《The Viridescent Crown》 Chapter 1 Deng ¨C Deng Beyond the black forest, a bell rang out from afar to announce the end of the funeral. A group of people in black mourning clothes bowed deeply and paid silent tribute. Slowly, the coffin began to descend into the pit. There were three tombs altogether. Ran stared blankly at the coffin. ¡®I couldn¡¯t stop it.¡¯ She knew this would happen. Because she wrote this story. Because she¡¯s the original author. So she knew it, but she couldn¡¯t stop it. She looked up at her brother. A brother without blood ties. He was the hero of this novel. Dressed in a dark blue academy uniform, he lifted his slanted eyes and looked straight at Ran. His eyes which were as blue as glaciers stared at her without wavering. Ran avoided his eyes unknowingly. She looked at him again, but he had already turned his eyes. When the last silence was over, soil began to fall over the coffin. Father, Mother and little brother Tas. Ran clasped the hem of her black dress. Then someone grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Ran.¡± Ran raised her head. ¡°Uncle.¡± Ran looked at him, trying to hide her surprise. The black veil shadowed her expression. Her uncle, Baron Lindbergh, was an ambitious man. He was so ambitious that he wanted to overthrow Yustaf. ¡°It still hurts a lot, but I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°Ran, I treat you like my niece, but the people of Yustaf don¡¯t. It¡¯s only a matter of time before you get kicked out of the Duchy for being without blood.¡± Baron Lindbergh looked around and whispered a little. ¡°But I want to follow my brother¡¯s will, who gave you the duke¡¯s surname. I think you should be the next head.¡± ¡°Then¡­.¡± Ran was embarrassed and muttered her words, Baron Lindbergh said with a hazy smile. ¡°Or you¡¯ll be kicked out of the duchy. All you¡¯ve had so far will be taken away. Your dress and hat, you won¡¯t have bread to eat for a day, so you¡¯ll die on the street.¡± It was enough to intimidate someone who had just finished their coming-of-age ceremony. Baron Lindbergh gazed with satisfaction at Ran, and she bowed her head with her pale face. ¡°So trust this uncle. Huh?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ran¡¯s answer poured out, and Lindbergh sang with delight. ¡°Yes, think about it.¡± ¡°Uncle, can I see other guests for a while?¡± At Ran¡¯s words, Baron Lindbergh nodded his head. Ran escaped from the thought of rubbing the shoulder he had held. When she glanced at the side of her younger brother, Yustaf, he was also surrounded by several people. ¡®Ah, it¡¯s really crazy.¡¯ Ran squeezed her desire to run to Yustaf right away. Instead, she approached the grave where the dirt fell. ¡°Lady¡± Ran shook her head when one of the men was covered with dirt. ¡°It¡¯s okay, keep going.¡± As she glanced at them, the men started working again. Soil quickly began to cover over the smooth coffin. Ran looked at her stomach and fell into her thoughts. 4 years. ?? ??¦á¦á¦á???¦á?¦á¦á??¦á¦á?? ?? ??¦á¦á¦á???¦á?¦á¦á??¦á¦á?? It has been four years since she fell into this world. Ran was a mid-teen graduate student before she fell into this world. It was the weekend, and she was on her way back from her hometown to her house by driving her own car. Then she suddenly thumps! She gets a huge shock and everything is dark. When she woke up, she fell into a different world. It took her a week to understand what she barely knew, that she had become a character in her story. She named it ¡®Eternal Love¡¯. What nonsense. She didn¡¯t remember the folder that she found while cleaning up her computer at home. At first she asked, ¡°What is this?¡± but as soon as she opened it and looked at the file, she knew what it was. It was fortunate that she had read the text but as she thought about it, she choked. ¡®But even if I reincarnated.¡¯ It¡¯s as the daughter of a stepmother who traumatized the male lead. ¡®Is this how it¡¯s going to be even if I¡¯m reborn? Besides, isn¡¯t there still a long time before the beginning of the original story?¡¯ When the male lead met his heroine, he was 20 years old. Now, the male lead, Yustaf, is 17 years old. There are still three years left before the original story begins. Since 4 years out of 7 years has passed. She had possessed Ran¡¯s body seven years before the beginning of the original work. So it was more difficult to understand. ¡®Ran is supposed to be dead,¡¯ said Ran de Lachia. She was brought there by her mother when she remarried, and she did not even possess a drop of blood from the Duke of Lachia. In fact, the original author herself did not even set a name for her. It was here that she knew her name. But the duke, who was so infatuated with his young new wife, willingly registered Ran to his house, so she became a duchess. Then, when her mother gave birth to her new younger brother, Tas, the bullying began for the duke¡¯s ex-wife¡¯s son, Yustaf. Ran also played a part in that. But it wasn¡¯t that bad until she died. ¡®Or the way it was, I should have been killed by Yustaf, who accidentally fell from the tree.¡¯ Then the stepmother became half-crazy, and more persistently began to bully Yustaf. The tutor who was attached to him also dealt with Yustaf harshly to create a trauma against women. ¡®But I¡¯m still here.¡± As she entered this body, Ran came back to life. Then, earnestly asked the angry stepmother to send Yustaf to the Imperial Academy. Her mother also praised Ran for being clever, in favor of a plan that would keep him far away. Actually, I just wanted to stop Yustaf from meeting the tutor. Yustaf seemed to be against it for a while and there was resistance from some retainers, but he eventually left for the Imperial Academy. ¡°Yeah, Yustaf would have wanted to get out of the hands of that tutor.¡± Ran nodded inwardly. I thought I¡¯d been doing well. ¡®I am¡­.¡¯ Eventually, both parents and Tas were killed in a carriage accident. I knew this would happen, but I couldn¡¯t stop it. I was on my way to see Yustaf in the capital city. The Imperial Academy¡¯s academic festival was being held, and Ran nagged her parents. Let¡¯s go to see Yustaf together. Then, she suffered from a high fever to the point of losing her mind. Only her parents and younger brother, who couldn¡¯t prepare for long, left when there was a sudden landslide. They all died. ¡°This isn¡¯t right.¡± Apparently in her writings, her family died in a boat accident. So I thought all I had to do was avoid the boat. But that wasn¡¯t it. Ran covered her face with both hands. It was only four years, but it was a long four years. She was not a real family, but they treated her well when she was still confused about her memory. ¡°Sister.¡± Ran looked up at the low voice she heard. Yustaf was standing. Her younger brother, two years younger than her, was already about the same height as her. ¡°You¡¯re not feeling well, so go in now.¡± He had a cold face to worry about. Ran looked at his face for a moment and nodded. She turned and looked at the mansion in the distance. The Duchy at the foot of the mountain range can be easily seen in most areas that the Duchy manages. The huge mansion standing against the backdrop of the endless high mountains was not built by human hands. It was a work made by the magician¡¯s hands with a huge mountain range standing behind the mansion. The mountain range was called the Ice Wall, which was why the Duke of Lachia was called ¡°Lachia on the Ice Wall.¡± There is a beautiful white door in that huge mountain range. A white door sealed by the great wise man, Everia. The Lachia family was the guardian of the gate. A family older than the empire. Even if the continent was immersed in war, and the kings and princes changed, the family continued to exist here. ¡®Yes, of course, it is because the land is barren.¡¯ Ran sighed a little. Lachia¡¯s land was barren. The land is wide. It is wide, but it¡¯s winter for half the year. They couldn¡¯t farm properly, and there was little land on which crops were grown. As a result, the duke¡¯s finances were always tight. ¡®I¡¯m on the verge of bankruptcy.¡¯ It was because of the luxury of the duchess. Please give me a crown. It was a tradition from generation to generation for the hostess of the Lachia family. The green Crown. This is because the crown supposedly belongs to the hostess. In the Duchy, where half of the year is winter, green is a noble color. Moreover, it¡¯s a blessing to fill everything with so much greenery that it all looks beautiful. So dark green emeralds are the most valuable. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if the platinum crown, which was engraved with emeralds, was called ¡°The Viridescent Crown¡±. Moreover, when the crown is attached to the head of the Duchess, it was said to be a blessing that spreads the Duchess¡¯ mercy. But my mother hated the crown. Instead, she made a new crown made of rubies or sapphires. Necklaces, rings, dresses, earrings, bracelets, waistbands, and everything else that she bought was decorated accordingly. It overflowed. And as I said, ¡®The Duchy¡¯s finances are tight.¡¯ We have to prepare for the long winter, but she was buying luxury items. It was natural that the debts doubled. ¡®In addition, the current successor, Yustaf, is still underage.¡¯ Ran glanced at her younger brother walking next to her. His dark hair and bright blue eyes. In dramatic contrast, his pupils look bluer. As sharp as he was, he was a capable man. ¡®That¡¯s the Master.¡¯ However, since he was a master, he had many hardships. ¡®There was stepmother and the tutor¡¯s harassment, too¡¯ There are also things after this. Baron Lindbergh. After his parents death, his uncle takes advantage of his pubescence to take over as regent. And he parades around as if he were a peacock and he aims to turn the Duke¡¯s property into that of his own. The baron becomes a count, and in the end, he tries to force Yustaf to marry his daughter. And tries to assassinate him, but with the help of his loyal escort, Yustaf survives. ¡®The escort dies.¡¯ With that thought, Ran stepped away and looked at Yustaf¡¯s escort. ¡®Wow, you¡¯re staring at me completely.¡¯ If he could do it with a glance, he would have already shot Ran. Ross Wilde. He is the person who would die for Yustaf in the original. ¡®I have to stop it.¡¯ Ran thought so and called his name. ¡°Yustaf.¡± ¡°Yes, sister.¡± Ran felt weird whenever he called her sister so politely. ¡®I don¡¯t hate being called sister.¡¯ But this delicate feeling¡­.. ¡°I¡¯m on your side.¡± Yustaf did not stop and did not reply straightforwardly. ¡°I want you to know that.¡± Whether he did or not, Ran went on talking. There¡¯s not much time left. ¡°Uncle must be planning to make me to become head of the house¡± Ran smiled and looked back at him. ¡°I will be the head of the house.¡± ¡°And?¡± Ran¡¯s smile deepened at his subsequent question. ¡°I won¡¯t let our uncle put a finger on the duchy. When you come of age, I¡¯ll give everything back to you.¡± Ran said. The two of them, who arrived at the carriage, were now scheduled to ride their own carriage. It showed the distance between the two, not getting in one carriage. Ran bent his knees. Ran was greeted with a polite greeting, and Ran whispered in a deep voice, ¡°May you grow out of your youth.¡± It is a greeting to the owner of Lachia. Yustaf didn¡¯t even lift an eyelash and bow. ¡°May the flames be protected.¡± Yustaf rubbed his temples lightly. ¡°What did the fox say?¡± When asked by his knight, Yustaf replied and whispered, ¡°She¡¯s on my side.¡± Ross clicked his tongue furiously. ¡°That¡¯s what she said?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°She is even worse than a fox.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ross frowned and tried to say something more, but Yustaf was lost in thought. Ran Romia de Lachia. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget my childhood bullying. But when she fell from the tree. Something had changed since then. She sent letters and pocket money to me too. She was also the only family member to visit the academy. ¡®I thought the next owner was trying to look good to me.