Fred greeted Rose with a bright smile.
“Lady Rose, welcome.”
“Hello, Fred!”
Waving her small hand, Rose ran toward Ian.
“Rose.”
Ian, who had a tense expression, softened and pulled Rose into a hug.
“Is Uncle busy with work?”
“No, I’m almost done. Why? Do you want to do something?”
Rose shook her head.
“No, I just thought you might be tired, Uncle.”
“Oh, our little Rose was worried about me.”
Ian’s anger, which had been simmering, completely dissipated at Rose’s words, and he smiled warmly, kissing her on the cheek.
“Shall we go out?”
“Go out?”
“Yes.”
Since arriving at the duchy, Rose had stayed in the ducal residence due to Ian’s workload piling up and the crown prince’s visit overlapping. Though she once went out with Bernaba at Ian’s request, it couldn’t really count as quality time with him.
“Can we?”
Rose’s eyes darted around, as if checking for permission. She seemed cautious since Ian had been so busy.
“Of course, we can. Rose, shall we go to the square? Let’s also visit the bank and see the academy building under construction.”
“The bank? The academy?”
Finding Rose’s curious head tilt adorable, Ian kissed her cheek again and got up from his seat. With the warm weather, there was no need for an outer coat, so he planned to leave as is.
“Fred.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Handle the matter concerning the teacher once you receive a reply from your mentor.”
“Understood.”
“If there’s anything urgent, contact me through the communication stone.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ian left the study with Rose. Outside, the sound of knights’ training could be heard loudly.
Although both Ian and Edelmar had been away for a while, the knights’ drills seemed to have continued during their absence, becoming much more disciplined compared to when they left for the capital.
“My lord, are you going out?”
“Yes. Don’t prepare dinner for us; we’ll eat outside.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare the carriage.”
Ian nodded.
Feeling restless waiting inside the hall, Ian stepped outside.
Warm sunlight poured over the two of them.
“I want to eat chicken skewers, cotton candy, and the new snack that came out recently….”
Ian watched Rose babble with a satisfied smile.
“Rose!!”
Suddenly, a voice from the training ground rang out, followed by the sight of a child quickly approaching them.
Expressing his joy, his tail wagged rapidly, and his ears twitched. Seeing this, Ian’s face slightly crumpled.
“Fenrex.”
“Rose, are you just stepping out for a bit? Or are you going somewhere? Where are you headed?”
“I’m going to the square with Uncle to play.”
“Really? Then I’ll come along too!”
Ian spoke up.
“Aren’t you supposed to finish your training?”
“No, I can double up tomorrow. Playing with Rose is way more important.”
Rose beamed at Fenrex’s words. However, Ian’s face hardened.
‘This wolf is wagging his tail at Rose.’
“No. You can’t skip training.”
“I’m not skipping. I’m just postponing it! Rose, you want me to come along, don’t you?”
Knowing he couldn’t win against Ian on his own, Fenrex hastily sought reinforcements. And without knowing the full context, the reinforcements sided with him.
“Yes, I want to go with Fenrex too.”
Fenrex puffed out his chest proudly.
“See?”
‘Yeah, I see, you wolf.’
Since Rose had expressed her desire for Fenrex to join, Ian couldn’t simply send him away.
Suppressing his boiling anger, Ian grudgingly allowed Fenrex to tag along.
“Hehe, Rose, let’s try that new snack everyone’s been talking about. My attendant said it’s super tasty!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, they say it’s so good you’d forget the world if you were eating it!”
“What does that even mean?”
Rose giggled brightly.
While listening to Fenrex and Rose chat, the carriage arrived.
When Ian lifted Rose to help her board, Fenrex, thinking he might be left behind, quickly followed.
“My lord, please have a safe trip.”
“Sure.”
“Sebastian, we’re leaving now.”
Sebastian bowed deeply to Rose, who waved her little hand.
“Take care as well, Lady Rose.”
“Okay!”
Sebastian closed the door.
Just as Ian raised his fist to signal the departure, the door opened again.
“Sebas—oh, Grand Duke?”
Standing at the door was Edelmar.
“Were you planning to leave without me?”
“Are you coming with us?”
Since being driven away by Bernaba, Edelmar hadn’t appeared before Ian again. Assuming Edelmar was busy with other matters, Ian asked again.
“Why? You don’t want to?”
Despite asking if Ian disliked it, Edelmar climbed into the carriage as if rejection wasn’t an option.
“Didn’t you have work to do?”
“I don’t.”
Well, it doesn’t matter then. Whether it’s one more wolf or one more person, it’s all the same.
Once the door closed, Ian tapped the carriage with his fist. Slowly, the carriage began to move.
