Chapter 28
As they entered the village, the once-filthy appearance was nowhere to be seen.
Though the roads were still dirt, they had been neatly swept, and all the refuse that once littered every corner was gone. The streets were clean, and the foul stench had completely disappeared.
“My Lord!”
The moment Chloe stepped into the village, the village chief came rushing over to greet her, bowing low at the waist.
He explained that while the Builder was handling the logging, he himself had taken responsibility for organizing the village cleanup.
“You’ve worked hard,”
Donghee replied, her eyes drifting awkwardly as she found it strange to speak informally to an elderly man with a full head of white hair.
“No, my lord! It is all thanks to your grace. We are only ever grateful.”
Even the chief’s previously haggard appearance had improved remarkably in just two days.
His once sharp and wary gaze was now filled with hope—and that alone made Donghee feel good.
“The reconstruction will begin soon. I’ve instructed the workers to begin with the homes in the worst condition, so keep that in mind.”
“Pardon?”
A brief flicker of disappointment passed through the chief’s eyes—he had been secretly hoping his house would be among the first repaired.
“The most damaged homes first.”
Donghee reiterated, making sure there was no misunderstanding. The chief quickly bowed again.
His few remaining white hairs fluttered in the wind.
“Yes, of course! I understand!”
“When the village is fully restored, you’ll be rewarded. So do your best to see it through. But if I see anything lacking, there will be no reward.”
A well-timed carrot always got results.
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind!”
The chief shouted with determined resolve.
Once the logging was nearly complete, repairs to the village homes began in earnest.
The Builder turned out to be more competent than expected.
Just as Donghee had ordered, he started repairing the most damaged houses first, and with the large number of workers mobilized, they were restoring three or four homes a day. Being paid to fix one’s own home—of course productivity was high.
When Gold Rich returned to the Grace territory, he couldn’t hide his astonishment at how much it had changed.
To reach Grace Castle, one had to pass through Morta Village, so the changes were all the more evident.
“Is this really Morta?”
He gaped out the window of the carriage, jaw dropping.
He remembered how he used to shut the carriage windows tight to keep out the stench every time he passed the village. Now, not only was the stench gone, the entire place looked like a different village—clean, orderly, vibrant.
Homes that had once looked like they were about to collapse due to rotten walls and missing roofs now stood repaired and neat, looking almost like new.
Even as his carriage passed, the village bustled with construction activity.
Only weeks ago, the air had smelled of death. Now, it was filled with the laughter of children—the sound of life.
If this much had changed in less than a month, how much more was possible?
And the lord of this place, Chloe Grace, was not even twenty years old yet.
Gold Rich couldn’t close his mouth as he stared at the transformed village from his carriage, which had come to a stop.
By the time he arrived at Grace Castle, he had resolved that he must never lose his business connection with this place.
“My Lord, I greet you!”
Donghee smirked as she noted how Gold Rich’s demeanor had completely changed from their first meeting. He seemed to have put on even more belly fat in the time they were apart.
Money, indeed, changed everything.
“You’ve returned sooner than expected.”
“Yes, my Lord. The goods you entrusted to me sold out the moment I arrived in the capital. Dozens of nobles placed pre-orders, and even the royal family has shown great interest in the jewels I carry.”
The royal family?
That was unexpected.
Would getting involved with the royal family be a good thing?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Donghee decided—no, definitely not.
“You didn’t reveal the source of the gems, did you?”
Her voice turned firm, and Gold Rich hurriedly shook his hands.
He was quick to catch on and immediately sensed her reluctance to be associated with the royal court.
“Absolutely not! I said nothing!”
As he shook his head, the fat under his chin jiggled.
“Good. Because the moment you reveal their source, our deal is over.”
Gold Rich, reassured that his quick judgment had been correct, nodded enthusiastically with a smile.
“Of course! No question about it!”
For him too, an exclusive contract with Grace territory was far more beneficial.
He bent low enough for his forehead to practically scrape the floor, careful not to offend the lord.
“I was so excited thinking about what rare treasure you might show me this time, I could hardly sleep last night.”
Oh? He even knew how to flatter.
Gold Rich smiled obsequiously like a sycophant straight out of a comic book.
Under the light positioned to make the gemstones shine, his oily face gleamed.
Donghee gave a leisurely nod, and two servants brought forth a chest that had been set aside.
Gulp.
As the chest approached, Gold Rich’s throat bobbed, as though he were smelling a delicious feast.
His obvious greed only made Donghee feel better.
She preferred people who wore their desires on their sleeve over those who slithered like snakes hiding their true intentions.
Just in case, Scrooge was stationed beside her, along with Red Bear and two highly skilled knights. Around thirty fully armed knights guarded the corridor outside her office.
While this was partly for security, it was also a calculated display to show Gold Rich how far Grace had risen in stature—and perhaps intimidate him a little.