¡¯ Just as her mother bewitched my father with her beauty, she will try to seduce me. Glittering, soft wheat hair, dark green eyes like a tree in summer. The smell of ripe fruit and sunlight, which is not seen in the north, is certainly rare. He fiddled with the ring on his neck. This is the blue flame, the symbol of the family. The ring, which is sealed with the spirit of the flame, burns people when a person who is not of Lacian blood wears it. He, who wears the ring, can borrow the power of the Spirit. This is what I¡¯m saying to the blue flame. -Get rid of the blaze. That was the reason. ¡°But Ross, I¡¯m still young. I¡¯m not old enough to hold a family position.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an emergency right now, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, but what if my uncle insists on being the regent?¡± Ross made a face at the words. ¡°You mean the raccoon?¡± ¡°You could see him drooling. That¡¯s why he approached Ran earlier.¡± That¡¯s what Ran said to him. Yustaf thought over what she said. I remember. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ ¡°There are few options.¡± Yustaf said, smiling bitterly, and letting go of his hand touching the ring. ¡°The most important thing to do is to separate Ran and my uncle. It¡¯ll be better.¡± Ross also nodded at the words. ¡°I think that would be best.¡± Chapter 2 Ran checked her dress. The black mourning clothes made her face look paler. She held down the lace veil with her hand. The lace covered half of her face. ¡®Then they won¡¯t be able to see my expressions.¡¯ Standing at the door of the conference room, Ran cleared her thoughts for the last time. The meeting would soon begin, and the agenda would be the next lord¡¯s issue. ¡®You can do it.¡¯ I don¡¯t want to be appointed by my uncle to become the head. She had self-confidence in becoming a lord. Ran herself was at the meeting. ¡®Blue Flame.¡¯ She was able to wear the Blue Flame. ¡®Of course I¡¯m not 100% sure.¡¯ The spirits here have names. Just as humans have their own names, the spirits also have names and their names are hidden. If you know their name, it is possible to manipulate the spirit. And she is the original author. Of course, she also knew the name of the spirit. So, when she wears the ring and calls the name, then she won¡¯t burn herself. The owner of the ring was of pure Lachia blood. This also means they are the lord of the Lachia family. It was a way for no one to raise an objection. ¡®Well, there will be issues with regard to the bloodline later, but I¡¯ll just have to say that I¡¯ll be a temporary lord. Being recognized is the most important thing right now!¡¯ Perhaps everyone will be surprised and disoriented, and if I find the gap in their defenses, it will happen somehow. Ran thought so, and breathed deeply. After inhaling, she lightly put her hand on the doorknob. That alone opened the huge door without a sound. ¡°Sorry for being late.¡± Ran greeted them lightly and the counts raised themselves. There are three families that serve the Duke as vassals. Wilde, Lance, Illuminity. The three families all had their heads. In this era, where the succession of Duke¡¯s was not as common as it used to be, only formalities remained. ¡®The second and third sons of the Duke of Lachia were well placed in the Knights or Administrative Offices.¡¯ And her uncle, Baron Lindbergh, along with others, in key positions. Originally, he should also be a spy¡¯s retainer, but he was avoiding the oath of loyalty under the pretext of his uncle¡¯s position. ?? ??¦á¦á¦á???¦á?¦á¦á??¦á¦á?? ?? ??¦á¦á¦á???¦á?¦á¦á??¦á¦á?? ¡°We got together early.¡± Yustaf said so and pulled the chair out. Ran sits down with a slight nod to him under the black veil. Then when Yustaf sat down, all the gathered people sat down. Then, ¡°Hmm.¡± Baron Lindbergh coughed and drew attention. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get right to the agenda? Isn¡¯t there only one reason we¡¯re here?¡± Some frowned in their hearts at the first attempt to lead the meeting, even though Yustaf and Ran have not yet spoken. But Yustaf didn¡¯t say much and nodded. ¡°That would be good.¡± Baron Lindbergh bowed his head with a somber face. ¡°I am still very heartbroken about the departure of my brother and his wife and my young nephew. But the Duke¡¯s heir is still alive. I have a niece and a nephew left.¡± He coughed again and said. ¡°But Yustaf is still underage, so I think it should be Ran.¡± Then the baron said with a frown. ¡°Ran has succeeded the Duke¡¯s last name, but she is not of the Duke¡¯s blood. So how can she become the lord?¡± ¡°Uhhh!¡± Baron Lindbergh raised the authority of the former state of Lachia. Baron Lance wanted to say something more, but Ran raised her hand slightly. The table became quiet. She stood up and spoke slowly. ¡°I know a lot of people are concerned about me being the owner of the house. But it¡¯s also true that Yustaf is still a minor.¡± Ran looked back at Yustaf. The veil blurred her face. ¡°So I¡¯d like to hold a temporary lord position for just two years until Yustaf reaches adulthood.¡± A temporary lord. There was a slight murmur at the new word. ¡°As soon as Yustaf comes of age, I¡¯ll hand over the duke title to him. And if there¡¯s anyone who¡¯s talking about my pedigree being a problem.¡± Ran took a light breath and said to Yustaf. ¡°Can I borrow your ring for a moment?¡± A cold silence filled the room. Yustaf looked at Ran for a moment and slowly took off his necklace and handed it to her. Baron Lindbergh looked at the symbol of the family with greedy eyes. Blue Flame. If you can¡¯t put that on, you can¡¯t be a real family member. Ran took the ring off the necklace. The blue jewel glistened. Without hesitation, she stuck the Blue Flame onto her finger. At that moment, a blue flame burst out. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Oh, my God!¡± Some flinched and moved back, and some got up from their seats. Yustaf also unknowingly grabbed her wrist. ¡®Istalief! Calm down!¡¯ Ran shouted loudly in her heart. The flames that seemed to swallow her were sucked back into the ring. Silence filled the hall. Ran raised her hand for everyone to see, feeling her hand shaking. Her finger sparkled with cyan. Everyone looked at it with a look of alarm. Yustaf¡¯s blue eyes also shook greatly. Everyone seemed to have stopped breathing. ¡°No way!¡± It was Baron Lindbergh who screamed all of a sudden. ¡°What doesn¡¯t make sense, uncle?¡± Ran replied calmly. ¡°The ring, you can¡¯t wear it because of bloodline. It can¡¯t be worn unless you¡¯re a Lachian!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You can¡¯t wear it unless you¡¯re the lord. So that¡¯s why the ring recognized me as a temporary lord. As someone who can safely hand over this position to the next owner.¡± ¡°Sure¡­..¡± Lindberg¡¯s voice trembled. Ran is a useless woman without her own strength. So he can manipulate Ran as much as he wants. He can get Ran to marry his son. Well she can¡¯t marry someone by herself because she doesn¡¯t have pure Lachian blood. But now that she¡¯s the ring¡¯s master, Ran has enough authority to not be shaken. ¡®No, not yet.¡¯ Lindbergh bit his lips. She¡¯s still a little girl. There is nowhere to lean on if it turns out that she is in a bad situation due to her family¡¯s situation. Besides, the Duchy¡¯s debts are mountainous. He didn¡¯t know if she knew, but he had lent money to the Duchy. So, she still owes him a debt. Lindberg licked his dry lips and said, ¡°Yes. The ring has accepted her.¡± Isn¡¯t he supposed to be on her side anyway? It was just a little different from his plans. Lindbergh regained his composure. ¡°Is there anyone who disagrees?¡± No one raised any disagreement. No, I couldn¡¯t believe what happened in front of me. ¡°Then I¡¯ll wrap up the meeting with Ran being the temporary owner.¡± After Lindbergh spoke loudly, everyone let out a deep sigh. Ran also lost her strength from her shoulders. She pulled the ring from her finger and handed it back to Yustaf, then she said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me Lord. You don¡¯t have to greet me formally either. I¡¯m just a temporary Lord.¡± Ran said so and looked at the vassals. Everyone is looking at each other with suspicious and strange faces. Not all three families swore loyalty to Lachia. ¡®Wilde is definitely on Yustaf¡¯s side.¡¯ Baron Rance is so prim that he wouldn¡¯t ever betray his duke. ¡®The remaining vassals turned to Count Illuminity.¡¯ The Count, whose reddish-brown hair looked like a lion, is now in his early 40s. An inscrutable person. That¡¯s how she described him in the original. Count Illuminity, the Duke¡¯s assistant, was also the closest relative to succeeding after Baron Lindbergh. However, he is not as outspoken as Ran¡¯s uncle. ¡®I wish he could be Yustaf¡¯s strength.¡¯ Ran thought so and smiled at him, but the count didn¡¯t respond. ¡®But I¡¯m the author? I know all the basic settings?¡¯ Ran thought so and smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s finish the meeting. I¡¯ll make time for those who want to stay and talk.¡± Ran ended the meeting saying so. But no one moved. Everyone had something to tell Ran. She sighed and spoke slowly. ¡°We¡¯ll meet you one by one in the back room.¡± Yustaf stood up and said. ¡°Come with me.¡± Ran nodded. The small room, attached to the back of the conference room, was designed for intimate conversation and was plainly decorated in a soft tone. Ran sighed and sat down on the cream sofa and offered him a seat. ¡°Sit down.¡± Yustaf sat down and crossed his legs. Ran scanned his legs to his head. ¡®As expected of the male lead.¡¯ He was much more handsome than I imagined, but just as I thought he¡¯d be. I don¡¯t know how he does that. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°With the Blue Flame.¡± ¡°Well, I told you. I¡¯m just being recognized as a temporary owner.¡± Yustaf¡¯s blue eyes narrowed at Ran¡¯s words. ¡°If that was possible, there would have been no one who died from wearing the ring.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Lachian, too. I wasn¡¯t sure about it¡­.. I¡¯m not sure.¡± Yustaf¡¯s movements paused at Ran¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s a gamble.¡± ¡°Gambling to burn to death.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like there was any other way.¡± If I could borrow his uncle¡¯s hand, he would certainly be hostile towards me. Even if I don¡¯t, the surroundings make life difficult. Yustaf still seemed doubtful, but let it go. He looked back up with a certain expression on his face. ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to pay the debts first. The financial issue is the most urgent.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Go back to the Academy and graduate.¡± ¡°If I refuse?¡± ¡°What am I going to do without you here?¡± Ran smiled lightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay to leave Lord Ross here.¡± ¡°To you, sister?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying it¡¯s okay to have him act as a watchman. Don¡¯t have Ross do anything unnecessary.¡± Yustaf looked at Ran for a moment. Is this an attempt to separate Lord Ross from him? It¡¯s not easy to find a reliable escort. ¡®Of course, the Imperial Academy is protected by magic.¡¯ That¡¯s why the Duchess couldn¡¯t get to him. ¡°All right.¡± Yustaf nodded. ¡°Leave Ross here, and you can take someone else with you.¡± ¡°But one thing.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± When Yustaf said that, Ran smiled strangely. ¡®Because I felt sorry for making your life difficult in the original?¡¯ I can¡¯t say this. ¡°Because we¡¯re family.¡± The answer, however, is not a lie. Until the real heroine comes. Until she comes and falls in love with you, and becomes happy. I was going to do my best to cheer for you. ¡®And I¡¯m going to look for the second male lead.