The reason why Barhan had requested such an urgent audience with Aden soon became clear.

“The response has been tremendous!”

It was because the timber export business proposed by Ludmila had been a huge success.

Barhan shook the reports he had brought, filled with excitement as he spoke passionately.

Ludmila’s prediction that selling yellow sandalwood and blackwood to Bill Edith would yield great profits had been spot on.

As these were rare and expensive materials, Count Edith, who had been lacking such commodities, was said to be very satisfied with the report submitted by Habertz.

Usually, many people were reluctant to do business with Habertz, but Count Edith was not like that.

For him, a businessman to the core, the status or bloodline of the person he dealt with was not important.

What mattered was how trustworthy they were, and how many attractive items they possessed. These two points were key.

In that respect, while the Habertz status was usually like shackles for the Khan people, this time it was a certified credential recognized by the imperial family, so their credibility passed the test.

Next was the merchandise. There was no need to say more about that.

For Count Edith, who spent astronomical sums every year searching for timber, the offer to supply not only yellow sandalwood but also blackwood was truly a godsend opportunity.

“Count Edith said he would purchase all the quantities we initially prepared for sale. Not only that, but he has made proposals about whether he could buy additional quantities and if he could monopolize the supply. The proposal sent directly by Count Edith is included in the report I just gave you.”

Aden quickly flipped through the report he received from Barhan, skimming its contents before passing the whole thing to Ludmila.

She took it and likewise skimmed through it quickly.

The way they casually passed important documents back and forth made them look less like business partners and more like a close couple, causing Salom to smile mysteriously.

Of course, unaware of this, the two focused only on Barhan’s words.

“It’s not written there, but Count Edith expressed his wish to personally investigate the distribution of the timber.”

“By ‘personally,’ you mean he intends to dispatch an investigation team.”

Ludmila closed the report with a slight smile and tossed it onto the table.

“That won’t do.”

“Pardon?”

“Neither monopoly nor dispatch is acceptable. Send our opinion. Tell Count Edith we have no intention of selling all of this to him.”

“But…”

Surprised by the unexpected response, Barhan blinked.

Contrary to his expectation that she would be pleased with his words, she coldly drew the line. Perplexed by her attitude, Barhan cautiously opened his mouth.

“May I ask why we shouldn’t sell?”

“Have you heard of biodiversity?”

Barhan tilted his head and looked at Aden.

As Aden smiled faintly, Barhan shook his head once. Ludmila moistened her lips with cold juice and furrowed her brow.

“In the past, a disease that rotted potatoes spread in the Roland region, causing all the potatoes there to rot. At that time, 1 million local residents faced a sudden famine, and tens of thousands eventually died.”

“…May I ask what that has to do with this?”

“It means Habertz needs diversity to survive. To maintain this over time, not just ending with making money for a moment, we need various methods. If we were satisfied with just selling timber to make money, I would say it’s fine, but that’s not the case, is it?”

Having emptied her glass, Ludmila smiled gently.

“Count Edith is a thorough opportunist and businessman. The fact that he made such a proposal means it’s clearly an attractive item, and also that others want it too. I’ve picked out a few more places that might buy timber. Though their purchasing power is far inferior to Edith’s, having competitors is important. Contact them as well.”

Barhan, who had been listening to Ludmila’s words, had been busily writing down her instructions from halfway through.

He nodded, asked questions, and filled in the gaps, showing an organic flow of information.

Aden, who had been silently observing this from the side, wore a very satisfied expression.

‘But, is this level of competence normal?’

And at the same time, he was puzzled.

Though Aden was completely unfamiliar with life in the capital, he wondered if it was really so easy for a lady of the house to possess such business acumen.

Usually, the lady of the house only concerned herself with internal affairs of the mansion, leaving everything else to the vassals and the master.

Considering this, Ludmila’s current demeanor revealed not just a clever lady of the house, but the aspects of an experienced businesswoman.

It was unnecessary to think deeply about the fact that the person who had shaped her into this was Kedilen.

“Tell Count Edith that if he consumes all the quantity we currently have, we can deliver twice as much for the next batch. Furthermore, ask him to pay the entire sales amount for the first quantity as part of the down payment. If we say it’s the down payment for the second sales contract, he will likely accept that too. It’s a common contract method in the capital, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Understood. Then, I’ll proceed based on what you’ve told me.”

Ludmila nodded briefly with a smile. As Barhan withdrew with a bow, Ludmila exhaled a long sigh and grasped her glass.

“Ah-”

Realizing the glass was empty, Ludmila let out a soft exclamation and was about to clap her hands when a glass filled with juice was pushed towards her.

“You worked hard.”

Along with the light praise, the offered juice was very cold.

