Chapter 23
“It shouldn’t be. There are way more important things to worry about, you know?”
The main duties of the Mist Knights and the Tower of Magic are to protect the barrier left behind by Archmage Pamel.
The Tower is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the barrier, while the Mist Knights hunt down the magical beasts that breach it.
These beasts are so strong that even several well-trained knights must attack together to subdue them. Naturally, the Sword Master’s strength is indispensable.
But Hedin shook his head.
“This is an order from His Grace. He instructed me to continue serving as your guard.”
“I’m just staying in the mansion anyway…”
“They’re in the annex, aren’t they? It would be best to be careful until everyone leaves.”
“Should I tell Grandfather to give Hedin a more important mission instead?”
“Well…”
Hedin scratched his cheek awkwardly and smiled at my suggestion.
“The truth is, I was the one who requested it first. I asked to continue guarding you.”
“You? Why?”
“You may not believe this, but… you saved my life.”
Blinking in confusion, I listened as Hedin cleared his throat and continued hesitantly.
“During training, I almost died because I let my emotions get ahead of me. But in that moment of danger… your voice guided me. It helped me find my path and regain my focus…”
His voice grew quieter as he spoke, almost fading away at the end.
But I could still understand him.
Even in his daze, he remembered that I had called him. It seemed he couldn’t fully grasp that I was really there.
‘That’s a relief.’
As I blinked and let out a sigh of relief, Hedin suddenly knelt on one knee and bowed his head to me.
“You, my lady, are my goddess!”
“…Excuse me?”
My brain froze. Goddess? What nonsense was this?
Unlike me, Hedin was deadly serious.
“It was like a ray of light. If it weren’t for your voice, I would have died right then and there!”
“Well, I wouldn’t go as far as goddess…”
“I vowed the moment I opened my eyes! The life the goddess gave me, I will use it for the goddess!”
“No, I’m not a goddess…”
“Please allow me, my lady!”
I was done for. This person had no intention of listening to me.
‘This is basically a holy-version Blanche.’
Blanche, perhaps thinking the same, flapped her wings inside her cage. Whether she was happy to meet a kindred spirit or suspicious of a rival was unclear. Judging by the displeasure in her eyes, it seemed to be the latter.
‘What do I do now?’
If it were Blanche, I would have silenced her immediately, but seeing Hedin’s pure, bright-eyed devotion made it impossible to be harsh.
“Hedin. First, stand up…”
“Danae!”
As I hurried to help Hedin to his feet, the door suddenly swung open, and someone entered.
I assumed it would be Baratheon, always the one to burst in recklessly.
But to my surprise, it was Lucas.
Unlike Baratheon, who was known for etiquette, diligence, and exemplary behavior, this was the first time Lucas had acted like this.
“Lucas?”
Lucas approached me, unusually excited for someone usually so calm.
“What’s the matter?”
“A letter came from Baron Diezo.”
If that was the case, it wasn’t exactly extraordinary. Baron Diezo had always been meticulous about sending letters.
“Really? What did he do this time?”
“He found the ship. He’s planning to start the salvage operation soon, and according to the experts on-site, it should succeed without much trouble.”
‘Finally, it’s found!’
I held back a cheer and read the letter Lucas handed me.
Ship discovered. Salvage operation scheduled. Expected to succeed easily.
Nothing in the letter differed from what Lucas had just told me.
‘I wonder how many ancient gold coins are inside…?’
Making money is always a good thing.
I grinned broadly and read the pleasant letter once more.
To get straight to the point: my investment was an absolute success. And not just a normal success—a massive one.
“I’m truly glad to repay you like this, my lady!”
Baron Diezo, now gaunt from the effort, bowed deeply in front of me, wiping away tears.
With his unkempt beard, it was clear he had worked tirelessly on the salvage.
“Thanks to you, we successfully salvaged the ship!”
“So, what was inside…?”
“Our family treasures and the ancient gold coins paid to our ancestor as part of a trade settlement.”
These ancient gold coins were purer and much more valuable than ordinary coins.
“There were far more coins than expected, so the profits are beyond imagination!”
‘Ha. It really hit big.’
Not just a little more than expected—far more. Far!
“Originally, we expected profits of about 100 billion, but considering the market value of the coins, we could earn twice that.”
So, projected profits were 200 billion.
“Then…?”
“Yes. As promised, along with the principal you first provided, we will give you 70% of the profits—140 billion.”
Although my initial investment of 1 billion was substantial, compared to 140 billion, it felt like pocket money.
“And my lady…”
Suddenly, Baron Diezo began sobbing.
“Thanks to you, our family business can start again. If you ever need the White Deer Trading Company, visit us anytime. Whatever your proposal, we will gladly accept it.”
“Yes, let’s look forward to the future.”
Of course, there would be no future. I already succeeded in the trial and planned to scatter the money and ruin the family after becoming heir.
Unaware of my true intentions, Baron Diezo left, asking me to visit the White Deer Trading Company.
Lucas, smiling brightly, approached me where Diezo had stood.
“Danae, we recovered the investment and successfully acquired the ancient coins worth 140 billion.”
“I see.”
“It will take some time to sell them, so we won’t get cash immediately, but the profit is certain.”
“Will the council acknowledge it?”
“Of course. Who could ignore such results?”
Lucas patted my head with a proud smile but soon wore a bitter one.
“To be honest, I didn’t think the investment would succeed. Baron Diezo is notorious in high society as a scammer… I was trying to figure out a way to get the money back.”
The more he spoke, the more serious his face became.
“I’ve always prioritized numbers and probabilities. I decided on investments based on the documents. But I guess that’s not everything.”
No, that is everything. That’s how investment works.
‘I made my decision based on the information I had.’
“You judged Baron Diezo differently, and it was the right choice. Thanks to you, I feel I’ve learned something.”
‘Learned something? I didn’t do anything… why are you the only one having a revelation…?’
“I helped you without much thought because it was by His Grace’s order. But now, that’s changed.”
Ignoring my inner thoughts, Lucas looked at me with a slightly different expression than before.
“I truly believe you are fit to be the Archduke’s successor, Danae.”
‘Well, in the end, I earned Lucas’s trust. I guess that’s enough.’
I didn’t argue and accepted Lucas’s gaze. Sometimes, that’s all that matters.
Rumor had it I earned 100 billion, and now countless entrepreneurs sent me proposals.
‘I won’t be investing anymore.’
I had already made 140 billion. That’s enough, isn’t it?
With my goals achieved, there was no need to take on more work.
But the three-month trial period wasn’t over yet.
During the trial, I needed to appear as a “diligent heir.”
So I pretended to examine proposals I had no intention of investing in, maintaining the facade of diligence.
As I lazily skimmed through the proposals, a noisy visitor arrived.
It was the boisterous Baratheon.
“Hey, kid! I heard you made big money. So you’re all set now, right? Why are you still working? Are you enjoying making money?”
“Yeah… why am I even doing this…?”
Ironically, I was working hard to ruin the family in the future.
Baratheon clicked his tongue at my weak response.
“Hah. No wonder you’re Grandfather’s granddaughter. If you stay cooped up working like this, you’ll grow mold on your butt.”
As if to check, Baratheon lifted me into the air.
Dangling above him, I glared at him, and he frowned, as if thinking something.
“You’re still so light. Today, it’s my turn to show you a lesson, huh?”
“Waaah!”
Baratheon hoisted me onto his shoulder in one motion.
