“What Rose wants to learn.”
At the academy, students are required to choose a single department of study, but Ian had decided that Rose would learn everything.
This was because she was still young, and it was uncertain what she might find interesting or enjoyable.
Moreover, all fields of study eventually become useful when learned.
“I don’t know what I want to learn yet.”
“It’s fine. You can try everything and then decide.”
Rose nodded.
“Shall we have a snack?”
“Yes!”
Just as Ian was about to pull the bell for snacks, the door opened again without a knock.
“Rose! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Fenrex ran toward Rose.
“I told you I was going to visit Uncle.”
“No, you just said, ‘I’m leaving!’ and then left.”
“Did I? Sorry. It was urgent.”
Ian, looking at Fenrex, asked,
“Why were you searching for her? She’s within the duchy.”
“Still, you never know when or how Rose might be in danger.”
Ian frowned, knowing this statement stemmed from Fenrex’s obsession with the Imprint.
“Go to the sofa and have snacks with Rose.”
“Alright. Rose, let’s hold hands.”
Rose jumped off Ian’s lap and sat on the study’s sofa with Fenrex.
Ian pulled the bell to prepare snacks.
Although he wanted to personally feed Rose, Ian had too much work to do.
The women’s watches sold in the capital gained even more popularity than the men’s watches.
The limited quantity meant many noblewomen were unable to buy them.
Furthermore, with even ‘Royal’ auctions being held, people visited morning and evening in hopes of purchasing the new watches, undeterred by the inconvenience.
Sales skyrocketed with no sign of stopping, and May let out a scream.
This was understandable since every time nobles visited <Rose>, they purchased one, quickly depleting the stock.
On top of that, subtle pressure was being placed on the storeowner, Lily.
Not only were they demanding information about the new watches, but some even wanted to secure ‘Royal’ pieces in advance.
During the Spring Ball, it was revealed that the owner of <Rose> was a commoner, drawing all attention to Lily.
As a commoner, Lily couldn’t completely ignore the pressure from nobles.
Especially since one of the people exerting pressure was royalty — the Empress herself.
It was no wonder May was wailing.
Ian gently comforted May and began working on designing new watches.
Now that the ‘Royal’ branding had succeeded, it was time to take on the challenge of branding ‘Luxury.’
For men’s watches, there would be five standard and eight luxury models. For women’s watches, there would be seven luxury models and one Royal model.
– Knock knock
“Come in.”
Answering without looking up from the designs, Ian heard the sound of a tray being dragged along with heavy footsteps.
Unlike the usual sound made by servants, Ian looked up to see Edelmar bringing the snack tray.
“Why is the Grand Duke bringing that here?”
“I ran into it in the hallway. I figured I’d bring it since I was on my way.”
Despite being royalty and holding the powerful title of Grand Duke, Edelmar was surprisingly modest.
He didn’t flaunt his authority in front of the servants and often engaged in conversations when needed.
Though Ian could understand this behavior as someone originally from Earth, it was fascinating to see someone born and raised in a hierarchical society act this way.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“Yes, I need to work on the designs.”
“I see.”
As Ian focused intently on the designs, he heard a clinking sound beside him.
“Have some tea.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Ian awkwardly expressed his gratitude, and Edelmar smirked before taking a seat across from Rose.
Ian sipped the tea as he continued working on the designs.
For the standard and luxury models, the process wasn’t time-consuming as he simply replicated designs he had seen on Earth.
The real challenge was the Royal series.
Most of the luxury watches Ian had seen on Earth didn’t match the style preferred here.
Therefore, the Royal models had to be purely original designs.
Moreover, since future Royal watches would need to pair with one another, Ian aimed to make them somewhat similar to the watch gifted to the Emperor during the Spring Ball, but with a more feminine touch.
Ian sketched the watch given to the Emperor and added diamonds along its border.
“Hmm, that’s not quite right.”
He revised the design, replacing the gold cogs with densely set gemstones.
Still, it didn’t feel satisfying.
“Grand Duke, could you take a look at this for a moment?”
Edelmar approached and picked up the two designs from the desk.
“Are these for the Royal watch intended for my sister-in-law?”
“Yes. Do you have any suggestions?”
Ian, who had only considered luxury items for Rose since his reincarnation, hoped Edelmar—someone who had lived his entire life surrounded by luxury—might have better insight.
Edelmar silently examined the two designs before setting them down without a word.
“Do you not like them?”
“Correct.”
Ian clicked his tongue in frustration.
Seeking help had only resulted in hurt feelings.
He erased all the changes he had made and tapped his fountain pen in thought.
The first concept for the Royal series was ‘simplicity.’
‘How can I emphasize femininity while maintaining simplicity?’
After pondering for a moment, Ian had a flash of inspiration and decided to draft a new design instead of revising the old one.
The size was slightly reduced, but the time indicators were enlarged. He planned to set rubies over the screws connecting the mechanical parts.
It was a design that was similar but had distinct differences.
Pleased with the completed design, Ian pulled the bell to summon Fred.
