If Kyle had simply intended to show affection by saying he shared the same feelings as his “fiancée” in front of the Count, he wouldn’t have spoken like this.

He was truly signaling for me to express exactly the impressions I felt today.

‘Is it really alright to speak like that?’

The Kyle that Ael had seen until now was gentle at times, but drew a clear line when it came to decisions related to Ash Trading Company’s interests.

He was someone who didn’t let emotions sway him when it came to the company’s interests…

‘He must have some plan in mind.’

Surely he’s signaling for me to speak because my impressions would be more beneficial to the company.

Moreover, while I might not have much to say if asked about future plans, I could speak at length about my impressions of the estate, even more than Baron Gunter.

“I…”

Ael recalled the estate she had seen during the day.

The white coastal cliffs, the gentle grassy hills. The flocks of sheep roaming on them. And above all, the most beautiful – the house on the hill embracing the sea.

Just thinking about it again brought an involuntary smile to her face. It was such a peaceful land.

Ael slowly recounted the impressions she had felt during the day.

How beautiful the wildflowers were as she climbed the hill, how comforting the distant sound of waves was as she walked alongside the sea, and how the small forest path and the old small house at its end must have seen countless sunrises, and how mysterious the whales must have been to those who lived there.

Throughout Ael’s story, Kalon listened attentively to her impressions without even taking a sip of water.

The part of the estate Ael had walked was just a portion of the entire estate, and she had only looked around for an hour.

She had just walked continuously and seen only one small house, so there couldn’t be any particularly thrilling parts to the story, and it was nothing more than an account of an ordinary walk.

That should have been the case, but…

Kalon suddenly found himself completely absorbed in her impressions.

It wasn’t just him. The Count and Countess were also entranced by Ael’s story with slightly wistful expressions. Even the Gunter couple sat there with surprised looks, saying, “Was it such a land?”

There was certainly nothing extraordinary about Ael’s impressions. But there was sincerity in them.

A sincere heart towards even a small flower, the sunlight that poured down every day.

“So you went to that house. After the scholar left, I asked a nearby farmer to look after it, but it’s indeed different from having someone live there and manage it daily. His research books are in our library too. You should take a look sometime.”

At the mention of the library, Ael’s face lit up. Seeing such clear joy, the Count and Countess smiled once again.

Losing even in an area where he thought he had an advantage, Baron Gunter’s face was deeply clouded with the color of defeat.

Forgetting where he was, he quenched his burning throat with wine.

The butler standing behind refilled his glass each time it emptied, but the Baron didn’t even enjoy the aroma and taste, just gulping it down.

As if he intended to at least drink up this house’s wine if he couldn’t close the deal.

His face quickly turned red, and after putting down his glass with a loud thud, he raised his voice.

“Count! Even though it’s our Denertum land, I don’t think it’s right to sell it to foreigners!”

The power of alcohol had numbed the Baron’s reason.

The dissatisfaction that had been building up over the Count’s favorable treatment of Ael burst forth like a breaking dam.

“Foreigners, and even commoners at that. They may speak fancy words now, but it’s all just pretense! How can you treat these lowly people better than me, a noble of Denertum!”

“Darling!”

The Baroness, who still had some reason left, hurriedly tried to stop her husband. But Baron Gunter shook off his wife’s arm violently, as if annoyed.

Clang!

Because of this, the wine glass on the table fell to the floor and shattered.

One of the flying shards must have grazed the back of the Baroness’s hand, as she looked at her hand in surprise. A small drop of blood formed where the glass had scratched.

As Kalon and Ael were about to stand up in surprise, Baron Gunter clicked his tongue and pointed at his wife.

“How many times have I warned you not to interrupt important business talks! Where did you learn such a bad habit of stopping your husband while he’s talking! Is it from those foreigners? You there, don’t come close. The women of virtuous Denertum will be corrupted by the Empire’s licentiousness. It was ridiculous from the start that a woman who couldn’t even take her husband’s surname was allowed in such a place.”

Ael’s steps towards the Baroness stopped at the Baron’s words.

