Noah couldn’t continue. It was because Carson put both arms on his long legs, leaned over, and clenched his fists. Something came out softly from his slightly open teeth, but he didn’t dare to ask again.
Carson, who had been lost in thought for a moment, stretched out his body and crossed his legs leisurely.
“Well, then it’s better.”
“What do you mean?”
“Marcus was a knight, right? If he’s by Ines’ side, he can at least protect her.”
Noah narrowed his eyes at the unbelievable words.
“You saw it back then. He covered Ines with his priestly robes because he was afraid other people would see her crumble. He’s a man of chivalry. So it’s safer to have him by his side.”
“Are you serious?”
“Why would that be a lie?”
“But he’s young, and as the lord said, he was a knight, so he’s well-built, and he’s also quite handsome...”
“Stop.”
His mouth snapped shut again at the chewed words.
“That’s okay. He’s going to be a priest anyway.”
Noah steeled himself as he heard the words he seemed to be saying to himself.
“No. Marcus Knights is a friend who resigned his knighthood to become a doctor.”
“What?”
Carson threw his head back completely and leaned deeply against the carriage seat, feeling a moment of discomfort and irritation.
The Edmont Temple was a place where not only priests but also those who wanted to become doctors stayed to study.
Since the maids also took the catechumenate, it was natural for a doctor to take it. Just because he was wearing the cassock of a novice priest didn’t mean he would become a priest.
“Damn it.”
He finally let out the harsh words he hadn’t said since he was fifteen.
“What the hell is this? Why do I feel this way?”
Noah felt for the first time the agony of not being able to answer what he knew.
“Everything is a mess.”
He put his shoes on and stretched his legs out on the carriage seat opposite him. It was an action taken out of a desire to stretch out his body since his mind was narrow.
Just knowing that Ines was suffering from suffocating panic attacks in his absence was already a mess inside him.
In that case, wouldn’t it be a good thing to have someone by her side?
The solid red-haired man, a former knight and a candidate for parliament was exactly the person she needed right now. Furthermore, since he had received her support and changed the course of his life, he would be completely filled with goodwill toward her.
“But don’t worry too much about it. Aren’t you two already determined to each other?”
"...Well, that’s right.”
The answer to his question, which was meant to make him feel better, didn’t make sense. So Noah couldn’t help but ask again.
“You definitely confessed, right?”
“What kind of confession?”
“You should have told her your feelings anyway.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I’m not asking you to confess your feelings but to get married... If you don’t want to confess, you should have definitely proposed and gotten her consent.”
“That’s not how things are between us. There’s no need to exchange such words.”
“Where in the world is there such a relationship?”
“Even if there’s no need for that...”
The confident words he had been speaking until now were now colorless, and doubt was lingering at the end of his tone. Not only his words, but his face also had a strange aura. Noah felt a slight tug at the back of his neck and asked him again.
“So you got her permission, didn’t you?”
“...It’s as good as getting it.”
“Huh, why on earth did you do that? You like certain things so much.”
Carson couldn’t help but lick his lips at Noah. He didn’t know why he had to say such things to him, but he needed some kind of certainty right now.
“Ines is a woman who carries around my portrait.”
“Yes?”
“She only carries around mine, she doesn’t have anyone else’s.”
“...”
“Besides, she said she would live the rest of her life only for me.”
Noah was speechless for a moment. Even if the portrait were like that, would an ordinary man and woman say such things while confirming each other’s feelings?
“That... She's not saying she’ll live her whole life as the lord’s woman, is she?”
“That’s what she's saying, right?”
“Even priests pray every day that they’ll spend their whole lives serving God. That doesn’t mean you’ll become God’s wife, right?”
At that moment, Carson suddenly shot up from his seat in a sudden realization. He hit his head hard on the carriage roof.
“Ugh.”
“Are you okay?”
But he couldn’t say anything.
Only his own portrait placed next to the portrait of the goddess Heclesia, filled his eyes.
And the figure of Ines, who was praying with her hands clasped together in front of it.
One year later, Landhill.
Several months had passed since Landhill, which had become a great territory by merging Lesonia, had begun to replenish the depleted imperial treasury.
