The Goal is to be Self-made

As the period of confinement became longer and rumours spread that Violet and Sheldrick had summoned a priest and signed the marriage pledge, the emperor could not withstand it any longer.

In the meantime, the emperor had been avoiding giving a definitive answer, excusing that ‘Miss Violet’s opinion is also important, so it is best not to draw conclusions recklessly’.

However, she had even signed the marriage pledge with Sheldrick herself, causing him to lose his excuse as well.

Eventually, the emperor approved their marriage, and her short confinement came to an end.

And as for today.

She and Sheldrick were leaving for the Eastern Grand Duchy.

Like the world in the game, there were teleportation gates everywhere.

People could easily move from city to city at any time as long as they paid for it.

While Jen was talking with the gatekeeper, Sheldrick gave her a brief summary of their upcoming trip.

“Since there is no gate that goes directly to the dukedom, we will have to move to the nearest place and then get on a carriage.”

“How long does it take to get to the Grand Duchy by carriage from there?”

“An hour is enough. We’ve sent a message in advance, there should be a carriage ready for us in front of the gate.”

At the end of Sheldrick’s explanation, Jen came up to them after talking to the gatekeeper.

“It’s ready. We can depart right away.”

“Alright.”

They followed Jen to the front of the gate.

Etzel Duchy.

The main stage of the game was the capital of the Arnold Empire, so the destination was an unfamiliar place even to her, who had repeated the game several times.

What kind of place is it?

Perhaps it was because she had never been able to travel in such an extraordinary way, she was more excited than worried.

“We shall set off now.”

With the keeper’s mechanical guidance, a strong, blinding light enveloped her body.

As soon as she closed her eyes reflexively, her head went dizzy.

She had used the gate a lot in the game, but it was the first time she actually felt it.

Ugh. It’s dizzier than I thought…?

It was several times dizzier than riding on a spinning ride.

She could not stand it and her body was shaking.

She tried to stabilise herself, but it was no use because she could not tell which direction was the ground and which was the sky.

As the surrounding light faded and the dizziness subsided, her body lost control and fell to the ground.

Even though she could feel it clearly, she could not cope with it.

I guess I’m going to roll on the ground at this rate.

She shut her eyes tightly with that thought in mind, but the pain she expected did not hit her.

When she opened her eyes in shock, she found someone completely unexpected holding her firmly.

It was Duke Etzel himself.

“Are you okay? If you’re not used to the gate, you could get dizzy.”

“Uh, yes, I’m fine now…”

As his body, which had obscured her view, slowly moved about of sight, the scenery of the Etzel estate caught her eyes.

The land was vast and beautiful. It was completely different from the capital.

Wow… 

It was such a beautiful landscape that she was in awe.

Sheldrick held out a document in front of the mesmerised Violet.

At first glance, the emperor’s seal could be seen under the thickly written letters.

“This is our wedding pledge, written by His Majesty himself.”

She scanned the name written on the marriage certificate.

Grand Duchess Violet Etzel.

An awkward title was added to her name.

She would live by this name for at least a few years ahead.

❈❈❈

It had already been a week since she settled in the Grand Duke’s residence.

It was a short period, but it was enough time to adjust to the new space.

Duke Basel sent letters several times even after the marriage between her and Sheldrick was confirmed.

I know you were forced to sign it.

If your signature was forced, the marriage can still be annulled.

If you want to escape, we will help you.

The power of the Meritorious Right ends with getting you as his bride, so if you run away from the Grand Duke now, His Majesty can help you from then on.

Well, that was what it is anyway.

She gladly replied to it.

Grand Duke Etzel is very kind to me.

It was sudden, but I am very satisfied with this marriage.

I wish for the Duke and Miss Vivian’s blessings.

She wrote a reply with the content that Violet, who was a flower garden in his head*, would never have sent. And now the letter with threats had arrived.

T/n: *flower garden in one’s head – a term used to despise someone who is too idealistic to the point of having an empty head / being air-headed.

The content of the letter read that he would send someone to the Grand Duke’s residence secretly, so she had to meet with that person and then run away, or else she would be in big trouble.

What on earth is he on about now?

She snorted and ignored the letter.

It seems that the situation is so hopeless that he can’t even make a specific threat.

It was a threatening letter that did not work for her, not even for the real Violet to say the least.

It was far better to focus on adapting to life at Etzel estate than to worry about the duke who would be boiling with rage without any countermeasures.

The attitudes of people at the Duchy toward her were largely divided into two.

Curious or wary.

If she were to look at the ratio, the latter was the overwhelming majority.

It was natural to be wary of strangers, so there was nothing to be sad about.

I just have to do what I am supposed to do.

That was the best way for a stranger to blend in.

First, she put a lot of effort into understanding the situation of the Grand Duchy.

Didn’t people say that if you know your enemy and yourself well, you can win every battle? It was more important than anything to understand their current state well.

The Grand Duchy was quite wealthy.

The large territory was rich in resources, and the tax rate was not very high, yet,  it was still making high profits.

The problem was that all the sources of revenue for the Duchy were stuck in the old-fashioned industry.

The Grand Duchy is significantly dependent on agriculture.

Of course, agriculture was the source of all life. However, there were too many variables beyond human control. Depending on the weather, poor harvests might occur, and if manpower was drained due to an epidemic like the recent period, the yield would be greatly reduced.

In other words, It was an unattractive field as a business.

If you want to make big money, you have to turn to commerce or industry.

Even the Duke of Basel was successful by making a big deal of commerce.

Unlike the Etzel estate, where the land was fertile, the estate of Duke Basel was barren and farming was not done properly.

For that circumstances, he turned to commerce early and made his fortune by monopolising many business sectors.

The greatest product of Basel was potions.

They summoned famous pharmacists and developed various potions.

There was a type of potion that restores energy from fatigue, a potion that clears the skin, a potion that heals wounds, etc.

He made and sold potions of various uses.

The formulas for the potions were top secret, and only the head of state could see them.

Since that was the family’s cash cow, the security was very tight.

It would be nice if we could make something like that and sell it.

If she were to make a new and mysterious potion to put on sale, it would become a hot topic.

If one drinks it, that person’s body will smell pleasant. It’s a potion that can be used as a substitute for perfume.

Of course, it was an absurd idea.

Talented pharmacists were concentrated in the Basel estate, so development was not easy.

But at that moment, a window popped up in front of her unexpectedly.

[!] Under the influence of the Perfect Design (Legendary) skill, great ideas run wild in your head!

[!] Start designing <Formula: Fragrant Potion>.

[!] Consumes 300 energy.

Huh?

As soon as she read all the incomprehensible phrases, her body moved at its own will and started to write something on a blank paper.

Startled, she tried to stop her arm, but to no avail.

As if possessed by a ghost, her arm, which had been scribbling hard, stopped moving as if it was satisfied only after the paper was filled.

She rubbed her stiff wrist and looked down at the paper, bewildered.

100ml water

10g of Armaline flower root

0.5g of Philon’s Poison

5g of Axus’ heart

…

After reading the content with much speculation, she came to a conclusion.

Could this be… the ingredients and the method for making the potion?

She quickly went back and read the writing at the top of the paper again.

<Formula: Fragrant Potion>

Huh?

It seemed that she had made a formula for this ridiculous potion that she could only imagine in her head.