The last person who came to mind was Fiona.
She was in the kitchen now, cleaning up after the meal.
Her softly swaying golden hair and bright, lively smile rose vividly in Yuri's mind.
Then that smile softened, and she gently nestled close to him.
The innocence in her eyes had somehow changed into a tender gaze, and those blue eyes looked at him quietly.
Before he knew it, her chest had pressed against his arm, and he could feel its warm softness even through the thin fabric.
Each time Fiona's body heat drew near, Yuri's heart beat faster still.
"Yuri..."
Her sweet whisper sounded by his ear, luscious enough to tempt him, slowly swallowing up his senses.
That innocent smile gradually took on a woman's allure, and deep emotion shone in her blue eyes.
Fiona's lips parted slightly and drew close enough that their breaths might touch.
Her fingers tangled more tightly with his, the feel of her skin against his growing stronger by the second.
He could feel the weight of her body, and her breath was so pleasant it seemed to wrap around his soul.
It was like being swallowed by the sun, his mind melting as he fell back down toward the earth.
Realizing the fantasy had become far too vivid, Yuri hurriedly shook his head, trying to banish it.
Even Fiona...? No, I'm overthinking this.
He hastily poured tea down his throat and shoved all of those fantasies deep into the bottom of his heart.
"My lord, were you truly that thirsty?"
Ophelia's voice rang out without warning, yanking Yuri all at once back to reality.
The remnants of his fantasies still clung to his thoughts, and he couldn't switch gears so quickly.
His heart pounded like a hammer, and the hand with which he set down his teacup trembled faintly.
"A-ah, no, it's just..."
He managed to open his mouth, but his voice came out strained, and the words refused to come together.
Ophelia watched him intently, her face full of curious concern.
There was something in that innocent gaze that made it feel as though she could see straight through him, and it only cornered him further.
"My lord?"
Pinned down all the more by that direct gaze, Yuri tried to sound calm, but his voice came out high.
"R-right, I was just a little thirsty..."
He forced a smile and squeezed out the excuse, but Ophelia's gaze was still fixed on him like a thorn.
Unable to bear meeting her eyes any longer, Yuri felt a sheen of sweat at his brow and rushed to tack on, almost as if he were running away.
"M-maybe I should go use the washroom..."
With that, Yuri rose to his feet.
As he headed for the washroom, Margaret called out after him.
"Lily, would you please show my lord husband the way?"
"Yes, certainly."
Lily approached Yuri with a soft smile.
That smile was dazzling, like light itself—innocent, yet touched with a sweetness all its own.
Yuri couldn't help giving her an awkward smile in return.
There was something about that guileless smile that kept him from calming down.
The moment Lily's soft hand slipped gently into his, that warmth spread through him and the fantasy from moments before came rushing back.
"This way, my lord husband. I'll show you there."
In a light, easy voice, Lily gently led him along as though nothing were amiss.
Faced with her innocent smile, Yuri tried to steady himself, but the feel of her hand refused to leave his mind.
Her pink hair swayed softly, and the sight of her from behind only stirred the fantasy all the more.
Lily too...? This isn't the time to be thinking like this!
He frantically rebuked himself, yet every time she walked on and tugged him by the hand, their closeness felt unnaturally intense.
The warmth of their joined hands kept shaking his heart.
"My lord husband, are you all right? You look a little flushed..."
When Lily glanced back and asked with concern, her innocent eyes met his straight on, and Yuri grew even more flustered.
"I-I'm fine! It's just a little warm, that's all..."
Though his voice rose slightly, he somehow managed to answer, but her innocent smile only unsettled him further.
Lily naturally tightened her grip on his hand a little and kept guiding him onward.
There was grace in every motion she made, and the feeling of her fingers twining with his wouldn't leave his mind.
His imagination began to stir again, and fleeting images of her drawing still closer to him flashed through his head.
Stop it, stop it... now isn't the time to think about that!
He scolded himself again, but the feel of Lily's hand refused to let those fantasies be swept away.
At length Lily came to a quiet stop, smiled at him, and said,
"The washroom is here. Please take your time, my lord husband."
The moment her hand finally left his, together with that dazzling smile, Yuri was enveloped by a sense of relief—and yet, a faint trace of dissatisfaction as well.
Lily opened the door, bowed, and withdrew.
Yuri let out a deep breath at last and was finally wrapped in silence and solitude.
Once he was done, Yuri closed the lavatory door behind him and let out a long breath.
Whew... I think I've finally calmed down a little.
Pressing a hand to his chest as though cooling himself down, he took several slow breaths.
Once he had steadied his heart, he quietly made his way back to his room.
He stopped before the sliding door, hesitated for a moment, then opened it softly.
Inside, Lieselotte and Ophelia seemed to be engaged in a serious discussion.
Faced with the composed air surrounding them, Yuri suddenly felt embarrassed by how wildly his thoughts had been running just moments earlier.
"Welcome back, my lord husband."
Lily greeted him with a graceful bow and her usual calm smile.
There was something oddly reassuring in that unchanged elegance.
"Thanks, Lily. That helped."
