Reading the newspaper was harder than training.
“I… can’t… It’s so boring…”
Jeffrey, who had been forcing his eyes to read the tiny print, couldn’t bear the dizzy feeling anymore and collapsed onto the armrest of the sofa.
Berry, sitting beside him, was deeply immersed in the newspaper.
The column was about popular investment items these days.
Although the article was filled with difficult terminology for someone like Berry, who had only just started reading, that wasn’t what mattered to Theon.
‘Is she enjoying it because it’s about money?’
Berry’s eyes sparkled as she read the paper. To Theon, watching Berry was far more entertaining. Strangely enough, when he looked at her, time just seemed to fly by.
“Hmm. So this kind of stuff is trending now?”
Apparently done with the article, Berry moved her head. Startled, Theon quickly turned his eyes back to the article he was pretending to read.
In the black-and-white photo, a man was waving to a crowd.
His face wore a gentle smile. It was Emperor Frederick Carl Ixellona.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
Will the Ixellona Imperial Bloodline End Here?
Frederick Carl Ixellona celebrates his 8th year on the throne.
However, the Ixellona family has yet to receive the blessing of a next generation…
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
Though the article featured a kind photo of the emperor, it dealt with a sensitive topic that the emperor was known to be touchy about.
Theon skimmed through the article and then turned his gaze to the photo.
The golden-maned lion emblem on the banner beside the emperor was exactly the same as the one on his father’s pocket watch.
Was he really of Ixellona blood? Theon gently tugged at his own hair.
‘They say His Majesty the Emperor also has black hair and eyes…’
“What are you doing?”
Berry called out to him. Surprised, Theon looked up.
Their eyes met, and Berry grinned before moving to sit beside him. Jeffrey, who had been left alone on the opposite couch, had already fallen sound asleep.
“Is there an interesting article? I want to read it too!”
“Yeah.”
Theon willingly showed her the newspaper. Berry began reading the article aloud in a clear voice.
“Although it has been eight years since Emperor Ixellona ascended the throne, he still has no children.”
It was a fairly long article, but Berry read it all the way to the end.
“It’s clear that what the Emperor needs most right now is an heir!”
Her voice grew louder toward the end, which Theon interpreted as her being proud of finishing the article.
Berry turned to Theon with sparkling eyes.
“Hey, Theon, did you know? My dad said that if you want to survive in a place where you don’t have any allies, you need to know what’s most important in that environment.”
Theon blinked. Berry sometimes said things that were hard to understand—and this was one of those times.
Still, he had no intention of interrupting her. Theon nodded his head.
“Look. Right now, what His Majesty the Emperor wants most is an heir, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So that means the most important thing to the Ixellona imperial family right now is the Emperor’s child. But sometimes, bad people might show up. Those people will try to devalue that child in twisted ways. Because they think that if they mess with what’s most important, they can take control however they want.”
Theon only vaguely understood what she meant, but since it was Berry saying it, her words stuck clearly in his mind.
“That’s why, no matter what other people say, you shouldn’t let it get to you.”
“…Are you saying that to me?”
“Nope. I’m talking about the article.”
It felt like she was speaking directly to him. But it was just a misunderstanding, apparently.
Feeling embarrassed, Theon pressed his lips together tightly.
Berry didn’t miss his reaction.
“Heehee. I do have something I want to say to you, Theon~”
“…What is it?”
“Tie my hair for me!”
Berry, grinning mischievously, turned to show the other side of her head where her ribbon had come half undone.
Realizing she had been teasing him, the tips of Theon’s ears turned red.
***
“You’ve confirmed everything thoroughly, right? Any issues?”
“None!”
“I’m going.”
Jackjack hung the pouch I handed him around his neck and nimbly leapt onto the window ledge.
Inside the pouch was a genuine pearl earring from the Shushubia Archipelago.
“Oh, right. Jackjack.”
As I was seeing him off, I relaxed my upright posture. The truth is, I had something to say before sending him off.
