“I just asked about his well-being. Can’t you at least answer that much?”

Askal felt his insides twisting. How dare she inquire about Rublion after heartlessly abandoning him.

He looked at the pitiful figure of the Crown Princess and spoke coldly.

“I cannot answer.”

“He must have grown a lot, right? His name is Rubl…”

“Enough.”

Askal clenched his fist.

“How dare you speak his… Don’t you dare utter my child’s name with that mouth! Not until you and your brother are dead.”

Hegelia’s expression turned pitiful. Naturally, seeing this only made Askal feel more sick.

“I’m busy, so I’ll be going now, Your Highness.”

As he slightly bowed his head, Hegelia grasped her dress skirt and curtsied. She turned around and stared endlessly at his back as he disappeared into the distance, then dropped her tense shoulders with a lonely expression.

Black Swan, which had been on an extended holiday, reopened its doors. The owner of the flower shop across the street, saying he had been worried since it seemed like it was time for it to open but hadn’t, gave a palm-sized cactus as a gift.

Indeed, people’s generosity was abundant, perhaps due to the festival period.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Murteng appeared with several paintings related to beast subjugation as soon as he heard the news of my return.

“How about selling them at the festival auction? I deliberately included many Northern Spiders in the paintings.”

“That’s great. They should fetch a good price.”

“My activities have certainly increased since coming to Black Swan. It’s all thanks to you, madam.”

Murteng gave his characteristic greasy smile and winked.

…I had momentarily forgotten about his unpleasant personality.

“By the way, what’s going to happen to Black Swan from now on? Ranson has terminated his contract, and you must be busy juggling the duties of the duchy as well.”

“Black Swan won’t be closing its doors. Don’t worry.”

Even though I’ve become Schmidt Artenbach, the fact that Black Swan is a business my mother left me hasn’t changed.

“Hearing you say that puts me at ease. To be honest, I’m a free spirit, so the museum’s schedule felt like shackles.”

I’ll admit it. Although he never missed a deadline, he was just as passionate about playing. The art school-like atmosphere of the museum must have been difficult for him to endure.

“By the way, I don’t see Anna.”

“Anna is busy with mansion work these days, so she won’t be coming to Black Swan for a while.”

Murteng muttered with a despairing face.

“…The joy of coming here is gone.”

“Haha.”

I thought he might say something like that. Unable to find a suitable response, I just laughed it off.

After a brief meeting with Murteng.

As I sat in the office appreciating his work, there was a commotion outside.

When I opened the window to check, a carriage bearing the Artenbach crest was parked in front.

The source of the commotion was the trio of ten-year-olds riding in the carriage. The children were so excited that their voices pierced through the closed doors and windows of the carriage.

I put the painting in the studio and went outside. At the same time, the carriage door opened and Riena and Rambermon jumped out. Rublion, who was getting out after them, spotted me and shouted.

“Mom!”

People passing through the shopping district turned to look once. Of course, I’m used to this level of attention now.

“Rublion? What brings you here?”

“We came to see the festival.”

The last to get out of the carriage was Rieta. Suddenly becoming the guardian of these colts, she bowed slightly to me with a look that sought help.

“Where is this?”

“Black Swan?”

Riena and Rambermon asked as they spun around. I answered kindly.

“This is an office run by Baron Deli. It also serves as an art academy.”

“Can we go in?”

“Can we look around?”

The twins abruptly went inside the office. They really are unstoppable children.

Rieta, watching the children’s retreating figures, said to me.

“Madam, thank you for your help. The thought of taking the children to the festival alone made me dizzy.”

“Huh?”

I haven’t yet said I would help.

We entered in that vague state of having decided to accompany each other. Rublion familiarly took out cookies from the cupboard. The twins, who had been looking around here and there, smelled the sweet scent and quickly came to sit down.

“Oh? Where did you find that?”

I asked, noticing the animal figurine toy in Rambermon’s hand. It was something Ranson had been carefully making.

“It was in the desk drawer over there.”

When did they explore that far…

‘I thought he had taken it with him.’

The small gorilla toy suited Rambermon perfectly. As I was thinking this, Riena suddenly stood up and ran to the studio.

There was a loud sound of a drawer opening. It was quite startling for a moment.

“Young master! There are so many toys here!”

At the clear shout, Rambermon, who had just picked up a cookie, stood up again. Rublion glanced at me once before following the twins to the studio. The sound of giggling laughter could be heard.

