“Don’t let the turnips rot; distribute them fairly among the villagers... Hmm, just distribute them. Dry them properly so they can be used as food throughout the winter.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” the steward responded immediately, as if he had been waiting for her suggestion.
‘Even this feels awkward,’ Penelope thought.
Ever since regaining her memories of her past life, everything about her mannerisms and speech felt strangely out of place.
Her body lived in a medieval fantasy era, but her mind held onto the memories of modern society, creating a deep cognitive dissonance.
Although it was momentarily disorienting, she was gradually adapting. Having lived over 20 years as a noblewoman, courtly etiquette was as natural to her as wearing a well-fitted garment.
Penelope spoke again. “Let’s address the most pressing issue first.”
“At present, the castle has only ten days’ worth of emergency food supplies left for the villagers. Even if we allocate all of it exclusively to the lord’s castle, we wouldn’t last more than three months,” the steward explained.
Hearing this, the retainers’ faces darkened noticeably.
“Only ten days? At this rate, shouldn’t we just declare bankruptcy?” Penelope thought, suppressing her panic. She forced herself to ask calmly, “What other issues do we have?”
“When winter arrives, monsters will become more active. We need to hire mercenaries before it’s too late.”
“We’re also critically short on magic stones. We’ll need at least 50,000 gold to purchase enough.”
“To ensure the villagers survive the winter, we need at least three months’ worth of emergency food supplies.”
“Firewood is also...”
“And water...”
In the end, it all came down to money.
A headache began to pound in Penelope’s temples as she pressed her fingers against them.
Her status had risen, but life in this world was somehow even harsher than in her previous one.
“How can I make sure this territory survives the winter?” she thought, stifling a groan. She had assumed there would be at least a month’s worth of emergency supplies left, but ten days? The thought was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“Thinking about it again, I still hate the heroine.”
Penelope doubted she would ever warm up to the protagonist.
Sure, the heroine might have had her reasons for coldly decapitating the Emperor as part of her grand revenge plot, but the collateral damage was being borne entirely by the extras.
And maybe it was just her imagination, but Penelope felt like she was bearing the brunt of it the most.
“Save the extras!”
Of course, she couldn’t just sit around and resent the heroine forever.
She couldn’t survive by starving, either. She had to find a way to live.
“Let’s start with what I can do immediately,” she decided after much deliberation.
Penelope stood up abruptly, her decision made.
“We’ll have to take out a loan from the Imperial Bank. At dawn tomorrow, I’ll leave for the nearest branch, so make the necessary preparations.”
“Do you really think the branch manager will approve a loan for Halo Territory?”
The retainers’ faces were skeptical. They all shared the same opinion: the Imperial Bank would never lend money to a struggling rural territory.
The eldest and most stubborn of the retainers even went so far as to chastise her.
“Baroness, are you seriously considering bowing your head to some merchant? The late baron would be furious if he knew you were humbling yourself before a common tradesman!”
Huh?
Penelope was dumbfounded by the sudden old-fashioned outburst.
In an era where magic rifles had been invented and magical engineering trains crossed the continent, this retainers’ disdain for capitalists was utterly absurd.
Even in this world, power and wealth were the ultimate authority.
“This is why the territory is on the brink of collapse.”
The retainers had no sense of money or practicality. Managing a territory required a mindset much closer to that of a merchant than that of a traditional noble.
Though the loss of the baron was tragic, the retainers’ stubbornness was just as responsible for running the territory into the ground in such a short time.
“Maybe I should just escape this place,” Penelope thought grimly.
It felt like she was aboard a sinking ship.
A wise person would have boarded a lifeboat and escaped long before the ship went under.
Once the ship sank, only shattered wreckage would remain, drifting aimlessly on the surface.
“Why did my memories of my past life have to come back just two months ago? If only I’d remembered a year earlier, I could have taken my dowry and secretly fled to the capital.”
Regrettably, Penelope had nowhere to return to.
