"Annie, I need you to set the price for the burlap. Raise the price of the medium-grade burlap by ten percent. Just consider it a suggestion for Dahlia and the others." Lucas said, not even lifting his head as he continued writing, casually offering some advice.
"Got it." Annie nodded and opened her notebook to take notes. With the shipment scheduled for a few days later, she needed to organize the quantities and other details.
In the spring of next year, Joe and his fleet would return, and at that point, the shipping volume might increase several times over. Additionally, they planned to open their own trade routes.
"Hah... Done," Lucas exhaled, shaking a sheet of paper as he stretched. "As long as they follow the notes on the form, they'll avoid a lot of unnecessary losses."
"Form?" Mina, chewing on dried fish, turned her head from the desk and glanced at the form in Lucas's hand, murmuring, "The Transportation and Storage Precautions Form?"
"Well, things like canned fish, perfume, and Grand Spirit are all stored in ceramic containers. If we're not careful, they can easily break, and that would be like losing money."
Lucas chuckled and joked, "If we lose too much, we might end up having to survive on plain water and dried vegetables."
This was one of his concerns. The capital was quite far from Sedona City, and the entire journey was by water. Even a small accident could result in significant losses, so he wrote down important precautions to take.
The beast-eared girls knew Lucas was just joking. Ever since they entered the castle, they had never gone hungry—in fact, they were always full. Annie had even started gaining a little weight, though not in the places she wanted.
"I can eat less," Amelia suddenly said calmly. "One bowl is enough for me."
"Alright, you won't have to go hungry," Lucas chuckled, glancing at Amelia, who was sitting on his other side.
The girl was actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Though she kept herself closed off and had trouble expressing emotions, when it came to food or matters concerning her sister, she always handled things with great care.
In reality, people in this era were all very cautious about food, always worried about when their next meal would be or whether they could eat their fill.
Amelia turned her head and briefly met Lucas's dark eyes before silently looking away. She continued reading the Journey to the West novel in her arms, but the way she clenched her small hands showed that she wasn't completely unmoved.
"Young Master, the hot spring has been completed, but you haven't even taken a dip yet," Nicole gently said as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We've already used it several times."
"Huh? You've all used it already?" Lucas blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that.
"Mm-hmm! We've been using it for quite a while now," Nicole nodded, her eyes watching Lucas's face as she softly added, "Last time, you said you wanted to try it, but you got too busy and forgot."
"Alright, then. Let's all go soak in the hot spring today!" Lucas waved his hand decisively.
"Nicole, I want red bean cake and green tea..." Ayesha turned her head and called out, "Hot springs are only perfect with these snacks!"
"I want milk!" Helen raised her hand and shouted.
"Alright, alright, I'll get everything." Nicole replied with a gentle smile. Everyone loved having little treats while soaking in the hot spring.
"Um... I still have government affairs to handle, so I won't be going." Annie suddenly raised her hand seriously, but her fox ears drooped slightly.
"No way! Annie, you still owe me a back scrub from last time!" Ayesha protested.
"I-I'm really busy," Annie insisted with a serious expression, though her eyes shifted a little unnaturally.
"Oh? Could it be that someone thinks her chest is too small, is afraid of being hit with reality, and doesn't dare to bathe with everyone?" Mina smirked, glancing at the fox-eared girl's chest teasingly. "Last time, someone also made an excuse not to go, then secretly snuck into the Young Master's private hot spring instead."
"Shut up, you mutated cat girl!" Annie's fur bristled as she yelled in embarrassment and frustration. "It's not because of my chest! Fine, I'll go! I'm not afraid of any comparisons!"
"..." Freya couldn't help but rub her forehead. Since when did Her Highness start caring so much about chest size? She glanced down at her own and sighed softly, "Big chests are just a hassle… they get in the way of movement."
"…You…" Annie's world suddenly turned gray. She had just been struggling with something she could never obtain, and now she heard that. While others saw it as a burden, she had always longed for it.
"Alright, let's go," Lucas chuckled and shook his head. This was just another one of Annie's daily struggles. He stood up and started walking outside. It was already 8 PM—the perfect time for a hot spring soak.
With Lucas leading the way, the beast-eared girls followed, heading toward the backyard. A wooden corridor had been built leading to the hot spring, and two maids at the front held paper lanterns to light the path, while another two did the same at the back. In between, a group of cheerful beast-eared girls chattered and laughed, making their way to a night of relaxation.
The paper lanterns were a recent creation, first introduced within the castle but not yet widely promoted. After all, Sedona City didn't have much of a nightlife—only the city guards had a few lanterns for patrols.
The hot spring area was built using bamboo and wood, divided into separate sections for men and women. In reality, it was just one large pool with a bamboo wall running down the middle. Lucas had his own side, while the beast-eared girls used the other.
"Young Master, we'll head in first," Nicole said softly, her eyes shimmering like rippling water. She glanced back at the beast-eared girls and sighed inwardly—everyone was watching too closely.
"Go ahead!" Lucas waved his hand casually and stepped into the bathhouse. This wasn't an open-air hot spring, after all.
The floor of the hot spring room was entirely paved with smooth river stones, even the hot spring pool itself was built with them—everything constructed exactly according to Lucas's design.
"It's been a long while." Lucas muttered as he stood in front of a locker, beginning to undress. His ears, however, picked up the playful voices coming from the other side.
"Huh? Where's Amelia? Did anyone see her?" Nicole's puzzled voice came through.
"Nope. Wasn't she just walking with us?" Mina asked in surprise.
"Could she be... on the Young Master's side?" Annie called out in astonishment.
"…"
Lucas's hands froze mid-action. With a stiff motion, he turned his head, and sure enough, there was a small figure quietly undressing behind him. Who else could it be but Amelia?
"Hey… why are you here?" Lucas's eye twitched as he sighed helplessly. "Shouldn't you be over there?"
"They have too many people. There are fewer here." Amelia replied flatly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
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