“Let’s go now. It doesn’t seem like the mood for tea anyway.”
Ines couldn’t keep up with Carson’s sudden movement and answered blankly.
“Where to?”
“I told you I had something to show you. Get ready and come out dressed lightly. I’ll be waiting in front.”
After finishing his words, he walked slowly down the path to the garden. Only then did Ines come to her senses and shout at him.
“But, my lord, didn’t you say you had something to ask me?”
He turned his head and smiled faintly at Ines.
“It’s almost as if I’ve already heard the answer.”
Carson, who left after saying what he wanted to say, still had his own aura behind him. Ines came to her senses only after seeing his light disappear in the sunlight and hurried to get ready.
“Come here, Ines.”
He sometimes didn’t use honorifics with Ines. Was it because of the feeling of intimacy with him? Ines felt embarrassed by the gap, but also somehow pleased. He held her hand as if possessed, and led her to the other side of the wet ground.
The place Carson led her to was a mountain overlooking the entire city.
It wasn’t a high place, but the view was wide open and she could see far into the distance.
The mountain wasn’t steep and felt like a low hill, so the whole city seemed warm.
“But Ines, why didn’t you tell your parents about the gold mine?”
“Oh, I forgot.”
Carson laughed in vain. The gold mine wasn’t something that could be easily forgotten. It was a refreshing shock to him, who had lived his whole life thinking that money equaled power.
“Was my explanation insufficient? That really was a huge gold mine.”
“It wasn’t insufficient. I guess I didn’t think it was that urgent.”
“That’s right. It’s not that urgent, as you said. The gold mine isn’t going anywhere.”
In fact, the gold mine didn’t seem important to Ines at all. She just wanted her parents to live comfortably without losing their roots.
“Why did you ask me why I was going to the palace?”
“Yes.”
“Look carefully.”
Ines turned her gaze to where he was reaching out.
“From here, a railroad will be built along that road.”
The face of the man speaking of the future as if he was prophesying was brighter than anything else in the world.
“Do you see it? That’s Swenden’s mansion.”
The house looked different from afar. Her house, which seemed like a small toy, felt infinitely far away and yet infinitely close.
“The railroad is this way. The station is over there, toward the Piazza Conero where we first met. And the railroad that continues this way will pass by your mansion. And I plan to build a station there.”
“The station?”
“And the name of the station will be Swenden.”
“Why...?”
“It’s symbolic.”
His face showed no particular emotion as he spoke. What on earth was he symbolizing? The boundary of the territory?
Then suddenly she wondered if there had been a Swenden Station in her past life.
She had been mobilized mainly to build the railroad in Lesonia. She had occasionally come to Landhill, but she had mostly stayed at the mansion, so she had not been able to tell where in Landhill she was at the time.
“I asked you before, didn’t I? Is there a place you want to go?”
Ines didn’t answer then or now. Just like then, Ines was no longer curious about this world. Up until now, her only wish had been to stay safe in a world filled with contempt and malice toward her.
Was she qualified to dream of a place she wanted to go?
“Once you pass Swenden Station, you will naturally be connected directly to Lesonia. And that railroad will cross Lesonia. Do you know what’s at the end of it?”
“Where to?”
“I told you I had something to show you. Get ready and come out dressed lightly. I’ll be waiting in front.”
After finishing his words, he walked slowly down the path to the garden. Only then did Ines come to her senses and shout at him.
“But, my lord, didn’t you say you had something to ask me?”
He turned his head and smiled faintly at Ines.
“It’s almost as if I’ve already heard the answer.”
Carson, who left after saying what he wanted to say, still had his own aura behind him. Ines came to her senses only after seeing his light disappear in the sunlight and hurried to get ready.
***
“Come here, Ines.”
He sometimes didn’t use honorifics with Ines. Was it because of the feeling of intimacy with him? Ines felt embarrassed by the gap, but also somehow pleased. He held her hand as if possessed, and led her to the other side of the wet ground.
The place Carson led her to was a mountain overlooking the entire city.
