LVSMLA 27

Chapter 27

I couldn’t immediately understand what was going on. I stared at the floor in surprise and picked up the jewelry box. I wondered if it was Susan’s work, but for her craftsmanship, the glass wasn’t particularly transparent or sparkling, and the finishing looked noticeably rough. From behind me, I heard Callisto hiccuping.

Slowly, I turned around to look at Callisto, then back at the jewelry box. When it fell, the lid area had cracked in a long line, and perhaps because it had contained candy beads, the inside was sticky as well. Carefully, I spoke.

“Callisto. This… did you make it?”

Callisto shook his head vigorously, his face flushed red.

“Hic… no, hic, no.”

“Then where did it come from?”

“S-Susan, hic, made it.”

“……”

That couldn’t be true.

Lately, Callisto had been visiting Susan’s workshop more often, so it seemed this was the reason. I glanced at Callisto’s expression and asked again.

“Is this mine? A birthday present?”

“……”

It was obvious, but Callisto suddenly lowered his head and stayed silent. I looked down at his neatly scattered black hair and then recalled what Kevin had said earlier.

“I saw Lawrence giving Etienne a present back there!”

Lawrence’s gift had also been a jewelry box. A luxurious silver box with purple sapphires embedded in it, completely incomparable to Callisto’s clumsy handmade one.

And inside it had been a set of amethyst jewelry. I could only imagine how a child would feel seeing that.

With a short sigh, I sat on the long bench placed behind the balcony. Callisto slowly lifted his head and glanced at me.

I stretched my arms toward him with a smile.

“Come here, kid.”

“Why…?”

“I’ll give you a hug. Don’t you want it?”

“…Fine then.”

Callisto came over quickly and climbed onto my lap. Resting his cheek against my chest, he muttered.

“I didn’t make it. Really.”

“Really? Then whose work is it? It’s very pretty.”

“…It is pretty?”

“Of course. A crystal glass jewelry box like this probably only exists in one piece in the world. I’ll put it in my bedroom cabinet and look at it every day.”

“But it’s broken…”

“It’s just a small crack. Since it’s crystal glass, we can ask Susan to fix it a bit.”

“The candy melted too. It’s all sticky.”

“It can be cleaned. It looked delicious, what a pity it fell on the floor.”

“…Then should I give you more?”

“There’s more?”

“Yes.”

Callisto, who had finally stopped hiccuping, nodded. He reached into his clothes and pulled out something wrapped in a handkerchief.

I took it and opened it.

On the white cloth were two candy beads and two violet flowers.

I popped one candy into Callisto’s mouth. His cheek puffed out like a round candy. I put the other into my own mouth and pointed at the violets.

“Where did these flowers come from?”

“I… saw them on the way from the village.”

“Really? I didn’t know flowers like this grew in the village. They’re so pretty.”

It was obvious he had picked them for me, but Callisto pretended otherwise. I gently humored him, and his gloomy expression slowly relaxed as he hesitantly asked.

“Can I give them to you?”

“Can I really take such pretty flowers?”

“It’s okay… you’re prettier than them.”

“Haah…”

A child who looked like he was wrapped in baby powder scent already knew how to say such heartwarming things.

The small violet, blooming like a wildflower, somehow reminded me of Callisto. I looked at it for a moment, then had an idea. I took Callisto’s hand and held it out in front of me.

“Hold your hand out like this and stay still.”

He tilted his head.

“Why?”

“I’ll make something pretty for you.”

I gently split the stem of the violet into two and tied it around his ring finger. It instantly became a flower ring like the ones I used to play with as a child. Callisto blinked at it, then looked up at me. I smiled brightly.

“It’s a violet ring. Pretty, right?”

“…Is this for me?”

“Yes? Yes. Your fingers are so fair, it suits you perfectly.”

Callisto was silent for a moment, rolling his large eyes. Then he picked up the remaining violet, split its stem the same way, and looked at me.

“Hold out your hand.”

“Huh? Me too?”

I hesitantly held out my hand, only then realizing I was still wearing the amethyst ring Lawrence had given me earlier. I remembered how Callisto had seemed upset comparing the gifts, and my heart ached.

As expected, Callisto stared at the ring in silence, then asked in a trembling voice.

“Can… you take this off? I’ll make you a flower ring instead…”

His small voice quickly grew teary.

“Ah, okay, okay.”

I quickly removed the ring and placed it in the jewelry box, then held my hand out again. Callisto, still looking down, tied the violet around my finger.

“Big brother. When I grow up… I’ll make you a really, really beautiful ring.”

Not “buy,” but “make.”

It was so cute, so pitiful, so lovable that I pulled him into a tight hug. His warm skin smelled faintly of clean soap.

“No. I like this ring the most. Really.”

I tightened my arms around him and thought:

Since he was still young and didn’t go out alone, and I provided everything he needed, I hadn’t thought about giving him pocket money. But now I realized I should probably start.

The next day, I asked my father for some time.

Now that the crystal chandelier had been successfully introduced to the nobles, it was time to begin business in earnest.

“The chandeliers and other crystal glass products are so beautiful. Isn’t it a waste to keep them only in our estate, Father?”

“A waste?”

After handing over the New Harbor to Harrington and acquiring Blast Port, I had begun proper heir training. My father always invited me to business meetings and carefully considered my opinions.

This time was no different.

“Do you mean you want to try running a business, Etienne?”

I looked quietly at him.

In the original story, he had brought Callisto in and claimed he was his illegitimate child. It had been unavoidable, as publicly acknowledging him as a child sponsored by the family would have drawn the Empress’s suspicion, but Etienne had been deeply hurt by it. That distorted Etienne had become hostile to Callisto, and the Count also bore responsibility for that.

But I couldn’t blame him entirely. Etienne had been only a child. Revealing Callisto’s identity as a prince could have led to the destruction of the entire family if Etienne slipped up. It was natural for a father not to trust a 12-year-old child.

But now, he was beginning to trust me. Not as a child, but as someone capable of discussing business.

Carefully choosing my words, I spoke.

“Our estate is doing fine, but unlike other noble houses, we don’t have mines. And we had to give up the trade we were planning because of me.”

“Etienne, that wasn’t your fault.”

“I know. But it was still an opportunity for prosperity…”

In truth, continuing that trade with Camois would have bankrupted our house and brought my death flag closer.

In any case, guilt was the best persuasion tool.

As expected, my father panicked and held my shoulders.

“Don’t say that, Etienne. So, what business are you thinking of?”

“Well… as you saw, everyone loved the chandeliers. I think we should expand Susan’s workshop and hire skilled craftsmen to mass-produce crystal glass.”

My father nodded.

“We could open a shop near the imperial palace to display and sell them. Start with one branch, and if orders increase, expand further. We could also hold regular banquets to showcase new products, which would serve as promotion…”

I continued, eyes shining.

“Since we can sell higher-quality crystal at a lower price than imported Eastern glass, we could completely replace imported glass goods. Our empire would no longer need to rely on foreign imports. This would be good not only for House Wynyates but for the entire empire.”

“Oh, Etienne…”

Glassware imports relied heavily on Eastern trade, making it a key commodity.

If things went as planned, Eastern trade would collapse much earlier than in the original timeline.

And the downfall of Camois and Harrington would come even sooner.

In the original story, Callisto joined the navy at age thirteen. That was the only path for his revenge.

But now things were different. With both wealth and power, I would give him everything he needed so he would never have to suffer.

Destroying Eastern trade… was just the first step.