Chapter 9

Now that the topic of money had come up, she felt a sense of liberation. No, not just a little—an enormous sense of relief.  

One hundred million goldium every month.  

Now she could give Gin nice clothes and food, send him to the best educational institutions, and teach him anything he wanted to learn.  

Not only that, but they could afford luxuries like buying ice spirit stones to stay cool in the summer, staying warm without worrying about firewood in the winter, and even traveling to places they’d only dreamed of. She could finally take Gin to see the northern grand park where the ice flowers bloomed, the western plains where cloud jellyfish floated, and the southern jungles where fairies sang. They could travel comfortably at least four times a year.  

Gin was no longer a child from a poor household.  

Momentarily forgetting the dark emotions she had felt when meeting Lyle, Ethea smiled ambitiously. Then Solei said something unexpected.  

“Maybe things will get easier for you now. You can buy yourself pretty clothes, all the books you want, and maybe even go on a date while leaving Gin with someone for a bit. Oh, just imagining it makes me happy for you!”  

“A-a date?”  

“Yes! You’re still young; are you really not going to date? You’re not waiting for Gin’s father, are you?”  

Sometimes, Ethea thought Solei could be so ridiculous.  

“Who’s thinking about dating? You should date instead.”  

“I can’t. Lijeil would get jealous. So you have to enjoy dating on my behalf. Besides, aren’t there a lot of handsome men in this village? Even if you pretend not to notice, there’s Hassen from the fruit shop, or even Luth from the patrol unit. They both like y—”  

“Gin! It’s getting late. Let’s go home.”  

“Oh my, look at you dodging the question.”  

“Lily, see you tomorrow. We’re heading back now!”  

Cutting off Solei mid-sentence, Ethea said goodbye to Solei’s daughter and hurried home. Solei laughed gleefully, saying Ethea was just being shy.  

Back at home, Ethea reflected on Solei’s words and realized she might have a point. With the money from Lyle, she had only thought about how to provide for Gin and improve their home. She hadn’t considered doing anything for herself. While she wasn’t sure about dating, perhaps she should start thinking about things she could do just for her.  

‘Something just for me…’  

After dinner, Gin began reading a book. Having finished all the fairy tales by the age of three, he was now delving into alchemy books. His interest in alchemy rivaled that of his grandfather, Javir.  

Ethea pulled out a notebook and began jotting down a list of things she could do for herself.  

1. Order pastries from the high-end bakery in the capital once a month.  
2. Learn to play the string instrument, the Seolin.  
3. Apply for a membership at the village bookstore.  
4. Take lessons in traditional southern dance.  

After writing it down, she realized how modest her list was.  

“I’ve never indulged in luxury before, so this is all I can think of.”  

The most luxurious experience in her life was probably eating the delicious pastries Lyle had secretly brought from the palace. Or maybe when he managed to acquire some rare Palladium for her.  

“No, why are all these memories related to that guy? How annoying. Oh, I should add the most important thing.”  

5. Meet Mom.  

After her parents divorced, Ethea had been separated from her mother, Luire, and hadn’t seen her since. They hadn’t even exchanged letters.  

Ethea had tried to find Luire a few times, but Javir always reacted with displeasure and refused to say anything. Likewise, there had been no word from Luire.  

Ethea guessed that her mother, who had been in a difficult financial situation, hadn’t reached out because she had no way to take care of her. She assumed Luire loved her only child and was holding back, waiting for the right time when she could afford to reconnect. Ethea believed this wholeheartedly.  

Knock, knock.  

Suddenly, someone was at the door. The sound of the carriage outside felt oddly familiar. When she stepped outside, she saw a large, ornate carriage parked in front of her house again.  

‘No way… Lyle?’  

But the person who stepped out, holding a servant’s hand, wasn’t Lyle. It was Seisil.  

“Forgive me for this late visit.”  

“What brings you here…?”  

“Well, I couldn’t shake off my worries.”  

What exactly was he worried about?  

This man, the brother of the Emperor’s fiancée. Could it be that he had come all the way here at this late hour to spy on the woman who had met with the Emperor?  

Ethea was wary of him, but Seisil, for some reason, wore a face full of smiles as he gave instructions to his servants.  

“Well, what are you waiting for? Unload the items.”  

At his command, the servants began unloading luxurious boxes from the carriage.  

“It’s nothing much. Just some gifts for your child.”  

