🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 47
What I Can Do for You
Whoosh. Thud! The arrow flew in a perfect arc and landed right in the deer’s neck.
“Yahoo! Whee!”
Heinrich shouted loudly and whistled as he ran toward the fallen deer. Dominic pulled tightly on the reins to calm his horse, which was disturbed by all the noise.
“Whoa, whoa.”
“He always catches things just like himself. Tsk tsk.”
As Heinrich and his group ran to the deer, the sun started to set behind them. Looking at the sun, which was now close to the mountain ridge, Dominic turned his shoulder and called to Daniel behind him.
“My lord, let’s wrap it up and go back to the camp. The sun’s going to set soon.”
But even though Dominic urged him, Daniel didn’t turn his horse. He just stared quietly at the peaceful Altas mountain slopes all around, not moving at all. Instead of pushing Daniel more, Dominic brought his own horse closer. It had been a week since they left Munheim Castle. When they came to the forest, he’d casually told the duchess where she was planning to build the new road, and Daniel had been like this ever since. Dominic wasn’t sure if Daniel noticed, but for three days now, the hunting trip’s original purpose was gone. Only Heinrich Updike was still excited about the hunt. Daniel kept scanning the land like he was picking a place for battle, and they’d moved camp every other day, as if he meant to search the whole territory.
When Dominic got close, Daniel pointed to the side of the mountain.
“Why are they making the road go around instead of straight across there?”
“The duchess really wanted it that way,” Dominic said, putting extra stress on “really.”
“Didn’t you tell her that’s the shortcut?”
“Of course not. The difference in cost would be huge.”
If they didn’t use the shortcut, it would cost almost three times as much money. Dominic was pretty good at this kind of math, so his calculation was probably right. When Daniel was ten and joined his grandfather’s mercenary group, Dominic went along too, not because Lady Laura told him, but because it felt natural to be by Daniel’s side. Honestly, he was just glad to get away from schoolwork. Lady Laura always forced him to study mountain science and math, even though mercenaries didn’t need it.
“Learning is always useful, Dominic. Don’t be lazy—study. No sword practice until you finish those books.”
Thanks to that, Dominic became the smartest and busiest man in the mercenary group. Ten years ago, when they found a gold mine in Lapaz, he planned the transport, calculated the costs, and even worked out how to split the profits. Every job became his job. His father bragged about it to the duchess, so now he couldn’t escape work even back at the estate.
“Dominic, you’ll help me, right? Who else can I trust but you?”
Damn. How could he say no when she asked like that? Getting off his horse, Dominic stretched and grumbled.
“I tried to explain it costs more and takes much longer, but she won’t budge.”
He rolled his sore neck and stretched his arms.
“There’s a big village on the other side of that mountain. If we cut all the trees here, there might be a landslide when it rains, so she says we can’t do it.”
“Why not just move the villagers closer to the castle? That’d be cheaper,” Daniel said.
Dominic laughed, remembering he’d said the same thing. It proved that all swordfighters think alike—very simple.
“There are other ways, but the duchess doesn’t want to disturb where the people live. She also said that if too many people move close to Munheim Castle while it’s still being repaired, there could be problems with drinking water and security.”
“I told you. The duchess is a genius,” Dominic said, smiling with pride.
She was better than a hundred empty-headed noblemen from Schendel Castle.
“We shouldn’t make the people anxious. Do it step by step, but fast and certain. If we show good results they can trust, they’ll follow us on their own.”
Dominic almost patted her on the head because she was so cute and smart when she said that. When he didn’t hear a reply, he turned to look up at Daniel, who was still on his horse. Every time the wind blew, he caught a glimpse of Daniel’s serious reddish-brown eyes, not moving at all. What happened that morning before the hunt? Why did Daniel leave the castle that day and refuse to return for a whole week?
‘Could it be… did he really not know? Is that why… he couldn’t…?’
“My lord, by any chance—”
“When can the construction start?” Daniel interrupted.
Dominic swallowed his question and answered.
