“You’re hired!”

I gathered individuals with looks to my taste and placed them in the new footmen positions. Looking at the completed combination, I was very pleased. I smiled contentedly as I looked at them.

Along with the increase of staff, improvements were made to the servants’ quarters. The bedding in the quarters was replaced with clean ones, and old furniture was replaced with new ones. I also instructed to thoroughly address issues such as insufficient wall finishing causing dampness in the rooms, or broken doors.

This was exactly the kind of wasteful spending that nobles would never understand. It was the type of extravagant luxury that they wouldn’t indulge in no matter how much money they had.

However, as an ordinary female college student and part-timer who had lived for twenty-two years not even as a regular employee but as a casual worker, it was something I definitely wanted to pay attention to. Part of me also thought, ‘It’s not even my money anyway.’

The effects of improving the servants’ quarters environment were immediately apparent.

“My lady, thank you so much!”

After the repairs were completed, Macy’s eyes sparkled brightly, her face full of emotion.

“Everyone is deeply grateful for your kindness, my lady.”

“I’m glad you all like it.”

It’s not such a big deal…

Although I tried not to show off, seeing their happy faces made me a bit pleased. It was worth enduring the temporary chaos caused by repairing facilities and increasing staff.

“If there’s anything else uncomfortable, feel free to tell me anytime.”

“Yes. Now the rooms aren’t damp anymore, and the beds are so soft that we fall asleep as soon as we lie down.”

“Was it like that all this time?”

For a place called a duchy, to think they lived in such conditions…. I felt a bit sorry. I should have paid attention earlier.

“But it was already much better compared to other mansions. It’s far cozier than the house I used to live in.”

Macy tried to smooth over her previous statement.

Her words reminded me of the small room I used to live in. I used to think every day about moving to a bigger house.

Will the day I return ever come?

Even though my current bedroom is about ten times the size of that room, I somehow felt melancholic.

It was when the number of servants in the mansion had increased considerably that Rashid brought up the changes in the mansion.

“The number of servants has increased quite a bit.”

It was during our usual dinner time.

I nodded as if it were nothing special.

“I mentioned it to you before, didn’t I? I increased it a bit. It seemed like there were too few people until now.”

You might not know, but until now the number of servants was ridiculously low, and Sylvester and Harriet worked so hard, and those working under them also worked too hard, and so on and so forth…

Rashid didn’t interrupt and just let me ramble on by myself.

Whenever he stays quiet like this while making me talk, I wonder what he’s thinking. Why can’t I read the sentences at times like this? I wish some unknown author would write diligently.

After the main dish of the dinner was over, well-dressed footmen served the dessert. I proudly watched as those I had personally hired entered carrying plates.

“Did you hire new footmen as well? They seem to be unfamiliar faces.”

“Yes!”

I clasped my hands together.

“I met each one of them personally and decided to have them join us.”

Rashid glanced at the footmen moving around and asked again.

“Personally, you say?”

“Yes, personally!”

Hearing my answer, he smirked.

Wait, is he mocking me right now…?!

I pressed down my surging feelings and kept my mouth shut.

It’s a well-known fact that better households attract better footmen. The more handsome the footmen serving Rashid are, the more it enhances his reputation, but he doesn’t understand that.

‘It’s really hard living with a man who’s going to be another woman’s husband.’

Well, he’s still my husband for now, but anyway.

* * *

Now that we’ve increased the staff, the next step was to buy furniture and artworks. After that, I’ll hold a grand banquet to show all at once how much money I’ve spent.

To host events like tea parties or balls and invite people to the mansion, you need some attractions. You need to entertain guests with new paintings, unique and interesting objects, famous singers and bands, excellent theatrical and dance performances to be evaluated as a successful gathering.

Or inviting highly popular and influential figures in social circles was also a way to lead a gathering to success.

‘First, I need to buy new furniture.’

I thought about tearing out and redoing the floors and wallpaper, but it seemed like it would take a lot of time and effort. It seemed easier to build the image I wanted by doing some heavy shopping instead.

I should start with what’s easy and quick to do.

‘The question is where to buy…’

Whether it’s furniture or anything else, the most valuable items are custom-made. After all, items made to perfectly fit the buyer’s needs and tastes are usually valued the highest.

But it takes a lot of time to get such products. Although I plan to order custom-made items, I also needed things I could own more immediately. Moreover, I would need to give detailed instructions on how to make the custom-made products.

‘I should meet the craftsmen first.’

I asked Harriet for help. She told me about a workshop that had been doing business with the Penvernon family.

“My lady, shall I ask them to come to the mansion?”

“No. I’ll go there myself.”

“But…”

Harriet hesitated.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just concerned that it might be troublesome for you to go there personally, my lady.”

I see, she doesn’t like the idea of me, a duchess, visiting a mere craftsman.

Well, while it might be understandable for noble ladies to visit dressmakers or jewelers, there probably aren’t many who visit craft workshops. In most high-ranking families, they would just summon the tailors and jewelers to their mansions. Madame Kruger said something similar last time.

“It’s fine. I think seeing the actual workshop will help with decision-making. It’s also easier to discuss materials. Send word that I’ll visit in the afternoon.”

However, since I’m not a noblewoman to the bone, I felt no hesitation at all. Rather, I was a bit excited.

Before departing, I spread out the floor plan of the mansion. Seeing the structure at a glance, I got a sense of how to decorate the interior.

‘I’ll decorate this area with natural wood products, and put lots of gold and silver ornaments over here.’

I divided the areas and set different concepts for each. I thought this would be more fun than decorating everything haphazardly.

‘It feels good to actually do this after only looking at pictures of other people’s decorated houses.’

When else would I be able to buy things so freely without worrying about money?

While the purpose of my extravagance is to invite criticism… regardless of the reason, the act of spending money liberally was truly an exhilarating pleasure. Even more so because I couldn’t even dream of it in my previous life.

After lunch, I set out in a carriage. The craft district, occupying one side of the capital, was lined with workshops producing not only furniture but various other types of crafts.

The place I visited was the largest-looking workshop among them.

“Goodness. It’s an honor to meet you, Duchess.”

A gray-haired craftsman greeted me, bowing almost to the ground. I waved my hand to stop his excessive courtesy.

“I came because I want to bring in new furniture. Could I see what kind of items you have first?”

“Of course. Please, come this way.”

I followed the craftsman towards the showroom.

‘Wow, it’s amazing.’

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as I entered. Inside the building, exquisite pieces of furniture were lined up. Tables, chairs, dressers, wardrobes — each had a different use, but all were equally beautiful.

“Are these all custom-made for specific owners?”

“Most are, but not all. Do you have anything particular in mind?”

The craftsman asked.

“I want to replace all the furniture in the mansion in the capital with new pieces. I plan to order dozens of items, so I’d like to see as much variety as possible.”

“Then how about this table decorated with inlaid colored stones?”

At my request, the craftsman showed me a table with elaborate patterns. He kindly explained that inlay work involves carving grooves in marble and fitting other colored gems or stones into those spaces.

‘These look like something you’d see in a museum.’