The Past Life of the Arrogant Archduke - Chapter 31

Yulia was waiting for the butler in the Grand Duchess’s office. It had been a tiring day, having had to greet and exchange formalities with unfamiliar people according to proper etiquette since morning.

Still, after drinking some holy water, the tension in her shoulders eased, and vitality returned to her body. With all the attendants dismissed and only Nanny Sophie remaining, her tone naturally became more casual.

“Khhhh~ Nanny, you should try some too. Drinking this feels like I’ve come back to life.”

“Oh my, how could I possibly drink something so precious? What a waste. And now that you’re the Grand Duchess, you should be speaking more elegantly.”

Yulia rolled her eyes.

‘I’ve been chugging this precious stuff every night like water…’

It hadn’t even been that long since she became the Grand Duchess, and yet she was already becoming accustomed to luxury.

‘Maybe I should start using it more sparingly from now on…’

But that moment of reflection passed quickly.

“Come on, just try it once. It’s really that good!”

Whining playfully, Yulia succeeded in getting the nanny to drink some holy water. Watching Sophie widen her eyes in amazement at the refreshing taste and effectiveness of the holy water gave Yulia a sense of satisfaction, as if she were doing a good deed for her elder.

“By the way, are you sure you’ll be all right?”

“Hm? About what?”

“Managing internal affairs isn’t easy.”

The Empress’s support had been neither generous nor lacking. It had been just enough to cover living expenses and basic education, but not enough for a high-level education.

Yulia had picked up some things here and there from attending parties.

“This time, my father brought in a famous internal administration professor from the capital. He said that to run a great household in the future, I needed to learn this kind of thing.”

“I’ve been told to learn from Madam Bard, as she had once served as head lady-in-waiting in the Imperial Palace.”

Recalling the young ladies who used to compete to become Grand Duchess, Yulia felt a small pang of guilt. They must have worked so hard to receive that education.

“Well, I’ll figure it out somehow, right?”

Yulia’s voice was so carefree that Sophie couldn’t help but laugh. Even after getting married, how could she still be such a child?

“Madam, it’s Sebastian.”

As the butler arrived and the lesson began, the mood in the room started to shift. It was because Yulia grasped the key points so quickly and even suggested improvements on the spot.

Yulia’s eyes grew sharper and clearer, and a deep smile spread across her face.

‘This is exactly the same as what I used to do in my past life, isn’t it?’

In her previous life, Yulia had been a game planning and development professional. She had been part of the founding team for a popular game praised as a medieval blend of The S*ms and C*vliz*tion.

No wonder she had quickly regained her memories and adjusted so well.

‘Or maybe this was also arranged by the Goddess? Wow. Truly an incredible Goddess.’

For Yulia, who had essentially created worlds as a game planner, managing the internal affairs of the Grand Duchy was easy.

On top of that, with well-organized documents in hand, understanding the politics, economy, and culture of the northern region was not difficult.

Above all else, it was fun.

Unlike her past life, this medieval fantasy world lacked much in the way of entertainment. But now, the world she had only ever implemented within a computer was becoming reality at her touch. How could that not be fun?

Yulia’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Chrrrrr. She spread the documents out and sorted them by importance. She skimmed through the complex budget and tax reports and made charts by category to visualize everything at a glance.

Next, she moved on to the most important responsibility of the Grand Duchess—documents concerning expeditions during the monster swarm seasons.

In the North, the Grand Duchy’s knights are stationed year-round at the barrier. Twice a year, all the knights of the noble houses gather to venture beyond the barrier and reduce the monster population.

It was tradition for the northern nobles and the Grand Duke to always lead the charge.

In modern terms, the ladies of the house served as logistics officers. The Grand Duchess’s role was to finalize and coordinate everything.

It was a role that required a high degree of political awareness. The butler had planned to explain the complex inter-house relationships, but found no need.

Yulia was already proceeding efficiently just by reviewing past records.