I Am the True Lady of This House
What used to wake the Black Mane Mountain Stronghold each morning was no longer the chirping of mountain birds or the rough, throaty calls of bandits rousing themselves.
Jingle. Jingle. Jingle. The crisp, metallic clash of heavy steel and brass rang out—an utterly authoritative sound. The moment it echoed down the corridor, every bandit who had been dozing against the wall snapped upright as if lightning had struck their spine.
Today’s Veronica was different. She wore a deep navy dress embroidered with the kind of silver thread one would only see in the imperial palace. At her elegant waist hung the bundle of keys Rodin had bestowed upon her yesterday—the unmistakable symbol of power. With every step, dozens of keys danced and clattered like a metallic war cry.
It was not mere noise. It was the ruler’s declaration, the sound that controlled the stronghold’s food stores, funds, reserves, and even Rodin’s secret emergency stash.
“Good morning, Lady of the House!”
“Good morning, Chief Administrator! I mean—Lady of the House!”
The bandits standing guard along the corridor bowed so deeply their foreheads nearly scraped the floor. Veronica lifted her chin with regal grace and gave a delicate wave.
“My, you’re all up early. Today I’ll be conducting a thorough inspection of Food Warehouse Section Three. If I find even a single speck of dust…” She smiled sweetly. “You know what happens, don’t you?”
“Eek! We’ll clean it right away!”
The bandits snatched up brooms and fled screaming before her skirt had even brushed past them. Veronica didn’t bother hiding the satisfied smile blooming on her lips. The pathetic sense of inferiority that had plagued her yesterday had vanished without a trace.
Nine-circle magic? Sacred healing? Those things were invisible here. In this stronghold, the most powerful force of all was the jingling sound of money and food supplies.
The dining hall was wrapped in an atmosphere three times heavier than usual. Veronica, proudly wearing the bundle of safe keys Rodin had granted her yesterday at her waist, lifted her teacup with refined elegance. Across from her, Lize and Ivona’s eyes darted back and forth, helplessly tracking every jingle of those keys.
These were the same two women who had once dismissed Veronica as nothing more than a “backroom princess.” Today, however, their faces had gone deathly pale.
“Lord Rodin, no matter how I think about it, shouldn’t someone with real strength like me carry those heavy keys instead of a delicate princess? The Saintess’s arm is quite sturdy, blessed by the Lord’s grace.” Ivona fiddled with her fork and offered a servile smile.
“I agree completely,” Lize added, setting her teacup down with a sharp clack. “Entrusting a magically reinforced safe to an ordinary person with zero mana? As someone who embodies the pinnacle of efficiency, I cannot possibly accept this decision.”
But Rodin, seated at the head of the table and devouring a mountain of meat, didn’t even glance their way.
“It’s bothersome this early in the morning. I already told you yesterday. It’s decided, so stop complaining.”
“But Rodin—!”
“Shut up. Can’t you focus on eating?”
At Rodin’s indifferent remark, both women’s mouths snapped shut. Veronica didn’t miss the opening. She smiled sweetly and drove the point home.
“I understand how you both feel. But Lord Rodin entrusted this to me because he believes in my abilities. Isn’t that right?”
Rodin nodded lazily while stripping meat from a bone. “Yeah. At least you can calculate meal costs properly. These two just consume everything in sight.”
“Meal costs?! Do you have any idea how much research funding I brought in from the Empire’s Magic Tower?!”
“Dear Lord! Do you think a Saintess’s prayers come for free? This is religious oppression!”
“If it doesn’t go straight into my account right now, it’s all just a food parasite. Shut up and eat your rice.”
Rodin’s brutal honesty left both women frozen like statues. Veronica gave her key ring another deliberate jingle and added with elegant finality, “You heard him. From today onward, I will personally review all menu planning and budget execution. Keep that in mind. Oh, and the reduced meat portions today are not your imagination.”
Ivona’s face instantly collapsed into pure despair.
After the meal, Rodin stretched and rose from his seat. He was heading outside for a peaceful nap when Lize stepped boldly into his path.
“Tell me, Rodin! What exactly is so great about that woman who was chased out of the palace with nowhere left to go? She can’t use magic, she has no divine power—she’s nothing but a pretty piece of baggage!”
