Chapter 59
After I Died, the Little Groom
“Father, you have to put it in this box.”
“Still, we’re taking it to the Imperial Palace — wouldn’t a fancier box be better?”
“No. There’s a legally defined standard for the box. What matters isn’t how pretty it is, but that it meets the required size and stability.”
“Really? I’d have been in big trouble if it weren’t for you, my daughter.”
Baron Hess let out a hearty laugh. Nadia smiled as she opened the small wooden box she had prepared.
Inside would go the pink diamond that had been mined only recently.
Unlike with magic stones, there were several additional procedures required for handling diamonds.
Magic stones had been discovered and developed far later than most other minerals — even ten years ago, when Livenia had still been alive, they hadn’t yet been commercialized.
Even the powerful Duke Baldwin had to use them sparingly, so among the lower nobility there were still many who had never even seen a magic stone.
Because of that, there were few laws governing them, and the Emperor’s authority over their distribution was limited.
Perhaps because he was frustrated about being unable to control the magic stones, the Emperor had tightened regulations on diamonds and other minerals far more strictly than before.
People often said that the current Emperor was a petty man who had become ruler purely by luck — so it might not just be irritation, but genuine spite.
At any rate, to sell a diamond in the market, one first had to travel to the capital.
According to Imperial law, raw gems had to be presented to the Imperial Palace first, in an approved container, and then permission to sell would be granted through the Bureau of Mining Administration.
It wasn’t a difficult permit to obtain, since it was essentially the right to sell minerals mined from one’s own territory. It was merely a formality — a way for the Imperial family to monitor and control each domain.
So, Nadia decided to entrust this task to Baron Hess himself.
It wasn’t a particularly complex job, but it would allow him to gain confidence while also officially confirming the economic value of their domain’s new resource.
Nadia personally chose his formal attire and reviewed the documents he would be submitting.
The Baron had become proficient at writing official paperwork, so there was hardly anything she needed to correct.
On the day he was set to leave for the capital, Nadia slipped a handkerchief into the inner pocket of his coat.
It was embroidered by her own hand — a small, thoughtful gesture for her father, who tended to sweat when nervous.
“Father, if anything goes wrong in the capital, please go to Viscount Odelli’s townhouse, all right?”
“I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong!”
“In the capital, ninety percent of what happens isn’t something you can control yourself.”
When Nadia said this firmly, Baron Hess’s shoulders drooped as he pouted in mock dismay.
Nadia and the Baroness exchanged amused looks and both hugged him warmly before sending him off.
“So whatever happens, it’s not necessarily your fault, Father. Don’t blame yourself — just stay calm and focus on what you can do. All right?”
Her kind reassurance brought a gentle smile to his face.
The Baron patted her shoulder and replied,
“We’ve come this far all thanks to you. So you shouldn’t blame yourself either, understand?”
In that way, the two were alike — always thinking of the other first.
Nadia laughed softly, scrunching her nose as if to say she couldn’t win against him.
Baron Hess exchanged one last look with his wife and daughter before boarding the carriage.
Nadia stood there watching until the carriage disappeared over the hill, then finally turned back.
Before her father returned with the sales permit, she needed to have all of their pink diamonds organized and ready.
✦ ✦ ✦
In the Hess domain, the day began at five in the morning.
Nadia, too, woke at five to wash with the water her maid brought and eat a light breakfast.
She stood before the mirror, tying back her bright red hair, and changed into a freshly laundered shirt and trousers — her usual work clothes.
Then, guided by her secretary Vivian, she would check the day’s schedule and leave the manor. That was how every one of her days began.
But today, even after buttoning her shirt and tying her shoelaces tight, Vivian hadn’t shown up.
‘Did she oversleep?’
Vivian had never once overslept before, but anyone could slip up once in a while.
Nadia went to open the bedroom door herself — only to almost collide with a flustered Vivian rushing toward her.
“Vivian, did you wake up late?”
“No, my lady — someone’s here from the Imperial Palace.”
“From the Palace? To our estate?”
