Episode 98

The next day.

As usual, I visited Joshua for his healing session.

Whoosh―!

The healing light I summoned pierced the orange energy in Joshua’s chest like an arrow. Gradually, the light thinned and faded away.

By the time it disappeared completely, both of us were covered in sweat, breathing heavily.

“Phew… Is it all done?”

“Yeah. Are you okay, Josh?”

“Yup! I don’t even need naps anymore!”

Despite his tired face, Joshua smiled brightly.

Just as he said, the naps he used to fall into immediately after healing were becoming less frequent, and he could stay awake much longer now.

It seemed his stamina had improved significantly.

‘His condition has improved so much compared to the beginning.’

I observed the orange flame flickering in his chest.

When I first saw it, the energy had spread so widely across his chest that pinpointing its origin felt impossible. But now, it had visibly shrunk.

Joshua’s illness was a rare genetic disease, one that couldn’t be guaranteed a complete cure.

But at this rate, the energy would eventually dwindle down to a tiny speck, just like Edwin’s, allowing him to live without any hindrance.

‘I can save Joshua.’

The hopeful thought brought a wave of joy and relief.

“His heartbeat grows stronger by the day,” said Grandpa Gordon with a satisfied look as he finished listening with his stethoscope.

“Now, take the rest of your medicine, young master.”

“Ugh! This medicine is so bitter! How much longer do I have to take it?”

Joshua grimaced but still drank the dark concoction Gordon handed him.

A few days ago, some rare medicinal herbs unique to the Tebron Marquisate, his maternal family, had arrived.

Since Joshua started taking medicine made from those herbs, his stamina had shown noticeable improvement.

Of course, Gordon’s meticulous care played a major role in Joshua’s swift recovery.

“It’s all thanks to Grandpa’s medicine!”

“You’re too kind, Madam President. It’s a mere trifle compared to your extraordinary abilities.”

“Ugh! D-don’t call me that…!”

Gordon’s proud response to my praise made me grit my teeth and glare at him.

“President? What’s that?”

Meanwhile, Joshua, who had finished his medicine and was now enjoying a candy provided by the butler, asked curiously.

“Oh, well…”

“Indeed, young master. Our Madam Belze here won first place in the national children’s business competition held by the palace!” Gordon cut in, stealing the chance to explain myself.

“Wow! First place? That’s amazing!”

“Of course! And the prize money was a whopping 500 gold! In honor of this achievement, everyone, stand up!”

“……?”

“Let’s give Madam President a round of applause!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Gordon abruptly stood up and started clapping enthusiastically.

Becky, one of the five maids newly assigned to Joshua, followed suit with an impeccably straight posture.

“You’re so cool, Madam President!”

“Way to go, Madam President!”

“Wow, Belze! Hooray!”

Joshua, likely not understanding what it meant, joined in the applause excitedly.

“P-please, stop…”

I buried my reddened face in my hands, unable to handle the embarrassment.

Gordon’s dramatic behavior wasn’t without reason, though.

Last evening, when I returned to the duke’s estate…

As I was carrying the heavy box containing the prize money, I bumped into Gordon, who had just finished Joshua’s afternoon checkup.

“Oh! Grandpa!”

Feeling exhilarated, I had turned to the butler helping me carry the box and said…

“Hey, Grandpa Gordon! Look at this!”

I couldn’t hide my excitement as I gestured toward the heavy box of prize money. The butler carefully set it down while I rushed to Gordon’s side.

“What is it, Madam Belze?” he asked, peering curiously at the box.

“I won first place in the national children’s business competition! Look at the prize money!”

Gordon’s eyes widened as he opened the box and caught sight of the neatly stacked gold coins inside.

“By the heavens… 500 gold?”

“Yes! Isn’t it amazing?” I grinned, puffing out my chest proudly.

“Indeed, Madam President. You never fail to amaze me.”

That nickname again. I had immediately grimaced, but Gordon had only chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction.

“And you carried this heavy box all the way here yourself?”

“Of course! I may look small, but I’m strong!”

“Still, you should have asked someone for help. Young ladies should be careful not to strain themselves.”

“Ugh, Grandpa, stop worrying so much! I’m fine!”

That conversation had set the tone for the day, and now Gordon was making it his personal mission to turn every mention of my win into an over-the-top celebration.

Back in the present, I sighed as I remembered his antics.

“Please, just stop calling me ‘Madam President’ already…”

Gordon, completely ignoring my plea, grinned mischievously.

“Come now, Madam President. You’ve earned the title fair and square.”

Joshua, who had been watching the exchange, tilted his head. “Belze, does that mean you’re super rich now?”

I laughed nervously. “Well, not really. It’s more like I’m saving up for something important.”

Joshua nodded solemnly, as if he completely understood.

The maids giggled at his earnest expression, and even Gordon smiled fondly.

Despite the embarrassment, I couldn’t help but feel a little proud. It was moments like these that made all the hard work worth it.

“Butler! Please move this to Grandpa Gordon’s room!”

“Huh? What is this?”

“This is… Grandpa’s bonus payment!”

The ever-perceptive butler quickly opened the box, revealing its contents. The pile of gold coins inside made Gordon’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.

“Whoa! B-bonus payment? Are you serious? All this gold…”

“500 gold!”

