Marquis Boushez smiled and glanced at the duke.

“Will you be joining us for drinks today, Your Grace? Who knows, perhaps the drunken me will once again release some ancient stones.”

Duke Astra chuckled at the arrogant tone.

“Well, I don’t move much at night. Who can say what might happen?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’d be wise to be cautious as well. You never know if someone is watching your insolent attitude.”

“...!”

Marquis Boushez’s expression hardened.

That was a threat.

A chilling warning that provoking him could send one to the afterlife.

The elders who knew Duke Astra’s temperament froze.

The duke left the meeting room with a slight smirk.

One by one, the elders, after exchanging looks, began to follow him.

Left alone in the quiet chamber, Marquis Boushez clenched his fists tightly.

‘What can they do to me anyway?’

He was the brother of Oscelia, the late Empress who bore the heir.

When her son became emperor, he would become the imperial uncle.

‘We’ll see who rises and who falls in the future.’

If I become the imperial uncle, even Duke Astra would have no choice but to bow.

Marquis Boushez’s lips curled into a grimace.

Han Jihyeok gasped as if struck by lightning.

“R-reinforcement stones? Really? Reinforcement stones? You’re lying!”

“It’s true. Have you been living a lie all this time?”

“It’s true, I’ve been fooled all along.”

A boast.

Han Jihyeok exhaled sharply.

Anyone might think he had just won the lottery jackpot.

Well, it was like a lottery.

One of those stones could be worth the price of a whole manor.

Han Jihyeok nervously reached out toward the reinforcement stones.

I quickly slapped the back of his hand.

“Don’t even think about stealing them.”

“What’s with that...? I bought them with my own money!”

“If you have these, you’ll only be in danger. How are you planning to sell them?”

“Well, there are lots of ways. Auction, brokers...”

“The moment word gets out that you’re selling, assassins will storm your room.”

It’s easier to quietly take Han Jihyeok out and steal the stones than to buy them with huge sums.

Han Jihyeok’s face hardened as he caught the meaning.

“That’s definitely dangerous. Then what will you do?”

“Hmm...”

“Even if you’re a noble lady like Erilot, you’re only three years old.”

“...”

“Can you contact brokers? Can you put your name down at an auction and sell them?”

“There’s another way.”

“Another way?”

“I’ll sell them to Grandfather.”

I smirked.

He was a rich man who could pay the highest price and wouldn’t kill me.

Duke Astra himself.

Han Jihyeok nodded, seeming convinced.

“Then how will you explain how you found the reinforcement stones? You can’t say you found them on the roadside.”

Han Jihyeok shrugged and continued.

“If people know I recognized the stones and bought them at auction, they’ll think you’re not just an ordinary three-year-old.”

“That’s already planned.”

I toyed with the cute stones with my fingertips, raising my eyebrows.

“Just get ready to be rich and wait.”

Han Jihyeok stared at me.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.

“That’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard.”

We exchanged sly smiles and lightly high-fived.

The next day.

Father’s office.

I sat on the carpet under the desk, planting roses in a pot.

There wasn’t much to it — just put flowers in the prepared pot and fill it with soil.

As I hummed a tune, tapping the soil, I sensed Father watching me.

“What’s that?”

“It’s Michelan’s rose. A rose resembling the late Empress.”

Suddenly, there was a loud thump nearby.

The aides dropped some papers in surprise.

Even Enzo looked shocked and glanced this way.

“A rose resembling the general?”

Just as he was about to say something with a resolute expression, Father said,

“Shut up.”

“Yes, sir...”

Enzo immediately closed his mouth.

I lifted the pot and tiptoed to place it on Father’s desk.

He smirked slightly.

“Where did you learn to decorate pots with stones?”

“It’s a pot from the gardeners. It has stones. Pretty.”

I held up the pouch of stones before Father with both hands.

“Look! These are reinforcement stones!”

‘I know someone who will notice these reinforcement stones.’

I approached Enzo and handed him one.

“I’ll give you the prettiest stone.”

“Thank you, miss.”

Enzo took the stone with both hands and smiled.

Suddenly, I felt myself lifted off the ground.

Enzo’s Gaho, .

“Are you alright...?”

“Ah!”

I screamed as Enzo’s Gaho lifted me to the ceiling in an instant.

“Miss!”

“Miss...!”

The aides were shocked.

“Enzo!”

Father shouted.

Enzo’s face turned pale. His Gaho must have been out of control.

After a moment, Enzo finally managed to set me down.

Then Father carefully held me.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes! Fun.”

I smiled happily and put my hands on my cheeks.

Since I liked high places ever since riding on Mosco’s back, no one found it strange.

Father was always worried about me.

I glanced at Enzo.

He was watching the stone I gave him with a stern face.

‘He must have felt the thrill of his Gaho being amplified.’

Now he can explain it to Father instead of me.

I secretly smirked.

Afternoon.

Aides and estate officials surrounded me.

Enzo realized that my Gaho had been amplified by the stone I gave him.

He informed Father, and the stones were immediately investigated.

The investigation revealed,

‘These are the so-called reinforcement stones.’

One official asked me with a trembling voice,

“Where did these stones come from?”

“My friend has a pretty brazier. It’s there.”

“Brazier?”

“Yes. An ancient brazier.”

I handed Father the pouch with the reinforcement stones.

The officials gasped seeing its weight.

Father frowned as he opened the pouch.

“That’s the one who came to the estate before, isn’t it?”

“Yes!”

Enzo looked at Father.

“Do you think she knew those were reinforcement stones when she gave them?”

“No fool would hand over reinforcement stones for free.”

“They must not have known that the stones in the brazier were reinforcement stones.”

The officials gathered around Father, murmuring like zombies,

“Funds for wall repairs...”

