From Trash to Villain Master of Card: With Harem of Evil women-Chapter 92: Preparation for the Gala

The table had been transformed.

There were no longer military maps showing troop positions and fortifications.

Instead, political maps.

Locations of kingdoms. Color-coded diplomatic relations. Networks of alliances.

The war room had become a diplomatic strategy room.

The five queens were present. Drake. Gorman. Aria observed.

Adelheid presided over the presentation.

"The Diplomatic Gala is not a social celebration. It is a battlefield."

"Different from swords. But just as deadly if we fail."

She pointed to the map.

"Primary objectives: establish formal alliances with three key kingdoms."

She marked each one.

"Stahl. Already sympathetic to us. Need to formalize with a trade and mutual defense treaty."

"Calvados. Neutral, but leaning in our favor. Lord Theron supports us. We must leverage that."

"Sorenth. Small, but strategically located. Controls the trade route to the east coast."

Lilith continued.

"Secondary objectives: neutralize residual hostility from the two kingdoms that attacked us."

"Meridia. Already offered an informal apology. Convert it into a formal reconciliation."

"Kalthor. More difficult. They lost more troops in the invasion. But the current king is pragmatic."

She paused.

"Both represent opportunities. If we forgive publicly, we show magnanimity."

"That attracts sympathy from neutral kingdoms."

Naporia frowned.

"Forgive those who attacked us? Without consequences?"

Adelheid responded.

"They’ve already paid the consequences. They lost soldiers. Lost prestige. Lost the war."

"Forgiving now is power. It shows we are strong enough to be generous."

Naporia processed the information.

She didn’t like it. But she understood the logic.

"Agreed. But I won’t forget."

"You don’t need to forget. Just be courteous."

Kaito spoke.

His voice, neutral. Processing with logic.

"Avernor will be there."

Silence fell.

Everyone looked at him.

"Yes," Adelheid confirmed. "King Aldous confirmed his attendance."

"And?"

Adelheid unfolded an intelligence report.

"Aldous is young. Thirty-two. Ambitious. Nationalistic."

"He blames the previous administration for the loss against us."

"He seeks to restore Avernor’s prestige."

Lilith added.

"But he is also pragmatic. He won’t attack at the Gala."

"That would be political suicide. It would violate the event’s neutrality."

"All continental kingdoms would condemn him."

Kaito processed.

"So the threat is political. Not military."

"Correct. He will try to isolate us diplomatically."

"Present us as dangerous because of Aurelia’s technology."

Aurelia protested.

"MY technology is for DEFENSE! Mostly!"

Valeria added logically.

"Incendiary projectiles, chemical smoke, explosives. They can be interpreted as offensive."

"But we only used them when WE WERE ATTACKED!"

Adelheid raised her hand.

"We know that. But Aldous will distort the facts."

"Our response: show that we are stable. Reliable. Valuable allies."

She looked at Kaito.

"And that five queens ruling together is not chaos. It is strength."

Kaito nodded.

"Then we attend. All five."

"Deliberate message: Neudämmerung is a kingdom of five queens. Not one."

"Unity is power."

The five exchanged glances.

Adelheid smiled slightly.

"Exactly."

---

Before they could continue, a guard interrupted.

"Lord Kaito. There’s a merchant at the gate. He says he has an urgent proposal."

"From where?"

"From Calvados. But he represents nobles from three kingdoms."

Kaito and Adelheid exchanged a glance.

"Show him in."

The merchant entered — a middle-aged man, well-dressed.

He bowed.

"Lord Kaito. My apologies for the interruption. But the matter is... time-sensitive."

"Explain yourself."

The merchant unfolded a list.

"I represent: Duchess Margaux of Calvados, Countess Elira of Sorenth, Lord Henrik of Stahl."

"And others. Five nobles in total."

"What do they want?"

"To hire Lady Aurelia."

Aurelia blinked.

"Hire me?"

"To design dresses. Like the ones from the festival."

He pulled out sketches — drawn by the nobles, attempting to replicate the kimonos.

"They’ve tried to recreate them. Without success."

"They offer a commission. For exclusive designs."

He unfolded a second document.

Numbers.

Gold. Lots of gold.

Gorman leaned in to study them.

His eyes widened.

"That is... substantial."

The merchant nodded.

"Nobles value exclusivity. And Lady Aurelia’s designs are unique."

