Chapter 24

The soldiers let the three of them into the territory without much suspicion.

Contrary to their worries, entering the territory was surprisingly easy, and the atmosphere inside was better than expected—certainly better than the village in the Tanya region.

However, although most parts of the territory seemed fine, the sculptor village near the rocky mountain did not.
And the closer they got to that area, the stricter the guards became.

But just like before, when they said they were there to trade sculptures, the guards allowed them to pass.
It seemed the guards were more concerned about people leaving than people entering.

The village interior was quiet, almost empty of villagers. Still, when they stepped into a shop, someone was there.

“Welcome.”

The shop owner smiled politely, but she looked tired.

“We came to take a look at your items.”

“Feel free to browse.”

The shop was filled with small stone sculptures and ornaments. If someone wanted larger pieces or specific designs, they could request a custom order.

The owner said these sculptures glowed faintly in the dark, so people often used them as gentle lamps.

“They’re pretty,” Leira said.

“Do you like them?” Arzeo asked with a smirk.

Eugene nudged him in the side.

“Do they please you, Master Merchant?” he asked politely, reminding Arzeo to act formal.

“Ah… yes. I like them.”

“Shall we place a custom order then?”

“I’ll look around a bit more.”

Because of Eugene’s stiff tone, Leira immediately returned to the expression she had used when tricking the soldiers—calm, noble, and sharp.

Her eyes no longer held her usual soft warmth. She had worn a blank face before, but this was different—this felt like someone entirely else.

“Oh?” Arzeo murmured.

Stepping back slightly, he touched his chin as he observed her. As expected of someone from high nobility, the aura she gave off was distinct—elegant and commanding.

And to his surprise… she acted well. That was unexpectedly fun.

Leira carefully examined the sculptures. The owner noticed and quietly approached her.

“Did you see something you like?”

“I’ve always liked the sculptures from this village. Noble lords adore them too. Some visit every year just to buy more.”

Hearing her words, the owner brightened immediately.

“Is that so? It’s a pleasure to know people appreciate the pieces we work so hard on.”

Her words sounded sincere—she seemed to truly love the sculptures and took pride in others recognizing their worth.

Leira asked, “Do you make them yourself?”

“Unfortunately, I’m not gifted. I only sell them. But my younger brother is a sculptor. I really love his work.”

She said this with a soft, genuine smile.

‘This must have been a good place,’ Leira thought.
A place where people supported each other and lived happily.

It was hard for her to understand why the lord would make life miserable for such people.

“We also have more designs in this catalog. You can place custom orders too.”

Leira accepted the catalog and flipped through it carefully.

If she wanted a specific design, she could bring a sketch and they’d make it exactly. But there was no need—there were so many beautiful designs already.

When she finally raised her head, she asked:

“Is it possible to watch how the sculptures are made?”

“Of course. If you’d like, we can take you to the workshop.”

It seemed like a common request, and the owner didn’t find it strange at all.

The three of them left the shop and headed to the workshop area where the sculptors worked. The owner kindly called someone to guide them.

The villagers all acted as if helping each other was ordinary, a natural part of life.

Leira could imagine how peaceful this place must have been before the lord began interfering.

And even now, the villagers didn’t look unhappy—just that the streets were emptier than they should be.

“This way, please,” said the guide.

“Thank you. We’d like to look around freely, if that’s all right,” Eugene said.

The guide nodded cheerfully and left.

Only after he was gone did Leira let out a small sigh.

“Nervous?” Arzeo asked.

“A little.”

It was only natural to be nervous when she had to act differently from her usual self.

“You looked confident enough.”

“I generally am,” she replied calmly.

Her unexpected comeback made Arzeo chuckle.

Leira examined the workshop.
In a large hall, several sculptors were carving stones. The distance between each sculptor was wide, yet the environment didn’t seem ideal for concentration—perhaps because visitors were allowed so casually.

Still, the sculptors’ hands moved delicately, creating beautiful works.

Their expressions, however, looked far from happy.

After wandering through the hall for a while, the three stepped outside again.

They continued walking through the territory to survey other areas.

