Next Time, You’ll Have to Bow First

Just as the finance ministry official had promised, the scenery of Fugas Village was truly beautiful. Nestled snugly among gentle hills, the village was close to the sea—turn your head, and the vast blue coastline would greet you. The climate was mild, and the sunlight generous. To the south stretched a rare and stunning white sand beach.

‘They say it used to be a famous resort… The villas look magnificent, too.’

Unique buildings—unlike anything you could easily find in the capital—stood in a neat row along the main road. The streets were wide and straight, and tall roadside trees lent an exotic atmosphere. The public utilities seemed well-maintained, with lovely fountains scattered here and there.

‘With a location and conditions like this, it’s perfect.’

Unfortunately, there were few signs of life on the streets. Many of the elegant villas had fallen into neglect—the paint peeling off their walls, gates rusting away. The Vernette family’s villa, in particular, gave off an air of decline at first glance.

“Countess Vernette, please watch your step.”

As Hailey stepped onto the uneven, poorly maintained walkway, the real estate broker rushed forward to support her.

“It’s fine. I’m not such a weakling that I’d trip over something like this.”

Hailey smiled lightly and approached the villa’s entrance. The broker, who had been introduced to her through Linda, was eager to please. He unlocked the creaky, rusted iron gate and held it open for her.

‘At least the building’s framework is intact. No cracks in the walls either.’

Though the villa had been left practically abandoned for decades, it was in better condition than she’d expected. As the finance ministry official had said, with a little interior work, it could easily be sold. But selling it right away wasn’t Hailey’s plan—she had something far grander in mind.

“When will the workers I asked for arrive?”

“If we’re lucky, by the end of this week… but at the latest, by the end of the month. They’re miners who travel all across the continent, so scheduling them isn’t easy.”

“Send them a letter. Tell them I’ll offer a bonus in addition to the agreed payment if they arrive by this week. The sooner they get here, the bigger the bonus will be.”

“Oh dear, won’t that be too much of a loss for you?”

“If they’re the best hot spring prospectors on the continent, they deserve to be treated accordingly, don’t you think?”

Hailey replied with a faint smile, turning the question back on him.

‘Fugas Hot Spring Village. That was the name of the most famous resort in the continent from the original story.’

When she’d first heard the name from the finance official, it had sounded vaguely familiar… But as she pieced the plot back together, she realized exactly what it was.

“This villa already has a prime location—but if a hot spring is found here, the value will increase at least tenfold.”

The broker, smiling broadly, asked her quietly,

“But how did you know there would be a hot spring here, my lady?”

Hailey gave a sly smile in return.

“Because I had a very reliable source.”

In the original story, Fugas Village had been a declining resort area until a hot spring was discovered by chance—overnight, property prices had skyrocketed.

‘It said that nobles, merchants, even imperial concubines fought to build villas here.’

Real estate is always the ultimate investment. If a place with such beautiful scenery and a prime location gained a hot spring, its value would soar by dozens—if not hundreds—of times.

‘Who would’ve thought there’d be such a hidden gem among the Vernette family’s assets, which I thought were all in ruins?’

Still, even a string of pearls needs to be threaded before it can be worn. First, she needed to uncover the hot spring. The ten thousand gold she’d borrowed from Kincaid would go toward the excavation costs and villa renovations.

‘If the villa belonging to the future Crown Princess produces a hot spring, it’ll be quite the sensation.’

After all, real estate value depends on location and word of mouth… Hailey slowly walked over to the window and gazed out. The sunlit waves sparkled like silver as they lapped the pristine shore, holding her gaze for a long moment.

‘Surely, it would be a waste to sell it just like this.’

With scenery like this, there had to be uses for the villa beyond simply selling it.

‘Would running it under a title like [An Imperial-Certified Healing Spa] be too obvious?’

As she tried to brainstorm more ideas in her head, Hailey soon shook it off. Now wasn’t the time for grand schemes like that—there was something more urgent to handle first.

“Well then, shall we go collect the imperial grant?”

