Chapter 9
Lublion fidgeted with his little fingers before carefully opening his mouth.
“But, Your Grace, maybe the Lady isn’t being frugal because she wants to be—it might just be that she can’t afford not to be.”
Ascal rested his chin on the back of his hand and looked at the young boy.
“You must already know, but the Deli family isn’t exactly wealthy. So I think it’s unfair to judge the Lady’s spending habits too quickly.”
Ascal almost nodded in agreement—then stopped himself. But Lublion already noticed that he agreed.
“Give me five million Tiga. I’ll show you exactly what kind of spender the Lady is.”
“Lublion, I have no interest in what her spending habits are.”
“Really? Why not?”
The boy’s golden eyes trembled in shock.
“Because you’re the one who likes her, not me.”
“Is it because you think she’s not pretty?”
Ascal’s expression stiffened.
“It’s late. Early sleep makes for an early start.”
“So it’s true. It’s because she’s not pretty.”
Jumping down from the sofa, Lublion drooped his shoulders and turned away with a weak face.
“Well, that’s something I can’t fix…”
Ascal sighed as he watched the boy muttering to himself.
“I don’t judge people by their looks. So don’t go assuming things.”
Standing up from his desk, Ascal strode toward him, knelt on one knee, and met Lublion’s gaze.
“And the Lady is closer to being cute than beautiful.”
The boy’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“Anyway, if you really like her, I’ll hire her as your tutor or nanny. I’ll give you anything you need.”
“Then give me five million Tiga. What I need right now is to find out how she spends money.”
The boy’s golden eyes sparkled brightly.
“The Lady you just called cute might also have spending habits that match your taste, Your Grace.”
“When did I say that…”
“Good night!”
Lublion spun around and dashed out. Left alone on the office floor, Ascal felt a sharp pain on one side of his head as he stood up.
“Auntie, I got an assignment from His Grace.”
That was the first thing the kid said when he came into the office.
“An assignment?”
The boy ran straight to his usual spot on the sofa. After gulping down a glass of milk Anna handed him, he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket.
Inside was a check—five million Tiga.
“He told me to find a way to spend all of this within two days.”
“That’s the assignment?”
“Yes.”
He gave that kind of money to a ten-year-old and told him to spend it in two days? Was that the Artenbach family’s way of education?
“He said it might be too hard for me to do alone, so I could ask an adult for help.”
“Really? That’s perfect, then.”
I showed him a newspaper clipping I had prepared.
“This lady will be coming to the office in an hour. She matches the conditions you gave for your mother.”
“…There’s really someone who matches?”
“Yes, there are more, actually. But we’ll start with this one today.”
I patted the boy’s head as his eyes widened.
“I hope you’ll like her.”
A young lady with long brown hair neatly tied up visited the office. Guided by Anna, she entered the consultation room and smiled gently when she saw Lublion already there.
“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”
I greeted her warmly and led her to sit across from the boy. Her neat yellow dress gave off a soft, sweet fragrance.
“Now, this young man is the client, and this is Miss Olive, who runs a successful business with the Lube family.”
I introduced them both in turn.
“Nice to meet you, young master.”
Olive reached out her hand. The boy glanced at me, then smiled and clasped her hand.
“Hello, miss!”
His voice was higher-pitched than usual—he must have really liked her.
“Please, talk among yourselves. I’ll step outside for a moment.”
Watching the boy’s bright expression, I stood up, feeling hopeful. Maybe this request would be finished sooner than expected.
As soon as The Director left, Lublion’s expression completely changed. He stared at the woman sitting across from him.
She had a kind-looking face, but only her lips were smiling.
“So, what’s your name?”
“We’re not close enough for me to tell you that yet.”
Lublion replied indifferently to Olive’s question.
“Well, fine. We can get to that later. You don’t have any siblings, right?”
“No.”
Only then did Olive relax her posture, looking slightly relieved.
“What does your father do?”
“He’s in business.”
“What kind of business?”
“All sorts of things.”
“What’s his biggest business?”
Lublion tilted his head slightly, then replied in a different tone.
“Why do you want to know? My father’s business has nothing to do with who becomes my mother.”
When Lublion refused to answer, Olive’s expression soured.
“If you don’t want to answer, then don’t.”
“Okay.”
