"Eh?!"
"Oh!!"
Voices of surprise rose from the women around us. And honestly, I was the most shocked of all. But before I could stop myself, even more surprising words came out of my mouth.
"In return, if I can successfully rebuild the business… Reina, I have a request."
"A request?"
Reina looked at me with curious eyes.
"… I like you. Please… be mine."
"Whaaat!?"
"Did he just…"
"Propose?"
"Oh wow."
"You did it, Reina! A noble has fallen for you!"
"So lucky!"
The serious mood vanished in an instant, replaced by cheerful excitement among the women.
Wait... did I just propose?
Is that what I meant to say? What am I saying?!
"That is a wonderful idea, Lord Seiou,"
Princess Ellis quickly supported my words with a radiant smile. There was no turning back now.
"~~~~~~~~~"
Reina's eyes filled with tears, and her face turned completely red. She seemed too overwhelmed to even speak.
She must be in shock and deeply embarrassed. The composed air she had just moments ago was gone. Now she looked like any young girl caught off guard.
"We'll set the time frame to two months. Reina, you'll be the one to decide whether or not the business has truly recovered."
My mouth kept talking on its own. I couldn't seem to stop myself anymore.
"Ohh!"
"He's so confident!"
"This is Lord Seiou!"
Excited cheers came from the women behind us.
"But in return, for the next two months, you must all follow my management plan."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"We'll do our best for two months!"
The women quickly agreed. Their eyes were bright again, and their faces full of new determination.
Only Reina, the person most affected, stood silently with a tearful, crumpled expression. She looked adorable, yet also a bit pitiful.
"…Are you really saying I can be the one to judge whether or not you succeeded?"
She finally spoke, hesitantly.
"Yes. Of course."
The final decision would be hers. Even if everything looked like a success from the outside, if she said it wasn't, then the promise would be off. I was giving her the right to say no.
"We can't cut any more costs on the floor, you know?"
"I won't rely on cost-cutting at the work site. That's what incompetent managers do."
At those words, something changed in Reina's eyes. I had given her the answer she was looking for.
"You said you'd rebuild the nation's economy. That includes not just the textile workshop, but also the brothel. I hope you'll handle that too."
"… Y-yeah. Of course."
Princess Ellis smiled sweetly as she casually added more difficulties to the challenge. I couldn't tell if she was really on my side.
"..."
Reina stared at me silently, clearly deep in thought. This was a life-changing matter for her, it made sense she needed time.
"… A-Alright. I understand."
At last, she accepted my proposal in a soft, almost humble voice.
"Wooooooo!!"
"Let's believe in Lord Seiou and give it our all!"
Cheers erupted among the women as the deal was sealed.
I, along with Princess Ellis and Secretary Mia, promised to begin rebuilding the business the next day. After that, we left the scene in a hurry.
***
***
"Whaaaaa! What the hell did I just say?!?!"
As soon as we got into the carriage, I clutched my head in embarrassment.
"Falling in love at my age, and confessing on the spot... so fucking embarrassing!"
"Please calm down. Falling in love is a beautiful thing. It's wonderful,"
Princess Ellis tried to comfort me with kind words.
"Oh-Uh... How old is Reina, anyway?"
"She's 17."
"Wait... She's a minor!! I'm the worst, I'll get arrested right away!!"
"This is a different world. The laws from your original world don't apply here."
"Still! She's underage, it's wrong!"
"She'll turn 18 soon."
"That's still a big age gap!"
"Age doesn't matter, it's just a number."
"And using noble power to take a commoner girl? That's the worst!"
"Actually, being chosen by a noble is considered a great honor for women in this country. Besides, you gave her the right to refuse. Everyone sees that as a sign of your generosity."
That's true. I did give her the right to say no.
"So please don't worry so much."
"…Okay. I'm feeling a little better now."
As Princess Ellis gently stroked my back and spoke calmly, I started to relax.
"But still… why did I say something like that?"
I thought back on the moment.
I'd never fallen in love at first sight before. And to propose then and there? It was like my mouth had a mind of its own.
"I have a theory. It might be connected to your job as 'Seiou.'"
"What do you mean?"
"For a Seiou to show their full strength, they need a woman who serves at their side. I had been wondering who that should be. Perhaps your Seiou job chose Reina on its own."
"You're saying it was my job's doing?"
"Yes. Reina is young, beautiful, healthy, and most of all, trusted by others. I believe she's the most suitable person to serve as your partner. It almost feels like fate."
Now that she said it, I couldn't help but agree.
"So instead of worrying, we should focus on how to rebuild the country's economy. Do you have a plan?"
Yes, Reina could wait. There were more urgent matters on the hand right now.
"I was wondering the same,"
Secretary Mia, who had been quietly listening, joined in.
She looked worried. After all, she had already failed once in trying to rebuild the textile business. She probably understood the difficulty better than anyone.
"I have an idea. But first, I want to visit a brothel."
Looking at the way women dress in this world, something had caught my attention. The quickest way to confirm my suspicion was to visit a brothel.
And since I had to help rebuild their business anyway, thanks to Princess Ellis, I might as well handle both tasks at once.
"Understood. I'll have the carriage head to the brothel."
Mia responded right away, guiding the carriage in that direction.