A young boy, seemingly just awake and running, grabbed Arthur's leg and begged him. It was Reese.
'Oh, no. Why is that kid here...'
Why did the guy who had been lying there motionless until now show up now?
Max, who had been blinking in embarrassment, came to his senses belatedly and hurriedly approached his son.
If Reese opened his mouth right here, it would all be over.
He immediately pushed his son away and tried to cover up the situation by saying, 'This guy must be losing his mind because of the stress from work. Haha.'
But before that, Arthur struck first.
“From what I’ve heard, I guess you’re the genius potter from the famous Spence Workshop.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But what did you just say? You clearly met the deadline. I even received the finished product.”
“Huh? A finished product? Of course not. The pottery I made was still being decorated... I had an accident five days ago and collapsed, and just came to my senses now.”
Reese, who had been tilting his head as if he were puzzled, stood up hesitantly and stared at the pottery Arthur was holding.
“Huh...? This wasn’t made in our workshop?”
“No?”
“Yes. It is definitely different from the ceramics I make. I don’t paint them in such a fancy way. The glaze is too thick. It seems similar to the products from the Jena workshop in the next town...”
Max's face turned pale at the sight of his son's behavior, who not only bluntly revealed the truth about everything, but also told him where to buy the pottery.
“Oh, my. What is this guy talking about? Sir, you’re misunderstanding!”
He quickly reprimanded his son and now tried to quell the situation.
“I’m sorry, sir. This guy is so stressed out from work that he’s losing his mind... Don’t misunderstand! This is definitely something made by our Spence workshop. Look, there’s even his name stamped on it!”
But it was already too late.
“Go to Jenna’s workshop investigate the truth, and arrest him for now. If it is revealed that he swapped the goods to be supplied to the imperial family with those from another workshop, he will be sent to the capital immediately on charges of defrauding the imperial family.”
At the chilling command, the knights rushed in and captured Max.
“Oh, no, sir! Seriously not! This guy is mistaken! What kind of dream is this, that you're catching a living person!”
Max, who was tied up tightly with ropes, desperately claimed his innocence, but it was no use.
The owner of Jenna's workshop, who was called in a while later, admitted that it was indeed a work of art he had created and that a few days ago, a man had offered him a large sum of money and asked him to sell a product that had not even been stamped with his name on it, so he had no choice but to give it to him.
So Max was dragged by the knights into the capital.
“Deceiving the Imperial Family is a serious crime, so you will be sentenced to 20 years in prison. Of course, you will be free again after that, but by then you will be a fully grown adult, so you will be able to deal with it.”
“Yes, it will.”
Reese nodded with a bright smile at my words and muttered as if making a promise.
“My father has a lot of gambling debt, but I’m sure I can pay it off if I work hard.”
“Huh? Gambling debt?”
“Yes. The casino owner told my mother a while ago that he owed her thirty gold coins, and the interest rate was a whopping 15%. It’s a lot of interest, but if you get a few pre-orders from the noble ladies, I’ll be able to....”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I already paid for it.”
“Yes? Who... the Saintess?”
“No. The man who took money from your father. In fact, that man was someone we recruited. We need to lure your father, but it’s going to be difficult if the advance payment remains.”
I shrugged my shoulders and took a heavy pouch out of my robe and handed it to him.
“Here, here. The money I borrowed from your father. It’s what was left after paying off his gambling debts.”
Reese's eyes widened as he opened the pocket.
“Why are there so many gold coins...”
There seemed to be at least a hundred of them.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this much money. I’ve only made money so far, and my father has taken all the profits.”
Despite the fairly high level of workshop sales, Reese and his family could only fill their bellies with a few pieces of multigrain bread and watery soup.
But now they don't have to live like that.
They will be able to eat good food until they are full, no, until their stomach bursts.
Mother would not have to suffer from father's verbal and physical abuse, and his younger siblings would not have to tremble in fear of being sold off somewhere.
He could easily buy the green dress, yellow shoes, and pink ribbon hair clip that his sisters couldn't take their eyes off of.
At that moment, tears burst out of Reese's eyes.
“Thank you, Your Highness, Your Ladyship. I am greatly indebted to you. You are the benefactors of our family.”
“I'm a benefactor. I didn’t even help you for free.”
I smiled awkwardly and cautiously asked for the price.
“Yes, so can you hand the prize over to us now?”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Free from his father, the source of all his problems, Reese willingly handed Chihara over to us.
I thought the Chihara case was over safely...
.
.
.
“If this continues, there’s a good chance he’ll starve to death soon.”
I nodded weakly at Chihara's words as he muttered sadly while watching Reese diligently making pottery.
'All the genius boys are dead.'
Without Chihara's help, Reese's skills were truly miserable.
I don't know if it's because he hasn't recovered from his past slump yet, or if he's feeling burdened by having to do it alone without Chihara's help from now on, so he's not showing his true abilities, but if this continues, Spence's workshop's reputation will soon be ruined.
I whispered with an embarrassed expression to the Marquis, who was watching from the side.
“What should I do? If you keep acting like this and can’t figure it out, I don’t think Chihara will be able to leave even if Reese gives up.”
