CH 22

Nathan’s hair had turned dark red again. His short hair was also long once again and tied up.

“Your hair has grown long again.”

“Oh, this is a magic item.”

Nathan raised his left hand and showed a silver ring on his index finger. A faint light emanated from the ring and Nathan’s hair turned into the short blonde hair she had seen during the day.

“And it can be reversed.”

Once again, a light emanated from the silver ring and Nathan’s hair returned to its original state.

Rosalie stared in wonder at his hair’s instantaneous transformation, and Nathan smiled at the sight.

“Rosalie’s heart always beats fast like you’re nervous, so I think I can find Rosalie anywhere.”

“It’s a habit.”

As Nathan said, Rosalie was always on edge. It was a habit that had developed naturally due to her long military life filled with frequent overseas deployments and classified missions. Even though her body had changed, her small habits remained unchanged.

Rosalie turned and gestured to him as the cold night wind blew into the terrace.

“Come inside the room.”

Once inside the room, Rosalie pulled a golden pendant from the second compartment of her bedside table. The inside of the pendant was engraved with the insignia of the Dukedom of Judeheart and an unknown complex pattern.

She handed the pendant to Nathan, who was already lounging on the sofa. Nathan received the pendant obediently and inspected it with a sniffling sound, examining it under the light.

“With that pendant, you can use the portal leading to the duchy.”

The portals that lead to the Imperial Capital were not something that all nobles’ territories possessed. Portals were usually considered a symbol that only high-ranking nobles or those with a lot of wealth could have.

The portal granted to the Dukedom of Judeheart was a gift bestowed by the Emperor himself, as a token of appreciation for their family’s contribution to the founding of the Misha Empire.

“As expected of a Duchess. You have everything, including a portal.”

Nathan smiled meaningfully and put the pendant in his pocket.

‘The reason she didn’t hand over the pendant from the beginning…’

Nathan slowly scanned Rosalie, who was sitting on the sofa across from him. No one has ever dared to test him. But even when he found out that she was testing him whether or not he could approach Bella, oddly enough, Nathan was more amused than offended.

“Report to me every four days, or at least once a week if that’s not possible. With the portal, you can come and go as you please.”

Rosalie said, leaning back fully on the sofa. Nathan was still looking at her in a strange way.

“And I want you to keep a close eye on Bella to see if she’s meeting anyone or planning anything. Listen to everything she says and report them back to me.”

“Okay. Right now, Bella is falling head over heels for me. She’ll soon give me her heart, money, and everything I need.”

“I’ll pay you every time you report. And chocolates, too.”

As Rosalie spoke, she remembered the candies Bianca had brought. Bianca had given more than she’d expected.

“And I’ll give you some candy, too.”

“Hmmm, instead of that…”

Nathan got up from the sofa and approached Rosalie, then he reached out and lifted her chin slightly. The look on her face as her chin was lifted was one of clear discontent.

“If I get good information, praise me the way I want.”

“What kind of praise?”

Nathan merely smiled at Rosalie’s question. She couldn’t figure out what he meant.

“Put your hand away while I’m still being nice.”

Nathan obediently put his hand down at the low growling warning tone, and started whining like a child.

“Ahh~ Please~”

Rosalie tried to ignore the whining, but Nathan didn’t stop. No matter how long she waited, he seemed to have no intention of stopping, so she nodded irritably.

“Well, if it’s not too much, I’ll do it, so stop now.”

“Then I’ll see you in four days.”

Nathan suddenly stopped his whining as if he had lied, then winked and turned around, jumping out of the terrace. Rosalie facepalmed while looking at the open terrace door.

“Chaerin… I thought I knew your taste, but I really don’t…”

If she could, Rosalie would’ve immediately called Chaerin in front of her and asked.

⊱⊱⊱────── {.⋅ ✧✧✧ ⋅.} ──────⊰⊰⊰

Early the next morning, Rosalie climbed into the carriage to return to the Duchy. She had prepared some papers to look over while she was in the carriage, and as soon as she sat down, she began to go through them.

As the carriage ran and ascended the magic circle in the Portal Tower, Rosalie didn’t seem as interested as before. She just absentmindedly closed the curtains of the carriage.

Emma, who had joined her in the carriage, glanced over at Rosalie and spoke up.

“You stayed up late looking at documents yesterday too, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. There are still some things left to review.”

Rosalie replied without taking her eyes off the documents. 

Indeed, hiring Erudit was the right choice. The documents he had organized were flawless and satisfactory.

The carriage stopped, and as Rosalie got off, all the people of the dukedom came out to greet her.

“You’ve arrived?”

Rosalie nodded in response to Dolan’s greeting. Erudit, who was standing next to Dolan, also bowed in greeting. He seemed quite pleased to see her.