“I’m useful to you! Don’t you understand how valuable it is to have a 9-circle archmage at your side? If the imperial knights attack, one spell from me would—”
Lize slammed her spoon down, eyes flashing with indignation. She simply could not accept that her overwhelming firepower had lost to a mere ledger.
Rodin set his bowl down and regarded her with a blank stare.
“Lize. Your magic looks impressive, but the cost-performance ratio is terrible.”
“Cost-performance?!”
“Yeah. Last time you dropped that meteor, the princess spent an entire week recovering from the cost of restoring the burned forest. All our fertilizer money went to repairs. What actually helps me isn’t the meteor—it’s the princess’s ledger that somehow finds a way to pay for it.”
Ivona jumped in. “Then what about my sacred prayers?! What about my blessings that can revive even dying cabbages?!”
“You? Every single prayer of yours is followed by three steaks. Pray for an hour and eat a kilogram of meat? That’s not a blessing, it’s just wasting food money. Zero efficiency.”
Rodin’s cold analysis sliced through their pride like a razor. Meanwhile, Veronica sipped her tea with elegant poise, quietly humming a little victory tune. It was the moment she confirmed, once again, that she was Rodin’s irreplaceable life partner.
In Rodin’s eyes, Veronica was the massive fortress that protected his peace. Even if her combat strength was zero, every living thing in this stronghold survived because of the pen in her hand.
The instant Rodin left for the fields, the living room’s atmosphere reorganized itself entirely around Veronica.
“Lady of the House! Please approve this month’s stronghold maintenance costs and alcohol budget!”
Vice-leader Dagan came running with the ledger, wagging like an eager puppy. Veronica slammed the key bundle onto the table with a heavy thud and sank into her chair.
“The alcohol expenses are far too high, Dagan. Drunken bandits interfere with field work. Cut it by ten percent. In exchange, double the budget for the highest-grade fertilizer Rodin likes.”
“Ooh! As expected, you see straight through the boss’s heart! Only the true Lady of the House could do that!”
At Dagan’s praise, Veronica gave a graceful nod. From the side, Lize approached, trembling with frustration.
“Um… I need to purchase some mana stones for amplification… Could I have some budget…?”
Veronica took a slow sip of tea while staring at her. “Lady Lize, you heard Rodin call you a parasite yesterday, didn’t you? Write a five-page proposal explaining exactly how those expensive mana stones will improve our stronghold’s productivity. If there’s no clear profit structure, I cannot approve the purchase.”
“A p-proposal?! I’m the greatest Magic Tower Master on the continent!”
“This isn’t the empire. This is Rodin’s stronghold. Oh, and Lady Ivona—if you need more meat in your budget, please bring proof that you worked the fields for three full hours. The Lord himself said that those who do not work should not eat, didn’t he?”
“Dear Lord! This is religious oppression! Forcing a Saintess to shovel dirt!”
Ivona shrieked, but Veronica didn’t even blink. “If you dislike it, go speak to Rodin directly. Though he’s extremely sensitive right now because he’s pulling weeds… If you disturb him, you might get a taste of his pickaxe. Still want to try?”
In the end, both women bit their lips and trudged toward the fields. Veronica watched their retreating backs and savored the refreshing feeling of sweet victory.
Under the midday sun in the cabbage field, Rodin was carefully tending the soil, sweat glistening on his skin. Veronica sat beside him beneath a luxurious parasol, reviewing the ledger. She occasionally passed him cool honey water with ice cubes.
Watching the line of his jaw as he drank, she let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
“Those women are working better than I expected. As expected, I have an excellent eye for talent. The hot spring water has become crystal clear now that the mage is cleaning it.”
“Yeah. They should’ve started doing this sooner. The stronghold’s finally quiet. No more pestering for food.”
Rodin wiped his sweat with a towel. His expression looked far more relaxed than usual.
“I’ll make it even quieter from now on. You just keep cherishing your cabbages like this. And me, of course.” Veronica whispered, lightly grasping his arm.
Rodin let out a short, bothered laugh but didn’t pull away. “Sure. Without you I’d starve or get buried under tax bombs and end up on the street. So don’t even think about running off.”
