Ian looked displeased at the wolf that resembled a puppy and lifted him into his arms.
The pain caused by the rejection of the marked one worsened over time, eventually becoming life-threatening.
It was impossible to kill the prince of the beast tribe within the duchy.
“Rose, the puppy is here.”
Rose, who had her face buried in his neck, turned her head.
“The puppy is wagging its tail.”
At Ian’s words, Fenrex’s tail wagged like a helicopter.
“Puppy.”
Rose hugged Fenrex with one hand.
Ian let out a sigh of relief and sat in his chair.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Ian glanced at the clock on his desk and sighed inwardly.
It was 3 p.m.
It was time for Fred’s report.
“Rose.”
Rose lifted her head.
“Uncle Fred is coming in.”
“Mmm.”
Rose buried her face in his neck again. This was her way of granting permission.
“Come in.”
Fred timidly entered the room and stood at a safe distance from the desk, far enough so as not to scare Rose.
“The bank opening went well. While there aren’t many people depositing money yet, lottery ticket sales are increasing rapidly.”
Ian nodded.
The bank wasn’t established to make money but to change the currency system.
To do that, they needed to start by changing the currency used by the commoners.
Simply handing out money would cause inflation, so a lottery was necessary.
The winnings from the lottery were paid out in the gold and silver coins made by the bank.
“And the merchant guild?”
“They are still suspicious. Although they accept the checks used by Miss May, they haven’t directly interacted with the bank yet.”
“I see.”
It was natural for the merchant guild to be suspicious when operating. There was no reason to be disappointed.
“Understood. You’ve heard about the trip to the capital, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have.”
“We’ll leave as soon as the invitation arrives.”
“So soon?”
Initially, Ian had planned to take a full month to make use of the gate for the trip.
But given Rose’s current condition, it became clear that she and Lachik needed to be separated as soon as possible.
It wasn’t that Lachik was bad; rather, Lachik’s gentle nature triggered Rose’s trauma.
For the time being, some distance was necessary. Staying in the same space could cause more harm to Rose, so the trip to the capital served as a good excuse.
“Understood.”
After Fred left, Rose lifted her head. Despite the short interaction, she was already sweating from fear.
“Uncle, are we going to the capital?”
Ian took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Yes. Remember when we visited the imperial palace and met the emperor?”
Rose rolled her eyes, thinking, and nodded.
“The emperor has a son, and he asked if you would like to be friends with him.”
“…Friends? But I already have friends.”
Ian smiled and asked,
“Who is your friend?”
“Edel.”
“Edel? You mean the Grand Duke?”
“Yes.”
At the mention of the Grand Duke being a friend, Fenrex bared his teeth in a growl. Ian flicked Fenrex’s nose with his finger.
“Quiet down.”
‘Don’t bare your teeth in front of my kid.’
“Whine.”
Ian ignored Fenrex, who was rubbing his nose with his paws, and stroked Rose’s head.
“Rose, aren’t you afraid of the Grand Duke?”
“Mmm.”
Edelmar was a large man who could intimidate even fully grown adults. Rose, unsure how to respond, playfully rubbed her face against Ian’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. It’s normal to be scared of your friends sometimes.”
“Is it okay to be scared of a friend?”
Ian smiled gently.
“Of course. You’re still a kid, Rose. It’s okay for you to be afraid of people sometimes.”
Rose pouted her lips, a gesture she made when deep in thought.
‘That’s a relief,’
Ian thought, letting out a sigh of relief internally.
Acknowledging that something was wrong with herself was a positive sign.
More than anything, the fact that she still considered Edelmar a friend meant that the emotional wounds from before were beginning to heal.
‘I should be more attentive when we go to the capital.’
Between running the mines and the bank, he had been spending less time with Rose. Just like on Earth, he had forgotten what was really important.
“When we go to the capital, shall we go on more outings together?”
“Outings?”
“Yes, we’ll explore the city, visit the night markets. We didn’t get to see much of the capital last time, did we?”
After hesitating for a moment, Rose nodded.
“Woof woof!”
Fenrex barked, as if signaling his intention to join them. Ian ignored him and held both of them as he moved to the sofa.
He shifted into a more comfortable position so that Rose could sleep and patted her back gently.
As he softly hummed a lullaby, Rose’s eyelids fluttered and slowly grew heavy. With Ian’s steady pats and the warmth of Fenrex in her arms, Rose quickly fell asleep.
“You’re good at putting her to sleep.”
Without knocking, Edelmar entered the room and whispered quietly.
“She doesn’t sleep well at night.”
Ian laid Rose on the sofa and covered her with a blanket. As Ian tidied her messy hair, Edelmar, sitting across from him, spoke.
“The jeweler ‘Yekhaterina’ is connected to the crown prince.”
Ian looked at Edelmar.
“The crown prince?”
“Yes. A provincial noble who recently came to the capital made the suggestion.”
“Could it be Viscount Wistel?”
“How did you know?”
Ian smirked.
‘Yekhaterina has already met the crown prince?’
It seemed that this world was determined to maintain the events he had foreseen.
Otherwise, a mere viscount would not have had the chance to meet the crown prince.
“I keep up with the news from the capital too.”
