Chapter 59…………………………………………..
But he was smart. It might have been simple curiosity, but the subtly cautious tone in his voice also implied that Ban himself completely trusted Lydia. It was an expression of emotional attachment.
“Ownership.”
The concept was vague. Sometimes, branches of thought that spread in multiple directions could end up meaning something entirely different.
Teferi had no intention of denying Ban’s feelings or trust toward Lydia. But he didn’t like being challenged in this way.
“Ten.”
“Pardon?”
“Bring me ten lapis lazuli. That’s the condition.”
“…Teferi?”
“If you’re going to use me, you should at least bring that much. Right?”
Ban gave a wry smile. Not two or three, but ten? Teferi’s price… no, that wasn’t it. Ban smiled faintly as he faced Teferi, who was testing him.
“Understood. I’ll bring them.”
It was a measure of how Ban regarded Lydia. Ban could easily pay for something as trivial as lapis lazuli.
Ten, or even a hundred.
He rolled his eyes slightly. The strange feelings and doubts he had felt when he first saw Ardina had long since melted away. He had worried that, although competent, she might not perform well in practice—but that worry proved unnecessary. Her practical skills had already been demonstrated in the way Ardina handled her work.
In fact, when Ardina was hired, Ban had wondered if she could handle the work that Elian had originally been responsible for. Yet her performance exceeded expectations; she even showed better skill than Elian. Naturally, the difficulty of the tasks gradually increased.
Of course, he didn’t show the newly hired Ardina the secret internal documents. Since he had never entrusted such work to the loose-lipped Elian, it posed no problem for Ardina to handle it all.
Still, he couldn’t completely ignore the fact that Ardina came from a noble family. He wondered if she might disregard his instructions—but once she started working, she treated him with utmost respect. He had feared that a noblewoman might try to act cunningly, but she came to work lightly dressed and spent her breaks diligently focused on documents.
Of course, she worked faster than Elian, and thanks to her, the towering piles of white papers slowly melted away. Should he formally hire her? Perhaps even replace Elian…
“Sir!”
He wished she wouldn’t call him “Sir.” Looking up, he saw Ardina holding out the completed documents. He took them from her, breaking his gaze from her unusually kind smile that disarmed suspicion.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. By the way, you work really fast, Sir.”
“My speed?” He tilted his head. Ardina glanced at the documents piled next to him and spoke leisurely.
“Haven’t you already finished all these papers? You seem twice as fast as me.”
“Oh, these?”
He chuckled, shaking his head.
“I just skimmed through the ones already organized. I’m not fast. Ardina is the impressive one. Even though this is your first time handling such work, you processed all these documents accurately and quickly.”
“That’s because you taught me well, Sir.”
Facing her polite smile again, he smiled back, though inwardly he wore a wry grin knowing it wasn’t the full truth. Anyway, Ardina gave him more peace of mind than Elian ever had.
Now, it was time to prepare.
He pushed himself up from the desk, hands resting on it. Ardina raised her eyes as he moved. Was he slightly taller?
“Are you leaving?”
“I need to prepare. As long as Ardina follows the instructions I gave, there shouldn’t be any issues. I trust you can handle it.”
“I’m glad you trust me, but…”
She trailed off, her gaze lowered. Curious, he looked at her. Ardina glanced at him, eyes subtly shifting.
“Is there a problem?”
Was she unwell? Worried, he watched as Ardina let out a deep sigh and reached out to grasp his hands directly. Oh my, what’s going on?
“Please, take care of yourself.”
“Excuse me?”
“Be careful not to hurt your delicate body. You’re going on a long journey, and I can’t help but worry.”
“….”
She worried not for herself, but for him—what a competent employee. Haa, a character impossible to read.
Nodding with an awkward smile, Ardina gripped his hands firmly again.
“If it feels dangerous, don’t do it. If it feels exhausting, rest. Understood?”
“I understand, Ardina.”
“You are extremely important to me, Sir. So please! Please! Return safely!”
“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”
“Life is unpredictable, you know.”
It was funny to hear someone close to his age talk about life, but he nodded thoughtfully, realizing she wasn’t wrong.
Meeting Ardina’s gaze, full of concern surpassing even his parents, he packed his things. Adjusting his hat slightly, he smiled.