That blunt statement sounded sweeter to Veronica than any serenade in the world. There could be no stronger confession than the words I need you.
She rubbed her cheek against his arm and made a silent vow. She would crush anything that threatened this man’s peace beneath the weight of her ledgers and coins.
That evening, the atmosphere at the stronghold’s banquet was noticeably different. The seat right beside Rodin—the so-called “main wife’s position”—had become Veronica’s without question.
Lize and Ivona sat farther away than usual, tearfully accepting each precious piece of meat Veronica distributed.
“Everyone! Let us raise our glasses to the true power of our stronghold—Lord Rodin’s right hand and genuine Lady of the House, Lady Veronica!”
At Dagan’s booming toast, the bandits all thrust their cups high.
“Cheers! Loyalty to the Lady of the House!”
“Hmph. They’re all overreacting just because she has the keys. Just wait until I get my budget back…” Lize grumbled under her breath.
Veronica tilted her wine glass with refined grace and met her eyes. “Lady Lize, your proposal earlier had quite a few typos. Especially the part where you inflated the unit price of the mana stones… Please rewrite it. Otherwise there will be no mana catalyst budget next month.”
“Kehk! Fine! I’ll rewrite it!”
“Lady Veronica… Could I possibly have one more piece of meat? I really did work the fields for a full three hours today…” Ivona held out her empty plate with a pitiful expression.
Veronica offered a benevolent smile and placed one slice on the plate. “Since the Saintess has been so admirable, I’ll allow it just this once. From now on, please adhere to the allocated portions. The stronghold’s order must remain fair.”
Rodin watched the scene in silence, steadily drinking his liquor.
“The stronghold suddenly got quiet. Should’ve done this sooner. Giving her the storehouse keys was the right call.”
Rodin had gained peace. Veronica had gained power. It was a thoroughly satisfying evening for them both.
After the banquet ended and everyone had gone to sleep, only the four of them gathered in the main building’s living room. Veronica placed the external request letter that had arrived that afternoon in front of Rodin.
“Lord Rodin, this is an official request from a nearby territory. They say high-grade magic beasts have appeared in Blood Mist Valley and are interfering with the harvest.”
Rodin scanned the document with a bothered expression. Normally he wouldn’t have given it a second glance, but Veronica’s next words caught his interest.
“The reward is one platinum coin. It would be perfect for our winter reserves and Rodin’s farming funds for next year.”
“Next year’s farming funds…? That’s quite a sum.”
Rodin stood. For a brief moment, the cold, predatory gleam of the former Mercenary King flickered in his eyes.
“We’ll take this tomorrow. Lize, Ivona—prepare yourselves.”
“Finally, a chance to prove my worth! I’ll show the budget holder exactly how valuable I am!”
“Dear Lord! I wonder what magic beast meat tastes like! I shall support you perfectly!”
Finally, Rodin turned to Veronica. “You’re coming too. You’ll command on site. I’ll just swing my pickaxe as you tell me to.”
“Me? But I don’t know how to fight…”
“I’ll handle the fighting. Your job is to make sure those parasites don’t waste mana, calculate the exact unit price of every piece of loot, and secure it. That’s what you do best.”
At his words, Veronica gripped the key bundle at her waist tightly.
“Understood. I will set the stage perfectly so your blade is never wasted, Rodin.”
From a mere fugitive princess to the undisputed Lady of the House. As they prepared for their first group expedition, Veronica’s eyes burned with absolute certainty of victory and blind, fervent loyalty toward Rodin.
Deep in the night, silence blanketed the stronghold. Veronica gently ran her fingers across the heavy key bundle beside her bed. The cold metallic texture traveled up her fingertips.
The hierarchy had now been perfectly established. Neither her status as a princess nor her zero combat ability troubled her anymore.
Preparations are complete.
Her eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence in the darkness.
I will turn Rodin into the richest and most peaceful farmer in the entire empire. No one—no power whatsoever—will dare look at this stronghold with greed. I will protect this kingdom with my ledgers and my keys.
She hugged the key bundle to her chest and closed her eyes. The soft jingling sounded like a lullaby promising future prosperity, and so the ambitions of Veronica—the true power and Lady of the House of Black Mane Mountain Stronghold—embroidered themselves across the night sky.