Not long ago, the trade that the Empress’s private merchant group had ambitiously pursued had completely disappeared into the sea along with the sinking of a huge ship.
It was an accident that had occurred because the Empress, who was short on money, had pushed ahead recklessly without knowing the situation. The merchant group had enjoyed its power until now thanks to the authority that Carson had given them after successfully trading with the small country of Yamanta across the sea.
In order to increase and maintain her power as the Empress, she needed a huge amount of money, and she also needed money to show off her own power.
Noah had just come to the office with an official letter from Yamanta, who wanted to communicate directly with Carson’s merchant group.
“It’s finally coming to me.”
“It’s the power you should have had.”
A smile appeared on Carson’s face as he read the letter, but soon a displeasure appeared.
“Damn contractual relationship.”
Even in this era when the ocean carried new products from all over the world every day and railroad tracks were laid on the ground, the feudal system was still maintained without wavering.
The feudal system established a master-servant relationship through a contract between the Emperor and the knight. When the empire was established through a war of conquest hundreds of years ago, the Emperor granted land and titles to knights who had performed meritorious deeds. In return, the knight swore lifelong loyalty to the Emperor.
It was right to see that loyalty included the will to fill the imperial family’s financial hole.
“What good would it be if it were mine? They’d take everything away, like taxes and all.”
“I’m just jealous that you can say whatever you want.”
Carson put down the pen he was holding with a clank and spun his chair around to look at the garden.
“No matter what I say now, they can’t kill me.”
His words were true. Those in the royal family were not foolish enough to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. The money in the name of taxes that Carson paid was absolutely necessary for the banquets and extravagances that continued every day.
“No matter how much you hide it, they know how to take it, and there are dogs that are really good at sniffing out money.”
It was virtually impossible to hide everything because the flow of money that Carson was handling was so large.
Even so, that did not mean that he was honestly paying for everything. There was a gold mine in his domain that was still producing gold.
Carson allowed the Swenden family to borrow gold in any way, but he made a provision that they had to get permission from the lord before sending it out of the domain.
Gold was limited, and the money that the royal family printed could be re-created as much as they wanted.
“Anyway, since the ship sank, they must have been really angry, so they must have done anything...”
“I agree. It’s strange how quiet it is.”
The bankruptcy of the private merchants that the Empress had was tantamount to her lifeline being cut off. It was not his doing, but it was natural that her arrows would be pointed at Carson, who now had the largest merchants in the empire.
“Our Empress must be tired, too. To keep all those Raymonds in check.”
Even if you block everything thoroughly, there will always be holes. Even Carson could not live without creating a single weakness. That is why he had to always keep an eye on the Empress.
The knights were loyal to the Emperor, and the Emperor gave them land. This bilateral contractual relationship was inviolable. No one could take his land without permission, and it could only be passed on to his descendants who inherited his blood.
However, the imperial family had already given away too much land to the nobles. The weakening of power day by day was an inevitable process for an old imperial family, like the ground getting wet when it rains.
“This time, you will throw the right one.”
Ironically, Carson knew the Empress’s methods best. It was because he had been involved in various things in the royal family for the longest time.
“It’s time to move. It’s not bad. If you rush in like crazy, time will pass a little faster.”
Noah approached him silently and opened the window he was looking at. The cold wind was still blowing, but the coldness had eased a lot at the end of the wind.
The trees in the large garden were holding the sea breeze even with their dry leaves.
Carson was momentarily lost in front of the slowly flowing time.
Just as a wild horse that had been running fiercely on its strong and beautiful legs suddenly lost its way and looked for someone to tame it, he sometimes let everything go and faced the wind.
Noah knew who was standing in front of him without asking.
At such times, he would quickly organize his documents and prepare to leave his office. When Carson turned his gaze to the west like that, it was right to assume that his work for the day was over.
The only good thing was that Ines, who had not sent any news for the first year, occasionally sent letters these days.
Noah could only guess that there must have been some kind of agreement between the two, judging by the fact that they were just talking about trivial things without any major incidents.
Carson, who had been lost in thought for a moment, stretched out his body and crossed his legs leisurely.
“Well, then it’s better.”
“What do you mean?”
“Marcus was a knight, right? If he’s by Ines’ side, he can at least protect her.”
