Chapter 67
“Impudent brat.”
Croker ground his teeth.
He didn’t like the way Abelio—who had nothing but the cards in his own hand—spoke to him in a commanding tone.
But both he and Abelio knew it. Croker could not cut ties with Abelio. Because Abelio had ambition.
Unlike the meek Second Prince or the weak-hearted Third Prince, he was the kind of man who would do anything to become emperor.
Croker was much the same, which was why he supported Abelio as crown prince. If he became emperor, Hibis would rise to an even higher position.
Thinking of the future, Croker barely managed to swallow his anger. Then, just as Abelio had ordered, he began to consider countermeasures.
Certainly, Olden had grown stronger. When Reinhardt had first declared independence, there had been many worried voices—but now it was the opposite. There were many looks full of expectation.
Most of it had been achieved through Reinhardt’s own strength, but recently one more factor had been added.
Ailen Olden. Reinhardt’s wife—and his own granddaughter.
When the two had married, many feared that Ailen would drag Reinhardt down. She had been that insignificant.
But in just one year, Ailen had greatly expanded her shop. Through that, Olden’s financial power had grown even further.
That wasn’t all. Premium specialized in selling everyday magical tools, so it was popular among commoners as well.
Thanks to kind service and treatment regardless of whether one was a noble or a commoner, Premium—and by extension Olden—had gained the people’s support too.
If Reinhardt, backed by such an Olden, were to aim for the throne… there would be no greater threat.
“We need to come up with a plan.”
Murmuring, Croker tapped the desk with his fingers.
Bringing down the enormous Olden all at once was practically impossible. But that didn’t mean there was no way.
Destroy the pillars one by one from the bottom. If that could be done, Olden would collapse on its own.
Having finished his thoughts, Croker stopped moving. Then he rang the bell and called for his butler.
To the butler who bowed his head, Croker gave a curt order.
“Call him.”
❧ ❧ ❧
“Big sis, I’m here!”
After finishing his afternoon classes, Adrian entered Ailen’s office.
Ailen, who had returned from Premium and was finishing up leftover work, greeted her younger brother with a smile.
“How were your classes? What did the teacher say about your homework?”
“Of course, a perfect score!”
“Wow. That’s amazing, Adrian.”
Adrian’s shoulders lifted with pride. Ailen chuckled softly and set the documents down.
“Shall we go eat?”
“Yes! Using my brain made me hungry.”
“Me too. Let’s go quickly.”
The siblings held hands and went down to the dining room side by side.
Reinhardt was not present. He had informed Ailen in advance that he had business outside and would be late.
When the two sat down, the maids brought in the meal.
Ailen subtly signaled to one of them. Understanding the meaning, the maid led the others out of the dining room.
When the door closed quietly, Ailen looked at Adrian. He seemed unaware that the maids had even left.
They began eating calmly. After some time had passed, Ailen opened her mouth.
“Adrian.”
“Yes, big sis.”
“Well, you see…”
Ailen hesitated to bring it up. Even after sending the maids away, the words didn’t come easily.
Adrian stared at her intently. Then he suddenly lowered his gaze to his plate and spoke first.
“You decided not to get divorced?”
Ailen flinched. After a brief silence, she nodded.
“…Yeah.”
“As I said before, I’m really okay.”
Adrian smiled brightly at her.
“As long as you don’t leave me, big sis.”
“I’d never do that.”
“I know. So I’m fine.”
Adrian returned his attention to his food. As always, he looked happy while eating.
Watching him, Ailen thought:
When did he grow up so much?
Just a year ago, he had seemed like a child she needed to protect.
Now, instead, she was being comforted by Adrian.
Ailen looked at him quietly, then placed some of his favorite food onto his plate. When Adrian looked at her with puzzled eyes, she asked:
“Adrian, you know I love you very much, right?”
Adrian’s eyes widened, and he blinked once before grinning brightly in response.
“I love you too, big sis.”
Smiling warmly at each other, the siblings finished their meal. Adrian cleaned his plate completely and returned to his room to do his homework.
Ailen also went back to the bedroom she shared with Reinhardt. After clearing up their misunderstanding and reconciling, she had returned to using the bedroom as before.
Changing into comfortable clothes, she sat quietly on the bed and waited for Reinhardt to come. Out of boredom, she wandered around the room.
Passing by the full-length mirror, Ailen suddenly stopped. She looked at her reflection and murmured:
“Now that we’re married, wouldn’t it be okay to wear pajamas…?”
