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Chapter 6
“Why would you want to buy such a worthless piece of abandoned land?”
That land looked utterly useless now, but in the future, a hot spring would erupt there.
‘Father didn’t know that and sold it to the Temple for almost nothing.’
There was no doubt he had regretted selling it afterward, while the Temple had made an enormous profit from it.
But that was in her previous life.
This time would be different.
“Don’t worry. Just buy it for me.”
“…Understood. I’m sure you have your reasons, but I won’t ask.”
“Thank you.”
Back in the era of the first head of the family, the Hailen County had been blessed with abundant water. Large and small lakes dotted the land, and the soil was incredibly fertile.
People often said it was because the territory had been blessed by the Water Spirit.
However, after the first Countess passed away, the Hailen territory gradually began to dry up with each successive generation. The lakes disappeared one by one, and the fertile farmland steadily shrank.
Naturally, the county’s finances also began to decline.
As far as Roselia knew, the Hailen family was currently surviving only by barely making ends meet.
The land she wanted Gray to purchase had once been one of those dried-up lakes.
The difference was that, once the hot spring burst forth there, it would become a tremendous source of income for the Hailen family.
It was one of the secret cards she intended to use against Sven and her uncle in the future.
“And… even after this deal is finished, I’d like to continue doing business with you, Lady Roselia. What do you think?”
“What do you mean, what do I think? I was hoping for the same thing.”
After revising the profit-sharing ratio in the contract, the paperwork for the anonymous bank account and the land purchase proceeded smoothly.
“I should get going now. It’ll be troublesome if I stay out too late.”
“Please wait a moment!”
Roselia, who had just stood up, sat back down.
“What is it?”
“I’ve finally found him.”
Gray spoke proudly.
“Him?”
“Yes. The gentleman who is your first love.”
‘They found… Cardian?’
The phrase first love still made her cringe, but hearing that Cardian had been located sent her heart racing.
She placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm herself as she steadied her breathing.
“Tell me everything.”
Just moments ago she had been eager to leave, but now she leaned forward with an expression filled with nervous anticipation.
“Very well. As for where he is currently…”
* * *
Two days later.
Roselia and her maid Mary rode in a carriage for about an hour before arriving at District Two of Hailen Territory.
Hailen Territory lay on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital and was divided into District One, District Two, and the Central District.
District One was the bustling commercial district, where lower-ranking nobles and wealthy merchants mostly lived.
District Two was home to workshops, forests, and farmland, with the majority of its residents being commoners.
The Central District housed the Count’s estate, the soldiers’ headquarters, and a large public square.
Roselia stepped down from the black carriage, dressed in simple everyday clothes beneath a plain robe, and looked around.
Unlike District One, where the Golden Whale Guild was located, there were no tall, eye-catching buildings here.
Instead, old and weathered structures filled her view.
She turned to the coachman.
“Park the carriage by the roadside over there and wait for us. We’ll probably be a while.”
The coachman removed his hat in acknowledgment before steering the carriage aside.
“Let’s go, Mary.”
Holding a slip of paper in her hand, Roselia led Mary into the alley on the right.
After walking for quite some time, they emerged from the narrow streets into a wide open lot.
Roselia unfolded the note and looked around.
“Is this the place?”
Mary glanced around uncertainly.
“I think so… Let me check a little more.”
‘Hmm… Since we’ve reached an open field, we probably aren’t in the wrong place. Maybe I should’ve brought Gray with me… No. If he came, he’d start talking about “first love” again.’
She nodded to herself and continued searching.
Clang! Bang! Bang!
A heavy metallic pounding suddenly reached her ears.
Roselia immediately turned toward the sound.
It was coming from a cabin standing some distance away.
Her eyes widened.
“I think we found it.”
She began walking toward the cabin.
The closer she got, the louder the rhythmic hammering became.
Stopping in front of the fairly large cabin, she looked up at the wooden sign.
Mark’s Blacksmith Shop
Gray’s words from two days earlier came back to her.
