BOPE 82

Chapter 82 …

“Haaah!”

Gold Rich, who had been creeping forward step by step, gasped as if he were about to faint when he saw the chest overflowing with jewels. For a long while, he even forgot how to breathe, his mouth hanging open before he finally spoke in a voice trembling with excitement.

“L–Lord, th-this is…”

“The gold you brought. How much is it in total?”

“T-ten thousand gold.”

“Hundred thousand gold.”

“…What?”

“It should be at least a hundred thousand gold. Ah, is that too difficult?”

When Donghee asked in a faintly mocking tone, Gold Rich quickly waved his hands in a panic.

Donghee had gathered every jewel he had carried back from the jewelry shops so far, even making two trips just the previous night. As a result, the huge chest was now so full of gems that anyone’s eyes would nearly pop out at the sight.

“N-no! No! I’ll bring it! But since it’s a bit far, I’ll need more time.”

Even in the midst of his blank, spinning thoughts, Gold Rich knew one thing for certain—there was no way the gold he had brought could ever be enough to buy all the jewels the Lord of Grace had just revealed.

“I clearly told you to bring every bit of liquid funds you could muster. I’m disappointed.”

The young lord stared idly at his fingertips, expressionless, as though the chest of glittering coins before her was nothing more than a pile of useless junk. Gold Rich swallowed hard.

A chance to make a fortune…

He began quickly calculating his potential gains. And he came to the only conclusion possible—he could not let this opportunity slip away.

Throwing himself flat in a servile bow, Gold Rich spoke humbly:

“If you grant me half a month’s grace, I will somehow gather the full amount.”

“Half a month? Too long. Treasurer, have you reached out to any other jewelers yet?”

“T-ten days!”

Gold Rich blurted desperately, jerking his head up. He wasn’t sure if it was possible, but he had to grab this chance first before worrying about the rest.

“But if you’re even a day late, I’ll look for another jeweler.”

“Yes! Of course, my lord! B-but… one thing.”

“What?”

“Would it be possible for me to… take a closer look?”

“If you want.”

“Thank you!”

The moment permission was given, Gold Rich leapt for joy like a child receiving a Christmas gift. His heavy body seemed to flutter like a butterfly as he rushed to the chest, all but plunging his head inside as he marveled.

“Ohhh! How could anything be so beautiful!”

“This brilliance! This detail! This sparkle!”

He was so enraptured that he seemed to forget anyone else was present. Donghee actually liked this about him.

Gold Rich loved jewels. Gold Rich understood their value. Gold Rich wanted, true to his name, to become rich. And before jewels, Gold Rich never lied.

“Treasurer.”

“Yes!”

Having drifted away in a daze again, Scrooge jumped in alarm at being addressed. Even though he was delighted that the estate coffers grew fatter with every passing day, he remained uneasy, since he did not know the precise source of these riches.

The lord’s expression, even while staring at a chest brimming with gold, remained dark. That made Scrooge edge closer, ears pricked.

“Scrooge.”

The lord called him by name, and for some reason, Scrooge’s nose stung with emotion. It had been a strange new habit ever since the lord had awakened.

Clearing his throat quietly so as not to sound shaky, he replied:

“Yes, my lord.”

“Take those and pack them neatly into sturdy, fine boxes—two hundred gold in each.”

“That would make forty-nine boxes, wouldn’t it?”

Knowing well what the boxes were for, Scrooge’s tone was grave.

“Yes. Prepare more, just in case.”

“Understood. I’ll store the rest in the vault.”

While Donghee had been bedridden, Smith and Builder had completed the vault. She hadn’t seen it yet. She planned to visit after delivering compensation to the families of the fallen soldiers.

Gold Rich lingered at the chest for hours before finally leaving the office. Even then, he kept glancing back with regret, sighing after every few steps.

I should have brought more gold…

Even as he carried away the jewels worth ten thousand gold he had just paid, his eyes clung greedily to the ones left behind. He feared that the lord might suddenly change her mind and strike a deal with another jeweler.

Over and over, Gold Rich swore to himself that he would return within ten days, before climbing into his carriage.

* * *

“My lord, everything is ready.”

Since no one but he and the lord could enter the vault, Scrooge had to sort the compensation alone, packing the gold into boxes. Yet he showed not the slightest sign of fatigue.

