* * *
I looked up at Hernan skeptically, but he didn’t even blink as he replied,
“That depends on how you think of me, Mr. Everdeen.”
What nonsense.
This man, who could strangle me whenever he wanted, was acting like this was my decision.
“Isn’t it the other way around? It depends on what ‘you’ want to do with me, Your Grace.”
I sneered, making it clear that he shouldn’t be deluding himself. Hernan laughed. Was he serious? As I felt my temper rise, he said,
“You need my support, and I need you. All I need is a little more time until you change your mind, and then I’ll have achieved my goal.”
What on earth was he talking about? Was his mind okay?
“I just need to wait until you come looking for me, Mr. Everdeen.”
His confidence made my skin crawl.
“You talk like I’m definitely going to come looking for you.”
“Let’s see if I’m right.”
Had I signed some foolish agreement while drunk? A sinking feeling crept over me.
“Did I do something wrong again?”
I asked, interrogating him. Hernan took a step back, smiling.
“Well, you can figure that out yourself.”
What on earth was he talking about?
Annoyed, but not wanting to press him further, I walked past him toward the door.
Fine, keep your secrets.
I huffed, stepping into the hallway, and said,
“Then you can wait forever. I’ll never come looking for you.”
Hernan must have heard me clearly, but instead of getting angry or stopping me, he replied calmly,
“I’ll see you at nine tonight.”
Alright, fine, don’t tell me.
Maybe there wasn’t anything to worry about, and he was just trying to mess with me.
Either way, he wasn’t someone I’d ever trust.
Halfway down the hallway, I suddenly realized we hadn’t discussed the most important issue: the date of Duchess Velesa’s visit was just three weeks away.
Inside, this… it must have been incredibly luxurious in the past, but now it was necessary to make this old, decrepit castle somewhat presentable.
The carpets, which seemed to have had their fair share of bloodstains scrubbed away, needed to be completely replaced with new ones.
The curtains, which looked fine at a distance but showed signs of decay up close, had to be replaced too.
The lighting should be updated and made easier for the servants to manage…
After doing all that, it would also be good to completely renovate the road from the nearby village.
“Honestly, it’s not like we don’t have money, but how many times did it rattle on the way…”
With the seemingly endless list of things to address, determining the authority and budget became urgent.
“Damn…”
With a sigh, I knocked on the office door with the most uninviting expression I could muster.
“It’s me.”
When I called out in a detached voice, Jurgen responded, barely containing his laughter.
“Who is it?”
The use of formal speech made it clear he knew it was me.
“Jurgen Nil Everdeen.”
Alright, fine, I introduced myself clearly and, after a pause, the door creaked open.
“You said you wouldn’t come by first.”
That’s one thing, this is another! I responded with a stone-faced expression.
“I’m here to clarify the budget and authority for preparing for guests.”
But the response was still evasive.
“If you become the mistress of Balon, you won’t need to ask me.”
“Not needed. Just tell me the budget and what I’m not allowed to touch.”
With no reaction, I got straight to the point, and Jurgen’s lips curved into a pleasant smile.
“You’re asking what you can’t change, not what you can?”
Of course. If I could, I’d demolish this old castle and build a new one.
But with the budget being too large and time constraints, I had to restrain myself.
“Yes. I will replace everything within the budget.”
Even after I leave this castle, I plan to use this remodeling as a significant part of my portfolio.
As a grand duke owning dozens of gold and gem mines, he would surely have plenty of money, and opportunities to plan without budget constraints were rare.
“Well then, feel free to change as you wish.”
“Pardon?”
“Why do you keep avoiding the question about the budget? I asked directly how much we could spend.”
“How about the cost?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
At the moment Hernan’s crisp reply echoed, it almost seemed like a halo briefly appeared behind him.
“Is it okay if I spend 5 gold per set of cutlery?”
Of course, it was just an example.
I had no intention of indulging in such luxury, as long as I wasn’t going off the rails.
It wasn’t even my own money. When I asked with suspicion, Hernan readily confirmed.
“If you think it’s necessary, you can spend as much as you need.”
People who haven’t experienced the bliss of hearing that there’s no budget limit from a client can’t understand how wonderful it is.
With a generous budget, you don’t have to scrimp or exploit others for tasks that require manpower.
It’s so relieving!
I cheered inwardly while maintaining a calm exterior and nodded.
“Understood. Then, I’ll start with remodeling the interior of the castle within two weeks and discuss the specifics with the steward.”
Hernan looked at me with a questioning expression, as if to say, ‘Why the steward?’
But when I gestured towards the pile of approval documents on his desk, he reluctantly nodded in understanding.
“Understood.”
With all worries resolved, I quickly left the office before Hernan could say anything more.
“Yes. I’ll see you at nine then.”
Let’s not see each other again until then. I sighed with relief and headed towards the steward’s office.
How many hours did we talk afterwards?
We started with major repairs and cleaning of the castle’s outer walls, stripping the old coating from the wooden floors, and reapplying wax.
Obviously, the castle’s internal workforce couldn’t handle it, so I had to arrange for specialized technicians through various channels.
The dust-covered corners needed a thorough wash, and to replace all the curtains, we would inevitably have to mobilize the nearby residents.
‘Of course, it’s not free conscription.’
We announced that we’d set daily wages based on the roles and settle payments on the same day, and soon, relatives of the servants were recruited.
I hadn’t anticipated the recruitment would be so swift, but the generous wages must have made it very appealing.
‘Is finding day laborers in Baelron really that difficult?’
When I asked the housekeeper with the graying hair, he answered decisively:
“Except for the harvest season in some regions, it’s safe to say there’s none.”
He mentioned that while wages are paid in mines or logging sites, most workers prefer fixed, long-term jobs.
People with weaker strength, like women, children, or the elderly, either gather herbs or medicinal materials to sell, or weave fabrics if they have a loom at home.
It was indeed a bleak picture.
I wondered if it was possible to clear the mountains and cultivate them to grow herbs.
I had many questions, but it was beyond my control.
Meanwhile, I took the opportunity to overhaul the road from the village to the castle and arranged for the residents to receive beautification funds to decorate the castle walls.
Within a week, people started flocking to the village near the Yudenet Castle.
“What’s going on with all these people?”
I had called for just about twenty people, but it seemed like there were twice as many lined up.
Memories of when Baron Ladin had been involved flashed through my mind, and I wondered if I was in danger of being attacked.
I tilted my head in confusion.
When I sent the housekeeper to find out, he returned with news that the residents had come after hearing rumors that the Yudenet Castle was gathering workers for repairs.
“We didn’t need this many.”
Since they were already gathered, I couldn’t just send them away.
So, I put up an official notice saying we would only accept this many and began the actual construction work.
“From here to the end. Please remove all the curtains.”
As the cleaning crew started entering the castle, Hernan’s face inevitably came into view.
Since there was no need to hide him, I watched from the lobby on the first floor as Hernan walked out from his office on the second floor.
There were gasps and sounds of people almost fainting.
“Oh my…”
“It seems the rumors were true…”
Rumors?
What rumors?
I wanted to turn around and ask, but I had a feeling that if I did, everyone would fall silent.
Calmly looking up at Hernan and giving a slight nod, the workers bowed even lower than I did, murmuring among themselves.
* * *
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what RumoOOOOUurS~
Yeah…IKR