"Fusion of cultures. Impeccable craftsmanship. Something completely new."

He looked at Aurelia.

"Would you accept commissions?"

Aurelia bounced in her chair.

"I can do THAT! Easy!"

"Designing is FUN!"

The merchant smiled.

"Excellent. Then..."

Aria interrupted.

"Or."

Everyone looked at her.

Aria approached, examining the figures.

"Or... you teach others."

"What?" Aurelia asked.

Aria pointed at the paper.

"Five nobles now. But demand will grow. Dozens. Maybe hundreds."

"You can’t design for everyone personally. You don’t have time."

She paused.

"But you can teach the techniques. Establish workshops in Neudämmerung."

"Train local artisans. Export the designs."

She looked at Kaito.

"Create a monopoly of cultural design."

Kaito processed.

A concept was emerging.

Not just selling dresses.

But controlling production, distribution, branding.

"Revenue without military resources."

"Exactly," said Aria.

Gorman was already calculating.

Murmuring numbers under his breath.

"If we establish a textile guild... three workshops initially..."

"Train twenty artisans... production of fifty dresses per month..."

"Premium price for Neudämmerung exclusivity..."

"Projected revenue..."

He stopped.

Looked at Kaito.

"This could triple the kingdom’s income. In six months."

Silence.

Everyone processed the magnitude.

Lilith spoke first.

"That is... transformative."

"Not just economically," added Adelheid. "Politically."

"Kingdoms that buy our designs will have incentives to maintain good relations."

"A soft dependency."

Naporia still looked confused.

"We sell clothes and that makes us powerful?"

Lilith smiled.

"Yes. Power isn’t just swords."

"It’s creating something others want. That only we can provide."

Valeria added.

"A cultural monopoly creates influence. Influence creates political power."

"Political power facilitates alliances. Alliances ensure security."

"A virtuous cycle."

Kaito looked at Aurelia.

"Can you do it?"

Aurelia considered it — serious for a moment.

"I can’t teach Synergist. That’s a unique power from the summoning."

"But I can teach the principles. The techniques. The patterns."

"How to fuse materials. How to create designs. How to embroider."

She smiled.

"Yes! I can do it!"

"But I need ASSISTANTS. And MATERIALS. And WORKSHOPS."

Gorman was already taking notes.

"I can organize it. In three weeks, the first workshop."

"Recruit local artisans with sewing experience."

"Import silks from Stahl. Dyes from Calvados."

He looked at the merchant.

"Would your client wait three weeks?"

The merchant nodded.

"For guaranteed quality, yes."

Kaito made a decision.

"Proceed. Let’s establish the textile guild."

"Aurelia leads the design. Gorman handles logistics."

"First workshop in three weeks. Goal: fifty dresses per month in six months."

He looked at the merchant.

"Tell your clients: we accept commissions. But through the official guild."

"Premium prices. Guaranteed quality."

The merchant bowed.

"I will relay the message. Thank you, Lord Kaito."

He left.

Left the room in silence, everyone processing.

Gorman spoke finally.

"We just started an economic revolution."

Adelheid nodded.

"And a diplomatic one. This changes how other kingdoms see us."

"We go from being a military threat to a trading partner."

Lilith smiled.

"Much harder to attack."

Naporia, finally, understood.

"Ah. We sell clothes so they don’t attack us."

"Simplified, but yes."

Aurelia bounced.

"Then I start TODAY! I need to design! And plan! And BUILD workshops!"

She stood and ran toward the door.

"I’ll be back in SIX HOURS with preliminary designs!"

And she disappeared.

Leaving behind a trail of chaotic energy.

Aria smiled.

"She’s going to transform Neudämmerung’s economy."

"And probably blow something up in the process," added Naporia.

"Probably."

--

With Aurelia absent, the Gala planning continued.

Adelheid unfolded a list.

"Attire. We need something appropriate for diplomacy."

"Not kimonos," said Lilith. "Too informal for an event of that caliber."

"But maintaining identity," added Valeria.

Adelheid nodded.

"Aurelia will design. But with a focus on formality."

"Project power. Elegance. Unity."

Kaito looked at the five.

"How do you want to be seen?"

An interesting question.

Adelheid considered it.

"As a commander. But also as a legitimate queen."

"Strength, but without aggression."

Lilith responded.

"As a diplomat. Elegant. Dangerous beneath the surface."

Naporia frowned.

