“Hey, you alright?”
Redan asked bluntly the moment he entered the dining hall, as if he had already been waiting there.
“How’s your body?”
“I’m fine.”
“Oh, I enjoyed the cake and tea. You said you bought it from Montlanché, right? There’s usually almost nothing left by the afternoon—you did well getting it.”
“Do you like their cakes? You seem to know them well?”
“Noble ladies often give them as gifts.”
‘Ah, I see.’
Well, although the male leads were the main focus, Redan was also quite outstanding in his own right.
“But I’ve never had the orange-topped one before. It was really good.”
“I’m glad.”
As she replied indifferently and took her seat, Kartal and Adis entered at that moment.
“…I enjoyed the cake you sent. It was delicious.”
Flinch.
Kartal said it in a flat tone and expression, and Adis, who followed behind him, suddenly flinched.
It seemed she hadn’t expected Kartal to say something like that.
Flustered, she swallowed nervously.
She also seemed oddly shocked that he had “taken the lead.”
“Oh, Sister got cake too, right? But you don’t like sweets, so you probably didn’t eat it. Hey, was yours orange too?”
“It was blueberry. Montlanché’s is the least sweet option. I picked it because even nearby dessert shops didn’t seem to have anything less sweet, but…”
“She definitely wouldn’t have eaten it. I haven’t even tried blueberry either. You should’ve just given it all to me.”
Redan clicked his tongue in disappointment.
Adis shot him a murderous glare.
Then her eyes met Serdel’s—and she stiffened instantly.
“U-um…”
“It was delicious!”
At that moment, Siri, who had been quietly standing behind them, suddenly shouted. The butler and head maid immediately shot her sharp looks.
Despite their warning glares, Siri did not back down and spoke on Adis’s behalf.
“I saw her eat it! She even said it was really delicious!”
“What a surprise. Sister actually ate cake.”
“She even licked the fork clean…”
“….”
Siri snapped her mouth shut mid-sentence, realizing she had gone too far.
After a brief silence, the butler and head maid hurriedly set the dishes.
And so, a silent meal began.
The maids grew increasingly rigid under the oppressive silence, the butler broke into a cold sweat fearing the food might not suit them, and the head chef, who arrived late to check on things, avoided eye contact entirely and hurried back to the kitchen.
“It’s good.”
“It is.”
“Oh, it’s good.”
“I enjoyed it.”
After the meal, each of them offered a short remark.
That was the entire review of the dinner.
The butler pressed a handkerchief to his eyes. The head maid wiped hers with her sleeve.
Soon, the dishes were cleared and tea was served.
When the tea had cooled to a pleasant temperature—
“I met Sir Damon Spendar today.”
Serdel began.
All three sets of eyes turned to her.
“I told you before, didn’t I? That I would introduce someone suitable for the Elbash Forest development.”
“Serdel.”
“Father, you’re not going to tell me to stay out of this now, are you? As I said before, I’m also part of this family. I believe I have every right to participate in the family’s affairs.”
She struck first.
“Siri.”
At her call, Siri stepped forward and placed the hidden document envelope in front of Kartal.
“These are the documents recovered from Count Meiyant. I’m sure you already know most of it from what you exchanged, but still.”
“……”
“The contents I saw were mostly a mess. Father, what did you think?”
Kartal remained silent.
His furrowed brow showed he was not pleased either.
“The characteristics of the Elbash Forest, potential damage to nearby villages, predictions based on the current state of the territory and development progress. And more importantly, there was no consideration for your position, Father, who would bear all responsibility.”
“Consideration in business… how sentimental.”
“It’s not sentiment—it’s reality. Father, do you think this development will finish quickly? Even with imperial support, it doesn’t end here. The Empire will likely reach its limit of patience before we even properly understand the forest.”
Unlike other mines, which could simply be developed once discovered, the Elbash Forest was different.
There were far too many issues that needed handling.
Even knights belonging to their own territory were precious—imperial knights were essentially the Emperor’s property.
How long would the Emperor tolerate that property being damaged by monsters?
This wasn’t even a matter of national urgency.
From the Emperor’s perspective, it was just a noble’s territorial issue.
Something that might not require intervention at all—or if it did, might result in imperial knights being injured.
How sincere could they truly be about such a matter?
‘Maybe the Empire withdrawing in the past wasn’t due to impatience at all—but something planned from the beginning.’
House Lovesta belonged to the Emperor’s faction. It would not have been easy to coldly reject a vassal house struggling under imperial allegiance, especially under the scrutiny of imperial nobles.
‘In the end… were we completely played?’
She nearly let out a sharp breath.
Politics was like this.
Even allies schemed when interests were involved.
She clicked her tongue internally and looked at Kartal and Adis.
Their expressions were also dark, lost in thought.
Even if they didn’t know the future like she did, they didn’t seem to have blindly trusted the Empire either.
‘That’s at least a relief.’
Kartal looked back down at the documents, his eyes following the annotations written in fountain pen.
“I showed this to Sir Spendar without saying anything, and he immediately pointed out what needed fixing in detail.”
“…Butler. Bring the documents I organized in the office.”
After receiving the order, the butler soon returned with a stack of papers.
“These were originally meant to go to Count Meiyant… read them.”
She quickly skimmed them.
They were nearly identical to Damon’s revisions.
“Leaving aside everything else, Count Meiyant focused only on immediate results and completely ignored the characteristics of the Elbash Forest. I had also been struggling with this. If I mishandled it, I might have offended pride… Spendar House, hm. Not bad. No, actually better. Did you know their house once owned a mine?”
This was the first she had heard of it.
It was not something she had encountered in the game or in her past life.
“Although it was closed decades ago due to limited yield, experience is still experience. It will help.”
Serdel nodded.
“If you wish, this matter could also be bound through marriage.”
Bang!
Adis, who had been silently listening, slammed her hand on the table.
The butler and head maid flinched in shock.
“No way! She hasn’t even recovered from the emotional wounds of her broken engagement! And Sir Spendar? He may have no obvious flaws, but with that striking appearance, women must constantly flock around him!”
“I did not ask you. Serdel is the one with the right to answer.”
“Father! I am the heir of this family! I have the right to speak on Serdel’s marriage! Sir Spendar is unacceptable! Men with good looks always come with consequences! I will not hand my sister over to that playboy!”
Adis’s eyes burned fiercely.
Veins bulged in her neck.
“Hersch was the same! I barely stopped myself from wanting to bury him alive! If she gets engaged to Sir Spendar and something like that happens again… I cannot guarantee what I will do!”
Grrr—
“Calm down.”
Redan clicked his tongue.
“But I also dislike Sir Spendar. He smiles like he’s hiding something, and he’s too kind to every woman. He doesn’t seem to have anyone in particular he likes, which somehow makes it worse.”
As he spoke, his expression grew colder.
“Hey. Just asking, but you don’t like that guy, do you?”
All attention turned to Serdel.
The butler, maids, and everyone in the dining hall stared at her.
Siri, in particular, was already gripping a fork.
As if ready to stab Damon’s neck at any moment.
