20 years ago.

“If the prince returns to the imperial palace, we’re dead. If he tells the Emperor that we enslaved him after receiving money to serve him…”

“Damn it, we thought the empire would fall. Now we’re the ones about to fall. We didn’t expect the imperial family to be rebuilt.”

“There’s only one way. We have to kill the prince to silence him.”

Three middle-aged men were gathered, having a conversation.

One was fat, one was tall and thin, and the other had dark circles under his eyes.

They were palace officials looking for a way to make amends for their actions.

“But if it’s discovered that we killed the prince, not only our lives but our families’ lives will be in danger.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared thoroughly. No one has seen our faces here. I deliberately drove away all the vagrants of Hasetsu.”

Ten-year-old Resban was crouched down, silently listening to their words.

His deep golden eyes were calm, as if he couldn’t hear anything.

However, if you looked closely, you could see the image of a burning hell within them.

They say the imperial palace has been rebuilt, but it can’t be anything but hell.

It must be crawling with hellish humans.

The men now discussing taking his life are self-proclaimed loyal subjects of his father.

Men who used to curry favor with his now-dead siblings to get noticed.

They abused the boy, enslaved him, and tried to sell his life.

If the frightened enemies hadn’t disregarded Resban’s life as the empire was being rebuilt, the boy would probably be dead by now.

“Once the prince is dead, we’ll be free. It’ll be as if nothing happened. The prince died at the hands of rebel forces, and we tried to protect him but…”

“Yes, we tried to protect him but failed.”

“And all the money was taken. Haha.”

They are people who think only of personal glory and wish for the empire’s downfall.

Not just them, but most humans are like that.

A deep disillusionment with humanity has been building up for a long time.

“Then let’s bring him. Have you prepared the private soldiers?”

“Yes. The Emperor, being who he is, will thoroughly investigate if the prince dies. So we need to stage it perfectly. We can kill all the private soldiers too.”

They went outside the warehouse.

Resban just sat in the same position.

His ankles were bound in shackles anyway.

He quietly closed his eyes.

The pain, anger, and resignation from everything he had experienced so far had piled up in the boy’s heart, forming a mountain.

Someday it would become a massive volcano, but he knew that at the moment, even his life was difficult to measure.

‘If an opportunity comes…’

Just then, the warehouse door opened. Since it wasn’t their presence, Resban looked up.

The figure of a girl appeared, with light footsteps as delicate as her appearance.

The girl had silvery hair like the deep night moonlight tied in two braids.

She had eyes as clear and blue as a lake he had seen somewhere, and cheeks that looked white and soft as if they had never known hardship.

From her attire, she was a child who didn’t fit in this place.

**

On the luxurious palace balcony, Resban, wearing a robe that revealed half of his firm chest, was having breakfast and reading newly arrived documents.

The documents contained information about Esika’s past.

[Three years ago, she fell in love with Duke Callian Klaus and begged her father, Baron Brigitte, for marriage to the duke’s family. The ailing Baron Brigitte granted his daughter’s request for her future and sent a matchmaking proposal.]

Resban’s gaze lingered on the first sentence for quite a while.

There was not a hint of warmth in Esika’s eyes as she looked at Callian Klaus.

Resban continued reading the information.

[Although the marriage was arranged with a massive dowry as a condition, Esika Klaus did not receive the duke’s attention and didn’t even consummate the marriage. It is presumed that she was consistently abused by Riona Klaus, the duke’s main wife.]

Resban’s eyebrow twitched at the ‘consummation’ part.

He continued reading the information about her.

As Esika had said, Resban didn’t know the number of Klaus’s knives, but he knew every detail about weapons, including daggers.

However, if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have been greatly interested in the family’s internal affairs.

Resban already had more than enough to read with just the reports on state affairs.

“……”

From the lower lines of the information, there was content about evidence of abuse.

It described the vicious and blatant methods and what she had lost as punishment.

It was the narrative of a woman who entered the duke’s family with high hopes, only to become an outcast ignored even by the employees and confined to a small room.

The information providers were maids who had been fired or retired from the Klaus duke’s family, and they all pointed out the main wife’s abuse and the duke’s neglect.

[The duke is a filial son who unwaveringly believes only the main wife’s words, and he dislikes even the touch of the duchess due to his antipathy towards her.]

And the last line stated that Esika had rushed at the duke, suspecting him of having an affair with her friend Yuri Anesis, and was pushed away by the duke, injuring her head.

[After that, the duchess stopped showing interest in the duke and began to seclude herself.]

The last sentence was written based on information received from the most recently retired servant.

Resban crumpled the paper, and as he let his aura flow like he would with a sword, the ignited paper turned to ashes.

For a moment, on the surface of his cold golden eyes, a scene from a past that no one else remembered rippled.

His red lips moved slightly.

“…What should I do with you.”

**

“Enter.”

At the main wife’s voice, Hans, after neatly adjusting his collar once, entered her reception room.

Riona Klaus looked healthy, unlike someone who had collapsed from anemia just a day ago.

As Hans bowed deeply to her in greeting, she pointed to the seat opposite her with her chin.

‘As expected… she seems quite displeased.’

They say that this morning, she slapped the cheek of the head maid, Yuri, for placing a teaspoon slightly crooked.

One maid is reportedly being treated for burns after being splashed with hot tea.

“……”

Fortunately, the teacup in front of Riona now was not steaming.

While feeling relieved, Hans felt a bit resentful towards Esika.

It was risky to present this in such a bad mood.

“You say there’s an investment proposal from the bank?”

“Ah, yes. They’re building large-scale warehouses in Zuchen, and as the nobles of the capital Torres are taking the lead in investing… I’ve come to ask for your permission, even though you’re unwell, my lady.”

Esika had ordered to ask the main wife directly about her intention to invest in the warehouses.

“I heard that Countess Alhemitz and Countess Palmania, who visited yesterday, will also participate in the investment…”

“Of course, Klaus should take the lead in this matter.”

Despite the investment amount being as large as the sum of several previous investments in Zuchen, which would be quite burdensome, Riona answered immediately.

“Proceed with the investment right away.”

Hans blinked, not expecting Riona to agree so easily.

It seemed that even in her bad mood, Riona thought this investment shouldn’t be missed.

“Understood. However, given the current financial state of the family, we might need a loan.”

“…Are you saying we need to borrow money?”

“We can circulate about 5 million ling using the Tems mine as collateral.”

Hans relayed to Riona exactly what Esika had instructed.

The Tems mine was the only mine in Klaus territory, a gold mine that accounted for more than half of Klaus’s financial income.

After pondering for a moment, Riona opened her mouth with a displeased expression.

“If we’re short on funds right now, we have no choice. But once the Emperor’s decree on the western base construction plan in Zuchen is announced…”

Riona’s lips, which had been unpleasant, curled up slightly.

“We’ll make dozens of times the profit on our current investment.”

“Then I will proceed accordingly.”

Although Hans had obtained permission, he felt uneasy somewhere.

It was as good as confirmed that Zuchen would become Turesian’s western base.

But why was Duchess Esika, who said she would control Klaus, proceeding with an investment that was bound to succeed through the main wife?

Hans couldn’t understand Esika’s plan.

But once he had decided to join her, he couldn’t turn back now.

Klaus doing well would be good for Hans too.

“If this investment succeeds and the duke’s storehouse is filled with wealth.”

Riona’s lips moved venomously.

“I’ll throw that wretched wench out of the family.”

Hans flinched at Riona’s fiercely shining eyes as she recalled yesterday’s humiliation.