~Chapter 37~
“Can I see the gemstones myself?” Ruby asked.
“Of course,” the supervisor replied.
He guided her to a pile where raw stones were stored, then carefully picked out several and showed them to her.
Ruby examined each one closely.
“Do you sell these gemstones to other territories?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you process them before selling?”
“No, we sell them as they are—raw.”
“Why?” Ruby tilted her head.
The supervisor gave an awkward smile.
“Because we don’t have anyone here who can refine them.”
“Ah, I knew it…” Ruby muttered.
“Hm?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Thank you for explaining,” Ruby said, bowing politely.
“What a well-mannered child. The Grand Duke must have raised her well,” the man said warmly, praising Ruby to Lux.
“Ahem,” Lux responded with only a gruff cough.
Once Ruby’s curiosity was satisfied, they made their way back down the mountain.
Going up had been fine, but on the way down Ruby’s legs began to weaken. She stumbled slightly—until Lux reached out his hand first.
“Grandfather…” Ruby looked at him with teary eyes, touched.
But Lux only said bluntly, “If you fall and hurt yourself, it’ll be more troublesome for me. That’s why I’m helping.”
“Thank you for worrying about me,” Ruby said softly.
“It’s not worry,” he replied curtly.
Still, Ruby held his hand tightly all the way down the mountain.
And surprisingly, Lux never let go—not when they returned to the village, not until they climbed back into the carriage heading for the lord’s castle.
Ruby secretly rubbed her hand afterward. His warmth still lingered there.
To everyone else that day, they must have looked like a doting grandfather and a beloved granddaughter.
Ruby felt a bit embarrassed at the thought, so she stayed quiet during the ride back.
Lux was silent too. But strangely, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
After a while, exhaustion caught up with Ruby, and she began nodding off, her head bobbing side to side.
“We’re here,” Lux’s voice suddenly said.
Ruby jolted awake with a gasp. Looking down, she realized she wasn’t slumped in her seat as before—she had been lying against it, as if someone had laid her down.
She blinked in confusion, glancing from the seat to Lux.
“Don’t just stare. Get out of the carriage,” Lux ordered.
Ruby quickly smoothed her messy hair and climbed down.
“Sorry, I must have dozed off.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said indifferently, striding into the castle first.
Ruby hurried after him, touching her cheek nervously—had she drooled in her sleep?
But another thought popped into her head. Why had she been lying down? Had she shifted on her own while half-asleep? Or… had Grand Duke Lux actually laid her down?
She couldn’t be sure. But somehow, the thought warmed her heart.
***
Morning came to Cardonia.
Ruby, her siblings, and the grand duke gathered in the dining hall for breakfast.
“Ruby, what’s wrong with your face?!” Calix blurted in shock.
“Yeah, your face looks funny!” Sasha pointed, wide-eyed.
Ruby chuckled awkwardly. “Haha, I stayed up all night, so my face looks like this.”
Dark circles hung under her eyes.
Even Lux, who entered last, frowned at the sight.
“What did you do to your face?”
“I didn’t sleep.”
“Why not? Is the bed uncomfortable here?”
“No… I was up all night thinking about how to increase Cardonia’s population.”
At that, his frown deepened.
“At night of all times?”
Ruby smiled weakly. To him, she probably looked foolish.
But Calix quickly jumped in to defend her.
“My sister’s like that. Once she focuses on something, she won’t stop until she solves it. She couldn’t sleep because she was worried.”
There was a hint of reproach in his voice, as if blaming Lux for giving her such a task.
“Hmph. Can’t even manage your condition properly over such a trivial matter. Pathetic,” Lux scoffed.
Ruby only smiled again. “You’re right. Next time, I’ll make sure to get some sleep too.”
In her mind, though, she interpreted his words as concern.
He gave a disbelieving snort, while Ruby kept smiling, even through her fatigue.
“Ruby, that’s bad,” Sasha scolded sternly, hands on her hips—just like Ruby always did to her.
The mimicry was so cute that Ruby couldn’t resist pinching Sasha’s nose lightly.
“Okay, okay. Thank you for worrying about me, my little Sasha.”
“Hehe.” Sasha grinned, grabbing her fork for breakfast.
“So, did you find the answer?” Lux asked suddenly.
Ruby had just begun eating. “I do need your approval, but yes, I’ve drawn up a plan.”
Her sleepless night hadn’t been wasted. She’d been so focused that she hadn’t even noticed the sun rising. If the maid hadn’t knocked for breakfast, she might have skipped the meal entirely.
“And? What will you do?”
“I’ll explain after breakfast, if that’s alright?”
“Fine. Come to the study afterward.”
During the meal, Ruby was too busy helping her siblings—scolding Calix for being picky, cutting food for Sasha, and feeding milk to baby Maria. Her own plate went mostly untouched.
Lux clicked his tongue.
“From now on, during meals, each servant will assist one child,” he ordered the staff behind them.
“Yes, sir.”
“Grandfather, I’m fine,” Ruby protested. She was used to juggling her siblings and her food.
But today, after staying up all night, it had been especially tiring.
“You’re just distracted during meals. Don’t misunderstand,” Lux said firmly.
From then on, maids and butlers each helped the children during meals. Ruby, for the first time, could eat in peace.
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” he replied shortly, finishing first and rising from his seat.
“I’ll come to the study later,” Ruby called.
“I’ll be waiting,” he said, already walking away.
Ruby ate her still-warm soup and smiled faintly. If not for him, she would’ve had to drink it cold.
Was he being considerate in his own way? She couldn’t be sure—but one way or another, he had helped her.
Maybe, just maybe, Grand Duke Lux was slowly opening his heart.
***
Ruby spent the night writing more than ten pages of a report.
In the morning, she condensed it all into a single page summary, then carried it to Lux’s study.
Knock, knock.
This time, instead of Balt, the castle steward Raphel opened the door.
“What brings you here?”
“I’d like to report to my grandfather.”
“Wait here,” Raphel said curtly, stepping inside first.
From within, Lux’s commanding voice rang out: “From now on, let her in without asking.”
Ruby’s face brightened.
But Raphel’s expression soured—he clearly didn’t trust her as much as Balt did. Ruby was reminded of how kind Balt always was to her.
“So, have you finished your plan?” Lux asked without delay.
Instead of answering, Ruby handed him the single-page report.
“Please review this. If you approve, I’ll move forward.”
Lux read carefully. The longer he looked, the deeper his frown grew. Clearly, the idea didn’t sit well with him.
“You think this will work?”
“In my opinion, yes.”
“It’s a method I hadn’t considered,” he admitted.
Lux had tried many ways to increase Cardonia’s population before, but most had failed.
Ruby’s idea, however, was something he had never heard of.
“You’re saying… to use the natural resources?”
