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Chapter 18
“What were you thinking, doing something like that?”
As soon as the carriage left Nordil territory, Cassian scolded her.
Evelyn, who had been looking out the window, blinked her long lashes and asked calmly,
“What do you mean?”
“The mural incident.”
“Oh, that? It was to lure the Nordil father and son outside!”
Her eyes sparkled as if asking, Didn’t I do well?
Instead of looking intimidated, she gazed up at him with bright, round eyes.
Cassian swallowed a sigh and spoke honestly.
“It was dangerous.”
If he hadn’t sent the Valhalla Knights as a precaution, she would have been locked inside the Nordil estate.
They had sent an urgent message by carrier bird, so he had used a teleportation scroll to get there quickly. If he had been even a little late—
“I couldn’t have guaranteed your safety.”
“But you came in time, didn’t you?”
Isn’t that enough?
Her innocent expression left him speechless.
Was she brave—or simply fearless?
She was like a squirrel, always darting around, impossible to take your eyes off.
Still, she must have been scared. In the drawing room, she had stayed quiet and stuck close to him. The moment negotiations ended, she hurried him to leave.
A lady raised like a greenhouse flower must have been shocked by such a violent scene.
Thinking that, Cassian softened his tone.
“Even so—”
“You were amazing earlier, dear!”
She gave him a thumbs-up.
He had no reply to that.
There was no trace of fear on her face. If anything, she looked amused—like a little villain satisfied with her mischief.
She wasn’t scared at all.
Then why had she leaned against him and poked his arm earlier?
Unaware that she had simply been feeling his muscles and admiring his physique, Cassian came to a conclusion.
Whatever the case, she was a woman who constantly defied his expectations.
“Don’t do that again.”
“Then should I just watch while we’re looked down on?”
“Looked down on?”
“That head butler treated Sophia with contempt. It wasn’t the first time either. I could tell the moment I saw him. Why should I just ignore that?”
“…I see.”
“Dear, enduring everything isn’t always the answer. And why did you step back earlier?”
At the negotiation table, Cassian had clearly had the upper hand—yet he had withdrawn.
[Let’s hope our next discussion proceeds more smoothly.]
Even though he could have reclaimed all the palladium, he had issued a warning and left.
“Yes. The imperial family is involved.”
He didn’t know all the details, but he had sensed that the royal family had something to do with the palladium.
He had to be cautious.
If he forcefully reclaimed it, the emperor might not take it lightly—even if they were related by blood.
“Still, you shouldn’t have stepped back. We weren’t stealing someone else’s property. We were reclaiming ours.”
“Even so, people would say I acted ruthlessly.”
“Is public opinion more important than your own people being disrespected?”
“…Then what should I have done?”
This time, he asked sincerely.
Cassian had always been used to yielding.
When he received something new or valuable, he gave it to the emperor, who was two years older.
If he cherished something, it would disappear with a single word from the emperor.
As a child, he once complained to his mother that he didn’t want to give things up. But she told him he had to get along with his older brother.
So he learned not to cling.
He learned to give up and accept rather than desire.
Even his current power felt temporary—something that could vanish at the emperor’s gesture.
And so, whenever something involved the imperial family, he half gave up from the start.
The palladium was no different.
He had sent messages to Nordil because his father and servants insisted—but deep down, he had already decided it wasn’t worth fighting over.
The duchy wouldn’t collapse without it.
“…I truly don’t know what I should have done.”
Evelyn had touched something raw inside him.
Something buried deep and heavy, something he had never dared to bring to the surface.
He had wanted to rebel against the emperor before but always suppressed those thoughts as ugly and improper.
Now, for the first time, he voiced them.
Ironically, to Evelyn.
He needed advice.
If it were someone else, what would they have done?
Evelyn opened her mouth—then lowered her head and fell silent.
Did I ask the wrong person?
Just as regret began to creep in—
“Forget what I just said—”
“What about doing it like this?”
Her eyes suddenly lit up as she proposed a new plan.
***
The Next Morning
“You want Sispel?”
Early in the morning, Cassian and Evelyn showed up at the Nordil estate with an unexpected request.
The former Count of Nordil stared at them in confusion.
“Not palladium?”
They had prepared themselves to lose some palladium—but this?
Sispel was the most common mushroom in Nordil territory.
It had once been widely used as a recovery herb before palladium’s value skyrocketed.
Now its worth had dropped significantly.
Why would they want that?
“There’s been an increase in respiratory illness in Hetis territory. We need boiled Sispel water.”
Ah.
That made sense.
Sispel was ideal for large-scale use.
“You can’t take that back later!”
“Calm down, my son. If that’s the case, we’re happy to provide it. How much do you require?”
“Equivalent to the current value of palladium.”
“What? We’d have to harvest every single mushroom in the territory to match that value!”
“Surely you’re not taking all of them?”
Something felt off.
Was there some hidden property to Sispel they didn’t know?
“If you don’t like it, we can cancel. We’ll just reclaim the palladium instead.”
“No! We agree!”
“It will just take time to gather that quantity. My son spoke hastily.”
Evelyn handed over the contract.
“Then please sign.”
***
Asset Exchange Contract
Article 1 – Background
- The former Duke of Hetis borrowed 2,000 gold from the former Count of Nordil, providing palladium as collateral.
- During repayment, palladium’s value increased, leading to a dispute.
- To resolve the matter, Cassian Hetis agrees to exchange palladium for Sispel.
Article 2 – Trade
- Count Damon of Nordil shall provide Sispel to Duke Cassian of Hetis in place of palladium.
- All Sispel within Nordil territory shall be transferred to House Hetis.
- Upon receiving the Sispel, Duke Cassian relinquishes all rights to palladium.
No further claims or demands may be made after the exchange.
After reviewing the document, the Nordil father and son exchanged a silent glance.