Until now, on nights she slept with Reinhardt, Ailen had worn something like a simple dress. No matter that he was her husband, since they were a contract couple, it felt inappropriate to show him a too-relaxed 모습.
It had been comfortable enough—but not as comfortable as pajamas. Pajamas were, after all, clothes made for sleeping.
Hesitating, Ailen fiddled with the front buttons of her dress. Then, boldly, she began unbuttoning them one by one.
Right. We’re married anyway. We’re going to live together from now on, so this 정도는…
Just as she was unbuttoning the one above her chest, she suddenly heard the door open. Still in that position, Ailen turned her head—and her eyes met Reinhardt’s as he entered.
Seeing her, Reinhardt stiffened and quickly closed the door.
“I-I’m sorry, Ailen. I didn’t know you were changing.”
“Oh, n-no! Just a moment!”
Blushing bright red, Ailen hurriedly started buttoning her dress again. Meanwhile, Reinhardt stood outside the door, trying to cool his burning face.
A moment later, Ailen opened the door slightly and peeked out.
“You can come in, Reinhardt.”
Reinhardt hesitated, then followed her inside. Feeling the atmosphere had turned awkward in an instant, Ailen regretted it.
Why did it have to be that timing…
If he’d been just a little later, it could have been a disaster. Ailen decided she’d have to postpone showing him her pajamas for another time.
Clearing her throat, she forced a bright tone.
“I didn’t hear the carriage, so I didn’t realize you were here.”
“It was late, so I walked from near the gate on purpose. I was worried I might wake you or the young count if you were already asleep.”
“Thank you for being considerate.”
“No, rather, I’m sorry. I should have knocked before opening the door… I thought you were asleep and just came in.”
“That happens. It’s okay.”
Ailen’s cheeks were still flushed. Her heart was still pounding from the shock earlier.
The same was true for Reinhardt. The image of Ailen from just moments ago kept lingering in his mind. It had been an intensely stimulating sight for him.
Trying desperately to erase it from his thoughts, he took off his outer coat. He needed to lie down anyway, and with the heat rising, he couldn’t keep wearing it.
As he pulled his arm out, the coat suddenly slipped off. Startled, he turned—and saw Ailen holding his coat in her hand.
She smiled a little awkwardly and offered an excuse that was half an excuse.
“Since we’re married, I can at least do this much for you.”
“…Thank you.”
The word married coming from her mouth sounded pleasing, and a smile formed on Reinhardt’s lips.
Seeing the handsome man before her with that gentle smile, Ailen felt her heart race.
Is it a bit obvious now?
She still remembered Annie’s advice.
That if she wanted to date, she needed to show it first.
Thinking of that advice, Ailen suddenly felt empty.
They already liked each other, so why were they like this?
Both she and Reinhardt seemed like people who’d never dated before.
Suppressing the sudden gloom, she noticed Reinhardt suddenly holding out his hand. Without thinking, Ailen took it.
Then both of them realized it at the same time.
The contract’s already over…
We don’t have to make mana stones out of obligation anymore, do we?
They had made mana stones together every night for so long that holding hands like this had become a habit—an unconscious action.
Still holding his hand, Ailen hesitated, then asked:
“Come to think of it, should we keep making mana stones regularly?”
“…To be honest, I would like to.”
He subtly tightened his grip on her hand.
“I still need top-grade mana stones.”
That wasn’t a lie. He did have an obligation to secure high-grade mana stones for his merchant guild, Aster.
But that was only about twenty percent of his motive. The rest was simply wanting physical closeness with Ailen.
Unaware of his true feelings, Ailen accepted his words at face value.
“That’s true. Then should we keep splitting them half and half like before?”
“Seven to three.”
“What?”
Ailen’s eyes widened. Reinhardt gave a small smile and continued.
“I do have a conscience. Before the contract ended, we split them equally for each other’s goals. But now that’s no longer necessary. So please take 70%, Ailen. I’ll take 30% as compensation for assisting you as your guide.”
Ailen thought for a moment, then nodded. For her, it wasn’t a bad deal—no, it was clearly a good one.
Settling into a comfortable position, Ailen closed her eyes. As always, it was to create mana stones.
Soon, purple crystals began to appear one by one in the air, then dropped onto the bed with soft thuds.
Instead of catching the falling stones, Reinhardt fixed his gaze on Ailen.
Her focused expression, unaware of his gaze, was beautiful. When the light of the mana stones brushed across her face, she even seemed mysterious.
For the first time, Reinhardt felt desire stirring within him.
He wanted to hold her. To trap that fragile body within his arms…
He wanted to possess her completely—so she would never escape again