“Replacement of the knight order’s equipment...”

“Flood recovery funds...”

Father frowned, raising the pouch.

“These belong to Erilot.”

“What?! How could a young lady know the value of such a precious item...!”

“If you take one because you think she won’t use it properly, soon you’ll be taking two.”

Father was amazing!

I looked at him with shining eyes.

He met my gaze and said,

“Erilot, these are very precious. If you want to convert them to money, I will help; if you want to keep them, I will provide a sealed storage.”

I hummed thoughtfully.

Then glanced at Father.

“I want to do something else.”

“Anything you want. It’s yours. Tell me.”

I smiled brightly and shouted,

“I want Grandfather’s!”

Father’s pupils shook violently at my words.

Factory estate.

Marquis Debussy handed over information collected from the capital.

“Marquis Boushez is acting excessively.”

“Did he even attempt an attack?”

“An outright attack would be better. Isn’t that what the duke wants?”

If it were an outright attack, they could just cut off his head.

But as long as he just annoys them without acting, there is no excuse to get rid of him.

“Oscelia the Empress left a troublesome brother.”

Astra sided with Oscelia the Empress.

So normally, there would be no reason to be hostile to Boushez, the Empress’s family.

The reason Boushez antagonizes Astra, a pro-Empress faction duke, is one.

“He wants to be leader of the Empress’s faction nobles.”

The pride of wanting to lead the nobles loyal to the Empress.

That alone causes Boushez to sow division.

‘My nephew becoming emperor means he doesn’t want to share power.’

Marquis Debussy frowned.

“He is currying favor by distributing ancient stones.”

“...”

“Since ancient stones only rise in value just by possessing them, in five years their price will multiply tenfold.”

“...”

“With that, people naturally gather.”

Listening to the two, Conrad sighed.

There was no other choice here.

Having sided with Empress Oscelia, they could not strike Boushez without justification.

But they could not stop the sale of ancient stones.

‘The only way is to reduce their value.’

But how to reduce the value of such precious things...

At that moment, the steward of the factory estate knocked on the door.

“Albert.”

“Enter.”

The steward bowed as he entered.

“Lord Daymond and Lady Erilot request an audience.”

‘What?’

Conrad ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) and Marquis Debussy widened their eyes.

Daymond, yes, but Erilot as well?

Daymond’s strong aversion to his father meant he never visited the factory estate unless necessary.

The duke frowned.

“You’ve come to the estate?”

“You have passed through the main gate.”

“Open the audience chamber.”

“Yes, sir.”

The steward hurried off to prepare.

About an hour later, the duke rose and was followed by Debussy and Conrad.

When they arrived at the audience chamber, Daymond and Erilot were already there.

Upon opening the door,

“Grandfather!”

Erilot ran in brightly and hugged her grandfather’s knees.

The duke cleared his throat.

Conrad and Debussy chuckled.

“It’s been a month.”

“How have you been, miss?”

“Yes.”

Erilot answered.

Daymond frowned on the sofa and called his daughter.

“Erilot, come here.”

Looking between her grandfather and father, Erilot replied softly, “Yes...” and went to her father.

The duke frowned and sat opposite Daymond.

“You look like you’re about to die. What’s going on in my estate?”

“I didn’t come here because I wanted to.”

“Then why?”

The duke and Daymond exchanged displeased looks.

Daymond’s eyebrows twitched.

But he said nothing and looked at his daughter.

“Tell him.”

Erilot took out the pouch she had carefully placed on the corner of the sofa and handed it to the duke.

“For you.”

Debussy and Conrad smiled faintly.

“A gift, it seems.”

“Was there an anniversary recently?”

While the two spoke casually, Daymond sighed.

“Reinforcement stones.”

“Haha, I see. Reinforcement... yes?”

“Yes, reinforcement stones... reinforcement stones?!”

Debussy and Conrad’s mouths dropped open.

“R-reinforcement stones? Did you just say reinforcement stones?”

Daymond answered in a flat voice.

“Yes. Reinforcement stones.”

Erilot opened the pouch and took out a stone, handing it to the duke.

“Grandfather, this one.”

“Oberic Debussy.”

When her grandfather called Marquis Debussy, he quickly took the stone.

Soon after, Debussy’s shadow began to ripple.

His Gaho was .

An ability to separate and move shadows.

The shadow, which had been moving slightly, quickly grew and spread.

When it covered half the room, the air in the room twisted violently.

Shelves and tables shook with a clatter.

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

All Debussy could do with his shadow was slip it under the door to retrieve a paper.

“It’s definitely reinforcement stone—!”

Conrad and Debussy gasped, and Duke Astra’s expression hardened.

The duke looked at his granddaughter calmly sitting next to his father.

“Why do you give me this?”

“I’m giving you the best one, Grandfather.”

“What?”

“Because you’re the head of our Astra family who protects us!”

Conrad and Debussy murmured, touched, “Miss...”

Daymond frowned and muttered, “If I find who taught you this... I’ll kill them...” before stopping himself.

Then.

Kuhaha—!

Duke Astra began to laugh heartily.

Even Conrad, Daymond, and Debussy — who had served the duke for nearly 30 years — were surprised.

It was the first time Duke Astra laughed so heartily.

Leaning on the armrest of the sofa, he looked at Erilot.

“So, how many reinforcement stones are there in total?”

“Um, about 300. And there are 67 more...”

The duke nodded.

“Conrad Marcial.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Attach a cart full of gold to Erilot’s return route. ...About 300 million gold should be sufficient.”

Three hundred million?!

The budget for Grimie’s jurisdiction had been only ninety million gold.

“Ha...”

At that moment, Debussy, who had been standing, slowly sank down onto his chair.