“Sir, how are you feeling?”

The butler cautiously opened his eyes. At the end of his gaze was his master, Marquis Grieg, leaning back on the sofa, rubbing his temples.

“Damn, this fucking brat is making me look like shit.”

“We are almost ready to attend the banquet.”

A servant suddenly came over and offered him some ice water and stepped back.

The Marquis drank all the cold water at once and let out a big sigh.

“Hoooo… what about the letter?”

“Yes, the messenger arrived this morning.”

The servant who had been waiting politely handed a note to the Marquis.

“Okay, get out. I have some work to do.”

“I will step aside.”

People with their heads bowed down left the room in a hurry, fearing that lightning might strike.

Only when he was alone again did Marquis Grieg open the note.

“Hmm…”

And after a while, the Marquis’s eyebrows, which had been furrowed for a long time, straightened.

The note’s contents were simple.

Last month, we received your message of interest in joining our investment. We ask for your continued support. It seems that the situation in the palace is beginning to change, so please be careful not to make any mistakes.

The Marquis, who had checked the signature engraved underneath, smiled with satisfaction and brought the note closer to the candlestick lit on the table.

After a while, a fire broke out and the small piece of paper disappeared, leaving behind only a little bit of ash.

“I cannot miss this great opportunity that His Highness the Crown Prince has created for me.”

The Marquis leaned back in the soft back of his chair.

The banquet that was to be held a few days later would be a great opportunity for him.

There was no problem with his plan, but there was just one thing that bothered him a little, the remark added to the note.

The situation in the palace began to change little by little…

The Marquis’s expression crumpled again.

The biggest event that had happened in the Imperial Palace recently was the trial of Arendt von Eckhart. When he came out of prison and started to stir up trouble in the Imperial Palace, it was only natural that the palace’s situation would change.

He was so busy with his work that he wouldn’t be concerned about a single apprentice knight, but when he heard about the situation at the palace, Marquis Grieg couldn’t help but think of him.

Just thinking about that innocent face made him angry, and his fists clenched on the armrest.

‘That damn knight. I’ll tear him to pieces and kill him.’

It seemed like the Crown Prince and Laius were on his side, but it wouldn’t be a big problem. His opponent is just an apprentice knight.

The Marquis’ face, which had been filled with rage, gradually regained its composure.

‘I guess it’s okay if it’s just scaring him.’

If he’s unlucky, he’ll die.

The Marquis smiled faintly and reached out to grab a pen. He also took the paper that had been lying on the side.

He immediately began writing the letter without hesitation.

The palace was more noisy than usual due to preparations for the banquet that was to follow a few days later.

Invitations were sent to the nobles residing in the Imperial Capital, the lords of ancient lands, and the officials working in the palace.

The servants and maids were running around here and there preparing to welcome the guests. The knights and guards were also busy preparing for the expected increase in visitors.

Naturally, work was bound to pour in for Jereon and Cantares as well.

The office where the two were together was simply quiet. Only the occasional sound of paper being turned and the thudding sound of pens tapping on the desk could be heard, quietly penetrating the quiet air.

The first one to break the silence was Jereon.

Without taking his eyes off the documents, Jereon opened his mouth slightly.

“By the way… is it okay?”

“What?”

“What Lord Arendt said.”

Jereon brought up the subject of the conversation without taking his eyes off the documents.

Cantares also answered with his eyes fixed on the words on the document.

“You’re saying this now? It was you who told me to just accept it since it was my decision.”

“That is true, but I still think he is too young to be swayed by Your Highness’ whims.”

“You were worried about him, not me?”

Only then did Cantares look up from his documents and look at his confidant who had spoken frankly.

Jereon smiled awkwardly.

“There’s no benefit to being the center of too much attention in the palace.”

“Well, he seems to be enjoying it to some extent. If he gets in trouble, he’ll run away on his own. He’s a guy with that kind of resourcefulness, so you don’t have to worry about him.”

Cantares replied calmly.

“So… what is the Arendt in question doing now?”

“He was asking where the jewelry store was.”

“Jeweler? Why?”

“Well, I think he was thinking of selling something, but I haven’t heard the details.”

“The apprentice’s salary is insufficient?”

He didn’t think that Arendt would be short on money ever again.

Cantares frowned for a moment and then shook his head.

“Okay. It’s a headache, so I don’t want to think about it.”

“Hahaha. Then how about another story?”

Jereon gave a short laugh, arching his eyebrows, and handed his superior another document.

“This is a report from the Imperial Knights. They are planning to sign a contract with a certain merchant soon to receive supplies separately. I heard that it is a new merchant that Manager Neumann has created.”

“Merchant? Oh, by the way, there was that story. It looks like Manager Neumann’s new business is going well.”

Cantares also knew about the deal between Arendt and the store manager.

Jereon nodded.

“Because he was known to be a very resourceful person, I sent an invitation to Manager Neumann as well. I think the nobles will be interested in his new business.”

“Good job. This will be a good opportunity for the store manager as well. He will be able to gather investors.”

“Actually, this was also suggested by Lord Arendt. He added it in passing when asking about the location of the jeweler.”

“…”

“Maybe that wasn’t the main point.”

Cantares’ hands, which had been moving diligently, stopped.

Jereon glanced at him and added cautiously.

“And there’s one more thing…”

“What?”

