When was the last time I drank such good tea? Ael briefly forgot even the pain as she enjoyed the taste and aroma of the tea.

Kalon quietly observed Ael’s demeanor.

‘She lied.’

Before coming to Denertum, Kalon had sought out an etiquette teacher from Denertum to study the customs of this place.

He had learned everything from greetings to dining and tea ceremony manners.

He recalled the image of the teacher who had taught him etiquette. Although the teacher had been very particular about deportment, compared to Ael sitting in front of him now, it seemed as if that teacher should become the student instead.

Ael herself didn’t seem to realize it, being intoxicated by the aroma, but her sitting posture, the way she handled the teacup, and even her drinking motion – all her actions were dignified.

‘There’s no way she’s a commoner from Denertum.’

It’s a country where the difference between nobles and commoners is particularly severe. Because of this, even now, the Ash Company faced many restrictions in expanding its business. Because he, the head of the company, was a ‘commoner’ of the Empire.

In a country like this, there’s no way a commoner could receive such education.

‘Yet, when she gave her name, she didn’t mention her family… Does she not want to reveal it?’

Kalon continued to observe Ael.

The clothes she wore seemed neat, but there were signs of repairs on the sleeves.

His gaze slowly moved upward. When he saw Ael’s face, her eyes slightly curved in a smile at the rising aroma of the tea, he unconsciously turned his head away.

Her round forehead. Beneath it, her long eyelashes covering warm brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

It was an unremarkable sight. Just a woman quietly enjoying her tea.

But for some reason, he couldn’t understand why he suddenly felt embarrassed.

Not comprehending his own behavior, Kalon turned his head back. He needed to observe this woman more.

But unlike before, this time Ael was looking straight at him.

“Is there something you’d like to say?”

“Ah, well…”

For a moment, Kalon’s mind went blank. Normally, he would have naturally changed the subject, but strangely, words didn’t come out easily. Then, he inadvertently asked about something that had been on his mind.

“Wasn’t this book difficult?”

“Ah!”

Ael’s eyes widened when she saw the small book he took out of his pocket. She had forgotten about the book due to the mess with the letter paper. Kalon returned the book to Ael and said,

“The Leman-Karthi law is still rarely…”

At that moment, Ael jumped up from her seat and exclaimed,

“You know about the Leman-Karthi law?”

* * *

This wasn’t part of the plan.

Kalon thought as he looked in front of him.

In the corner of the large table were piles of tea and snacks that Nisha had brought. Originally, they were in the center of the table, but now that space was occupied by papers filled with complex formulas and graphs, along with pens and ink.

And across from him, Ael was looking at him with sparkling eyes, unable to hide her excitement.

A little while ago, when their eyes met, he hesitated, not knowing what to say, and ended up blurting out what he was curious about.

Ael’s reaction afterward was tremendous.

Until then, Ael had been quite quiet. She didn’t show much sign of being hurt, and her voice and movements were very cautious.

But the moment Kalon mentioned the economic law written in the book, her face lit up like a thirsty person who had discovered a river.

Then she pleaded, almost begging, if he knew about that law, could he explain it just once.

She was so earnest that even Nisha, who had been momentarily taken aback, nudged Kalon’s side with her elbow and conveyed with her eyes, ‘What are you doing? She’s begging like that, hurry and tell her.’

Because of this, the conference room of the Ash Company suddenly became an economics lecture hall.

Naturally, Kalon knew well what the Leman-Karthi law he mentioned was.

It was a law that summarized ten indicators that showed signs of a principality’s bankruptcy incident.

In fact, Kalon was the one who had provided the imperial economists with data from the principalities.

He had even provided research funds to have those materials analyzed, resulting in this law.

Without knowing it, Ael had found the best teacher.

At first, Kalon didn’t know where to start or how much to explain, so he asked Ael which parts of the book she didn’t understand and conversely, how much she had understood.

The answer exceeded his expectations. In fact, if Ael could just understand that law, she would essentially understand the entire book.

From that point on, Kalon’s lesson began.

What could be more important than a student’s willingness to learn? In that respect, Ael was the best student.

Kalon had thought he wasn’t particularly talented at teaching others.

But while explaining to Ael, he began to think that when he returned to the Empire, he might even be able to become a professor at the Academy.

This was because Ael absorbed everything he taught her.

“Then, about this part, when applying the previous formula, the result value is different, but why isn’t there any mention of that?”

“That’s because the formulas applied when calculating exports and imports are different.”

Ael continued to ask about things she hadn’t understood, and Kalon answered without hesitation.

The intense lesson between the two ended when Nisha knocked on the door with her arms crossed, as if asking them to look at her.

“I acknowledge both of your academic enthusiasm, but could you just look out the window once?”

“Huh? What’s outside the… Oh my!”

“What could be outside… Oh no.”

Ael and Kalon looked out the window as Nisha said and sighed.

When they had entered the Ash Company, it was just past lunchtime, but now the red sun was setting beyond the horizon outside the window.

Ael’s face, which had been bright with new knowledge until just moments ago, suddenly turned ashen.

“I didn’t realize so much time had passed. I’ll be heading back now. Thank you so much for today.”

Ael hurriedly packed her book into her bag and stood up. Images of an angry Elize and her parents flashed through her mind.

Oh no. They’ll surely try to kill me today. I might get beaten within an inch of my life.

Moreover, thinking of Jena who would have prepared dinner alone, fear was compounded by guilt.

As Ael limped towards the exit, Nisha was even more surprised and held her back.

“I’ve prepared a carriage! Please take it! And you must take our gifts with you too!”

“Gifts?”

“Gifts and our respect for the courage you showed us today, Miss Ael.”

Nisha said this while glancing at Kalon. Before teaching Ael, Kalon had called Nisha aside and ordered:

Nisha’s steps were light as she turned away after answering like that. This was because seeing Ael, she realized she was someone who understood the value of the things they had brought from far away in the Empire.

‘Nothing like those arrogant nobles.’

The nobles, while enthusiastic about items from the Empire, tried to maintain their pride by calling Nisha and acting as if they were doing her a favor by buying from her.

That was the better scenario.

When Nisha would go, they would be displeased, asking if she had been sent to them as a female representative, and when they found out Nisha was a commoner from the Empire, some would openly cover their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs.

After dealing with such people, seeing Ael who had helped her and honestly expressed surprise and joy at the things she brought, Nisha wished she had more time to sit her down and let her taste all the new items that had arrived.

Of course, with plenty of gratitude for helping retrieve the documents.

So Nisha prepared the reward with utmost sincerity.

What was there to fear when the head of the company had given permission? Moreover, the company’s ship that had arrived with Kalon was loaded with top-quality goods.

Nisha filled the carriage Ael would ride with gifts to her heart’s content.

First, she prepared gifts for Ael. Just by observing her actions, it was easy to know what she would like.

‘First, I should put in the best fountain pen.’

While listening to Kalon’s explanation, Ael had looked curiously several times at the Empire’s fountain pen that barely leaked ink as she took notes on paper.

‘We’ve just received some with pretty colors too…’

Next, Nisha packed notebooks made of high-quality paper.

Then bags, decorative items, and so on…

A satisfied smile appeared on Nisha’s face as she filled the carriage.