No matter how much it was a dream, the description of the man that the child spoke of resembled someone too closely.
As if he had seen him in person.
‘No way…….’
“Demian, have you ever seen that man somewhere other than in your dream?”
At that moment, Demian pointed behind me.
“Yeah, there he is!”
I turned around abruptly and saw Erich standing there, looking at us.
“I found you.”
With a chilling smile, he brandished his sword and advanced towards us in a flash.
“No, no. Don’t come!”
I hugged Demian tightly and closed my eyes when I saw the descending blade.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
I gasped for air as I opened my eyes.
“Gasp!”
‘My child, my child…’
The first thing I thought of as I opened my eyes was my child.
I hurriedly tried to find my baby, Demian.
But before that, a warm presence nestled in my arms.
“Mommy!”
Only then did I realize that it was reality, and I was able to calm down.
‘Damn it, why do I keep having such bad dreams…’
“What’s wrong, Mommy? Did you have a scary dream?”
I found myself staring at my child’s worried face as if mesmerized.
‘It’s quite amazing.’
Demian, despite being a child, sometimes seemed to see through me and comfort me like an adult.
‘He seems to be developing faster than before the regression, somehow..’
Thinking about it, Demian had walked and spoken earlier than other children his age.
He had a short tongue when he was a two-year-old baby, but by the time he was three, his pronunciation was quite clear.
Lately, he had even learned to read books.
‘Could it be that Demian has regressed too?’
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, and I let out a wry smile.
‘Well, in my previous life, I didn’t keep track of my child’s development, so it might seem fast to me, and he’s…’
<Mom, it hurts…>
‘He was always a thoughtful child who cared about me.’
Even though it must have been hard for his small body, he followed me.
He never said he was in pain until he collapsed.
I still can’t forget the painful memory; just thinking about that day makes my heart heavy and my breath catch in my throat.
‘You were always smart and considerate, but maybe I had this dream because I was afraid of losing you again.’
In fact, after leaving the duke’s residence, I had had such nightmares several times—nightmares where Erich came to capture me.
‘But it will be over soon.’
In just three months, it will be five years since I left Erich, and by then, I will be considered dead and no longer his wife.
‘Yes, let’s not be impatient. I’ve managed to stay undetected so far.’
With this thought in mind, I shook my head at my child.
“I don’t remember what the dream was. Mommy is okay.”
Demian gently tapped his small chest with his tiny hands before speaking.
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect Mommy!”
It seems he’s been influenced by the Sardines, as he’s been following them around lately.
Seeing him already declaring he will protect me is quite touching.
“Thank you.”
Demian looked at my expression, then clapped his hands.
“Mommy, let’s have breakfast and then go for an inspection!”
“Inspection?”
“Yes! Mommy’s happy just seeing the territory grow!”
‘Well, it’s because I enjoy seeing my assets increase.’
Even so, I was deeply touched by how thoughtful my son was.
I smiled and said,
“Alright, let’s go.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, Marquis Arzen wore a grim expression.
It was no wonder that the business he had been boasting about was not going as well as he had hoped.
‘Damn those Shining Stone bastards!’
Currently, due to the expansion of the Eastern Continent Railway, the price of jade has skyrocketed.
Because of this, he had been trying for years to obtain mining rights for jade, the most sought-after gemstone at present.
However…
<Sorry, but this mine is already under an exclusive contract with Shining Stone…>
It was the same with every mine.
All of the mine owners had signed exclusive contracts with Shining Stone.
The only remaining mine was the Blant Duchy’s, but currently, he was not in a position to discuss such matters with the Duke of Blant.
‘That bastard is hostile to both Medelin and me.’
For a moment, he was furious at his useless daughter’s presence, but then his eyes lit up.
‘Still, things will change soon. I’ve found one of the mine owners who traded with Shining Stone.’
He crumpled the note that read, “Countess of Herde.”
‘A young widow raising her child alone after losing her husband… and she’s a noble without any backing?’
Though he had been worried, the mine owner seemed easier to handle than expected.
‘These kinds of women can be easily handled with a bit of intimidation and threats.’
And the best way to intimidate them was not only to harm them but also their families.
Coincidentally, the mine owner had a young child.
