In the study of the Sedona City castle, Annie, Nicole, and Lucy were all engrossed in their respective tasks.
Annie was wading through administrative affairs. Currently, Sedona City had hundreds of matters, large and small, that required her review. Even on a slow day, dozens of documents crossed her desk, especially now with Lucas and Mina away.
"These people have truly seen nothing of the world. Every single day, it's the same nonsense," Annie complained, unable to help herself.
"What is it now?" Nicole asked, putting down her abacus and stretching her wrists. She was currently in charge of the finances, frequently spot-checking ledgers from shops and customs to ensure no one was falsifying records.
"It's those newcomers, especially the noble ladies. They're running to the Gold Coin Supermarket every day; they've practically worn down the threshold," Annie muttered, a pen still gripped between her teeth.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Lucy asked, setting down her pen. She had spent the last few days conceptualizing her new novel. Hearing them talk, she couldn't resist chiming in. She deeply admired Annie and Nicole—Annie managed the city with such order, and Nicole could calculate complex ledgers and create detailed charts with ease. Compared to them, she felt like she only knew how to write stories. Aside from her royal title, she felt rather ordinary.
"It's good for business, but they practically live in the store now. The place is packed, and the shelves are constantly empty," Annie said, exasperated. She was learning for the first time that when women go shopping, men don't stand a chance. Those noble ladies were like a stubborn force of nature; they didn't even use harsh words, they just occupied the space and refused to leave.
"Don't worry. The Master will be back soon. Once he returns and holds the meetings, they'll have to settle down," Nicole comforted her. She knew that the stock wasn't actually low—they were accumulating inventory. Lucas was heating the market, creating an illusion of scarcity so that when they eventually released goods in bulk, the prices wouldn't plummet.
"I wonder where he is now?" Annie sighed, resting her chin in her hands, her motivation to work on administration completely evaporated.
Ten days ago, news of the first victory had arrived, leaving her so excited she couldn't sleep. Six days ago, the prisoners were received—the knights were sent to the mines, and the nobles were locked up. Then, four days ago, another victory: the Fourth Prince had been captured. Since that day, everyone in Sedona City had become remarkably well-behaved. Every noble in the Western Lands who could make the trip had swarmed into the city.
Nowadays, if you accidentally stepped on someone's foot in the street, there was a good chance they were a City Lord. And instead of getting angry, they'd likely be polite and humble, terrified of offending anyone in the castle or drawing Lucas's ire. By taking Liberty City and capturing a Prince, Lucas's prestige had reached its zenith.
"Soon. He should be back in a day or two," Nicole said softly.
"I don't want to do paperwork anymore." Annie closed her notebook and leaned back, looking limp. She gazed at the smiling Nicole and noticed her friend was becoming more and more beautiful. The youthful innocence in her face was being replaced by a sophisticated, intellectual charm—like a wise, beautiful woman.
"Why are you staring at me?" Nicole touched her face. "Is there something on me?"
"Nicole, you're getting so pretty," Annie grumbled, looking down at her own chest and sighing in frustration.
"Annie, you're beautiful too," Nicole giggled, knowing exactly what the fox girl was thinking.
"..." Lucy rolled her eyes. Are these two just going to compliment each other all day?
"Nicole, let's play cards. Where's Florence?" Annie asked, stretching.
"She probably went out to play." Nicole used a sticky note to mark her place in the ledger and stood up. "Let's skip cards. I was planning to make some cosmetics. Do you want to come?"
"Cosmetics? What are those?" Annie asked, confused.
"Things that make women even more beautiful," Nicole laughed. Lucas had explained the concepts to her during the winter, and she had meticulously recorded everything and gathered the ingredients. She would have started sooner if the war hadn't broken out.
"Make us more beautiful?" Annie and Lucy's eyes lit up simultaneously. "What exactly is it?"
"Come on, we haven't finished them yet. Let's go and try," Nicole said, leading the way.
"Hurry, hurry!" Annie was even more impatient than Nicole, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. Lucy followed with a smile, her eyes full of expectation. No woman is indifferent to beauty.
They headed to Nicole's private workshop inside the castle. This was where the high-end perfumes for the castle were made—far superior to the mass-produced versions sold outside. Even Annie's limited-edition lollipops were crafted here. If anyone in the castle had learned the most from Lucas, it was Nicole.
Creak…
Nicole led them inside and closed the door behind them.
"Isn't this where we made the perfume?" Annie asked.
"I'm in charge here now," Nicole said with a smile. She walked to a workbench covered in various bottles and jars.
"Nicole! Are those lollipops over there the new limited edition?" Annie's sharp eyes spotted some candy inside a glass display case.
"Yes," Nicole replied casually.
"Can I just... look at one?" Annie swallowed hard, her fox tail swishing with desire.
"No." Nicole refused immediately. If she let the fox girl touch them, they'd never be seen again. "Master's orders. Now come here, don't you want to see how the cosmetics are made?"
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200 power stones.
Top 100. All time.