After offering his thanks a little awkwardly, Yuri headed over to the table where the two women sat.
Noticing Yuri approaching, Lieselotte and Ophelia broke off their conversation for a moment.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. It looked like you were talking about something serious..."
As he took his seat, Yuri looked from one to the other.
"What were you discussing?"
At that, Ophelia answered with a slightly troubled expression.
"We were discussing the future of the Luna-Noir Trading Company."
At her words, Lieselotte pressed her lips together slightly, then turned to Yuri with a serious look in her eyes.
"Lord Yuri, about what you said before regarding rebuilding the territory—how do you envision the Trading Company's role in it?"
At her question, Yuri shoved aside the stray thoughts from moments before and lifted his gaze toward the ceiling, thinking.
He began sorting out the outline of his plans in his head.
The question was how to adapt the knowledge from his previous life to this preindustrial world.
Yozan Uesugi's domain reforms—industrial promotion, agricultural reform.
There could be no doubt that the best course was to use them as a model and adapt them to fit this world.
Letting out a quiet breath, he gave a small nod and answered the two of them.
"At a broad level, I want us to produce silk textiles, soap, candles, glassware, porcelain, things like that within the territory.
Then I want to sell them through the Luna-Noir Trading Company and bring outside coin into the territory."
As Yuri said that, Lieselotte narrowed her amber eyes and gave a small nod of thought.
"I don't think candles will sell to nobles, since they can't compare to beeswax, but if we can make them cheap enough to come in around the price of tallow candles, even commoners could afford them, and I think it'd reduce the health problems too."
As he said that, Yuri lowered his eyes slightly in thought.
Thinking back, even in House Leonidas, his father and younger half-brother's rooms had been lit with beeswax, while the servants' quarters had always used tallow candles.
In that room, he had suffered under clouds of smoke and soot.
There had been no ventilation to speak of, and he still remembered how his eyes would sting and his throat grow raw after even a short while.
Beside him, Ophelia slowly raised her violet eyes and spoke in a somewhat cautious tone.
"My lord, your vision is quite bold, but there are two points that should give us pause.
First, we lack the funds to support the creation of new artisan guilds.
And second..."
She let the words trail off for a moment and fixed Yuri with a quiet gaze.
"If such enterprises were to succeed, the gap between rich and poor within the territory could widen, and that in turn might invite social unrest."
Perhaps she had seen such things before, for Ophelia spoke in a grave voice, as though from experience.
Yuri lowered his gaze slightly and considered.
After a few seconds, he lifted his face again and spoke, sweeping his gaze over both of them.
"As for the funds to establish the new guilds, I was thinking of using the profits from selling the beauty elixirs I bring in with my Merchant Gift through the Luna-Noir Trading Company..."
He had meant to sound confident, but a trace of uncertainty seeped into the very end of his words.
It was only a theory on paper.
Until they actually tried it, there was no way to know.
Once he thought of that, he couldn't bring himself to state it with complete confidence.
Watching him, Lieselotte gave a small nod and fell into careful thought.
"So the role of the Luna-Noir Trading Company would be to sell beauty elixirs to the nobility and to market the goods produced within the territory."
Hearing that, Ophelia moved her brows ever so slightly and raised a question.
"If the target is the nobility, would personal sales not be more effective than selling through a storefront?"
"That's true.
Rather than going out to the market themselves, it's more common for them to summon merchants to their homes."
Lieselotte nodded at Ophelia's words.
"So by personal sales, you mean spreading it through word of mouth?"
When Yuri asked, as if confirming the point with Ophelia, she gave a faint smile and nodded.
"Yes. One would spread it through balls and tea parties.
And if we do establish a storefront, it might be interesting for the Luna-Noir Trading Company to launch a new salon centered on beauty."
Perhaps seeing it as a chance to spread her own name, Ophelia murmured,
"Not only the women of the kingdom, but those from the Empire and the Republic as well—women in search of beauty flocking to the shop. Hehe... that too might be rather nice."
Yuri fell into thought for a moment at the suggestion.
A salon might actually be a good idea.
If they could draw people from the Empire and the Republic as well, it would contribute greatly to the territory's development.
Come to think of it, Lucretia's Amour Pavilion will be operating in the Reberk Barony too...
With that thought, the phrase an El Dorado of beauty flashed through Yuri's mind.
If we can offer casinos and fine dining too, wouldn't that make it a business for the wealthy?
A fusion of elegance and entertainment—
Visitors could refine their bodies in a beauty salon, taste thrills in a casino, savor gourmet cuisine in a fine restaurant, and end the night with sweet hours in a brothel.
If they used the lake lying right beside the baronial manor and the inner palace, they could turn it into a waterborne resort, offering both exclusivity and an escape from the ordinary at once.
The evening glow reflected on the lake and the quiet glide across the water would surely give visitors a luxury they would never forget.
And if fireworks were launched at the close of an evening party, fantastic light would spread across the water, leaving a vivid impression on all who saw it.
"Luxuriaria... a dream city upon the water..."
The words slipped from Yuri's lips as his imagination ran away with him.