¡¯ Why did I make the male lead and the sub male lead live such hard lives? At fifteen years old, a middle schooler, he grew up with a blackened dragon¡¯s heart with lungs filled with blood. Ran slowly regretted it in her heart. ¡®But before that, let¡¯s deal with the debt first.¡¯ It¡¯s only after a long time that the Lord finds it, but Ran decided to find and use it now. It was a mine in the ice wall. Mana Stones. There are wizards in this world. Well, many people have heard the story of Ivrea, the great wise man who raised the ice walls, built doors, and built houses. Wizards were so common that every lord above the position of a count had one or two wizards. However, there are no wizards in the Duchy of Lachia. The reason was simple. This was because the great wise man, Ivrea, banned the wizard from entering within 10 kilometers of the ice wall. There are stones called Mana Stones that contain mana. Using them, the wizards designed a magic tool to work without continuing to inject it with mana. But soon the interest in magical items waned. Since the Mana Stone¡¯s are not very pure, they are consumed fast. Considering the maintenance cost, it was better to just hire a wizard. Although it was said to have failed, there were some places that used Mana Stones instead of candles because of the faint lighting, Only the existence of the magic tool craftsmen that managed to keep magical items relevant. ¡®But the Mana Stone¡¯s in the ice wall have a huge amount of reserves and a high purity.¡¯ In short, what seemed impossible so far, was possible. It was as good as bringing coal or oil to the chemical fuel market. ¡®And I, the original author, can go one step further.¡± The hexagonal Mana Stone, just like crystal, is transparent like ice due to its high purity. The first ice crystal discovered by Yeoju is colorless and transparent. However, there are not only transparent ice crystals in the mines. ¡®Red and blue Mana Stone.¡¯ This Mana Stone was the reason why the great wise man, Ivrea, kept the sorcerers away from the ice wall. The mana from these mana stones have a very different nature than the current mana, and the mana used by wizards. It¡¯ll ruin a wizard¡¯s life. In other words, a wizard cannot use magic because as soon as a wizard comes into contact with the Mana Stone, their abilities are weakened and they become useless. That¡¯s why he strictly warned them not to approach the ice wall. ¡®Man can¡¯t handle it.¡¯ In the magical world with Dwarves and Elves, races at the western end, they are magic stones. ¡®In other words, we can exchange with different ethnic groups.¡¯ Ran smiled in her heart. Minerals that only the Dwarves and Elves could handle were traded at a considerably high price. ¡®The North can¡¯t start a vast food business anyway.¡¯ The mana stone business will secure us financially, but the trade with the Dwarves and Elves will not be bad. ¡®But the first step is finding the mine¡­¡­¡¯ After thinking, Ran sighed. Where¡¯s the location?¡¯ Then, cutting off her thoughts, Yustaf said. ¡°Sister.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return to the academy soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll come back after graduating, right?¡± ¡°Because sister is the current head now.¡± ¡°Just temporarily.¡± ¡°May you overcome the Blue Flame.¡± ¡°No.¡± With a frown, Ran raised her hand. ¡°That greeting is too much. The Blue Flame is yours. I¡¯m fine with ordinary greetings.¡± Ran added furtively. ¡°And we¡¯re family.¡± At those words, Yustaf looked straight at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of you as family.¡± I felt a sharp stab in my heart. Ran smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Really?¡± Yustaf replied to her response with a casual greeting and left the room. Ran sat down helplessly. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ At this rate, I may be kicked out by Yustaf as soon as I give up the position as a lord. But even if it happens. ¡®You have to do what you have to do.¡¯ But maybe I should save some of my allowance¡­. Ran thought so, and pulled the rope to let the next person in. Chapter 3 After a week of funeral procedures, it was the day when Yustaf returned to the Imperial Academy. Ran knew that the moment he left the mansion, her every move would be watched by Sir Ross. Ran sighed as she watched him say something earnestly to Yustaf several times. It was not until Ross finally got away from Yustaf that Ran could approach him. ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± ¡°Yes, I wish you well.¡± Ran looked at the ring dangling around his neck and grinned at Yustaf again. ¡°I want you to graduate at the top of your class.¡± It was a nasty remark, but he answered without a blink of anger. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡± ¡°Is it something you can achieve just because you want it?¡± Ran asked again, Yustaf grinned and went into the carriage. Ran stepped back, and the Footman politely closed the carriage. The driver slightly raised his hat to greet her and whistled. The horse started to run briskly and the carriage moved away in an instant. It was not until the carriage was gone that Ran sighed and turned away. ¡°Sir Ross.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hazel-colored eyes looked straight at Ran as if they had something to say. ¡°While Yustaf is away, I¡¯ll be in your care¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ross, who already had a talk with Yustaf about the current situation, bowed his head without a reply. ¡°All right.¡± Ran sighed again. ¡°Then let¡¯s get to work.¡± ¡®I¡¯m dying.¡¯ Ran was ready to work and she asked the butler to bring all the accounting documents. This situation is bad. It¡¯s worse than I thought. ¡®You¡¯ve got a mortgage on your estate to a private lender, haven¡¯t you?¡¯ The Duchy of Lachia is wide and has a lot of useless land. But there¡¯s no way useless land could have been mortgaged. ¡®The only granary has been mortgaged. We¡¯ll starve without this. I¡¯m starving.¡¯ Of course, the repayment period is still about half a year away, but the interest was paid monthly. In addition, the finances are in a negative state. A negative state. A negative means that there is no large amount of money available at the moment, and even a visionary like Ran knows that it will cost a lot of money to develop a mine. ¡°Should we sell a part of the mining rights?¡±¡± We need to find the mine first. Baron Lindbergh refuses to leave the mansion. As soon as Yustaf left, he wanted to see Ran right away. ¡°I put off a lot of work.¡± ¡®tuk-tuk¡¯ Ran hit her head with a pen. The Duchy is big, and of course, there are many working people. There are four main agents working for a duke. A deacon, maid of honor, and servant-general are all, in charge of all the affairs of the mansion. An administrator in charge of territorial affairs. An accountant in charge of accounting. A knight incharge of arms, such as soldiers and knights. Among them,accounts are trash. They were people who pocketed public funds into their own pockets. ¡®Why did I make the accountant a scum in the original novel? Oh, come on.¡¯ It¡¯s the most important part. Well, it was so easy for a Duchy to collapse. Fortunately, the rest of the people were deeply loyal to the Duke. ¡°In particular, the Knights Leader.¡± Ran saw Ross. The Knight was his eldest brother. ¡°Sir Ross.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Would you call the Administrator and the Knights Leader?¡± At Ran¡¯s command, Ross ordered the two men to be called and asked. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°The accounting is terrible.¡± ¡°The Duchess was extravagant.¡± ¡°She was.¡± Ran nodded softly at the sarcastic remark. After all, it¡¯s true that her mother did something wrong. ¡°The problem is that selling such jewelry is a bargain. It¡¯s expensive.¡± After a pause, Ran continued. ¡°How much do you know about the financial situation?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s tight.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not to the point of bankruptcy,¡¯ Ran knocked on a bundle of papers. ¡°I think our accountant certainly cheated us. Well, he wasn¡¯t the one who looked in the books.¡± I¡¯m sure you thought that he was honorable. If the accountant said he could borrow money, or that he could finance it, you would have thought so. You didn¡¯t think it was such a big deal to use a private loan. ¡®Scary, you have no sense of crisis.¡¯ Ross¡¯s expression hardened slightly at her words. ¡°Did the accountant commit fraud?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± With a nod, Ran swallowed a bitter smile. Maybe they thought it is okay to do it since he¡¯s an aristocrat and I won¡¯t say anything about it. This is the North, and they are honorable men. We can¡¯t accept the fact that you deceived your boss right in front of them because you were tempted by money. There are also some rare honorable people, but without good connections to act as their protective shield, they will disappear. Ran smiled. Yustaf is a great shield. Ross frowned at her smile and there was a knock on the door. Knock, knock ¡°Come in.¡± Ran said clearly, while slightly pushing the chair back.The administrator opened the door. She looks like a woman in her forties. The knight was in his early thirties and dressed in armor. ¡°I see the Lord.¡± Elizabeth, the administrator, greeted first, and Blaine, the head of the Knights, followed. Ran felt relieved. They seemed to follow her directions to not address her using the official greetings. ¡°Both of you, sit down.¡± Elizabeth and Blaine glanced at each other. They met at the door, but neither of them knew why she called them. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s not that they don¡¯t have a clue.¡¯ Elizabeth looked at the young lady before her eyes. Elizabeth was also there when Ran put on the blue flame. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m sure the blue flame is in her hands.¡¯ ¡®She didn¡¯t even get burned.¡¯ Ran said so many times that she is just a temporary housekeeper. But, what if she¡¯s just being humble before grabbing the opportunity to take the position? As soon as she ascends to the position of a Lord, she looks at the accounting books and calls the administrator and the head of the knights. ¡®It¡¯s not something a normal 19-year-old girl would do.¡¯ Elizabeth thought so and gently lowered her eyes as she met Ran. ¡°I¡¯m sure me calling you all of a sudden makes you wonder what¡¯s going on. To be blunt,¡± Ran touched the pile of papers with her fingertips. ¡°The Duke¡¯s debt is enormous.¡± ¡°How bad is it?¡± Elizabeth asked back. Ran said with a wry smile. ¡°To put it simply,we have to sell out all the territory and title. Do you have any idea how bad it is?¡± All three people in the study held their breath at Ran¡¯s words. But soon Elizabeth protested. ¡°Young Lady I think you are mistaken. I saw the accounting data, too. Of course, it¡¯s tight, but the benefits are ¨C¡° ¡°It was fraudulent accounting.¡± ¡°Fraudulent accounting?¡± Blaine asked back. ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s fake¡±. Ran said, gathering her fingertips and raising them like a tower. ¡°For example¡­¡± Ran thought for a moment and gave the simplest case. ¡°I did not buy it, but I wrote it down on the financial statements as if I bought it.¡± Ran opened a sheet of paper and gave it to Blaine. ¡°Last year, 3,000 Verats were paid to equip the Knights.¡± Blaine pulled the document in a hurry at the word. It really said the payment is 3,000 Verats. He protested without realizing it. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± He, himself, had never received a penny. On the contrary, he had brought up changing the tattered equipment countless times, but no money had come in. ¡°I thought so. Besides, if you look over here, you¡¯ve spent a lot of money buying horses, but we don¡¯t have that many horses, do we?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be something similar on the administration side.