By the time I reached the dining room, the sun was already beginning to set.
Near the entrance stood the head chef, visibly tense, with several unfamiliar NPCs gathered beside him.
Judging by their uniforms, they appeared to be part of the kitchen staff.
“F-For what reason have you called us…?”
The head chef asked nervously, still uncertain of my intentions.
“It’s about the basement, to begin with.”
At my words, his shoulders flinched slightly.
I softened my tone, careful not to alarm him.
“Of course, I’m not saying there’s been zero negligence in maintenance, but strictly speaking, the basement itself doesn’t seem like a suitable environment for storing food.”
“How so…?”
“Mold, humidity, no ventilation. Other than being cool, it fails almost every standard for proper food storage.”
I figured this was a good moment to bring up something I’d been curious about.
“What did you think, Head Chef?”
“It was perfectly fine the last time I checked. But ever since Miss Windsor pointed it out… ‘something’ feels off.”
“What exactly felt off?”
“Well, it’s just… I can’t explain it. It shouldn’t be like this, … uugh.”
The head chef tried to put it into words, but eventually just clutched his head and lowered it in frustration.
In other words, he couldn’t quite identify what was wrong, right?
Once I had a grasp on the situation, I gave a gentle nod, keeping a kind expression on my face.
“These things happen.”
“Still, serving food with hair in it is utterly unacceptable for the head chef of House Belmond. I believe I must take full responsibility and…”
“No! Stop right there!”
Clap!
I clapped my hands, drawing everyone’s gaze(?), and spoke in a firm, serious tone.
“What I’ve realized… is that all of you are overworked.”
Overworked?
Aside from the head maid, the NPCs tilted their heads as if they were hearing the word for the first time.
“Yes, overworked. I heard you only get two hours of rest a day. And there’s no shift system in place either, right?”
“W-Well, that’s true, but… as proud servants of House Belmond…”
Ah, so that’s the angle they’re going with.
“No, seriously. Think about it. You’re clearly overworked.”
“Guh… ngh…”
“Right? Let’s just look at the facts. There are 24 hours in a day. You work 22 of them. That’s overwork, isn’t it?”
“…Yes. It is. We are, in fact, overworked.”
Victory, once again.
Having effectively silenced the head chef, I turned to the rest of the kitchen staff—head maid included—and continued.
“So, here’s what I propose: let’s just clear out the basement.”
The awful stench… that whole censored disaster of a space flashed through my mind again, and I steeled myself.
There was no way I could eat anything made with ingredients stored in a place like that.
“U-Understood.”
In the end, the head chef and the rest of the NPCs reluctantly agreed.
At least now, with the “Improve the Food Storage and Supply System” task from the renovation list underway, the food storage has already been handled. Which meant the only thing left was that ridiculous “food supply system.”
According to the system tip, this quest could be completed by spending currency directly.
A regular player might hesitate to use something as valuable as diamonds for that.
But thanks to the generous starter pack I received from the Beta Tester Exclusive Special Package, it honestly didn’t feel like a big deal.
“And to be honest, up until now, the meals you’ve made have been a bit… well, um…”
I hesitated, glancing at the head chef before finishing.
Frankly, I was a little worried he might have a complete mental breakdown like the head maid—and throw himself out the window or something.
Seriously, the dev team might’ve gone way too far with how detailed these NPC personalities are.
Anyway!
“I believe the key to delicious food is using fresh, high-quality ingredients. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Y-Yes…”
A lukewarm response.
I found myself glancing out the window again.
The sky, tinged with deep red, was starting to darken—it would be night soon. And yet…
Thud.
I dragged a chair over from the table and sat down firmly in front of them.
“First, I think we need to have a proper discussion about the problems I’ve noticed.”
“R-Right now…?”
“Yes.”
“But, it’s quite late…”
The head chef clearly wasn’t eager to keep talking.
So, I decided to nudge his sense of professional pride—just a little.
“Hm? Are you saying you don’t agree with my philosophy—that a true chef should strive to create delicious food anytime, anywhere, regardless of space or time?”
“Ugh!”
He let out a pained grunt, clutching his chest as if I’d struck a nerve.
Then, after a moment…
“Very well. In that case… I, too, shall listen carefully to Miss Windsor’s insights.”
See? That’s all it took. Honestly, I’m tired too, you know!
“Alright then. Let’s begin.”
I straightened up in my chair as the head chef followed suit and began calmly listing out each issue I’d noticed so far.
* * *
The next morning.
Still half-asleep, I managed to wash up and followed the head maid to the door leading outside.
A few other maids trailed behind, each carrying a large sack.
