Roselia inwardly cursed to herself.

“Idiot! Now he’s going to be even more suspicious! It’s just like Claus to do that!”

As she had predicted, Claus looked at her, covering her face with the frame, with a very suspicious gaze.

“Did you injure your face when we collided?”

His polite tone contrasted sharply with his cold and sharp voice.

Unable to answer or lower the frame covering her face, she eventually turned and ran away, fleeing the scene.

Holding the large wrapped frame, her departure seemed almost comical. Claus watched her retreating back with an incredulous look.

It was so absurd he didn’t even feel like chasing after her.

Was she a debtor who owed him money?

It seemed a plausible guess. However, the glimpse of the woman’s face during their brief collision seemed vaguely familiar to him.

Green eyes…

“It can’t be…”

Of all the people, why did one particular face come to mind? Claus shook his head in self-mockery, dismissing the thought.

Just then, Alejandro, who had been waiting for Claus, approached him impatiently.

“Duke, what are you doing? The landowner is waiting.”

Claus brushed off his suspicions and turned around.

“I’m coming.”

With a demeanor as if nothing had happened, Claus walked calmly towards Alejandro, who sighed heavily and grumbled.

“But why build a school in such a small village? Wouldn’t it be much more beneficial to build it in the capital or within the duchy?”

Claus looked at Alejandro with disdain for his all-too-obvious statement and spoke casually as he walked towards the site.

“There’s already a noble academy in the capital. Even if I built a school in the duchy, the nobles and commoners living there are financially well-off enough to prefer the capital’s academy as their first choice.”

“But still, there are limited spots in the capital’s academy, so wouldn’t the rejected students apply to the new academy in the duchy?”

Claus clicked his tongue at the predictable reply.

“Alejandro, this is why you can’t be independent. If that happens, the new academy will just be a secondary option, a substitute for the capital’s academy.”

“Well, I guess so.”

“Besides, building space in the duchy is already saturated. It would be a huge loss to create a site for a school there.”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

“But, this Algrisha village is still an undeveloped small village, so the land is wide and cheap.”

“But will building a school in this tiny village be profitable?”

Skeptical, Alejandro questioned, but Claus wore a triumphant smile.

“This village isn’t just any small village. It’s a gateway for merchants traveling between the capital and the duchy, and a gathering place for commoners who can’t afford to live in either. Although it’s small now, as merchants and guilds gather here, the village will grow, and the population of commoners will increase.”

Finally catching on, Alejandro’s expression brightened.

“You’re targeting not the nobles or middle-class commoners, but the merchants and ordinary commoners?”

Pleased with Alejandro’s response, Claus smirked.

“Exactly. I’m building a school that merchants and commoners will prioritize as their first choice, not a second option for nobles.”

Alejandro looked at Claus, admiring his knack for spotting lucrative opportunities.
The Capital Academy already had stringent conditions for admission. It was difficult for commoners to get in, and the only way for them to do so was through a special recommendation from a noble. Consequently, commoners with no connections to the nobility couldn’t even dream of attending the academy.

The situation wasn’t much different for merchants. Even if they managed to obtain a recommendation for the special admission through connections and money, they were destined to receive discriminatory treatment among the nobles at the Capital Academy.

However, if a school targeted merchants and commoners, it could not only secure financial benefits from the merchant class, who had wealth comparable to nobles, but also establish a public image as a school for the common people.

Alejandro found himself occasionally intimidated by his superior’s cunning.

“You’re truly exceptional in this regard…”

Claus smirked at Alejandro’s backhanded compliment.

“I’m not just exceptional in this. I never missed being the top student throughout my academy years.”

“Yeah, sure,” Alejandro replied, sounding like he didn’t want to hear more.

Changing the subject, Alejandro reviewed documents related to the land.

“Well, if we wrap up negotiations with the landowner smoothly, the rest should be easy. By the way, do you know that woman you bumped into earlier?”

The question brought to mind the image of Claus staring at the fleeing woman.

“I was wondering that myself.”

“Really?”

“I’m trying to figure out if she’s someone I know.”

Claus’s expression was characteristically cold, making Alejandro shiver and turn away.

Roselia slammed the table in frustration.

“20 Berangs??”

Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.

The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…

Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.

Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.

The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”

When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…

The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced