You Can't Catch the Wind (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“An invitation? What is this? Why are you showing me something addressed to you? And this is written in Ancient Tongue?”
Elise tossed the invitation onto the nearby tea table as if she couldn’t even bear to touch it.
Upon realizing the sender had used an illegible handwriting style—and worse, written it entirely in Ancient Tongue—she frowned.
Elise wasn’t very good at reading Ancient Tongue. Though it was considered the most refined accomplishment among nobles and she’d studied it since childhood, her skill had barely improved.
Thus, when it was written in such an ornamental script, she could hardly even tell where to begin reading.
“It’s an invitation from Lady Riena of Marquis Renox’s household.”
“What? Why would that woman send you an invitation?”
“I don’t know myself. It arrived suddenly today.”
Ael explained to Elise that she’d just received it moments ago.
She also added that she’d had no contact whatsoever with Riena, and given that it was written in Ancient Tongue like this, it certainly didn’t seem sent with good intentions.
“I can figure that out myself.”
Elise replied irritably and then ordered Ael.
“Just send a reply saying you can’t attend.”
“But…”
“Why? Don’t tell me you’re actually considering accepting this invitation?”
“It’s not that—I mean, they said they’d send their family carriage.”
At Ael’s words, Elise’s expression twisted further.
She’d just realized, to her embarrassment over her own poor Ancient Tongue skills, what that statement truly meant.
Offering their family carriage meant they wouldn’t accept a refusal of the invitation.
In the past, such an offer would have meant, “Please don’t refuse my request—I’ll go to any lengths to accommodate your convenience,” but nowadays it was practically a veiled threat.
As if to say, “It’s useless for you to try avoiding this.”
Moreover, the sender was the daughter of a marquis. For a viscount’s household—especially one that had lost all its former influence—refusing an invitation from a marquis’s family would be a grave insult.
Enough to damage the entire family’s reputation.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Elise’s face hardened. Ael, too, stared tensely at the invitation lying on the table.
An invitation to an afternoon tea no one would enjoy.
[This is the timeline separator]“I’m going mad.”
Calon stretched amidst a mountain of paperwork, his neck and shoulders cracking loudly.
Since his first day in Denertum, Calon had been reviewing and verifying everything Ash & Co. had done here.
While others couldn’t even bring themselves to organize the chaotic documents, he’d frantically pushed through them all and, since yesterday, had begun reviewing future plans.
Nisha had urged him to rest, worried whether he was even sleeping, but he hadn’t listened.
Compared to working in the Empire, this felt practically like a vacation.
Calon recalled his conversation with the Emperor a week ago, facilitated by the Golden Law.
〈Are you doing well?〉
〈Thanks to someone who forcibly sent me here, I’m doing just fine.〉
〈Good. You look well. You should thank that person—they seem to have chosen a place perfectly suited for you.〉
The Emperor shamelessly praised himself before continuing.
〈And I’m not joking about you looking well. Since there’s still some time until ‘that moment,’ you might as well relax properly here. You haven’t taken a single day off in years, after all.〉
〈I didn’t expect such advice from Your Majesty. Besides, how can you say that when you know the situation in the south?〉
〈Isn’t that precisely why we’re waiting for ‘that moment’? And war won’t break out in the south tomorrow, so you should rest for now.〉
〈Even so, there’s work that must be done.〉
His tone was rather petulant for someone speaking to the Emperor. Their conversation carried an informal ease, more like old friends than sovereign and subject.
〈In the old days, I’d have kept quiet at your words, but not now. These days, I’m stricter than anyone about keeping official working hours.〉
A bright, unmistakable smile spread across the Emperor’s faintly visible face.
〈You’re hopeless.〉
〈Call me what you will—I’m happy now, so you’ll have to forgive me.〉
Everyone knew that since the Emperor had married against all advice several years ago, he’d become remarkably gentler, as if transformed.