“Was everything alright?”

“Yes. Did Your Grace have a pleasant time in the Capital?”

Rosalie couldn’t easily answer Erudit’s question. Too many things had happened for a simple yes or no answer. She simply nodded and shifted her gaze to the knights.

The knights were startled by her gaze. A faint, ominous voice flowed from Rosalie’s lips.

“Tomorrow, you can start training hard with me again.”

Despair began to fill the knights’ eyes, and Aaron, who was standing next to them, approached Rosalie.

“We have been training without any problems. Also, I put the list of firing squad members ordered by the Duchess in the office.”

“Okay, let’s go to the office.”

“Your Grace, wouldn’t it be better to take a break first…?”

Despite Dolan’s suggestion, Rosalie shook her head because she still had something to deal with. After hearing Rosalie’s words, Erudit turned around.

“Shall we go up to the office?”

“Let’s go. Dolan, bring me some tea.”

Dolan turned around and headed for the kitchen, while Rosalie and Erudit went up to the office. They sat facing each other on the sofa, and Rosalie put down the papers she was holding onto the table and spoke.

“Erudit’s papers were great. They were easy to read, and the key points were very helpful in identifying the problems.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Really. Thanks to you, I’m not worried about the territory.”

Erudit was embarrassed by the generous evaluation, and he only fixed his glasses with a blank expression. Rosalie stifled a small laugh at the sight.

Before she left for the capital, she’d worked with him day in and day out and often praised him for his satisfactory work, but he was more shy than he looked and would adjust his glasses whenever she praised him.

“By the way, Duchess. I have something important to tell you.”

As if urging him to speak, Rosalie made a gesture with her chin and Erudit opened his mouth, his expression serious.

“I’ve also mentioned it in the report, but I think you should pay attention to the Duchy’s finances. The current business revenue is low compared to the expenses that are being spent on the increase of the knight’s salaries or the reconstruction of the territory.”

“We’re going to sell the Goredic Mine.”

“…The Goredic Mine is the mine with the most Life Stones in the Duchy.”

Erudit spoke calmly, but Rosalie had already made up her mind. The Goredic Mine was the oldest Life Stone mine in the Duchy. However, Rosalie knew that the mine would not make it through this year.

“The Goredic Mine hardly has any deposits left.”

“But according to the records measured recently, it could still be mined for a few more years.”

“No. The Goredic Mine won’t last beyond this year, so we have to sell it while it’s still known that there are deposits left. Many nobles and businessmen are eager to buy the mine, so it will be sold quickly.”

Rosalie said firmly. The measuring technology of the Life Stone deposits in the Misha Empire was not accurate. Therefore, the amount of Life Stone deposits in the Dita Mine was also measured incorrectly, and that was why the original Rosalie only took the jewels after the territory war. 

However, the face of Erudit, who had no way of knowing this, was filled with disbelief.

“Duchess, I’ve brought you some tea.”

The conversation between Rosalie and Erudit was cut off by Dolan who came into the office with the tea. Dolan quickly poured tea in the quiet atmosphere and left the office.

Rosalie took a sip of her tea as Dolan left the office. As the sweet scent of tea enveloped the room, the silent atmosphere seemed to improve.

“This will start a rumor that the Duchy is going bankrupt and that you’ve sold the mine because you needed the money.”

As Erudit muttered with a sigh, Rosalie smiled and spoke. 

“That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Erudit asked with a puzzled expression.

“You’re hoping for that…?”

“This is kind of a bait.”

Rosalie answered while taking another sip of tea. She assumed that the rumor about her and Derivis would cause the Marquis of Windell to back off. 

However, if rumors spread that the Duchy was going bankrupt, the greedy Marquis of Windell would bite the bait. Apart from that, they also needed war funds in preparation for the territorial war.

“Even if you sell the Goredic Mine, it’s just a temporary solution. You need to come up with a new plan.”

Erudit stood up, adjusting his glasses with a slightly cold tone. He had said everything he needed to say, and he believed that the consequences and responsibilities of the decision belonged to Rosalie, not to him.

“Okay, thanks for the advice.”

“I’ll be going, then.”

After closing the door of the office, Erudit walked away, a frown on his face as if he was not pleased with the situation. He headed towards the garden, his chest feeling stuffy for some reason.

The garden was filled with the chatter of the Duchy’s gardeners and servants.

“Ha… Why do I feel so frustrated?”

Despite the sunny weather, Erudit felt like he was looking out of the window on a cloudy day. It was a feeling that he couldn’t explain. Then, as Erudit slowly looked around the garden, he heard murmurs in his ear.

“Isn’t that person a commoner?”