Inside his office, Glenn watched the merchants depart through the window, still trying to process what had just happened. His wife had actually pulled it off.
And yet, true to form, suspicion lingered. He turned to Nadia and asked the question on his mind. How had she known to buy up all the thorny vine herb in the first place?
Nadia answered smoothly. She claimed she had once seen a report passed through her father's office about the black plague, and had realised it would soon spread across the kingdom. On top of that, the maid who had raised her as a child had deep knowledge of herbal remedies, and had always insisted that this very herb could cure the disease.
A convenient explanation. But what else was she supposed to say? That she had died once and come back with knowledge of the future? That was a one-way ticket to being locked up somewhere.
Surprisingly, Glenn's icy demeanour began to thaw. For the first time, he offered her a genuine apology for doubting her. Then, more seriously, he asked why she would go so far to help someone who was technically her father's enemy.
Nadia did not answer directly. Instead she turned on the charm. Soft eyes, gentle expression, the whole act.
It worked completely. Glenn might not have been won over, but he did feel indebted. He told her he was willing to grant her a reward for what she had done for his family.
Most people would have asked for money, or something practical. Not Nadia. She only asked for a hug.
Glenn froze, clearly unsure how to react. In his mind she was still potentially dangerous, hardly someone he should be getting close to. But after a moment of hesitation, he hugged her back.
That was progress. The ship was not sinking. It was slowly learning how to float.
As the two remained in that surprisingly soft moment, a knock interrupted them. A voice from outside reminded Nadia of her scheduled meeting with her business managers. She gently pulled away, thanking Glenn with a warm smile before heading out.
At this rate, even someone as guarded as Glenn might not be able to resist her charm forever.
Ever since her herbal tea had taken off, things had been running surprisingly well. And it was not just luck. Nadia had been training her managers herself, teaching them efficient ways to organise, plan and handle operations, so that everything ran like a well-oiled machine.
Funny enough, most of those skills and ideas had come from Ji-ho. Back when they were still together in her previous life, he had shared stories about his world — how men and women received equal education, how people were encouraged to discover their own purpose. He had even pushed Nadia to find her own path.
Which made everything that came after even harder to understand. How could someone who had once supported her like that later become part of the plan that destroyed her?
Still, painful as those memories were, they had left her with valuable knowledge, and now it was paying off.
During a meeting, some visiting merchants warned her about one particular figure. He was the one who had doubted her the most, and who had been counting on Winterpel's collapse to make a profit. Now that Nadia had cut him out of her business, he was likely to cause trouble down the line.
Nadia did not seem concerned. After proving her ability through the tea trade, she reached out to someone very useful, especially when it came to threatening people. Her father. A man with zero tolerance for merchants who dodged their taxes. Calling in a favour, she asked him to educate the northern merchants' guild a little.
The Duke might have been impressed by her success, but he was also starting to grow suspicious of her motives. Even so, he still underestimated her, believing that sooner or later Winterpel would fall back into debt.
That was not going to happen. Not with Nadia in charge. She had already reinvested her profits into restoring and improving the Winterpel estate. The changes were noticeable, and for the first time even the old butler Gordon began to warm up to her.
For Nadia it was more than just work. It felt fulfilling, as though she finally had a purpose of her own.
Wanting to show her appreciation, she rewarded Gordon with a heavy pouch of gold for his years of dedication. Without him the estate might have collapsed long ago. He deserved every coin.
Gordon was so overwhelmed that he dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face, calling her a blessing sent from the heavens.
Not exactly from heaven. But she had come back from somewhere beyond.
Then a messenger carrying a red flag arrived, which was never a good sign. Fabian quickly explained what it meant. Count Altio, whose territory bordered Winterpel to the south, had likely started another territorial conflict.
This neighbour made a habit of it. At least once a year, like clockwork, his troops showed up and created chaos.
Surprisingly, no one seemed too worried. Even Glenn remained calm, assuring Nadia that he would handle it quickly and return soon. Fabian backed him up, proudly stating that the Winterpel army was the strongest force in the region. With Glenn leading them, victory was practically guaranteed.
And it was true. They always defeated Count Altio in battle. The problem was that they never finished the job.
Whenever things turned against him, the count retreated to Balin Castle, a fortress so well defended it might as well have been untouchable. No matter how many times Winterpel attacked, they had never managed to break through. So every victory ended the same way. A win with no real gain.
But this time, things might finally change. Because Nadia remembered something.
Near that fortress lay a hidden treasure. An iron mine, and more importantly, a dragon's lair.
Normally, hearing the words dragon's lair was a reason to run in the opposite direction. But in this case the dragon was already dead. Which meant what was left behind was a massive hoard. Gold, silver, treasures beyond imagination, just sitting there waiting to be claimed.
A fortune like that could change everything. There was no way Nadia could ignore it.
The problem was, how was she supposed to tell them? It was not as if she could casually point at a map and say there was hidden treasure right here, without raising a hundred questions and eyebrows.
Convincing them might be harder than finding the treasure itself.