Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 4/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

“Are you talking about the business Aer is promoting?”

“Yes, the idea is so good that I would have helped with investments even if you hadn’t mentioned it, my lord. The news has already spread widely. They say there’s a new hair tie that combines functionality, aesthetics, and a reasonable price.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Louis had seen the hair tie Aer made. She had shown it to him directly and wore it.

It looked like a piece of fabric with embroidery and jewels, gathered in wrinkles, but when she stretched it with her fingers, it easily expanded and held her hair firmly when tied.

Though he rarely saw the accessories of noble ladies, he couldn’t help but recognize how innovative Aer’s hair tie was.

“It seems they’re targeting commoners, but the response has been explosive, so even the nobles are showing interest. Noble ladies are even gifting them to their attendants.”

“…How do you know so much about this?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“What is?”

“It’s a business run by your fiancée, my lord. Of course, I should know everything about it from start to finish. As the head of information brokers, shouldn’t I at least know this much?”

After finishing his light meal, Louis wiped his hands, drank some cold tea, and said quietly.

“The whole thing was nothing but a farce. Don’t tell me you actually believed she could be my real fiancée?”

“…Well, that’s hard to say.”

Louis snorted softly. He might be the one who desires Aer more than anyone else.

However, there were many obstacles to overcome to develop a good relationship with her.

He needed to reveal his true identity to her and properly establish his own position first.

Currently, he had no power at all and was rather in a precarious position as an illegitimate prince, like a candle in the wind.

In the succession structure where the Crown Prince was already determined, his only way to survive was to safely escape from the Imperial Palace.

But the greedy Empress wouldn’t stand by and watch that happen. What she wanted was only Louis’s death.

“Can an awakened one live well with an ordinary person?”

It was like pouring cold water on himself first, something Aer probably wouldn’t even think about.

Her being an ordinary person wasn’t a problem for him, but it would be troublesome if a healer who matched his nature appeared.

Since the healing process involves contact, awakened ones, and healers often end up as couples inevitably.

Healing is possible with light hugs or holding hands, but the more intimate the contact, the higher and more precise the healing power becomes.

“…It’s a shame she’s an ordinary person.”

Astin, seeming to have just realized this, made a very regretful expression before asking with a bright face.

“But isn’t it too early to give up? None of her family members were ordinary. Her father and brother are water-awakened ones, and her mother is a healer with wind properties. Surely, her awakening is just delayed.”

“Even if it’s delayed, 17 is too old. Usually, it happens by 13 at the latest.”

“…Ah, what a pity.”

Louis stood up after finishing all of his refreshing cold tea.

“For now, actively help with Aer’s affairs.”

He handed Astin a notebook containing information he had gathered with his ability at the academy.

“I’ve recorded everything from major information to minor details. Since it’s not directly from the subjects but their children’s thoughts, it would be better to investigate and confirm everything.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you for this valuable information.”

Astin grinned and took something out from inside his jacket. Handing over two perfectly transparent round beads, he said,

“I wanted to make them a bit faster, but it got delayed. Why don’t you drop by for a moment if you miss your fiancée?”

“…Well.”

Although she had never specifically mentioned her family, Louis, who heard the thoughts of many people, couldn’t help but know.

Just as he didn’t want to show this side of himself to Aer, she probably didn’t want to reveal anything about her family to him either.

Unless she told him directly.

He had no intention of finding out separately and visiting her like this. Even though he was already full of longing to see her.

“Come on, you say that but you want to see her. When you wish, I’ll personally handle the transportation, my lord.”

“No. The Bestia Marquis’s residence isn’t far, if I want to go, I can go alone.”

At Louis’s words, Astin tilted his head slightly.

“Hmm… Don’t you know, my lord?”

“Know what?”

“She didn’t return to the Marquis’s house.”

“…What?”

“She applied for the seasonal semester. It seems she really dislikes her home… And to be honest, I would too if I were her.”

Shocked, he couldn’t utter a word for a while.

And he immediately regretted it. He should have somehow gotten permission from his father, the Emperor, to stay at the academy.

“Haa…”

“You may regret it, but my lord, you probably had to come.”