But judging by his expression, the tactic had backfired. Instead of being cowed, he looked even more excited, likely expecting treasures far more valuable than before. Donghee felt slightly deflated—but oddly enough, it made her like him even more.
“C-could I… open it?”
Gold Rich stammered slightly, clearly nervous.
“Of course. But be careful. These are quite precious.”
Donghee leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, adding a little fan to his flames of excitement.
“Of course! I’ll be extremely careful!”
Pulling out a pair of white gloves from his pocket, Gold Rich delicately opened the chest. As the lid slowly rose, his eyes gleamed like the polished jewels inside.
“Huh? What is all this?”
He asked, puzzled.
“I told you—they’re precious. Even the storage cases are specially made.”
“Ohhh! You mean these cases are made from real Bordoa fabric?!”
“Bordoa? Sure, that’s right.”
Apparently, he was calling velvet “Bordoa.”
“And this one! It’s made of such fine leather—so thin and with such intricate patterns. What kind of leather is this?”
“It’s Reja.”
“That’s a type of beast, isn’t it? Oh! A magical beast? Ah… yes, of course! I knew you were no ordinary noble, my Lord!”
Not quite. It was just synthetic leather.
But there was no point in explaining that—it would only confuse him. Donghee let him imagine whatever he liked. She amused herself wondering what a beast named Reja might look like.
“Ohhh! I’ve never seen leather in such a beautiful color.”
In a place where wooden boxes were the norm, these plastic boxes covered in velvet and synthetic leather were rare treasures in themselves.
“And the lining! Such luster!”
Gold Rich stroked the shiny yellow fabric, marveling at the way it caught the light.
“Nylon.”
“Pardon? Is that what it’s called?”
“Yes. A rare fabric. You won’t find it easily around here.”
“Incredible. It’s so soft.”
He especially admired the new designs of necklaces and bracelets brought from Gold Diamant. Necklaces fine as thread and diamonds smaller than a fingernail left him speechless, swearing no human could have crafted such things. Everything was still stored in their original cases.
Gold Rich fondled the shimmering fabric with his gloved fingers and stole a glance at the young lord seated proudly before him.
Where on earth was this girl getting such priceless jewels?
He racked his brain for clues, but nothing came to mind. The Grace territory had been so poor that even parasites avoided it. No merchants came except for that greedy Viscount Patrasche who sought to steal the land from a child.
His curiosity was burning to the brim, but he held his tongue. Asking questions now might cost him the entire deal.
And Gold Rich was the kind of man who could swallow any curiosity if the profit was worth it.
Hiding his burning curiosity behind a composed expression, he examined every gem and box carefully before handing over a whopping 3,000 gold coins and departing.
Scrooge, upon seeing the chest filled with gold, grinned so wide it nearly split his face. But the moment Red Bear exited the room, his smile faded into a frown.
“My Lord, where are all these jewels coming from?”
No matter how he thought about it, Scrooge couldn’t figure out the source. If they had something like this all along, there would have been no reason to sell off their land to Viscount Patrasche for a pittance. The whole thing was suspicious.
But it wasn’t like the young lord, who rarely left the castle, could’ve stolen them either.
“There’s a treasure vault my father showed me. I just… remembered it now.”
“A treasure vault?”
“Scrooge.”
“Yes, my Lord?”
Donghee averted her gaze, slightly burdened by the doubt in Scrooge’s eyes.
“Call the treasurer.”
She figured it was time to start managing finances more systematically.
But Scrooge’s answer was not at all what she expected.
“We have a treasurer?”
“We don’t?”
“To have a treasurer, you need funds to manage. Up until now, I’ve been doing it myself.”
“But aren’t you the butler?”
“Also the treasurer. And your tutor, too, technically.”
“I don’t recall ever being taught by you.”
“Well… you kept running away from your lessons.”
“Ah-ha!”
So that’s why he always had bags under his eyes.
Scrooge had been a busy man indeed.
“From now on, you’ll just handle treasury duties.”
“You mean…”
“Hire more people. We’ve got the funds now, and there will be more jobs opening.”
“A-are you serious?”
Tears welled up in Scrooge’s eyes, his doubts completely forgotten at the thought of lightened responsibilities.
Once Scrooge focused solely on treasury work, he quickly selected a new butler from among the castle staff. Apparently, he had someone in mind all along, because by the next day, he was already presenting him to Donghee.
A tall, well-built, and strikingly handsome young man with light brown hair that was nearly blonde and emerald-green eyes. He stood as stiff as a mannequin in a department store display, clearly nervous.
Donghee’s lips curled in satisfaction as she looked him over.
Oho, very nice.
“Starting today, I’ll be serving as your butler. My name is Handsome.”
“Handsome? Your name is Handsome?”