‘Come to think of it, aside from the first day, I hadn’t actually stepped outside the estate.’
I remembered it being rather bleak.
And sure enough, once I stepped out, the scenery wasn’t much different from what I remembered.
Shhhhhh—
The first thing I noticed was a strangely eerie sound that clung to my ears.
Beyond the stone walls, everything was shrouded in thick fog—it was impossible to make out what lay beyond.
Most of the buildings were draped in creeping ivy, and what must once have been a grand garden was now littered with cracked, neglected decorations that hadn’t felt a human touch in ages.
“Yaaaawn…”
I let out a loud yawn and turned my head away. I really didn’t have the energy to care about those kinds of details right now.
After that long discussion last night, I’d spent the rest of the night combing through the cash shop for materials needed for repairs. I hadn’t gotten any proper sleep at all.
However…
‘Were there always this many servants?’
In the center of the garden, a crowd of faceless NPCs had gathered in a tight cluster.
Just by eyeballing it, there had to be over a hundred of them.
Maybe it was because I’d told the head maid—right before bed—to gather as many hired workers as possible for today’s operation, but it looked like she had summoned everyone.
Just as I was about to begin, one NPC cautiously raised their voice and asked,
“Um, pardon me… but may I ask why His Grace the Duke’s fiancée has called us here…?”
Fair enough. For the long-time staff of the ducal estate, it probably felt strange, maybe even unsettling, to be suddenly summoned by the duke’s betrothed.
“Well, I’m not sure if you’re all aware…”
I gave him a polite smile, cleared my throat, and began.
“This castle is an absolute disaster.”
Dun-dun!
If this were a real game, I swear a dramatic sound effect would’ve played right then.
A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd at my sudden declaration.
“W-What do you mean, a disaster?”
“The ducal castle we’ve maintained for generations…?!”
“That’s impossible! We’ve all poured so much effort into caring for this place!”
As expected, the reaction was immediate.
But two people remained silent, choosing not to join the others in protest.
It was the head maid and the head chef.
No doubt, it was thanks to last night’s long discussion, which had stretched late into the evening and forced them to confront reality head-on.
Not knowing wasn’t a crime, but recognizing a problem and still refusing to fix it was as good as a sin.
The one pretending to work despite having no chickens and no feed.
The gardener was wandering aimlessly without even basic tools.
And the stablehand was standing silently in an empty, soundless stable.
Considering their excessive working hours, this wasn’t just inefficient—it was downright absurd!
[▶ Take Care of Belmond Ducal Castle!
Due to years of neglect, the Belmond Ducal Castle has fallen into disrepair.
As the future lady of the household, inspect the estate and carry out the necessary improvements to restore it to its former glory!
— Improvement List
∙ Improve the food storage and supply system (in progress)
∙ Improve Servant Working Conditions
∙ Renovation of Castle Interior]
Yeah, no matter how I looked at it, this whole situation clearly needed a complete overhaul.
And who knows? Maybe this was some kind of hidden event, only accessible to beta testers like me.
I was already doing it, so I thought, might as well commit and do it right.
“So first, I’m planning to categorize the job types.”
“Job… types, Miss?”
“Head Maid, have you prepared the classification list for the servants?”
“Yes, Miss Windsor.”
The documents the head maid handed me were smudged, the writing faint, and the names so blurred I couldn’t make out a single one.
Not that it really mattered—I had a handy little feature that could read them aloud for me anyway.
“All right then, please call out the names of those classified as ‘field workers.’”
“Understood.”
A few NPCs stepped forward in response to the head maid’s call.
While that was happening, I reached into the large sack the maids had carried over—yes, the one packed with items I bought from the cash shop yesterday—and pulled out a set of tools.
[HappyPlant Gardening Shovel & Hoe Set – 100 Diamonds]
∙ Shovel: A gardening tool specialized for plant cultivation. Designed with a precision-curved blade to reduce wrist strain, it makes digging and removing tough roots smooth and effortless.
∙ Hoe: Crafted from durable materials and fitted with an ergonomic handle for long-term use. Ideal for planting saplings and, if necessary, discreetly burying evidence of crimes.
The total number of field workers was 84.
And my current funds? A mere 9,550 diamonds. The hit to my wallet was absolutely brutal.
※ Buy 50 or more HappyPlant Gardening Tool Sets to receive a 30% bulk discount!
Thanks to that, I managed to get everything for just 5,880 diamonds.
Sniff sniff. Thank goodness the discount applied. Truly.
“Take one each.”
“?!”
“We’re heading out to plow the fields now.”
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