IWTGHFW CHAPTER 29

Episode 29

In a heavy silence where no one wanted to speak first, one brave noble opened his mouth.

“Your Highness… The whereabouts of Marquis Orion remain unknown, and it’s been a long time since he has shown his face in politics, so…”

“So, are you saying the House of Orion has collapsed?”

“What? No! I would never utter such slander!”

The noble who had spoken first jumped up in alarm at Rozen’s words.

Except for Count Poison, there was an unbridgeable wall between a marquis and a count. If word got around that someone had been saying a marquis’ house had fallen, no one knew what kind of retaliation they might face.

“Then there are two marquises in the Empire.”

“That is true, but…”

The nobles’ gazes naturally gathered in one place. With Marquis Ron Metailer absent from the noble council due to his duties as commander of the Imperial Knights, the highest-ranking count present was Count Poison. Though he was the leader of the Crown Prince faction, he was also the only noble who could openly oppose the Crown Prince.

Receiving the nobles’ desperate looks, Count Poison gave a helpless smile.

“Your Highness, what you need right now is an excellent retainer by your side to lead the Empire together with you. We have all experienced Marquis Orion’s abilities and acknowledge them, but the problem is that his whereabouts have been unknown for years. Marquis Metailer, as commander of the Imperial Knights, can hardly manage state affairs in practice.”

“Then why not just have Marquis Orion return?”

“If that were possible, I’m sure everyone would agree. Isn’t that right?”

“Y-Yes. If Marquis Orion came back, there would be no reason for us to argue.”

“That’s right. But there’s no way he will…”

As the nobles began to echo Count Poison’s words, Rozen’s lips curled into a deep smile.

The nobles who had been loudly arguing about which count should take the marquis’ place if Orion did not return gradually began to feel uneasy and turned to look at Rozen.

Once the room was quiet, Rozen spoke slowly.

“Then let’s bring back Marquis Orion.”

After the death of his daughter, Marquis Orion had disappeared for a long time, so the news of his comeback shook the Imperial Palace. Everyone gossiped, making various theories about whether he would really return and if he was even still alive.

Meanwhile, I was spending peaceful days in the Knights’ Order.

Mien had just come back from her hometown for the first time in a while and brought chocolates, which we were happily sharing.

“By the way, where is your hometown, Mien?”

We had worked together for quite some time, but all I knew was that her surname was Monchouchou, and her hometown was famous for cocoa. I didn’t know exactly where it was. Actually, there was a lot I didn’t know about Mien—like the fact that she had entered the palace with David as a classmate and was the top scorer on the imperial civil service exam, which I only learned when she told me herself.

“It’s a small village in the County of Remiblanc. It’s in the south of the Empire.”

“What’s the south like? Is it different from here?”

Since arriving here, the farthest I’d gone was basically around the Imperial Palace. Sure, I could learn about other regions from books, but hearing from someone who’d actually lived there would be more vivid.

When I looked at her expectantly, Mien unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into my mouth.

“It’s very different. First of all, it’s warm. Even in winter, it’s not that cold, so I didn’t see snow until I came to the capital.”

“So it’s kind of like Busan?”

“Busan?”

“Just talking to myself. But isn’t cocoa only grown in tropical climates, where it’s hot all year round?”

“They use magic stones in the farms, so the weather doesn’t matter. But cocoa from hotter regions is still a bit better.”

Ah, I see.

Even in this world that seemed to lack modern science and technology, there were occasionally surprising innovations thanks to the perfect energy source called magic stones. A magic-stone-powered farm—basically a high-tech greenhouse, I guessed.

“What about the Monchouchou family? I heard you’re a viscount family. Isn’t that pretty high?”

“Even among viscounts, those in the capital are different. We’re rural nobility. Honestly, we can’t even compare to a capital baron.”

“Oh, so rank isn’t everything.”

“Of course not. For example, Count Poison’s house is practically equal to a marquisate. They’re a distant branch of the royal family, so they have legitimacy, too.”

Ah, so Count Poison is related to the royal family. No wonder he’s close to the princes—turns out they’re distant relatives.

I chuckled, recalling the kindly old man who once gave me diamonds. It felt strange to think such a gentle person was such a high-ranking figure.

Wait—if Count Poison is that high-ranking, then how high is Ron? One of only two marquises left in the Empire? That’s basically a whole different world.

I was tempted to ask Mien about Ron but stopped myself. If I asked, I might just end up feeling a huge sense of reality shock. It was like being in high school, when everyone wore the same uniform, so you didn’t realize your desk mate was actually the daughter of a billionaire.

