The two of them put me in a carriage without even telling me the destination.

“Um, where are we going right now?”

When I asked, Maribel responded with a serious face.

“Callia, where do you think the young men and women of the south meet?”

Well, by noble standards, would it be balls or parties? Maybe debutante events?

But Maribel immediately declared my thoughts wrong.

“At debutante events full of wet-behind-the-ears young ladies? No way.”

R-right. To people in their twenties, teenagers must seem like babies.

Cute Louisa said it’s not about mixing with the younger ones’ playground.

“Then at social clubs where you have to suffer through the elders’ nagging? Absolutely not!”

Seems like the social clubs here are more like family holiday gatherings.

Well, if it’s neither debutante events nor social clubs, I’m out of ideas.

‘Do they meet while eating chicken skewers at festivals?’

But Maribel proudly announced that was wrong too.

“At the Sea God Festival where you might suffocate in the crowd? Of course not!”

Not festivals either!

“The answer is… the passionate summer sea, the nobles’ fishing spot!”

Fishing spot…? Like the fishing spot I know?

“By fishing spot, do you mean a place where you catch fish with fishing rods…?”

“Yes. There’s a famous fishing spot in the Admiral’s territory, just 30 minutes away. That’s where we’re heading.”

“We can use the fishing equipment that’s stored there.”

Even though the south is associated with the sea, and fishing is related to the sea… this is quite serious.

“To think young nobles’ hobby is fishing, the south is truly extraordinary.”

No, let’s drop my prejudices.

Maybe this is the southern version of the hunting events in romance fantasy novels, adapted to local characteristics.

‘Can you become the king of the fishing spot if you catch a giant grouper? Or maybe a fierce shark would have more impact.’

A muscular southern noble youth presenting a shark fin to his beloved lady after catching a violent great white…..

‘My lady, if you eat this shark fin, you’re agreeing to our engagement?’

……That would definitely make an impact.

“It’s a hobby that became popular a few years ago. But Callia, don’t think of it so innocently. What we’re fishing for isn’t fish.”

“Th-then what?”

Are we going to dig for clams? Or maybe abalone? But I don’t know how to dive!

However, Maribel said something that far exceeded my imagination.

“People. We’re going to fish for naval officers in the Admiral’s territory.”

Ah…? This is what I think it is, right? The Empire’s southern style hunting!

“So we use our charms to lure in officers who purely love fishing?”

I knew the South was wild, but I didn’t expect this level.

It seems southern noble ladies are quite bold and passionate.

Of course, I absolutely loved it.

‘This is much better than just waving fans and having psychological warfare at parties!’

It seemed like I would enjoy my time here.

“Oh my, Callia. That might have been true in the past, but nowadays they all know and come intentionally.”

“Intentionally?”

‘So they know and secretly enjoy it?’

“Yes. It became popular after Baroness Fisher’s famous story five years ago.”

To summarize the story that followed:

A beautiful lady from a humble baron family, Miss Fisher, made daily appearances at the fishing spot with her unique hobby of fishing and ended up having a romance with a handsome and wealthy naval colonel who was also the heir to a count family and shared the same hobby.

“Even though they were both nobles, there was such a big difference in status and wealth that it was called the marriage of the century and caused quite a stir in the South for a while.”

“Most officers working at naval headquarters come from prestigious noble families. That’s why this fishing spot is the most popular in the south!”

Here, naval service is apparently a requirement for being considered a top-tier eligible bachelor.

“Muscles toned by sea winds! Fighting skills that sweep away barbaric pirates! Leadership that commands respect from subordinates!”

“However, even if they’re beasts at sea, they must be gentlemen when dealing with ladies.”

“That’s what makes a true Southern man.”

Very specific and… nice.

A Janus-like male image with both wildness and rationality, very attractive indeed.

T/n: Janus is a Roman god depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. The phrase “Janus-like” here refers to the naval officers having two contrasting personalities: fierce warriors at sea, but perfect gentlemen on land. This duality makes them particularly appealing to noble ladies.

Coming to the South was the right choice. I should strive to become a fisher of people, like Peter’s descendant.

“Actually, we can meet at debutante events, social clubs, and the Sea God Festival, but it’s July now. It’s a quiet season without any major events.”

In the south, the debutante season ends in June, and the Sea God Festival is held in September.

The always-open social clubs feel like arranged matchmaking sessions organized by elders, so young nobles these days don’t prefer them much.

That’s why during this period, the fishing spot inevitably becomes crowded.

“Among them, the Naval Headquarters’ official fishing spot is so popular that even getting in is difficult, but don’t worry about that.”

“My father is a VVIP member of the Naval Fishing Club!”

Blood ties and local connections are the best!

We got out of the carriage while praising Louisa, whose father is a Naval Lieutenant General.

“Lady Louisa Elkanto and 2 companions’ identities confirmed. May the Sea God’s blessing be with you.”

With the turquoise-like beautiful sea spread before my eyes, it felt like a vacation at a resort.

The sight of waves breaking and reflecting sunlight was dazzling.

“Don’t forget, Callia. What we came here to catch.”

“Of course, I haven’t forgotten.”

