Chapter 39

Finding the book wasn’t some grand twist of fate.

It was simply lying on the table, and the title, which would pique the curiosity of anyone who had read a fair share of web novels in their past lives, caught her attention.

And then she got completely hooked.

‘Who’s responsible for this?’

Who had the audacity to recommend such a dangerous book to Eched?

“This here? This was foreshadowing?!”

She became so engrossed in it that she forgot she had intended to hide it somewhere safe if it contained anything risky.

I can’t seem to shake off the habit of reading web novels from my past life…

“Miss, please…”

Kirin rubbed her forehead, letting out deep sighs as she watched the young lady, utterly absorbed in the book, refusing to leave her bed.

“How many times are you going to read it?”

“This is probably the fifteenth time?”

At that point, Kirin shook her head, commenting that she must have memorized not only the dialogue but even the narration.

“But what can I do? It’s still so entertaining no matter how many times I read it. Is there no volume two?”

It was a novel too good to end with just one volume. 

She closed the final page, feeling an emptiness akin to the despair of ‘there’s no sequel.’

“This won’t do. I’ll have to track down the author, feed them nothing but steak, and make them write.”

Kirin looked horrified.

“Don’t say things that’ll make someone collapse from high blood pressure. They need vegetables too.”

“That’s true. Nutrition is important.”

Kirin played along with her nonsense.

Why were they even discussing this so seriously?

Clutching the book like it was a treasure, she left the bedroom. As she stepped out, she ran into Lutz, who was just emerging from the office. He hesitated, having already greeted her earlier, but his gaze fixated on the book.

She knew that look all too well.

‘Hey, you too? Me too!’

Passionate fans always recognized each other. And so, two enthusiasts finally opened the floodgates.

Their frantic conversation went on for quite some time until Eched emerged into the hallway, bringing it to an abrupt end.

Only then did Lutz snap back to reality, looking visibly uncomfortable.

“This… wasn’t something I anticipated…”

“What wasn’t?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“How dull.”

Eched didn’t comment on the fact that she had the book in her possession.

As the afternoon training session approached, they found themselves standing face-to-face in the training grounds once more.

The wind blew between them.

As a drifting leaf settled on the ground, she kicked off and charged forward, swinging her sword.

Eched merely shifted his body slightly to dodge her strike and, with a sharp snap, flicked her forehead.

It was already the thirteenth time today that she had been flicked on the forehead by Eched.

“Ugh…”

Her frustration boiled over. She felt both humiliated and miserable. Her forehead, repeatedly struck, throbbed as if there was a pulse beating in it.

She had told him not to hold back, but wasn’t this excessive?

Unable to endure it any longer, she threw down her sword and plopped down on the ground.

For the first time in days of training, she displayed open defiance, and everyone seemed to think it was about time.

“See? I told you sparring was still too much.”

Eched smirked slightly. That expression was infuriating.

“It’s been ages since I last held a sword. Don’t you think this is too much?”

“You agreed to this.”

“But there are limits! You’re the commander of the Imperial Knights, and I’m just a civilian!”

She whined about the pain, even exaggerating that her skin might have peeled off.

“It’s red.”

Eched crouched down on one knee to meet her gaze. He chuckled softly and gently caressed her flushed forehead with his cool fingertips.

“Don’t laugh at me. I swear, I’ll beat you someday.”

“Hmm… It’ll probably take years, so don’t overdo it.”

“Annoying…”

She glared at him, but his laughter only deepened.

Couldn’t he at least offer some empty encouragement, like saying I’d succeed soon?

Well, what was I expecting?

“I’m out of energy. Let’s take a break.”

“Alright.”

Her idea of replenishing energy consisted of sipping iced lemon tea with honey and nibbling on scones. Even then, she only managed to eat a little.

Eched watched her intently as she ate.

While they were resting and enjoying the breeze, Taltos entered the training grounds with a woman and two children.

“Oh…”

They were the children she had met at the auction house—the twins named Maron and Karon.

The children’s eyes widened when they spotted her. They clung to the hem of the woman’s dress, glancing around nervously.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Sevji from the Luce Barony.”