She clicked her tongue and set her teacup down roughly.
“Then can I ask you a question now?”
Olive folded her arms, her expression completely different from before.
“You seem more interested in my father’s business than in being my mother. Am I right?”
“Well, I at least need to know how much your father earns before deciding whether to become a mother or a nanny.”
Leaning forward, Olive continued in a serious tone.
“A single woman marrying a widower with a child—it’s not something you do without knowing the conditions. Honestly, for all I know, your father might be the kind of man who isn’t faithful.”
Lublion’s expression darkened, but Olive didn’t notice—or didn’t care.
“So tell me, what business does your father run?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes.”
She motioned impatiently with her finger.
“My father manages the Artenbach Bank and the Artenbach Art Museum. He also owns a hot spring and hotel in the tourism district, does some trade, and once a year he sells trophies from the beast subjugations.”
“Kid, I don’t know where you heard that, but the Artenbach Bank and Museum are run by the Duke’s hou—”
Olive stopped mid-sentence, her mouth falling open in shock. Looking again, she noticed the black hair and golden eyes that gave off a noble aura.
“…No way.”
The smile vanished completely from Lublion’s face. Realizing her mistake, Olive bit her lip hard.
“I didn’t expect to meet the heir of the Duke’s house here. I didn’t recognize you since I’ve never seen you at official events.”
In the Empire, noble children made their debut in society around age eighteen, so ten-year-old Lublion had never appeared at any formal gatherings. That’s why Olive, like The Director, hadn’t recognized him.
With elegant composure, Olive stood and gave a small curtsy.
“I hope you understand that my questions were only for the sake of what might come in the future.”
Lublion didn’t answer. He only recalled The Director’s words—that people who treat you differently depending on your status or wealth are the ones to be wary of.
“Yes, I understand perfectly.”
Olive smiled brightly, then sat beside him with the gentle gaze of a loving mother.
“I don’t know why you’re looking for a mother through such a small office, but whatever you’ve wanted to do all this time—I’ll do it all with you.”
Lublion looked at the hand Olive placed gently over his. Then he smiled the exact same way she did.
“I’m leaving right now!”
Olive’s face was pale as she stormed out of the office. Anna and I could only watch her retreating back in confusion as she disappeared without another word.
“What on earth happened?”
Still startled, I rushed into the consultation room.
“Auntie.”
The boy was frowning hard, tears streaming down his face. My heart dropped.
“Why are you crying? What happened?”
“I just… I don’t want to look for a mother anymore.”
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Anger welled up inside me—I should’ve stayed in there with him.
I handed him a tissue and crouched down to his level.
“I wasn’t thinking. I should’ve stayed by your side.”
“Ugh…”
His small shoulders trembled as he sobbed. I wanted to run after Olive right that second and demand to know what she’d said to make the child cry like this.
“Just cry it out. When you feel like talking, tell me then.”
“Auntie… sniff.”
“Yeah, I’m right here.”
Before I knew it, I had pulled him into a tight hug.
Overwhelmed by emotion, the boy buried his face in my shoulder and cried his heart out.
After laying the boy down to sleep—his eyes swollen from crying—I stepped outside and began an emergency meeting with a grave face. Not that it mattered; the only attendees were Anna and me.
“I’ll go to the Lube family and find out what happened.”
Anna raised her hand, and I immediately handed her some cash for travel expenses.
Left alone at the reception desk, I replayed the boy’s words in my head—how he no longer wanted to find a mother.
What on earth did she say to him…
I never expected things to go this wrong. I’d carefully vetted every candidate, checking background and reputation, so the disappointment hit harder than I thought it would.
Lublion didn’t want anyone to know he belonged to the Duke’s house. So to Olive, I’d only mentioned that he was from a good family and that his father was in business.
“Auntie.”
“You’re already awake?”
He hadn’t even slept for an hour. I took his hand and walked back into the consultation room with him.
“Do you want some water?”
The boy nodded quietly. My heart ached.
“Do you feel a little better now?”
“Yes, I’m fine now. But… I do have a question.”
“What is it?”
“She said that because my father’s a widower with a child, the conditions are important. Is being a widower… bad?”
“…Did she say that to you?”
“Yes.”
I almost swore out loud. How could I have introduced that woman and even dared to hope this request would end quickly?
