There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Power and Love (1)

“This is troublesome…”

The noble ladies who visited the Ravenclaw Barony must have initially come with a light heart.

They thought, how many people would drag their carriages all the way to this remote Rodellen region, which was considered an exile among the titled nobility.

However, the advantage of being able to receive education from the most renowned magic teacher in Ebelstein and the most elegant lady from the Rosea Salon at the same time enticed more families than expected.

As a result, the Ravenclaw Barony was filled with distinguished guests to the point where there was no place to park their carriages… At this point, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis.

A small barony that wasn’t even the size of an average duke’s annex.

Even if they held classes here, the number of students they could accommodate was limited. No matter how many they accepted, the limit would be around a dozen.

However, by the afternoon, the number of noble ladies who visited the Ravenclaw Barony totaled 31.

The increased number of distinguished guests compared to the morning were sitting in their assigned spaces with their attendants, swallowing dryly.

At a glance, the seats were limited. That meant… at least half of the ladies would be eliminated here.

The noble ladies, faced with sudden competition for admission, couldn’t help but be flustered, but in any case, the quick-witted ones would survive.

When the owner of the barony appeared, some were contemplating how to introduce themselves, others were tidying their clothes and posture, and some were even considering bribing.

As time passed and a subtle atmosphere of competition lingered in the Ravenclaw Barony…

“Unless we expand the building, the limit is 15. The rest must be sent back.”

The head butler Delbritton spoke firmly.

Aiselin and Derek, who were sitting on the sofa in a corner of the office, both had troubled expressions.

It was already amusing that more than thirty noble ladies visited a remote barony, not some Rosea Salon gathering, and now they had to eliminate half of them.

These noble ladies, who had flocked here, were all treated like gold and jade in their home territories. If they were treated rudely, who knew what repercussions might follow.

Just thinking about it gave Derek a headache, and he couldn’t help but press his temples.

“At times like this, it’s important to present clear criteria. If we arbitrarily divide and accept some and send others back, there will definitely be backlash… It’s better to sort them by the rank or status of their home families and eliminate half.”

—

—

“I think so too, Baron. It would be best to eliminate any potential future troubles.”

“I disagree!”

When Derek, sweating coldly, turned to look at Aiselin, she was standing with her arms crossed, wearing a short-brimmed hat of unknown origin.

Judging by the duke’s feather stuck on one side, it was something merchants in the commercial district usually wore. Her vibrant, sparkling eyes seemed to be pouring out gold coins.

“They came all this way just hearing our name… Sending them back would be too regretful!”

“…Do you really think so?”

“They would each pay more than ten Rophelon gold coins… How can we send them all back…!”

“…”

Aiselin pulled out a huge ledger from one side of the table, spread it out with a grunt, and began writing swiftly with a quill pen.

“If the building is insufficient, we can expand it, right? Even if we pay extra to bring in available manpower right now, it’s still profitable. If we mobilize skilled architects and as many workers as possible, we can build a new dormitory building within a month.”

“…Do we really have to go that far?”

“Derek… You haven’t forgotten that some people came all the way from the southeastern continent, right? If they have to return empty-handed after such a long journey… How great would their sense of loss be…!”

Aiselin was calculating all the estimates with the speed of someone possessed.

‘…She didn’t seem this excited even when she learned second-level magic…’

Derek closed his mouth as he watched the endlessly excited Aiselin.

“Look, the Ravenclaw Barony still has a lot of cash. If you look at this asset status here, most of it can be liquidated in the short term.”

“…”

“We haven’t collected the first year’s land tax and poll tax yet, and we haven’t settled the trade tolls or the sponsorship from the Rochester Duchy, right? If we use this as collateral, we can borrow a considerable amount from the merchants in Ebelstein. Of course, there will be interest expenses, but it’s all manageable.”

Derek held his breath for a moment as he watched Aiselin underline the figures.

“W-What is this? Did you write our mansion’s ledger yourself?”

“I’ve been self-studying accounting and commercial techniques from the Logten Academy recently. The Ravenclaw Barony is small, so it’s good for practice. Plus, it’s nice to help with the mansion’s affairs.”