‘First, I’ll intimidate that woman, and kidnapping her child to use as a hostage would be very effective.’
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
I looked around the village and inspected the area.
‘At least now, it has become a somewhat livable place.’
When I first arrived, this territory was no more than a small village.
There were few people and no decent facilities; it was the definition of a rural backwater.
Even if there were more jobs, they would be useless if there was no one to work.
So, before developing the mines, I created facilities that hadn’t existed before, such as schools and clinics.
The purpose of the school was to provide a place for children who were left behind due to the absence of their parents and to cultivate talent in this territory where there were hardly any capable individuals.
Also, the level of medical care here was originally so poor that there was not even a small clinic, so people had to rely on foraging for herbs when they fell ill.
Thus, I established a hospital to help injured workers return to their jobs quickly and created a foundation to ensure that even the less affluent residents could make use of it.
I also repaired outdated sewage facilities and dams, which reduced the damage from floods and droughts.
By reducing the tax on crop yields, the residents of the territory praised me.
Sure enough, as rumors spread about the livable territory, the population began to increase.
From then on, I began to develop the mine in earnest, which naturally led to the establishment of blacksmiths and restaurants.
The village’s size within the territory had grown to the point that it could now be called a city.
And as the territory became richer, my private assets skyrocketed.
‘Not just diamonds, but jade also contributed.’
Currently, I have purchased a large number of jade mines and signed an exclusive contract with Shining Stone for both jade and diamonds.
‘Although I couldn’t acquire the Blant mines, this level of success is still satisfying.’
While I was smiling, thinking about my private assets—
“Today, we have plenty again.”
The fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and eggs brought by Sardin and the knights were all gifts from the territory’s residents.
Thanks to this, I didn’t even need to buy food supplies, but I still paid for them.
“Madam, you could just accept them.”
At the knight’s comment, I smiled and spoke.
“My residents must have spent a lot of time growing these, so I can’t accept them for free.”
This was also a lesson for my child.
“Demian, remember this: everything has its value, and paying for it is only fair.”
My child smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes!”
At that moment, an apple fell to the floor and rolled away.
“Oh no!”
The knight holding the fruit looked flustered, and Demian pointed at the apple.
“Scone, pick it up!”
As soon as the command was given, a large, yellow dog quickly grabbed the apple and brought it back.
Woof woof!
The dog, looking up as if asking for praise, made Demian laugh with delight.
“Ha ha, well done!”
I watched and smiled.
‘I was worried, but it turned out well.’
Originally, the dog was a stray wandering around the territory.
However, during a territory inspection, the dog followed Demian and me persistently. When Janet and Sardin tried to chase it away, Demian pleaded to keep it, and thus Scone became a part of our household.
I was worried for a number of reasons, but Janet’s ability to train the dog helped Scone quickly adapt to the mansion.
Demian also treated the dog well, and because he learned from Janet the virtues he needed to uphold as a master, he quickly became friends with Scone.
‘In my previous life, I only focused on studies, so I didn’t even know he liked animals this much.’
Just then, Janet approached me.
“Madam, it’s almost lunchtime. Let’s head back to the mansion with the young master now.”
Lately, her nagging had increased, but she had been by my side as my guard for the past five years.
She had supported me during childbirth and when Demian had a fever.
‘I still can’t completely dismiss the suspicion that she might be Erich’s spy, but…’
Even so, there was now a small corner of my heart that thought of her as family.
I turned to her and said,
“Thank you for always taking care of me.”
Janet blushed deeply, then awkwardly hurried over to Demian.
“Y-young master! Let’s go have lunch!”
At that moment, Sardin picked up Demian.
“I’ll take care of the young master.”
“What do you mean? The young master prefers to go with me!”
Was it because I had ordered Sardin to keep an eye on Janet?
It seemed like they didn’t like each other much.
‘Maybe I should have handled this more carefully?’
At that moment, Demian spoke to Sardin.
“Sadie, put me down!”
When Sardin sighed and set him down, Demian grabbed both of their hands with his tiny ones and said, “I like both Jan and Sadie!”
Just as expected from my son, he was very clever.
The faces of the two, which had been tense just a moment ago, softened.
Watching this, I smiled and continued on my way.
‘I hope this peace lasts forever.’
ominous words in a novel