CHAPTER 17: 64,000 COINS WORTH OF RICHES.

"I-impossible, you actually did it!" James jerked up from his chair, his eyes focused on the multiple bags of money scattered on the table in front of him.

He was almost unable to speak due to the expression of shock on his face.

Sebastian, who also happened to be in the office at the time, had the same look on his face, unable to believe the young lord was able to accumulate this much money in such a short amount of time. It was almost like a dream.

Stella, on the other hand, was rather calm compared to the two. With two maids flanking both sides while she was seated on the couch, she fanned herself, a proud smile on her face.

The reason being, she believed Dorian would do it from the very start; ever since he apologized to her, she could tell he had changed.

Finally, the man at the center of it all, Dorian, stood at the opposite side of the table, his arms folded with Maria right beside him.

"Uhn? Why are you acting all shocked? I already told you I planned on selling the dragon ores for money, did I not?" he raised a brow.

James looked at him, shock still lingering on his face. "I know you did, son, but in such a short amount of time? I am still finding it hard to believe this land has this many dragon ores, but who would buy this much so fast?"

"Merchants, of course."

"Eh?"

Maria took the opportunity to chime in, "I believe what my lord meant to explain was; because merchants have direct ties to the guild masters, they are able to accumulate loans for their business using their assets as collateral. That was how Lord Dorian was able to sell enough for this much."

Once again, Stella smiled boldly.

James, fully understanding what Maria had said, sat down on the chair, allowing the information to settle in his head as he kept his gaze locked on the money.

"How much am I looking at right now?"

"64,000 gold coins."

James’s eyes grew wide as he let out a few little laughs. He was completely astounded by how much he had just heard.

If anything, everyone in the room had the same reaction.

Then, Dorian continued—

"That said, I have created a budget for this. Most of the money earned here will be used for the barony, and the rest for us to get our honor back. Which means to pay our debt and also hire soldiers and workers back."

"..."

"You need not worry about me; I will find more retainers to serve me. Your concern should be with your name, with the Aurelian name. Do you understand, Father?"

The more he heard his son’s confident words, the more it seemed as though James wanted to break down. He gripped his fist tightly, his face lowered to hide the tears seemingly dropping from his eyes.

For a good minute, he was silent, trying to compose himself as much as he could.

Seeing this also made Stella emotional; no, it made almost everyone in the room emotional.

They understood how hard James had been trying to elevate the family name, only to fail over and over again. While he never smiled during these times like Stella did, he also didn’t cry.

As such, to see such a strong-willed man cry in front of everyone, it was only normal for them to react the way they did.

"Thank you, son, thank you..." James extended his gratitude, "And I am sorry, sorry for not believing in you."

’If the old Dorian were here to see this, I wonder how he would react to it. These are the words he wanted to hear from his parents,’ Dorian smiled.

"I am only doing my duty as your son; you need not worry about thanking me. I’ll be going now."

....

"Ahh~ I can finally rest."

Dorian collapsed on the bed on his back, his arms stretched apart, with his face pointing towards the ceiling.

He was so tired that he lay on the bed without changing his clothes or taking off his shoes.

Maria walked in a second later, closing the door behind her.

Once she was in, she stood at the side, watching as Dorian stiffened himself up on the bed like a stick.

As she watched him, she couldn’t help but whisper in her mind.

’Regardless of how I see it, this man did exactly what he said he would. He cleared not only his debt but also worked to raise his family’s name out of the mud. It’s almost like he is an entirely different person now, and not the Dorian people knew many years ago.’

A small sigh left her mouth.

Never in a million years did she think anyone in such a low-income land would be able to generate 64,000 gold coins all by themselves.

"Sit." Dorian suddenly spoke, looking at her from where he was sleeping. "You standing there all silent is really creepy."

Maria closed her eyes, taking his offer and settling down at the border of the mattress.

"Lord Dorian, I have a question."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Do you remember meeting a girl about, say, 16 years ago?" she asked, her body turned the other way so Dorian couldn’t see her face.

Hearing the question, Dorian stayed quiet for a while, a serious look quickly playing on his face.

"Are you implying we met 16 years ago?" he asked back.

"Would that be so unexpected? There are rumors that we have known each other since childhood. The locals say it to me all the time."

Once again, silence settled.

"Alright, I’ll be honest." Dorian looked at the ceiling. "I can’t remember anything from my childhood. Not a single thing. I tried many times, but nothing ever comes, not even the tiniest hints."

"I see." Maria lowered her head, rubbing her fingers together.

In no way was Dorian lying. After transmigrating into his new body, he often tried to remember what kind of life he must have lived in his younger days. But anytime he tried, he would feel a splitting headache and then meet with emptiness, not a single piece of information about his past.

Still, he never really worried about it or tried to know more about it. The only reason he even thought about it now was because Maria brought it up.

Sighing, he turned his attention to Maria.

"Do you perhaps remember us hanging out or something?"

"No, I do not."

"Then I guess we have nothing to worry about then. When the time comes, I’ll find a way to deal with my lost memories. Besides, I don’t have time to think about that now; tomorrow is a great day."

As soon as he finished speaking, Dorian turned over on the bed and prepared to go to sleep.

This time, Maria was now the one looking at him.

"Idiot."

She whispered to herself.