Chapter 162

Chapter 162:  The Second Son’s Choice (1)

Mithril had been discovered in a mine once believed to be barren.

That discovery only hastened Edward’s dilemma between the two bloodlines.

Indeed, possessing a mithril mine meant securing a source of independence.

Which also meant—he no longer needed to rely on Edward.

But, by that same logic...

There was no reason to follow Echina either.

If things went well, he could take Freya’s place—the one who had already fallen.

He could establish a perfect three-way power structure and further fatten his share.

“……”

I silently observed Edward’s expression as he received the mithril from Luca.

He didn’t say anything for a while, then carefully placed the raw ore into the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Thank you, Luca. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to pour more effort into the mine.”

The second son shook the boy’s hand with his large hand.

Then, he gently patted his shoulder and made a promise.

“I promise I’ll help revive your village.”

“Thank you, Young Lord…!!”

Echina quietly watched the two men.

Then, she picked up her wine glass and lightly drank the crimson liquor.

“……”

I silently looked at her as the smile vanished from her face.

Then, the Grand Duke’s daughter asked me to spare a moment and led me to the lounge balcony.

“It’s cold.”

With her hands clasped behind her back, she casually spoke.

Wearing black tights, a white shirt, and the knights’ uniform jacket over them, Echina finally opened her mouth.

“Well, it is winter.”

“Your expression darkened when the mithril was mentioned. Is there a reason?”

Even if I was someone who came from the future, I couldn’t have known about the emergence of mithril.

In my previous life, Edward and Luca had never crossed paths.

This event could change a great many things.

“Do you really think Edward has repented?”

As expected, Echina didn’t seem to trust him much either.

“I’m not certain yet.”

I recalled the medical equipment he had prepared in the middle village.

It was all state-of-the-art.

But whether that medical support would be delivered straight to the Nord mining village was uncertain.

Looking back, he may have just stored it there for appearances.

So that when someone caught on, he could proudly show it off like now.

If he had truly cared about the miners, he would’ve sent physicians there a long time ago.

“I don’t trust him. I believe the way he attacked you—that’s his true self.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter slowly reached out her hand.

Her pale hand gently brushed aside my bangs.

My smooth, cleanly healed forehead was revealed beneath.

“I should’ve learned some healing magic too…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing, just talking to myself.”

When I asked in response to Echina’s small murmur, she shook her head.

“Either way, I don’t trust him. You wouldn’t know this, but the things he’s done back at the main house aren’t so easily forgiven.”

Truthfully, I did know.

Everything Edward had done up until now.

From when we were searching for Deyan’s painting, he captured suspects and subjected them to brutal interrogations.

He even crushed smaller companies in the arms industry to forcefully merge them with his own.

The face he was showing us now could easily be a façade.

Especially now—with mithril on the scene—it might serve as the very spark that sets everything ablaze.

“Actually, it might be better to use this situation to completely ruin his image and get him removed as the head of Luton Arms.”

Echina rested the back of her hand against her sharp jawline, deep in thought.

Now that she was part of the family business, she could come up with such admirable ideas.

I was honestly proud of her growth.

“That habit of suspicion suits you well. I always recommend investigating everything thoroughly and questioning it all.”

This time, I gently dusted off Echina’s uniformed shoulder.

Like a fox playing tricks at her side, I narrowed my eyes playfully.

“……”

Echina looked up at me silently, as if seeing me as a daughter would see a parent.

“So you’re saying I should be suspicious too?”

“Of course. It’s always the one you trust the most whose betrayal cuts the deepest.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter narrowed her sharp eyes in a pout.

She looked just like a sulking black lion.

“You sound like Father again.”

Well, considering the combined years of my life—including my previous one as a secretary—I was technically thirty.

Which made me, practically speaking, her older brother by nine years.

“Am I not the secretary who came from your family?”

I smiled faintly as I looked out toward the bustling streets of Old Luton with her.

Even in winter, the streets were full of people.

“No, but… you’re a little different.”

Echina said, looking in the same direction as I was.

It was a gift shop that sold souvenirs commemorating the day the goddess of the Silver Truth Church was born.

“On the outside, you always act cool and collected, but… it’s like you’ve got a warm heart inside.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter’s gaze drifted downward slightly.

