“Fenrex said you wielded a sword. So, I thought you were a swordsman. But what is this? You’re using magic in the square?”
“……..”
“But don’t the nobles of the empire say that you are an incompetent duke with no power? A duke who uses both a sword and magic is considered incompetent… Isn’t that quite funny?”
“Your Majesty Napharoa.”
Napharoa’s tail wagged gently.
“Does the emperor know that you can use both sword and magic?”
Ian clenched his teeth.
“The emperor will be displeased if he knows I have Fenrex with me.”
The emperors of the empire had always been wary of the beastfolk.
Even though illegal slavery of beastfolk was rampant, it was not openly suppressed to reduce their population.
“Oh. Is that the issue?”
Napharoa took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
“Don’t worry. The emperor has already approved it.”
The paper contained the emperor’s congratulations on Fenrex’s mark and allowed him to stay in the duchy.
‘Damn it!’
***
“Rose, do you want to eat this?”
“No, I’m full. Fenrex, you eat it.”
-Hiss!
Unlike the friendly conversation between the two children, a spirit was continuously hissing in anger.
This comedy continued throughout the journey.
What was annoying was that Fenrex ignored Ermenia.
If they had a big fight, I planned to use it as an excuse to send Fenrex away, but the clever wolf ignored Ermenia’s hissing and nipping.
“We’re almost there.”
Ian turned his head to look out the window.
Unlike when they left, the north was now in the middle of winter after two months.
Buying a carriage to prepare for the cold was a stroke of genius, as a fierce snowstorm was raging outside.
“Rose.”
“Yes!”
Ian took out a thick coat from the inventory and put it on Rose.
“It’s cold outside, so wear this.”
“What about Fenrex?”
“The wolf… I mean, Fenrex is a wolf, so he won’t be cold.”
‘He wandered around in the middle of winter in the novel, too.’
Ian, remembering Fenrex from the novel, glanced at him.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Rose, come here.”
Ian got off the carriage with Rose in his arms, and Fenrex followed him.
“My lord. My lady.”
Sebastian approached Ian with a face full of emotion.
“Did you have a pleasant journey?”
“Yes. Where are May and Logan?”
“They are waiting.”
Ian nodded and entered the duke’s residence.
Unlike the windy outside, the inside was warm with a cozy atmosphere.
“Sebastian. Is Fenrex’s room ready?”
“Yes. As you instructed, we prepared the guest room on the second floor.”
“The second floor won’t do,”
Rose, who was in Ian’s arms, mumbled.
“Why, Rose?”
“Uncle. Aren’t Fenrex and I going to use the same room?”
“Hmm? The same room?”
A vein throbbed on Ian’s forehead.
“Yes! We’ve been sharing the same room until now.”
“That was because we were traveling. Now that we’re home, you should use separate rooms. Rose will sleep with me, and Fenrex will sleep alone.”
Ian had deliberately arranged for their rooms to be as far apart as possible.
Despite the emperor’s orders and threats, Ian couldn’t let Rose stay with Fenrex.
‘Once I get in touch with the constellations, I’ll ask them to find a way to break the mark.’
Rose mumbled sullenly.
“I want to sleep with Fenrex.”
“…Rose.”
Ian closed his eyes tightly.
Ever since he possessed this body, he had vowed to make Rose happy and see her smile, but now she looked dejected.
Ian took a deep breath and said,
“Do you really want to sleep with Fenrex?”
Rose nodded.
“Alright, just for a while.”
“For a while?”
“Yes, only for a week. You can’t keep sleeping together. Rose and Fenrex are a man and a woman.”
The servants exchanged puzzled looks at the beastfolk wolf.
‘Isn’t he too young to be called a man?’
They all thought the same but didn’t dare to voice it.
“Like with bathing?”
“Yes. Remember how I told you that Fenrex and I, being man, couldn’t bathe with you? So you bathed with Ermenia instead.”
During their travels, Rose had envied Ian and Fenrex bathing together and wanted to join.
In reality, it wasn’t so much a bath as scrubbing the wolf to rid him of fleas.
“It hurts! It hurts!!”
“Stay still! Or I’ll throw you out!!”
“The water’s hot!! My eyes sting!!!”
“Be quiet!”
Rose seemed to think of this washing as a game.
“Waah! Uncle and Fenrex are playing together! I want to play too!!”
From Ian’s perspective, it was a terrifying idea.
“Absolutely not!”
Fenrex felt the same way.
“No! Rose!! One suffering is enough!!”
With both of them opposing, Rose eventually burst into tears.
Luckily, Ermenia, who had been watching, mediated by agreeing to bathe with Rose, but the memory still made Ian uneasy.
“Okay.”
Realizing she had no choice, Rose reluctantly nodded.
“Louise.”
Ian handed Rose over to her maid, Louise.
“Sebastian. Have both children bathed and fed with snacks.”
“Understood.”
“Also, tell William to come to the study in an hour.”
“Yes.”
After giving the orders, Ian kissed Rose on the cheek.
“Rose. Have your snack. Uncle has to go to work.”
“Okay.”
“See you later.”
Although he was greeting Ian, the wolf kept his eyes on Rose, which made Ian glare at him as he walked to the study.