¡± ¡°I know. Elizabeth wrote down her request for funds. Thanks to you, it was easy to compare. But¡­¡± Ran smiled coolly. Fraudulent accounting is always accompanied by embezzlement, breach of trust, and forgery. It is not in the inventory, but it says that I purchased it. The financial statements are a mess. If it was back then, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do. Of course, that idea follows. ¡°But my lord, do you believe me? At Elizabeth¡¯s words, Ran pointed her finger at her own eyes. ¡°I believe what I have seen with my own eyes.¡± Elizabeth shut her mouth. It is strange to believe that Ran observed and made a decision on her own, while I didn¡¯t notice it. In addition, I don¡¯t have to hate myself for believing in her. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to fire the accountant.¡± She gently waved her palms from right to left in front of her neck. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean the debt is gone. The good news is we can pay it back in six months and it hasn¡¯t been decided whether it¡¯s a split or a lump sum payment.¡± Blaine frowned. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± At his question, Ran took a moment and said, ¡°First of all, we need to get rid of the accountants, investigate them and confiscate their assets. But, there¡¯s something we need to do before that.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to investigate the North Mountains.¡± ¡°Ice Walls?¡± In this situation? He looked shocked. But Ran just smiled and said while writing, ¡°Yeah. So¡­¡± Ran traced the location of the mine. It was discovered while wandering through the mountains after Yeoju fell in there. So, it wouldn¡¯t be that far from the gate. ¡°I want you to concentrate on finding the cave near the door.¡± ¡°By the door?¡± His face stiffened. ¡°Yes, I wish I could come with you.¡± Ran said so and shrugged her shoulders. The door. It is the origin of this story and the beginning of the Lachia family. There are three things that Ivrea, the great wise man, made by sealing the darkness. First, is the mountain range called the Ice Wall. Then, the gate at the heart of the mountain range. Lastly, the Sky House, which was built for the Lachia family, the gatekeepers. So the door was a symbol of fear and awe in the north. Of course, the Knights of Blue Flame, the Knights of the Duke of Lachia, were close to the gate, but he would not be willing to investigate the area. ¡®But!¡¯ ¡°Do a thorough investigation. The cave contains a secret artifact to save the Lachia family.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Blaine nodded his head without much trouble. ¡°Okay. I will make a team.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, but I¡¯ll only ask you to be discrete and keep whatever you find in the cave a secret.¡± At Ran¡¯s words, Blaine looked at her and bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be very discrete.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Ran said so, she motioned Blaine to go out. He got up, bowed politely, and left the study. And Ran looked at Elizabeth and said, ¡°In fact, there¡¯s no proof to gather evidence. Just looking at it makes me feel like I¡¯m in a hole. You¡¯ve been doing it for years, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been annoying lately.¡± ¡°But you still want to document it.¡± At Elizabeth¡¯s words, Ran nodded. Elizabeth looked at the papers on her desk and spoke forcefully. ¡°I want everything sent to my room.¡± ¡°Please.¡± Ran said so and told Elizabeth to go out. Then she rang the bell to move the documents to Elizabeth¡¯s office, and collapsed ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯ I looked at Ross, but he had a face that would remain unchanged. ¡°A cup of tea.¡± When Ran lifted her finger and spoke softly, Ross called the maid of honor. Ran pressed her forehead with both hands and waited for the tea to be brewed. ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯ But on second thought, she went over the numbers that filled her head one by one. The woman quietly poured the tea out. Ross asked as soon as the girl left. ¡°Did you do it on purpose?¡± Chapter 4 ¡°What?¡± Ran looked up and asked. Ross stared at her and answered. ¡°The captain.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°To the door.¡± ¡°Did you hear that just now?¡± After saying so, Ran lifted the cup and blew it. It¡¯s not a sight of an elegant aristocrat Lady, but it¡¯s better than putting your tongue in hot tea. Ross asked again, as he sipped the hot tea little by little. ¡°Didn¡¯t you send the captain to the door to get rid of him?¡± Near the door is the place where the most dangerous creatures come out. ¡°Why would I?¡± Only then did Ran relax her nerves from the tea and concentrate on Ross. ¡°To destroy the power of the Yustaf. That¡¯s what will happen.¡± Ran smiled unknowingly at him speaking in a gloomy tone. Ross frowned at her laughter. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird to ask so straightforwardly? It¡¯s like you¡¯re asking ¡®Are you trying to kill your brother!¡¯.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ran laughed cheerfully and placed her chin on her hand. Her eyes were strangely clear. ¡°That¡¯s not true. I trust him.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°I also trust you. Yus trusts you, so I trust you. Can¡¯t you do the same?¡± Ross¡¯ face became suspicious. He continued. ¡°And how can you do that?¡± ¡°Do what? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t been educated as a Duke. Of course, I think you¡¯ve been taking lessons from a tutor lately.¡± Even so, a 19-year-old girl suddenly holds a position as the head of a household, and she¡¯s so good at this job? ¡°I think you had it ready. It seems like you were waiting for this to happen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Ran said and looked at the red tea. ¡®In fact, I wanted to avoid this kind of situation the most. I hoped to prevent the death of my family.¡¯ But the family died, and Ran came up with a theory. ¡®I think, no matter how much I change the story, the main part won¡¯t change. The future is still the same¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m just doing the best that I can. I think my head is going to explode.¡± Ran said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Yustaf about this and make him worry about me.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s worried about you.¡± When Ross said that, Ran laughed. ¡°I think you are right.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡± At Ross¡¯s question, Ran touched the teacup with her fingertip. The teacup is wide, so the tea water cools down quickly. Ran asked, holding up a moderately cold tea cup. ¡°Why should I be angry?¡± ¡°Because of him.¡± In rare cases, Ross could not continue to talk behind her back. Ran sipped her tea and said, ¡°I want to be a real family with Yustaf. It may be too much for us to get along as brother and sister, but I want us to be.¡± Ran looked at Ross. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to force it. I¡¯m just doing my best. You know, he was bullied by my mother.¡± She spoke awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m not denying that I used to bother him in the past. But now, I want to do things differently.¡± Click, click. Ran placed the empty glass down and poured a second one. The sweet smell of the tea swirled up and filled the room. ¡°So I¡¯m not angry. It¡¯s all up to Yustaf.¡± Ross looked like a man who saw something really strange. Ran slipped the papers out of the pile of papers and put them on the desk. She knew the financial situation was the worst. So what about all the work that¡¯s been pushed back ¡¯till now?? In fact, Elizabeth, the administrator, held her own despite all the work pushed on her. ¡®I can¡¯t believe she didn¡¯t show it. She¡¯s a great administrator.¡¯ Moreover, most of the businesses that have been raised need funds.The bell tower has been requesting repairs for several years now¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t it better to repair the bridge than this? No, the road covered by a landslide three years ago has not been restored yet, has it?¡¯ First of all, the goal is to go through the pile of documents. ¡®Let¡¯s cheer up.¡¯ Ran took a deep breath and began to flip through the papers quickly. Speed reading was one of the strong points she had. With this mountain of documents, it would be good to finish this quickly. In addition. ¡®The format is a mess.¡¯ There was no basic form of documentation. At this point, it¡¯s nowhere near a document, it¡¯s just a copy of the book. It was even close to a letter. ¡®I¡¯ll have to fix this first.¡± I need to specify a basic format. That alone will greatly reduce the time it took to read the documents. flap ~ flap~ flap~ With that rapid flipping of the papers, Ross wondered if she was really reading the whole article carefully. By the time he was getting tired of her speed, there was suddenly a loud knocking on the door. Ross looked up in surprise. Ross put his hand on his sword and the door burst open. ¡°Ran!¡± It was her uncle, Baron Lindbergh, who came in screaming. ¡°Uncle.¡± Ran got up from her seat. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t see you at all. I was worried about what happened to you.¡± Baron Lindbergh murmured. Ross stood before the baron to block him. ¡°You cannot see the Lord without permission.¡± ¡°I¡¯m her uncle! Besides, I¡¯m more worried about a tough guy like you being here!¡± ¡°Uncle, he is a loyal retainer.¡± When Ran covered him, Ross was inwardly surprised. Lindberg snorted. ¡°He has no loyalty towards you.¡± Ran said to Ross, ¡°Please let me sit¡± Ross stepped aside without a word, and Lindbergh sat down, even though he was not asked to come in and sit down. It was a rude act and it was not subtle enough to be ignored. But Ran sat down and asked, without a word. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to give you another escort.¡± ¡°Another escort?¡± ¡°Yes! Not that unfaithful fellow, but an escort that I recommend.¡± Lindbergh said something that seemed obvious. ¡°No, Sir Ross is good enough. I don¡¯t need to increase my escorts.¡± Lindberg frowned and spoke in a low voice. ¡°Ran.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Your mother owes me a debt. Did you know that?¡± Baron Lindbergh spoke suspiciously and took the papers out of his arms. ¡°There was a time when she wanted to buy a necklace. So I lent her money on a short notice. It was extremely difficult for me too.¡± He gave the papers to Ran. Ran opened the document with a blank face. It was a debt acknowledgment letter . It said that her mother borrowed 10,000 verats from him and the interest is 10% per month. It means that a thousand verats is added every month. It was a huge rate. With 3,000 verats, it is possible to replace all of the knights¡¯ equipment with new ones. ¡°I¡¯m glad she only borrowed 10,000 verats¡± Well, Baron Lindbergh paid cash. It would be difficult to come up with more than 10,000 verats. The money from a Baron is about 15,000 Verat a year. First of all, the money unit verat is rarely used unless it¡¯s a noble. ¡®A 10,000-verat necklace.¡¯ Ran recalled her mother¡¯s colorful jewelry. I remember Marie Antoinette¡¯s diamond necklace that she never wore on her neck. It is a necklace engulfed in a huge scandal. ¡°According to this loan, the payment date is at the end of this year.¡± ¡°Yes, but didn¡¯t my mother just die?¡± The baron made a grim face. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of money for me, too. That¡¯s why I¡¯m letting you know, just in case you don¡¯t know.¡± He coughed lightly and clicked his tongue. ¡°But you¡¯re my niece. So, I¡¯m thinking about writing off this debt.¡± ¡°Write off?¡± Ran looked at him with wonder. Baron Lindberg fiddled his well-mended mustache and said, ¡°I want to be a real family with you.¡± ¡°We¡¯re already related by blood.¡± She didn¡¯t want to say family, so Ran chose a different word. But the baron, who didn¡¯t notice the indifference, smiled and said, ¡°I mean, I want you to marry my son.