Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

For the cultured young ladies of Sea Blue City, they appeared fragile and ignorant before marriage, evoking pity, and were as beautifully delicate as artificial flowers arranged in a tall celadon vase.

But upon getting married, they transformed into the respected mistress of the household: managing the servants with impeccable order, ensuring the living room, study, bedroom, and the master's attire were spotless, and also guaranteeing the kitchen could provide decent food, among other things.

Could marriage really possess such magic to turn an ignorant girl into a competent mistress overnight?

Of course, that was impossible.

In truth, the pretense of premarital ignorance was merely a disguise. In that era, every well-born woman had received extensive training before reaching the age suitable for marriage, in order to take on the duties of a mistress in the future.

From a young age, they followed their mothers, learning through observation and participation how to manage an entire estate. When they got married, they would bring along servants, dowries, and sufficient capabilities to take over another household.

The gentlemen thought women were weak and ignorant, while the ladies cleverly used this to their advantage, manipulating the men, a little secret among ladies unknown to the gentlemen.

The deceived men should blame society, for after all, it was society that set the unified goal for unmarried ladies to find a husband of equal social status.

The Navarre family was naturally the same, and like every respectable family in Sea Blue City, Anna Navarre had been raised by her mother from an early age to become an excellent wife and mistress.

Indeed, compared to ordinary noble ladies, Lady Navarre held even higher expectations for her eldest daughter.

An ordinary noble lady would bear offspring after marriage, raise children, and manage everything inside the house quite well.

But that was all. Matters outside of family life were deemed the responsibility of the gentlemen and were not to be meddled with by the ladies.

For a lady, working outside like a man was considered highly improper, attracting criticism and gossip from all around, unless... unless she was a widow.

And as a respectable widow, Lady Navarre not only expected her eldest daughter to become a qualified mistress, but she also hoped Anna would possess a business acumen superior to that of men, capable of assuming responsibilities traditionally not expected of women, and someday take over the management of Navarre Commerce—ensuring the property would not be lost due to an incompetent heir.

So every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon, when Lady Navarre came to the large office of Navarre Commerce to work, Anna would sit quietly beside her mother's large peach wood desk, using a small knife to help her mother open one letter after another, assisting Lady Navarre in checking the accounts, listening to reports from employees, and silently observing her mother's decision-making process.

"Mr. Lodovico," Lady Navarre asked in a gentle and magnetic tone, unhurriedly, "Could you explain why, despite my written orders two months ago, to this day you have not even reached half the planned purchase volume?"

The chair of the employee was two meters away from Lady Navarre's desk, located in the very center of this spacious office. The chair was not comfortable to sit in, completely exposed at the front and with nothing around it, the whole office arranged in such a way that the person sitting there felt completely seen through.

However, the middle-aged man sitting opposite Lady Navarre did not display the same discomfort and nervousness as the younger employees. He sat upright, holding his hat in hand; his hair, threaded with strands of silver, was meticulously groomed.

Lodovico answered calmly, "Madam, the prices of sulfur, saltpeter, lead, and iron are climbing, and many competitors are vying with us for supplies on the market. Our current stock is the result of our best efforts to procure these materials. Moreover, if we were to fulfill the quantity you requested at the current prices, it would deplete most of the liquid assets on our balance sheet. Our main focus is not these bulk goods, and I cannot agree to your speculative actions."

"Your points are well-made," Lady Navarre nodded with approval on her face, tapping the bell on her desk. The maid waiting outside the office door came in.

"Summon all the senior partners here," Lady Navarre ordered in a clear voice.

The maid nodded and then closed the door.

Anna faintly sensed a change in the atmosphere, growing more solemn. Lodovico's soft hat was now misshapen in his hand, but he still maintained an air of composure, his face as calm as ever. Find adventures on empire

The senior partners above the level of head of Navarre Commerce filed in, silently communicating with their eyes, roughly forming a line, with only Lodovico remaining seated.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Lady Navarre nodded as a greeting.

The senior partners also touched their hats to their chests and bowed in response.

"Now that everyone is assembled, Mr. Lodovico can explain these two sets of ledgers for us," Lady Navarre said as she took out two ledgers with black covers from the drawer.

Upon seeing the two ledgers, Lodovico's face turned ashen, and he fell silent, bowing his head.

The senior partners were all experienced businessmen; they immediately knew what was up when they heard about the sets of ledgers. The office fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop, everyone holding their breath and listening intently to what Lady Navarre would say next.