REDA | Chapter 38

~Chapter 38~

“Yes. I had a few ideas beforehand, but Cardonia is really famous for its natural resources, isn’t it? I thought—why not make use of them?”

“They’re already mining plenty of materials for weapon production,” Grand Duke Lux pointed out.

“But what I’m interested in isn’t just weapon materials,” Ruby said firmly.

“Then what?”

Ruby gave him a confident smile.
“The key to my plan is the raw gemstones.”

Lux already knew this from her report, but hearing it directly from her made it more striking.

“I’m not sure this will really work,” Lux admitted. Her method was clever, but also unfamiliar. He couldn’t be convinced by a report alone.

“If you trust me with it, I’ll put it into action right away,” Ruby said eagerly.

“Hmmm.”

Lux reread her report carefully from start to finish, deep in thought. Ruby grew tense—had she overlooked something?

After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Fine. I’ll support you. Do it your way.”

“Yes! I’ll make sure it succeeds!” Ruby clenched her little fists in excitement.

“If you need anything, tell Raphel here,” Lux added, gesturing to the steward.

“Thank you so much, Grandfather!”

Ruby immediately turned to Raphel, who stiffened—he hadn’t read the report and had no idea what orders were coming.

“For now, I’d like to request one thing.”

“Yes, please tell me,” Raphel said cautiously.

“Ask the miners to sell the raw gemstones to the lord’s castle only, not to outsiders.”

“…Understood.”

He obeyed without question. But Ruby didn’t want blind obedience—she wanted someone who could think and act as her partner.

So, she pulled out another report she’d prepared and handed it to him.

“This is… for me?” Raphel asked, surprised.

“Yes. If you know the purpose behind what I’m doing, you’ll be able to help me more effectively.”

Raphel’s eyes wavered. None of his previous lords had ever explained why they gave him orders. He was just expected to follow them.

But this child wasn’t treating him like a servant—she was inviting him to work with her.
It almost felt like she trusted him.

“…Understood. I’ll read it thoroughly.”

“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you,” Ruby said with a bright smile. “Now, Grandfather, I’ll go out for a while.”

She bowed and left the study.

As soon as the door closed, Lux told Raphel,
“Raphel, assist her with whatever she needs.”

“But if I do that, I won’t be able to focus on your work, my lord…”

“That child is handling my work in my place. So think of it as helping me, and support her while we’re here.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Raphel glanced down at the report Ruby had given him. Its title read: Countermeasures for Cardonia’s Population Decline.

Entrusting the territory’s future to such a young child seemed unthinkable.
But Lux had ordered it, so Raphel had no choice but to comply.

He left the study and followed Ruby. Luckily, her short steps hadn’t carried her far. She turned around as if she had expected him.

“So, you’ll be assisting me directly for a while?”

She had even predicted Lux’s command.

“Yes. I’ll be helping you from now on.”

“Thank you. Having someone like you, who knows this land well, will be a huge support.”

“Please tell me whatever you need.”

“In that case, shall we head out?” Ruby said, already moving.

She wasn’t the type to sit at a desk—she preferred to see things with her own eyes. Raphel followed her out of the castle.

“Raphel, is there a large undeveloped area of land around here?”

“Yes, there is.”

“Could you take me there?”

“Of course.”

Raphel gave instructions to the coachman, who immediately understood—he was a local.

As the carriage rolled along, Raphel began reading Ruby’s report to grasp her intentions.

But his brows furrowed. What he saw looked like an unrealistic, fanciful plan.

It was hard to believe the grand duke had approved it.
In his mind, throwing money at farmland and food shortages would be far more practical.

Still, he couldn’t voice his doubts.

Soon, they arrived at the site.

Ruby stepped down from the carriage, brushing her hair back from the wind.

It was nothing but wasteland. No buildings, no farmland—just tall weeds growing wild.

“What’s around here?” Ruby asked.

“If you go downhill, there’s a village. If you head into the forest, you’ll reach the mines.”

“Does the village have a market?”

“Yes, it’s one of the larger settlements. There’s almost always a market open.”

“Perfect,” Ruby said with satisfaction, surveying the land.

Then she turned to Raphel.
“Could you arrange to have this land surveyed in detail?”

“I’ll send for people immediately.”

“Thank you.”

Her constant gratitude made Raphel feel oddly uncomfortable, unsure how to respond.

While he was still thinking, Ruby had already climbed back into the carriage.

“Shall we go to the next location, Raphel?”

“Ah—yes.”

He quickly followed her.

“Where would you like to go next?”

“To the village market down below.”

“Coachman, to the market!” Raphel called out.

They parked on the outskirts and walked in.

Ruby carefully looked around each stall.

“There’s a lot of food being sold here.”

“Yes. This is the only area in Cardonia where wheat can be grown,” Raphel explained.

“Oh, I see,” Ruby nodded, then wandered to a jewelry stall.

“Excuse me, where are these accessories from?”

“From another country! They’re a bit pricey, but very fine quality. Wouldn’t you like one, young lady?” the merchant said eagerly.

Noticing her neat clothes, he quickly guessed she had money.

Ruby chose an amber necklace and bracelet.

“How much are these?”

“2,000 pennies each.”

Ruby frowned slightly. They were expensive, yes—but she also sensed the price was inflated. Back at the Lux mansion, she had grown skilled at keeping the household budget and knew the market values well.

“Make it 3,000 for both.”

“What?! Little lady, do you even know how the world works?”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “Judging by their quality, these gems don’t cost that much.”

“They came from overseas! Of course they’re expensive!”

“Oh, I agree imported goods cost more. But even so, these are overpriced.”

“Then don’t buy them,” the merchant huffed.

“Alright, I won’t,” Ruby said calmly, turning away.

The merchant panicked and grabbed her shoulder.

“W-wait, miss!”

He knew if he lost this customer, he might not sell anything today. Poor villagers couldn’t afford his stock, and nobles rarely shopped in such markets.

“Fine—3,500 for both!”

“2,500,” Ruby countered coolly.

“Miss, at that price, I’d make nothing!”

“That’s all the money I have,” Ruby said firmly.

The merchant glanced desperately at Raphel for support, but the steward only glared back with an intimidating expression.

Defeated, the merchant sighed heavily.
“Alright… 3,000 for both.”

“Deal,” Ruby said with a victorious smile.

The merchant packed the jewelry with a face close to tears.

Raphel paid exactly 3,000 pennies in coins—leaving no room for the man to claim he had no change.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure these,” Ruby said brightly, waving as they left.

The merchant, at least glad to have sold something, waved back weakly.

Once they were away from the stall, Raphel finally asked,
“Miss, we had more than enough money to pay the 4,000. Why did you insist on haggling?”