“Um……”
The last child to come in was wearing a hood, with more than half of their face covered by a small mask. Their face was almost invisible.
I tilted my head in wonder.
‘Why are they coming in so suspiciously?’
Dominic spoke up lightly.
“What a cute kid.”
According to Dominic, the human reader, it seems to be a harmless child. Therefore, a precious customer!
I smiled energetically and waved at the child.
“Welcome!”
The child walked towards me with a brisk step.
Then, they took out a small red apple and a green sprout from their hood pocket and offered them to me.
“The language of the apple blossom is ‘apple’……”
Suddenly talking about apples?
‘What?’
As soon as I reached out to take the apple, the hood was deeply bowed down.
The child had been keeping their head down all this time. Their small, intimidated shoulders seemed somehow pitiful.
Although I didn’t know what was wrong, I wanted to offer some comfort, so I handed the girl some dalgona candy.
“Now, have some candy, it’s a gift.”
The child lifted their head to stare straight at me.
But I couldn’t clearly see who it was because only their eyes were visible.
‘Why does this feel so familiar?’
The girl, with a stuffy nose, tearfully said,
“You, you… saw my face.”
The fingers of the child who received the candy I offered trembled with excitement.
“Excuse me?”
“How can you be so kind?”
‘Why does this voice feel so familiar?’
I tilted my head in confusion. It’s a small voice with a rhythmic cadence that sticks in my ears.
‘I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.’
“Even though you know who I am, to treat me like this…”
I don’t know. I really don’t know.
Meldenik was never good at remembering people’s faces.
‘Who is this? Are we close?’
I licked my lips, intending to ask for a name.
But I missed the moment to ask because of the tears brimming in the child’s eyes.
Surely, we must know each other. It’s a voice that faintly lingers in Meldenik’s memory.
‘Why can’t I remember? It’s so frustrating and perplexing.’
But if I left the child as is, it seemed he was really about to burst into tears.
I casually started to speak to the child.
“It’s okay. Children should all be loved as they grow up.”
“……”
“You haven’t done anything wrong, so don’t cry.”
Since I didn’t know who the child was, it was a vague thing I could say.
“Are you accepting my apology?”
“Yes, of course.”
I gave the child a harmless smile, and then I shot a glance at Dominic, who was watching us from a distance across the river.
Dominic feigned indifference and nodded slightly.
“Could it be a child who admires you?”
“……?”
That seems highly unlikely.
The child cautiously removed their mask.
With a face flushed red and swollen eyes, it was clear to anyone they had been crying hard.
The sobbing girl spoke to me with a trembling voice.
“It’s me, Mirisa.”
‘Mirisa. Mirisa, huh…’
The familiar name made me rummage through my thoughts.
‘Wait. Mirisa Hesman, the lady? Isn’t she Lennox’s sister?’
It was Mirisa Hesman, the lady, all along.
Seeing my eyes widen, the girl bit her lip and carefully continued speaking.
“The misdeeds of my older brother……”
Mirisa was a young lady rumored to be so frail she could barely attend the academy.
Hence, even I, his official fiancée, had seldom seen her face.
“……about the adultery, I’ve come to apologize on his behalf, I never knew you were such a kind person.”
This bastard Lennox, even his ten-year-old sister has found out he’s been cheating.
Why do those who cheat always seem to get caught? If you’re going to hide it, at least do a good job.
Feeling awkward, I barely moved my lips.
“You don’t have to apologize.”
I saw the hurt in the child’s eyes.
“I saw everything from outside. That you’re a kind person who likes children. I also learned that rumors can’t always be trusted.”
The child had a face that appeared unusually delicate, but there was a resolve in their eyes.
“I, I wanted to say that. I’ll be going now!”
Without giving anyone a chance to respond, the child quickly put their mask back on and ran away. They literally disappeared with the wind.
Seeing my dumbfounded face from a distance, Dominic muttered seriously.
“It’s completely different from the Duke of Hesman.”
“Indeed.”
I joined in agreement.
I felt sorry that such a lovely and gentle girl was in the Hesman Duke’s family.
Still, well, since I received an apology, perhaps our connection is now over.
If she drops by the stationery shop occasionally, I’ll have to give her plenty of extras.
That’s all I decided to think about and move on.
***
When Meldenik was busy gathering the first few customers for his stationery store through word of mouth,
A gardening party was held at the Babeloa Ducal Mansion under the supervision of the Babeloa Duke’s wife.
Though called a gardening party, it was actually a grand launch party to announce a new business venture between the House of Hesman and the House of Babeloa.
In front of the enormous garden, a beautifully carved mana stone in the shape of a great tree, personally procured by Duke Hesman, was placed in the center.
Tables were set up here and there around the mana stone.
Among the high nobles gathered there, the topic of conversation was undoubtedly the massive mana stone.
None of them had ever seen a mana stone of such gigantic size before.
“To think a mana stone this huge is here at a brunch gardening party.”
“Where on earth does Duke Hesman find such things?”
“He’s even tried to make contact with the Holy Kingdom, and even the Mage Kingdom.”
“Goodness, that kingdom where those different species live?”
“He’s truly remarkable!”
“At this rate, he might even awaken all the heroes from the legends.”
“My word…”
Duke Hesman listened to the praises about himself with pride.
‘Things are going smoothly.’
Of course, there was a mistake in their words.
‘Except for the part about contacting the Mage Kingdom.’
Attempts to contact the Mage Kingdom often failed due to their extreme reluctance to deal with outsiders.
However, in places like the Mage Kingdom, there existed mana stones of incredible power, the likes of which he couldn’t even imagine.
Not to mention, it was a bonus that there existed beings of different races with exceptional abilities.
If we start interacting with such a magical kingdom for the first time, the name of the Hesman family will rise even higher in the empire.
However, reality was different.
‘Now, let alone a magical kingdom, there isn’t even a magic sword, is there?’
He rubbed his cheek with a look of discomfort.
He had collected several legendary swords until now. But what was the level of the humans sealed within what he thought were legendary swords? They were all just scared little fish.
There was nothing that could truly empower him.
‘…I need a real hero. Someone who can shine a light on me and spread my fame.’
He had been continuously searching for the hero from the legends, Dominic.
After all, there were rumors that whoever possessed the powerful hero Dominic could conquer the world.
‘Once I achieve everything, I will become the most perfect being in this world.’
He would elevate his name even further and revive the Hesman family across the continent.
If things went well, there was also a possibility to usurp the empire in his generation, or maybe the next.
‘The emperor’s crown, huh? Quite appealing indeed.’
Becoming the most powerful human, surpassing all others, was the goal for now…
But the emperor’s crown would suit him quite well too. He straightened his back and looked around with a sharp gaze.
His power was gradually becoming stronger, so it was all a matter of time.
Duke Hesman began to make his way through the perfect party, where everyone was praising him.
But then, a young child naively threw a wet blanket on it.
“Isn’t the master of the magical tower even greater?”
His words chilled the atmosphere.
