FIVE AND A HALF YEARS LATER, TIA’S 18 BIRTHDAY……

  (She adult now, want to see it in manhwa)

  I was sitting in an armchair with a fluffy backrest and closed my eyes.

  A smile comes naturally, as I feel the gentle wind coming through the slanted open window passing through my skin.

  The reason why I like my birthday is spring so I can always feel the wind mixed with flower scent around this time.

  "Wow……"

  Then, the baby sleeping in my arms began to wiggle.3

  "Marilyn, are you awake already?"

  "Haam."

  As if to answer my question, Marilyn yawned with her small, toothless mouth wide open.

  "Did you sleep well, Marilyn?"

  As I caressed the baby’s white cheeks slightly, the black pearl-like eyes looked at me.1

  "Yay?!"

  "Did you have a good dream?"

  I carefully kissed the child’s soft forehead smiling at me.

  The baby’s unique sweet scent made me smiled.

  "Who does our Marilyn look like to look so pretty?"

  "Yay, woo!"

  The baby’s small hand reached out to me.2

  For a baby who had just learned to sit alone, it was the best way to express her feelings.

  "Yeah, I love you, Marilyn."

  I took a small hand and kissed the soft palm once.

  The baby stomped its feet, maybe it was itchy.

  "Come on, be careful not to get hurt!"

  I heard workers shouting outside, but my room was peaceful as if it was a completely different world from the noisy outside.

  "Marilyn, shall we practice again?"

  Marilyn, who was playing with my long hair, looked at me.

  "Come on, copy me. Mom…… Mom……"3

  I have never sung it properly, so the word that rolls on the tip of my tongue are a little unfamiliar.

  But Marilyn has a mother who will love her more than anyone else.

  "Do you see my lips moving, Marilyn? This is how you do it. Mom…… Mom……"

  "Oh, my Lady. We still have a long way to go before she can talk."4

  Louryl, who returned from changing the water in the vase, came into the room and said.

  "No, Marilyn is a genius, Louryl. If she keeps playing it like this, she’ll talk faster than the other baby."1

  "I can’t stop you."

  Louryl looked down on me and didn’t like it, but her smile didn’t leave her face.

  There’s no mother in the world who hates her child is called a genius.

  "You need to grow up to meet the Lady’s expectations. Right, Marilyn?"

  Marilyn is Louryl’s first baby, married three years ago.17

  Louryl succeeded in a romantic marriage, with Flint Devon, the young division leader of the Knights of Lombardy.

  Like Louryl, he was the third son of the Devon, one of Lombardy vassal families.

  Louryl’s husband, Flint Devon, was Clang’s youngest brother.

  Marilyn, who has just seen the light of the world for five months, was a really lovely child with light hair resembling Louryl and black eyes resembling Flint.

  "Marilyn, come to Mom!"

  Marilyn, who was comfortably in my arms, smiles softly and reaches out to Louryl.

  I supported Marilyn’s buttocks and handed her to Louryl.

  "I’m going to the store for a while. Play with Marilyn here and when Flint’s training is over, go home together, Louryl."

  "No wonder, you’re wearing a ready-to-wear. Are you going out again? Do you want me to come with you? I can leave Marilyn alone for a while."

  "No, did you forget that Louryl is still on maternity leave?"

  "But……"

  At my words, Louryl fiddled with the petal and cried.

  "Tomorrow is a special day. I haven’t even seen the Lady lately."

  "I went to Louryl’s house a week ago, didn’t I?"

  "I know but, I haven’t seen you in a week. I’m worried if you’re having a good meal or if the Empress is bothering you at some banquet!"

  "……Am I the one who’s easy to be bullied?"

  "It’s not that, uh……"

  Originally Louryl took care of me as if she was taking care of her younger sister, who had a big age gap.

  But since the birth of Marilyn, her worries seem to have gotten worse.

  "See you tomorrow, Louryl!"

  "All right, Lady. I’ll prepare dresses and accessories for tomorrow, then."

  "Yes, Marilyn, see you tomorrow!"

  I waved my hand and came out.

  Originally, it was a mansion with a lot of people coming and going all day, but today it was even more so.

  I put on my outerwear and a hoodie over my normal ready-to-wear outfit.

  Fortunately, the workers who were mobilized for tomorrow were having conversations without recognizing me passing by.

  "Tomorrow there’s a big event at the Lombardy house, isn’t there?"

  "Huh? You’ve been working without knowing that?"

  "Only if there’s someone who tells me."

  "Tomorrow is the 18th birthday of Lady Florentia Lombardy. She’s the only child of Lord Gallahan Lombardy who will become an adult."

  "Oh, that’s why it’s so grand……"

  Right.

  Tomorrow was a historic day when I was finally eighteen years old to be recognized as an adult.

  "I’m here."

  I said, taking off the hood that was covering my head.

  "Here you are, Lady Florentia."

  Clerivan welcomed me with his glasses off.

  Clerivan, who proudly welcomed the last year of his 30s this year, was showing ’this is what a man who ages handsomely looks likes’.

