Ines tilted her head and looked up at the sky. The sky that had been clear until noon was now covered with dark clouds.
“Joseph... why on earth is he doing this to me?”
He silently grabbed Ines’ arm. When she staggered further, he gently hugged her.
“What did I do wrong?”
“No, no.”
A cool hand patted her back. His cheek, shaking his head, gently touched Ines’ nape and then lifted.
“You did nothing wrong. So don’t say that.”
Her heart was burning hot, Ines grabbed his collar and clung to him.
Rumble, bang!
He silently grabbed Ines’ arm. When she staggered further, he gently hugged her.
“What did I do wrong?”
“No, no.”
A cool hand patted her back. His cheek, shaking his head, gently touched Ines’ nape and then lifted.
“You did nothing wrong. So don’t say that.”
Her heart was burning hot, Ines grabbed his collar and clung to him.
Rumble, bang!
Thunder rang out like fate in the dry sky and lightning struck. The sky finally began to sprinkle rain.
Three days later, Ines finished breakfast and headed straight to Charlotte’s house.
Fortunately, her father got better quickly. The wound was not deep enough to pass without a fever that night, although it was always accompanied by a fever.
It was clear that Count Graham was behind the incident and that Joseph was the one who led it, but Ines and Carson agreed to postpone the matter for later.
The only evidence left was a handkerchief. It was Ines’s, and if he denied it, it would be difficult to accept it as evidence.
Those who survived the incident were locked up in the secret room in the basement of Carson’s mansion, just like Lena.
Charlotte’s house was not far from Carson’s mansion.
Although it was a joint residence, it was only slightly larger than a commoner’s house.
It was a two-story house with a small garden, and the interior was neat and tidy.
For a small house, there was a very high staircase, and there was a large window leading to the arched staircase.
“I like this house. Especially that window,”
Charlotte said softly, pouring Ines’ cup of tea with a unique aroma.
Ines agreed with her. Looking up from the first floor, the window that showed the sky created a warm atmosphere.
“This house may look small to Ines, but it’s a big house to me. The capital is so expensive.”
“Is that so? I’ve never been to the imperial palace. It must be very different from here.”
“It’s a place where people live, so it’s probably similar, but it feels a bit complicated. The houses are all close together, and I like Landhill. I wish my husband could work here for a long time.”
The conversation was normal, but Ines’s heart was not like that. Even though it was summer, Charlotte was wearing a dress that covered her wrists. And the fact that her neck was half-covered didn’t seem natural.
Furthermore, married women in the empire rarely let their hair down. But Charlotte had completely let her hair down today.
“The imperial family hired four maids and two servants. It’s hard to hire that many people in the capital. I think it would be really comfortable to give birth here.”
“When are you going to give birth?”
“The doctor said there are still about five months left.”
Ines answered her words appropriately and looked around the house carefully. She wanted to find some clue that would revive Ines’ memories, but she couldn’t find anything.
Ines got up and approached the display case on the wall.
“Is this your husband?”
The man in the frame had a square jaw and a plump face. Although he wasn’t standing next to anyone else in the picture, he looked short and stocky.
“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t bring a large portrait because I’m only staying for a short time.”
“He looks good. How did you meet?”
But Charlotte didn’t respond. When Ines turned around, she was lost in thought. Charlotte had a bright expression when she spoke, but when she closed her mouth, she looked somewhat gloomy.
“A political marriage, you know. My family was poor, so there weren’t many people who proposed to me.”
Ines sat down in front of Charlotte again without saying a word.
“Ines, you’re going to get married soon, too. Do you have someone in mind?”
Ines shook her head at the words that felt so distant to her. Marriage is a word that should never be heard again in her life.
“Even if it’s a political marriage, meet a few times and then decide. It would be better to meet someone affectionate and gentle. I think money and love come second.”
Ines had already seen the bright blue bruise on Charlotte’s slightly exposed wrist. It wasn’t a wound from bumping into something.
