exactly. My friends call me Rebecca. So don’t you think you should also have a special way of addressing me?”

This reasoning felt both logical and completely absurd at the same time.

“And you can’t just call me ‘Author’ in front of others, can you?”

There was no one else around right now, so why couldn’t I?

I stole a glance at the Duchess’s expression. She seemed utterly convinced that her logic was flawless.

“You can’t just call a friend’s mother by her first name either, right? Should I let you call me Rebecca?”

“No way!”

I shook my head hastily. Calling the Duchess by her first name? That was unthinkable.

“See?”

For some reason, her smiling face overlapped with Armin’s in my mind. That same cunning glint in her eyes, like she was scheming something.

“And I am still a Duchess. You can’t just call me ‘Ma’am.’”

This was getting ridiculous. If I ever called her “Ma’am,” I might be banned from ever stepping foot in the Ducal estate again.

As I stood there dumbfounded, she flashed a dazzling, almost bewitching smile.

“So, isn’t ‘Mother’ the most fitting option?”

Maybe it was because she was a writer, but she had a way of weaving words so smoothly that they sounded completely reasonable. The more I listened, the more it started making sense, even though I was sure something about it was off.

“Well? Try saying it once.”

“Uh… M-Mother?”

“Oh my, I always thought my son was utterly useless, but maybe he did something right after all.”

Hearing me say it, the Duchess smiled brighter than I had ever seen before.

However, by the time I left the room, I was so overwhelmed that I completely forgot the conversation had even taken place.

I had been visiting the Ducal estate for quite some time now. No matter how vast the mansion was, I only ever visited the Duchess’s chambers, so the way back was familiar to me.

Yet, she insisted on calling Armin over. She argued that carrying such a large sum of money alone was dangerous and that I needed an escort.

Where had the woman gone who just moments ago had called 400 gold nothing more than a teaspoon of wealth? Her reasoning made no sense. Besides, I was returning in the safest carriage in the empire—there was no need to worry.

Still, I didn’t argue with her.

A teaspoon to her was a fortune beyond my imagination.

Besides, I still had a lingering trauma from the time I went with Armin to look at swords, only to get robbed, losing that expensive ring down the sewer.

Who’s to say a gust of wind wouldn’t snatch away my 400-gold check or that a pickpocket wouldn’t swipe it right from under my nose?

And if, by some chance, I lost it while Armin was with me… well, maybe his mother would sprinkle another teaspoon into my wallet.