“I guess so.”
“Ha... This is a big deal. Time is of the essence. Could you perhaps give me a blessing or something?”
"Blessing?"
“Yes. Since you are the son of a goddess, I don’t think that would be difficult for you.”
The Marquis shook his head firmly at my subtle request.
“That child already has the blessing of the goddess passed down from generation to generation.”
“From his ancestors?”
“Yes. That’s why the reputation of the workshop has continued for over a hundred years. It’s an old blessing, but it seems like one generation has not benefited from it.”
The Marquis clicked his tongue slightly as if thinking of Reese's father.
“Anyway, that child already has the grace of the goddess, so he doesn’t need any more blessings. It’s up to that child to bring out his inner abilities.”
In short, I let out a deep sigh at the words, “Practice is the only way to survive.”
Late at night, still locked in his workshop, wrestling with the potter's wheel, Reese lifted his hand from the clod of clay with a look of dejection on his face.
“No. I can’t do it.”
No matter how much he practiced, he just couldn't get back to his old skills.
It was as if he had completely forgotten how to make pottery.
'If things continue like this, the workshop will be ruined.'
Then the family's livelihood will be in danger again.
'I thought I could finally make my family happy.'
As the frustrated Reese was clutching his head, a gentle voice pierced his ear.
“Reese.”
“Oh, Your Ladyship.”
Reese raised his head in surprise and jumped up when he saw Shayne standing in the doorway.
“What brings you here at this late hour...”
“I just can’t sleep.”
She approached him with a smile and asked him while looking at the clod of dirt that Reese was handling.
“I guess things aren’t going as well as I thought.”
“...I guess I still haven’t gotten out of my slump.”
Reese answered with a gloomy face.
He's been making pottery his whole life, but he can't understand why it doesn't turn out the way he wants it to.
It was when Reese was biting his lip in self-loathing.
“Well, Reese.”
Shayne called him in a quiet voice.
“Didn’t I say I was originally a Princess of the Veloce family?”
“Oh, yes. I heard. That the successor of the Veloce family became a Saintess.”
“That’s right. I was originally the successor to the Veloce family. I received training to become a successor from a young age, and from the age of fifteen, I took charge of all the family’s affairs.”
“You are amazing. You are only fifteen years old, yet you are in charge of such a large ducal family.”
“Well, actually, I didn’t do it because I liked it. I just had no choice because I was the only one who could do it. My father was so incompetent. That’s why I thought I should do it too...”
Shayne's lips drooped bitterly.
“At some point, I couldn’t focus on my work. The people who should be here are busy playing house with the government and having an illegitimate child, so I felt resentful, wondering why I had to live buried in work.”
'Oh, no. Why is that kid here...'
Why did the guy who had been lying there motionless until now show up now?
Max, who had been blinking in embarrassment, came to his senses belatedly and hurriedly approached his son.
If Reese opened his mouth right here, it would all be over.
He immediately pushed his son away and tried to cover up the situation by saying, 'This guy must be losing his mind because of the stress from work. Haha.'
But before that, Arthur struck first.
“From what I’ve heard, I guess you’re the genius potter from the famous Spence Workshop.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But what did you just say? You clearly met the deadline. I even received the finished product.”
“Huh? A finished product? Of course not. The pottery I made was still being decorated... I had an accident five days ago and collapsed, and just came to my senses now.”
Reese, who had been tilting his head as if he were puzzled, stood up hesitantly and stared at the pottery Arthur was holding.
“Huh...? This wasn’t made in our workshop?”
“No?”
“Yes. It is definitely different from the ceramics I make. I don’t paint them in such a fancy way. The glaze is too thick. It seems similar to the products from the Jena workshop in the next town...”
Max's face turned pale at the sight of his son's behavior, who not only bluntly revealed the truth about everything, but also told him where to buy the pottery.
“Oh, my. What is this guy talking about? Sir, you’re misunderstanding!”
He quickly reprimanded his son and now tried to quell the situation.
“I’m sorry, sir. This guy is so stressed out from work that he’s losing his mind... Don’t misunderstand! This is definitely something made by our Spence workshop. Look, there’s even his name stamped on it!”
But it was already too late.
“Go to Jenna’s workshop investigate the truth, and arrest him for now. If it is revealed that he swapped the goods to be supplied to the imperial family with those from another workshop, he will be sent to the capital immediately on charges of defrauding the imperial family.”
At the chilling command, the knights rushed in and captured Max.
“Oh, no, sir! Seriously not! This guy is mistaken! What kind of dream is this, that you're catching a living person!”
Max, who was tied up tightly with ropes, desperately claimed his innocence, but it was no use.
The owner of Jenna's workshop, who was called in a while later, admitted that it was indeed a work of art he had created and that a few days ago, a man had offered him a large sum of money and asked him to sell a product that had not even been stamped with his name on it, so he had no choice but to give it to him.
So Max was dragged by the knights into the capital.
***
“Yes, it will.”
Reese nodded with a bright smile at my words and muttered as if making a promise.
