“Ahem. It’s only natural that you would think that. It’s just that I haven’t had the chance to tell you, but I have plenty of money. I’m more than capable of paying your salary, so don’t worry.”
Hibiscus was being traded at such an exorbitant price that sellers could practically name their own price, and Roselia had deposited part of her profits in the bank. On top of that, she owned land where a hot spring would eventually emerge.
“Besides, I told you that I’m making this contract because I see your potential and abilities. If you become lazy later and fail to devote yourself to your studies, I’ll make you pay the penalty without mercy and terminate the contract.”
Cardian quietly stared at Roselia as she threatened him.
“But… why is the contract period five years?”
As expected, he’s quite thorough. How am I supposed to tell him that it’s because there’s no guarantee I’ll even live until I’m twenty?
Of course, that was something she could never say.
“The contract period is something I set temporarily. We can discuss extending the contract again after five years.”
Cardian seemed somewhat suspicious, but soon signed the contract.
Fortunately, he could write his own name properly.
Roselia then signed the contract as well, and they each kept a copy.
“So from now on, I’m officially your temporary aide, Lady Roselia?”
“That’s right.”
“Then please speak informally to me first. You’re my employer from today onward.”
“You want me to speak informally just because I’m your employer? Ah, no. I’m more comfortable speaking politely.”
When Roselia smiled and refused, Cardian stared at her for a moment before nodding.
“I understand. Please speak however you’re comfortable. Then, as your temporary aide, what should I do first?”
“Before that, there’s something I want to ask. Who wrote the sign saying that the smithy was closed?”
At her question, Cardian froze.
“I…I wrote it.”
“I thought so. Your handwriting is quite good, but you did make a few spelling mistakes.”
Cardian was said to have disappeared when he was eight before my regression, so he must have learned simple words before then. Of course, his spelling was still wrong.
“In that case, naturally… we should start with learning how to read and write, right? Ta-da!”
Roselia held out a book to him.
“What is this?”
The title of the book was Hey, You Can Do It Too! Fun Lessons in Reading and Writing.
“It’s the book I studied with when I was young. I thought it might be helpful for you, so I brought it.”
Cardian took the book and stared down at its worn cover, the corners of which had become frayed with use.
“And these are writing supplies.”
Roselia took a stack of more than a hundred sheets of paper, a quill pen, and an ink bottle from her bag and placed them on the table.
“For the time being, I’ll teach you how to read and write using this book.”
“You mean you’re going to teach me personally?”
He asked her in surprise.
“Why? Would you rather learn from someone else?”
“It’s not that. I just find it strange that a noble lady like you would personally teach a commoner how to read and write.”
“I’ll only teach you the basics. After that, you should learn from someone more qualified. Shall we start right away today? I’ll teach you some simple words and sentences first.”
From the moment Roselia began teaching Cardian to read and write, Mark and Mary tactfully left the smithy and moved to the area beside it.
In the quiet space, the only sounds were Roselia’s clear, gentle voice as she read aloud and the soft scratching of the quill against paper.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The papers Roselia had brought were now filled with words and sentences she had written.
“Since I can’t come here often, I think it would be best to have lessons once a week for about two hours. So repeatedly write the words and sentences I gave you and memorize all of them. I’ll check them when I come next time.”
“I understand.”
“Next time, I’ll bring a book on basic arithmetic, too. Oh, I almost forgot.”
Roselia took a small leather pouch from the pocket of her ordinary clothes and placed it in Cardian’s hand.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the first salary of ten gold coins I’m giving to my temporary aide.”
Ten gold coins was an enormous amount of money for a commoner, equivalent to roughly six months’ living expenses.
“Even though we signed a contract, I’m still only a temporary aide, not an official one. I’m not sure if I should really be receiving as much as ten gold coins.”
“Don’t think of it that way. Even if you’re temporary, you’re officially my aide according to the contract, and you’re my person.”
“Your… person?”
“That’s right. So you deserve to receive it. From now on, I’ll make sure you only walk a flower-covered path.”
When Roselia smiled brightly at him, Cardian’s eyes widened before he slowly lowered his gaze.
On the table of the smithy lay the contracts that Roselia and Cardian had each kept, the pouch containing ten gold coins, and the book and writing supplies she had left behind.
Cardian stared at the items on the table, lost in deep thought.
When he was young, he had been found deep in the forest by the blacksmith Mark, having lost his memory.
According to his adoptive father Mark, although his clothes had been torn and reduced to rags, he had been wearing rather expensive clothing.