Ah, right. This was originally how men spoke.

She had momentarily forgotten because Kyle had been treating her well and the Count and Countess had been kind.

The dining room fell silent for a moment. The Baron, who had excitedly spoken his mind, initially looked relieved, but soon realized he had raised his voice in front of the Count and glanced at him nervously.

‘But what can they do? It’s not like I said anything wrong.’

Just as he was about to badmouth Ash Trading Company and the Empire further.

Rumble.

A low resonance was felt along with a vibration. It was the sound of distant thunder. As soon as the sound faded, the Count stood up.

“Baron Gunter.”

The Count neither shouted nor moved roughly. He just called the Baron in a low voice.

But that alone was enough to silence everyone in the dining room with its intimidating presence.

“Have you forgotten where you are?”

“Th-that…”

The Baron finally came to his senses at the low voice and rough spirit.

Nevertheless, the resentment of losing to Ash Trading Company pushed him to make another foolish decision.

“But aren’t you worried, Count? The imperial dogs, led by Ash Trading Company, will spread their vulgar ideas and customs like a flood through Denertum. In the capital, there are already increasing numbers of commoners who don’t bow their heads to nobles, and women who don’t obey men. There are even women claiming they will inherit their family names! They say that’s how it is in the Empire!”

The intoxication once again devoured the Baron’s reason. Once his voice rose, the Baron now spoke even louder as if he truly had nothing to fear.

As if he thought such behavior was a sign of manly spirit.

The Count looked at the snickering Baron with contempt and said.

“I don’t necessarily think that only a country’s own people cherish its traditions.”

“What…?”

Not just the Baron, but everyone was surprised by those words.

Hebrides Count was famous for being an old-fashioned person who lived while preserving traditions. For him to say such things.

“As I’ve passed through my estate, I’ve watched how the Oltbea Mansion has changed. When it was first built as an annex to the royal palace, the mansion was grand and beautiful. But after the royal family abandoned it, it started to become strange when the great nobles took it over. They continued with reckless repairs and expansions, claiming to follow new trends each time. Of course, that’s not necessarily bad. But it didn’t match the original basic style of the mansion.”

The Count continued, recalling the changes he had seen in the Oltbea Mansion until now.

“The mansion kept changing its appearance. The balance was broken, and excessive colors were mixed in. When I heard that Ash Trading Company had acquired it, I thought the mansion might disappear altogether. But… they restored the old appearance of the mansion. I heard they said they only made it look the way that suited it best. It’s ridiculous. The very appearance that the nobles of Denertum had forgotten was rediscovered and revived by people from the Empire.”

His voice was full of emotion, but the Baron’s face listening to this was miserably distorted.

‘Damn it!’

Now it was clear to anyone. The Count would hand over his estate to Ash Trading Company.

‘Then there’s no need to stay here any longer.’

As if reading the Baron’s thoughts, the Count also stood up and said.

“Let’s end the meal here.”

At the Count’s words, everyone rose from their seats. Baron Gunter opened his mouth with an expression full of discontent, not bothering to hide it.

“The road back is treacherous, so I think we should leave early.”

This was also an expression implying that the roads in the Count’s territory were not good.

The Count nodded as if the Baron’s rudeness was no longer surprising.

Without even asking for permission, he turned and headed for the entrance. On the way, seeing his gifts piled up that the Count had ordered to be cleared away, his face contorted even more.

‘Not only did the deal fail, but I have to give away these expensive things.’

The regret of losing such valuable items was clearly visible on his face.

“Take these gifts back with you. Our Count’s family returns gifts that are too extravagant.”

“Really? I understand!”

At those words, the Baron brightened up as if he had finally avoided a loss, then called out loudly to his servant standing in the entrance, ordering him to quickly load these back onto the carriage.

Unsatisfied with the speed at which the servants were moving, the Baron stepped in himself, carefully checking and closing the boxes as if to ensure nothing was left behind.

Seeing this, the servants of the Count’s household swiftly helped the Baron’s servants carry the boxes outside.

As if they didn’t want to keep such items in this house either.