Going back to her family wasn’t an option. Her parents’ house was in an even worse state than this one.
As the daughter of a fallen noble family, her widowed return would only be a source of discomfort to her parents.
Worse still, they might marry her off to some decrepit old noble. To them, leaving an unmarried daughter—essentially a freeloader—unwed would be akin to neglecting a family burden.
“That’s not happening! I need to take full advantage of my position as acting lord while I still can.”
Penelope hardened her resolve and spoke firmly.
“I’ll visit the Imperial Bank tomorrow and secure a loan. That’s how we’ll get through this winter.”
“But...”
“But? What other choice do we have? If you don’t want to starve, I’ll grovel at the branch manager’s feet if I have to!”
“...?”
Her sudden harsh words made the steward flinch in shock, and the retainers looked as though they couldn’t believe their ears.
A noblewoman begging at the feet of a bank manager?
Even in such dire straits, the idea of a noble bowing to a commoner was unthinkable, especially in this conservative rural estate.
And yet, here was their acting lord, declaring her intent to do just that.
“Is this really the same Baroness?”
When she had first arrived in the territory as a bride, Penelope had been so quiet and reserved that her presence was barely noticeable.
The abrupt change in her demeanor left everyone uneasy and confused.
But Penelope’s expression remained resolute.
Unlike the nobles of this era, who lived and died by their pride, her soul—shaped by the ruthless pragmatism of capitalism—valued practicality above all else.
“If you have a better idea, feel free to share it,” she said, her voice cutting.
“...”
“Or are we all just going to starve to death together?”
***
The next morning, Penelope climbed into a small carriage bound for Pellar.
Pellar was a major city located in the territory of Duke Rahinsel. It was home to a vast marketplace, various government offices, and, most importantly, a branch of the Imperial Bank.
Her entourage consisted only of a knight for protection, a driver, and a single servant—an exceptionally modest group.
Before departing, Penelope instructed them to load green herbs into the carriage’s storage compartment.
Her reasoning was simple.
“Regardless of the price, we can’t just leave the herb fields to rot. Let’s try selling them at the market.”
With the herbs loaded, the carriage rolled down the bumpy, winding road, reaching Pellar after half a day’s travel.
“We should rest at an inn tonight and start fresh tomorrow morning,” the knight suggested.
“You’ve all worked hard,” Penelope replied.
She spent the night in a shabby inn and, after a light breakfast the next morning, headed straight to the Imperial Bank.
Despite the early hour, the bank’s lobby was already bustling with people waiting their turn.
Like everyone else, Penelope took her place in line.
The difference was her posture. Her back was straight, and her chin tucked in with the effortless grace of a noblewoman.
People in the lobby couldn’t help but steal glances at her.
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Her dress, though slightly outdated, was of fine quality, and her poised demeanor exuded a quiet elegance that drew attention.
She looked like someone who had stepped out of an old catalog—graceful and dignified, with an air of aloofness.
In truth, Penelope was on the verge of falling apart inside.
“Will the branch manager really approve a loan?”
She hadn’t been this nervous when applying for a housing loan in her past life, but now, as the acting lord of a territory, the mere thought of borrowing money made her heart race.
She doubted her ability to repay even the interest, let alone the principal.
“The estate is run by people who don’t understand money. Is this loan even a good idea?”
She could almost picture the whole thing falling apart.
If the estate defaulted, it wouldn’t just sink—it would disintegrate entirely.
Failing to pay the monthly interest would prompt the bank to hire mercenaries to collect the debt. If she tried to run, they’d catch her, and the situation would devolve into a bloody mess...
“No, stop it! Don’t start doubting yourself now. You need to be bold!”
Penelope took a deep breath. Holding it only made her heartbeat sound louder in her ears.
“Maybe I should turn back now...”
She tried to steel herself, but regret surged through her.
What on earth had possessed her to rush all the way to the Imperial Bank? She couldn’t understand her own actions.