"As... a warrior who can be civilized. If she wants to be."

Valeria processed.

"As innovation. Synthesis of function and form."

Kaito nodded.

"Then Aurelia will design with that in mind."

"Each dress will reflect your personality. But coordinated."

"They will show you are individuals but united."

Drake added.

"And you, Commander? How do you want to be seen?"

Kaito considered it.

"As a leader who sacrificed something for his people."

"Strong. But not threatening."

"Trustworthy as an ally. Dangerous as an enemy."

Adelheid smiled slightly.

"Then we will project that."

"Together."

---

Improvised Workshop — That Afternoon

Aurelia had converted a section of the warehouse into a temporary workshop.

In six hours, she had:

· Designed twenty preliminary dress sketches.

· Recruited ten local artisans with experience.

· Established a basic production system.

· Created three prototypes of improved sewing tools.

When Kaito and Aria arrived to check, they found organized chaos.

Aurelia, in the center, giving instructions at an impossible speed.

"You! Cut the fabric at a FORTY-FIVE degree angle! Not NINETY!"

"And you! The thread has to be DOUBLE! Strength is CRITICAL!"

"And NO ONE touch the lighting crystals! They’re experimental!"

A young woman — about twenty-five — worked with intense concentration.

She followed Aurelia’s instructions perfectly.

Aurelia noticed her and pointed.

"THAT is Elsa! A natural TALENT!"

"She learns faster than EVERYONE else!"

Elsa looked up, blushing at the attention.

"I just... follow the instructions, Lady Aurelia."

"They’re GOOD instructions! There’s a difference!"

Aurelia ran to Kaito. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Look! The first prototype!"

She showed him a partially finished dress.

The design was... impressive.

Formal. Elegant. But with touches of Japanese style.

A perfect fusion.

"For Adelheid. Deep blue. Silver embroidery representing strategy."

"See? The geometric patterns are like tactical formations!"

Kaito studied it.

It was true. The embroidery formed patterns reminiscent of military formations.

Subtle. Beautiful. Meaningful.

"Impressive."

Aurelia beamed with pride.

"I have designs for ALL! They’ll be ready in two weeks!"

"And for commercial production?"

"In three weeks, the first batch! Fifty dresses!"

"Elsa can supervise! She understands it!"

Elsa looked surprised.

"Me? But I’m barely learning..."

"But you learn FAST! I trust you!"

Aria approached Elsa.

"Do you think you can handle that responsibility?"

Elsa considered it seriously.

"With Lady Aurelia’s guidance... yes. I can try."

"Then we appoint you Head Workshop Master," said Kaito.

"You’ll report to Aurelia and Gorman. Supervise production."

Elsa blinked.

"Workshop Master? I... thank you, Lord Kaito."

She bowed deeply.

Aurelia hugged her.

"YOU’RE GOING TO BE GREAT!"

Kaito observed.

In a matter of hours, Aurelia had:

· Established a basic commercial operation.

· Identified and promoted a talent.

· Created quality prototypes.

Her chaotic energy, channeled into construction.

"Good work," he said, simply.

Aurelia bounced.

"Thanks! Now I have to design MORE!"

"Dresses for the Gala! Dresses for sale! Dresses for EVERYTHING!"

And she returned to work.

Leaving Kaito and Aria watching.

"She’s going to change Neudämmerung," Aria murmured.

"She already is."

---

Gorman’s Office — Night

Gorman worked by candlelight.

Calculating projections.

Kaito entered silently.

"Gorman?"

The steward looked up.

"Lord Kaito. Sorry, I was..."

"Running numbers. I know."

Kaito sat down.

"What do they say?"

Gorman sighed.

"They say that if we establish the textile guild correctly..."

"If Aurelia maintains quality..."

"If demand continues..."

He paused.

"Neudämmerung could be an economic power in two years."

"Not just survive. Thrive."

He showed Kaito the final calculations.

"Revenue tripled. Jobs created. Trade established with six kingdoms."

"Political influence growing proportionally."

He looked at Kaito.

"This is... revolutionary."

Kaito processed the numbers.

Logically impressive.

Emotionally... distant.

But he recognized the significance.

"Then, let’s do it right."

"Yes, Commander."

Gorman returned to his calculations.

And Kaito left.

Leaving the steward planning the economic future.

While the king processed mechanically.

But with a spark of something more.

Hope.

Small.

But present.