“…It wasn’t the Emperor who summoned me, was it?”

“No, it was the Empress who called for you.”

Royalty doesn’t typically enroll in the academy. Therefore, it would have been difficult for the Empress’s minions to interfere with the academy.

It was fortunate enough that the Empress, who felt compelled to torment him at every opportunity, didn’t call him in during the semester.

Perhaps that was the line drawn by his father.

“That’s why I brought these. Ah, this was also an idea from your fiancée, my lord.”

At Astin’s words, Louis closely examined the transparent beads in his hand.

“They’re communication orbs. You can contact each other even when far apart. The activation condition is tapping. Tap exactly in this rhythm three times.”

Astin tapped the table with his fingertip: tap, tap, tap. He left a slight pause between the first and second tap, then tapped the second and third in quick succession.

Tap- tap-tap.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave for now. Ah, and this one is connected to me.”

Having finished speaking, he put the basket into a spatial bag and placed spatial bags full of food and healing stones on the table.

Then he quietly reassembled the wall and went outside.

It was an increasingly convenient ability to observe.

After Astin left, Louis sat on the sofa for a while. He leaned back comfortably, staring at the ceiling.

The ceiling of the abandoned palace was painted in a faded but blue color.

Though not similar at all, seeing the blue made him think of Aer. He already missed her, even though they had just parted.

***

Aer thought she had made the right decision to take the seasonal semester classes.

Especially since the classes were focused on non-awakened and non-healer students, she could take different courses that she couldn’t during the regular semester, and she could use the cafeteria and carriages just like during the regular term.

With fewer classes than the regular semester, she went to the city by carriage every day.

Kaylee’s workshop was in a quiet alley not far from the main street. Of course, Aer was the owner of the shop.

“Kaylee!”

“You’re here?”

Though she had dark circles under her eyes, her complexion was bright. Kaylee quickly prepared a seat for Aer.

“It’s a bit chaotic, isn’t it? The fabric came in today, so I haven’t finished organizing yet.”

“I’ll help.”

“No way! How could I let the boss do such work?”

“Come on, you must be short-handed, right? I heard some people came directly from the capital this time. They placed a lot of orders, didn’t they?”

“…Yes.”

In truth, it would be better to do business in the capital. Even though Latina had become a vibrant city thanks to the academy, it was no match for the capital.

Especially since most trends favored by the nobility started in the capital.

“It seems targeting commoners as customers turned out to be a good decision.”

“You think so?”

“I thought we’d have to target noble ladies first to succeed. I thought making expensive products and selling them at high prices would be more profitable, but I was completely mistaken.”

It would be similar not only in the Basium Empire but also in the Floss Kingdom. The class structure is pyramidal. Naturally, there are fewer nobles and more commoners.

So even if the price is low, if you sell more, the resulting profit can’t be ignored. It’s like the saying, ‘Many a little makes a mickle.’

“Ah, Kaylee. You know how to make handbags too, right?”

“Of course. I can make anything by hand.”

“I like that confidence.”

Aer handed over the paper she had drawn and added:

“I designed this to be good for common women, especially working women. It has an elastic band at the opening so it narrows automatically. I’d like it to be made in various ways so it can be worn around the waist or slung over the shoulder.”

The idea came from wanting women working in the market to be able to carry pretty and convenient bags.

Aer explained her ideas in detail, and Kaylee wrote them down on paper, not wanting to miss a single point.

After the meeting disguised as a chat ended, Kaylee looked at Aer’s face and asked:

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh? Ah, my face is a bit red, isn’t it?”

“You’re not catching a cold, are you?”

“Ah… I think I might be. I’ve been having a low fever lately. I should go back soon, just in case. I don’t want to pass it on to you, Kaylee.”

“Don’t come out for a while and get plenty of rest. I’ll start by making a sample of this.”

“Alright.”

Aer left the shop and returned to the dormitory. As it got darker, her fever seemed to rise.

She forced her languid body to get up. She remembered that there was fever medicine among the first-aid supplies that the family doctor had given her when she left the mansion.

“Ah, a cold in midsummer. How foolish.”