“Was it tough coming all the way here?”

Ines shook her head vigorously. If he were at the end, if there were such conviction, no matter how long the road, he could go. Although it was a sentiment he couldn’t convey, Carson wouldn’t be unaware.

“Tell me. I would have taken care of it if you did…”

It was what Carson said to Ines when they met again in front of the Chief Justice’s mansion after Joseph’s death. Overwhelmed by the emotions rushing in, Ines finally burst into tears.

“Did you really want to come on your own strength?”

Ines extended her trembling arms, wrapping them around his neck. Even in that carriage, Ines wanted to hold Carson like this.

She wanted to be tightly pressed against him without any gap, not as his opposite but as one. It took a long time for her to realize that.

“Yes.”

As the reddening sunset filled the room, the two didn’t realize they were drifting apart until darkness once again surrounded them.

As if compensating for not being able to touch each other for a long time despite moving ceaselessly towards each other, the entangled shadows remained one throughout.

Time passed quickly as they selected a site for the school and acquired the surrounding land. Ines decided to build the school on the land where the casino once stood in Halivin.

It was her desire to comfort those who suffered from the actions of the former empress and to give the first bright light to the darkest place.

“It’s also a very excellent decision politically.”

Noah immediately supported Ines’s decision. Of course, she couldn’t entirely exclude political intentions. However, hearing such words directly still made her a bit embarrassed.

“Quietly, Empress, you have a very similar aspect to His Majesty.”

Noah’s words, who didn’t notice Ines’s embarrassed expression, continued.

“His Majesty is also very political. Feeling a pricked conscience isn’t a rare occurrence.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, and until something is decided, not properly explaining is also similar.”

Ines continued to awkwardly stroke only her awkward neck. Kacey, who quickly sensed her mood, followed Noah’s lead, smoothly changing the atmosphere.

“Is all the land for the school already purchased?”

“Yeah.”

At Casey’s question, Noah seemed to remember a task, unfolding some documents.

“All except this one place.”

Noah pointed to the land southeast of the chosen school site. Ines tilted her head as she looked at him.

“Why is this one still here?”

“Do you know that this land was once a casino?”

“Of course.”

“The former empress borrowed names during the process of burning down the slums and acquiring land privately.”
Noah’s explanation continued. The ownership of the land in the slums was practically unclear.

To establish a casino, a land with a clear owner was needed. However, it was impossible to purchase land in the name of the royal family and build a casino.

Therefore, she divided the land into several pieces and bought it under the names of her relatives or the nobles who supported her.

“That land is owned by someone named Blake, and his identity hasn’t been revealed yet.”

The identities of nobles had mostly been clarified, but for commoners, there were still many cases where the family registry was not properly arranged. However, it was unlikely that the one who purchased the land for the casino was a commoner.

“Well, does this hinder the project?”

“Not really. We are actively searching, so he will appear soon.”

“What if you can’t find him?”

“If the landowner doesn’t appear even after construction begins, the country can reclaim it. Even if the landowner appears later, compensating him will solve the issue. In reality, he isn’t doing anything with that land, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ines nodded. After the casino was closed, the land and its surroundings were virtually an empty lot. She heard that only a part of the casino building remained, emitting a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Noah’s kind explanation continued thereafter.

Since there was no need to discuss building a school directly operated by the imperial family with the nobles, the work proceeded secretly and quickly.

However, once it became known that the school was a place for elementary education for commoners, a storm was expected to hit the imperial palace.

Thinking about the nobles who would raise their hackles as if they would lose their place at any moment, she already felt tired.

But she had no intention of stepping back at all.

After Noah left, Ines looked at the completed school design, smiling proudly after two months.

It was not without problems.

As she kept getting ambitious, the scale grew larger than expected, and as a result, only about half of the funds had been secured. Ines, pondering on what to do, tapped the ivory handle in her palm.

“Should I sell this?”

Ines muttered to herself, and Casey chuckled softly.

“Shall I bring Christian Kyung?”

“Yes, please. We need to discuss ways to secure funds.”