Divorce Begins with Remarriage - Chapter 55

Someone who didn’t know the situation would have thought that there was a serious patient in the house.

Melvin hesitantly spoke up to remedy the situation.

“Well… Salmon is good, and it’s good to regularly eat seasonal fruits. Oh, and considering the Madam’s constitution, chicken is better than pork, so please make sure she eats that. Also…”

Melvin did his best to remember everything. Terenzio was jotting down notes with crooked handwriting, while Sebastian was listening attentively with his ears perked up, showing great enthusiasm.

Moreover, Roberto was…

“I think we should buy a new orchard. Where is the nearest salmon farm? It might not taste great this time of year… Sebastian, can we still have fresh fish if we bring it directly from the farm? How about buying a fish farm?”

He was considering buying an orchard and a fish farm.

Unbelievable.

Melvin confirmed the truth of the rumors. In this mansion, there were followers of Berenice living.

***

“Mom! Can Terenzio take care of you?”

It’s really nothing much.

It was a simple illness that would get better with proper medication and rest. But others seemed to think differently about Berenice. They treated her as if she were a terminally ill patient.

They even kept her in bed and wouldn’t let her get up.

“Mom is really fine…”

“No! If Mom is sick, Terenzio will be very sad.”

He said so with tears in his eyes, so how could Berenice get out of bed?

“Alright. Then Mom will just lie here without moving?”

Only then did Terenzio nod with a smile.

It would be nice if someone could intervene for Terenzio, but here, Berenice’s enemies were all around. Selphine didn’t stop Terenzio even if she encouraged him. That was it. Even Clara, who smiled optimistically at the news of Berenice being unwell, did not help Berenice.

Even though there were a mountain of things Berenice had to catch up on while she helplessly lay in bed…

“Take this opportunity to rest well. I will take care of things neatly.”

She said so with a smile.

Moreover,

“Ro-Roberto? What’s that?”

Roberto entered Berenice’s room, pushing a tray piled high with something. A sweet scent wafted into the surprised Berenice’s nostrils.

“I have brought various seasonal fruits. They are good for your health, Berenice.”

“Oh…”

This… all these?

Berenice blinked in bewilderment.

If she ate all of that, she might end up with an upset stomach…

But she couldn’t say such a thing in front of Roberto, who was smiling proudly. Berenice awkwardly nodded her head.

“Thank you, Roberto.”

“Salmon, chicken, and bean soup will be served for the meal. The chef has paid special attention, so be sure to finish everything.”

The chef has paid special attention?

He was a chef who always displayed his full skills to prepare a lavish table. So what would happen if he paid more attention?

Berenice could confirm that reality at lunch that day. She was treated to a salmon steak sprinkled with gold powder and a whole roasted chicken served with caviar. Furthermore, in the seemingly ordinary bean soup…

“I ground whole ginseng roots into it, Madam. It will help replenish your energy.”

Whole ginseng roots, worth dozens of gold pieces per root, were ground into the soup.

As Berenice enjoyed the sumptuous lunch, she made a resolution several times.

She vowed never to fall ill again.

After Roberto and Terenzio confirmed that Berenice had finished her meal and taken her medicine, they returned to their duties. With Selphine as her only company, Berenice lay down on the bed.

“I feel even more tired.”

Berenice blinked her sleepy eyes. Despite complaining, she couldn’t hide her bright smile.

“After a good rest, you’ll feel better.”

Selphine covered Berenice with a blanket. Sitting by Berenice’s side as she quickly fell asleep, Selphine picked up her needlework.

These days, it feels really peaceful, like a place to live.

The past seemed completely forgotten. Buried deep among those who loved Berenice, Selphine felt happy seeing her smile.

Berenice’s breathing became calm and steady. The illness that had come to visit her had passed quietly.

***

How did the news of Berenice’s illness spread? Viscount Dante sent expensive medicinal herbs through the Valencia Merchantry. Unable to resist Roberto’s insistence, Melvin had to quickly concoct supplements for Berenice.

“I caused you trouble.”

“No, Madam.”

Melvin shook his head.

Melvin diagnosed Berenice as completely healthy. Finally freed from the duchy’s extreme wealth.