Noah narrowed his eyes at the unbelievable words.
“You saw it back then. He covered Ines with his priestly robes because he was afraid other people would see her crumble. He’s a man of chivalry. So it’s safer to have him by his side.”
“Are you serious?”
“Why would that be a lie?”
“But he’s young, and as the lord said, he was a knight, so he’s well-built, and he’s also quite handsome...”
“Stop.”
His mouth snapped shut again at the chewed words.
“That’s okay. He’s going to be a priest anyway.”
Noah steeled himself as he heard the words he seemed to be saying to himself.
“No. Marcus Knights is a friend who resigned his knighthood to become a doctor.”
“What?”
Carson threw his head back completely and leaned deeply against the carriage seat, feeling a moment of discomfort and irritation.
The Edmont Temple was a place where not only priests but also those who wanted to become doctors stayed to study.
Since the maids also took the catechumenate, it was natural for a doctor to take it. Just because he was wearing the cassock of a novice priest didn’t mean he would become a priest.
“Damn it.”
He finally let out the harsh words he hadn’t said since he was fifteen.
“What the hell is this? Why do I feel this way?”
Noah felt for the first time the agony of not being able to answer what he knew.
“Everything is a mess.”
He put his shoes on and stretched his legs out on the carriage seat opposite him. It was an action taken out of a desire to stretch out his body since his mind was narrow.
Just knowing that Ines was suffering from suffocating panic attacks in his absence was already a mess inside him.
In that case, wouldn’t it be a good thing to have someone by her side?
The solid red-haired man, a former knight and a candidate for parliament was exactly the person she needed right now. Furthermore, since he had received her support and changed the course of his life, he would be completely filled with goodwill toward her.
“But don’t worry too much about it. Aren’t you two already determined to each other?”
"...Well, that’s right.”
The answer to his question, which was meant to make him feel better, didn’t make sense. So Noah couldn’t help but ask again.
“You definitely confessed, right?”
“What kind of confession?”
“You should have told her your feelings anyway.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I’m not asking you to confess your feelings but to get married... If you don’t want to confess, you should have definitely proposed and gotten her consent.”
“That’s not how things are between us. There’s no need to exchange such words.”
“Where in the world is there such a relationship?”
“Even if there’s no need for that...”
The confident words he had been speaking until now were now colorless, and doubt was lingering at the end of his tone. Not only his words, but his face also had a strange aura. Noah felt a slight tug at the back of his neck and asked him again.
“So you got her permission, didn’t you?”
“...It’s as good as getting it.”
“Huh, why on earth did you do that? You like certain things so much.”
Carson couldn’t help but lick his lips at Noah. He didn’t know why he had to say such things to him, but he needed some kind of certainty right now.
“Ines is a woman who carries around my portrait.”
“Yes?”
“She only carries around mine, she doesn’t have anyone else’s.”
“...”
“Besides, she said she would live the rest of her life only for me.”
Noah was speechless for a moment. Even if the portrait were like that, would an ordinary man and woman say such things while confirming each other’s feelings?
“That... She's not saying she’ll live her whole life as the lord’s woman, is she?”
“That’s what she's saying, right?”
“Even priests pray every day that they’ll spend their whole lives serving God. That doesn’t mean you’ll become God’s wife, right?”
At that moment, Carson suddenly shot up from his seat in a sudden realization. He hit his head hard on the carriage roof.
“Ugh.”
“Are you okay?”
But he couldn’t say anything.
Only his own portrait placed next to the portrait of the goddess Heclesia, filled his eyes.
And the figure of Ines, who was praying with her hands clasped together in front of it.
***
One year later, Landhill.
Several months had passed since Landhill, which had become a great territory by merging Lesonia, had begun to replenish the depleted imperial treasury.
Not long ago, the trade that the Empress’s private merchant group had ambitiously pursued had completely disappeared into the sea along with the sinking of a huge ship.
It was an accident that had occurred because the Empress, who was short on money, had pushed ahead recklessly without knowing the situation. The merchant group had enjoyed its power until now thanks to the authority that Carson had given them after successfully trading with the small country of Yamanta across the sea.
In order to increase and maintain her power as the Empress, she needed a huge amount of money, and she also needed money to show off her own power.