“We could start right away. The problem is when it would end. We could pour money into it forever and still not finish.”
He wanted to add, “It’s crazy,” but when he saw Daniel’s eyes, he shut his mouth.
“Do it anyway,” Daniel said.
Daniel’s red eyes shook with a feeling that was neither anger nor coldness—something hard to describe.
“This is all I can do for you…”
The capital of the Sverggen Empire, Chellino, was also called “the city of flowers.” Winters were cold but short, and the summers were mild. In spring, all kinds of flowers bloomed. The Emperor’s Schendel Castle was famous not only for its grand look but also for its beautiful gardens. Of all the castle’s gardens, the most famous was the Empress Dowager’s Mirabel Garden, where flowers bloomed all year round. Most rumors about the place were exaggerated, since only a few nobles ever saw the real garden, but everyone who visited boasted and tried to copy it at home. Last spring, when the rumor spread that the garden arch was now covered in pale purple wisteria, wisteria seeds sold out everywhere and prices shot up.
Count Ulrich Chamberlain entered Mirabel Garden, looking at the white and pink rose arch. Earlier that year, he’d bought rose seedlings in the same colors and made a good profit selling them. Just seeing the rose arch made him smile. Under the arch stood a white table with a chair, and sitting there in a sparkling tiara and elegant gold hair was the Empress Dowager herself, reading documents.
It had been three days since the Emperor had left the castle in a loud fuss. The Empress Dowager, sitting straight and calm, looked as if nothing had happened.
The Chamberlain family, the Dukes of Baichen, were famous for being cold and logical, and the Empress Dowager was the most reasonable and strict of them all. But even she couldn’t stop her son from visiting his mistress, the Baroness Vutain.
‘Tsk tsk. No parent can win against their child.’
Wiping away his usual cynical smile, Chamberlain walked over to cheer her up. After all, she must be boiling inside after sending her son off to the mistress she hated.
“Your Majesty, so here you are. I searched all over Mirabel Garden for you,” he said with a laugh.
The Empress Dowager, Marguerite, put down her documents and greeted him with her usual grace.
“No one told you I was here? I’ll make sure my servants are more careful. Please, have a seat, Ulrich.”
Chamberlain quickly shook his head, worried about the servants who might get scolded.
“That’s not necessary, Your Majesty. I was told you’d be here, but it’s my fault I couldn’t find you.”
He kissed her hand and sat down in the chair she’d pointed out. His cane, decorated with gold vines, hung on the side of the chair—a luxury gift from Duke Andrea of Weimar.
“With all these flowers, I couldn’t recognize you. For a moment, I thought the goddess of flowers herself had come to Mirabel Garden.”
Even with his flattery, the Empress Dowager didn’t smile. She gave a signal, and a servant came to fill his teacup with bright red hibiscus tea. When all the cups were filled, she waved her hand, and the servants stepped away.
“Everyone, leave. No one is allowed in the garden after this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As the servants’ footsteps faded, the Empress Dowager placed the documents on the table. Chamberlain squinted, focusing on the writing. At the bottom of the paper was the official symbol of the empire’s border lord, not the Updike family’s blue eagle.
‘Why is she showing me this?’
He knew the Baichen family’s way of controlling information better than anyone. The Empress Dowager Marguerite was especially famous for never giving away even the tiniest bit of information, not even to Chamberlain, her closest advisor for over ten years.
‘Is she testing me?’
Having survived the deadly Sverggen court for so long, Chamberlain trusted his instincts.
“Read it, Ulrich,” the Empress Dowager said.
Chamberlain hesitated before reaching for the papers.
“Is it really all right for me to see this?”
She nodded slightly and lifted her cup of red tea.
“I need your help, Ulrich. You should know what’s happening if you’re going to help me.”
“Help, Your Majesty? I would gladly risk my life for the royal family…”
But as he glanced at the paper, one familiar name caught his eye. Chamberlain’s eyes widened in shock.
“My God! Is this person really still alive?”