I knew in my head that Ron was a marquis, the commander of the knights, rich, and incredibly important, but I had never truly felt it. Maybe that’s why I could be so casual with him.

“So why did you leave your hometown for the palace, Mien?”

“To make money.”

The “Why even ask something so obvious?” tone in her answer made me quietly unwrap another chocolate and put it in my mouth.

Yeah, exactly. If you could live in luxury without doing anything, who would kill themselves to pass the civil service exam?

“By the way, Ail, I’m thinking of visiting my hometown during my next vacation. Want to come with me if you have time?”

“Oh! I’d love to. I’ll have to check my leave schedule.”

“See how much you have left. If we go together, we should apply for the same days.”

I swallowed the last bit of chocolate and immediately pulled out the Service Guidelines. I had skimmed it once before, but since I never thought I’d take a vacation, I hadn’t paid much attention.

I didn’t know anyone outside the palace, and the world outside wasn’t exactly safe or easy for someone as clueless about real life as me. But going with Mien to her hometown—that was worth it.

Mien’s hometown…

Back in Korea, I never really traveled because I was too busy studying or working.

Finally, a trip. A trip!

With excitement, I quickly flipped through the pages of the Service Guidelines.

[ Some People Really Have No Luck ]

Lainolf felt like he was walking on air these days.

At last, the truth about Carrie’s bar had been revealed, and the establishment was shut down.

“Ray!”

He had been lingering outside the Ministry of Justice’s interrogation room for a long time when a man finally emerged. Lainolf grabbed him in a tight embrace. The man flinched at first but soon realized who it was and let out a low chuckle.

“Brother, it’s been a while.”

He never thought they’d see each other again in the light of day. The words he couldn’t bring himself to say for fear of crying were conveyed all the same. Feeling his heart ache, Lainolf tightened his arms around his younger brother, Reynald.

“How was the questioning? Did it go well?”

“Yeah. I worked on the first floor, so I had no idea there was a slave market underground.”

“Good, good. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Ten years.

Half of his twenty-year life had been devoted to bringing his brother back. Starting from the age of ten, he had worked like a servant to pay the outrageously high price for Reynald’s freedom.

By luck, he caught the eye of the commander and became an imperial knight, but he never got to enjoy the generous salary and privileges. Every coin was for freeing his brother.

Now, after ten long years of hardship, Reynald was safe. He wouldn’t have to work in such a place anymore, and they could live together again in their own home. It felt like a dream.

From the day his brother returned, Lainolf used up all the vacation days he had been saving. With the money he’d gathered for Reynald’s ransom, he bought a small house on the outskirts of the capital.

For ten years, they had been forced to meet awkwardly as customer and worker at that bar. Now, in their own little home, they could share stories and enjoy their reunion.

“Ray, let’s thank the people who helped us.”

One day, while basking in his happiness, Lainolf suddenly realized he hadn’t properly thanked Ron and the others. Thinking of how Ail liked cookies, he decided to bake some with Reynald.

It was a disaster. A huge one.

Neither of them had ever cooked before, so the result was inevitable. Staring at the charred cookies, Lainolf understood why good food was made by trained cooks and sold in proper shops.

They ended up buying beautifully packaged cookies from a nearby bakery. On the first day back after his vacation, Lainolf brought Reynald with him to the knights’ headquarters.

“Hey, Lai, who’s this with you?”

“My brother. Say hello—this is Sir Giros.”

“Hello. I’m Reynald, Lainolf’s younger brother.”

The boy trailing shyly after Lainolf caught the knights’ interest. Without explaining the full story, Lainolf simply said, “Due to certain circumstances, he lived elsewhere, but now he’s come to the capital.”

“You had a brother, Lai? Let me see!”

“You two look just alike. Can he use a sword too?”

“So he’s moved to the capital for good? That’s great. Lai here never took vacations because he had nowhere to go.”

When Lainolf mentioned they had gotten a house outside the city, the knights cheered as if it were their own good news.

Smiling broadly, Lainolf watched Reynald hand out cookies to the knights, which raised their enthusiasm even further.

After making the rounds of the headquarters and receiving congratulations from everyone, Lainolf headed to the commander’s office.

Knock, knock.

When he opened the door, he found Ron standing behind his desk with an unusually serious expression.

Cautiously stepping inside, Lainolf saw that Ron seemed to be staring intently at a sheet of paper on the desk.