¡± Oh my god. Ran swallowed a laugh coming out of her mouth. ¡°If it¡¯s your son, you mean my cousin Robbie?¡± I knew about him because I¡¯ve seen him several times. That guy is a scumbag who likes to flash his manhood and indulge in alcohol and women. In other words, by Ran¡¯s standards, he was a man close to trash. ¡®He¡¯s probably gambling right now¡¯ ¡°Yes, you know, the age difference is only four or five. It¡¯s the perfect time.¡± ¡®What the hell¡¯ But Ran didn¡¯t express such a reaction. It is not yet time to make a blatant enemy. Only after the Duchy¡¯s finances and affairs become stronger. Although she was acknowledged by the Blue Flame, there will still be some people who are dissatisfied with the fact that she has become a temporary owner. Baron Lindbergh has spent a lot of money here and there, so there have to be spies inside. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not just Baron.¡¯ The only thing I¡¯m lucky about is that I¡¯m the original author. ¡®I know for sure who is loyal to the family and can be trusted¡¯ ¡®Thank God.¡¯ Ran smiled embarrassedly and said, ¡°I really appreciate what you say, uncle. But, marriage¡­ It¡¯s so sudden. Besides, um¡­¡± Ran scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s kind of weird to get married like that because of debt.¡± It may sound girly but for Baron Lindbergh, it¡¯s annoying. ¡°But it`s 10,000 verats. Do you know how much money this is? Besides, the duchy has other debts. It¡¯s not a problem you can handle alone.¡± Lindbergh leaned his upper body down. ¡°You¡¯ll need the advice of a wiser person.¡± ¡°The guidance of a person such as yourself, uncle¡± Finally satisfied, Baron Lindbergh nodded. Ran looked at the pile of papers. ¡®I still have a lot of work to do.¡¯ She smiled and looked up. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear .¡° ¡°Are you awake?¡± Ran responded vaguely, ¡°Yes.¡± Ross realized that she wasn¡¯t listening to him at all, so he approached her closely and put his hands on the papers. Only then did Ran look at him. ¡°Lord Ross?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already dawn.¡± ¡°Just a little bit more.¡± ¡°How about you look at these tomorrow morning?¡± ¡°Should I?¡± Ran rubbed her tensed eyes. Although the candle was lit up,her eyes were still tired. Ross looked at Ran. ¡®When Baron Lindbergh came and talked, I really wanted to cut him. When they had a private meeting, I thought they were planning something.¡¯ ¡®But.¡¯ She told Ross all the stories she shared with Baron Lindbergh. ¡®Of course I don¡¯t believe it all.¡¯ There are plenty of times when people build trust only to be betrayed in the end. ¡®That¡¯s what I thought until you told me about the secret hole.¡¯ ¡°When I have a private meeting with my uncle, come over here and listen.¡± She showed him to the other room connected to the inner room and pointed to the chimney. ¡°You can hear us well when I open that.¡± ¡°What if you write or exchange notes?¡± When Ross said that, Ran blinked and stretched her shoulders. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t do it¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Well, is the effect somewhat opposite? That¡¯s because I want to build trust.¡± ¡°Trust.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s worth it.¡± Ran shrugged her shoulders and continued. ¡°Well, when Yustaf graduates it¡¯ll be easier, then.¡± This is the last semester. After winter, he will graduate and come back to the mansion in spring. ¡°By then, will we have built some trust?¡± At Ran¡¯s words, Ross had no answer. The Lord¡¯s thoughts belong to the Lord. One shouldn¡¯t try to understand it. Ran got up from her seat with a sheet of paper. ¡°Then let¡¯s take your advice and go to bed.¡± Ross lowered his eyes and said nothing. Ran returned to her room and changed her clothes with the help of a maid. Originally, she would have had to move to the Duke¡¯s room, but she kept saying that she would continue to use her room. She¡¯s only a temporary Lord anyway. As soon as she lay on the familiar bed, she fell asleep. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 The Imperial Academy As its name suggests, it was an institution of higher education established in the Empire With a full-time dormitory system, the Emperor traditionally came from the Imperial Academy, so the majority of the aristocracy sent their children to the Academy. The resulting graduation reunions will be a great place to build some connections Originally, the House of Lachia usually kept their distance. So, Yustaf, who is the first to enter the academy from Lachia, attracted a lot of attention, There are three dukes in the Empire. Ice-wall¡¯s Lachia, White Silver¡¯s Miro and Rose¡¯s Usla Among them, Lachia was the most closed off and secluded. As such, people were curious and had many fantasies The place where the last of the great sage fell asleep. The ice wall The door that actually exists. And a family history that is much longer than the Empire¡¯s. For aristocrats who value tradition and lineage, Lachia was special In fact, the first empress, who founded the empire, was a descendant of Lachia. They even have their own greetings that sounded so nice. In fact, Yustaf was not interested in such a thing, he thought it unpleasant and annoying to say the greeting It was a greeting to the Duke. But after he spoke out with a cold and scomful face, no one greeted him again Yustaf, who gained the room with the privileges of a duke in his last year, opened the letter with ease. It was a letter from Ran. Since he came to the academy, she had sent at least one letter a week. It was the usual scenario. After she took over as the temporary Lord, she would report every little detail on what had happened in the mansion Her meeting with uncle,the details about debt, and the financial situation. And I¡¯m so tired, even complaining Yustaf read the letter without noticing that he was smiling The last one was ¡®Graduate quickly and come and help me.¡¯ ¡®Seriously ¡®Is she really trying to get acknowledged as a family member and help me become the head? Yustaf scanned through the letters with his fingertips. That way, he can read the content of the letter properly. (not part of the tl, but I don¡¯t know where to put this comment, if the succeeding parts are like flashbacks, can we italicize it? Just to make some clear transition) Yeah I think that¡¯d be a good idea My stepmother was a great beauty, I¡¯ve never seen such gold hair and vivid green eyes. And his new sister, who just stood there while holding her skirt. He felt comfortable with them. Their Northem summery green eyes with soft, shiny wheat hair With great expectations, comes greater disappointment. And the moment I was overcome with disappointment, I fell into despair *That day The day when he climbed a tree and fell on top of Ran. That day was a turning point. Ran, who was unconscious, had died and came back to life as a different person ¨C Yustaf, I want to be a real family with you. The voice whispered with a friendly smile. Yustaf closed his eyes, opened them, and reached for the next letter The second was Ross¡¯ letter. Ross was meticulously reporting Ran¡¯s activities. *There¡¯s a cave What¡¯s in it? This was not mentioned in Ran¡¯s letter. ¡®Besides, how do you know that cave? There¡¯s something in the cave that can pay off our debt?¡¯ Questions arose in a flury. Yustaf reached out to the ink bottle without hesitation. He wrote down his questions and sealed the letter. The receiver, of course, was Ran. The execution of the accountant was quick. A list of his sins was posted throughout the territory. Some of the people were delighted that the first punishment the Lord dealt was the death penalty, and that it was the first step in stopping corruption, while others turned pale. Some people shouted that the death penalty was too much and that the new Lord was cruel Ran ignored everything. Unfortunately, the confiscated property did not have much value. ¡°Where the hell did you use all of this?¡¯ Ran groaned at the list of assets that were less than what she had thought. She knew they had used them for gambling, but she didn¡¯t know they had spent this much on gambling Many of the accountants were disciplined and fired. Administrative¡¯s work has been increased, but the administrator¡¯s did not open their mouths. It was because everyone knew that the Lord was the one who is most overworked. Her study was the last to turn off the fire, and the first to be lit. So when Blaine returned, he was surprised to see the pale complexion of the housekeeper and her darkened eyes. ¡°Are you all right?¡± It came out unknowingly. Lan grinned and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, so it¡¯s fine. I have heard that your mission was a success?¡¯ ¡°Yes, I found the cave. And I found what you said, but¡­¡± Blaine carefully placed the basket down. Ran quickly opened the lid and looked inside There was a mana stone the size of an arm. When Blaine saw her face brightening, he added, ¡°But it¡¯s not a jewel.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not a jewel. It¡¯s a Mana Stone.¡± ¡°A Mana Stone? One this big? Ran nodded when she saw how surprised Blaine was. ¡°This transparency, this hardness. A high-purity Mana Stone looks like this.¡± Blaine blinked. He had seen magical items and Mana Stones several times. But all the Mana Stones he saw looked like ordinary stones. Ran tapped the Mana Stone lightly with her hand. Making magical items isn¡¯t hard. It is also not difficult finding mana stones either. But the purity of mana stones in the market is so low that mana gets consumed too quickly. Now, there were magic craftsmen who made magic circles and enchanted magical objects. They didn¡¯t use a high-level wizard because it would cost a lot of money. Even if you are not a wizard, you can draw a magic circle. Magic craftsmen were low-wage workers. ¡°But if these mana stones are supplied, things will be completely different.¡± As long as there are enough mana stones, there are countless things you can do without a wizard. Blaine nodded at Ran¡¯s muttering ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d find it this fast. It¡¯s all thanks to Blaine.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Blaine answered politely, with his eyes down. ¡°Okay, then.¡± Ran grinned and touched the mana stone with her fingertips. ¡°I¡¯ll look for a business partner.¡± Lan¡¯s head was spinning. She was the original author, and she had quite a few settings that she didn¡¯t write about Top Businesses. The empire has three top businesses. If Ran had to choose one of them to deal with, Golden Rose is the best. Ran took a deep breath and looked up ¡°Lord Blaine, may I ask you one more question?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask You can order it.¡± At his polite words, Ran felt relieved. Ran picked up a pen and drew a picture on a piece of paper. ¡°Have you ever seen a tree with leaves like this?¡± Blaine nodded at the sight of her painting. So did Ross. ¡°I know. It¡¯s quite a common tree in the North.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ran looked at the window for a moment. ¡°Well, no, it¡¯s not the right time yet, so let¡¯s put this off.¡± Ran said while folding the paper ¡°Good job. Go get some rest.¡± Blaine saluted and left the study. Ran sat down. Ross looked at the Mana Stone on the table and asked. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That there¡¯s something like that.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure either.¡± Ross looked back at Ran with wonder, Ran, in the meantime, was thinking of a believable story ¡°I thought there might be some reason why the wizards couldn¡¯t come here.¡± ¡°Also, do you even have any interest in magic and Mana Stones?¡± Ross was dumbfounded and asked. Ran nodded and added. ¡°And remember when I went to the door before, that time when I got lost?¡± Before I reincarnated as Ran, the real Ran had actually got lost on her way to the door When her mother found out about it later, she claimed it was Yustaf¡¯s doing and punished him ¡°I know.