“Yes, my lady. The Imperial Knights, they say. What could it be about?”
Nadia frowned. The Palace didn’t always bring bad news, but this time… she had a bad feeling.
She glanced down at her clothes — fine for working in the mines, but not at all appropriate for receiving Imperial messengers.
With her father away, it fell to her, as heir, to meet them.
Nadia called several maids and quickly went back to her room. It was time to dress as the daughter of a Baron should.
She chose a composed emerald-green dress and neatly pinned up her hair.
If Imperial knights had come, it certainly wasn’t for a trivial matter — she couldn’t afford to look too young or informal.
After a light touch of makeup, she headed for the main gate. Just as Vivian had said, several knights stood there, looking grim.
So it wasn’t good news after all.
The man who appeared to be their leader rose to his feet and offered a polite bow.
By rank, he was above her, but etiquette demanded that a knight show respect to a lady of noble birth.
“I am Chester, Captain of the Third Imperial Knight Division.”
“I am Nadia Hess of the House of Baron Hess. My father, the Baron, is away, so I must greet you in his stead. Please understand.”
“Lady Hess, your father, Baron Hess, is currently under arrest by the Bureau of Mining Administration.”
The maids around Nadia gasped in shock, but Nadia herself didn’t. The moment she heard Imperial knights were here, she had suspected as much.
Calm as always, she looked straight at Captain Chester.
“My father went to the capital to report the discovery of a new diamond mine and to present the first pink diamond to His Majesty. On what grounds has he been detained?”
“He submitted the official documents declaring his intent to present the diamond — but the box he delivered to the Palace was empty.”
Nadia exhaled quietly. Her father would never steal from the Palace, nor was he careless enough to lose the tribute.
That meant someone had stolen the diamond. Despite her strict security measures after the mining, someone must have found out.
Who? It couldn’t have been a simple thief — security was too tight for that. It had to be a rival mine owner.
After sorting through her thoughts, Nadia spoke again, steady and clear.
“My father is neither wicked enough to deceive the Palace nor negligent enough to lose an Imperial tribute. Someone must have stolen it deliberately.”
“I’m sorry, my lady, but at this stage, that’s considered an excuse. Presenting an empty box to His Majesty is, without question, a crime of Imperial Deception. However, given the Hess family’s generations of faithful mining service and consistent tax contributions, the Bureau has granted a period of leniency — three months to make amends.”
The crime of deceiving the Emperor was one that could change in punishment with a single word — it was a matter of appearances and justification.
“Make amends… meaning?”
“It means His Majesty is giving your family a chance to prove your loyalty.”
In other words, the Palace wanted something from them. If they fulfilled it, they could regain their honor.
Nadia bowed deeply toward the direction of the capital.
“We are deeply grateful for His Majesty’s mercy.”
A chance — however slim — was better than none.
When Nadia calmly accepted the Emperor’s decision, the knights immediately took their leave.
The servants nearby rushed over, asking if she was all right.
Nadia buried her face in her hands and let out a long, heavy sigh.
“…Nothing ever comes easy, does it?”
The maids, unaccustomed to seeing their always-kind and composed mistress so troubled, turned pale.
‘Is this something even the young lady can’t fix?’
‘She’s already been upset because of that letter from Duke Baldwin last time…’
‘No matter how capable she is, this is too much…’
They exchanged anxious glances — until Nadia suddenly lifted her head.
Contrary to their fears, her golden eyes showed not a trace of despair.
“Let’s go. If we show them an example, they won’t dare cause trouble.”
As a child, she had revived Count Priscilline’s house when it was on the brink of ruin.
As an adult, she had raised the forsaken heir of Duke Baldwin’s house into the ruler of the North.
She had lived so relentlessly in her past life that this time, she’d hoped to protect only enough peace for her family to live in comfort.
But it seemed true peace could never be earned so easily.
So be it — better to make it known to all.
Nadia grasped the hem of her green dress and turned sharply on her heel. The dark fabric swirled in a wide circle — and just like that, the fear on everyone’s faces vanished.
