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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

A Summons Arrives

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

Two years have flown by since the debutante ball.

Plenty happened in the meantime, but looking back, every single day was full, satisfying, and genuinely fun.

First, there was the patchwork project.

Compared to our previous food-based ventures, the demand for this one grew at a much gentler pace. We did a month-long trial sale in the Royal Capital to gauge the market, and things seemed to simmer along so quietly that I figured we'd have more than enough time to build up a comfortable stock. But that illusion didn't last long.

Whether someone gave us a massive promotional boost or an ultra-wealthy patron decided to buy out the entire inventory, I have no idea. But from one specific day onward, the items began flying off the shelves at an absolutely staggering velocity.

The handicraft squad alone couldn't possibly keep up with the volume, so we had to resort to human-wave tactics, bringing in several local workshops to help us ride out the surge. Some of those workshops had been struggling financially and actually asked to transition into dedicated patchwork facilities. Today, the handicraft squad members act as team leaders, overseeing production and training the new workers.

Things have finally settled down now, and we’ve even launched a line of quilted patchwork blankets stuffed with cotton batting.

***

By winter of that same year, the construction of Newtown was entirely complete.

The streets had completely shed their dark, rancid atmosphere, transforming into a beautiful thoroughfare that perfectly matched its new name.

The various departments of the Azenda Trading Company, which had been crammed into borrowed rooms at the church and the fortress, moved into their brand-new, combined workshop and corporate headquarters. Operations began smoothly, and everything got off to a fantastic start.

The extra storefronts and workshops we built to help revitalize the local economy are now packed with young guild presidents and master artisans, filling the area with vibrant energy. If you weren't told, you’d never guess this place used to be a slum.

***

The school's operation is also progressing beautifully.

The curriculum focuses primarily on basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, alongside fundamental business skills like bookkeeping.

The students who successfully completed the one-year course seem to be putting what they learned to excellent use in their daily work. As word of mouth and personal recommendations spread, the student enrollment has been steadily and reliably climbing.

However, since everyone comes here purely to gain practical skills for their work and everyday lives, offering anything beyond that is quite difficult at this stage. I can safely predict that even if we provided higher-level courses, the locals wouldn't see the need for them yet.

Therefore, my plan is to maintain the current system for a few years to raise the overall literacy rate of the entire territory. Once a solid foundation for learning has taken root, I'll start thinking about establishing a formal academy. For now, the exact details of that curriculum are still just early concepts in my head.

***

The following year was less about launching new ventures and more about solidifying the foundations of the businesses we had already established. We poured our energy into ensuring these projects wouldn't be fleeting trends, but would take root as permanent local industries.

That said, since I left almost everything in the capable hands of the trading company staff, the amount of actual work I had to do dropped significantly. My role mostly shifted to listening to progress updates during meetings, organizing everyone's thoughts, and suggesting improvements.

Of course, I made sure to carefully review the financial statements, and I still occasionally go on site visits or help out with product development.

***

With more free time on my hands, I turned my attention to the gaps in my education. Just to be safe, I sat down with Claude to review the academic material covered at the Royal Academy. He judged my progress to be more than sufficient, which allowed me to redirect my focus toward the practical side of the arts, as well as the specific administrative and etiquette skills required of the high nobility.

Dean joined me for the art lessons, while Lily joined us for the administration and etiquette training.

My dancing has improved considerably, and my skills with musical instruments and painting are passable.

As for the administration and etiquette lessons, Lily is a baron's daughter and at an marriageable age. ...Actually, by the standards of this continent, she already has one foot firmly in the "left on the shelf" category.

Since Lily had taken a job early on to support her family and pay for her brothers' schooling, these lessons were a mix of review and extra training to ensure she wouldn't struggle whenever she eventually marries.

(Hmm. Lily is the same age as Uncle Claude, which makes her twenty-three this year... Around here, she's reaching the point where not being married is a bit of a problem...)

Back on Earth, I'd yell that twenty-three is incredibly young, but this is a different world. When she first came to work in the territory, she said she was doing it for her family and her brothers' education... but now, between the money she’s sent home and the general economic boom, her family’s barony has apparently recovered.

Even if she marries, her personal income shouldn't be an issue anymore. In a world where marriage is considered the default path, does she really intend to stay single forever...?

It’s not that I want to be an annoying meddler. But... if I don't give her opportunities to meet people or show some consideration for her future, I feel like I'm failing in my duties as her lady.

Then again, I am acutely aware of how hypocritical it is for me to interfere. Everyone has their own circumstances and personal feelings.

After all, my past self lived much, much longer than Lily without ever getting married. I hardly have the right to lecture anyone.

(Maybe she feels like she can't leave me alone, either.)

***

「...Why the long face, my lady?」

Seeking a bit of a distraction, I had traveled to the town of Crux today. Dean was busy studying and Lily was on a day off, so I only brought Gai along.

Setting aside whether it would ever become a viable product, I wanted to get my hands on some kelp broth, so I had come to ask the local fishermen about seaweeds. I'd be absolutely thrilled if I could find some wakame or nori while I was at it. Since eating seaweed isn't a custom here, the fishermen promised to keep an eye out for anything that looked edible.

Once I finished my inquiries, I happened to bump into Yugo, who was visiting the local guardhouse, and we ended up sitting down for some tea. Since he was unusually alone without Ethan, I asked and found out he was on vacation today as well.

