“It’s been a while, Lachik.”
“…Hello, Grand Duke. Duke.”
Lachik still looked nervous, prompting Ian to get straight to the point.
However, Lachik spoke first.
“Could it be that the item requested under the Grand Duke’s name is the one the Duke desires?”
She spoke so rapidly that it almost sounded like she was rapping.
Ian, momentarily taken aback, nodded.
“Yes. These are the items I wish to commission.”
Lachik clenched her hands so tightly that they turned pale. After fidgeting for a moment, she spoke again.
“I can make a recording device quickly, but I’ll need more details for the others. Do you want the captured moments of a ‘camera’ to be stored externally or internally? When you say you want to record video, do you expect it to capture scents and textures as well? Also, should the device be adjustable in size? Should it include audio? If you provide detailed specifications, I can assess how long it will take to complete.”
She spoke without pausing for breath, and her neck turned red from the effort.
Ian took a step forward, intending to calm her, but Lachik flinched and stepped back.
At that moment, a piece of paper was revealed where she had been standing.
“What’s that?”
At Edelmar’s words, Lachik hurriedly grabbed the paper and crumpled it in her hands.
Ian decided not to press further and said,
“It must be difficult for you to talk about it directly. I’ll write down the details and send them to you. If you have any questions, write them down and send them back to me. I’ll reply in writing.”
Lachik nodded.
“Then get some rest.”
With that, Ian turned to leave.
As they exited, Edelmar remarked,
“It looked like she had written something down.”
“Yes, I saw it too.”
“Do you think we can trust her with this?”
Ian shrugged.
“We don’t have many choices. Besides, her questions were precise, which means she understands what’s important. I believe she’s reliable.”
“But what exactly are you planning to use it for?”
Ian tilted his head slightly.
“Haven’t I already told you?”
“Right.”
“Oh, I’ll use it to record Rose.”
Edelmar suddenly stopped walking.
“You’re telling me the reason you spent 4,500 gold to create an artifact is…”
“Yes. I’m going to record Rose. The five-year-old Rose will never come back, so I need to capture these moments in advance for when I want to see her again.”
Ian said this with a bright smile, his face full of sincerity.
For the first time in his life, Edelmar was at a loss for words.
***
“Rose, ah.”
“Ah.”
“Whoosh! The bird carrying Rose’s meat has flown away!”
A fork moved skillfully through the air. Rose, who had opened her mouth wide, trembled slightly, unable to laugh.
“Gotcha!”
As soon as the piece of meat on the fork entered her mouth, Rose quickly closed it.
Smiling, Hamil asked,
“Is it good?”
“Yes!”
Rose beamed as she chewed, looking truly happy.
But elsewhere in the same dining hall, one man and a wolf were anything but happy.
The man held back, reminding himself that he had to act like an adult. But the wolf didn’t bother pretending.
“…Rose.”
Fenrex, trying to look pitiful, drooped his ears and called her name in a mournful voice.
“Wow! Everyone, a round of applause! Our Rose is eating her vegetables so well! I’ve never seen a five-year-old eat vegetables like this before! Rose, you’re amazing! You’re the best!”
“Really? Am I really amazing?”
“Of course! You’re the best!”
When Hamil raised both thumbs, Rose burst into laughter.
Drowned out by Hamil’s enthusiastic cheer, Fenrex failed in his attempt to look pitiful and hung his head.
“Now, shall we try some bread? If you dip it in the soup like this, it tastes just—”
“Hamil.”
Sensing something strange was about to be said, Ian called her name.
Hamil flinched and turned to Ian with an awkward laugh.
“Yes?”
“Rose prefers that bread over there.”
Ian pointed to a butter-filled bread, and Rose nodded in agreement.
Ian smiled and silently mouthed the words, ‘No swearing.’
Realizing her near mistake, Hamil quickly grabbed the bread and waved it dramatically, diverting Rose’s attention while silently moving her lips as well.
‘I. Apol. o. gize.’
Ian nodded in approval and returned his focus to his meal.
He was still contemplating what to do about Hamil.
The issue was that he wasn’t entirely convinced an adult female presence was necessary in Rose’s life. And even if it was, he wasn’t sure why it had to be Hamil in particular.
“Alright, Rose, let’s drink some milk.”
Hamil brought over a cup of warm milk, but Rose shook her head.
“Why? Don’t you want to drink milk?”
“Nooo.”
Ian looked at Rose in surprise.
Just as he was about to ask if she was feeling unwell, Rose spoke first.
“I don’t like the taste of milk, so I don’t want to drink it.”
Ian flinched at her words.
Unaware of his reaction, Hamil and Rose continued their conversation.
“Milk doesn’t taste good?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to drink it. Can I have juice instead?”
“Hmm.”
Hamil tapped her index finger against her temple, tilting her head.
“But you can’t skip milk. What should we do about this?”
“Why not?”
“If you don’t drink milk, you won’t grow tall. And if you don’t grow tall, you won’t be able to wield a sword like me.”