They exchanged awkward greetings. It seemed Sevji had come to see Eched on some business.

“I’ll look after the children.”

“Then… I’ll leave them in your care, Your Lordship.”

Sevji smiled awkwardly and left with Eched.

What was this?

It was such an unusual pairing that it piqued her curiosity.

“She’s the administrator of the childcare foundation supported by the Commander.”

It was Lutz who answered her unspoken question.

“A childcare foundation?”

She glanced at Taltos, who was now handing scones to the children while munching on one himself.

“Eched does things like that?”

“Yes. He’s been doing it for a long time.”

Surprising. She had thought he had no interest in humans, but to think he had been supporting a childcare foundation all this time.

At that moment, she felt a tug on her pants and looked down to see the two children staring up at her.

“Knight… are you… alright…?”

One of them looked like they were about to cry. Panicking, she quickly handed the child a scone.

“I’m fine. Here, isn’t this tasty? Eat more scones and drink some milk.”

She glanced at Taltos, silently signaling him to take the children and play with them.

But Taltos, utterly oblivious, didn’t move. Instead, Lutz picked up the children and carried them to the garden.

“Thought they were about to cry… scared me…”

She felt drained. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she sipped her drink.

“What about their parents?”

“They never had parents to begin with. After much searching, we found the ones who had been taking care of them, but… it seems they ended up at the auction house from the orphanage.”

The orphanage administrator had been arrested on the spot, and the other children were now under the protection of the knight order.

“Will those children be sent to another orphanage?”

“We’re currently looking for a place to send them.”

But it wasn’t easy.

There weren’t enough orphanages to accommodate so many children, nor was there sufficient funding.

In the empire, there were no welfare systems or laws for commoners.

Most orphanages were run on donations, constantly struggling for money, which led to crimes like this.

‘Well, this empire doesn’t even have something as basic as a commoners’ assembly. What laws could I possibly expect?’

The Kentri Empire was a kingdom strictly of the nobility, by the nobility, and for the nobility.

Naturally, nobles, too busy looking after their own interests, paid no attention to commoner welfare.

She tapped the table thoughtfully.

Homeless children.

Illegal auctions in slums created by wealth disparity.

The resentment and inequality endured by commoners, often the biggest victims of crime, came to mind.

‘This is a mess.’

An empire where commoners struggled to survive.

As someone who hoped to live as a commoner in the future, this was a deeply discouraging realization.

She couldn’t climb back to the capital, longing for the noble status she had abandoned.

For her dream of a peaceful rural life, the empire needed to become a place where commoners could live comfortably.

To achieve that, inequality and injustice had to be eliminated.

It was all for her happy future.

***

From that day on, she began working on establishing the ‘Imperial Welfare Department.’

One that omitted the word ‘commoner’ in its name!

This department was for the commoners, by the commoners, and of the commoners.

It would provide financial aid for stable living, handle unfair situations on their behalf, and support orphanages—a kind of welfare foundation.

She also planned to actively solicit donations to fund its operations.

‘Gotta take money from the nobles and use it to feed the commoners.’

“The important thing is finding someone to serve as the Welfare Minister… Is she the only option?”

Someone who supported commoners but wasn’t one herself.

Sevji Luce. She circled the name.

She recalled Sevji, whom she had met at the Duke’s residence not long ago. Since Sevji was already managing an orphanage, she seemed trustworthy.

“Most importantly, Eched trusts her.”

After all, he had an innate eye for judging people.

“Alright.”

Having chosen a minister, she began drafting her plans.

The plan was flawless.

With the document in hand, the first place she headed was, of course, the room next door.

Placing the papers down with a triumphant smile, she noticed Eched’s expression turn peculiar.

“I thought you were still reading that book…”

Eched, speaking as if she were some idle layabout, began reading the meticulously organized proposal for the ‘Imperial Welfare Department.’

He seemed slightly surprised by the welfare plan for commoners.

“If you agree, just stamp here.”

She handed over documents recommending Sevji Luce as the Welfare Minister and guaranteeing her appointment on behalf of the Astrea Ducal Family.

It was a bold and confident demand.