Ian placed Rose in the seat next to him. Fenrex, who had been sitting across from them, suddenly jumped up and sat beside Rose, grabbing her hand as if they were lovers reunited after a hundred years, smiling brightly.
‘What an eyesore. Should I hold her again?’
As Ian frowned at the scene, Edelmar asked.
“Where are we going?”
Ian looked at Edelmar and replied.
“We’re heading to the square to visit the bank and check on the academy building under construction.”
“Oh, the academy. This is the first I’ve heard of it. Did you receive imperial approval?”
Ian shook his head.
“No. Since it’s an academy for commoners, I understand that no special approval is required.”
Edelmar raised an eyebrow.
“An academy for commoners? Hmph. So, it’s preparation for independence.”
Ian clicked his tongue internally.
Edelmar had hit the mark too accurately.
Honestly, calling it a duchy sounded nice, but the cold, mountainous northern region lacked many things—especially human resources.
Those who could read and think critically were either nobles or illegitimate children of nobles. And even then, their numbers were minimal.
When the duchy eventually became independent, skilled personnel would be desperately needed, but the small population alone wouldn’t be enough to manage the principality.
It wasn’t as if they could recruit from the Empire; who would leave a vast empire for a newly independent principality?
Thus, Ian had no choice but to invest heavily in cultivating talent.
“Did you find a teacher?”
The concern Ian had momentarily forgotten due to Rose’s presence resurfaced.
Noticing Ian’s troubled expression, Edelmar chuckled softly.
“Why? Having trouble finding one?”
Ian admitted honestly.
“Yes. Since it’s an academy for commoners, I’ve been searching among commoners, but it hasn’t gone well.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ve heard there are class distinctions even among commoners, so that’s understandable.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Well, you are the highest-ranking among nobles.”
What nonsense is this from the Grand Duke?
Ian gave Edelmar a bewildered look.
Edelmar shrugged and changed the topic.
“Anyway, when do you plan to retrieve the sacred relic?”
“I intend to go when lord Bernaba returns.”
“You’re planning to leave Rose behind?”
“Yes, it’s not far, and I’m only stepping out briefly. It would be better if lord Bernaba could look after her.”
Edelmar nodded.
“Alright.”
“But I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“What happened to Yekhaterina?”
This time, Edelmar’s expression darkened.
***
The smell of damp mold and urine filled the underground prison.
Yekhaterina bit her lips hard, desperately trying to think of a way out.
But no good ideas came to mind.
‘If only I had the ring.’
Yes, if she had the ring, she could have managed to escape somehow.
If she had known one decision would lead to this outcome, she would have never made that choice.
Regret gnawed at her chest.
‘What’s going to happen to me?’
Since the Duke discovered her using black mana, Yekhaterina had been confined to the prison.
Neither the Crown Prince, whose feelings she had manipulated with black mana, nor her father, who gained immense wealth and power because of her, came to save her.
It was as if she didn’t exist.
Yekhaterina lay down on the cold marble floor.
She longed for her warm bedroom, her soft bed, and her cozy blankets.
Growl.
The sound from her stomach reminded her of the hunger she had momentarily forgotten.
“Should I just die?”
She didn’t know how much longer she’d stay here, but the conclusion was clear—execution.
The Empire executed black mages without mercy upon discovery.
Since it was revealed during the Imperial Spring Banquet that she, not Katrina, had used black mana, her execution was inevitable.
Wouldn’t it be better to die cleanly than to live with false hope and then die?
Yekhaterina raised her arm.
Her thin hand looked more like that of a five-year-old.
As she recalled all she had done with that hand, tears welled up in her eyes.
Why had she struggled so hard to survive if she was going to die anyway?
She felt both pathetic and desperate to live.
Yekhaterina covered her face with her hands.
“I want to live. I really want to live.”
Her tears wouldn’t stop. As she sobbed uncontrollably, a whisper reached her ears.
【Do you really want to live?】
Yekhaterina froze.
Thinking she might have misheard, the whisper came again, closer this time.
【Do you want to live?】
Yekhaterina nodded vigorously and shouted.
“I want to live! I want to live!”
The whisper turned into a burst of laughter.
【Since He desires it, I’ll let you live. Remember, your life belongs to Him.】
With a tear-streaked face, Yekhaterina nodded.
And a few minutes later.
“Lady Yekhaterina, it has been proven that you are innocent. Let’s leave now.”
***
The two children held hands and ran outside, followed by Claude and the escort knights.
Without taking his eyes off Rose, Ian asked.
“She was released? How is that possible?”
“They say she received the ring as a gift.”
‘A gift? Suddenly receiving a ring as a gift…?’
A sudden thought crossed Ian’s mind, and he asked.
“Did they say it was a gift from Katrina?”