Noah had just come to the office with an official letter from Yamanta, who wanted to communicate directly with Carson’s merchant group.
“It’s finally coming to me.”
“It’s the power you should have had.”
A smile appeared on Carson’s face as he read the letter, but soon a displeasure appeared.
“Damn contractual relationship.”
Even in this era when the ocean carried new products from all over the world every day and railroad tracks were laid on the ground, the feudal system was still maintained without wavering.
The feudal system established a master-servant relationship through a contract between the Emperor and the knight. When the empire was established through a war of conquest hundreds of years ago, the Emperor granted land and titles to knights who had performed meritorious deeds. In return, the knight swore lifelong loyalty to the Emperor.
It was right to see that loyalty included the will to fill the imperial family’s financial hole.
“What good would it be if it were mine? They’d take everything away, like taxes and all.”
“I’m just jealous that you can say whatever you want.”
Carson put down the pen he was holding with a clank and spun his chair around to look at the garden.
“No matter what I say now, they can’t kill me.”
His words were true. Those in the royal family were not foolish enough to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. The money in the name of taxes that Carson paid was absolutely necessary for the banquets and extravagances that continued every day.
“No matter how much you hide it, they know how to take it, and there are dogs that are really good at sniffing out money.”
It was virtually impossible to hide everything because the flow of money that Carson was handling was so large.
Even so, that did not mean that he was honestly paying for everything. There was a gold mine in his domain that was still producing gold.
Carson allowed the Swenden family to borrow gold in any way, but he made a provision that they had to get permission from the lord before sending it out of the domain.
Gold was limited, and the money that the royal family printed could be re-created as much as they wanted.
“Anyway, since the ship sank, they must have been really angry, so they must have done anything...”
“I agree. It’s strange how quiet it is.”
The bankruptcy of the private merchants that the Empress had was tantamount to her lifeline being cut off. It was not his doing, but it was natural that her arrows would be pointed at Carson, who now had the largest merchants in the empire.
“Our Empress must be tired, too. To keep all those Raymonds in check.”
Even if you block everything thoroughly, there will always be holes. Even Carson could not live without creating a single weakness. That is why he had to always keep an eye on the Empress.
The knights were loyal to the Emperor, and the Emperor gave them land. This bilateral contractual relationship was inviolable. No one could take his land without permission, and it could only be passed on to his descendants who inherited his blood.
However, the imperial family had already given away too much land to the nobles. The weakening of power day by day was an inevitable process for an old imperial family, like the ground getting wet when it rains.
“This time, you will throw the right one.”
Ironically, Carson knew the Empress’s methods best. It was because he had been involved in various things in the royal family for the longest time.
“It’s time to move. It’s not bad. If you rush in like crazy, time will pass a little faster.”
Noah approached him silently and opened the window he was looking at. The cold wind was still blowing, but the coldness had eased a lot at the end of the wind.
The trees in the large garden were holding the sea breeze even with their dry leaves.
Carson was momentarily lost in front of the slowly flowing time.
Just as a wild horse that had been running fiercely on its strong and beautiful legs suddenly lost its way and looked for someone to tame it, he sometimes let everything go and faced the wind.
Noah knew who was standing in front of him without asking.
At such times, he would quickly organize his documents and prepare to leave his office. When Carson turned his gaze to the west like that, it was right to assume that his work for the day was over.
The only good thing was that Ines, who had not sent any news for the first year, occasionally sent letters these days.
Noah could only guess that there must have been some kind of agreement between the two, judging by the fact that they were just talking about trivial things without any major incidents.
As he prepared to leave while keeping the noise as low as possible, the head butler came to the office.
“Your Highness, I have a message that the Princess wants to spend dinner with you tonight.”
The only one who could bring Carson back to the world after sinking to the bottom was his own blood relative, Louisianne.
“Yes, get ready. Don’t prepare too much sweet food.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he thought of Louis.
“Your Highness, I have a message that the Princess wants to spend dinner with you tonight.”
The only one who could bring Carson back to the world after sinking to the bottom was his own blood relative, Louisianne.
“Yes, get ready. Don’t prepare too much sweet food.”
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he thought of Louis.
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