Harrison Mazarang, Maxim Kyeong, the secretary of Lady Edy LeVay, and five guards set off for the territory inspection, and the beginning was quite pleasant.

Yuan, meticulously adorned by Clad and Monica, was a beautiful pair as if drawn.

Although the territory inspection was a simple and monotonous task of touring the farmlands, commercial areas, and residential districts of Rocksenhardt, traveling through various small towns with carriages adorned with the emblem of Rocksenhardt was also a time to subtly show that the lord is thriving and observing them.

Clad, with fists clenched, looked at Yuan, who was sticking to the window as if she would poke her nose into it.

She continued to look scared as they passed through the small villages, continuing that way even after entering Central Rocksenhardt.

“Is your vision bad?”

“It’s my first time touring a territory like this.”

The voice of Lanslet, who loudly claimed to know better than Clad, echoed in his ears.

A slight bitterness lingered on Clad’s lips. To glitter one’s eyes like that for such a small city, incomparable to the capital.

“…But is it always this empty?”

“Something must be there. It’s the central city of Rocksenhardt. She said she wants to buy books, so be quiet and sit still.”

Remembering the list Yuan wrote down last night, which was filled with things she wanted to try in the village, Clad spoke.

At the very top of the paper, with over thirty items, it said, “,” making it challenging to tackle.

“We’ve arrived.”

Maxim knocked on the carriage door from outside.

Soon, the Prince and Princess appeared from the carriage with the Rocksenhardt emblem. Then, their expressions simultaneously stiffened.

“I told you to go to the bookstore.”

“This is the bookstore.”

The signboard labeled [Darak Bookstore], looking worse than an attic, was hung.

The small wooden door at the entrance was so moldy in places that it was unpleasant to touch, and the interior visible through the glass window was more cluttered with dried fish than books.

Clad gently patted Yuan, who was quiet. Yuan, who had expected a huge bookstore filled with books in all directions, lost her words for a moment and stared blankly at a spider making a web in the corner.

Clad’s eyebrows subtly twisted.

“A more proper bookstore…”

“Forgive me, Your Excellency. Even if you go to other bookstores, the situation is similar.”

Secretary Maxim calmly responded, admiring Clad’s composure under the bright sun.

This was the largest city closest to the black mansion, which could be considered the headquarters of this territory.

Appropriate to its name, Central Rocksenhardt was a place where people did not reach the point of ‘dying’ from starvation.
To survive, people in the commercial district didn’t specialize in selling a single item; instead, they sustained their livelihoods by selling things like books and dried fish simultaneously, as seen in [Darak Bookstore].

These were things allowed at the discretion of the LeVay brothers that were originally illegal in other territories.

Clad fell silent when he saw the situations of the territories that he had received reports about belatedly. And the moment his eyes met the worried gaze of Yuan, he somehow felt like he had become the most useless person in the world.

“Uh… Your Highness, you don’t have to buy books. You can go to the next place.”

Yuan, quietly grabbing his arm, whispered with a small voice that couldn’t be seen by anyone.

Clad’s sunken gaze now swept over the streets of the commercial district, which, although starting to bloom with spring, still had a desolate atmosphere.

“Walk a bit. Whatever you’re looking for, whether in this territory or any other, there must be a book that the royal family must supply, so let’s go and find it somewhere.”

Clad straightened his back and gestured with his chin, pushing Secretary Maxim Kyeong and the guards behind. Then, he quietly grabbed Yuan’s arm and pulled her along.

“Your Excellency?”

The Prince and Princess soon blended into the crowd, peeking between the people.

Central Rocksenhardt seemed more desolate and impoverished than expected as Clad looked around.

With only a few beggars in the square, it was thankful that it seemed to be almost deserted, like a capital of a defeated country swept away by war.

Although the old buildings were grand and colorful, due to lack of maintenance, dust settled, and they were filled with cobwebs. They were far from dazzling like the capital with its shining water.

Reflecting the circumstances of people living hand-to-mouth, outside cafes with laid-out tables had not guests but winter-dried jerky and pickled foods occupying the chairs and tables, waiting for the owner.

It was natural since there was no one with enough leisure to have a relaxed afternoon tea time.

The clock on the clock tower of a distant chapel indicated that it was already 4 o’clock.

Even the restaurants that should be preparing for dinner had their lights off for a long time.