  This year, he cut his long hair and brushed it back neatly, and his eyes deepened over the years. (Nooo way, call emergency please XD)22

  And most of all, Clerivan’s biggest attraction was Pellet Corporation.

  He had no romantic relationship to the point where he had a reputation of being ’ascetic’, and Clerivan, who was young and handsome, was the founder of Pellet Corporation.2

  "It’s a little noisy today, too. When will the construction be completed?"

  “The construction on the west side is expected to be completed by the end of today. But in the south will take a few more weeks because it is a big construction that requires a new road.”


  "I can’t help it. You’re all going through a lot."

  Even in the midst of dusty and noisy construction, he still has to watch the business of the merchant.

  But Clerivan shook his head with a smile.

  "Buying all the buildings and land around here to create a large complex, so I can afford it."

  Clerivan looked full of pride.

  Five and a half years from the day my grandfather collapsed.

  During that time, Pellet has achieved tremendous growth.

  The building of Pellet Corporation, which I first bought for Clerivan, quickly became cramped and bought one by one nearby building.

  And in the end, this is how a complex was built.

  In addition to its headquarters in Lombardy, the center of the Empire, the Eastern and Southern branches have been established.

  In the west is Angenas, so we were now turning to the north because it was actually a neighborhood with no benefits

  "Did you hear from Violet?"

  "Yes. I was just about to report you."

  Clerivan presented me with a folded report as if he had just taken it out of the envelope.

  I took it and read it out quickly.

  "……Is it the Top of Monak again?"

  "I’m ashamed."

  Clerivan replied with a glum face.

  "It’s been bothering me since last time, really."

  In the north, there was another specialty besides minerals.

  It was a tree that grew through the harsh weather of the north.

  Among them, the tree named ’Triva’ was fast-growing, tough, and sturdy, so there was no architecture and furniture were not used it.

  Pellet was intent on increasing its influence in the north by buying the tree.

  However, a place called ’Monak Top’, which appeared a few months ago, was constantly winning the bid for the tree, beating our Pellet’s company.

  Eventually, Violet, who was worse than him, came forward and headed to the north.

  But things weren’t getting much better.

  It was the first time Pellet, who had always been on a roll.

  "Violet lost the competition to buy. What the hell is their identity?"9

  "I’ve asked Bate to investigate, but it’s not easy. They’re so new, and they’re moving on a small scale as if they have secrets."

  "Bate says that, too?"

  Now, apart from the competition to buy trees, I was really curious about the identity of the Top Monak.

  "The Triva tree doesn’t do a penny or two, and they’re buying a huge amount, right?"

  "Yes, it is. They’re following about half the amount we buy."

  "But the Top with that amount of money didn’t fall from the sky……"

  "I guess it’s an experienced merchant who was invested and built independently."

  Clerivan said in a cautious tone.

  "To outrun competitors, or to preoccupy the next tree plantation. It’s not usually very experienced."

  "Isn’t that so?"

  The experience of merchants is precious.

  In particular, the knowledge gained by directly hitting the body is accumulated and calculated, resulting in more profit in the next transaction.

  In that sense, it was clear that Monak’s upper hand was a very experienced person, whoever he was.

  Oh, of course, sometimes some Tops ignore such laws and produce tremendous results from scratch without experience.

  Like Pellet Corporation.

  But it was possible because I knew the future and Clerivan had genius powers.

  "How’s everything else then?"

  "We’ve got a request from the Eastern city of Luman Family. The commission for moving up to the East……"

  So I got up after receiving the report of the meeting for a few hours.

  "Let me know as soon as you hear anything else from Violet."

  "Yes, I understand."

  "And when you send a reply to Violet, tell her this. Don’t worry too much about losing the Triva Tree competition."

  Clerivan stared at me.

  "We want to build influence in the north, not really compete for trees. We can go back to the mineral. Violet had better focus on the big picture."

  "Lady Florentia……"

  Clerivan was half-crying as if he were all moved.

  "I told you all the time. The most important thing is Clerivan and Violet."

  If you lose anything else, you can always rebuild it.

  Turning around after saying that, I saw Clerivan quietly pulling out a handkerchief and wiping his eyes.

  Though I heard that he is ’cool handsome from outside.

  I talked to Clerivan to see me at the birthday banquet tomorrow and came out of the Pellet Office.

  It was time to walk out of the main gate long across the newly constructed large complex.

  I saw a man leaning against a wall next to a large gate.1

  It was a man wearing a deep hood as I wore it.

  Thanks to the fact that his head stood one higher than the others, the shadow under his feet remained particularly large and long.

  It was time to look at the invisible man and pass by.

  "Tia."

  It was an unfamiliar voice.

  Very low and charming.

  But a friendly voice called me.

  Standing tall.

  I stopped walking and looked at the man.

  Then he slowly took off his hood.

  "……You."

  Black hair that’s a bit messy and red eyes that shine brightly in the sun.9

  A boy who completely disappeared and came back as an adult.

  "Long time no see, Tia."

  It was Perez.