It wasn’t a high place, but the view was wide open and she could see far into the distance.
The mountain wasn’t steep and felt like a low hill, so the whole city seemed warm.
“But Ines, why didn’t you tell your parents about the gold mine?”
“Oh, I forgot.”
Carson laughed in vain. The gold mine wasn’t something that could be easily forgotten. It was a refreshing shock to him, who had lived his whole life thinking that money equaled power.
“Was my explanation insufficient? That really was a huge gold mine.”
“It wasn’t insufficient. I guess I didn’t think it was that urgent.”
“That’s right. It’s not that urgent, as you said. The gold mine isn’t going anywhere.”
In fact, the gold mine didn’t seem important to Ines at all. She just wanted her parents to live comfortably without losing their roots.
“Why did you ask me why I was going to the palace?”
“Yes.”
“Look carefully.”
Ines turned her gaze to where he was reaching out.
“From here, a railroad will be built along that road.”
The face of the man speaking of the future as if he was prophesying was brighter than anything else in the world.
“Do you see it? That’s Swenden’s mansion.”
The house looked different from afar. Her house, which seemed like a small toy, felt infinitely far away and yet infinitely close.
“The railroad is this way. The station is over there, toward the Piazza Conero where we first met. And the railroad that continues this way will pass by your mansion. And I plan to build a station there.”
“The station?”
“And the name of the station will be Swenden.”
“Why...?”
“It’s symbolic.”
His face showed no particular emotion as he spoke. What on earth was he symbolizing? The boundary of the territory?
Then suddenly she wondered if there had been a Swenden Station in her past life.
She had been mobilized mainly to build the railroad in Lesonia. She had occasionally come to Landhill, but she had mostly stayed at the mansion, so she had not been able to tell where in Landhill she was at the time.
“I asked you before, didn’t I? Is there a place you want to go?”
Ines didn’t answer then or now. Just like then, Ines was no longer curious about this world. Up until now, her only wish had been to stay safe in a world filled with contempt and malice toward her.
Was she qualified to dream of a place she wanted to go?
“Once you pass Swenden Station, you will naturally be connected directly to Lesonia. And that railroad will cross Lesonia. Do you know what’s at the end of it?”
When he lowered his head, their eyes met. Carson smiled at Ines without holding back. His confident expression was so dazzling that Ines’ heart began to pound loudly.
“The sea.”
“The sea...”
Ines thought about the sea for a moment, muttering an unfamiliar word that she had heard but never said.
“The sea is truly beautiful. No, beautiful would be an understatement. It is a place that is good just to look at.”
“...”
“And then soon I start thinking like that. It makes me a little... sad that the waves are so beautiful and yet never become mine.”
His golden eyes held Ines’ green eyes still. Was this the feeling you got when you saw the sun rising over the sea? It was a beauty that instantly stole people’s attention and blinded them.
“The waves crashing and crashing whitely against the sandy beach seem like a mirage. But I think it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s a mirage, even if it disappears without leaving a single bubble when you hold it in your hand, even if it never shows the same appearance, the waves always come crashing down.”
The wind resembled autumn, the sun moving toward the very top, they all seemed to escape into the man’s words.
“So now, Ines.”
The name he called her felt like fate.
“From now on, think about going to the sea.”
From the first time she saw him, he was the kind of person who could change Ines’ thoughts and feelings at will. So when he said that she would miss the sea now, Ines would inevitably miss that sea.
The sea that Ines imagined was like fate, with waves rushing in and out.
“Yes, I want to go to the sea.”
He nodded and returned his gaze to the place where the railroad would be laid.
“I will definitely take you to the first sea you go to. That is why I must obtain the right to build a railroad that will cross the entire empire. And that is why I am going to the imperial palace.”
Ines looked at him with surprised eyes.
“The entire empire...?”
Having come back in time, she knew exactly what the right to build a railroad meant.
Only then could she guess why Carson, whom she had met in the past, had become the lord of Lesonia, which had united Landhill.
