Normally, I would have just opened my eyes in bed, but seeing that I was inside a shirt, it was undoubtedly Hadel’s study. Although it wasn’t visible because it was covered by the shirt, I could hear the fake coughs of people other than Hadel.

“If you’re awake, want to eat?”

“Kkyuu.”

I liked food, but I liked warmth more. Leaning my whole body against Hadel, he seemed to understand my intentions, and Hadel patted my back over the shirt again.

“Okay, sleep more.”

Geez. Although it was grateful for him to give in so easily, it was a bit much.

“Kkyuu?”

After causing a fuss to hide the fact that I wasn’t going to show myself taking a bath, why did he put me inside the shirt like this?

Even though it was a very small whimper, it seemed to have reached Hadel’s ears. Hadel sighed and muttered.

“It seems pointless to avoid you now.”

“Kkyu?”
The response was very ambiguous, and I couldn’t tell if it was directed at me or if he was talking to himself. After momentarily tilting my head in confusion, I relaxed again and closed my eyes.

‘It’s warm and nice.’

As I enjoyed his body temperature, the meeting that had momentarily paused resumed. It was indeed his real study, and more serious discussions were taking place than I had anticipated.

“We need to prepare for winter.”

“We have enough food, but there’s a shortage of soldiers. This year, we needed a lot of hands for construction projects.”

“It’s difficult to hire mercenaries…”

The creatures in this area were said to have ice attributes. If attacked by these creatures, one might freeze to death.

So, when winter, which strengthens the creatures, approaches, they might exert powerful force.

‘He’s preparing for that. But there’s a shortage of soldiers.’

If these creatures indeed possess ice attributes, it wouldn’t be easy to fend them off even with trained regular soldiers.

‘Hadel’s fire attribute is crucial in such a situation.’

Curious about the situation in the territory and the flow of the meeting, I crawled up and peered my face sneakily near Hadel’s neck.

Looking down at the desk, the documents I wanted to see were spread out. I quickly scanned the numbers.

‘The budget seems tight.’

Although I was more of a physical type than a brainy one, I had learned all the basic knowledge needed to manage a territory just in case. Even considering that the current cost of living was different from the era I lived in, the annual budget for the territory was very small.

‘While kicking out my son to the north might be understandable, why didn’t he allocate a more generous budget? It sounds like he’s telling him to suffer.’

The reason why the central government was desperately pleading with the Crown Prince was one: because he had a fire attribute.

‘I should look for more historical records to find out why the fire attribute is so negatively perceived.’

So far, the books I’ve read didn’t provide a clear reason.

Anyway, the current problem was the excessively small budget. While Hadel was talking with his subordinates, I busily examined the budget details. Most of the budget relied on subsidies sent down from the central government.

‘But we can’t depend solely on subsidies for the territory’s budget forever. Other territories operate independently through taxes.’

Even though the north is a challenging region due to the ice creatures and is considered an avoided area, someday it will have to become independent from the central government.

If the north becomes financially independent, Hadel’s abilities will inevitably be acknowledged.

‘Is there anything in the north that could bring in money?’

In the end, to raise taxes, overall income must increase.

‘I can’t think of anything suitable.’

I tilted my head. Even though I didn’t know what the specialty products or tourist attractions were in the north, finding a way to make money seemed quite challenging.
While I was tilting my head, the meeting continued discussing preparations against creatures.

“We should inspect the walls to see if there are any openings for creatures to get in.”

“Alright. Shall we do it tomorrow?”

“It fits the schedule.”

Upon hearing that, I pricked up my ears. Inspecting the walls?

“Kyu-kyu.”

“Hmm?”

Hadel’s gaze turned towards me. I grabbed Hadel’s shirt and stared at him with sparkling eyes.

‘I want to go too.’

Since becoming human and having conversations, Hadel had become better at understanding my words. Even though this time I only made kyu-kyu sounds, Hadel nodded and gave the response I was hoping for.

“It will be cold.”

“Kyu-kyu.”

If it’s cold, I can just stick to Hadel’s neck.

‘I can inspect the north to find something that could bring in money.’

Staying inside the castle won’t reveal everything. Since I’ve decided to live by Hadel’s side, I should take a more serious look at the north.

Whether he sensed my determination or something else, Hadel gently smiled and petted my head.

“Sure.”

“Kyu.”

Hadel seems to have become somewhat affectionate.

Feeling embarrassed, I crawled back into Hadel’s shirt. It was still warm, but sleep didn’t come; only my heart pounded loudly.