“The story about Manager Neumann’s business started spreading a few days ago. I think it was around the time when the banquet was being planned in earnest.”

In that case, it was easy to guess where the news came from. However, there was no way to know what method was used.

Cantares finally put down his pen and let out a big sigh.

“Jen, that’s a different story. After all, it’s that kid’s story from beginning to end.”

“Ahaha… I didn’t mean to… but somehow it happened.”

Cantares let out another deep sigh as he heard Jereon laugh awkwardly.

What on earth was he doing?

Cantares picked up his pen again with a trembling expression.

“Anyway, it’ll be okay. I’m the one holding the leash.”

“Well, it might be a bit too early to be sure.”

Although Jereon gave him advice, Cantares simply ignored him.

“Well, Lord Arendt. Are you sure that’s all you need?”

The boy, who had been hesitating and observing him, asked cautiously. Then Arendt waved his hand.

“It’s enough. Never forget to keep it a secret.”

“Yes, yes! Of course.”

The boy, Seton, nodded hurriedly.

The calf-like eyes that looked at Arendt sparkled brightly. They were like the eyes of a village boy facing a triumphant general.

“I am truly honored to have been of help to you, Lord Arendt. I…”

“Oh, that’s fine. That honor is useless.”

But Arendt, who received that admiring gaze, simply waved his hand as if he was annoyed. Still, Seton’s heated gaze did not cool down.

Although Seton had only recently entered the palace, he had heard plenty of rumors about Arendt.

He was arrogant, treated his captain rudely, and even tried to sell information to an unknown enemy, to the point of going to trial… The endless stories of the trainee knight’s misdeeds were enough to terrify a boy who had just entered the ranks.

‘It was all a lie.’

Of course, it seemed true that he has a quirky personality, but the fact that he was a benefactor to Seton would never change. Since he was marked by Marquis Grieg, even if he had been kicked out that day, he would not have been able to protest even once.

So Seton decided to somehow repay Arendt’s favor, and the opportunity came sooner than expected.

Just a few days after the incident, Seton ran into Arendt at the main palace. Just as he was about to run over to him in excitement, Arendt also spotted him and called him over.

“You, follow me for a moment.”

…Hn.

To be honest, he was a little scared when he was dragged to a dark place.

Arendt, who had taken Seton to a place where there was no sign of people, took something out of his chest pocket.

“Please put this somewhere where a lot of people pass by.”

“Yes?”

“A restaurant, a conference room, anywhere is fine. Any place where a lot of nobles go will do.”

Seton took it in stride. It was a brochure advertising the new business being launched by the Neumann Den East store manager.

Seton asked, bewildered.

“Of course it’s not difficult, but why this…”

“I was just asked to do it. Don’t tell anyone that I asked you to do it.”

That was all the explanation was.

Even in his bewildered state, Seton carried out the order without difficulty, and today, Seton received Arendt’s call once again.

The young attendant, now an enthusiastic follower of Arendt, took a step closer with an enthusiastic face and said:

“If there’s anything else you’d like to order me to do, please let me know!”

“Not really. Okay, this is a reward for your efforts.”

Arendt responded indifferently, took something out of his pocket and handed it to him. Seton’s eyes widened.

“Sir! This is unnecessary! I just want to help you…”

“It’s okay. I’m rich; you can help me out as much as you received next time. I’m leaving.”

Arendt got up from his seat and walked away without looking back.

A bright smile appeared on Seton’s face as he confirmed what he was holding in his hand. A clean silver coin was shining in the sunlight on his palm.

Arendt glanced at the boy waving his hand behind him. He had a silver coin clenched in his fist and a bright smile on his face, as if he was very happy about something.

Arendt, who had been smiling, turned his gaze forward again and walked along the palace path paved with clean stones.

‘I’m rich…’

This was the first time he had ever used such a word to introduce himself with.

‘I heard that the original Arendt was interested in jewelry.’

After searching the room, he found a bunch of accessories with jewels hanging down. When he had them appraised at the jeweler Jereon told him about, he found that every single one of them was top quality.

Arendt sold all but a few of them, which left him with a lot of money left over after pouring it all into other things he needed to do.

‘Well, didn’t he say he didn’t like tying his hair up?’

The reason was simple. It hurt the ends of his hair.

There was no real pestilence like that. In the end, it did help.

‘I think this is enough.’

The preparatory work seemed to be almost finished. Now all that was left was to wait for the day of the banquet… but it seemed like something was wrong.

Arendt suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.

He slowed down his pace, and soon he stopped dead in his tracks.

At some point, not a single person, not even a single rat, was visible. Even so, he could feel the blatant gaze mixed with serious malice.

“…”

The surroundings were just quiet.

It was just quiet.

The sound of the wind, the chirping of birds… even the small noises that should be heard naturally were not felt.

He did try to find a place that wouldn’t be noticed. He needed to hand over the money to Seton without anyone noticing, but even taking that into account, it was excessively quiet.

The next moment, Arendt reflexively drew his sword and swung it at the murderous intent he felt at his side.

Kaang!

Something that was rushing in quickly hit Arendt’s sword and bounced off.

Bam.

A sharp knife fell to the lawn. It was a chilling sight.

“Ah…”

To be honest, he had to admit that he teased the Marquis a bit too much. But even so, this was going too far.

Arendt muttered without realizing it.

“You damn old man. You really have to go this far?”