They had heard the lord demanded unreasonable taxes from the sculptor village because the long drought made it impossible to collect taxes from elsewhere.

If that were true, then the rest of the territory should have looked equally devastated.

But the more they looked around, the less that made sense.

People lived frugally, water was precious, and things were tight—but not desperate.
They didn’t seem like people unable to live.
Certainly not in a state where the entire territory would rely on one small village to cover all taxes.

“It’s more peaceful than I expected,” Leira said.

“Yeah. Except for that one village,” Arzeo agreed.

Most people were living their lives normally. There was no reason for this land to be called abandoned or unlivable.

Arzeo’s expression grew blank and cold as he looked around.

If the territory was not suffering as much as claimed, then—

‘The lord must be playing dirty,’ he thought.

The lord had exaggerated how dire things were.
He imposed excessive taxes on the sculptor village alone.
He probably forced the other villagers out of the territory so they wouldn’t spread the truth.

‘That’s why the guards were so strict around that village.’

Arzeo stroked his chin and nodded to himself. He didn’t even need to hear the lord’s explanation anymore.
Ed and the sculptor villagers were clearly victims.

“No need to see any more.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Let’s go back.”

He walked ahead with long strides, and Leira followed, glancing back once more.

She was relieved the majority of the villagers weren’t suffering.
But happiness built on someone else’s sacrifice would crumble quickly.

***

Later — At the Inn

They chose a small inn inside the territory.
As usual, they rented a suite with three connected rooms and a shared lounge.

Leira dropped onto the sofa with a soft sigh.

They had looked around the territory and understood the situation better, but she still didn’t see anything she could do.

“What’s with the sigh?” Arzeo asked as he sat across from her.

“It’s nothing.”

He clearly didn’t believe her. Leaning his chin on his hand, he smirked.

“It bothers you?”

“What does?”

“You said you’d help however you could. So, what do you think you should do?”

“……”

Leira pressed her lips tightly together.

This place was different from the Tanya region.
She couldn’t summon rain here.
And the issues weren’t caused by nature—they were caused by corruption.

Seeing her troubled expression, Arzeo’s smile slowly faded.

“You never promised to fix everything. It’s fine.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Why not? You don’t have to worry.”

His tone sounded almost cold, making Leira quietly stare at him.

“Doesn’t it bother you, Arzeo?”

“Does it look like it does?”

“You hesitated before answering. That means it does bother you.”

“It doesn’t.”

“If it didn’t, you would’ve answered right away. You tried to dodge the question. That means you do care.”

Her calm, precise reasoning made Arzeo avert his eyes with a chilly expression.

“So what if it does?”

His eyes were cold, but the truth was clear—he did care.

How could he not? Even as someone from another nation, Leira felt uneasy seeing the villagers’ situation.

And he… he was a prince.
He couldn’t possibly ignore the suffering of people in his own empire.

Of course, some might ignore it—after all, no one chooses to be born a prince.
But Arzeo wasn’t one of those people.

Even though he stepped back from political power struggles, he still lived close to the lives of ordinary citizens.

That was the kind of work he did.
There was no way he didn’t care.

But he also couldn’t recklessly act.
Even if he had the will and the ability, his position limited him.

He was a prince.
Anything he did could spark accusations from nobles and ignite conflict with his brothers.

And Leira had watched Lloyd long enough to understand how tragic such fights between royal siblings could be.

Princes couldn’t be close.
They couldn’t trust each other.
They couldn’t even show kindness without risking political consequences.

Arzeo was probably desperately trying to prevent another succession war.

“No one will blame you for caring, Arzeo,” Leira said softly.

He lowered his gaze.

No one had scolded him.
He simply… always restricted himself.
He had lived that way all his life.

“People might not blame me,” he muttered, “but many will try to use it.”

Leira agreed.
That was exactly why royals could never relax.

“Still,” she said.

“What.”

He looked at her again—cold, warning her to stop pushing.

But she continued gently.

“There’s no reason to hide your feelings.”

“……”

“I’m not a Lihidden noble. Knowing how you feel won’t change anything for me.”

She was telling him there was no need to guard himself with her.
No political consequences.
No exploitation.
No expectations.

Just honesty.