Smiling brightly, Ludmila emptied the glass of its contents. It was a refreshing reward for finishing her morning work.

“But is it okay for me to just sit here knowing nothing? I feel quite incompetent.”

“Don’t worry. When the time comes that Aden needs to, you won’t have to say such things and will naturally step up. And as time passes, Aden will do what I’m doing now, right? After all, in three months, I’ll be leaving…”

Ludmila, who had been continuing her words with a smile, suddenly hesitated.

Reflexively reciting the date, she smiled bitterly as she remembered her situation. But soon, she stood up with a bright smile.

“More importantly, did you see the organizational chart? I heard the butler reported it.”

“I checked it.”

“How was it? If there’s anything you don’t like or find unnecessary, please let me know. I’ll revise it right away.”

“No. It was excellent. I’ll handle any deficient parts on my end, so rest.”

Aden, who had stood up following her, approached Ludmila and stroked her head. His gentle touch was as warm as the mild morning sunlight.

“You did well, Ludmila.”

Being praised. Thinking differently, that simple, monotonous phrase made her feel shy.

Biting her lip and tightly clenching both hands while fidgeting with her thumbs, Ludmila nodded with a wide smile.

It was a smile more beautiful than any charming flower.

Emma, who had been knitting in the quiet room, furrowed her brow and let out a long sigh.

It had been three days already. Confined to the room, she did nothing but read books or knit.

She stayed locked up without much movement.

She wanted to go out due to the stuffiness, but each time she remembered Aden’s sharp words towards her, she couldn’t move rashly.

She had asked the servant who occasionally brought food if she could at least look around the mansion where she was staying, but the only response was silence.

As time passed like this, even though it was a dangerous situation brought about by her own mistake, being confined like this felt too much.

It wouldn’t cause any problems to just walk around a bit inside the mansion where she was staying.

Knock knock-.

The knock sounded just as Emma’s long contemplation was turning into dissatisfaction.

With the knock, the door opened and a young servant entered with food, just like yesterday. Emma immediately stood up and approached the servant.

“Wait. Just wait a moment.”

“…”

“Until when do I have to stay here? No, until when do I have to be confined to just this room? Isn’t it about time I could at least look around inside the mansion? Don’t just keep silent, say something. I’m dying here, I’m dying!”

The servant bit his lip at Emma’s voice, which was raised due to frustration.

He looked intently at Emma and seemed about to say something as his lips moved slightly, but then he firmly closed them and let out a small sigh.

Instead of answering, he bowed his head deeply and said, “Please wait a moment,” before turning around.

Emma, who had been smiling with satisfaction at the different response, welcomed the servant who returned not long after leaving.

“Well? Did you find out?”

“It seems it would be alright for you to walk around inside the mansion. However, you must be accompanied by a guard, and you should avoid the first floor where there are many windows.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you.”

As the servant bowed his head and withdrew, Emma smiled with satisfaction and immediately left the room.

Emma approached the guard standing in front of the door and said, “May I look around a bit?”

The guard, who had already heard the conversation inside, simply nodded briefly.

It was freedom found after a long time.

Her footsteps were lighter than ever, as if she had forgotten the mistake she had made just days ago, not only putting herself but also Ludmila in a dangerous situation.

Emma’s gait as she stepped into the corridor was lighter than ever before.

Her unnecessary greetings to passing servants made it seem as if she didn’t understand her own situation.

But Emma, busy just enjoying the moment, smiled as she carefully examined the second floor.

“Huh?”

Emma stopped when a painting hanging on one side of the wall caught her eye.

It wasn’t an ordinary watercolor or landscape painting, but a painting of a boy’s face. The boy in the painting, which seemed to have been done with considerable effort, had black hair and golden eyes.

In such a mansion, hanging a boy’s face usually meant it was either the owner’s child or the owner’s childhood.

‘Aden. It must be that duke’s childhood.’

Emma chuckled as she carefully examined the face, but her expression slightly crumpled.

A face that was somehow familiar. As she furrowed her brow and took one step closer to look at the boy’s face.

‘Emma!’

In her mind, an image of young Ludmila and a boy running together beside her appeared.

The image of a boy who stayed with Ludmila in that palace during their childhood. It was an old memory, faded and buried by the long passage of time.

Emma wore a fond smile at the old thought that had surfaced after so long. Was that boy Aden? What a striking coincidence…

“Wait…”

Emma hesitated as she continued her thoughts. It couldn’t be. The boy in front of her eyes couldn’t be that boy.

‘Help…! Pl-please help me!’

Emma’s eyes hardened coldly at the image of the drowning boy that appeared before her eyes.

“…Didn’t that child die?”

Emma’s lament flowed quietly through the corridor.