CHAPTER 50………………………………………………
The men gasped in surprise when they saw the document.
Even though the Western and Northern regions were far apart, the name Kereis was so famous that even a newborn would recognize it.
There was no way these men wouldn’t know it.
Of course, the paper in my hand was just something Kaouts had swiped from Grandfather Veil’s office when I’d told him to fetch any official-looking sheet…
“But our master has very close ties with the Kereis family.”
Well, considering I lived in the Kereis ducal estate, it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“We’re close enough to dine together.”
And I did have breakfast with them every day.
“Is… is it real?”
“I once saw a flag with the Kereis crest! That one—it’s the same!”
The men murmured among themselves, then quickly quieted down in unison as if reaching the same conclusion.
Seeing their reaction, I spoke:
“Among you—has anyone recently had shortness of breath, headaches, or anything similar?”
The men looked confused and glanced around at one another.
Then one man timidly raised his hand—it was the servant we met earlier at the well.
Tapping his chest lightly with one hand, he said:
“I… I have those symptoms.”
“Come to think of it, my child at home too…”
“And Hvar next door has been coughing a lot lately…”
Once one servant confessed, everyone began speaking at once as though they had been waiting for the chance.
“The cause is the water. Poison from those vines seeped into it and has begun accumulating in your bodies.”
“What? How are we supposed to believe that?”
“You mean you can’t see the vines right in front of you?”
I had been waiting for this moment. I signaled Kaouts.
He stepped aside—and the massive tangled vines behind him were suddenly exposed.
“Gah—!”
“Dear heavens, what on earth is that…”
The men were stunned.
Some gagged, horrified. Others shouted that the water had tasted strange lately.
As if to drive a final nail into the chaos, I said firmly:
“The problem simply needs to be dealt with. So go bring your master. Immediately.”
The hesitant servants soon hurried away.
They reported everything to their master, who eventually came himself—and nearly fainted when he saw the vines.
He ordered workers to dispose of them at once. It was a huge and costly job, but since it was their drinking water at stake, everyone worked desperately.
In the meantime, they borrowed water from the neighboring territory.
After that day, I returned straight to Grandfather Veil’s mansion.
Thankfully, I made it back to my room before he arrived and changed from the boy Ren back into Marianne.
Now, two days later, I was reading a letter personally written by the mine owner.
“Looks like the owner called for a physician—to treat the people who fell ill from drinking the water.”
“So he wasn’t a bad person.”
“Indeed.”
I remembered the mine owner I had spoken with before leaving.
He had immediately grasped the situation and extended his hand to me.
After we shook hands, he asked what I wanted.
The moment he asked, I screamed internally:
“Yes! This is it!”
‘This mine is an inheritance my father left specifically to me, his youngest son. He once told me that if a great crisis ever arose, I should not hesitate to sell it cheaply—as if it were worthless land—to the person who saved us.’
Then I finally understood.
Why, in the original story, the mine owner had given that “abandoned mine” to Bianca after she saved his life.
It had never been abandoned.
He and his father knew its true value.
And yet he didn’t hesitate at all to give it away cheaply—because the poisoned water had endangered many lives, including his own, and I had saved them.
And so, I obtained a mine rich with gold.
For an unbelievably cheap price.
“This mine is no longer mine.”
He didn’t even read the contract before signing.
The contract was mostly standard, except for one final added clause:
—The agent and the true owner share equal authority over this mine—
I had added it as a precaution for any future complications.
The agent Ren and the true owner Veil—technically the same person, but caution never hurts.
“Kaouts, I feel weird.”
No matter how many times I read it, it didn’t feel real.
That this document was mine.
Kaouts asked, worried:
“Why? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No—I’m too happy! I’m thrilled! I’m a mine owner!!”
“…What?”
Who could understand this overwhelming emotion?
Not even in my previous life had I fulfilled my dream of becoming a building owner.
But in this life, I’d become the owner of a mine!
A gold-filled mine, no less!
Ah, exhilarating.
That purple fabric money had never felt like enough, but now—with a mine—I could gather a fortune.
Money secured, magic improved…
Now my only remaining task was… Ron! Yes—ensuring Ron Kereis makes it safely back to the ducal estate.
A cool breeze swept through the open window, and a crow swooped inside.
A fake gemstone necklace hung around its tiny neck.
It was indeed Kaouts’s messenger bird.
“Kaouts, did you call for it?”