‘It’s chaotic.’

If Rieta had taken those children to the festival alone, she would surely have lost at least one of them.

“When are we going to the festival?”

To my question, Rieta answered with a face that seemed to have gained the whole world.

“Shall we go now?”

“Let’s do that.”

If we stayed here any longer, there might not be any furniture left. We should leave quickly.

Due to the joint investment of Teravita and Artenbach, Rumphs’ funds began to hit rock bottom. Tenants who started to think rent was a waste began to vacate their homes when their contracts ended.

Rather than living under the watchful eye of the landlord and paying expensive rent, they chose to take out bank loans and pay interest as homeowners.

Crash.

Duke Rumphs, reading the documents handed to him by his butler, couldn’t contain his anger and threw a flower pot.

“Aaargh!”

Rental income had decreased by more than half. Expenditures had become greater than earnings.

“Just kill… Just kill them!”

He shouted aimlessly, not knowing who he was ordering. The butler, looking pitifully at his increasingly violent master, quietly withdrew.

Then, he hid behind his back a newspaper article compiling critics’ interpretations of the recently popular painting series “The Silver Queen.” He feared that if he brought this out now, he might become the target of his master’s anger.

The wrinkles of the aged emperor deepened even more than before entering the conference room.

“What should we do? If anyone has a good idea, speak up.”

None of the officials and nobles attending the meeting opened their mouths. The emperor was about to go mad with frustration. If they were going to be silent like this, he wondered why they even came to the meeting.

“Are you afraid of Rumphs? Are you afraid of Artenbach?”

Those who had been hit on the mark hoped that someone would step up and break this silence. The conference room was filled only with the noisy sound of eyeballs rolling as everyone looked around nervously.

“Your Majesty.”

The Crown Prince, seated to the left of the head of the long table, opened his mouth. With an appearance that looked about thirty years old, fine golden hair, and pitch-black eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to the emperor in his youth.

The gazes of the officials, nobles, and the emperor fell upon him.

“There have been rumors about Rumphs for a while now. How about cutting him off this time?”

“What if no evidence of rebellion is found from Rumphs?”

To the emperor’s question, the Crown Prince let out a small sigh before answering.

“Then we punish the accuser.”

“You mean to place the blame on Artenbach?”

The emperor muttered that it wouldn’t be an easy task, his face pale. The Crown Prince was displeased with his father.

‘Tch. Just a coward.’

The Crown Prince knew that the Titga Empire was changing into a country where the power of the nobles was declining, and possessions were becoming strength. The fact that class no longer equated to power and weapons meant that the imperial family’s power was also weakening.

The imperial family lives on the taxes of the people. Although they claim to rule the empire, they don’t actually operate it; rather, they manage the lords of each territory and maintain the authority of the imperial family by keeping them under their feet.

With the invention of electricity and industrial development, the imperial family also became more comfortable. Since the complicated matters were handled by the lords of each region anyway, all the emperor did was eat, play, and occasionally solve problems that came up.

The Crown Prince didn’t like this. He disliked living each day in boredom, consuming the country’s money without realizing that the ground they stood on was rotting away.

He believed that the emperor of the empire should rightfully reign and rule. Not an emperor who fattens his belly on the comfortable taxes of the lords, as it is now.

“First, send someone in secret. We need to confirm the facts first.”

“Crown Prince, would you like to handle this matter yourself? When you become emperor, this experience will be a great asset.”

The emperor brought up a ridiculous reason to pass on the troublesome task. The Crown Prince thought it was rather fortunate and agreed to do so.

The officials and nobles quietly shrank back from the bloodbath that was about to come. A terrifying future was envisioned where either Rumphs or Artenbach would go down in history as receiving the iron fist of the imperial family.

“By Your Majesty’s command, I will resolve this matter at my level.”

“I trust you, Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Crown Prince slowly scanned the officials and nobles who were as quiet as mice. Then, in a low and strong voice, he spoke to those who were preparing to stand up awkwardly, just waiting for it to end.

“If today’s agenda is leaked outside, everyone present here will not escape punishment.”

The conference room froze in an instant. The dull eyes of those overwhelmed by the Crown Prince’s aura quickly returned to focus.

“Remember this.”

Although it was a command in the imperial language, his last words sounded like the roar of a beast. The emperor looked with satisfaction at his son who would become a shield for the rest of his life.