“My lord.”
“My lord.”
Two people who had been drinking tea in the empty study stood up.
“What is the situation?”
“It’s not good.”
Logan answered gloomily.
“Have they noticed?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then what?”
May handed over some documents.
Ian sat on a single sofa and began reading through the papers.
The documents detailed the movements of the collateral family, and one word caught his eye.
“Sybel?”
‘If it’s Sybel, isn’t that the name of the one who provided genes for Rose?’
Logan nodded.
“Yes. He is the wandering knight who seduced Lady Marianne.”
“Wasn’t he properly dealt with?”
May poured tea for Ian and answered.
“It seems Count Kale acted faster than us. By the time the guild went to deal with him, he had already disappeared.”
[Count Kale has recruited Sybel, Lady Rose’s biological father. He plans to claim that Lady Rose is the daughter of another woman. Immediate action is needed.]
Ian clicked his tongue and tossed the documents aside.
The winter hunt had been replaced by an autumn hunt, and he had planned to travel for a while.
The winters in the duchy were too harsh to venture out, so he intended to return around spring when the flowers bloomed.
But because of this matter, Ian had to return urgently.
“Can we resolve this?”
Logan asked anxiously.
“Yes. The collateral family wouldn’t have thought of it, but there’s a way to prove the direct lineage.”
“Is there such a method?”
Even a wizard who could conjure fire and rain couldn’t determine parentage.
The same went for priests. Even with the power to resurrect the dead, they couldn’t verify parentage.
“There’s a way only Loenbaum can use, so don’t worry. I’ll handle this myself. How about the mines?”
May handed over another set of documents.
“A month ago, we sent 10 boxes to Berry G, and 1 box to the jeweler. We plan to divide them into rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, 20 pieces each.”
“Good. And the shop?”
“We’ve purchased a good place with the money from selling diamonds. If you approve, we can start selling immediately.”
“Hmm.”
Ian checked the remaining amount of money.
‘There’s more money left than I expected.’
The rapid mining speed and high sales price to Berry G left a lot of money even after buying the shop.
“I need to do some interior decorating.”
“Interior decorating, you say?”
“Yes, that’s right. The store you’re working on now is your aunt’s, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Ian reviewed the shop layout and drew on the back of the document.
“My lord, you can draw too?”
“I learned.”
Before his possession, Ian had learned not only what was necessary for nobles under the direction of the previous Duke, but also art, music, and other cultural aspects.
This was also true for Yoon Sijun, the favorites of the constellations, who was forced to master various skills including handling weapons, art, music, and playing instruments.
Though learned reluctantly, drawing was not difficult for him.
“Use as many lights as possible and create glass cases to display the jewelry inside. Place rings and bracelets on red cloth and create neck-like structures to hang necklaces.”
“Wow, how did you come up with such an idea?”
“Make it as luxurious as possible. Have you thought of a name for the jewelry store?”
May shook her head.
“Aren’t you going to name it, my lord?”
“Hmm.”
Ian tapped the paper with his pen and began drawing again.
As the thick and thin lines overlapped, a shape emerged.
“It looks like a flower.”
Ian nodded.
“Name the jewelry store ‘Rose’ and use this as the symbol.”
“A symbol?”
Ian thought of the ‘Camellia’ symbol he had seen from a luxury brand on Earth.
“Package the purchased products in boxes with the name ‘Rose’ engraved and attach a rose made of red silk in the center.”
“Not using ribbons?”
“Yes. The box should be easily recognizable as a purchase from ‘Rose’ jewelry store.”
A black box with a red silk flower would catch anyone’s eye. Even without the text, the silk flower alone would remind people of ‘Rose.’
It would not only serve as an advertisement but also elevate the jewelry store’s value.
“How did you come up with this, my lord?”
“The box shouldn’t just be plain black. Ask your aunt to make it as luxurious as possible. Also, make sure not to engrave any patterns on it.”
“Yes.”
May nodded, then extended her hand with a sudden realization.
“What is it?”
“You mentioned acquiring another mine.”
Her smile was bright, but her eyes were fiery, as if she wouldn’t leave without it.
“Oh.”
Ian reached into his pocket, opened his inventory, and took out the contracts.
During his month-long travels, Ian had intermittently acquired mines.
Since the mines were in wastelands, most landowners readily signed the sale contracts.
Some greedy ones demanded exorbitant prices, but Ian’s wealth could accommodate it.
Considering the future value of the gems mined from these places, their prices were a bargain.
“Wow, there are so many!”
May exclaimed with delight as she received the contracts.
“The types include emerald, topaz, ruby, and sapphire. While some may not be of the highest grade, they are still high quality. It would be better for us to process and sell them rather than supplying them to Berry G.”
“Yes, yes! I will manage it well!”
Giggling, May asked Ian,
“Can I leave now?”
“Yes.”
Ian nodded, and May jumped up and ran out.
“Why is she so happy about more work?”
Logan clicked his tongue.
Ian chuckled at Logan’s grandfatherly scolding tone as he picked up his teacup.
“I heard you’ve taken in a beastfolk named Fenrex.”
