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Chapter 24
Screech—Serdian pushed back his chair and stood up.
Lucilea, who had been chewing on her food, widened her eyes and looked up at him.
Serdian gazed down at her with a detached expression and spoke to his aide, Jed.
“Jed, from now on, I’ll be eating in my room. Prepare my meals separately.”
Jed glanced at Lucilea, then bowed lightly as if he had no choice.
“Yes, young master.”
Once Jed’s reply came, Serdian left the dining hall without a trace of hesitation.
Wow…
[What a jerk!]
Yeah! A total jerk!
Lucilea echoed Cookie’s words.
Does he hate me that much?
Or maybe she’d been too forward?
[Maybe both?]
Cookie gave a clear answer.
Haa… Lucilea let out a long sigh and picked her fork back up.
She stabbed a piece of pre-cut meat and popped it into her mouth, thinking,
This really isn’t easy.
Well, even when trying to befriend a wary cat, people say it takes time and effort.
And this was no ordinary cat—it was the male lead.
The male lead who was said to be kind only to the female lead!
And I’m not even the female lead.
So naturally, this was harder than befriending a cat.
Still—
That doesn’t mean I’ll give up, dear male lead.
Her life was at stake; there was no way she could back down here.
Chewing her meat thoroughly, Lucilea looked toward the door Serdian had just walked out of and chuckled to herself.
“Hey, kid. Heard you made quite a mess with your homework?”
As Lucilea entered the training grounds in time for the morning lesson, Noah smirked at her.
She was a little drowsy, still full from finishing off even the food Serdian had refused to touch, and since it was clearly just a jab at her, Lucilea only gave a sheepish laugh.
“Hehe.”
Noah looked at her incredulously.
“You can laugh? You nearly burned down the—no, the entire ducal estate!”
At his words, Lucilea puffed her cheeks and retorted,
“Well, I’ve got plenty to say about that myself, you know?”
“Injustice? About what?”
She pulled out a chair in the training hall, plopped down, and pouted.
“You never said we couldn’t do our homework in our rooms!”
“…”
“If I’d known it was that dangerous, I never would’ve done it in my bedroom! Isn’t that right, teacher?!”
Noah gave a dry laugh.
“Hah?! No, that assignment wasn’t even supposed to be—”
He stopped mid-sentence before finishing.
Who would’ve thought?
Even Noah hadn’t expected what happened last night.
In the past eight years, over four hundred children with magical ability had passed through his lessons after being selected into the elite corps.
He had given them all the exact same homework—never once had anything like this occurred.
Naturally, even he was baffled.
It must be because that kid’s magic is ridiculously strong.
But he wasn’t about to tell Lucilea just how powerful she really was.
No need to let her grow arrogant.
Maybe I should just raise the level of the assignments instead.
Anyway—
Noah studied her intently.
That one homework could’ve kept her busy for over a week…
Tsk. He smacked his lips regretfully—he’d really hoped to get away with some easy teaching.
Lucilea pointed at him with a finger.
“Ah! That’s a ‘what a shame’ face!”
“…No, it’s not!”
Flustered, Noah snapped, while Lucilea giggled mischievously.
“Ehehe~”
Good grief.
Her silly grin made Noah crack a reluctant smile himself.
What a funny little brat.
Hopping down from the window ledge, he walked toward the desk.
“Enough chatter. Today I’ll teach you something new, so listen carefully, kid.”
Her lively voice called after his back.
“Yessir!”
And the second lesson began.
At the same time, in Elbadin’s office.
His aide, Riat, entered with a bundle of letters addressed to the Ducal House of Descartes.
They were the important ones, carefully sorted by priority.
Riat walked up beside Elbadin and picked up the letter on top.
Examining the deer-shaped family seal, Riat spoke.
“Your Highness, this one is from the Marquisate of Belgar.”
“…From the marchioness?”
“Yes.”
A few days ago, Elbadin had summoned his sister, Anasis, to the ducal estate.
He intended to hold her accountable for having acted as though she owned the place while he was away, managing affairs as she pleased.
But Anasis had not come.
She kept making excuses, delaying her visit again and again.
So Elbadin had issued a final warning:
If she didn’t come within a week, he would send knights to drag her there by force.
And now, another letter had arrived.
Leaning back in his chair, Elbadin gestured with his chin.
“Open it. If it’s just more excuses, toss it in the fire. Then send the knights right away. I’ve already been more than patient as her kin.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
But as Riat opened the letter and scanned the contents, his eyes wavered slightly.
He stared at the paper in silence, then glanced toward Elbadin.
“…Your Highness.”
Riat continued cautiously,
“Marquis Raphael Belgar… is reported to have died.”
“…”
Elbadin’s brow furrowed.
Raphael Belgar.
Unlike Anasis, he was a man without greed for wealth or power.
Born into a rich noble family, he had always lived as the son his parents wanted.
The one and only time he defied them was when he chose Anasis.
At a royal ball, he had fallen for her at first sight.
Despite his parents’ fierce opposition, he proposed to her anyway.
He was a man willing to give her everything—and he did.
Naturally, now everything of the Belgar Marquisate would pass to Anasis.
Including the exclusive rights to the Terma mana-stone mines in the western mountains.
For the Descartes Duchy, which consumed mana-stones in massive quantities, this was far from good news.
“…”
“…This is… too sudden.”
Riat broke the silence hesitantly.
Elbadin dropped the letter onto the desk with a thud.
“How convenient the timing.”
“Indeed…”
Riat sighed softly and added,
“Now that the marchioness has secured those mines, she’ll likely begin by changing supply contracts, if not overhauling everything outright.”
Elbadin crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly.
“Still, not much will change.”
Riat let out a small gasp.
“Because the men handling the Terma mines are all still those appointed by Marquis Raphael.”
“Exactly. And they were chosen for their loyalty.”
The Terma mines were the Belgar family’s most crucial source of income.
Raphael had long understood that the future of his house depended on the mana-stone trade. He had entrusted such an important business only to the most devoted retainers.
“Which means the marchioness can’t intervene immediately.”
“That’s not all.”
Elbadin smirked, and Riat nodded knowingly.
“The merchant guilds.”
Elbadin nodded.
The Descartes Duchy was the primary consumer of Terma mana-stones—their biggest customer.
And the trade had always been mediated by a merchant guild run by the Count Milierre family, sworn vassals of Descartes.
In other words—
“The initiative is still ours.”
“If Anasis tries to meddle with the mines, the stones will never make it past the north.”
That would reduce the supply for a while, hitting the duchy temporarily—but the Marquisate’s revenue would plummet as well.
Riat stroked his chin.
“I’ll look into other mines we can trade with. They’re farther away, so costs and time will increase, but if we can secure similar volume, we can cut Belgar off entirely.”
Elbadin gazed out the window and murmured,
“We’ll decide on dealings with the Marquisate after the funeral.”
It would soon become clear whether Anasis lived for the Belgar family—or would ruin it.
After a moment of thought, Riat suggested,
“It would be best to send Jed to the funeral. He has both the decorum and the courage not to be cowed by the marchioness’s presence. He’ll deliver our message firmly and act as our eyes and ears within the Belgar estate.”
Elbadin replied,
“Good. Let’s make it clear.”
Who truly held the upper hand in this conflict—and what price must be paid for challenging Descartes.