If the clothes he had been wearing when he disappeared were expensive, then he must have been a noble.
And if a child like that had been found alone in the forest, there was a high possibility that he had been abandoned.
So Mark had assumed that Cardian was not a commoner and asked around to find out where he came from, but he could not find any noble family that had lost a child around the age of eight.
Rather than sending the amnesiac Cardian, who had nowhere to go, to an orphanage, Mark took him in as his adopted son.
Mark and his daughter Daisy, who was two years older than him, cared for him like a real younger brother.
Because he had Mark and Daisy, Cardian never considered himself unhappy, even though he had no memories from before the age of eight.
Mark and Daisy loved Cardian so much that he had even reached the point where he thought it was all right not to remember anything from before he was eight and that he didn’t need to find his biological family.
But then one day, a baron commissioned Mark, who ran the smithy, to make armor and shields.
Mark completed the work with the utmost sincerity and handed the commissioned items over to the baron.
However, the baron did not pay him at all.
Instead, he kept putting off the payment.
Mark went directly to the baron’s residence to collect the money.
And he returned having lost one of his eyes.
But as a commoner, Mark could neither demand compensation for his medical expenses nor protest the injustice.
That was the reality of the difference in social status.
From that moment on, Cardian came to hate and resent nobles.
Mark, meanwhile, was unable to operate the smithy for nearly half a year because the injury to his eye was so severe.
After that, the family’s financial situation became difficult, and naturally, he began accepting commissions mainly from commoners rather than nobles.
That was how things remained until the silver-haired girl appeared.
Her name was Roselia Haillen.
She was the only daughter of the current lord, Count Haillen.
Because she was also a noble, Cardian had felt a strong hostility toward her from the very beginning.
That was why he kept his distance and treated her curtly. Whenever he saw his father, Mark, treating her kindly, he felt his stomach turn.
But the noble girl named Roselia was different.
She did not become angry even when a commoner behaved disrespectfully toward her.
Instead, she had given them an expensive medicinal herb for free and saved his sister.
On top of that, she had appointed him, a commoner, as her temporary aide, paid him a salary, and even personally taught him how to read and write.
Cardian was confused, but he didn’t dislike being treated like a human being by her despite being a commoner.
He was still suspicious, though.
He couldn’t understand why she was being so kind to him or what her true intentions were.
For now, he decided to accept her offer and keep an eye on her.
In any case, it would only be until he repaid her for saving his sister and the cost of the medicinal herbs.
But it was still a little difficult for him to look directly into Roselia’s bright, seemingly selfless smile.
Ortyia Empire Imperial Palace — Noble Council Chamber
The spacious council chamber had an elegant purple carpet covering the floor, with a long white marble table placed in the center.
Representatives of the noble families that supported the Ortyia Empire had gathered around the table for the council meeting.
At the head of the table sat Rasis Ortyia, the Emperor of the Ortyia Empire.
Although the Emperor was in his early fifties, his white hair made him look twice his actual age.
In a seat close to the Emperor sat the High Priest, Veleno.
Despite being in his mid-fifties, Veleno possessed such a youthful and holy appearance that his age was difficult to believe.
His seat was closer to the Emperor than those of the heads of the various spirit mage families and the representatives of the other noble families.
“Today’s topic for discussion is what theme we should choose for the Founding Festival, which will be held in a few months.”
Count Ikera, who was presiding over the meeting, presented the matter for discussion.
“Since this is a celebration of the founding of the Ortyia Empire, I believe we should choose a theme that praises the spirit mages who were the founding heroes.”
One of the spirit mage family heads, Duke Gaile Cheswy, spoke.
“I agree. I support Duke Cheswy’s opinion as well.”
Viscount Jansen, seated beside him, voiced his support.
Beginning with Viscount Jansen’s support, opinions agreeing with Duke Cheswy’s proposal came from various parts of the table.
“What are Your Majesty’s thoughts?”
After watching the discussion unfold, Count Ikera turned to the Emperor and asked.
However, even when the presiding Count Ikera asked him the question, the Emperor did not immediately respond.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward the High Priest.
“What do you think, High Priest?”
The High Priest Veleno, who had remained silent until then, looked toward the few nobles who had expressed their opinions with an elegant and holy smile.
For an instant, the High Priest’s gaze turned cold.
Then it softened once again.
![Welcome to the Aide’s Obsession [Completed]](https://i1.wp.com/novexanovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/resource-53.jpg?resize=151,215 "Welcome to the Aide’s Obsession [Completed]")