Once even more work-obsessed than Calon, he now strictly left his duties at the appointed hour to spend time with the Empress, basking in her affection.
〈Anyway, I hope you find some peace there too. Who knows—you might even meet someone good, like I did.〉
〈Don’t say such horrifying things.〉
Having personally heard the Emperor’s shameless remarks since his marriage, Calon had shuddered and rubbed his arms as if chilled.
“Someone good…”
Muttering those words, Calon reached out again and picked up the topmost document from the pile.
“I don’t know about that. Right now, I just need someone who’s good at Ancient Tongue.”
Calon flipped through the papers. They were all documents concerning lands Ash & Co. had been acquiring.
Many were purchased under the company’s name, but a significant number were bought under individual names.
‘The Denertum royal family must have noticed to some extent… but they haven’t said anything so far.’
And for good reason—the lands being acquired were along the northeastern coastline, somewhat distant from the capital.
That barren shoreline, nearly devoid of civilian homes, was Denertum’s most desolate territory. Jagged reefs lined the coast, and the sea at the continent’s northernmost tip remained stormy year-round, making it impossible to build a harbor or launch ships.
Fortunately, while the immediate coastline was rugged, the inland areas opened into lush grasslands where locals often grazed their sheep.
But beyond that, the land held no real value.
Even if one argued the desolate beach had a certain charm, a brief stroll there once a year for a few hours was more than enough—there was no need to actually purchase it.
Yet Ash & Co. was buying it up. The Denertum royal family remained wary but didn’t intervene, as Ash & Co. had offered several times the market price.
‘They probably think, “It’s useless land anyway—might as well earn some money from the Imperials.”‘
After all, the land couldn’t be uprooted and carried away, and even after a century, it wouldn’t gain any real worth.
‘That’s exactly what they think.’
A faint smile tugged at Calon’s lips as he read the documents. When ‘that moment’ arrived, they’d all realize the true value of the land they’d sold.
Just then, a knock sounded, and Nisha entered—naturally carrying another armful of documents.
She set the papers on the desk and let out a long sigh. Calon groaned at the sight.
“I don’t even need to ask. You couldn’t find anyone suitable to teach Ancient Tongue?”
“Yes. Getting cooperation has proven more difficult than expected. Once Ino returns, you should hear the explanation directly from him.”
“Where did Ino go?”
Ino Valton. He was the deputy branch manager here, working alongside Nisha, and back in the Empire, he’d been an officer Calon deeply trusted.
“He went to the Marquis Renox’s afternoon tea.”
“Afternoon tea? Ino?”
Calon genuinely sounded incredulous.
“Did Ino suffer a serious injury recently? Especially to his head?”
“Of course not. If that had happened, he’d already be sprawled in front of us, wailing about how hard he’s working and begging for sympathy.”
“Then why on earth did he suddenly go to an afternoon tea? That man hates sweets so much that forcing sugar into his mouth would revive him faster than slapping him if he ever fainted.”
Indeed, whenever he saw sugar—one of Ash & Co.’s main trade goods—he’d shudder as if staring at poison.
“He didn’t go because he wanted to. The Marquis Renox’s household specifically requested that a senior Ash & Co. official attend.”
“So you sent Ino?”
“We have our pride, you know. Just because they called doesn’t mean I, as branch manager, would rush over immediately. The Renox household is among the high nobility who’ve shown us some goodwill, so we sent Ino. I also hoped he might secure some help with the Ancient Tongue issue.”
As the conversation circled back to Ancient Tongue, Calon pinched the bridge of his nose.
A complicated issue had recently arisen regarding the purchase of land in the capital’s northeast. The specific plot they needed most happened to be jointly owned by two very old noble houses.
When Ash & Co. offered an enormous sum, the owning families erupted into chaos. They dragged out all their ancient documents, arguing over which house held the larger share.
‘They should just sort it out among themselves.’
When they couldn’t easily resolve it internally, the nobles chose another approach—they brought their old documents directly to Ash & Co.
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
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