¡± Ross¡¯s face had stiffened. That day, the stepmother picked up the rod, and young Yustaf¡¯s back was covered with blood. Even now, there is a scar on his back. ¡°I found it then. So when I combined my childhood memories and old data, I thought, ¡°Maybe. Ran smiled awkwardly and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I was just lucky¡± Ross did not answer. She was lucky That¡¯s what she said, but it¡¯s not easy to combine fragmented data into one and draw conclusions That¡¯s a ridiculous conclusion But Ran came up with it, and there was an answer. Pure Mana Stone Even though Ross was not familiar with commerce, he knew the value would be enormous. The Duke will be free from debt. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡± ¡°It will be embarrassing if I¡¯m wrong.¡± Ross stared at Ran, but she just smiled and said, ¡°Now that I know for sure. I should send a letter to Yustaf and to the Golden Rose too.¡± ¡°Golden Rose?¡± ¡°Yeah, one of the top three businesses. Wouldn¡¯t we be able to trade this with them?¡± Having a high value product is like winning the lottery. There¡¯s a lot of work to be done, Furthermore, in order to trade red and blue mana stones, they need a group of people with connections to the western end. Now, it will be possible to do anything that we could not have been done before because of the lack of magic power in the Mana Stones. The possibilities for the future are simply endless. ¡®Besides, the only place where such high-purity magical stones can come from is the Ice Wall¡¯ In other words, it¡¯s like getting oil money. Ran grinned With this, Yustaf¡¯s suffering was over And then the heroine, from a different dimension, would fall from the sky to meet the male lead Heroine Ran suddenly remembered the word. The name of the heroine is Sina. She was a lovely heroine. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll work hard on the story.¡¯ I feel sonry whenever I think about it. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll do you a favor.¡± Yustaf and Sina will live happily ever after ¡®This time, I¡¯ll grant you a favor.¡± And Yustaf and Sina will have a happy ending Of course, there are problems that money can¡¯t solve, but at least, money won¡¯t be one of them. That alone seems to solve half of the problems. ¡°Once the work is done, I have to find the second male lead¡­¡¯ He would have been enslaved by now. It¡¯s still too early, but I have to look for him before the end of next year. The real hell will begin next year at an illegal toumament. Even so, I already saved the male lead for now¡­! Ran bit her lips. Two years ¡°If she can endure this for two more years, Yustaf will inherit the position as the Lord.¡± ¡®Also, Yustaf will graduate in half a year ¡°Then the position as temporary head will just be for appearances.¡± ¡®I hope it will happen soon.¡¯ Ran thought so and reviewed the letter once again There were no mistakes ¡°Oh, right. Ran added to her letter for Yustaf. -Bring some talent! Yustaf tilted his head when he saw the phrase at the end of the letter Some talents The Imperial Academy was definitely a place for connections Most of the Academy¡¯s students are nobles. But since a hundred years ago, the emperor also allowed commoners to enter in order to raise forces against the nobility, If you pass the examination, you will be exempt from a huge entrance fee for those who do not have a title. The majority of graduates end up in the lower management of the Imperial Palace, Yustaf tapped his desk lightly. ¡°There are a few people that caught my attention.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m tired of socializing at the Academy, but that¡¯s another problem.¡¯ ¡°You can do it in eamest. Even though he watched the people at the Academy closely, he had never recruited anyone directly. It was because his father, the Duke, was still alive, and doing such things would also support his stepmother.¡± ¡°Look, you are still alive, and yet your son is already preparing to become a Duke.¡± It was obvious that she would say that But Ran became the head of the household ¡®It¡¯s a direct order from the Lord, so it¡¯s okay.¡± Yustaf folded the letter thinking so. The detailed data on the Duke¡¯s debt suffocated him. To think that the debt amounted to this much. It¡¯s at the point where the Duchy¡¯s revenue won¡¯t be able to cover it. ¡®But¡¯ Mana Stones¡­ Yustaf touched the Blue Flame. A cold, cool surface that doesn¡¯t get warm no matter how much you touch it. Yustaf liked it. ¡®Really, your decision was correct.¡¯ Yustaf whispered at the Blue Flame while he was lost in his thoughts Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Ran gasped for breath. The guillotine was giving off a menacing glow before her. ¡°Kill, kill kill!¡± The crowd in the square was shouting. No, no, no, no She has to speak, but she can¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t move either. Her tongue seemed to stick to the top of her mouth Yustaf looked down at her with cold blue eyes. ¡°Now, in the name of Yustaf Raban de Lachia, who has become the master of blue flames, I execute death penalty to the sinner Ran Romea de Lachia.¡± No, I¡¯m not I¡¯m not Ran I¡¯m, I¡¯m The captors from both sides dragged her neck into the hole. Not looking down, but facing up so that only two blades could be seen ¡°Do it.¡± The blue blades came down fast. Ran woke up from her dream ¡°Ugh, ha, ha, ha, ha¡­¡­.¡± It was a dream¡­ When she touched her back, she felt sticky sweat all over it. She seemed to have been struggling and sweating a lot. Still feeling dizzy, Ran stared blankly into space and staggered to her feet. I¡¯m really stressed out. She thought so and drank the water that had been prepared. When she first opened her eyes there, she couldn¡¯t grasp the situation at all. Her face was a completely different face, and the person claiming to be her mother was crying with a distorted expression ¡®T¡¯ve come to realize that I¡¯m in the novel I wrote.¡¯ Still, it didn¡¯t feel real. It hit her when Yustaf came to apologize. ¡®I didn¡¯t have a good sense of time back then¡­ Was it about a month after I came to my senses? Has it been more?¡¯ When she heard Yustaf was coming to apologize, she said, ¡°Oh, is the male lead coming?¡± She feel like she didn¡¯t have a sense of reality She was shocked when she actually met Yustaf It wasn¡¯t the face of an ordinary child at all A face that does not contain feelings of apology or guilt, but is completely expressionless-a face that seems to be wom out. Looking back on those days, Ran still feels bad. Ran clasped her arms tightly as if she were hugging herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sister¡± When she saw Yustaf, who bowed deeply, while saying so, she felt like she was awakening Ran caught a glimpse of the bloody scars that could not be hidden under his sleeves. She made him like that. That¡¯s how she wrote him. But looking at that face now, this is a novel, and Yustaf will be happy to meet the heroine later, so hang in there. ¡®I can¡¯t say that Ran sighed. So she desperately tried to protect Yustaf from then on. ¡®Because I haven¡¯t won the trust of Yustaf yet.¡± Ran bit her lips. What if two years later Yustaf kills her?? ¡®No, no, it¡¯ll be fine. I can work hard in these 2 years.¡± Ran found the Mana Stones, and she¡¯ll continue to work hard. ¡°I¡¯m going to save my own life. Ran stroked her neck again, comforting herself like that She sneaked up to the window and opened it, dawn was coming. ¡®All right.¡¯ Today is the day she meets someone from Golden Rose. ¡®You said branch manager, right? Ran took a deep breath Don¡¯t let me sign a fraudulent contract¡¯. Ran prayed, while putting her hands together The maid said anxiously, covering her dark circles. ¡°You¡¯ve been having a hard time these days.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s only the beginning, I can¡¯t help it.¡± Ran replied and smiled. Ran¡¯s popularity as the Duchess has been increasing day by day As soon as she became the Duchess, the employees could feel that everything had began to retum to normal After changing clothes, Ran left the room. There were four halls in the mansion One is a hall where people meet in groups. Usually, she meets people with a low social status here. This place was just called Alreal The second was a silk room, a room for people with titles, the third was an emerald room, a room for VIPs, and the fouth was a pearl room, a room for private consultation The highest ranking noble, Ran, had designated the emerald room for VIPs. It was unconventional, but that didn¡¯t matter. This deal is that important. The emerald room was beautifully decorated with green color to match its name. *It¡¯s also the room where the Duchess greets guests.¡¯ It was also the perfect room for the beautiful tiara owner ¡°Hello, it¡¯s an honor to meet you.¡± As Ran entered the room, the person sat up, took off her hat, and greeted her gracefully. ¡°A Woman.¡± Ran blinked a little surprised, and was surprised for the second time after seeing the others appearance She was a beautiful woman who seemed to purify was surprised for the second time after seeing the others appearance. Her gorgeous blonde hair resembled Ran¡¯s mother¡¯s and she had golden eyes as clear as stars. Above all, Ran could see her sharp ears. Is she in her mid-30s now? Ran said with a nod and a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the business owner to come in person.¡± The owner of the Golden Rose is a Half Elf. At Ran¡¯s words, the woman opened her eyes wide and laughed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t underestimate the duchy¡¯s networks.¡± Extemally, the owner of Golden Rose was known as a man. Ran guessed it¡¯s because it¡¯s hard to be active as a woman and even more so as a different race. But as the business owner¡¯s power grows, within a few years, she will be out of the shadows and stand at the front lines. ¡®I just know it¡¯ However, she used this as bait to shake the opponent¡¯s network ¡°Ran Romea de Lachia.¡± Ran introduced herself to the table. ¡°Be clear of the blue flames. Levory Liberty.¡± As you already know, Levery drew a clear line with red lips. A small piece of Mana Stone and a letter enclosed by the Duke of Lachia Levory had asked a wizard if it was a real Mana Stone, and the wizard got very excited and asked where it came from. This is a revolution The changes in the world that the Lachian Mana Stone will bring and the enormous profits that come with it. Levory could never miss it. That¡¯s why Levory came here herself. She also learned about the Duke of Lachia in many ways. *It¡¯s a very closed-off Duchy. Nevertheless, they cannot reduce their debt, nor can they show the struggles over the succession. Levory looked at the girl in front of her, who does not have a drop of Lachian blood, but had become the head of Lachia. Her flowing wheat hair, dark green eyes, and her appearance make her a great beauty. Appearance is definitely an advantage, but how can you become a patriarch with just that? ¡°You don¡¯t even have Lachian blood.¡± It¡¯s not a regular bet. She even recognized Levory at once. Even if the duchy is going bankrupt, it¡¯ll be a loss to look down on them. Levory is firmly determined. Ran offered her a seat and began to prepare the tea. It¡¯s a sign of hospitality just for the owner to offer tea, but the owner of the house prepared the tea herself. ¡°Are you okay with strong tea?¡± When asked by Ran, Levory replied, ¡°I like it.¡± She poured plenty of hot water into the pot and covered it with a lid. Ran said while preparing the tea, ¡°I¡¯m not good at beating around the bush. So, let¡¯s cut to the chase.¡± ¡°Please do tell.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to sell Mana Stones to Golden Rose.¡± Levory¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Our business will always welcome deals with the Lachia Duchy.¡± ¡°You must¡¯ve investigated all the Duchy¡¯s debts anyway. That¡¯s why I want to make this deal. I will give monopoly rights to the Golden Rose for six months. In retum, I want an advance payment of one million verats.