“My father has a lot of gambling debt, but I’m sure I can pay it off if I work hard.”
“Huh? Gambling debt?”
“Yes. The casino owner told my mother a while ago that he owed her thirty gold coins, and the interest rate was a whopping 15%. It’s a lot of interest, but if you get a few pre-orders from the noble ladies, I’ll be able to....”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I already paid for it.”
“Yes? Who... the Saintess?”
“No. The man who took money from your father. In fact, that man was someone we recruited. We need to lure your father, but it’s going to be difficult if the advance payment remains.”
I shrugged my shoulders and took a heavy pouch out of my robe and handed it to him.
“Here, here. The money I borrowed from your father. It’s what was left after paying off his gambling debts.”
Reese's eyes widened as he opened the pocket.
“Why are there so many gold coins...”
There seemed to be at least a hundred of them.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this much money. I’ve only made money so far, and my father has taken all the profits.”
Despite the fairly high level of workshop sales, Reese and his family could only fill their bellies with a few pieces of multigrain bread and watery soup.
But now they don't have to live like that.
They will be able to eat good food until they are full, no, until their stomach bursts.
Mother would not have to suffer from father's verbal and physical abuse, and his younger siblings would not have to tremble in fear of being sold off somewhere.
He could easily buy the green dress, yellow shoes, and pink ribbon hair clip that his sisters couldn't take their eyes off of.
At that moment, tears burst out of Reese's eyes.
“Thank you, Your Highness, Your Ladyship. I am greatly indebted to you. You are the benefactors of our family.”
“I'm a benefactor. I didn’t even help you for free.”
I smiled awkwardly and cautiously asked for the price.
“Yes, so can you hand the prize over to us now?”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Free from his father, the source of all his problems, Reese willingly handed Chihara over to us.
I thought the Chihara case was over safely...
.
.
.
“If this continues, there’s a good chance he’ll starve to death soon.”
I nodded weakly at Chihara's words as he muttered sadly while watching Reese diligently making pottery.
'All the genius boys are dead.'
Without Chihara's help, Reese's skills were truly miserable.
I don't know if it's because he hasn't recovered from his past slump yet, or if he's feeling burdened by having to do it alone without Chihara's help from now on, so he's not showing his true abilities, but if this continues, Spence's workshop's reputation will soon be ruined.
I whispered with an embarrassed expression to the Marquis, who was watching from the side.
“What should I do? If you keep acting like this and can’t figure it out, I don’t think Chihara will be able to leave even if Reese gives up.”
“I guess so.”
“Ha... This is a big deal. Time is of the essence. Could you perhaps give me a blessing or something?”
"Blessing?"
“Yes. Since you are the son of a goddess, I don’t think that would be difficult for you.”
The Marquis shook his head firmly at my subtle request.
“That child already has the blessing of the goddess passed down from generation to generation.”
“From his ancestors?”
“Yes. That’s why the reputation of the workshop has continued for over a hundred years. It’s an old blessing, but it seems like one generation has not benefited from it.”
The Marquis clicked his tongue slightly as if thinking of Reese's father.
“Anyway, that child already has the grace of the goddess, so he doesn’t need any more blessings. It’s up to that child to bring out his inner abilities.”
In short, I let out a deep sigh at the words, “Practice is the only way to survive.”
***
Late at night, still locked in his workshop, wrestling with the potter's wheel, Reese lifted his hand from the clod of clay with a look of dejection on his face.
“No. I can’t do it.”
No matter how much he practiced, he just couldn't get back to his old skills.
It was as if he had completely forgotten how to make pottery.
'If things continue like this, the workshop will be ruined.'
Then the family's livelihood will be in danger again.
'I thought I could finally make my family happy.'
As the frustrated Reese was clutching his head, a gentle voice pierced his ear.
“Reese.”
“Oh, Your Ladyship.”
Reese raised his head in surprise and jumped up when he saw Shayne standing in the doorway.
“What brings you here at this late hour...”
“I just can’t sleep.”
She approached him with a smile and asked him while looking at the clod of dirt that Reese was handling.
“I guess things aren’t going as well as I thought.”
“...I guess I still haven’t gotten out of my slump.”
Reese answered with a gloomy face.
He's been making pottery his whole life, but he can't understand why it doesn't turn out the way he wants it to.
It was when Reese was biting his lip in self-loathing.
“Well, Reese.”
Shayne called him in a quiet voice.
“Didn’t I say I was originally a Princess of the Veloce family?”
“Oh, yes. I heard. That the successor of the Veloce family became a Saintess.”
“That’s right. I was originally the successor to the Veloce family. I received training to become a successor from a young age, and from the age of fifteen, I took charge of all the family’s affairs.”
“You are amazing. You are only fifteen years old, yet you are in charge of such a large ducal family.”
“Well, actually, I didn’t do it because I liked it. I just had no choice because I was the only one who could do it. My father was so incompetent. That’s why I thought I should do it too...”
Shayne's lips drooped bitterly.
“At some point, I couldn’t focus on my work. The people who should be here are busy playing house with the government and having an illegitimate child, so I felt resentful, wondering why I had to live buried in work.”
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