A more subtle route [Make a very interesting sign in the street]

You were going to use your new powers for sex, but how you were going to use it was up for debate. There was an impulse to go out and start controlling all the pretty ladies that you can find; a fast and hard approach. After thinking about it, you realized that this idea had the potential to backfire.

While you had never heard of a spell like yours, magic wasn't an unknown. Consequently, most nobles tended to employ court mages that could dismantle spells and the clergy had access to paladins that could so the same. Because of that, it would make sense to only target peasant women, who had access to neither paladins nor court mages. The chance of getting caught while fooling around with them was minimal, making them ideal targets.

At the same time, however, sleeping with peasants seemed like a waste of a potent gift. After mulling it over, you reasoned that the only way to be sure you'd never get caught using this power was to never use it. That wasn't happening- so the question became how much risk you were willing to tolerate for pleasure.

A bit more thought and you decided that you were willing to take some risks and aim a bit higher as long as you took some common sense precautions and prepared properly. That meant research.

Your current mark was Baroness Liv Williams. You had lusted after the Baroness for a very long time, and now you had the chance to have her. With her picturesque face, her soft tresses that fell in curls, and her lithe forms, the Baroness was one of the most beautiful women in the region. The fact that she was ruthless, cold, and elitist only made her more desirable. Men were cursed to desire what they could never have.

Through the rumor mill, you had heard that she had gotten married to a knight of decent standing; Ser Richard du Lac. This provided an opportunity for you.

Everyone in the barony, as well as the surrounding counties, shared a common ethnic group. The land wasn't a hub of trade that would attract a large number of foreigners. As a result, most people shared at least some common features. For instance, seventy percent of local men had blonde hair color... a color that both you and Ser Richard shared.

Eye colors were more varied; being split between blue, green, and black. Ser Richard had blue eyes, while you had green eyes. This would have been a problem, but luckily Lady Williams shared your eye color.

The reason noblewomen were expected to remain virgins until marriage and not sleep around was that there was no reliable way to determine paternity. That, at least, you knew magic couldn't do. As such, people determined paternity by physical features of the parents, as well as by the faithfulness of the mother.

Consequently, you had an opportunity to put your genetic line- your children and their children after them- in line to inherit a title of nobility. For a peasant such as yourself, that was a dream that would always be out of reach.

All you had to do was impregnate the Baroness and do it subtly enough that no one suspected the Lady of adultery. That you could do.

“Royal Spa. Noblewomen Only. Operated by a Peasant Woman.”

Baroness Williams blinked in surprise before taking a second look at what she was certain was supposed to have been a hovel in the residential district. What would a royal spa be doing here?

Despite how she despised it, Lady Liv Williams was keenly aware of her position in the world. She might have been a noble, but only barely one in the eyes of her peers.

The way the titles of nobility worked was thus. At the top, there was a king, who was in charge of a kingdom. Below him were an assortment of dukes, each of whom owned a large piece of land that was in turn subdivided between vassal counts who swore oaths of fealty to the duke. Below that were the counts and countesses, each of whom owned a medium piece of land that was subdivided into vassal barons and baronesses.

To be a baron was to be a noble, yes, but it was to be the absolute lowest tier of nobility. Little more than a tax collector.

Her house was so impoverished that she couldn't even afford a proper entourage, hence why she had to go without guards. Well, she could have guards, but between that and fancy dresses, she would rather spend the gold on the dresses. Looking like a noble would help her network with her peers better, which would open up opportunities for her later, as well as help her project power in a time of weakness.

Her treatment of peasants followed this philosophy. She faked strength, pretending that she was above them, so they wouldn't see just how precarious her situation truly was.

At any rate, there was a royal spa within her lands, and that could only be a good thing. In addition to the taxes she could generate from it, it was was also likely to attract more nobles. Nobles who would spend more money, from where she could collect more taxes.

Perhaps this could be what she needed to turn the fortunes of her house around. It was only right, therefore, that she served as one of the very first patrons of this new institution.

Lady Liv Williams headed inside.

"Hello peasant," the beautiful Baroness greeted casually, stepping into the hovel that you called home. Her eyes roamed the halls and you wonder what she was seeing. Whatever it was, it must have impressed her because she turned back to you and said, "The facilities are adequate. All that remains to be seen is if you are. How much are your services?"

"Thirty golds, my lady." You answer after a beat of hesitation, willing your magic into her mind to get her to accept the price. In truth, you didn't know if the price you had listed was reasonable for a royal spa or not. You knew that the vast majority of noble past times were horrendously expensive, but given your financial status, you never had reason to look into how expensive. When the Baroness asked you her question, you panicked and listed a number that sounded reasonable. Thirty gold was a month's worth of salary for you.

Aided by your magic, Lady Williams didn't tell you whether it was cheap or expensive, instead just nodding in acceptance. "And you realize that seven percent of your income is deductible?"

You hadn't. You didn't tell her that, of course. Instead, you replied with a confident, "Of course, my lady."

"Good. My tax collector will be around by the end of the month."

This hadn't gone the way that you had been hoping it would go. Before you could use your magic to get things back on track though, Lady Williams did it for you. "As a new business, I understand that you might be lacking in customers at the moment. Especially given the hovels surrounding your spa. That said, I would be happy to help promote this establishment to my peers, assuming that your services are up to the task."

Just like that, what had started as a plan to secure a night with Baroness Liv Williams became a self-contained scheme that would see increasing numbers of noblewomen brought to your establishment. How wonderfully things had worked out.

“Thank you, my lady. I promise, you will leave here completely... satisfied." If your grin takes on a lecherous air, then she neither notices nor does she comment on it.