Of course, it was only a guess, but if he had the right to build a railroad connecting Landhill and Lesonia, it was possible. Having lost his younger sister, he did not stop at just suffering from his situation but forged ahead in his own life.
Lesonia, which bordered the sea, had great geographical significance. In that case, both the sea route and the land route would be in his hands.
“I really want you to have it.”
“What? The right to build a railroad?”
He snickered at Ines’ words.
“Why?”
‘Why?’ She thought that was very strange. Didn’t he know that she wanted to place all the best things in the world at his feet?
“Of course, my lord.”
“Let’s do that. If you want, I’ll be happy to do it.”
Ines turned her head down the mountain again. She closed her eyes and tried to recall where she had worked at the time.
If she had known that the work was for him, the midday sun wouldn’t have felt so hot.
“It’s not that there are no problems at all.”
Ines looked up at the mention of problems.
“Problems?”
“You know Dropinua? He’s in a much better position than I am now.”
“But Count Graham is about to stand trial. Can you trust someone like him to run the railroad construction?”
“Graham is just one of the Empress’s shadows. Dropinua is just a shadow of a shadow.”
“Does that mean that the Empress can put someone else forward?”
“Yes.”
When Ines, who had just followed his finger with indifferent eyes as if looking at the clouds in the sky, suddenly began to take interest in the railroad line, Carson raised one eyebrow. He found it quite amusing that Ines’s eyes sparkled with interest. If she was so curious, there was nothing he couldn’t tell her.
“Dropinua is a very capable person, so he already has good conditions for management. The royal family will agree to the most reasonable plan.”
“For example?”
“First of all, distance is the most important. The shortest distance means shortening time, and that is directly related to the royal family’s income.”
“Is there another reason?”
“Count Graham has worked so hard on this project, and since he was the Lord of Lesonia, he has already assigned all the land for the railroad to his fiefdom.”
“Then you couldn’t ask for permission from all the landowners?”
Carson paused at the question, “You couldn’t?” Although what she said was true, for some reason he didn’t want to tell her, “I couldn’t.”
“That’s right.”
Ines let out a deep sigh. Seeing that, Carson hurriedly continued.
“But it’s not like we don’t have an advantage.”
“What is it?”
“For one thing, I have a lot more money.”
It was also because he had found the Empress’s weakness.
“Our family also has a gold mine.”
Carson couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the sudden words.
“You said earlier that it wasn’t that urgent and you forgot.”
“At that time... I didn’t think I would need money.”
Carson squinted another eye as Ines turned her head to look straight ahead with her lips pursed. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking as he looked at her.
He swallowed dryly and continued.
“I just got another advantage.”
“...?”
“Didn’t we get a solid investor?”
“Ah..."
“If a huge amount of money comes in, we’ll have financial difficulties. And there’s no more gold mine... If you have to step down due to financial difficulties, I can take over the management.”
“The sea.”
“The sea...”
Ines thought about the sea for a moment, muttering an unfamiliar word that she had heard but never said.
“The sea is truly beautiful. No, beautiful would be an understatement. It is a place that is good just to look at.”
“...”
“And then soon I start thinking like that. It makes me a little... sad that the waves are so beautiful and yet never become mine.”
His golden eyes held Ines’ green eyes still. Was this the feeling you got when you saw the sun rising over the sea? It was a beauty that instantly stole people’s attention and blinded them.
“The waves crashing and crashing whitely against the sandy beach seem like a mirage. But I think it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s a mirage, even if it disappears without leaving a single bubble when you hold it in your hand, even if it never shows the same appearance, the waves always come crashing down.”
The wind resembled autumn, the sun moving toward the very top, they all seemed to escape into the man’s words.
“So now, Ines.”
The name he called her felt like fate.
“From now on, think about going to the sea.”
From the first time she saw him, he was the kind of person who could change Ines’ thoughts and feelings at will. So when he said that she would miss the sea now, Ines would inevitably miss that sea.
The sea that Ines imagined was like fate, with waves rushing in and out.
“Yes, I want to go to the sea.”
He nodded and returned his gaze to the place where the railroad would be laid.
