Quinn

It had been one month since we moved into Norsewood Lodge, and since then, there was always a hype of activities as everyone was getting used to their new, temporary home and exploring the place.

The kitchen, compared to the other facilities, was most busy as it was large with modern appliances the staff had never seen or worked with before. I had to spend the first few days giving them an orientation and demonstration and then that whole week watching them work. There were manuals and videos made by Vicky, too, so that helped in speeding up the learning process. We also set up staff rosters, menus, and procedures. Since we had more mouths to feed now, there was also more staff working in the kitchen, too, and because they were handling food, safety and uniforms were implemented. Surprisingly, they seemed to like the chef uniform, and at times, paraded about the lodge in them with pride.

When I had some free time, I'd stepped into the woodwork and blacksmith shops and greenhouse, which were located away from the main buildings. Mr. Lamont—whom I now called by his first name, Robert, on his relentless insistence—along with Mr. Lark, whom I now called by his first name of David, and their men, were already hard at work and looking as pleased as could be. Mr. Henley—or rather Darell—on the other hand, had looked so very dazed that I was rather worried. His men, though, seemed to be excited and wasted no time before exploring their new workshop, studying the forges, equipment, weapons, and other metalware on display.

Curious as to why Darell was so bewildered, I sat beside him and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Uh, my lady," he said. "I..."

"Are you not satisfied with the workshop?"

He shook his head. "No," he said. "Rather..." He scanned around him once more. "I'm overwhelmed. I didn't imagine our workshop could be this... extensive with all the equipment..."

I chuckled. "But you like it?"

He nodded. "Oh, yes, my lady, very much so."

"Then I'm glad," I said.

The greenhouse was a massive structure made entirely of glass and steel with an attached building for classrooms, offices, and workspace. It was warm inside, naturally, and I found Mr. Ingram—whom I now called Kent, also being on a first-name basis—and his men exploring and staring wide-eyed at the range of vegetation before them.

I had to thank Vicky for replicating the fruit and vegetable plants that were popular back on Earth. I spotted some banana trees, mangoes, avocados, persimmons, and many other temperate, subtropical, and tropical ones, too. If any of these could grow in Norsewood, it'd be a life-changer since it'd increase the variety of fruits and vegetables in our diet. Besides, most of Earth's fruits and vegetables were absolutely delicious.

"My lady," Kent said.

"How do you like the greenhouse?" I asked.

"It's..." He looked around him. "Spectacular, my lady. I didn't expect it to be this... extensive."

Ah, that word again. Extensive. Well, I admit the scale was immense, which was just me as I had the unhealthy habit of going overboard and making things larger and more extravagant than the initial plan. Scanning around me, I'd say we could commercially farm in here and supply some fresh fruits and vegetables to feed the residents in the lodge all year round.

"And those plants," he said.

"They're from... my hometown," I said. "Although I don't know if they'll grow well here due to the weather. Most of those are what we call subtropical and tropical plants, and they need a lot of sun."

"I'll see what I can do to make them thrive in our climate, my lady," he said.

"Then I'm looking forward to seeing the result," I said, thinking about all the fruits and vegetables I could consume once again.

It took Norsewood Lodge's residents a bit of time to get used to the new routine, especially with the schedule as now they had to read time. Clocks were available in every living room of the units as well as in the dining hall, foyer, and the facilities. Everyone knew now that breakfast was between seven and nine in the morning, lunch from twelve to two, and dinner from six to eight in the evening.

The good thing, too, was now I didn't have to be in the kitchen since the staff could function without me. I also didn't need to conjure ingredients via my magic either. There were stockrooms, fridges, and freezers with everything available, and when a certain item needed to be restocked, then the head chefs, which were currently Mrs. Burton—Gladys—and Mrs. March—Irene—would make the order via a tablet and Vicky would magically create those items for them.

During this time, too, new civilians continued to arrive, and a procedure had been put in place. Once the family had been registered at the administration hall, they'd be given a unit number and a key and new sets of personal items such as clothing, footwear, and hygiene products. The next morning, they'd have their health examined by me in the health clinic, followed by the introduction to our routine procedures and orientation of the lodge. Of course, if any of their health was severe, I'd see to them right away, even before the registration.

Finally, things settled down, with all the stranded civilians across Norsewood rescued, those from Carnfell being the last, bringing the total population of the residents to two thousand five hundred, not the two thousand that had been confirmed before the lodge was built.

Luckily, I had planned so that there were four hundred and fifty units because one simply had to add the odds that there'd be more than anticipated. Therefore, there was a home each for all the families, including the ones that had left after the raid, so there were plenty of rooms to accommodate the extra five hundred people who had decided to leave but got stranded or those who had left but returned midway due to the harsh journey.

Since such a large number of people were living in close proximity, not to mention working, learning, and dining together, there was a sense of community and comradery going on.

Vicky, my magical skill in the appearance of a cute schoolgirl with a dry, snarky personality that I could only imagine belonged to a middle-aged woman who had gone through too much in life, commented at one point that the lodge looked like a cult compound with the residents dressed in similar clothing. Of course, I never wanted Norsewood Lodge to be anything like that. Obviously, things were going to change when spring arrived, when the building of houses commenced, and soon, a village would form with shops and markets and farms flourishing. Then the town would be revived, and Norsewood would thrive like never before. So, yes, Norsewood would be anything but a cultlike compound.

Since I was so tired after yet another long day of work, I excused myself early after dinner, leaving Aldric to enjoy the night with his people after a kiss on his forehead.

Up at the penthouse, I went into the master suite's bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. Oh dear, I noticed that my skin was dry and my lips were cracked, undoubtedly due to the harsh winter, stress, and being overworked. Well, I guessed that just meant it was time for some self-care and a beauty treatment. A girl needed to treat herself now and again, after all.

I summoned my magic circle, and voila, all the essentials were conjured. After waxing myself until my skin from the neck down was smooth and hairless, I brushed my teeth and then washed my face, adding in exfoliation as well, ensuring dead skin cells were removed. While I waited for the hot tub to be filled, I put on facial sheet mask packed with vitamins, which felt cool and refreshing on my skin. Once the tub was filled, I added in essential oil, and then I hopped right in.

"Ahh..." I sighed in bliss as I closed my eyes, feeling the exhaustion leaving me. There I lay, with the scented water up to my neck while I thought about how far I had come after finding myself in this world.

Goodness, but it had been a hectic three months since I'd found myself waking up in Quinn's body after being hit by Mr. Truck saving a boy's life, and despite that it hadn't been that long, I felt like I had been here for ages. Well, I supposed on Quinn's half of me, she had been here for ages, all of eighteen years, in fact.

Half an hour later, I removed the face mask and got out of the tub. Donning a robe, I went to look at myself in the mirror, noting that my skin looked and felt so much better now. More radiant.

After applying moisturizer, eye cream, and lip balm, I changed into a pair of comfy pajama pants and then crashed onto the luxurious bed. Turning over, I shut my eyes, only for a moment, I thought, and fell into a deep slumber instead.