~Chapter 34~
After returning from meeting the princes at the palace, Ruby went straight to see Grand Duke Lux.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
As always, his voice was blunt and cold. Balt immediately opened the study door for her.
“I’m back,” Ruby said as she stepped inside, giving Balt a small nod before bowing politely to the grand duke.
“Alright,” Grand Duke Lux replied, acting as though he didn’t care at all whether the children met with the princes or not.
“I just came back from meeting Their Highnesses at the palace.”
“I see.”
He had probably already received a report, but Ruby mentioned it anyway, just to be clear.
“So, I was wondering… would it be alright if we invited the princes to the Lux estate sometime?”
“Here?”
For the first time, Grand Duke Lux showed some interest. But the crease in his forehead suggested he wasn’t exactly happy about the idea.
“Would that not be allowed?” Ruby asked quickly, letting her eyebrows droop as she put on a pitiful expression.
“Why?” he asked sharply.
“Well, it would give the princes a chance to escape the stuffy palace for a while. And since we always go when they invite us, I thought it would be nice if we could invite them just once.”
Grand Duke Lux stroked his chin. Thankfully, his frown eased a little, so maybe he didn’t think it was such a bad idea after all.
“Fine. Do it.”
“Thank you, Grandfather!”
Ruby curtsied in perfect noble etiquette.
“You’ve picked up court manners quickly.”
“That’s thanks to the excellent tutors you hired for me, Grandfather,” Ruby replied with a smile, giving him the credit.
At that, the corners of the grand duke’s mouth twitched slightly before he hid it away and changed the subject.
“Meeting the princes is important, but what about the task I assigned you?”
He was referring to the responsibilities he had given Ruby after officially accepting her into the Lux household. These were tests to prove herself as his heir.
“I’m still in the planning stage. To put it into action will take some more time,” Ruby admitted. She wasn’t the type to push aside assignments. She often thought about the problems he had given her, and while she had an outline, the details were the hardest part.
“I’ll give you time. Try your best,” he said.
“If possible, could I also request some financial support?”
“If it’s necessary, submit a report. I’ll review and approve it if it makes sense.”
“Yes, that’s all I need.”
Ruby had no intention of using the funds for luxury. Since the grand duke already monitored her expenses, she had nothing to hide.
“So, what problem will you tackle first?”
The assignments he had given weren’t just one but several, ranging from easy to extremely difficult, all connected to each other.
“I plan to start with the Cardonia territory.”
The grand duke owned multiple lands across the empire, granted as rewards from wars. Managing them was no small task.
“Cardonia? The population issue?”
“Yes. I want to address the serious population decline reported there.”
It wasn’t the simplest task—actually, it was one of the hardest.
“That won’t be easy.”
“Are you worried about me, Grandfather?” Ruby teased with a small smile.
“As if,” he scoffed. “I’m worried you’ll make things worse by jumping in without care.”
“I’d never treat such an important matter lightly. Please trust me.” Ruby pounded her chest a few times with her fist in a show of confidence.
Grand Duke Lux found her constant self-assurance baffling. How on earth had her late mother raised her to be this way?
“So… may I visit Cardonia personally?” Ruby asked.
“The territory itself?”
“Yes. Seeing the place firsthand will help me find better solutions.”
“Hmm.” He stroked his chin again, thinking.
“You’re not planning to go alone, are you?”
“If possible, I’d like to take the children with me. Would that be alright?”
His frown deepened.
“You want to go just with them?”
“Of course, we could… but we’re still children. Honestly, I was hoping you might come with us. What do you think?” Ruby asked with pleading eyes. “If you’re too busy, I’ll find someone else.”
But realistically, the only other options were household staff—and Balt couldn’t leave because of mansion duties.
After some hesitation, the grand duke finally nodded.
“Fine.”
“Really? You’ll come with us?”
“I don’t have a choice,” he muttered, still frowning.
“Thank you so much, Grandfather!” Ruby beamed.
The grand duke eyed her, unsure if she was genuinely happy or just putting on a show to please him. Still, he didn’t cancel the trip. Instead, he warned her:
“Make sure the children don’t cause trouble.”
“Of course.”
“And if you end up causing losses to the territory, you’ll be pulled off this task immediately. Be prepared.”
Ruby nodded firmly.
“I won’t disappoint you, Grandfather.”
After declaring that, she left the study.
Once she was gone, Balt stepped forward.
“My lord, isn’t the Cardonia population problem far too difficult for Lady Ruby to solve?”
“A true solution is impossible,” Grand Duke Lux admitted. He knew full well that the task was harder than Ruby realized—and he didn’t actually expect her to succeed.
“Then why give her such an assignment?”
“That girl has never failed at anything. Her nose is too high in the air. No one lives with success forever. She needs to experience reality.”
“So, you’re training her in your own way,” Balt said with a faint smile. Failure, after all, could be an important lesson too.
The grand duke scoffed. “Training, huh.”
But Balt’s gentle smile didn’t fade. He could see that the grand duke, whether he admitted it or not, hadn’t completely washed his hands of raising the children. The fact that he involved himself at all was proof enough.
“I only hope Lady Ruby realizes your intentions someday,” Balt said softly.
“Ridiculous,” Grand Duke Lux snapped back. Still, for a brief moment, a worried look crossed his face—before he quickly hid it again.
***
Meanwhile, Ruby was busy learning how to write proper letters to royalty with Mark’s help. Thanks to his teaching, her handwriting and phrasing were elegant and full of refined expressions.
She sent a letter:
“Your Highness, please visit the Lux estate next time. I already have Grand Duke Lux’s permission.”
Before long, a reply came:
“His Majesty has granted permission. We shall visit next week.”
Ruby frowned at the short response.
“That’s it? Just straight to the point like a report?” she muttered. Ivan’s letter had no flowery words, just clean, precise handwriting that showed his proper education.
She regretted wasting so much effort on making hers long and elaborate.
Still, with the matter of Ivan’s visit settled, Ruby turned her full focus to the task Grand Duke Lux had given her.
“Cardonia territory…”
She spread out the map of Cardonia in front of her, a soft smile forming on her lips.