“You learned double-entry bookkeeping and ledger accounting in a month?”

“Derek, I’m a fallen noblewoman. While I love academics, philosophy, and aesthetics… If I don’t learn practical studies, I won’t survive, right?!”

Aiselin laughed proudly as she spoke.

Being a fallen noblewoman didn’t seem like something to boast about, but Aiselin looked completely unfazed.

It might sound strange, but Aiselin was definitely suited to being a fallen noblewoman.

“I’m also self-studying alchemy, astrology, herbalism, runology, metallurgy, basic design, and metrology. Progress is a bit slow, though…”

“…”

“Anyway, what I’m saying is, let’s send the noblewomen back for now, and ask them to visit again in a month or two… around late spring or early summer.”

Aiselin flipped the ledger pages with a swift motion.

—

—

There were all sorts of doodles and what looked like blueprints drawn all over it. In that short time, he had considered all the possibilities.

“During that time, we’ll build the dormitory, and if we have extra funds, we’ll also build the classroom building… It might be difficult to construct something grand due to the tight schedule, but… once we have the basic conditions set up, we can start proper classes. What do you think, Derek?!”

She looked at Derek with stars in her eyes. Her sparkling eyes were so bright that just looking at them seemed enough to overwhelm the other person.

Derek pressed his temples once and then turned his gaze towards Delbritton.

“Is it possible?”

“The recruitment itself is possible. However, we need to increase not only the construction workforce but also the internal management staff of the mansion by at least three times. It’s not that we can’t find people… The problem is, as always, money.”

The noble ladies handed over dozens of gold coins as if they were nothing.

Once the training center starts operating, the cash flow itself shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Derek clasped his hands together and placed them on his knees, falling into deep thought.

“Hmm-.”

In the end, whatever happens in this Ravenclaw barony must be decided by Derek, the owner of the mansion.

No matter how much she was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Duplain, when in Rome, one must follow the laws of Rome.

While Derek, the final decision-maker, was lost in thought, Aislin swallowed dryly.

“…”

After a long period of contemplation, Derek finally raised his head.

*

“Have you heard about the new training center being established in the Ravenclaw barony? They say that Derek Lydorf Ravenclaw, the famous magic teacher from Ebelstein, and Lady Aislin Eleanor Duplain of the Duplain family have joined hands.”

“…”

Late spring at the Rosea Salon.

As always, a high-ranking noble approached Ellen, who was sitting in the teahouse on the outskirts of Elfontine Hall, reading the newsletter, and struck up a conversation.

Hearing the recent news, Ellen couldn’t help but perk up her ears.

“…So it has finally been established.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. It seems Lady Rona has also heard the news.”

“It’s been a frequently heard topic lately. Since Lady Ellen received direct magic lessons from Baron Derek, it must feel special to you.”

Rather than feeling special, Ellen felt a bit more significant.

‘No matter how I think about it, Derek’s influence seems to be growing more than I expected…’

With Lady Siern of the Duke of Rochester and Lady Aislin of the Duke of Duplain staying at the barony, and even planning to establish a training center to take lower nobles as students.

Derek was not a person with a desire for power, but at that point, influence was inevitable.

While congratulating Derek with applause, Ellen felt a strange sense of loss.

—

—

It felt like when an artist or musician you thought only you knew suddenly became widely recognized and appreciated.

In fact, considering Derrick’s talents, it wasn’t surprising that he became famous overnight. It was just that the promised day had finally come.

‘It will be hard to see his face often now. Well, I’m not exactly free either, so it can’t be helped.’

Ellente closed the newsletter and, resting her chin on her hand, fell into thought for a moment.

‘By the way, Lady Aiselin’s gaze towards Derrick was quite unusual… Could she really have personal feelings for him…?’

When you look through fairy tales and legends, there are many who make foolish choices blinded by love.

Although she didn’t think Aiselin was such a person, it didn’t mean she wasn’t worried.

Of course, worrying any more would just be meddling.

No matter what upheaval was happening in the Barony of Ravenclaw, Ellente had to do her own work.

