12 days before the festival.

Casus sat at his desk early in the morning and picked up the topmost document.

It was a land deed for the Neiphet region, a place no one cared about.

‘I must be insane.’

Casus let out a derisive chuckle.

She could be trying to ruin the ducal house, or she could simply be trying to deceive me.

Though Casus had pondered this numerous times, in the end—

Why did I solely trust her words and make this decision?

Why did I?

Compared to the rumored golden lands of Barel, it was considerably cheaper, but the amount was still not to be ignored.

At first, Casus didn’t believe Atia’s words either.

He considered the remote possibility and launched several investigations based on her words.

As a result, they seemed quite credible.

As the ducal estate’s finances were at stake, he had been delaying the decision.

That’s when his father, Haidegar, suggested investing in the Neiphet region.

Credible information.

Ancestors’ opinions.

How Atia managed to persuade Haidegar was beyond him.

Casus was originally not one to choose risky ventures.

The final authority on all matters within the dukedom lay with Duke Wellington himself.

Because he had the heavy responsibility of overseeing the entire dukedom.

What did she say?

Buying this vast wasteland based solely on Atia’s words, even though she is my wife?

On paper, Atia was indeed his wife, even though they hadn’t consummated the marriage yet.

When he looked into Atia’s clear eyes, for some reason, he felt he had to follow her words.

At the same time, he felt strangely drained, as if he had undergone rigorous training for an hour.

For the Duke Wellington Casus, who was cool, skeptical, and razorsharp in all affairs, this was absurd.

Was he truly bewitched by her?

Regardless, the Neiphet region was now fully a part of Duke Wellington’s territory.

‘What a laughable situation.’

Casus touched his forehead with one hand in disbelief.

‘To think I, the guardian of the dukedom, would be swayed by the daughter of an enemy family.’

Though Casus strongly resolved not to let it happen, his actions spoke otherwise.

Casus ran his fingers through his dark hair, regathering his resolve.

‘Snap out of it. If there’s a loss here, I can make up for it elsewhere.’

There would be setbacks, but this is…

Now, ignoring Atia’s words was harder for Casus than dealing with affairs coolly like before.

Atia spoke with an innocent expression, as if she sincerely had the dukedom’s best interest at heart.

Her genuine voice.

He couldn’t simply let it pass through one ear and out the other.

“Aide.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Casus called for his aide while looking at the Neiphet land deed.

Then he picked up a pen and began writing on a piece of white paper.

“Take this document to the steward.”

“Yes!”

The content was about dispatching people to the Neiphet region.

He had to verify if the Neiphet region was truly a treasure trove as Atia had said.

Thud.

Once the aide closed the door and left, Casus picked up the document below it.

“Haah….”

It was an edict issued by the royal court in the capital.

Merely looking at the royal ‘Emperor’ character between his brows made them narrow.

As expected, the ominous document turned out to be exactly what he feared.

‘Ha, really! They will partially implement the Maiden Tribute system starting from the western regions…?’

Casus barely restrained a curse from reaching his lips.

The Maiden Tribute system.

An absurd system proposing that unmarried women from commoner families be sent to the Kerashian Empire.

All in the name of maintaining friendly relations with a powerful nation.

Though it was appended with ‘if a certain tax threshold is not met.’

The problem was that the tax threshold was extremely high.

Sucking the blood of their subjects like mosquitoes while enjoying themselves.
Despite the formal opposition from the Wellington dukedom, the royal palace unilaterally decided to enforce the princess system.

“Damn them.”

Casus looked down at the document with a cold face, and soon crumpled it up with one hand. Until the paper was entirely crumpled.

The land that his father and ancestors had protected and expanded.

Does it make sense for an empire to bow its head to another country?

This is an outright provocation.

A provocation aimed to disturb him and the northern Wellington.

The royal palace must have already anticipated this.

What else the royal palace would demand as a condition to abolish the princess system, Casus already had a throbbing headache.

“If only there were no magical essence.”

Treason or whatever, if there was no magical essence in the royal palace, he would have struck long ago.

However, that would harm innocent people.

He couldn’t lead numerous people to death because of him.

Because Casus, more than anyone else, knew how horrible war is.

Casus spread out his large hand and looked at the fully crumpled paper.

Still not relieved, he threw it into the fireplace.

And then, the document from the royal palace turned into ashes and disappeared in an instant.