Chapter 27
Khalid, barely managing to appear calm, spoke to Dalia, who was waiting for his answer.
“He’ll be back in a week. No—since a day has already passed, it’s six days now.”
At his composed reply, Dalia’s eyes drooped slightly.
It hadn’t been long since she got to know Roy, but she had grown quite attached to him.
Her first impression of him wasn’t great. But as time passed, she came to realize that though he acted brusque, he had the innocent heart of a child—and her dislike vanished.
“I’m just worried, that’s all. He’s still young, and what if he gets hurt?”
Khalid could use his subordinates however he wanted, but Dalia couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Speaking it out loud only made her worry worse, and as her face began to crumple, Khalid hurriedly approached her, startled.
“I suppose, by human standards, that would seem worrying. Sorry—I should have explained it better.”
“Then, are there other standards?”
Her tone softened a little, and Khalid nodded earnestly.
“Yes. Roy’s body won’t be strained at all. He’s a beastman.”
“……”
“In terms of physical ability alone, Roy might even be stronger than me.”
He hadn’t wanted to admit that, but seeing Dalia worried bothered him more.
Still, even after his explanation, her concern didn’t fade.
“Roy likes using his body.”
“You mean he enjoys exercising—but swinging a pickaxe in a mine isn’t the same thing as that.”
“……”
“Surely things aren’t so bad financially that you have to make a kid work like that.”
“……”
Khalid wanted to say no, but the glittering gold ornaments lining the study walls and shelves were hard to ignore.
“It’s just… time he started exercising again.”
“Exercising?”
“Yes. He used to run around outside a lot, but lately he’s been cooped up in the mansion. I figured he was getting restless, so I sent him out to stretch his legs.”
That was only half true. In reality, it was Aaron who’d pushed the idea of sending Roy to the mines.
When Khalid had ordered him to find a suitable place to send the boy, Aaron had laughed gleefully and eagerly gone to work—deciding that while separating Roy from Dalia, he might as well make him useful.
And so, out of all their estates, Aaron picked the farthest and harshest one—the southern mines—and sent Roy off with orders to leave before dawn.
Naturally, the simple-minded Roy had exclaimed,
“The Master must have a deep, mysterious reason for this!”
and left in high spirits.
But Dalia immediately spotted the flaw in Khalid’s explanation.
“Still, what kind of ‘exercise’ does one do in a mine? That’s labor, not training.”
“……”
“He’s just a child! And you’re wealthy, aren’t you? It’s not like you need the money. Forcing him to work like that—it just feels wrong.”
She wasn’t wrong. Roy did need some physical activity, but there was no reason for him to be laboring in a distant mine.
Khalid’s gaze drifted around the study, avoiding hers. Aaron, of course, was nowhere to be found at a time like this.
“…Should I call him back?”
“Yes, if that’s all right with you.”
“All right. He’s probably still on the road—I’ll send word for him to return as soon as he arrives.”
Seeing Dalia’s face brighten at that, Khalid smiled bitterly.
“It’ll still take a few days, though.”
“Three or four days, maybe…”
At that moment, Aaron suddenly appeared.
“If Lord Khalid uses teleportation magic, you could bring him back immediately, couldn’t you?”
Judging by how smoothly he joined the conversation, he had clearly been eavesdropping from the doorway.
“Aaron.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“You seem to have plenty of time on your hands, wandering about like this.”
Khalid’s tone was smiling, but one wrong answer and Aaron might find himself swinging a pickaxe in Roy’s place.
Sensing danger, Aaron shut his mouth tight.
“…No, my lord. I’ll return to work right away.”
As Aaron beat a quick retreat, Khalid turned back to Dalia, his expression soft again.
“Dalia, is there anything you want to do or anywhere you’d like to go? Since Roy isn’t here for now, I’ll help.”
“Oh, really? I’d appreciate that.”
Linking her arms with his, Dalia left the room, chatting warmly. Aaron watched them go, then glanced southward—toward where Roy would be.