The gifts were overwhelming in quantity.  

There were sweets from high-end stores in the capital, wooden toys, children’s books, and even a child-sized carriage that could move anywhere with power stones—ten of them, no less. With that many power stones, Gin could use the carriage even when he was older.  

Ethea felt more suspicious than grateful.  

What if the sweets were poisoned? What if the wooden toys were rigged to harm Gin? What if the carriage turned him into a wandering traveler between dimensions?  

Her concerns weren’t baseless paranoia. Considering Seisil’s relationship with the future Empress as her brother, there was a possibility he might try to harm Ethea and Gin.  

But unlike Ethea, who was filled with suspicion, Gin was openly friendly toward Seisil. After all, children were naturally drawn to gifts and sweets.  

“Wow, Big Brother, you’re from the Imperial Palace, right? Your mage outfit is so cool. Do you work at the Mage Tower?”  

“Wow. First of all, I thought you’d call me an ‘Uncle,’ but thanks for calling me ‘Big Brother.’ Yes, I work at the Mage Tower. This little carriage was made there, too.”  

“Wow! Really?”  

“Of course. Feel free to ride it as much as you like. It’s yours now. I bet if you ride this around the village, you’ll be the coolest kid.”  

“It feels like a dream. Is this really for me?”  

“Yes, it’s all yours.”  

“Thank you so much!”  

“A polite child is always lovable. Haha!”  

Seisil showed Gin how to operate the carriage, asked if he liked its color, and chatted with him in a lively manner. Gin, in turn, asked Seisil all sorts of questions and even requested to learn more about the Mage Tower.  

While they were busy chatting, Ethea inspected the boxes to ensure there wasn’t anything suspicious inside.  

Hmm. As the time Seisil spent playing with Gin grew longer, Ethea’s patience wore thin. She decided it was time for him to leave.  

“It’s getting late. Please leave now.”  

Seisil, who had been about to hand Gin some sweets, gave up and popped one into his own mouth instead. He nodded, looking slightly regretful.  

“My apologies. That was rude of me. It’s true that this is a bit late for a visit. Gin should be going to bed soon.”  

Ethea didn’t respond. Despite her cold demeanor, Seisil continued speaking to himself.  

“Your child is so bright. He looks healthy, too. That’s a relief.”  

So what? That’s not your real intention, is it? You’re not relieved; you’re worried he’s too healthy, so you’re planning to get rid of him quickly, aren’t you?  

“Oh, I’ve been talking too much again. I’ll really leave now. Haha.”  

After Seisil left, Ethea moved all the gifts into the storage room. Gin, watching her, seemed confused.  

“Mom, you look really scary today…”  

“Huh? No way. It’s just dark outside. That’s all.”  

But then she noticed something unusual on Gin.  

On his delicate wrist was a sparkling bracelet. It was adorned with a golden gem, and around its edge, Gin’s name was engraved. Ethea grabbed his arm and asked,  

“Who gave this to you? Did that man give it to you earlier?”  

“Yeah. But no.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“He gave me the sweets, toys, and carriage, but he said this bracelet was from His Majesty.”  

What? Lyle? That b*stard! 

He actually went ahead and gave something directly to Gin. The next time she saw him, she’d slap him for sure.  

“Mom, I want to write a thank-you letter.”  

“What?”  

“Didn’t you say before that when someone gives you a gift, you should be grateful and show your appreciation?”  

This is a bit different, my dear.  

“Still, I want to write a letter. I want to write to His Majesty.”  

Overjoyed, Gin hummed a little tune as he ran to fetch some paper and a pencil. She could hear his muttering, filled with the unique pride of a child.  

“I bet I’m the first kid in this village to get sweets from His Majesty and write him a letter. Oh, I need to choose some mature words, not like when I write to Lily. How should I start? ‘To the Honorable Emperor,’ ‘To the Esteemed Emperor,’ or ‘To the Beloved Emperor.’ Which one do you think is better, Mom?”  

Hmm. If he wrote, ‘To the Emperor I want to punch in the face,’ would that be considered treason? No, calm down. Think about setting a good example.  

Ethea forced a strained smile.  

“‘To the Honorable Emperor’ might be best.”  

“Okay, got it!”  

Ethea planned to intercept the letter and ensure Lyle never received it. If Gin didn’t get a reply, she’d just make one up.