May, holding a blueprint, brightly greeted as she opened the study door.
“Greetings, Grand Duke!”
“Yes.”
“Your clock is finished! I’ve handed it to the Duke, so you can collect it from him. Well then, I’ll take my leave!”
May dashed down the corridor as if every second mattered.
Edelmar entered the study and walked straight to Ian.
Ian, without looking at him, merely handed over a box.
“Here it is. The one for His Majesty will be delivered at the banquet.”
“Is this your roundabout way of telling me to leave since you’re busy?”
When Ian raised his head, Edelmar smiled brightly.
“One should look into the eyes of the person they’re speaking to.”
“I’m busy.”
Edelmar leaned against the desk.
“What’s keeping someone who will be at the townhouse until the banquet so busy?”
“There are many reports I can’t receive via communication stones.”
Edelmar grabbed the box and placed it in front of Ian who had a look that seemed to say ‘Would you please leave now?’
“Put it on me.”
“Have you taken your medicine?”
“You have a gift for delivering insults with elegance.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Opening the box, Edelmar said,
“Doesn’t Rose teach how to wear wristwatches? I bought this directly from you, so shouldn’t you be the one to teach me?”
“I’ll call a Rose staff member for you.”
“Oh my. Waiting might weaken the fingers holding the watch.”
Ian was dumbfounded.
The person who could climb a mountain without sweating a drop claimed his fingers might weaken holding a wristwatch?
As Edelmar locked eyes with Ian, he smiled.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just put it on me and send me away?”
Grinding his teeth, Ian snatched the wristwatch from Edelmar’s hand.
“I’ll put it on for you.”
The limited-edition ‘Royal’ watch featured a bracelet made from monster byproducts with a steel-like material, not leather straps. The wrist strap was designed with a buckle rather than mimicking a belt.
Ian loosened the strap and fastened the watch onto Edelmar’s wrist. The clasp clicked together seamlessly, fitting perfectly.
“It’s done.”
Ian waved his hand dismissively, signaling Edelmar to leave.
Chuckling lightly, Edelmar left the study without saying a word. Leaning against the door, he looked down at the watch.
The orderly movements of variously sized gears between the actively moving second hand caught his attention.
Perhaps due to his inner emptiness, Edelmar, who harbored slight obsessive tendencies, found this watch highly appealing.
Originally, Edelmar wasn’t attached to material objects.
Edelmar was in a position where he could obtain anything with just a flick of his finger. He had high standards and had never particularly desired anything.
However, the items Ian gave him were different.
The sword Ian had given him was exquisite and felt as if it had been made to fit his hand perfectly, like an object he had been using for a long time. Its beauty aside, even the coldness of the watch as it was fastened around his wrist was a sensation he willingly welcomed.
Standing upright, Edelmar gazed at the study door.
At first, it was curiosity, then amusement.
As he got to know Ian, new facets continually surfaced, leaving no time to feel empty.
Above all, Ian was hiding something from him.
Yet, Edelmar had no intention of asking him directly.
He no longer felt emptiness just by being near Ian and trying to figure out what Ian was concealing.
Edelmar, who had been looking at the door where Ian had disappeared, began walking down the corridor.
How far had he walked?
Suddenly, a wave of emptiness engulfed Edelmar.
As his expression began to fade, replaced by a sense of futility, he heard the rapid patter of small footsteps.
Looking down the corridor, he spotted Rose running toward him, her yellow dress fluttering behind her.
“Rose.”
“Huh? Uncle.”
Edelmar caught the running Rose in his arms and asked gently, mimicking the tone of her older brother
“Is something the matter?”
Rose answered,
“Fenrex is coming soon, but I ate all the cake. I asked the butler, but he said there’s no cake in the house. Uncle, we need to go buy more!”
Listening to Rose’s explanation, Edelmar’s mind worked quickly.
Without Ian around, the emptiness returned.
However, he couldn’t just go back after being told to leave.
What if he made Ian come to him instead?
Edelmar gave Rose a kind smile.
“If there’s none, we’ll just make one.”
***
With a soft clink, a teacup was placed on the desk.
“My lord, please take a break.”
The fragrant aroma of tea caused Ian to lift his head.
“Alright.”
His eyes strained from looking at documents for too long, Ian pressed his temples and picked up the teacup.
Since arriving here, Ian had been drinking tea as if it were water, but he found himself craving coffee.
‘I wonder if there are coffee beans here.’
As Ian sipped the tea, reminiscing about the coffee he drank like water on Earth, Fred, who was organizing the corrected documents, asked,
“What do you plan to do about Lachik?”
“Hmm.”
Since arriving at the duke’s estate, Ian had forgotten about Lachik.
“What has she been up to lately?”
“She’s been conducting magical research in her room.”
‘Magical research, huh.’
Lachik was more of a researcher than a mage.
Even the Guguma was a result of her research.
“Does she intend to remain at the duke’s estate?”
“She even asked me to find out for her. She wanted me to ask how she could stay at the duke’s estate,”
Ian lightly tapped the desk.