“What is it?”
“The pearl earring… the temporary representative will deliver it to the dwarves, right?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Hmm—”
The designer from Trang’s Atelier did make a good point.
A pearl is the only gem born in perfect form—requiring no additional crafting.
‘But will the dwarves acknowledge it?’
When Grandpa first brought up the dwarves, I was simply eager to do well. But once Aunt Marian got involved, my perspective shifted.
‘What if I fail… and Aunt Marian succeeds instead?’
— Hey. You should be grateful to the Travel family. Reytan is dead, and they’re still letting someone with uncertain bloodline like you stay here. Make yourself useful. Don’t just stand there like an idiot—go get something that’ll boost my accomplishments.
The idea of Aunt Marian gaining credit… that was something I couldn’t bear.
It would be disappointing not to acquire the diamond mine—
‘But I have to win this.’
A smile formed on my lips. I turned to Jackjack and said.
“Then please write down what I want to say and deliver it to the dwarves along with the earring!”
***
Clang! Clang!
The sound of hammering on metal placed on an anvil echoed through the air. Heat from the furnace made the ground shimmer with mirages. This was a typical scene in the dwarf village.
Baltar, the dwarf chieftain, had just sent off the latest outsider.
He strode away from the forge toward the living quarters.
Opening the door to a clay house, he entered to find a short elder with pointy ears sitting at the dining table, reading a newspaper. It was Marshall.
“Must be nice, living so comfortably. Because of you, outsiders keep coming in and out of the village.”
“Old man Baltar, you’re being overly dramatic. A girl no older than your granddaughter just asked you to deliver a letter—is that really so offensive? Whether it was Oldman or Marian, they only showed up because of the curt reply you sent back.”
“Hmph!”
It was an argument neither side could win.
Marshall looked at Baltar through her glasses, watching him go speechless.
The stout, muscular dwarven blacksmith—his deep forehead wrinkle mirrored his deep-rooted stubbornness.
As his snowy white eyebrows showed, he had lived a long life.
“The most perfect gem, you say.”
Marshall chuckled.
“Yet no matter what gem is brought to you, you always find fault. That temperament of yours is really something.”
The average lifespan of dwarves was 170 years. Roughly a century ago, Baltar had been directly harmed by the mineral scam orchestrated by Count Travel.
“Hmph. I’m right here, alive and kicking. Trade? With Count Travel’s lot? Never. I will never forgive them.”*
Baltar exhaled sharply through his nose.
The humiliation the dwarves suffered back then was indescribable.
Even if it was a time when non-human rights were poorly regarded, Count Travel had treated the dwarves like disposable livestock.
He looked down on them for being a ‘short race,’ refused to dine at the same table due to their supposed stench, and even delayed payments after deliveries.
The mineral incident had merely been the tipping point of long-standing abuse.
“They disgraced the craftsmanship of the dwarves.”
His anger hadn’t subsided.
Thud! Baltar slammed the leather pouch in his hand down onto the table.
A heavy, solid object struck the tabletop with a dull sound.
That old man and his temper… Marshall picked up the pouch and untied the string at its mouth. Inside were a velvet-lined jewelry box and a sleek wooden one.
“Still, the good-for-nothing son from that family isn’t as bad. Are these the jewels? Sent by the eldest daughter and some Baron?”
“The velvet one came from the daughter. She claimed it was from a place where a lifelong ascetic finally attained enlightenment… Sounds lofty, but that’s all it is.”
The overly dramatic delivery felt like watching a stage play. The attendants Marian brought along even started tearing up.
“Ahhh! In that moment, the ascetic realized it—‘I have lived my entire life in suffering just to witness this sight!’”
Baltar was dumbfounded. Only one phrase came to his mind.
‘What a load of crap.’
🍓; *I’m present, alert, and fully aware’. It’s often used to emphasize that someone is not only alive but strong, capable, and not to be underestimated—fitting the original character’s defiant stance.
