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nI took out a piece of paper that I had prepared in advance and handed it to Catherine.

nWhen she carefully opened and looked at a slip of paper, she looked up at me and asked, “What is its use?”

n“Usually, when you put your hair up in a knot, isn’t it hard because you have to use multiple pins or heavy decorations? So I devised it. Using this, you can not only put up your hair easily, but also decorate it. ”

n“Ah! This is a really innovative idea. It’s convenient, and if you use this kind of decoration on the top, I think the design is diverse, which I think will add to the hairstyle,” she said.

n“Do you think so?” I smiled at Catherine who responded with admiration.

nA hairpin was drawn on the slip that I gave her. The hairpin had been invented by an obscure jewelry craftsman around the time when I just had a coming-of-age ceremony and became very popular later because it was very difficult to put up a woman’s hair in a knot before it was invented. The tiara could only be used by the royal family women, so they had to use dozens of slender pins or multiple large decorations to fix their hair. Not only did that method take a lot of time, but also caused pain in their scalps. Therefore, the noble ladies were enthusiastic about the new hairpin because they could hold their hair with only one hairpin.

nWhile I was thinking about a proper reward for the four ladies who swore their allegiance to me for the first time, I thought of this hairpin. In a situation where this hairpin could enjoy a tremendous popularity among noble women, it couldn’t be a better gift for these women.

n“Do you have any plans to actually produce this, Lady Monique?” asked Entea, whose eyes glistened. She was the daughter of Viscount Sharia who ran a famous merchant vessel group.

n‘Yeah, I think you must be eager about it as a merchant’s daughter. I already know you’re trying to push out your stupid brother to succeed the family. If you take this, you can get closer to your goal.’

nShe was also caught in a trap I set up, but I deliberately smiled shyly and expressed humility.

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n“Oh, it’s just my little hobby. I’ve never thought of marketing it.”

n“No, Lady Monique. This is indeed a groundbreaking piece. It will surely enjoy a huge popularity. I can guarantee as a member of the Sharia family. ”

n“Do you really think so?”

n“Yes! I think the condition for that is perfect. With this design, you could make tremendous profits if the craftsmen of the Senk family would work on it by attaching quality gems from the Nuen and Naira estates and sell them through my family’s cargo vessels.”

nWhen Entea said that, Niav, Sarah and Catherine looked at me earnestly. I deliberately pretended to stare into the air and counted up to ten and said with a low sigh, “I don’t think this is a good design, but it might be a little help to you, my precious friends. What can I do? ”

n“We can’t ask you to give it to us as a reward. How about sharing the profits? We will surely make it commercially successful.”

n“As you’re my good friends, I’m afraid we would damage our friendship because of financial issues. I am okay. It was just my hobby anyway, so please share your profits among yourselves,” I said boldly.

nAnyway, it was my investment to get bigger returns. When I thought about the bigger returns later, I had no problem giving it to them without any reservation.

n“But Lady Monique…”

n“If you think my hobby was of help to you, I’m fine. If you really want it, I’ll sign a contract when you show me the final product based on my design. I would be satisfied with that.”

n“… Thank you very much, Lady Monique. I will never forget your favor, ” said Entea, bowing deeply to thank me. The other three ladies said the same thing.

nWhile looking at them in satisfaction, I smiled brightly at the other six ladies who were envious of them. I could read from their restless eyes how impatient and desperate they were to curry favor with me.

nIf not only these ladies but also other ladies of the pro-emperor faction followed me, they would realize what kind of reward they could expect.

n‘In that case, how would Lady Genoa and the ladies following her react?’

nPondering over my future action plan, I smiled brightly once again at the ten young ladies.

nThe next day, I went to work at the Imperial Palace and practiced fencing in the training field all day. As I attended social circles, my practicing hours were drastically reduced, so I had to practice whenever I could find free time.

nI’ve been waiting for Carsein, who usually appeared around this time, but he didn’t show up.

n‘It looks like he is very busy now.’

nIn fact, everybody was so busy because of the birthday banquet for the crown prince in a few days, so there were few who had free time. The reason I could practice like this was because the emperor specially took my situation into account.

nAfter I practiced alone to my satisfaction, I returned to my office and took a shower.

nI took off my sweaty training uniform and changed into a clean uniform, then tied my messy hair tightly. As I sweated a lot, I really felt refreshed.

nI checked my clothes one last time before going out. At that moment, I noticed a note on the desk. As he opened it curiously, I recognized it was the handwriting of Duke Lars. He asked me to convey a document to the imperial government on his behalf as he was so busy.

n“This is a document sent by the Captain of the 1st Knights Division, Duke Lars.”

n“Okay. I certify that I received it,” said an official in charge.

nI handed over the document and left. While I was walking down the road, I suddenly came to think about Allendis.

n‘Can I see him for a minute?’

nIt was on my mind when I saw him last. As I stopped by the building where he worked, I wanted to see him briefly.

nI asked officials passing by where Allendis worked. Partly because he was the premier’s son and partly because he was very competent, he already had a private office even though he just joined the imperial government.

nI finally arrived at his office after walking around several corners and corridors. I hesitated before his office for a long time before knocking on the door carefully.

nBut I didn’t hear anything from inside.

n‘Is he not in today? Strange. With the crown prince’s birthday party a few days away, there is no chance he left the office early in this emergency situation.’

nI hesitantly opened the door. When I looked around the room, I saw a young man with yellow-green hair lying asleep on a long chair. His hair, which was always tied neatly, was let down for some reason, covering his white face. His face seemed a bit haggard due to fatigue.

n‘What should I do? Should I leave?’

nThe moment I turned back, I suddenly felt he held my hand tightly. My eyes popped up with surprise, and my heart was beating like crazy.

nHis big hand grabbed my neck even before I came to my senses. Stunned, I tried to pull my hand off, but he held my wrist tightly with another hand. His tightening grip made me scared little by little.

n“Oh, Allen…”

n“… Tia? ”

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nOnly then did he lessen his grip on my neck and wrist, but he didn’t let go of me.

nHis emerald eyes, which always shined brightly, looked a little tired. He slowly stroked my cheeks

nHis cold touch reminded me of my past memories. My body trembled at the cold voice that echoed into my mind.

n“Hey, don’t do this…” I barely said through my trembling lips. I felt goosebumps.

n“What would you do if I touched you like this? You would hate me, right? ”

n“Oh, Allen, please… ”

n“I know you are not ready yet. I’m feeling exhausted.”

nHe looked at me with sorrow in his eyes. My fear melted away when I looked at his eyes wet with tears. My trembling body calmed down little by little when he touched my cheeks sadly.

n“I have some regrets. If I had pursued the path of the knight instead of a government official, I would have been able to meet your father more confidently like Carsein.”

n“…”

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