The week-long ball was safely concluded, and the winter vacation had begun.
And then, a commotion erupted at the Count’s mansion.
“So… you officially decided to date the Duchess?”
“Yeah.”
“Whoa…”
With eyes wide in disbelief, Carl looked at Rudell, who nodded in response.
Carl’s eyes were trembling like they had lost their way, and Maria swayed as she struggled to maintain her balance.
To be fair, it wasn’t something easy to understand.
According to history, the Weinstein County was indeed an old family, but compared to the Lagrind Dukedom, they were just a minor clan.
It was simply a matter of ‘rank’ not matching up.
“Does the Duke know?”
“He must know by now.”
By this time, there must’ve been chaos in the Lagrind Dukedom.
What would happen afterward… Rudell didn’t want to imagine at that moment.
“Speaking of which, how’s the territory these days? I see a lot of buildings popping up.”
The hometown Rudell returned to after half a year had changed significantly from his memories.
The central city of the Count’s domain, Biles, which used to resemble a quiet countryside town, had transformed into a bustling city with numerous buildings, boasting pride in its appearance.
Even at this moment, many buildings were being erected, and countless people were flocking to Biles to settle down.
“As you can see, it’s quite busy; I might need more administrative officers!”
The scale of the Count’s domain had multiplied many times over.
Naturally, that meant Carl had more work to do.
In fact, there were dark shadows under his eyes.
“That’s good.”
“Good, sure. I hardly have time to research magic anymore.”
Muttering in complaint about Rudell’s words, Carl brought a teacup to his mouth.
He had always shown more interest in personal research than managing the territory, so this reaction wasn’t surprising.
“How’s the trade with the Nord Clan coming along?”
“It’s progressing smoothly. Recently, people from the Adventurer’s Guild headquarters came by.”
“From the Adventurer’s Guild? What was that about?”
“They want to set up a branch in the Count’s territory, probably thinking of making it a base for the Eternal Winter Plains.”
“Hmm…”
Establishing an Adventurer’s Guild could certainly bring benefits.
With the guild present, many adventurers would flock to the territory, and the money they spent would ultimately contribute to the territory’s taxes.
Moreover, various facilities that would come along with the guild could greatly help the territory.
However, there were considerable downsides as well.
Adventurers’ activities were protected by the kingdom’s law, meaning there was no way to stop them from crossing over to hunt monstrous beasts in the Eternal Winter Plains.
This implied that the Count’s house might lose its monopoly on the trade of monstrous beast byproducts.
Considering the influence of such a monopoly, accepting the guild outright wasn’t an option.
“I think I’ll need to think about that part a bit more.”
“I feel the same.”
“Anything else?”
“A magic stone mine has been discovered in the territory.”
“A magic stone mine? No, wait, what do you mean ‘discovered’…?”
Typically, mines are found, not created.
But Carl just said that a mine was ‘discovered’.
“You remember the monstrous beast you defeated before? Do you?”
“Of course, I remember.”
To Rudell, that beast was unforgettable.
It had appeared and rampaged in the middle of the territory, and they had to drag Leje into a risky plan to defeat it.
How could Rudell ever forget that monstrous beast?
“It seems its blood reacted with the underground veins. That beast… must have been quite a significant one.”
“Wow…”
What a coincidence this was.
Rudell could hardly suppress a short exclamation at the thought.
“A survey team was organized recently to evaluate its profitability, so we should get results soon.”
“I hope it turns out well.”
The uses for magic stones were truly endless.
They were not only used as power sources for magical machinery but also as materials for various magical tools and reserve magic power sources for mages…
In a world where magical civilization thrived, magic stones could be likened to modern petroleum or coal.
“If everything goes well, our family will finally be recognized as a respectable noble house.”
When combined with the already valuable monstrous beast byproducts business, plus the magic stones?
If this went well, the Count’s domain would wield an influence that ordinary noble houses couldn’t just ignore.
“Now, both of you should wrap up the business talk.”
“Mother?”
“My dear?”
At that moment, Maria, who had been listening to their conversation, set down her teacup and spoke.
At her words, Rudell and Carl tilted their heads in confusion.
“Is that all you want to talk about now that my son is finally back?”
“Ah…”
“Ahem… I was just about to wrap it up anyway.”
Seeing Maria’s discontented expression, Rudell let out a low sigh while Carl shifted his gaze with a cough.
Finally satisfied, Maria smiled and opened her arms toward Rudell.
Rudell got up from his seat, approached Maria, and embraced her.
“Enjoy your time at home.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The warmth he felt after a long time made Rudell nod his head.
That night.
As the campfire crackled, Rudell sat on the sofa, sorting through documents.
Next to him, Kyle was handing Rudell the sorted documents.
“Ugh…”
With a low groan, Rudell rubbed his forehead.
Even during the vacation, his work didn’t disappear.
The Church of the Eaters of Death was surely lurking somewhere, and Rudell had to find and eradicate them by any means necessary.
What he needed for that was information.
The documents Rudell was looking at were a compilation of various domestic and international incidents that Kyle had gathered.
“Young Master, why don’t you take a break? You haven’t even sighed since lunch.”
“But…”
At Kyle’s suggestion, Rudell trailed off.
However…
“Has it really been ten hours already?”
“Has it already been that long!?”
Startled, Rudell glanced at the clock after Kyle’s comment.
The hour hand was nearing eleven, and only then did Rudell get up from his seat.
“Shall I prepare some snacks?”
“Please do.”
Nodding in agreement, Kyle headed outside.
Click. The door closed behind him, and Rudell approached the window to gaze at the view of Biles outside.
Unlike before, Biles shone brightly even though it was late at night.
“Ahh…”
As he watched the scene, a short sigh escaped Rudell’s lips.
Someday, when he inherited the territory, he was overwhelmed with the responsibility of having to take care of all this.
“I wonder what Leje would say if she saw this sight.”
“Don’t overdo it,” or “Don’t feel burdened.”
She probably would have said something like that.
“I miss Leje…”
Given that they had confirmed their feelings for each other, what was there to hesitate about?
Rudell spoke the words he wouldn’t have said out loud before with ease.
How much time had passed since then…
“Young Master, it’s Kyle.”
With a knock, Kyle opened the door, bringing in a plate with snacks.
And…
“What’s that? Did it come from Leje?”
“The sender’s name isn’t written, but it is a letter from the Lagrind Dukedom.”
In response to Rudell’s question, Kyle answered and handed him the letter and a letter opener.
As Rudell carefully peeled open the envelope and began to read the letter inside…
A moment later.
“What does it say?”
“It’s nothing. It says Leje will be coming to the Count’s domain in a few days. And…”
As he answered Kyle’s question while reading the letter, Rudell suddenly froze.
“Uh? Uuh? Uuuh!?”
Rudell’s eyes widened, and all sorts of indescribable sounds escaped his lips.
Cold sweat trickled down his back, and the hand holding the letter began to shake uncontrollably.
“Young Master?”
“N-no, this can’t be…?”
Kyle tilted his head at Rudell’s reaction as he read the letter again with an incredulous voice.
But even that did nothing to change the content of the letter.
“What on earth does it say…”
“…and the Princess is coming too?”
Looking at Kyle as he spoke those words, Rudell uttered, brimming with disbelief.