“He lives in District Two of Hailen Territory. He’s sixteen years old and lives with his father and older sister. Right now, he helps at his father’s blacksmith shop.
That neighborhood is mostly inhabited by commoners, so if you wear noble clothing, you’ll stand out immediately. Dressing like a commoner would be much wiser.”
‘So… Cardian is here.’
The realization made her heartbeat thunder in her chest.
Her face gradually grew warm.
‘Calm down.’
Roselia took a deep breath before turning to Mary.
“All right. Let’s go inside.”
“Yes.”
She opened the workshop door with Mary.
The instant they stepped inside, a wave of scorching heat washed over them.
‘Ugh… So this is really a blacksmith’s shop. It’s incredibly hot inside.’
The interior was much larger than it appeared from the outside.
Weapons such as armor, shields, swords, and spears were neatly displayed on shelves along the left wall.
Large wooden barrels beneath them held farming tools like shovels and pickaxes.
On the right side stood a massive furnace blazing with fire.
However, a closer look revealed thick dust covering many of the items on display, suggesting they had remained unsold for a long time.
A broad-backed man with blond hair streaked with gray stood several paces from the furnace.
No one else seemed to be around.
He was enormous, with thick muscular arms that made his strength obvious at a glance.
Bang! Bang!
Without noticing their arrival, he continued hammering a glowing piece of red-hot metal atop a large anvil.
“Excuse me! Hello!”
Roselia raised her voice.
The man paused and turned around.
One of his eyes was covered by a black eyepatch.
Wiping the sweat from around his remaining eye, he looked toward Roselia and Mary.
His bronze skin made his muscular physique appear even more imposing.
After giving them a brief nod, he suddenly bellowed toward a nearby door.
“We’ve got customers!”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned back around and resumed hammering.
‘W-What was that?’
Roselia blinked in confusion.
A few moments later, someone opened the door.
A handsome teenage boy wearing a beige tunic and a dark brown leather vest walked toward them.
He was about a head taller than Roselia.
Among his smooth black hair, what stood out most were his striking crimson eyes.
Roselia unconsciously sucked in a breath.
For an instant, the cold, murderous expression she had seen on him during the Temple’s trial in her previous life overlapped with the boy standing before her now.
Her mouth went dry.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
She had promised herself that if she met Cardian again after returning to the past, she would remain calm.
That determination instantly crumbled.
Now that he stood before her, her mind went completely blank.
She couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“What can I do for you?”
The boy looked between Roselia and Mary before speaking expressionlessly.
“Um… well…”
Mary glanced sideways at Roselia, who had gone pale and remained speechless.
Only then did Roselia regain her senses.
She clenched her trembling hands tightly.
‘Get a grip, Roselia. The Cardian standing before you isn’t the one from your previous life.’
“…My sister and I are looking to buy a pair of gardening shears. If you don’t have any… we’d like to place an order.”
She barely managed to recite the excuse she had prepared.
The boy narrowed his eyes slightly before relaxing them again.
Then he answered calmly.
“This blacksmith shop doesn’t sell gardening shears.
Nor do we accept custom orders.
Young noble lady.”
“Huh? I’m… not a noble…”
Startled by his firm tone, Roselia hurriedly denied it.
‘I changed my clothes and even tied up my hair so carefully. How did he know?’
As though reading her thoughts, one corner of his lips curled upward.
“You dressed simply to resemble a commoner, but the fabric of your clothes is still of high quality.
Also, the woman beside you is clearly older than you, yet she keeps watching your reactions.
Isn’t that exactly how a maid behaves toward her noble mistress?”
‘Seriously? Just from that, he figured out I’m a noble?’
“Even if I am a noble, I came all the way here. I’d still like to order those gardening shears.”
“Our blacksmith shop stopped accepting commissions from nobles last year.
Please visit another forge.”
Roselia was left speechless by his unwavering refusal.
Just then—
“I’ve told you countless times not to pick and choose your customers, haven’t I, Cardian?”
The man who had been hammering stepped forward and placed a hand on one of Cardian’s shoulders.