“Take this to May and tell her to produce it in the previously discussed quantity. And for the Royal model intended for the Empress, let ‘Rose’ deliver it separately.”
“Understood.”
Having completed a major task, Ian drank the now lukewarm tea.
“Aren’t I delivering the watch to my sister-in-law myself?”
“I thought it might be bothersome for you, so I arranged for it to be sent from ‘Rose’. Would you prefer to deliver it yourself?”
Edelmar declined.
“No. But if it’s alright, I’ll have ‘Rose’ handle it.”
“Very well. Establishing the ‘Royal’ image only requires one clear instance. Repeating it too often will only cause fatigue.”
Edelmar nodded.
After finishing his tea in small sips, Ian looked up from the documents he was about to pick up.
“Grand Duke.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know anything about the princesses of the Kingdom of Karlin?”
At Ian’s question, Edelmar got up and approached the desk.
“The princesses of Karlin? Why the sudden interest in them?”
Instead of answering, Ian handed him a letter.
After reading the entire contents of the letter, Edelmar set it down and replied,
“There are 15 princesses in the Kingdom of Karlin. Four were born to the Empress, while the remaining 11 were born to the concubines.”
‘Wow, the King of Karlin is certainly blessed with daughters. Fifteen of them!’
“The princess planning to come to the northern territory must be the eccentric 11th princess, based on the rumors.”
“Eccentric?”
Leaning against the desk, Edelmar explained.
“Yes. Are you aware that the King of Karlin is revered as a god?”
Ian nodded.
“The princesses are revered as goddesses as well. They are raised delicately, all sharing pale skin and gentle personalities.”
Pale skin and a gentle personality.
It reminded Ian of someone.
A woman who had been treated as the apple of her family’s eye, born after five generations into a family cursed not to bear daughters—a girl named Yeouji.
From birth, Yeouji was cared for by seven nannies. She didn’t even attend school for fear she might get hurt. Eventually, she was chosen by a constellation.
Though it wasn’t one of the highest-ranked constellations, being chosen made her an apostle, obligated to fight monsters.
However, she would scream at the sight of monsters and lament when they were killed, even if Ian and the other apostles defeated them.
Yeouji’s family was conflicted and ultimately decided to hire apostles to accompany her into dungeons whenever she had duties to fulfill. Ian had been one of them.
Although the offer was tempting due to the generous pay, Ian realized what it truly meant to feel mentally drained.
Yeouji, with her skin so pale it seemed she’d never seen sunlight, screamed at monsters and cried when they died.
People who joined to assist her thought she was overly delicate, but Ian and the other apostles questioned her sanity.
After a grueling two-day dungeon raid filled with her screaming and crying, Ian vowed never to assist Yeouji again.
If the princesses were anything like that…
‘Marriage would be tough for them.’
Even though they were revered as goddesses, marriage was a necessity in this world.
Since they wouldn’t marry within the royal family, their options were limited to nobles. However, most nobles adhered to a patriarchal mindset.
How could a princess, revered as a goddess, endure such a mindset?
“But the 11th princess is different.”
“In what way, specifically?”
Edelmar smirked.
“You’ll understand when you meet her.”
Judging from Edelmar’s demeanor, Ian frowned. It seemed there would be no further explanation.
Ian had planned to meet the princess when she arrived with Fred’s mentor, assess the situation, and, if necessary, persuade her to leave.
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
The word ‘eccentric’ lingered in Ian’s mind.
The strange sense of unease refused to disappear.
And when the princess arrived, it became clear.
***
Dark brown skin.
Distinct, sharp features and bright orange eyes.
Short green hair, as if freshly enlisted in the military.
“Hello! I’m Hamil de Karlin! Nice to meet you!”
“…Ah, yes. Hello.”
Her boisterous voice was almost deafening.
When Ian offered his hand for her to kiss, Hamil grasped it firmly, shook it up and down vigorously, and let go.
Blinking in confusion, Ian watched as Hamil turned to Edelmar.
“Hello! Your Grace, the Grand Duke! I didn’t expect to meet you here!”
Shaking hands with Hamil, Edelmar nodded.
“Neither did I expect to meet the princess here.”
“Just call me Hamil! Hearing ‘princess’ gives me chills. Look.”
Hamil extended her arm.
She truly had goosebumps.
“I thought it’d be freezing since it’s the northern territory, but it’s actually really warm here.”
“It’s almost summer.”
“Oh, I see. So it’s summer here, but it doesn’t get too hot. Wow, what a nice place to live. Master, I might want to settle here for good.”
Hamil’s teacher, the sage Julius, stroked his long, white beard with a hearty laugh.
“That’s something you’d need to ask the Duke, not me.”
“Oh, right! Duke! Can I settle here for good? I have tons of skills! If you want, I can even work as a chef! Oh, but no marriage, okay? I’m a firm believer in staying single! Haha!”
A sudden, sharp headache made Ian squeeze his eyes shut.
‘Eccentric, they said. Eccentric. This isn’t eccentric—this is outright lunacy!’