In the morning, she attended the Rosea Salon and social gatherings, in the afternoon, she received training as the heir to the family, and in the evening, she practiced magic and delved into philosophical books or classical literature.

The reason she could maintain her strength despite such a tight schedule was because she was a strong person.

As she rode the carriage back to the mansion, Ellente looked out the window for a moment.

The splendid scenery of the Ebelstein noble district filled her view.

This noble society, always full of leisurely and wealthy people, made it seem as if the world was entirely peaceful.

But Ellente’s life was not so peaceful.

Living up to her responsibilities between a lazy and arrogant brother and a sly and hypocritical sister was not easy.

In the end, the reason she became the legitimate heir of the Belmiard family was because, in a way, she was the only one who was reliably fulfilling her role.

Countess Belmiard.

Thinking that the day would come when she would be called that made her current hardships feel sweet.

She had no intention of denying it. Ellente was a girl in love with power.

She had never loved anything other than power.

However, she wanted to achieve it by walking the right path, not relying on schemes. Through the noble girl Aiselin, she learned the value of nobility.

‘I must become a person worthy of the title.’

Ellente smiled softly and leaned her head against the window. The movement of the carriage, clattering along, felt like a gently rocking cradle.

‘Come to think of it… Wasn’t there a necromancer from Rodentz Island hiding in Ebelstein?’

It was news she had heard through Lady Trisha.

Having been at the scene of the Duke of Duplain’s disaster, Ellente knew better than anyone how terrible and frightening necromancy was.

If she ever got involved, she must never hesitate.

“It’s been a while, sister.”

“…Leonard?”

—

—

When Ellente returned to the Count of Belmiod’s mansion, Leonard, who had been on a pilgrimage for a long time, appeared in the mansion.

The boy drinking tea in one corner of the reception room was so unfamiliar that Ellente could barely remember his face.

Leonard, who had lived a life disconnected from the Belmiod family for years. Ellente was not particularly surprised that such a boy had returned.

However, his appearance had changed drastically.

Leonard, like all the people of the Belmiod family, had always had red hair.

However, Leonard’s hair, which he saw for the first time in years, had turned white. His appearance was so haggard that Ellente almost didn’t recognize him.

Ellente knew that pilgrimages were arduous, but she was curious about what had happened to him to change his appearance so drastically.

“…”

Ellente found it difficult to decide whether to be pleased or wary of her brother’s return.

As if fully anticipating Ellente’s reaction, Leonard leaned back on the guest sofa with a sly smile.

“It feels so comfortable to return to the family home after such a long time. The Belmiod family has changed a lot in my absence.”

“…Yes. It has changed a lot.”

“I believed that Brother Linus would never step down from his position as the leading heir. But after a few years, I return to find that Sister Ellente has become the legitimate heir of the Belmiod family… I was so surprised that I asked the servants several times.”

Ellente glared at Leonard with wary eyes.

The Leonard she remembered was a person with a strong desire for power and skilled in schemes. The reason he left for a pilgrimage immediately after being completely pushed out of the heir competition with Linus was to gain a good image by converting to religion and to prepare for the future.

“So?”

Ellente sat down in the seat opposite Leonard with a relaxed demeanor.

Then, she asked a sudden, piercing question.

“Do you want to push me out?”

At those words, Leonard’s eyes widened in surprise, then he answered nonchalantly.

“Of course not. How could I, who had left the family, have the face to claim the position of heir?”

“…”

“I just wanted to greet you because I was glad to see you. No matter what anyone says, the legitimate heir of Belmiod is Sister Ellente, so don’t worry too much.”

Although he assured Ellente with a bright smile, she couldn’t bring herself to trust Leonard.

There was an indescribable eerie aura flowing from her long-lost brother.

*

-Thud! Thud!

-Screeeech!

“Baron, a letter has arrived.”

“Hmm?”

—

—

The next day, a letter flew into the Ravenclaw Barony, which was filled with construction sites.

Derek, who was watching the construction site with a complex expression, received the letter handed over by Delbritton.

The letter envelope, lavishly decorated, bore the seal of the Count of Belmiard.