“No? I couldn’t find Kkakka anywhere this morning. Where have you been, you little brat?”
Kaouts beckoned the bird down from the ceiling. It looked exhausted, breathing heavily from a long journey.
“Oh my, young lady. There’s a letter.”
“A letter?”
“Yes. And goodness—it’s from Lord Ron!”
I quickly read the short note.
It began with greetings—and then:
‘Ren, I arrived in the North.’
“My, how impressive Lord Ron is—he even managed to charm that grumpy messenger bird.”
Caw!
The crow perched on Kaouts’s shoulder cried loudly.
Once night fell, I rushed to prepare to head to the place Ren—Ron—had mentioned.
Ron had written that he would wait at the same spot tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after that.
So I felt pressured.
I couldn’t let him wait alone for three nights.
Thankfully, the meeting place wasn’t far from the mansion, but there was a problem.
Kaouts had run out of magic powder—so he couldn’t create the potion to transform me into Ren.
I had no choice but to wear a big cloak.
Britta had gotten me clothes from a stable boy—big sleeves and all—but I was grateful nonetheless.
“How do I look? Do I look like Ren?”
Kaouts examined me in the dim light, then forced a nod.
He adjusted the cloak to hide my face even more.
A quiet village square.
Under the deep night sky, Ron waited alone.
The bright lantern in his hand shone directly on me.
Ugh—my face might get exposed like this.
“Ron, it’s too bright! My eyes hurt!”
Ron immediately dimmed the lantern as low as it could go.
“Sorry. Is this better?”
“Yeah! It’s fine. It’s been a while, Ron!”
I lowered my voice as much as possible.
Ron stared intently at me—eyes widening.
Did he realize?!
But my red hair was tied up and hidden under my hat, and the cloak covered my face.
My heart pounded wildly.
Gulp. I swallowed from the tension.
I shrank my shoulders tightly, afraid Ron would suddenly pull off my cloak.
“Ren, are you cold?”
“Huh? Oh! Yeah, it’s a bit chilly. Cold enough that I can’t lift my face. Haha.”
Whew—he didn’t notice.
Sometimes Ron was really dense.
I relaxed.
Of course, Marianne had no idea that Ron’s red eyes were gently curved as he looked at her.
“Now that I see you… Ron, you’ve gotten taller?”
“Yeah! But I’m still shorter than Ren.”
“That’s true, I’m taller.”
Watching Ron rise onto his tiptoes, I burst into laughter inside the cloak.
“Anyway, how did you get to the North? Something happened here?”
“Yeah, I was given a mission.”
Ron’s soft brows furrowed seriously.
“A mission? Did you complete it?”
“I finished already. It was catching Condes.”
“Condes?”
“Yeah, two Condes.”
“Oh, so it was simple then.”
I assumed Condes were small, harmless monsters.
They wouldn’t assign a dangerous mission to a thirteen-year-old, even if he was a Debel.
Ron and I sat on the edge of the quiet fountain.
“Huh? I’ve never seen these before.”
The faint lantern light revealed Ron’s arm—decorated with several bracelets he hadn’t had before.
“Some people gave them to me.”
“People? Who? Debel members?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Ron… are there women among the Debel?”
Ron nodded.
And suddenly—I sensed everything.
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
Giving him such cute bracelets?
“Hmm… besides these bracelets, do the women give you gifts for no reason?”
“How did you know?”
“…”
My nostrils flared in disbelief at the innocent boy.
A soft summer breeze blew, ruffling his hair.
The lantern lit up Ron’s face—
‘Dangerous…!’
I realized immediately.
Ron was still young, but his looks already shone.
Smooth skin, jewel-like eyes, a straight nose, red lips—
And something about him that pulled people in.
A fragile, melancholy charm… the kind that makes you want to protect him.
Gripping the cloak around my face tightly, I cried out:
“Ron! You’re ridiculously popular, aren’t you?! Playing around with other girls just fine even when I’m not here!”
I spoke with so much force that even I was startled.
Ron panicked, waving his hands frantically.
“No! No! I don’t know any of them! Really!”
When I turned my head away sharply, Ron jumped up like a restless puppy, stamping his feet.
“These bracelets—I don’t need any of them!”
Clatter—
Ron yanked the bracelets off, and they scattered across the ground.
And oh, how satisfying it was.
Childish? Absolutely.
But forget it. I didn’t care.
Right now—
this was exactly how I felt.