Although he couldn’t use magic at the moment, once all the sacred relics were found, he could potentially use magic again, even if infrequently.
As for the duke’s estate, having Ian as the sole magician was sufficient.
Making her in charge of education wasn’t an option either.
‘She’s too afraid of people.’
As Ian contemplated, his gaze fell on the projector he had designed for Rose.
“Fred.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Ask Lachik if she’s interested in artifacts. Tell her that she can stay at the duke’s estate if she focuses on artifact research.”
“Understood.”
After replying, Fred gathered the documents and returned to his desk.
Ian sipped his tea and glanced again at the projector.
He had studied to create a watch for Yoori, but making a projector was a new challenge for him.
Yet, it was something he absolutely needed to accomplish.
He wanted to record Rose’s growth and watch it on a big screen.
Ian started to wonder how much it would cost to have magicians craft an artifact exactly as described.
It was then he realized how unusually quiet it was around him.
Ian rolled his eyes.
When had he last felt this kind of silence?
‘When was it?’
The townhouse had moments of eerie quiet that made him uneasy.
“Rose!”
Ian shot up from his desk and rushed out of the study.
– Boom!
A loud explosion echoed through the townhouse.
“Rose!”
***
“Leave this to me, everyone, please step out,”
Edelmar ordered unexpectedly as he entered the kitchen.
The chefs exchanged glances. Normally, they wouldn’t think much of it if the Grand Duke wanted to handle something in the kitchen, but this time, he was carrying the precious young lady cherished by the Duke.
Catching one of the chefs’ eyes, Rose flashed a cheerful smile and exclaimed,
“We’re going to make a cake!”
‘Ah, cake.’
‘That should be fine then.’
Reassured by Rose’s words, the chefs bowed and left. Now, the spacious kitchen was occupied solely by Rose and Edelmar.
“Uncle, have you ever made a cake before?”
“Hmm.”
After a brief moment of recollection, Edelmar answered,
“Yes.”
His father, the previous emperor, was a kind man who cared deeply about the people’s welfare. He often cooked with Edelmar, insisting that one must understand how the food they consume is made.
However, there was something Edelmar overlooked.
Back then, all the ingredients had already been prepped, measured, and cleaned by the chefs beforehand.
“That’s amazing!”
Rose exclaimed in amazement.
“It’s nothing to be amazed about.”
Edelmar placed Rose on the counter and tied an apron around her neck that he had taken from the wall.
However, since the apron was designed for an adult, it didn’t fit her properly.
“Hmm.”
After a brief thought, Edelmar tied the neck strap once and adjusted the cloth with the waist strap to fit her height. Although it was still a bit large, it looked like a proper apron.
“Shall we start making it now?”
“No! We need to wash our hands first.”
“Ah.”
Holding Rose by the waist, Edelmar carried her to the sink and turned on the faucet.
“Ah! It’s cold.”
Rose squinted her eyes shut as the splashing water sprayed onto her.
“Let’s wash your hands.”
Edelmar brought Rose’s hands to the water with his large hand and gave them a cursory rinse. Unlike Ian, who would meticulously scrub every nook and cranny, Edelmar merely splashed some water and wiped the backs of her hands.
“All done.”
He wiped his hands dry on Rose’s apron before placing her back on the counter.
“What ingredients do we need?”
“Wait a moment.”
Edelmar surveyed the kitchen.
While the utensils were neatly organized, the necessary ingredients were nowhere to be found.
He stepped out of the kitchen, where the chefs, evidently too uneasy to leave the two of them alone, stood outside the door.
“Bring the ingredients to make a cake.”
“Right away!”
The head chef quickly dashed to the pantry and brought back everything needed for a cake.
Flour, baking powder, eggs, butter, milk, cream, fruit, and other ingredients were laid out on the counter.
“Now leave.”
“Yes, sir!”
The chefs promptly vanished.
“Are these all the ingredients?”
“Yes.”
“How do we make a cake with these?”
Edelmar grabbed a large glass bowl and poured in the flour. A puff of powder rose like smoke, making Rose giggle.
He then unhesitatingly added all the baking powder, cracked the eggs, tossed in an entire stick of butter, and poured in all the milk.
“Shall we mix it now?”
“Yes!”
Edelmar handed Rose a whisk.
Rose stirred with all her might, her body swaying with the effort.
Unmixed flour billowed like dust, and milk splattered everywhere.
The once-pristine counter quickly became a chaotic mess, but neither Rose nor Edelmar seemed to mind.
As Rose wiped sweat from her forehead with her flour-covered hands, streaks of batter appeared on her skin. When she brushed her hair out of her face, strands of her golden locks were also smeared with batter.
“Uncle, how long do I have to mix this?”
While searching for a cake pan, Edelmar replied,
“Keep stirring.”
“Alright!”
Summoning her remaining strength, Rose continued to stir the batter.
– Thwack, thwack.
The whisk clanged against the glass bowl as she stirred with all her might.