“News from the capital?”
“Yes, I’ve heard that Yekhaterina Wistel, the viscount’s daughter, is making waves in the capital’s social circles.”
Ian shared the information he had received that day.
The daughter of a rural viscount, who appeared like a comet, had swept through the jewelry business, catching the attention of high-ranking nobles, who then invited her.
The girl, who was invited to the tea parties, received much affection from the noblewomen due to her cute and beautiful appearance, as well as her excellent conversational skills.
As a result, the popularity of Yekhaterina’s shop increased.
“Hm. So, she’s loved by the noblewomen, huh?”
Edelmar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The noblewomen of the capital were known to be quite particular. It would be difficult to receive love from all of them, let alone just one.
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“What connection is there between being loved by the noblewomen and the provincial noble who proposed to the crown prince?”
“Could it be because they spent a lot of money, something the noblewomen would notice?”
The noblewomen of the capital were not particularly sensitive to money.
They didn’t care much about who spent how much, and would rather mock someone as a nouveau riche if they did.
So, it wasn’t just the amount of money spent that drew their attention.
There had to be something else about that girl that was noteworthy.
“So, they must know the crown prince is behind it.”
“Yes,”
Ian agreed straightforwardly.
“Hm, what could that girl be?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
Ian was indeed curious.
What exactly was it about her that, despite her young age, she managed to gain the crown prince’s support?
“When will we be heading to the capital?”
“As soon as the invitation arrives. Will you be staying here, Grand Duke?”
“No, I’ll go with you.”
Ian grimaced.
“Surely, you don’t intend to stay at our townhouse, do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
Ian clenched his teeth.
“Don’t you have a townhouse in the capital?”
“It’s under construction.”
“What?”
Edelmar smiled brightly.
“A few days ago, a fire broke out in my townhouse. Everything was destroyed.”
“What…?”
“I can’t exactly sleep on the ashes, can I?”
Ian let out a hollow laugh.
‘What nonsense.’
Just moments ago, Edelmar had said he was keeping up with the news from the capital, yet now he was calmly lying.
“Why don’t you stay at the imperial palace?”
“I don’t have a habit of staying in other people’s homes.”
“The palace isn’t just anyone’s home.”
“It’s my brother’s home, not mine, is it?”
“Then what about our townhouse?”
Edelmar pointed at Rose with his finger.
“It’s my friend’s house.”
“And staying at a friend’s house is acceptable?”
“Well, aside from that, we’re on the same side, aren’t we? We should stick together.”
Annoyed by Edelmar’s cheeky response, Ian nodded, barely controlling his frustration.
“Yes, understood.”
Edelmar tilted his head, puzzled by the sudden change in Ian’s attitude.
“You’re agreeing too easily.”
“You’re the one who said you would stay. Unless you’d prefer the imperial palace?”
“No, no.”
“Then I’ll prepare everything accordingly.”
Ian kissed Rose gently on the forehead as she slept soundly, then stood up.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“I will.”
“Since we’ll be departing as soon as the invitation arrives, please be prepared in advance.”
“Understood.”
Edelmar left the study with a puzzled expression.
Ian sat down at his desk and grinned.
‘It would be difficult to find a person with as much power and influence as him.’
While the duchy was largely controlled by the Duke, the capital was a different story.
Especially if Yekhaterina had the Crown Prince backing her, Rose would also need someone of equal status to support her.
That way, she wouldn’t suffer any injustices.
“Yes. It has to be someone like that.”
Ian picked up the drawing he had been working on before Rose arrived.
“If you’re aiming for the noblewomen, then I’ll go for the noblemen side.”
***
Ian picked up the whimpering Rose.
He patted her as she rubbed her face against his shoulder, then spoke to Fred.
“If there’s anything to report, contact me via the communication stone. Don’t forget to include the report on the bank.”
“Understood.”
Logan asked worriedly.
“Are you sure it’s alright if I don’t go with you?”
Ian gestured toward Edelmar.
“Why are you worried when I’m going with the Grand Duke?”
“But…”
“If possible, I’ll return as soon as I can. Don’t worry.”
“Understood.”
Logan stepped back.
Ian spoke to Fenrex, who was circling around his feet.
“Stop fussing and get in the carriage.”
Fenrex bared his teeth.
“Should I send you to the coachman’s seat?”
Fenrex’s ears and tail drooped as he climbed into the carriage.
“Grand Duke, shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s go now.”
Once Edelmar was in the carriage, Rose whimpered again.
“Uncleee… Aunt Lachik should come too, right?”
“I’m sorry, Aunt Lachik has work to do here, so she can’t come with us.”
“Uh… She should come with us.”
“I’m sorry. We’ll go to the capital and come back quickly, okay?”
Ian hugged the tearful Rose tightly and bid farewell to Sebastian, who looked at them with pity.
“Have a safe trip.”
Leaving behind the bowing servants, Ian climbed into the carriage.
Once Ian sat down, Edelmar knocked on the carriage wall.
The carriage, laden with luxury materials and enhanced by Ian’s magic, began to move smoothly.
“Rose…?”
At Ian’s call, Rose shook her head vigorously, not wanting to respond, burying her face into his shoulder.