“Then take care for a few days. We’ll meet when I return.”
“Don’t worry about here, and stay safe!”
Leaving behind a loyal employee who worried endlessly for him, he headed home.
“What a strange woman.”
Unfathomable.
He had been busy since morning. Even though preparations were made in advance, his mother’s fussiness had him running around in a daze. You know that feeling—you’re fine, but someone else’s panic makes you anxious too.
As his mother scurried about, the carriage had already arrived, and departure time was approaching. While loading luggage and climbing aboard in casual attire, his mother’s worried expression caught his eye. She had always looked this way whenever his father left for a long trip.
Unable to ignore her particularly serious expression, he finally got out of the carriage and held her hand.
“I’ll be back.”
“Travel safely.”
“Don’t worry too much. Nothing will happen.”
It was only a quick inspection of the mine. Even if it took about a week, they wouldn’t be sleeping on the road or entering the mine themselves. Accompanied by guards and knights, there was no real danger—so why all the worry?
“Last time, you came back and were bedridden for four days. Don’t make life difficult for yourself—let others handle the hard tasks.”
“It’s my work. I’ll avoid danger as much as possible. Isn’t that enough?”
“Ha… You get into risky things like your father, and it ages me.”
He shrugged off his mother’s lingering worry about his father, still absent from a business trip.
“I’ll be back. You rest.”
Smiling faintly at his mother, who nodded silently, he climbed aboard. Waving again to his mother outside the window, he looked away.
“Departure.”
Inside the carriage, as it moved away from home, he watched his mother’s gaze searching for him one last time and closed his eyes.
Once more, guilt pricked him. He shouldn’t be the one worrying—Lydia should.
Biting his lip, he closed his eyes for a brief rest as the carriage slowed to a stop. They had to pick up Rosalyn and Professor Rodelia at the university.
But even though everything was ready, work didn’t progress after the carriage stopped. He got out to check and called the coachman.
“What’s going on?”
“Well… the prince is passing through, so this road is completely blocked.”
“…?”
Why would the road be blocked for a prince? Did he rent the road? Ban stared in disbelief, and the coachman rubbed his cheek in embarrassment.
The route to the Imperial University, and the road leading out of the capital connected to it, were completely blocked.
People stood by the roadside, curious. Like waiting for a returning army, knights and soldiers lined up, drawing everyone’s attention.
A soldier who went to assess the situation returned and explained it to the knight at the front of Ban’s carriage. The knight gave a peculiar expression, approached him, and whispered cautiously.
“They say it’s the returning procession of Prince Volintran.”
“Returning?”
“To personally handle a small uprising in the south.”
“A rebellion?”
“A minor incident. He didn’t really need to intervene personally, but he did… many say it was a political gesture.”
So it was a political show?
“So they decorated the route like he was a victorious general? Who gave the order?”
“Someone with enough authority in the royal family, probably…”
The knight hesitated but the answer was already clear.
“The Empress, I suppose.”
“….”
Even knights tied to noble houses but serving the Empire could not openly criticize the royal family, so Ban understood his silence.
He nodded, letting the knight return, and sighed.
He asked the coachman about today’s schedule and whether they could reach the meeting point in a few hours if they increased speed. Luckily, it seemed they could arrive before nightfall, so he decided to slow down and observe. He sat on the carriage seat and looked outside.
More people were gathering. Seeing royalty up close was rare, so the excitement made sense. But the person they were about to see was the First Prince.
Volintran.
The first son of the current emperor’s wife, the Empress from the Castrumbel dukedom and eldest daughter of the Duke of Molian. He was born with legitimacy and noble support, naturally designated as crown prince. The Second Prince, Delphor, was uninterested, so power would naturally concentrate on Volintran—but then Prince Bertasilin was born, and he became the crown prince instead.
The story’s conflict was a typical power struggle, but Ardina’s emergence subtly shifted the balance. Both Prince Volintran and Prince Bertasilin fell for her. Later, Volintran, though cowardly, was no fool, and publicly intimidated Ban at multiple events.
Eventually, Ban gained significant power, leading to the downfall of the First Prince. Following the story, Ban would win even without action…
“The problem is… me.”
