~Chapter 41~
As soon as Ruby returned to the capital mansion, the first thing she did was invite the princes to Grand Duke Lux’s mansion. They exchanged letters and set a date.
[Then, Theo and I will visit on the agreed date.]
Ivan’s letters were still brief.
Finally, Ruby placed Ivan’s letter in the drawer of her desk. She wasn’t the type to just sit at her desk thinking, so she immediately left the study, which had been specially made for her.
Ruby was someone who couldn’t rest until she personally took action to solve problems.
She found her maid, Diana, and said, “Diana, I’ll be stepping out for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have something to take care of. Could you watch over my siblings for me?”
“Of course. But promise me you won’t do anything dangerous.”
Ruby felt a bit embarrassed every time people treated her like a little child. She didn’t mind their concern, but because of her past life’s memories, she didn’t see herself as a child.
“I promise.”
Ruby smiled and said goodbye to Diana. She then left the mansion, climbed into the carriage, and headed towards the center of the capital. Once there, she had the driver park the carriage in a quieter corner of the busy area. After telling the driver to wait, she walked off by herself.
Ruby dressed in simple clothes so that no one would notice her. Thanks to Balt’s help, she had a map and quickly made her way to the store she was looking for.
She soon spotted the sign for the store.
Eddie’s Architecture Office
The sign had elegant writing with vines wrapped around it. Ruby could see through the glass that there were already several customers inside. She pushed the door open and walked in. The bell rang as the door opened, but no one paid attention to her. Everyone was too busy dealing with their own clients.
Ruby quietly sat down on a sofa in the corner, waiting for someone to notice her.
After a while, it wasn’t an employee but a client who noticed her first.
“Why is a child here? Did you lose your parents?”
“No, I came to consult about architecture.”
“Consulting?” The client looked at Ruby in confusion.
Ruby nodded. The client then called over an employee.
“This kid wants a consultation.”
The employee raised an eyebrow.
“Where are your parents?”
“I’m here to talk to someone about architecture.”
“Kid, this is not a playground.”
The employee outright ignored Ruby, but Ruby didn’t feel offended. She understood it was a natural reaction.
Instead of getting upset, she went to a display case showing models of buildings.
“Is this the building you made here?” she asked.
The model was of the Opera Theater in the capital.
“Yes, it is.”
“I’d like a building like this. Something that is both functional and beautiful.”
“That’s not an easy thing to do.”
“But this place can do it, right?” Ruby asked confidently.
The employee looked at her, and with more attention from the clients, he gave a quick answer.
“Of course.”
“Then I want to meet the architect who can build it. Is that possible?”
The employee looked troubled.
“Sorry, kid, but that’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“The architect is too busy.”
Ruby understood why. If a child suddenly showed up asking to meet an architect, no one would take them seriously. But Ruby was determined.
“Could you at least pass this letter to the architect?” she asked, handing the letter she had prepared.
The employee sighed but agreed to take the letter. He went inside to deliver it.
A little while later…
“Who is the owner of this letter?” A man came rushing out from inside.
He looked around with intense eyes.
“Is it you?” he asked, pointing to a woman.
“No,” the employee said.
“Then is it this person?”
The man pointed to another person, but the employee shook his head again.
“No.”
“It’s me.”
Ruby raised her small hand from near the display case of the opera theater model.
“You? You’re the owner of this letter?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
The man looked at Ruby, surprised and confused.
“Can we talk privately?”
“Let’s do that,” he agreed after a moment of hesitation.
The inside of the architect’s office was chaotic. Large piles of paper were scattered on the floor, and there were various tools and models on the desk. Ruby carefully avoided the mountain of papers and sat on the sofa the architect had prepared.
“Please sit.”
The architect pushed aside some of the items on the sofa to make space.
He immediately asked, “Who asked you to bring these architectural plans?”
“The plans were my idea.”
Ruby handed him a simple drawing she had made on the letter.
The architect’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at the drawing.
“You came up with this design yourself?”
“Yes, everything is from my mind.”
The architect still couldn’t believe it. “Then could you give me some paper, a pen, and a ruler?”
He didn’t expect much. He assumed that Ruby, being a child, would only draw basic shapes.
Ruby drew quickly, and the design began to take shape. As she worked, the architect’s eyes grew wider and wider.
“This floor should be this high,” Ruby said, marking the lines.
With every stroke, the building she had imagined began to materialize.
“I want to use the finest materials for this building.”
The architect’s shock continued to grow as the design unfolded perfectly.
“And I want to build more of these.”
The architect stared at her, trembling slightly.
“You… Do you have the budget for something like this?”
Ruby hesitated for a moment, then reached into her pocket and pulled out something large.
“I wasn’t going to ask my grandfather for help, but… it can’t be helped.”
She pulled out a large brass token and handed it to the architect.
“This is the seal of Grand Duke Lux. If you doubt it, you can verify it with the duke’s household.”
The architect took the token, his eyes wide with recognition. The lion emblem on the token was known by everyone in the empire, especially because of Grand Duke Lux’s famous campaigns.
“This… This is the real seal of Grand Duke Lux?”
“Now that you see it, can we proceed with the building?” Ruby asked confidently.
“Wait, you’re… you’re really his granddaughter?” The architect was still in disbelief.
“Yes, I’m Ruby Brooklyn, his granddaughter.”
Ruby stood up from the sofa and introduced herself.
The architect was flustered. “Why would someone from the Lux family come to a place like this?”
“Calm down.”
Ruby had expected this reaction, so she wasn’t surprised. She took a deep breath and reassured him.
“I want to build this in Cardonia, one of the territories of Grand Duke Lux.”
“Cardonia?”
“You’re from Cardonia, right? I thought you’d be the perfect person to help since you know the area so well.”
“How did you know that?”
“I know more than you think.”
Ruby smiled slightly.
“Why are you building this in Cardonia?”
“I want to increase the population in Cardonia, and for that, I need this building. I need your help, architect.”
The architect, who was originally unsure, now understood Ruby’s intentions. He loved Cardonia deeply and wanted to help.
“Will you build this for me?” Ruby asked with a bright smile.