Donghee felt guilty as she imagined Scrooge, with his thin arms, handling all that gold by himself.

“Just for today. Starting tomorrow, I’ll help you with the sorting.”

“It’s fine, my lord. Not hard at all. Whenever I step into that room, I feel brimming with energy.”

He wasn’t lying. Scrooge loved hoarding money far more than spending it. Merely seeing stacks of wealth before his eyes filled him with immense joy. And now that the changed lord spent nothing on luxury, but invested every coin into the growth of the estate, Scrooge’s heart swelled with pride every moment.

Soon after, the carriage carrying the lord and flanked by escorting knights departed Grace Castle.

Outside the carriage, the world looked the same as it had the day they had rushed toward Mortaro. People bustled about their work. And when they saw the carriage carrying their lord, they beamed and bowed deeply.

“Haaah…”

But the lord’s sighs never ceased from the moment they left the castle. Scrooge and Handsome grew heavier in heart just watching her.

They could only hope that after meeting the families of the fallen today, she might finally feel some peace.

* * *

The first stop was the outer edge of Kondal, the settlement nearest to the castle.

The huts clinging to the wall like matchboxes looked as though a strong gust of wind could knock them over at any moment. Repairs had started closer to the castle first, so this area had yet to be touched.

The chill wind stung, and seeing houses riddled with holes in their walls made Donghee’s heart ache.

When a fine carriage stopped in front of such a shabby home, neighbors came out curiously. Their eyes widened when the lord herself stepped down, and they bowed deeply.

Though their houses were still in disrepair, to them this was the benefactor who had given them work and food when they had been starving.

“My lord! You’ve come!”

“Thanks to you, our children no longer go hungry every day. Thank you!”

Gratitude poured in from all around.

The noise drew out the inhabitants of the house—the home of the fallen soldier.

Creak…

The warped old door screeched on its rusty hinges as it opened.

A frail woman with disheveled hair and sunken cheeks appeared. At her side stood a boy of perhaps five, clutching his mother’s leg in fear.

“Who… oh!”

The woman’s tired face froze in shock. The uniforms of the armored men outside bore the same crest engraved on the worn armor her husband had cherished and polished every dawn.

“Are you Sam’s wife, Iara?”

The question came from Scrooge, standing beside Donghee. Seeing the armed knights and their lord at her doorstep, Iara nodded nervously. Her son, noticing her trembling, welled up with tears.

Once her identity was confirmed, Red Bear and ten knights formed ranks.

Then Donghee stepped forward to stand before Iara. Though she had never seen this noblewoman before, Iara recognized her instantly—this was the Lord of Grace, exactly as her husband had proudly described countless times.

“M-my lord…”

Iara was speechless. Never in her life had she imagined she would see the lord so near.

Donghee looked at her heavily for a moment, then bowed deeply.

Everyone froze in shock—Red Bear, the knights, Scrooge, the neighbors gathered outside. A lord, as high as the heavens, bowing to the wife of a mere soldier? Such a thing was unheard of.

But Donghee seemed indifferent to their stares, and after finishing the bow, she spoke to Iara.

“By the authority of the Lord of Grace, I give my deepest thanks to Sam, who gave his life to defend this land, and to his family.”

The noisy crowd fell utterly silent.

When her words ended, Red Bear hung a banner bearing Grace’s laurel crest upon Sam’s house.

The brief but solemn ritual left many wiping at teary eyes.

“Mom, it’s pretty! They put it on our house! Is it ours now?”

The child looked up with innocent wonder at the banner fluttering in the wind. Tears spilled down Iara’s face as she hugged him tightly.

She had thought her husband’s death meaningless—torn apart by monsters, his body never returned intact. She believed he would soon be forgotten by all. But clearly, that was not the case.

For the first time, she felt that Sam’s sacrifice had not been in vain. Her heart was filled both with joy and with the aching absence of her husband.

Donghee gazed at her with pity, then crouched down to meet the boy’s eyes, smiling gently.

“Hello. What’s your name?”

“Noah.”

His big, tear-bright eyes were beautiful.

“That’s a lovely name.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m your dad’s friend.”

The boy blinked in disbelief and glanced up at his mother. Even at his age, he could see that the person before him wore clothes far too fine for a mere friend of his father.

“May we come inside for a moment?”

Since it would not do to hand over money in front of the crowd, Donghee asked politely.