¡± Levory¡¯s face hardened. Ran lowered her eyes to the tea to hide her pounding heart. That¡¯s why she had made her own tea. But if Ran did something, she would look unsure. A million verats. It was a huge amount The annual profit of the Duke of Lachia is 200,000 verat, The duchess is currently in debt of 800,000 verat, ¡®Even though I said it boldly.¡¯ In order to hide her shaky face, Ran poured tea into a teacup Splash The sound of water seemed to calm her body and mind. ¡°My Lady that¡¯s too much.¡± Levory looked up at the teacup and then at Ran. As expected, this woman is not normal. ¡°She just asked for the maximum amount of money I can afford How much information does the Duchy have? In fact, Ran had just met her, but had already known who she was, so Levory got over it quickly. Levory thought Ran had hit the limit of the Golden Rose¡¯s funds ¡®But. She poured sugar syrup into the tea. ¡°Without saying anything, you¡¯re asking for an advanced payment. You haven¡¯t told us anything about how you acquired the Mana Stones.¡± Ran sat down after filling her glass. She held back her desire to pour a lot of sugar syrup Sugar is a very expensive thing Very very expensive. ¡®If people heard that the Duchy has to save sugar because it¡¯s expensive, they¡¯d laugh.¡¯ She poured some sugar syrup into her tea and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of naming the Mana Stones, Ice Crystals. It comes from the Ice Wall, so I thought a resembling name would suit it.¡± Branding it sets it apart from other low-purity Mana Stones. The ice wall. Levory¡¯s ears pricked, The Mana Stones come from the northern mountain range. Ran went on ¡°You too have recognized its value and that¡¯s why you came here, all the way to the North.¡± Yeah, the roads in the North are rough. Specifically, the way to Lachia¡¯s mansion located near the Ice Wall is terrible. Ran raised her head and looked straight at Levory. The green and gold eyes faced each other ¡°Trust is the basis of business.¡± Levory looked at Ran without a word. As expected, this young lady is not normal ¡°What if you secure the trust in this deal with 1 million verats?¡± ¡°Do you want trust that is not based on theory?¡± ¡°If you think it¡¯s worth it, you can sign this contract. If not,¡± Ran shrugged her shoulders. ¡°The exit is that way.¡± Levory emptied the teacup. She felt refreshed as the sweet and warm tea went into her stomach. Levory grinned as she put the glass down. Her beauty shone brightly. ¡®I heard she only just became the head. She doesn¡¯t seem so simple. But this isn¡¯t bad either.¡¯ ¡°All right.¡± Levory said and raised a finger. ¡°Instead, please make it exclusive for one year, since trust easily comes and goes.¡± When Levory said that, Ran nodded and said, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Okay, a year.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± The two women laughed face to face. Ran spoke in a light tone. ¡°Well, let¡¯s talk about the details over dinner.¡± ¡°I would like that.¡± Levory replied with a smile. Levory stayed at the Duke of Lachia¡¯s mansion for a week. Of course, she went to the mine herself Ran also accompanied her Blaine led the knights and joined them. Upon entering the cave, Levory was shocked, Ice Crystals were everywhere. A huge Mana Stone stood in a hexagonal shape, The stones reflected the light from the candles and filled up the cave. It was spectacular. Levory admired the beauty and the amount of Ice Crystals. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of reserves.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ran nodded. She designed it to be like this in the novel. Levory laughed while looking around inside the cave. ¡°I wish we could start mining quickly before winter comes.¡± ¡°I plan to do that.¡± Ran nodded. ¡®What high-purity Mana Stones.¡¯ ¡°Levory was overwhelmed.¡± After writing the contract with a notary, Levoy paid 10% of the down payment on the spot. ¡°When I retum, I¡¯ll send the other half and send the rest in a month.¡± That¡¯s what Levory said and left. Ran was exhausted after Levory left. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m dying.¡± Ran stretched out on the sofa. Elizabeth, who brought in the documents, comforted Ran ¡°Thank you for your hard work, My Lord.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had a hard time.¡± Ran reached out and pulled the papers on the desk out. Even though she¡¯s the one who brought the documents, Elizabeth grew anxious and said nervously ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to take a little break? ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring this yourself because it¡¯s urgent?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ran muttered and pulled herself up. ¡°A Nosebleed ¡­.¡± Ran wiped her nose with her hand. There was blood trickling out. ¡°My Lord!¡± Surprised, Elizabeth shouted, as Ran stood to call a doctor. *It¡¯s my first time having a nosebleed.¡¯ Thinking so, Ran felt her vision twinkling as she pulled herself up. ¡°My Lord!¡± A screaming voice was heard, and Ran lost consciousness. Chapter 7 Yustaf scattered the letters with his fingertips. It¡¯s like he could read the truth. His stepmother was a great beauty. It was the first time he had seen such golden hair and bright green eyes. And then there was the new sister, standing there and holding the hem of her dress. She was more comfortable there. Her soft, shiny, wheat-coloured hair and northern summer green eyes. With some expectations, the disappointment was greater. And then he was falling into despair beyond disappointment. ¡®That day.¡¯ The day he climbed up the tree and the fell on top of Ran. That day was the turning point. Ran, who lost consciousness, took her last breath, and when she came back to life, she had become a different person. ¡ªYustaf, I want to be a real family with you. A small whisper of a voice and friendly smile. Yustaf closed his eyes, opened them, and then reached out to the next letter. The second was Ross¡¯ letter. Ross was meticulously reporting Ran¡¯s actions and whereabouts. ¡®A cave.¡¯ What¡¯s in there? This was not mentioned in Ran¡¯s letter. ¡®And how do you know of the cave? There is a way to pay off the debt in there?¡¯ Questions arose suddenly. Without hesitation, Yustaf reached out to the ink bottle. He wrote down his questions and sealed the envelope. The recipient was, of course, Ran. * * * The execution of accountant Rudd took place quickly. His guilty crimes he was charged with were placed throughout the duchy. Although she is a temporary head, some of the people were delighted that the first punishment from the head was the death penalty and it was the first step in cutting off corruption, while some of them paled. There was desperate cry that the death penalty was too much, and that the new head was cruel. Ran ignored it all. Unfortunately, there were not many properties that was confiscated. ¡®No, what the hell did he spend the money on?¡¯ Ran groaned that the list of properties was less than she thought. She know the money was for gambling, but she didn¡¯t know it was used for gambling that much. A majority of the accountants employees were disciplined and fired. The administrative work increased heavily, but the administrators couldn¡¯t speak. Because everyone knows the most overworked person right now was the head. Her study is the last to switch off the lights and the first to turn them on. So when Blaine returned, he was surprised to see the pale face of the head and the dark under her eyes. ¡°Are you feeling well?¡± That was what he asked unconsciously. Ran smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, so I¡¯m alright. So, I heard you got some good results? ¡°Yes, I found the cave. And I found what you requested¡­¡± He carefully held out the basket. Ran quickly opened the cover of the basket. There was a mana stone the size of an arm. Seeing Ran¡¯s face brighten up, Blaine added. ¡°But it¡¯s not a gem. And you said it isn¡¯t a crystal.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not a gem. This is a mana stone.¡± ¡°This is a mana stone? This big?¡± Ran nodded when she saw that Blaine was surprised. ¡°This transparency, this hardness. This is what a high purity mana stone looks like.¡± Blaine¡¯s eyes widened. He had seen magical items and mana stones several times before. But all of the mana stones he has seen before looked like ordinary stones. Ran tapped the mana stone lightly with her hand. ¡°It¡¯s not difficult to create magical items, and the price is not that expensive. The mana in the current mana stones are so low, there is a limit to what they can do.¡± Now it¡¯s not wizards, but magic craftsman who creates magic circles that go into the magical items. She doesn¡¯t need a high-level wizard, because that will be a big sum of money. You don¡¯t need to be a wizard to draw a magic circle. The magic craftsman are low-wage workers. ¡°But if these mana stones are supplied, it will be completely different.¡± There are endless things that can be done with these mana stones. Blaine nodded at Ran¡¯s murmur. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Yes. I had no idea that you would find it this fast. It¡¯s all thanks to Blaine.¡± ¡°No, it was my pleasure.¡± Blaine answered politely with his eyes lowered down. ¡°All right, then.¡± Ran smiled and rubbed a piece of the mana stone with her fingertips. ¡°I have to find a business partner.¡± Ran¡¯s mind was spinning round and round. Even though she is the original author, there is a lot of background stuff that was not explored in the main story. Top. There are three major organisations in the continent. ¡®If I make a deal with one of them.¡¯ As expected, Golden Rose. Ran took a deep breath and raised her head. ¡°Sir Blaine, can I ask you one more question?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. You can order it.¡¯ Hearing his respectful words, Ran naturally felt relaxed. Ran picked up a pen and drew lightly on a piece of paper. ¡°Have you ever seen a tree with leaves like this?¡± Blaine nodded looking at her drawing. It was the same with Ross. ¡°I know. It¡¯s a pretty common tree in the north.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Ran looked out the window for a moment. ¡°Hm, no. It¡¯s not the right season, so let¡¯s put this off.¡± Having said that, Ran folded the paper. ¡°Good work. Go and get some rest.¡± Blaine saluted and left the study. Ran sat down. Ross looked at the mana stone on the table and asked. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°That is what it is.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure either.¡± Ross looked at Ran with curious eyes. Ran said, hoping that the interwoven story fits together. ¡°I thought there might be some reason that the wizards couldn¡¯t come here.¡± ¡°Is that the only thing? And doesn¡¯t the wizards and the mana stones matter?¡± Ross asked because he was dumbfounded. Ran nodded and added. ¡°And when I went to the door before, do you remember that I disappeared?¡± Ran, So when she was young, the real Ran, not herself, went to the door and got lost. It was the first time her mother had punished Yustaf, saying that he had deliberately lost her daughter. ¡°I know.¡± Ross¡¯ face hardened. That day, the stepmother held a rod, and young Yustaf¡¯s back was covered in blood. Even now, there is still a scar on his back from that beating. ¡°I found it then. So when I remembered and combined those childhood memories with the information about the wizards, that¡¯s what I thought.¡± Ran smiled awkwardly and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I was just lucky.¡± Ross did not answer. She was lucky. She said that, but it is not easy to consolidate fragmented memories and information into one and draw a conclusion. That is not a logical conclusion either. But Ran drew that conclusion, and that was the answer. ¡®Transparent mana stones.¡¯ Even thought he wasn¡¯t familiar with commerce, he knew that the value of this was be enormous. The duchy will get out of debt. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me beforehand?¡± ¡°If I was wrong, it would have been embarrassing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The look on Ross¡¯ face made Ran smile and she said. ¡°Now that I know for sure, I¡¯ll send a letter to Yus. And¡ª one to Golden Rose.¡± ¡°Golden Rose?¡± ¡°Yes, one of the three major businesses in the continent. Wouldn¡¯t it be that long before we can trade this?¡± Having a high-value product is just like winning the lottery. There is a lot of work to be done without getting stabbed in the back. In addition, in order to trade the red and blue mana stones, a business group with connections to the west is required. And now that things that were impossible due to the lack of mana power in the mana stones, will be possible. The possibilities for the future are endless. ¡®And the only place where these high-purity mana stones come from is the ice wall.¡¯ In other words, this is the equivalent to having money from the oil industry. Ran grinned. With this, Yustaf¡¯s hardships will be over. Also, the dimension travelling female lead won¡¯t be left neglected and begging because of a poor duke. The heroine. Ran suddenly recalled her name. The woman¡¯s name is Isina. Sina. She is a lovely woman. ¡°But I¡¯ve been working hard.¡¯ She felt sorry when she thought about it. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll make you happy.¡¯ And Yustaf and Sina will live happily ever after. ¡®Of course, there are problems that can¡¯t be solved with money, but now there won¡¯t be any problems with the finances.¡¯ That alone seems to solve half the problem. ¡®Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll have to find the sub-male lead¡­..¡¯ By now, he would have be enslaved. But, it¡¯s still sad. He has to be found by the end of next year. Next year, he gets sent to an illegal arena, there he¡¯ll experience a real hell. ¡®But I¡¯ve saved the male lead¡­..for now.¡¯ Ran bit her lip. Two years. If she can hold out for the next two years, Yustaf will become head. ¡®And in half a year, Yustaf will graduate anyway.¡¯ Then the position as temporary head of the household will just be for show. ¡®I hope that happens soon.¡¯ Ran thought so and read over the letter again. There was no mistake in the writing. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right.¡¯ Ran added a postscript to her letter to Yustaf. ¡ªBring back some talent! Yustaf tilted his head when he read the last additional sentence of the letter. ¡®Talent.¡¯ The Imperial Academy is certainly a place to connect. Most of the academy¡¯s students are aristocrats, but since a hundred years ago, the emperor allowed the commoners to enter in order to raise the opposition of aristocratic forces. If you pass the exam, those without a title will be exempted from the huge admission fee. Moreover, majority of the graduates become junior officials in the imperial palace and in low-level administration. Yustaf tapped his desk lightly. ¡®There are a few people who stand out.¡¯ He is tired of socialising at the academy. But this is another matter. ¡®That means I have to do it in earnest.¡¯ He carefully observed the students in the academy, but he had never directly recruited anyone. Because doing such a thing whilst his father, who was the head of the family, was alive, would give strength to his stepmother. ¡ªLook, you¡¯re alive, and your son is already preparing to become the duke. It was obvious she would say such a thing. But after Ran became the head. ¡®It¡¯s a direct order from the head, so it should be okay.¡¯ Yustaf thought so and folded the letter. Seeing more details about the duke¡¯s debt, he chocked. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t pay off the debt with the profits of the duchy. ¡®However.¡¯ Mana stones¡­.. Yustaf fondled with the blue flame. The cold and cool surface does not warm up no matter how much he touches it. Yustaf liked it. ¡®You really made the right choice.¡¯ Whispering to the blue flame, he was lost in thought. *** Ran gasped. The guillotine was shining in front of her. ¡°Kill, kill, kill!¡± People gathered in the square were shouting. No, no, not that, no. She wanted to speak, but no words came out. She couldn¡¯t even move. Her tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth. Yustaf looked down at her with cold blue eyes. ¡°Now I am the owner of the blue flame, I, under the name of Yustaf Raban de Lazia, execute the death penalty.¡± No. I¡¯m not Ran. I, I am¡ª Those who were holding her arms dragged her and put or neck on the hole. Instead of looking down, she looking back at the blade of the guillotine. ¡°Execute.¡± The blue blade falls fast¡ª ¡°¡ª!!!¡± Ran suddenly woke up from her dream. Chapter 8 ¡°Ugh, haa, haa, haa¡­..¡± It was just a dream¡­.. When she touched the back of her neck, she felt sticky sweat. She must have struggled and sweated a lot in her sleep. Ran stared in the air blankly, still not feeling like she was back in reality, then she staggered up from her bed. ¡®I must be really stressed out.¡± She thought so and drank the prepared water. When she first opened her eyes here. She couldn¡¯t figure out the situation at all. Her face was a completely different face, and the person who claimed to be her mother was crying with a distorted face. ¡®I barely noticed that it was my novel.¡¯ But it didn¡¯t really hit her. It hit her when Yustaf came to apologise. ¡®I didn¡¯t have a concept of time them¡­.. was it about a month after I woke up? Had it been more?¡¯ When she heard he was coming to apologise, she thought ¡®ah, the male lead is coming¡¯, feeling somewhat unrealistic. She was shocked when she actually met Yustaf. It was not the face of an ordinary child. It didn¡¯t contain feelings of remorse or apologies, but completely expressionless¡ª a face that seemed to have worn out of emotions. Looking back on those days, she didn¡¯t still feel good. Ran clasped her arms tightly, hugging herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Sister.¡± When she saw Yustaf bowing deeply, she felt like she was finally waking up. The traces of a bloody beating that could not be hidden were seen under the sleeves. She made him like that. She wrote it that way. But now let¡¯s look at that face, this is a novel and you¡¯ll be happy to meet the female lead, so bear with it for now¡ª ¡®I can¡¯t say that.¡¯ Ran sighed. Therefore, she tried her best to protect Yustaf from then on. ¡®I still haven¡¯t earned Yustaf¡¯s trust.¡¯ Ran bit her lip. What if, after two years, Yustaf really does take her neck? ¡®No, no way, it¡¯s going to be okay. I just need to work hard the next two years.¡¯ She found the mana stones, and she will continue to work hard. ¡®It will save my life. Hmph.¡¯ So comforting herself, Ran rubbed her neck again. She approached the window and opened it, dawn was coming. ¡®Good.¡¯ Today is the day to meet a representative from Golden Rose. ¡®They said it was the branch manager, right?¡¯ Ran took a deep breath. ¡®Please don¡¯t let it be a fraudulent contract.¡¯ Putting her hands together, she prayed so. Covering Ran¡¯s dark circles, the maid said anxiously. ¡°You¡¯ve been having a hard time these days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still early days, so I can¡¯t help it.¡± Ran smiled as she answered so. Ran¡¯s popularity in the duke¡¯s mansion these days has been on the rise day by day. As soon as she became the head, all the systems seemed to return to normal, and that is the first thing the employees could feel. After changing her clothes, Ran left the room. There are four audience rooms in the mansion. One is an audience room that doubles as a conference room for bigger group meetings. Usually you¡¯ll meet someone of low-status there. This place was just called a meeting room. The second is the silk room, an audience chamber for those with titles, the third is the emerald room for distinguished guests, and the last is the pearl room is for the exclusive guests, providing solemnity treatment. Although it was the branch manager, Ran designated the emerald room, the audience room for distinguished people. It was an unconventional act, but it didn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s that important. The emerald room was beautifully decorated in green, worthy of its name. ¡®It¡¯s also the room where the duchess treats guests.¡¯ It¡¯s also the perfect place for the beautiful tiara owner. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s an honour to meet you.¡± When Ran entered the room, the person who was sitting arose from their seat, took off their hat and greeted her politely. ¡®A woman.¡¯ Ran blinked with slight surprise, and was surprised a second time when she saw the other person¡¯s appearance. She was a great beauty that seemed to purify her eyes just by looking at her. Her gorgeous blonde hair resembling the colour of money and her golden eyes were as clear as a big star. Most of all, pointed ears caught her eyes. Is she in her mid-thirties now? Ran said with a silent smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the owner to come in person.¡± The owner of Golden Rose is half-elf. At Ran¡¯s words, the woman said ¡°what?¡±, then opened her eyes and laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should look down on Lazia¡¯s information network.¡± Externally, the owner of Golden Rose was known as a man. Oh, it¡¯s probably because it¡¯s difficult to be active as a woman or even as an heterogeneous race. But as the power of the organisation grows, in a few years she will step out of the shadows and stand in the forefront. ¡®I just know that.¡¯ However, she used this as bait to make sure the other party does not underestimate her information network. ¡°I am Ran Romea de Lazia.¡± Ran introduced herself and offered the owner a seat. ¡°May you overcome the blue flames. My name is Leverly Liberty.¡± As she already knew, in addition, Leverly drew a clear line with her red lips. A small piece of mana stone enclosed in a letter sent by the Duchess of Lazia. Leverly asked a wizard if it was a real mana stone, the wizard held back his excitement and asked where it came from. This is a revolution. The changes in the world that Lazia¡¯s mana stones will bring and the enormous benefits that come with it are drawn by itself. You can never miss it. That¡¯s why Leverly came directly here herself. The Duchess of Lazia was also investigated in various ways. ¡®Although she is a very closed off duchess.¡¯ However, it cannot reduce debt, nor can it not help but expose the aspects of the succession. Leverly looked at the girl in front of her, although she does not mix a single drop of blood she became the head of Lazia. She is a beautiful girl, with flowing wheat hair and dark green eyes. Appearance is definitely an advantage, but how can that alone get you the position of the head? ¡®And without having the blood of Lazia.¡¯ She¡¯s not going to be a normal bet. Doesn¡¯t she even know she¡¯s a high-end duchess? No matter how ruined a duchy is, they¡¯ll be punished if they underestimate her. Leverly was determined to be firm. Ran offered Leverly a seat and began to pour herself a cup of tea. It¡¯s a sign of hospitality for the duchess to pour the tea herself. ¡°Is it okay that it is strong?¡± To Ran¡¯s question, Leverly replied, ¡°I like it.¡± The high-quality tea leave were generously placed in the teapot, plenty of hot water was poured over, and then wrapped in a tea cosy. Ran said as she made a series of movements. ¡°I¡¯m not good at talking in a roundabout way. So, I¡¯ll just say it.¡± ¡°Please do say.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to sell the mana stones to the Golden Rose.¡± tl note; I am using duchess and Lady for Ran: a woman who holds in her own right the title to such duchy or dukedom, or is married to a duke, is normally styled duchess. solemnity: the state or quality of being serious and dignified Heterogenous: diverse in character or content; different parts; a type of society or group including race, ethnicity, culture.