Chapter 15: ~Convenience?~ (1/2)

***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***

“Shalala.....” I skip along the corridor towards the office while humming a really childish tune. Freedom! No slave-rings any more.

Well. Relative freedom. I have to marry that stupid hermit to gain a citizenship for myself and the kids. Haaah... nothing comes without a price.

At least I get a big house and a lot of money with a principality too. So even if there is no love, it has benefits, many benefits!

Who ever said that you have to work hard to gain power in every reincarnation? Just find a powerful husband and take his stuff! Mwhaahahaha!

“You have a really dangerous expression on your face Miss Celestial.” Sarah smiles at me when I enter the reception.

“Really!? That must be the power of ~love~!” I smile at our... my secretary.

“It looked more like the grin of a tiger who just slew a really fat pig.” Sarah is giving me a straight forward answer without holding back.

It has been a day since the announcement of my marriage. Sarah wasn't happy with the situation at all. She likes the kids but thinks that I am some kind of black widow.

“Is that so? I guess it can be seen that way.” I tap my chin with my left index finger.

“I think the proper term is gold-digger.” Sarah continues her fearless statements while smiling at me. Does she have a problem with my path out of slavery!?

“Do you have a problem with a former slave who turned the tables on his master?” I smile at Sarah while trying to look harmless.

“I am just curious which leverage you have on him. Master is a very dangerous fellow but he did many good things for the whole region. It would bug me very much if he became unhappy in the end.” Now Sarah's smile becomes a little dangerous.

Ooh... “Do you like him!? You should have said so earlier! That hermit is just so grumpy because he has nobody who looks out for him!”

“No. I would never marry someone out of my league.” Sarah answers with unwavering confidence. Um.. Why did that sound as if she was superior to her master?

“I am just not happy if someone who did a lot of good for the people of this town would end up with a poisonous snake in his bed. Even if he did everything for his own benefit.” Sarah's states her view of me even more clearly.

“We don't know each other for long. How about giving me some time to prove myself?” I open the door towards the office and take a look inside.

Sarah follows me with a stash of papers. “In hindsight I will watch you for a little while. You seem to look out for the children at least. Here are the reports. And your table arrived.”

There it is! A brand new big table for me alone! It's standing beside the entrance to the office. No children-table with fifty centimetres of height any more! My former table is leaning against the wall on the other side. I grab the stupid miniature table which I got from Ascathon.

*Crack, Crack, Crack, Crack*

Four legs are snapped off.

*Snap!*

*Snap!*

Here we go! Neatly folded for waste-disposal!

I hand the remains of the stupid table to Sarah whose expression suddenly dropped. “Something wrong?”

“You... you folded the table like a sheet of paper!?” Sarah gasps.

Kukuku... Should I feign ignorance? “What's the difference? Paper or table... both are made of wood.”

Sarah grabs the remains and leaves the room. I think I could get used to teasing her. Then I start to take control of the office. That hermit underestimated my administrative abilities!

First I have get a grip on the economy of this principality. Then I can increase the income and financial power to a reasonable level. And when the money starts to flow I can start to investigate the war between Mislow and Jamaian.

Up until now I was dependent on Ascathon's informations. There is no acceptable news-network in this world. If Ascathon wants to learn something new he has to take the Gate to the capital and talk to the Jarl or some other noble who deals with external affairs.

Listening to merchants is the other possibility but they never know anything beyond general knowledge of a countries situation. If you want to get political information you need to go to the source.

For real information you need your own network of spies! And spies want money! So I will pep up the finances of this stupid principality first.