Chapter 8 – Request for Child Support  

It would be better for everyone if it stayed that way. Ethea didn’t want Gin to know that such an irresponsible man was his father. No, even the word ‘father’ was too good for him. Considering how he had ignored her and their child all this time, he was worse than a stranger.  

Sensing the full force of Ethea’s anger as she fumed, Lyle let go of her. Finally, she was able to free herself from his embrace.  

She took a step toward the door, but his voice stopped her from behind.  

“What should I do? Tell me what you want.”  

“…”  

“If you want to curse at me, go ahead. If you want to hit me, hit me as much as you want. I’ll accept anything, just don’t leave like this.”  

“…”  

“There’s so much I haven’t done for you. If you leave now, I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it. Please.”  

So that’s how it was. Fine. It wasn’t a bad idea to take something out of this, considering the time and effort it took to come here.  

Ethea decided to take advantage of this opportunity.  

“In that case, give me child support.”  

That was all she wanted. She didn’t care about the secrets he was hiding or about cursing or hitting him at this point. She just didn’t care anymore.  

If he was truly sorry, he could show it by providing for their child. Raising a child and sending them to school cost a lot of money. While she made small toys using alchemy to sell or sold extra vegetables from her garden, it wasn’t nearly enough. She needed to get money from him—a lot of it.  

That way, she wouldn’t have to depend on her father anymore. Javir, whose lifelong goal was to own even a small share of the Palladium mines for alchemy materials, had had to put his dreams on hold because of her. She needed to ease his burden, even just a little.  

Having made up her mind, Ethea demanded confidently, 

“I deserve compensation for the life I’ve spent raising the child. How will you compensate me? How much can you give?”  

“That’s it?”  

“What?”  

“Is that all you want from me?”  

“Then what else should I want?”  

Her voice was sharp with thorns, and it seemed to weaken his resolve to continue the conversation. She wondered what expression he was making, but she didn’t turn around. Instead, she grabbed the doorknob.  

Then she heard the sound of him sitting down on the sofa.  

“Child support, huh. Fine. I’ll give you one hundred million goldium every month. As long as my reign continues, it won’t stop. If you think it’s not enough, you can ask for more.”  

The enormous amount made Ethea’s heart skip a beat. She had blurted it out recklessly, but he was actually agreeing to it.  

For reference, Javir, who worked at the Imperial Alchemy Association, earned 8 million goldium a month, which was already considered a high salary. Yet Lyle was now offering Ethea 100 million goldium.  

It wasn’t as if he was spending the nation’s money recklessly. Even if it came from the Emperor’s personal funds, promising such a sum for a lifetime was an extraordinary commitment. Could this really be true? Of course, as the Emperor of the Empire, he wouldn’t stoop to lying about money.  

‘No, this isn’t some trivial amount!’  

However, Lyle added a condition.  

“But, Ethea, you’ll have to come and collect it yourself.”  

“That…”  

“Or should I come to you?”  

“No!”  

Ethea shuddered as she vehemently refused. Not stopping there, she added a threat for good measure.  

“Just try coming. The moment you do, I’ll kill you with my own hands.”  

Only after saying it did she remember that he was the Emperor.  

‘Oh well. Whatever. Saying it out loud makes me feel a bit better.’  

Ethea considered slamming the door shut on her way out, but refrained, knowing there were others around who might notice. Lyle didn’t try to stop her anymore.  

***

When she stepped outside, she saw Seisil standing at a distance, reading a tiny book that fit into the palm of his hand. She couldn’t help but wonder why he was doing that, especially right in front of the Emperor’s chambers.  

Then it dawned on her—he had been waiting for her on purpose.  

“Finished with your conversation already?”  

“Yes.”  

“Hm.”  

“Well, I’ll be going now.”  

“Hm. That seemed quicker than I expected. In any case, I’ll escort you home.”  

Ethea found his behavior puzzling. From the start, his kindness seemed excessive. Why would the master of the Mage Tower treat a mere commoner so well? Even if it was because she was the Emperor’s guest, something about it felt off.  

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.  

Seisil Lint. The son of the previous master of the Mage Tower.  

Ethea remembered that Emperor Lyle’s fiancée was the daughter of the previous master of the Mage Tower. That would make her and Seisil siblings, wouldn’t it?  

If that were the case, shouldn’t Seisil be suspicious or wary of a woman meeting with the Emperor alone? Perhaps his kindness toward her was actually a guise for keeping an eye on her.  

As her thoughts reached this conclusion, her heart grew cold.  

“Would you allow me to escort you in my carriage?”  

“No, thank you. I can go on my own.”  

When she firmly declined, Seisil didn’t press further. He merely smiled faintly, as if troubled, but the expression didn’t seem entirely pure.  

“Goodbye, Lord Lint.”  

*** 

Ethea didn’t go straight home but stopped by a woodworking shop. It was a regular spot for Solei, who enjoyed making wooden crafts as a hobby and side job.  

“I’d like the premium toolset, please.”  

“The premium set?”  

“Yes.”  

“Are you sure you want the premium set?”  

“Yes.”  

The shopkeeper looked at her with a stunned expression, as if he couldn’t believe it. But the surprise only lasted a moment before he broke into a broad smile and went to fetch the premium set from the storage room.  

“I’ll bring it right out!”  

The premium set was a collection of tools sold only to the finest artisans, something Solei had always dreamed of owning. Even with a comfortable income from her pension, the price was steep for someone as frugal as her.  

After asking the shopkeeper to wrap it up, Ethea headed to Solei’s house with a delivery man.  

When they arrived sooner than expected, Solei asked, 

“Why are you back so soon? And what’s in that big box?”  

“Don’t ask, just help me carry it in.”  

A while later, Solei opened the box and was astonished to find the premium toolset inside.  

“Oh my goodness! What’s all this?”  

“It’s a gift.”  

“But why all of a sudden?”  

“Just because. You’ve always taken good care of Gin and me. You even remembered my birthday when my own father didn’t. And yet, I’ve never really done anything for you. So… I wanted to give you something like this, at least once.”  

Why did she feel so shy saying this to her friend? As Ethea lightly patted her flushed cheeks, Solei responded playfully and cheerfully.  

“Oh my, thank you so much! I’ll use it with joy for the rest of my life!”  

Ethea couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to give to someone. Even if it was with that wretched man’s money.  

As Solei organized the premium set in her workshop, Ethea helped her. Meanwhile, the children were laughing and playing together as if they didn’t have a care in the world.  

Suddenly, Solei asked, 

“By the way, how did it go at the palace? Can I ask who you met? Come on, tell me!”  

“It’s a secret.”  

“Oh, come on! That just makes me want to know more!”  

Ethea shrugged her shoulders and feigned indifference. Solei was persistent.  

“Fine. I won’t ask who it was. But at least tell me what you talked about. Please? Ethea. Etty. Come on!”  

She was relentless, and it looked like the children might join in on the noisy conversation. Reluctantly, Ethea decided to reveal a little bit of the truth.  

“Sigh. Well…”  

“Yes, yes!”  

“It’s a long story…”  

“Even better!”  

“There was someone who did something really wrong to me in the past.”  

“Something wrong?”  

“Yes.”  

“Then…?”  

“Don’t ask what it was.”  

“Ugh, you’re so secretive!”  

“Anyway, I have no intention of forgiving that person, but I figured I should at least get what I’m owed. So I demanded compensation. That’s basically what happened.”  

“Well, that’s a relief. Judging by the fact that you bought me a premium toolset, the compensation must’ve been huge.”  

It was. Big enough to live comfortably for a lifetime. But Ethea kept the exact amount to herself.