Although Berenice still had the task of taking bitter supplements daily.

Despite having a mild illness, there was not a significant change in Berenice’s daily life. Roberto, worried about her health, wanted to delegate internal affairs to the butler and reduce her other tasks. However, Berenice herself did not want to let go of the progress she had started to see.

In the end, Roberto couldn’t break Berenice’s will. However, it was difficult for Berenice to resist Roberto and Terenzio’s extreme concerns, so she decided to delegate internal management for final approval and reduce tea time to once a month.

Her newfound free time was used for road construction and establishing the Cyrilov branch of Valencia Merchantry.

‘It was just a slight cold; they’re too extreme.’

A small smile unknowingly appeared on Berenice’s lips. While she thought Roberto was overly concerned, she also felt warm at the thought of being loved.

Of course, even if it’s called love, it’s not the romantic one between opposite genders but more like affection between contractual partners.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, the smile on Berenice’s lips faded slightly.

‘I shouldn’t be mistaken.’

Roberto was a kind and sincere person, faithful to their contract. If she were to mistake his kindness for affection, both would end up in pain.

‘Our marriage is based on a contract.’

David observed Berenice as her mood changed from uplifted to subdued.

“Is there anything that doesn’t suit your taste?”

Berenice, who had momentarily drifted into other thoughts at his call, snapped out of it. It was serious to get lost in his thoughts just because the tea brought by a mere maid was the same type Roberto gave her while she was busy working.

‘They say ginger tea is good for colds.’

When Roberto’s voice came to mind again, a smile tugged at Berenice’s lips. She smiled and nodded. It was time to focus on work now.

“Not at all. Where was I?”

“The maintenance of the road leading to Denbao City has been completed. As a test, when examining the travel time, it was reported that for around 50 small and medium-sized businesses, the travel time from Cyrilov to Denbao has been reduced by about 2 hours from an average of 4 hours previously, and even the messenger on horseback who used to take over an hour can now arrive at each other’s post in about 30 minutes.”

Denbao was a major city with the closest mana train station to Cyrilov. By simply connecting it with the existing stable market and regular logistics network, it could lay a solid foundation for the development of Cyrilov’s market.

“Is the recruitment of technicians going well?”

“It seems that offering newly built buildings for free lease for 3 years to those starting businesses with skills such as blacksmiths, craftsmen, and textile workers, and providing low interest rates in the 1% range to those in need of business funds, has been well received. Although there haven’t been any master craftsmen established in their own areas, applications continue to come in from young artisans looking to start their own workshops.”

“Currently, most goods are imported from elsewhere due to the weak commercial foundation, but considering the future, focusing on developing our own quality is important, so please continue to pay attention to it. How is the progress on construction in other areas?”

“About half of the road construction connecting Cyrilov with the three largest cities has been completed within Cyrilov duchy, leading to a significant decrease in bandits and monster sightings compared to before…”

With each report from David, Berenice nodded while examining the documents.

David, entrusted as the overall supervisor of the road construction, proved to be more competent than expected, and with financial support from Dante and administrative and military support from Roberto, the construction progressed rapidly day by day.

“Thanks to Roberto granting the first building permit in the newly established commercial zone, Valencia Merchantry’s Cyrilov branch building is also taking shape…”

Before he knew it, Berenice’s thoughts once again turned to Roberto.

It had only been a few tens of minutes since he decided to focus on work, yet her thoughts drifted back to him. It was all because Roberto was overly affectionate. He worried as if he was dealing with a child who had caught a serious illness after a mild fever for a day.

Baffled by her own behavior, Berenice shook her head.

As Berenice tried to regain focus, David, who had been observing her closely as she absentmindedly tapped her lips with her fingers, cautiously suggested,

“If you’re having trouble concentrating, would you like to inspect the commercial zone construction site?”

The commercial zone construction site?

After checking the remaining documents for a moment, Berenice nodded.

‘Well, I have to see it with my own eyes anyway.’

Moreover, it seemed better to move her body rather than continuously pondering Roberto’s thoughts absentmindedly. Berenice straightened up and rose from her seat.