HTNSA 134

Chapter 134

A large four-wheeled carriage rattled along a quiet forest path.

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, softly tinting the interior of the carriage.

Piony stared at the passing scenery beyond the window, lost in thought.

‘By now, the Flor Merchants’ Guild must be in chaos.’

The moment she succeeded in acquiring land, she spirited Yuria away from the Flor Cosmetics workshop.

At the same time, she had carefully collected evidence of contract violations so that Merchant Lord Jordic could not easily retaliate.

She had crossed the biggest hurdle in starting her business.

‘And I’ve already secured a shop for sale, begun renovations… everything has gone smoothly so far.’

Now, the only thing left was cultivating Mommon grass and creating products worthy of her new brand.

‘If the quality is good, I can hand them out for free and advertise—it won’t take long before the name spreads. Before long, I’ll be able to deal Count Arman a real blow.’

Her lips curved into a smile.

Even though such a huge incident had taken place at the subjugation festival, Rosia and Freya had gotten away without any punishment.

There was still no legal way to prosecute them, but if she could at least make them pay in this way, it wouldn’t be such a bad outcome.

Thinking that, her mood immediately grew lighter.

‘Of course, there are still many obstacles. I’d better meet Eila soon and update her on the progress.’

The reason she was riding the carriage now was to check firsthand on the cultivation of the Mommon grass.

She recalled the message from Lujen, the estate manager she had hired not long ago.

‘He said the Mommon grass isn’t doing well…’

Piony let out a faint sigh.

‘What could be the problem? I told them to follow exactly what Yuria instructed.’

She had even sent a horticultural specialist to help. If something went wrong, it had to be for some other reason.

As she pondered, the carriage gradually slowed, pulling her back to the present.

“We’ve arrived.”

When the coachman opened the door, a flood of bright sunlight poured inside.

Shielding her face with her hat, Piony stepped down.

The first to greet her was none other than Lujen, the estate’s acting manager.

“Lujen, it’s been a while.”

“Have you been well, Lady Piony?”

“I hear the Mommon grass isn’t doing well. What happened?”

“That is…”

Lujen’s expression darkened.

“It would be better if you saw it yourself.”

Without a word, Piony followed him. But when she arrived, her face stiffened.

“The sprouts just barely broke through, and yet they’ve already turned yellow…”

She stopped and bent down to examine them.

The sprouts were drooping weakly as though they had not absorbed enough water. The edges of the leaves were yellowed and brittle, ready to crumble.

Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Lujen explained,

“It’s not from lack of sunlight or water. We’ve been following instructions without fail. And yet, strangely, they just kept withering.”

Piony narrowed her eyes and walked slowly along the field. Rows upon rows of grass had been planted, yet more were dying than surviving.

“We have no idea what the problem could be,” Lujen said, watching her cautiously.

Piony stopped, biting her lip. At this rate, it would be impossible to start her business on schedule.

After a long moment of thought, she reached the only conclusion possible.

‘I’ll have to ask Eila or Yuria for advice.’

Eila was a skilled mage, and Yuria was the very one who had taught her how to cultivate the Mommon grass.

Surely, one of them could suggest a viable solution.

Better that than to exhaust herself worrying alone.

Though it had only been a two-day trip, returning to the dormitory left Eila feeling exhausted.

Setting her luggage down on the floor, she let out a long sigh.

The burning orange glow of sunset streamed in through the dorm window, dimly coloring the room.

Turning her back to the light, Eila gently stroked Piyo’s head.

The dragon was sound asleep, utterly carefree.

“Piyo, sleep well and wake up soon.”

A tender smile curved her lips.

In many ways, it had been a good decision to visit Devens.

The vague worries she had carried turned out to be nothing after all, and her heart felt so much lighter.

Most importantly, now that she knew her emotions and Piyo’s could intertwine, she had to consciously maintain a positive mindset.

‘For Piyo’s sake, I need to stay strong.’

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone tapped on her door from outside.

“Eila, it’s me. Piony.”

“Piony?”

Eila hurried to open the door.

“I saw you return earlier, so I rushed over. I’ve got something urgent to tell you… ah.”

As Piony stepped inside and glanced around, her eyes landed on Piyo. She froze.

“Now that I think about it, how’s Piyo? Did everything go well?”

“Mm, thankfully yes. He’s fine. Thanks to the Duke’s hospitality, the trip went smoothly.”

“Really? That’s such a relief.”

Piony smiled, her shoulders easing. She knew better than anyone how much Eila had been worried over Piyo.

“But still… what was it like meeting a Red Dragon in person? Weren’t you scared?”

She asked anxiously.

Dragons had once been friendly to humans, but as time passed, they grew more reclusive. Many who trespassed in their domains never returned. She couldn’t help but worry that Eila might have angered one.

But Eila only smiled reassuringly.

“Not at all. He was actually very kind and gentle. I think he viewed me favorably since I’m the master of a Black Dragon.”

“Kind and gentle? That’s unexpected. Maybe you’re just oddly popular with dragons.”

Piony tilted her head curiously and sat down beside her.

“Ah, but I think I get it. Maybe it’s because you’re such a gifted mage? They say dragons like those with strong magical power.”

She spoke lightly as she stroked Piyo’s head.

Eila, however, noticed the shadow of worry lingering on her friend’s face.

“By the way, you said you had something urgent. Did something bad happen?”

At that, Piony gave a sheepish smile and touched her cheek.

“You noticed?”

“Mm, your expression’s been gloomy since you walked in.”

Shrugging, Piony admitted calmly,

“The truth is, I have two pieces of bad news.”

“Two?”

Eila’s face tensed. She suddenly remembered Piony had mentioned stopping by the Farun region before her trip to the Duchy.

“Did something go wrong with the cosmetics business?”

“Yes. When I visited Farun yesterday, I found all the Mommon grass had withered.”

She sighed heavily before continuing.

“I followed Yuria’s instructions exactly, but I can’t even begin to guess what went wrong.”

“…All of it withered? What did Yuria say?”

“Oh, I wrote her immediately. She said that should be impossible and insisted on checking it herself.”

“I see… then I’ll need to take a look too.”

Crossing her arms, Eila frowned. Inside, she was unsettled—this was something she’d never seen in the original storyline.

‘Strange. When Count Arman released Yuria’s new products in the novel, there wasn’t any problem like this…’

She tilted her head, puzzled.

But then again, with how much had already changed, it wasn’t impossible that the future itself had shifted.

“How about we go after class tomorrow? We can bring Yuria too.”

“Ah, that soon? Will it be okay?”

“Yes. The sooner we resolve this, the better.”

Piony nodded in agreement.

“Alright. If you’re fine with it. Ah, and there’s one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Not long ago, my brother Darian came to see me.”

At those words, Eila froze, turning toward her.

“Prince Darian?”