“I will definitely take you to the first sea you go to. That is why I must obtain the right to build a railroad that will cross the entire empire. And that is why I am going to the imperial palace.”
Ines looked at him with surprised eyes.
“The entire empire...?”
Having come back in time, she knew exactly what the right to build a railroad meant.
Only then could she guess why Carson, whom she had met in the past, had become the lord of Lesonia, which had united Landhill.
Of course, it was only a guess, but if he had the right to build a railroad connecting Landhill and Lesonia, it was possible. Having lost his younger sister, he did not stop at just suffering from his situation but forged ahead in his own life.
Lesonia, which bordered the sea, had great geographical significance. In that case, both the sea route and the land route would be in his hands.
“I really want you to have it.”
“What? The right to build a railroad?”
He snickered at Ines’ words.
“Why?”
‘Why?’ She thought that was very strange. Didn’t he know that she wanted to place all the best things in the world at his feet?
“Of course, my lord.”
“Let’s do that. If you want, I’ll be happy to do it.”
Ines turned her head down the mountain again. She closed her eyes and tried to recall where she had worked at the time.
If she had known that the work was for him, the midday sun wouldn’t have felt so hot.
“It’s not that there are no problems at all.”
Ines looked up at the mention of problems.
“Problems?”
“You know Dropinua? He’s in a much better position than I am now.”
“But Count Graham is about to stand trial. Can you trust someone like him to run the railroad construction?”
“Graham is just one of the Empress’s shadows. Dropinua is just a shadow of a shadow.”
“Does that mean that the Empress can put someone else forward?”
“Yes.”
When Ines, who had just followed his finger with indifferent eyes as if looking at the clouds in the sky, suddenly began to take interest in the railroad line, Carson raised one eyebrow. He found it quite amusing that Ines’s eyes sparkled with interest. If she was so curious, there was nothing he couldn’t tell her.
“Dropinua is a very capable person, so he already has good conditions for management. The royal family will agree to the most reasonable plan.”
“For example?”
“First of all, distance is the most important. The shortest distance means shortening time, and that is directly related to the royal family’s income.”
“Is there another reason?”
“Count Graham has worked so hard on this project, and since he was the Lord of Lesonia, he has already assigned all the land for the railroad to his fiefdom.”
“Then you couldn’t ask for permission from all the landowners?”
Carson paused at the question, “You couldn’t?” Although what she said was true, for some reason he didn’t want to tell her, “I couldn’t.”
“That’s right.”
Ines let out a deep sigh. Seeing that, Carson hurriedly continued.
“But it’s not like we don’t have an advantage.”
“What is it?”
“For one thing, I have a lot more money.”
It was also because he had found the Empress’s weakness.
“Our family also has a gold mine.”
Carson couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the sudden words.
“You said earlier that it wasn’t that urgent and you forgot.”
“At that time... I didn’t think I would need money.”
Carson squinted another eye as Ines turned her head to look straight ahead with her lips pursed. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking as he looked at her.
He swallowed dryly and continued.
“I just got another advantage.”
“...?”
“Didn’t we get a solid investor?”
“Ah..."
“If a huge amount of money comes in, we’ll have financial difficulties. And there’s no more gold mine... If you have to step down due to financial difficulties, I can take over the management.”
“As long as we don’t have financial difficulties.”
“I have to make it happen.”
Ines blinked for a moment. Sometimes, she would have to take a moment to think about what he said.
“But that’s not certain.”
“That’s right. That’s why I’m a little annoyed right now.”
He was preparing carefully. It was clear that the Empress had been rushing things when Graham was due to stand trial, so he had to vacate the estate and leave this woman in an uncertain state.
“I have to make it happen.”
Ines blinked for a moment. Sometimes, she would have to take a moment to think about what he said.
“But that’s not certain.”
“That’s right. That’s why I’m a little annoyed right now.”
He was preparing carefully. It was clear that the Empress had been rushing things when Graham was due to stand trial, so he had to vacate the estate and leave this woman in an uncertain state.
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