# 38 - 38
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“Cough, cough.”
When I coughed, Adel quickly patted my back
“How do you feel, miss, after having the pleasure of running in the rain with a cold?”
Of course, I also did not tell Adel about my meeting with the Crown Prince.
I made up a vague excuse.
I had a desire to catch a glimpse of the imperial family, so I snuck out on my own but got lost.
Fortunately, Adel seemed to believe me without much doubt.
“I think I've learned that every love story has a price...”
When I answered while coughing, Adel let out a laugh.
"You'll just have to eat soup for a while. If you eat hot, boiled soup, your cold will go away quickly."
“Mmm.”
I coughed a few times, but I was in a very happy mood.
90%
Wow.
Just hearing that number was really reassuring.
Grand Duke Fraser's assistant's affection level towards me was 90%!
If I could, I would want to brag about it in front of everyone, but that would immediately make me treated like a crazy person, so I kept it secret.
“Plus, Rock brought me some really good news as well.”
“Miss Tulia, starting this month, your dignity maintenance allowance will double.”
"Double? Why?!"
“You have received the glory, Fraser Necklace. According to family law, the budget allocation is doubled.”
Imagine someone who was earning two million won a month and was suddenly promoted to four million won.
Wouldn't that feel great?
Thanks to that, even though I had a cold, I kept smiling all day, which made Adel really worried in the end.
“When will grandpa come back?”
“His Highness the Grand Duke will likely return before the banquet. It is expected to take about a month.”
“Mmm.”
Right now, Grand Duke Fraser's assistant is… no.
"He cherishes me 90%. I shouldn't call him that cold either."
It changed the way I addressed him in my mind.
Grandfather.
Grandfather, grandfather.
“Grandpa…”
«Yes? Ms? What did you say?"
“No, nothing.”
I shook my head casually and leaned back on the pillow
Seriously, huh.
I always called him that outwardly to make myself look good, but now that my mentality has changed, I feel somewhat warm and comfortable. As if a handful of soft feathers were touching the palm of my hand
Anyway, Grandpa left the main castle a few days ago.
“He's not the type to stay in the Grand Duchy all the time anyway.”
The Grand Duchy was so vast that it occupied a third of the empire.
So one inspection of the area easily took an entire month.
This must be annoying.
But Grandpa always conducted annual land inspections unless there was something particularly urgent.
Perhaps this is why talented people like Rock Culvoucher and excellent knights respect him and follow him as their master.
“He has a surprisingly tender side when you look at him closely.”
Grandfather left to inspect the area without returning to the main castle.
When our paths parted, I said goodbye to my grandfather and said:
“Thank you for taking me to the White Tower. When the new Penyoma system comes, I will study hard. Grandpa.”
At that time, right after hearing about “Double Dignity Maintenance Allowance” from Rock, my smile widened to the maximum.
So I paid the compliment with more genuine respect, but my grandfather stared at me unexpectedly.
"What's the point of studying when you're coughing like that? Take care of your health first!"
Thanks to this, the day of the new spirit's arrival was postponed a little, and in the Grand Duchy where grandfather's word was law, I was taking a legitimate rest.
“It is indeed fortunate that His Highness the Grand Duke appointed you as a personal assistant before he left.”
Adel said as he brought a tray with several silver plates on it.
“Thanks to this, the chef won’t tamper with your ingredients.”
Adel's words were tactful, but they were aimed at Viscount Lilius and Aubrey, who had been secretly abusing me until now.
Well, until recently, my personal kitchen was filled with nothing but damaged apples.
Vegetables that are about to wilt, and meat that is in poor condition and emitting a foul odor.
A noblewoman's kitchen full of such things used to be pathetic, but not anymore.
“Since Rock selected and appointed him himself, the head chefs dare not object.”
This was an obvious fact.
And…
I was curious about Adel's reaction, so I deliberately mentioned Rak's name
Adel's face, who had always cared for me warmly, changed slightly for a brief moment.
But it was only a short period.
She quickly smiled with her usual warm expression.
“It's nice that the butler is taking such good care of you, miss. And thanks to the butler's assistant, we're never short of medical materials or ingredients.”
After the O'Prey was stripped of her household authority, the Fraser's main castle fell into somewhat of a state of disarray.
Since there was no noblewoman left to give final approval, the butler and servants must have been in a state of extreme confusion.
“Besides, most of them are followers of Viscount Lilius anyway...”
My grandfather knew this as well, so it seems that he deliberately made Rok Kilfusher appoint me as an influential senior assistant.
“Well, it would be difficult for grandfather to fire his son right away.”
Half of the internal authority of the Grand Duke's House.
Half of that was the authority to purchase and manage food, daily necessities, or luxury goods for family members.
“The power to which the lady of the house usually needs to pay the most attention.”
That's the power that Opry held on to.
I have been stripped of that power.
But Viscount Lilius still had half of the remaining internal power.
The power he had was to manage the repairs of the castle walls, manage the family stables, pay the staff, etc.…
Strictly speaking, it was closer to an “external authority.”
However, in this case, Viscount Lilius' status would be diminished infinitely.
If he thought carefully at this point and remained silent, he could continue to enjoy his current level of power and wealth.
This is if he “meditates” and remains “calm.”
But…
Would Viscount Lilius be that kind of person?
When playing as Kuriko, dealing with all the residents of the Fraser house was easy
Even those who are initially cold towards Kuriko will quickly thaw and become Kuriko's allies if you choose the right dialogue options a few times.
But since I'm Tullia, no matter what I do, they try to melt me as if they were dipping me in lava.
Looking at the situation so far, it doesn't seem like Viscount Lilius will remain silent.
I hope my cold gets better first before anything else happens.
It would be nice if I had infinite stamina for monsters like the male heroes in…
Unfortunately, although Tulia's eyes and figure were strange, her body was that of an ordinary lady, so her stamina was not particularly good.
“Maybe she's even weaker from spending those few years shivering in that damned warehouse at Rundle Castle.”
Now, Tedrick would be the one shivering there instead.
“Miss, would you like to eat in bed?”
"Okay."
Adil brought a tray in front of me with a smile.
When I lifted the silver lid, steam immediately rose. The delicious smell of cream made me hungry
Adel watched me with a smile as I took a tablespoon of soup, then he spoke.
"How does it taste?"
“It's really delicious.”
“I'm glad you haven't lost your appetite.”
Adel said as he arranged the cover
“Recently, the kitchen tried to serve us a stew filled with only chicken thigh meat. This time, since I brought a butler’s assistant with me, they prepared the chicken breast stew properly on the spot.”
“But I actually prefer thigh meat.”
When I said this while chewing the meat and broth, Adel laughed.
“You're only saying that because I'm from the Borderlands, right?”
"Really. I prefer chicken thighs or chicken wings to chicken breasts."
“Really? But nobles can’t do that...”
Adel looked a little confused.
That was understandable.
The nobles here, or rather the nobles in, did not eat chicken thighs or wings
They considered the brisket the best part.
Indeed, this fixed concept was ingrained even among the common people.
The prevailing idea was that only lower-class people from the border areas ate chicken thighs or wings.
“Well, if things go according to the development of the game, it will change later because of a member of the imperial family.”
But that's not something that will happen now.
After I finished eating all the soup, I took my medicine and lay down.
I found myself thinking that the ceiling above the bed was very ornate.
While I was admiring the luxurious decorations with my eyes, a memory suddenly came to mind.
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