“As long as the master’s happy, that’s enough… but Roy, you’ve got it rough.”
“So, I just have to dig these holes the same way as over there, right?”
Unaware of all this, Roy cheerfully took his first shovel to the ground, determined to do his best at a task that held no real purpose.
The mine overseer spotted him and shouted,
“Hey, newbie! First time mining coal, right? It’s tough work without experience. You sure you can handle it? You look kind of delicate for a boy.”
“Hmm, it’s hard work, but if it helps Lord Khalid, I can do it!”
“If it’s too much, you can start with something easier.”
“I’m fine!”
Every time Roy swung his pickaxe, his muscles bulged impressively.
Under the blazing, cloudless sun, his skin tanned deep, leaving pale marks where his clothes had covered him.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Do you like it?”
After Khalid had allowed Mielle from Zephyros Atelier to visit the mansion, Dalia had rarely gone out.
Hearing Dalia’s compliment, Mielle beamed and proudly displayed another fabric she had brought.
“This indigo fabric is of excellent quality, so I had considered it too. But I think a calmer blue suits you better, Lady Dalia.”
Dalia touched the fabric, tilting her head slightly.
“I agree about the color. But the indigo one feels much higher quality. Why is there such a big difference between them?”
“Ah, well… yes, the indigo is better quality, but blue dyes of that shade are more expensive…”
Mielle hesitated.
“Was the advance payment not enough? I thought I paid in full.”
“N-no, it was plenty. The blue fabric is still high-end—noble clients use it often. But… I can’t actually spend all the advance payment myself.”
“What do you mean? I paid that money for my commission—why can’t it be used in full?”
Under Dalia’s steady gaze, Mielle explained apologetically.
“The advance was sufficient, but… I’m not allowed to manage all of it myself.”
“Is that the atelier’s policy?”
“Yes. The owner deducts a fee and operating costs before setting the material budget.”
“I thought Sylvia was a good owner… perhaps not?”
“It’s not her fault!”
“Then tell me more about that ‘fee.’ I want to know that my money is being used properly.”
“……”
“If it’s difficult for you to explain, I can ask Sylvia directly.”
As Dalia stood up, clearly intent on visiting Zephyros herself, Mielle panicked.
“No, please—I’ll tell you! The truth is… I only received a little less than half.”
“Less than half?”
“I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. But still… I had no idea. Even for a commission fee, taking more than half seems excessive. Why is that? Were you coerced into it?”
“No! Compared to other ateliers, that’s not unusually high. Many places give their seamstresses far less than half, even including material costs.”
As a noble, Dalia couldn’t possibly know the internal economics of a fashion house. She nodded thoughtfully, then looked back at the fabric.
“Half, huh. For that, the quality’s quite good—too good, actually.”
At that, Mielle fell silent again, her expression uneasy.
There’s definitely something she’s not saying.
Dalia spoke gently.
“Mielle, you once called me your muse. If there’s something you can’t say, will you tell me honestly—for the sake of our trust?”
“The truth is… I used some of my own savings.”
“On the fabric? Why go that far? I’m not even a regular client.”
“Well… I could tell you were someone of high status. The owner never said so, but you have a completely different presence from other customers. And the dress you wore when we first met—its silk was such fine quality, I’d never even seen that grade before, not even in my work as a tailor.”
“……”
“I couldn’t bear the thought of you wearing a lower-grade fabric and being embarrassed because of me. And since you trusted me, not the owner, with such a big order, I wanted to make the best possible dress for you. But more than anything…”
“More than anything?”
“Honestly, this might be my first and last chance to freely create the kind of high-end dresses I’ve always dreamed of. I wanted to bring my designs to life as beautifully as possible.”
Dalia nodded slowly. That much, at least—the pride and ambition of an artisan—she could understand.
“I see.”
“I didn’t mean to trouble you with all this. I’m sorry.”