***

“Sigh… even here the budget isn’t enough.”

Catherine, Marchioness of Hessen—the Emperor’s only sister and the sole Imperial Princess—frowned as she looked over a document covered in complicated figures. It was an urgent letter sent by the estate steward of House Hessen.

‘During the last typhoon, part of the outer wall of the castle collapsed. Immediate repairs are necessary.’

And the amount the steward had written down was nothing short of outrageous.

“How can it cost this much just to stack a few bricks? This place is full of thieves in every direction.”

Complaints spilled from the princess’s lips. In truth, House Hessen had inherited vast lands for generations, and under normal circumstances, repair costs like this would hardly strain their finances. The real problem was her husband, the Marquis of Hessen.

During the recent rebellion, he had, out of sheer greed, mobilized soldiers unnecessarily, leading to heavy casualties. Worse yet, to rescue the Marquis, Crown Prince Kincaid himself had nearly lost his life.

“What a pathetic man…”

To cover up the outrageous mess her husband had caused, Princess Catherine had, for some time now, been liquidating the house’s assets and scattering enormous bribes.

“There’s nothing in this world that can’t be solved with money. The only question is how much.”

With that snobbishly materialistic remark—ill-suited to her noble station—she frowned again at the document.

At that moment…

“Your Highness, the Countess Vernette has come to see you again. Shall I let her in this time?”

At the maid’s words, the princess’s lips curved upward.

“Countess Vernette, you say…”

Catherine had no intention of recognizing Hailey—who until just a few months ago had been a senior maid in the Crown Prince’s palace—as a proper noblewoman.

‘A lowborn maid who served tea and washed curtains, now pretending to be a lady of the nobility? How absurd.’

Moreover, she still had no intention of forgiving Hailey for siding with Kincaid and ruining the ball she herself had hosted.

‘It seems she’s here to collect the imperial grant, but I won’t hand it over so easily.’

For that reason, Catherine had made Hailey come in vain several times before.

‘Now… it’s about time I really put her in her place.’

Having reached that conclusion, the princess gave instructions to the maid:

“Show the countess into the drawing room. There’s no need to serve her tea.”

***

Princess Catherine deliberately made Hailey wait a long while before heading to the drawing room.

‘I’ll crush her spirit from the start so she never again dares to act above herself.’

Thus, she entered only after making Hailey wait more than thirty minutes.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting. An urgent letter came from my territory that I had to deal with,” Catherine began, with an obvious lie. Then, glancing at the empty table, she deliberately put on a stern expression.

“Oh dear… to think I couldn’t even offer tea to such an important guest. I’ll have to summon the maid in charge of the drawing room and scold her at once.”

Such an uncharacteristically exaggerated statement from Catherine was proof enough that her words were false.

“That won’t be necessary, Your Highness. I’ve just had tea at the Crown Prince’s palace, so I have no desire for more.”

Hailey rose from her seat and approached the princess. Dressed not in a senior maid’s uniform but in a proper noble gown, she was the very image of etiquette.

Princess Catherine silently looked her over.

‘So she’s gotten rather good at playing the noblewoman… but she’s still a lowborn at heart.’

Aware of that openly scornful gaze, Hailey slowly lowered her head.

“It has been a long time since I last had the honor of seeing you, Your Highness.”

The way she held her skirt and bowed was the very picture of a lower-ranking person offering respect to a superior—flawless enough to be in an etiquette textbook. The princess gave a short, derisive laugh.

‘They say she’s cunning, but at least she knows her place.’

She was, after all, the daughter of the late Emperor, and the sister of the current one. A noblewoman of low birth ought to show proper deference.

“You may rise now.”

The princess, satisfied with the display of humility from the Crown Princess-to-be, showed a magnanimous smile—

“No, Your Highness. I wished to offer one last respectful greeting.”

“Last?”

At the princess’s puzzled question, Hailey calmly replied:

“The next time we meet, Your Highness will be the one bowing to greet me—Crown Princess Hailey.”