She bit her red lip lightly, as if contemplating something.

“A warm heart? Me?”

“……”

Echina’s hand moved naturally toward mine.

Then, she slowly interlocked her fingers with mine.

“Yeah. When we touch like this, I can feel the warmth in your hand.”

“That’s only because your body is especially cold, Lady Echina.”

I smiled, as if it were nothing, and gave our joined hands a small shake—like a handshake.

But I had no choice but to come to a sudden stop.

Because Echina’s cold, delicate fingers…

Started to move ever so slightly, until they were fully entwined with mine.

Then, like a true knight, she gripped me even more firmly with her strong grip.

"I’m not that cold, you know."

Indeed, as our hands clasped tightly, I began to feel the faint warmth of her body.

Even the gentle sound of her heartbeat could be heard.

"If we stay like this, you’ll start to feel how warm I really am."

Maybe it was because the hotel balcony was slightly dim...

But for some reason, Echina’s eyes, which always shone brightly, seemed even more radiant tonight.

"I’m just joking. Shall we go back in now?"

"Let’s. If we stay out too long, Edward might get other ideas."

I smiled awkwardly and opened the balcony door for her myself.

Echina stepped in first, quickly composing her expression.

But was it just my imagination… or did the corners of her lips slightly rise?

Tilting my head to the side in thought, I closed the balcony door behind me.

Then, I returned with her to the table where Edward and Luca were waiting.

"So, that’s what happened in the mining village?"

"Yes, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to get the soot off our faces—my friend and I scrubbed like crazy!"

The two of them seemed to have gotten quite close.

Luca was excitedly recounting funny stories from the mine to Edward.

"Next time I visit the mine, I’ll have a proper outhouse built. With showers, too."

"Thank you, Young Lord!!"

As soon as we returned, Edward ended his conversation with Luca without hesitation.

Then, he turned his full attention to Echina, who stood with her arms crossed.

"Turn yourself in tomorrow. If you do, Gold Morning won’t make a fuss over this incident."

"Got it. I’ll do that."

The second son rose from his seat.

After exchanging a brief nod with Luca, he turned to me and extended his hand.

"Roger, does this mean we’re business partners now?"

"Well, something like that."

I returned to my calm, expressionless self and shook his hand.

He shared the same blood as Echina—half of it, at least.

But their body temperatures were completely different.

His hand was on the warmer side, like mine.

No—in fact, it was even hotter than mine.

As if something was boiling just beneath the surface.

「――――――」

The next day.

The second son of the Grand Duke of the North was formally charged in court.

Yet, there were no breaking news stories about him.

Now that the real fight with the eldest son was about to begin, all that remained was the second son’s next move.

I settled in, planning to wait patiently, and read through the morning paper.

「Black Swan, Gehenna’s new work ‘Frozen Lake’ opens to acclaim.」

「Frozen Lake sold out. Fastest in history among all previous productions!!」

Instead of a scowling, mustached man, the front page of Gold Morning featured a beautiful ballerina.

Even the second page held no trace of his face.

「Erian Foundation confirms collaboration with the Imperial Academy.」

"The Erian Foundation’s knight training program and arts education curriculum have been selected as key collaboration subjects."

In the end, it was my face that ended up in the spotlight.

A royal court painter had beautifully captured the scene of me kneeling before His Majesty the Emperor, receiving his command.

Thanks to that, the number of noble ladies visiting the hotel skyrocketed...

Of course, they didn’t stick around for long.

It was as if they were disappointed by my real face—coming in for a brief visit, then vanishing without a trace.

Whenever they disappeared, Echina and the Saint would always show up, greeting me brightly as usual.

"Now all that’s left is to see how Edward reacts."

I took a satisfied sip of tea.

On the table was a plate of sweet confections called yakgwa, a treat recently imported from the East.

"What do you think, Director? These are the new desserts we brought in."

"They taste good, but they’re way too sweet for me."

Yuria, who stood across from me, looked pleased as she watched me sip my tea.

"But women love them. They’ve been selling out—it’s been hard to restock."

"Right. A woman would know what other women like. Tell them we’ll be buying the stock. Let the manager decide how much to bring in."