It was from someone grabbing her wrist unexpectedly. So it was impossible not to know what she meant by affection and gentleness that come before love.
After a short tea time with her, Ines began to prepare to put her plan into action.
On the way home in the carriage, Ines wrote down a lot of things for Susan to buy and dropped her off at the market entrance. She returned home alone and started climbing the mountain behind the mansion instead of going inside.
It would take at least four hours to buy things at the market and walk back, and even if she found out that Ines was gone after she returned, she wouldn’t tell her parents for an hour or two.
The sun was high in the sky. She had to find a place and come down before the sunset.
This was Ines’ first time climbing the family mountain. Since this was on the border with Lesonia, the knights of the Count Graham family took turns guarding it, but it was the entrance to the mountain opposite her mansion.
This was private property, and knights of other families couldn't stand on the road leading from the mansion garden to the mountain.
The mountain was steep and the climb was steep, but Ines’s pace was unstoppable. Back in Romfield, her main job was to mine iron ore in the mountain. So climbing the mountain without heavy equipment was quite easy for her.
After walking for a while, a basin-shaped flatland appeared. To the left, there was a row of large trees. As she looked around, she could see a field of reeds where the land ended.
Ines took a deep breath. The green reeds swaying in the same direction reminded her of a sea she had never seen before.
“This is a good place.”
Just then, a cool breeze blew, cooling the sweat on her forehead. As she took a step closer to her plan, she felt her stuffy heart relieved a little.
However, she did not stop there. She had not met a single person on her way here, but she could not rest assured.
So she decided to explore the surroundings more. She did not mind being discovered after the work was done, but she could not do that before her plan was successful.
Since it was a mountain range with mountain peaks, she climbed a small peak right next to it and saw the place where Ines would carry out her plan at a glance.
She walked around for about an hour, but she did not meet anyone, and there was no trace of anyone. Ines was now completely relieved and hurried down the opposite way she had come up.
The location had been decided, but she wanted to check where the knights of the Graham family were standing guard. If she went down the other side of the mountain and took the carriage back from the entrance, she could probably get home in time for dinner.
However, she did not realize that there were serious eyes following her since morning.
At the same time, Carson had also climbed the Swenden family’s mountain. It was always fun to confirm the true nature of the money smell that he had been smelling.
“It’s fortunate that we moved faster than the Empress.”
The Empress had immediately told Carson that she was against the Swenden family’s annexation of Landhill shortly after the attack on Viscount Swenden.
But Carson was faster. As soon as he received the Empress’s approval, he quickly sent someone to add Swenden’s name to the Landhill noble list. The committee’s approval was given, and the imperial approval came down without any special procedures.
He took advantage of the fact that even trivial matters such as the affiliation of the Count’s family’s lands were not reported to the Emperor and Empress.
If he tried to change this again, a long legal battle would have ensued. Furthermore, the chances of Graham winning in a country that adopted gnosticism were slim.
“Graham has probably lost the Empress’s trust with this.”
The fact that the Empress accepted Swenden’s treason so easily meant that Graham had not told the Empress about the secret of this mountain.
“Are we going to clear one out now?”
“Yes, with this level of preparation, it seems that there will be no problem in taking down one Count’s family.”
“No, it won’t be.”
The Empress and the Graham family had a long history. There were many things the Empress regretted about kicking Graham out for something like this. Furthermore, Graham had been volunteering to clean up the trash the Empress had thrown away, so it would be too risky to just throw him away.
Today, Carson sent all the knights of the Graham family out of the Swenden family’s mountain. And he let people go to figure out the exact location and size of the mine.
“But how did my lord know that there was a gold mine in this mountain?”
“How did you know? There’s either iron or gold in the mountain. The geology of the mountain here isn’t suitable for diamonds.”
“Ah...”
Noah made a face as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a new realization.
“Then, are you saying you just guessed?”
“Iron ore may be precious, but there’s a lot of it in Landhill. There’s no way that you’d go to such lengths to get just iron ore. But I didn’t expect it to be this much.”