Naturally, Gai joined us at the table... actually, whenever we are outside the manor, I make it a rule to have Dean and Lily share a table with me too. My lingering Japanese sensibilities just make me feel restless otherwise.

At first, Dean and Lily had strictly refused, but they were no match for my dejected puppy-dog eyes and eventually let themselves be swept along by the routine.

Yugo, who is technically from a count's family, initially blinked his hazel eyes in surprise at the sight of a guard casually pulling up a chair at our table. However, perhaps because he already understood my personality—knowing that I view these relationships more as friendships than rigid master-servant bonds—he accepted it without a word. It goes without saying that both Gai and I know exactly how to behave appropriately depending on the time and place.

「I was just doing a bit of thinking regarding Lily's marriage prospects...」

Hearing their young lady sigh and mutter a sentence that sounded entirely unsuited for a child, Yugo and Gai exchanged a look.

「Ah—well, Miss Lily is getting to that age where it's a bit of a ticking clock, isn't it?」

「The young lady-in-waiting has a lovely disposition, though. I would imagine there are plenty of knights eyeing her as a potential match,」 Yugo remarked.

「I certainly hope so.」

Unfortunately, the three individuals currently sitting at this table consisted entirely of people who were either currently unmarried or had lived past the prime marriageable age as singles in their past lives.

Hearing his lady voice her unconvinced doubts, Gai let out a strange, muffled chuckle.

「Honestly, my lady, aren't you the one who has the bigger problem here?」

「I am only eight years old, you know.」

As I knitted my brows at Gai, Yugo let out a sigh, his brows drooping into a troubled look as he remembered the collateral damage he had suffered.

「...Please, just don't bring up my name anymore, alright?」

When we were seeing off my father and brother, I had mentioned half-jokingly that Victor had a plan to act as a provisional fiancé to serve as a shield against the Royal Family. Later on, when Servas and Claude cornered Victor with absolute zero, bone-chilling glares, Victor quickly deflected by blurting out, "It seems Lady Magnolia prefers Lord Ducas!" and threw Yugo under the carriage.

Claude aside, my grandfather was entirely consumed by raw jealousy. Under the guise of "training," the doting grandfather proceeded to ruthlessly put Yugo through the ringer for quite some time. It had been brutal.

「What a shame, my lady,」 Gai teased.

「Truly,」 I chimed in. 「Lord Ducas is the absolute ideal candidate.」

As the two of us joked about how I had been rejected, Yugo simply shrugged his shoulders.

「The daughter of the House of Gilmore is far too heavy a burden for a humble, middle-aged second son of a count family... Though if I were about twenty-five years younger, I would gladly beg for the honor.」

「If you were twenty-five years younger, that would cross into some very dangerous territory, so please don't say that out loud,」 I replied, shrugging in turn.

「I could always introduce you to my nephew, if you’d like.」

「...No thank you, my conscience wouldn't survive it.」

He offered up his nephew, who is seven years older than me, but I shot the idea down instantly.

After all, on the inside, I am a grown woman in her thirties. In my mind, I am in Yugo’s age bracket.

(That would feel way too close to a crime...)

Physically speaking, a boy closer to my age would be less problematic, but it was an issue of my own psychological comfort. It seemed I didn't possess any hidden inner traits of a cradle-snatcher.

「Well, the inside of your head is basically an old man anyway, my lady,」 Gai remarked.

「...If anything, the gender is completely wrong there, don't you think?」

Faced with a master and servant whose level of seriousness was always impossible to gauge, Yugo took a sip of his tea with a wry smile.

***

When we returned to the manor, Servas and Claude were sitting in the study with incredibly grim expressions.

「...You're back, Magnolia.」

「Did something happen?」

The two men exchanged a glance and let out a small, synchronized sigh.

「Another letter has arrived from the Royal Palace.」

News of my debutante ball had spread like wildfire among the nobility of the Ascald Kingdom. A hidden daughter tucked away within the Gilmore family and a debut at age six made for sensational gossip.

For the time being, we had stuck to the original plan: the official story was that I had a frail constitution and was living in the countryside where the air was clean.

As for my numerous achievements—which the public initially assumed were wild exaggerations—they began to be recognized as fact once foreign nations started sending official inquiries and a steady stream of formal letters of gratitude arrived for my cure for Sailing Sickness.

Naturally, this meant the Royal Family would want to see what kind of girl I really was. Their motives required no explanation.

Time and again, Servas and Claude had been ordered to bring me to court, but they had always deflected by claiming my health wasn't fully recovered.

When the palace suggested a simple luncheon or a tea party instead, they continued to decline, citing sudden illness or scheduling conflicts with territorial business. Of course, the palace likely suspected that someone supposedly frail enough to be bedridden shouldn't be actively running industrial enterprises.

(I mean, it *is* a fake illness...)

「Wait...」

I tilted my head slightly as I noticed the wax seal. The color and the coat of arms were entirely different from the usual correspondence.

Servas explained, his expression dripping with bitterness.

「It's a formal summons. Honestly, the nerve of them, sending such a thing to a young child...!」

A summons?

I stared intently at the envelope, chilled by the ominous word. ...Did they finally lose their patience because we kept ignoring their invitations?

「Oh... so they're playing hardball?」

Compelling force.

The words flashed through my mind and vanished just as quickly.

(For some reason, I have an absolute premonition of impending disaster...)

*****

The long-awaited school arc is here: 2-bit villainess, condemnation, reverse harem entourage...or perhaps nothing happens at all.

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