I smiled deeply while looking around.

Catching fish and seeing handsome men. What a productive hobby this is!

Now then, let’s have an amazing encounter at the fishing spot!

***

Let me correct that. It’s only half productive.

‘……This is really something.’

“That’s the villainess they say came from Rainfeld…”

“I heard she’s permanently banned from the Imperial Palace…”

“They say even Duke Rabius gave up on this troublemaker…”

Whisper whisper, murmur murmur.

I had momentarily forgotten Callia’s notorious reputation for turning a peaceful count’s driveway into an autobahn.

“Callia…”

“The rumors seem quite exaggerated. As far as I know, it’s not a permanent ban.”

I laughed casually while looking at Louisa and Maribel.

It’s been about 30 minutes since we entered.

They say fishing spots are social gathering places for young people these days, and that seems to have been enough time for my identity to become known.

Current time is 3 PM. Everyone at the fishing spot except for the two of them and Mikhail is maintaining at least 5m distance from me.

That means everyone, including the various handsome officers.

This was the side effect of my ruined reputation.

“You two should go about your business. I’ll catch some big fish too.”

“But at this rate…”

“I like fish.”

The two, who had been hesitating, seemed to decide that staying would only make me more miserable, so they left saying to call them anytime if I needed company.

“Mikhail… do you like fish?”

“…I don’t dislike them.”

“I’ll catch lots for you.”

Mikhail remained silent, and I gazed wistfully at the fish in the storage bucket.

At least there was something to gain from this.

“Look at that, another big catch!”

“Such a big one only comes out a few times a year…!”

“Shh, don’t point, you might get pricked by the hook.”

It hasn’t even been an hour since I arrived, but the storage bucket is already full.

The genre I’m possessing is romance fantasy, but instead of handsome men, the fish are obsessing over me.

At this rate, I have no choice but to become a true master of the fishing grounds.

“Even a villainess seems to have beginner’s luck.”

Looking briefly at the brown-haired naval officer speaking in an annoyed voice, his storage bucket was quite pitiful.

“Oh my.”

I deliberately looked his way and shook my head as if in sympathy.

The officer turned his head away with an irritated face.

Haha, go ahead and experience the unfairness of luck to your heart’s content!

I swung my fishing rod toward the sea with all my might.

Splash!

The float shook violently before even 30 seconds had passed.

Swoosh!

Sure enough, another large fish was pulled out like a radish being plucked.

“Mikhail, this one’s for you too. Let’s make a tomato stew or something.”

The surrounding fishermen buzzed with chatter.

I handed the fish to Mikhail with a knowing smirk.

“Blackforge for stew!”

I cast my fishing line again, listening to the indignant officer’s voice as background noise.

Whoosh-

Splash!

Whoosh-

Splash!

Who said fishing was a battle of patience?

For me, fishing is like a random gacha with incredible value. Every time I cast the hook, I catch a big one.

“Did that woman put something in the seawater?”

Some people were so curious if this was a hidden fishing spot that they broke social distancing rules and slowly inched closer.

“Mikhail, like the first fish, I bestow upon you the glory of all fish caught today.”

“Such a fishy glory, I’m truly moved.”

“I’ll give you more. Be more moved!”

As this kept happening, Mikhail brought a huge glass storage container on wheels along with two fishing spot staff members.

I heard they borrowed it from the Naval Headquarters’ cafeteria, and I had well-founded confidence that ‘I could fill that thing up today.’

“Should we not stop her?”

“Does she look like someone who would listen if we tried?”

“……”

By the way, the two people who brought me here are having their romantic encounters with young naval officers.

“Beautiful Lady Yuno, about the principal payment date, just two months, no, three months…”

“Oh my, I’m merely a noble’s daughter. Please direct. Such. Matters. To. The. Guild.”

Ah, Maribel is dealing with a difficult customer.

“Ah, Lieutenant! I heard there was an issue with the transport of the 40-caliber gun?”

“Yes, we’re investigating the person in charge, so we’ll know what happened soon!”

“I see! Father was worried, I hope we can meet the beautiful cannon soon!”

“We’ll fix it right away!”

…Anyway, while everyone else is meeting young people their age, I’m the only one playing hard to get with fish.

“My lady, the sun is strong. Won’t you come under my parasol?”

“Oh my, thank you. Your name is…?”

Damn it. Romance at this sacred fishing spot? Hard to get should be played with fish only.

“Hey, Mikhail, since I gave you the glory of the first fish, you can’t leave me and go, right?”

“……”

Meanwhile, some unknown ladies started approaching, seemingly interested in Mikhail who had rolled up his shirt sleeves while working.

“Are you Duke Rabius’s daughter’s personal attendant? You’ve caught quite a lot. There are other staff here, so how about you and I-“

“I must assist the person I serve.”

That’s how Mikhail was using me as an excuse to chase them away.

“Mikhail, let’s live together forever.”

“……”

“Don’t go far!”

“I think a fish has taken the bait.”

“Ah, this one’s even bigger! Stand by, Mikhail!”

Yes, it seems I transmigrated into <Contract Saint> to debut as a professional fisher.