Our reliable manager nodded and stepped into the lobby.

But upon spotting Mansachs arriving at the hotel, she looked slightly startled, covering her lips with her hand.

"Oh my, isn’t that Mr. Mansachs…?"

"Yeah. Is Roger in?"

He glanced around anxiously before stepping into the lounge.

And the moment our eyes met—

I absentmindedly set down my teacup, frozen.

The sight of him standing there—

He looked like some prince from a rural kingdom.

"What are you wearing?"

"What?"

"I mean—what the hell are you wearing?"

I didn’t even realize I’d slipped into our local Nord dialect.

"What do you mean? It’s my party outfit."

I slapped my now-smooth forehead.

This bastard… what era did he think we were in, walking around dressed like that?

His bangs were parted on both sides and neatly swept back.

His tie was a bowtie—striped, of all things.

Come to think of it, his father’s outfits were always questionable too.

A pitch-black suit with mourning gloves—he looked like some villain overlord.

Guess fashion sense must be hereditary.

"But why are you in party attire? Our hotel’s year-end party is still a long way off."

"Well… I wanted to get some advice."

Mansachs sat across from me.

And now that he was seated, his outfit looked even more ridiculous.

"What kind of advice?"

"As you can see, my outfit looks kinda dumb, right?"

"Absolutely. You look like a total countryside prince. First of all, fire your family’s butler immediately."

At my cold-hearted remark, he let out a dry cough.

"My father picked this outfit."

“……”

I blinked slowly.

"Your father sure has a taste for classic styles. But you’re still too young—it doesn’t quite suit you yet."

"Spoken like a true former secretary. Quick on the response."

He chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

"Anyway, I’d like to learn more about clothes and manners. You know, stuff like that."

"For what occasion?"

I gently slid the plate of yakgwa over to him.

The blond young man, just barely twenty, picked up a piece of the sweet and continued.

"You know… Lady Freya…"

"……!!"

As soon as that familiar name came up, I quickly composed my expression.

So that was his goal—a date with the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter.

"Trying to show your face around?"

"Huh…?"

Without a word, I reached out and laid my hand on his maturely parted bangs.

And then, I casually ruffled them back down over his forehead.

"What are you doing…!! Do you know how long it took to style that?!"

Unfazed by Mansachs’ protest, I tousled his hair thoroughly.

Thanks to that, he returned to looking like the fresh-faced boy he really was.

"Trying to act grown-up at our age only looks ridiculous. And you’re more of a ‘boyish charm’ type than a ‘masculine’ one. Bangs suit you better."

Next, I removed his ridiculous bowtie.

Then, I swapped it out with the simple black tie I was wearing.

Of course, it wasn’t the one Echina had gifted me.

"Wear a plain tie. Your face is your biggest asset, after all."

With the bowtie gone, his bangs a bit tousled, and a fresh, clean tie around his neck—

His entire image shifted dramatically.

He now looked like a pure-hearted young noble from a storied family.

"D-Does this really work…?"

He hesitantly checked his now ‘wild’ look in a hand mirror.

Seeing that, I smirked like a scheming court advisor and patted the top of his head.

"Trust me. Freya’s gonna love it."

A memory surfaced—one of the many tickets I’d seen tucked away in Freya’s drawer.

They were for a concert by the boy soprano, Medel.

Now that I thought about it, Mansachs bore quite a resemblance to that famously beautiful boy.

"Just leave it to your big bro here. Being cute can be a strength too, you know."

Next, I handed him a box of yakgwa that had been sitting on an empty chair.

As a rule of thumb, sweet desserts had a way of lightening a lady’s mood—if only briefly.

Just look at how Echina would secretly pop a chocolate into her mouth now and then.

"Alright, alright… I guess you do know better than me. Thanks."

"You’re thanking me? I should be the one thanking you—."

Mansachs gave me a puzzled look, as if to say, What on earth would I be thanking you for?

But I didn’t give him an answer.

Just like how Eric married into the Daily Times, Freya getting involved with Gold Morning...

It would only make our alliance even stronger.

‘Now all that’s left is Edward—that bastard’s choice.’

It didn’t really matter what he chose.

But whatever it was, that choice would change his life completely.

Because this—was the last chance I was giving him.