Chapter 24

Late at night.  

The Grand Duchy Fuchs was quiet.  

A shadow swiftly entered the mansion, breaking the silence.  

The shadow headed to the Grand Duke’s office.  

“I’ve been waiting for you.”  

It was Ian from the Dark Guild, Geiser.  

He was the right-hand man of the leader, Nikolai, and the fixer of Geiser.  

With Geiser under investigation by the capital patrol, leader Nikolai was in hiding.  

Thus, only Ian, known as the shadow within Geiser, moved secretly at night.  

In the dark room, the face of Grand Duke Fuchs finally appeared faintly.  

“It seems Geiser has been having a hard time lately.”  

“We’re handling it, so don’t worry.”  

“Yes, you should. I trust Geiser. I am someone who gives opportunities. The reason I didn’t reprimand you for missing Duke Conver’s son last time is because of that.”  

“My apologies, Your Grace.”  

“But remember, Geiser only has one more chance.”  

“Of course, Your Grace.”  

The Grand Duke’s sharp eyes scanned Ian’s expression like a serpent.  

No matter how skilled Geiser’s best was, it was not easy to withstand the gaze of a seasoned veteran.  

Gulping dryly, Ian spoke.  

“I’ve placed someone inside the Conver Ducal House.”  

“Oh, really? Geiser is still alive, it seems.”

A satisfied smile appeared on the Grand Duke’s lips.  

But his wrinkled eyes still sharply scrutinized his opponent.  

“Keep watching, but don’t act recklessly. Stay low and wait for the right opportunity.”  

“……”  

“The only card that can shake the young Duke Conver now is that child. It’s just one, but a very powerful one.”  

“Understood, Your Grace. Leave it to me.”  

Ian bowed deeply.  

The Grand Duke handed him a heavy pouch of gold coins.  

“Go.”  

“Goodbye, Your Grace.”  

Ian bowed and quickly left, his footsteps silent.  

His light movements were impressive to behold.  

The Grand Duke took a puff from his pipe, inhaling deeply and exhaling thick smoke.  

“I should have eliminated him earlier.”  

If there was a blemish in his life, it was leaving the youngest of the Conver family, the brat, alive.  

The first and second could not escape the clutches of death, but only the youngest survived.  

And that child resurrected the Conver family.  

It was something he had never anticipated.  

But the Grand Duke thought it wasn’t too late yet.  

He had already once brought down the Conver family.  

Having succeeded once, there was no reason he couldn’t do it again.  

His confidence was not unfounded.  

“Like father, like son. Huh.”  

* * *  

Upon waking, she saw Ray sleeping beside her.  

Looking at the child reminded her of Duke Conver, who had a similar face.  

Thankfully, the arm injured during last night’s spar was not broken.  

The physician said the ligament was strained and recommended bandaging it for a few days to minimize movement.  

Duke Conver, being left-handed, was relieved that the injured arm was the right one and laughed.  

Perhaps to avoid making her feel embarrassed again, he laughed heartily.  

His clear, ringing laughter was enough to make anyone’s heart flutter.  

“Sometimes… he seems like a fox. A very cunning one…”  

Yes, more like a fox than a wolf, eagle, or lion.  

He pretended not to know she was Basler’s informant and subtly shielded her when Diane Lesper tried to probe her.  

Yet, when alone, he provocatively revealed he knew her identity.  

“What’s so funny? Wipe your drool, As.”  

Ray woke up.  

Startled, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.  

“I didn’t drool. Ray, are you going to keep teasing me? If you keep this up, I’ll just…”  

“Just what?”  

“I’ll hug you tight!”  

As she lunged, Ray dashed out of the bed.  

Being an adult with long limbs, catching Ray with his short limbs was easier than eating porridge.  

“Got you, you rascal!”  

“Ugh, what are you doing! Let go! You couldn’t control your strength yesterday and hurt Father!”  

Ray shouted, flailing his short limbs to escape her embrace.  

“What? Your manners have gotten terrible! Becoming a young lord of the Conver family, did it damage your character?”  

“Damage my character? I don’t know about that, but be careful with your strength from now on!”  

“Ray, you be careful too. Once your character is damaged, it’s hard to restore.”  

As they bickered, there was a knock, and Vanessa, the Head Maid, entered.  

This was her room, and Vanessa, still worried about Ray sleeping alone, didn’t seem to intend to nag them this morning.  

With a gentle smile, Vanessa greeted them.  

“You’re already awake. Good morning, Young Master. And Miss Astrid.”  

“Yes, good morning to you too, Vanessa!”  

“Breakfast is ready. I’ll also tell you about today’s schedule.”  

“Schedule? Isn’t there no class today since it’s Sunday?”  

“Yes, there are no classes. But there’s an external schedule.”  

“External schedule?”  