There were two types of currency used in the system. One was paper money called Sanbate, minted by the imperial family, and the other was gold.
The gold and silver from this mine were said by experts to be enormous. It was not yet possible to judge how much that was, but judging from his expression of emotion, it was clear that there was a huge amount of gold buried there.
“Anyway, congratulations.”
“Why have you been saying such strange things? Is this mine?”
***
Three days later, Ines finished breakfast and headed straight to Charlotte’s house.
Fortunately, her father got better quickly. The wound was not deep enough to pass without a fever that night, although it was always accompanied by a fever.
It was clear that Count Graham was behind the incident and that Joseph was the one who led it, but Ines and Carson agreed to postpone the matter for later.
The only evidence left was a handkerchief. It was Ines’s, and if he denied it, it would be difficult to accept it as evidence.
Those who survived the incident were locked up in the secret room in the basement of Carson’s mansion, just like Lena.
Charlotte’s house was not far from Carson’s mansion.
Although it was a joint residence, it was only slightly larger than a commoner’s house.
It was a two-story house with a small garden, and the interior was neat and tidy.
For a small house, there was a very high staircase, and there was a large window leading to the arched staircase.
“I like this house. Especially that window,”
Charlotte said softly, pouring Ines’ cup of tea with a unique aroma.
Ines agreed with her. Looking up from the first floor, the window that showed the sky created a warm atmosphere.
“This house may look small to Ines, but it’s a big house to me. The capital is so expensive.”
“Is that so? I’ve never been to the imperial palace. It must be very different from here.”
“It’s a place where people live, so it’s probably similar, but it feels a bit complicated. The houses are all close together, and I like Landhill. I wish my husband could work here for a long time.”
The conversation was normal, but Ines’s heart was not like that. Even though it was summer, Charlotte was wearing a dress that covered her wrists. And the fact that her neck was half-covered didn’t seem natural.
Furthermore, married women in the empire rarely let their hair down. But Charlotte had completely let her hair down today.
“The imperial family hired four maids and two servants. It’s hard to hire that many people in the capital. I think it would be really comfortable to give birth here.”
“When are you going to give birth?”
“The doctor said there are still about five months left.”
Ines answered her words appropriately and looked around the house carefully. She wanted to find some clue that would revive Ines’ memories, but she couldn’t find anything.
Ines got up and approached the display case on the wall.
“Is this your husband?”
The man in the frame had a square jaw and a plump face. Although he wasn’t standing next to anyone else in the picture, he looked short and stocky.
“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t bring a large portrait because I’m only staying for a short time.”
“He looks good. How did you meet?”
But Charlotte didn’t respond. When Ines turned around, she was lost in thought. Charlotte had a bright expression when she spoke, but when she closed her mouth, she looked somewhat gloomy.
“A political marriage, you know. My family was poor, so there weren’t many people who proposed to me.”
Ines sat down in front of Charlotte again without saying a word.
“Ines, you’re going to get married soon, too. Do you have someone in mind?”
Ines shook her head at the words that felt so distant to her. Marriage is a word that should never be heard again in her life.
“Even if it’s a political marriage, meet a few times and then decide. It would be better to meet someone affectionate and gentle. I think money and love come second.”
Ines had already seen the bright blue bruise on Charlotte’s slightly exposed wrist. It wasn’t a wound from bumping into something.
It was from someone grabbing her wrist unexpectedly. So it was impossible not to know what she meant by affection and gentleness that come before love.
After a short tea time with her, Ines began to prepare to put her plan into action.
On the way home in the carriage, Ines wrote down a lot of things for Susan to buy and dropped her off at the market entrance. She returned home alone and started climbing the mountain behind the mansion instead of going inside.
It would take at least four hours to buy things at the market and walk back, and even if she found out that Ines was gone after she returned, she wouldn’t tell her parents for an hour or two.
The sun was high in the sky. She had to find a place and come down before the sunset.
This was Ines’ first time climbing the family mountain. Since this was on the border with Lesonia, the knights of the Count Graham family took turns guarding it, but it was the entrance to the mountain opposite her mansion.