Rose’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? If I don’t drink milk, I won’t grow taller?”
Fenrex, who had been listening, suddenly shouted.
“That’s a lie! Milk or no milk, you’ll grow just the same!”
Hamil wagged her finger at Fenrex.
“That’s only true for beastfolk. Humans won’t grow tall if they don’t drink milk. My second eldest brother hated milk and refused to drink it, and now he’s only this tall.”
Hamil gestured to a height just a little taller than Rose.
Seeing this, Rose quickly grabbed the cup of milk.
“I’ll drink my milk!”
“That’s right, let’s drink up!”
Without pausing for breath, Rose gulped down the milk.
Hamil clapped enthusiastically.
“Rose, you’re amazing! You even drank milk, even though you didn’t like it! Brave adults deserve a reward!”
“A reward?”
Catching her breath, Rose asked curiously.
“That’s right!”
Hamil reached into her pocket, pulled out a candy, and popped it into Rose’s mouth.
“A strawberry candy that melts right in your mouth!”
Rose held her cheeks and shook her head excitedly.
“It’s delicious!”
“Right?”
Hamil wiped the milk mustache from Rose’s face with a napkin before picking her up in her arms.
“Since we’ve finished eating, let’s go train. Today’s training is to stay completely still until I finish my first sword form. Can you do that?”
“Yes! I can do it!”
Seeing Rose clench her fists with determination, Hamil patted her head before turning to Ian.
“I’ll be at the training grounds with Rose.”
“…Alright, understood.”
As Hamil and Rose left the dining hall, Fenrex hurriedly stuffed the remaining food into his mouth and ran after them.
Ian put down his fork.
Watching Rose refuse to drink her milk earlier had made something clear—there was a need for a female role model in her life. And it did have to be Hamil.
Yet, for some reason, the thought tugged at his heart.
He had believed he was fulfilling both his role and that of her mother, but perhaps he wasn’t enough.
The realization left him feeling both guilty and a little hurt.
Taking a deep breath, Ian cleaned up his napkin and headed to his study.
“Duke, have you eaten?”
“Yes. Have you?”
“I’ll eat after I finish my report.”
As Ian sat down, Fred continued.
“First, the women’s wristwatches are now complete. We can begin selling them anytime. However, Miss May had a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“She proposed a system where customers who have spent a certain amount at Rose get priority access to new products.”
At Rose, high-spending customers had always received discreet notifications about new releases, though it had never been an official policy. It was merely a practice left to the shop manager’s discretion.
But now, May was suggesting a formal VIP system, granting those customers priority purchasing rights for wristwatches.
That was essentially a VIP program—something from Earth.
‘May… She’s a genius merchant, just like I saw in the flow of things.’
Ian nodded.
“Tell May to draft a detailed proposal. She should specify exactly how VIPs will be selected, the spending threshold, and whether there will be different VIP tiers.”
“Understood. Next, regarding the academy—the teachers have all been assigned. Most of them didn’t have overlapping subject preferences, and those who did discussed among themselves and reached a resolution. However, Sage Julius has yet to decide on his subject.”
“That’s fine. I have a separate request for him.”
“As for student applications, we’ve received a total of 1,000. Among them, 200 have requested dormitory accommodations.”
“That’s lower than I expected. Inform the teachers that on the first day, they should assess the students’ learning levels and assign them to appropriate classes accordingly.”
“Understood. I will also provide a report on the duchy.”
As Ian listened, he occasionally asked Fred for his thoughts on how to proceed and what orders to give.
He nodded in agreement at some responses, while at other times, he corrected Fred’s reasoning. By the time they had gone through everything, a significant amount of time had passed.
“It’s gotten late. You must be hungry. Go eat something.”
“I’ll bring the organized documents after lunch.”
“Alright.”
After sending Fred off, Ian picked up his fountain pen—only to set it back down.
He had been fine while listening to the report, but now that he was alone, his emotions were unsettled again.
At that moment, Edelmar entered, carrying a tea tray.
“Grand Duke?”
“Haven’t they arrived yet?”
“Who are you expecting?”
As Edelmar placed the teapot and three teacups on the table, the door opened again without a knock.
The person who entered was the one Ian had been waiting for—the dragon, Bernaba.
“Lord Bernaba.”
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
Bernaba clicked his tongue at the sight of Ian’s face.
“You look like you’ve been working yourself to the bone. Tsk tsk. Wasting your youth on hardship is foolish. Health is the most important thing—don’t forget that.”
“I understand, Lord Bernaba. Please, have a seat. When did you arrive?”
As Edelmar poured tea, Bernaba settled onto the sofa.
“I arrived earlier. I ran into that fellow outside your study, and he told me you were busy, so I went to see Rose. She was with some human woman.”
“Ah.”
Ian explained about Hamil and recounted the milk incident from that morning.
Since Bernaba was a millennia-old ancient dragon, Ian thought he might have some wise advice.
However, the first words Bernaba spoke were unexpected.
“You must have felt hurt.”