Ray looked at her with wide eyes, but all she could do was shrug.  

She hadn’t heard anything about an external schedule.  

Until then, she didn’t know how long the day would be.  

* * *  

「The Young Master still seems uncomfortable calling you ‘Father’, Master. We need to work on you getting closer. So that the Young Master can open his heart to you, Master.」  

「Yes, I’ll try.」 

Bryce nodded at Vanessa’s words.  

Because she was right.  

「If you don’t know how to try, I’ll tell you.」  

「What is it?」

Recalling Vanessa’s silent smile, Bryce clasped his hands nervously.  

The carriage carrying him, Ray, and Astrid headed towards the central shopping district.  

Vanessa suggested a father-son outing, and Ray insisted on bringing Astrid, so the three of them went together.  

It seemed that Bryce wasn’t the only one who found sitting in a small space awkward.  

Ray and Astrid also kept their mouths shut, staring out the window.  

Bryce suppressed a sigh and closed his eyes.  

His right arm, still bandaged, seemed to ache more for no reason.  

* * *  

Annon Street was the most aristocratic and bustling street in the capital, Conradin.  

This meant it was not part of Ray and her usual range of activities.  

Ray was busy looking around with his mouth agape, fascinated by the scenery of the street.  

“Ray, if there’s anything you want or a place you want to explore, just say so.”  

“Yes, Father. But what’s today’s budget?”  

“Budget?”  

“The amount of money I can spend.”  

Ray blinked his round eyes, looking up at Duke Conver.  

“There’s no such thing. You can buy whatever you want.”  

Ray, surprised by Duke Conver’s answer, glanced at her for reassurance before speaking again.  

“Wouldn’t that spoil me? Right, As?”  

At that moment, she recalled Vanessa’s request from this morning.  

「The Master and Young Master are still very awkward with each other. Naturally, they didn’t know of each other’s existence for the past seven years. So, I ask you to help a bit, Nanny Astrid.」  

「 Help with what?」 

「To narrow the distance between the Master and Young Master, even a little.」 

「How can I do that?」 

「You’ve managed a pharmacy for a long time, so you must be good at social skills. If it seems like they’re talking past each other, mediate well in between. I’ll rely on you, Miss Astrid.」  

「Ah… Yes. I’ll try.」 

It was a conversation that left her quite perplexed at the time, and recalling it now was equally perplexing.  

Still, understanding Vanessa’s concerns, she decided to make an effort.  

“Uh, yes. That’s true, but… today is a special day, the first shopping trip with your Father, right? So, I think it’s okay to shop without worrying about the budget for once.”  

Haha, speaking words she didn’t mean added an awkward laugh.  

Shopping without a budget was far from how they had lived.  

Even as the empire’s top nobility, it was better to teach proper economic sense at a young age.  

But Ray didn’t seem to like her answer either.  

The child pouted and spoke to Duke Conver.  

Judging by his eager eyes, he seemed ready to ask for something.  

“But I find it fun to shop within a budget. It’s like playing with numbers.”  

Duke Conver knew nothing about educating children, but he was good at listening to Ray’s opinions.  

Honestly, that alone was half the battle won, so it was fortunate.  

“Alright, then today’s budget for Ray is a thousand deron.”  

“What? A thousand deron?”  

Ray’s jaw dropped.  

A family’s monthly living expenses for four was about three hundred deron.  

A thousand deron could support a family of four for three months.  

When shopping with Ray, she usually set his budget at ten deron.  

There were often days when they couldn’t spend all ten deron despite shopping all day.  

So a thousand deron was indeed surprising.  

Even after enduring dark, difficult times, the economic sense of someone born and raised as a noble was entirely different from that of a commoner.  

Duke Conver, startled by Ray’s wide eyes, spoke again.  

“If it’s too little…”  

“Wow! Ray, you’re lucky!”  

She quickly interrupted Duke Conver to prevent him from saying something that would highlight cultural differences.  

Before the already distant emotional gap between father and son widened further.  

“A thousand deron! Our Ray hit the jackpot today! You can buy everything you want! Try spending it all, a thousand deron!”  

“Uh, okay. I’ll try… to spend it well.”  

With a serious face, Ray gave a positive answer.  

Though she didn’t know for sure, he was probably thinking, ‘How should I spend a thousand deron to be praised for spending well?’  

They resumed their walk after a brief pause.  

Ray quickened his pace.  

He seemed to think he needed to visit many places to spend a thousand deron wisely.  

‘Haha, he’s cute today too.’  

Watching Ray’s back as he walked ahead, she smiled.  

Duke Conver, quietly walking beside her, leaned towards her and whispered softly.  

“Thank you, Miss Astrid.”  

It was a thank you for saving what could have been an awkward atmosphere.  

No need to mention it.