This was private property, and knights of other families couldn't stand on the road leading from the mansion garden to the mountain.
The mountain was steep and the climb was steep, but Ines’s pace was unstoppable. Back in Romfield, her main job was to mine iron ore in the mountain. So climbing the mountain without heavy equipment was quite easy for her.
After walking for a while, a basin-shaped flatland appeared. To the left, there was a row of large trees. As she looked around, she could see a field of reeds where the land ended.
Ines took a deep breath. The green reeds swaying in the same direction reminded her of a sea she had never seen before.
“This is a good place.”
Just then, a cool breeze blew, cooling the sweat on her forehead. As she took a step closer to her plan, she felt her stuffy heart relieved a little.
However, she did not stop there. She had not met a single person on her way here, but she could not rest assured.
So she decided to explore the surroundings more. She did not mind being discovered after the work was done, but she could not do that before her plan was successful.
Since it was a mountain range with mountain peaks, she climbed a small peak right next to it and saw the place where Ines would carry out her plan at a glance.
She walked around for about an hour, but she did not meet anyone, and there was no trace of anyone. Ines was now completely relieved and hurried down the opposite way she had come up.
The location had been decided, but she wanted to check where the knights of the Graham family were standing guard. If she went down the other side of the mountain and took the carriage back from the entrance, she could probably get home in time for dinner.
However, she did not realize that there were serious eyes following her since morning.
***
At the same time, Carson had also climbed the Swenden family’s mountain. It was always fun to confirm the true nature of the money smell that he had been smelling.
“It’s fortunate that we moved faster than the Empress.”
The Empress had immediately told Carson that she was against the Swenden family’s annexation of Landhill shortly after the attack on Viscount Swenden.
But Carson was faster. As soon as he received the Empress’s approval, he quickly sent someone to add Swenden’s name to the Landhill noble list. The committee’s approval was given, and the imperial approval came down without any special procedures.
He took advantage of the fact that even trivial matters such as the affiliation of the Count’s family’s lands were not reported to the Emperor and Empress.
If he tried to change this again, a long legal battle would have ensued. Furthermore, the chances of Graham winning in a country that adopted gnosticism were slim.
“Graham has probably lost the Empress’s trust with this.”
The fact that the Empress accepted Swenden’s treason so easily meant that Graham had not told the Empress about the secret of this mountain.
“Are we going to clear one out now?”
“Yes, with this level of preparation, it seems that there will be no problem in taking down one Count’s family.”
“No, it won’t be.”
The Empress and the Graham family had a long history. There were many things the Empress regretted about kicking Graham out for something like this. Furthermore, Graham had been volunteering to clean up the trash the Empress had thrown away, so it would be too risky to just throw him away.
Today, Carson sent all the knights of the Graham family out of the Swenden family’s mountain. And he let people go to figure out the exact location and size of the mine.
“But how did my lord know that there was a gold mine in this mountain?”
“How did you know? There’s either iron or gold in the mountain. The geology of the mountain here isn’t suitable for diamonds.”
“Ah...”
Noah made a face as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a new realization.
“Then, are you saying you just guessed?”
“Iron ore may be precious, but there’s a lot of it in Landhill. There’s no way that you’d go to such lengths to get just iron ore. But I didn’t expect it to be this much.”
There were two types of currency used in the system. One was paper money called Sanbate, minted by the imperial family, and the other was gold.
The gold and silver from this mine were said by experts to be enormous. It was not yet possible to judge how much that was, but judging from his expression of emotion, it was clear that there was a huge amount of gold buried there.
“Anyway, congratulations.”
“Why have you been saying such strange things? Is this mine?”
“Isn’t it the family of your future wife?”
Noah thought the lord would scold him right away, but Carson didn’t say anything. He just muttered to himself as he walked down the mountain.
Noah thought the lord would scold him right away, but Carson didn’t say anything. He just muttered to himself as he walked down the mountain.
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