“W-what?! 500… 500 gold?!”

“Yes! Grandpa and your assistants worked so hard to help me, so this is a reward!”

“Well…”

“Please keep taking good care of us!”

By the time I returned to the duke’s estate yesterday evening, I had decided to accept the building the Crown Prince offered.

So, I handed over the 500 gold prize money to Gordon without hesitation. After all, I still had 952 gold left and couldn’t deny his exceptional abilities had helped me become the person I was.

‘A good company should never skimp on bonuses for exceptional employees.’

This was my way of entrusting the first slave—no, partner—with a long-term collaboration.

But then,

“Long live Madam Belze, our President! Long live!”

From that point on, Grandpa Gordon started treating me with an embarrassing level of deference.

‘Well, I guess even with the duke’s generous salary, receiving what amounts to 50 million won all at once would make anyone ecstatic.’

Watching the capitalism-driven joy on his face, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Then—

“…I’m jealous. You even got to visit the palace.”

A faint, wistful voice caught my attention.

Looking down, I saw Joshua with his head drooped, wearing a dejected expression.

“…Josh, have you never been to the palace?”

“I have. When I was little and not sick yet… but I don’t remember any of it.”

Perhaps it was because he had been confined to the house for so long due to his illness. Lately, with my frequent outings, Joshua had started to show hints of envy mixed with sadness.

I couldn’t stand the thought of him feeling discouraged or upset because of me, especially now that he was regaining his vitality.

“The palace isn’t fun at all!”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better, aren’t you?”

Joshua pouted, his sharp intuition catching on to my attempt at comfort.

I shook my head earnestly.

“No, it’s true! Ask Edwin if you don’t believe me. There are weird people who only pick fights… I don’t ever want to go back!”

That was the honest truth.

Seeing my dramatic shudder, Joshua finally lifted his head, his curiosity piqued.

“Weird people? What did they say to you?”

“They called me a fake Saintess and said they didn’t want to talk to a commoner!”

“Ugh. That’s so stupid. The palace sounds awful!”

“Right?”

Once Joshua’s mood seemed to brighten, I grinned and added,

“Get better quickly, and let’s skip the palace. Let’s visit Main Street instead!”

“Main Street?”

“Yup! We’re going to open our store there soon!”

“Wow! You really are the President, huh?”

“Of course! So, you have to heal up and get healthy by then!”

“Okay! Starting today, Sir Joshua will begin sword training! Hiya!”

Joshua suddenly jumped out of bed and swung his pillow like a sword.

‘That might be a bit much…’

After calming his overly enthusiastic spirit, I left the room and headed out.

“Shall we, Miss?”

Following the butler, I made my way to the duke’s office. The duke, who had returned late last night, had requested a meeting with me in the morning.

Before long, we reached the office.

Knock, knock.

“Your Grace, it’s Anderson. I’ve brought the young lady.”

“Come in.”

At the low response, the door opened.

I walked briskly into the now-familiar study and greeted him politely.

“Hello, Your Grace! Good morning!”

“Yes, good morning to you as well.”

The Duke, seated at his desk, stood up and approached. He seemed to have been working early, as papers were scattered across the desk.

“Anderson, fetch some cookies and a drink for the child.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Come, take a seat.”

At his gesture, I settled onto the sofa. The Duke followed and sat in the seat of honor across from me, immediately starting the conversation.

“I’m truly sorry I couldn’t stay with you yesterday, Belze. At this rate, I can hardly call myself a proper guardian.”

“Oh, no! It’s fine, Your Grace! Edwin came to pick me up, after all.”

“There was an emergency report about a pack of fiends attacking a village out of nowhere…”

He sighed, his face clearly weary.

It seemed the incident had kept him at the palace late into the night for meetings.

I tilted my head, a sense of déjà vu creeping in.

‘Didn’t Adolf Galagos also say his entry to the palace was delayed due to fiends?’

Fiends were abominable creatures created by heretics who worshipped demons and evil spirits instead of the goddess.

Like monsters in a game, they were dangerous and destructive.

Although most had been eradicated in the Holy War centuries ago, a few persistent species still caused trouble today.

“…I heard from Edwin that you handled things well at the competition. But you gave the entire prize money to Dr. Gordon?”

“Yes! It’s his payment!”

“Payment?”

“Grandpa helped a lot on volunteer day, so I wanted to thank him! Hehe.”

“Well, it’s only right to reward those who work hard under you. You did well.”

The Duke nodded approvingly, seemingly convinced I had hired Gordon as my employee.

I decided not to correct him.

“But then, what about the rent for the building on Main Street?”

“Oh, that… well…”

“Of course, you’re short on budget.”

I was about to explain what happened at the palace, but the Duke was one step ahead.

“That’s why I’ve prepared this in advance.”

“Huh? What…”

“Here.”

He suddenly pulled something from his coat and slid it across the table toward me.

It was a bundle of white papers bound with luxurious gold thread, stamped with Kallios’s seal.

I stared at it, utterly bewildered.

“Wh-what’s this?”

“A checkbook.”

“A c-checkbook…?”

“That’s right.”

The Duke nodded with a smug expression.

“As your guardian, it’s only natural to make this level of investment.”

“…….”

“Consider it pocket change.”

 

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