KYDC chapter 13

It was the same for the elderly.

Ever Paradise was always short-handed, and tasks like simple laundry, sheet arrangements, and organizing amenities were things anyone could do as long as they weren’t bedridden.

For those who had difficulty moving, they were given seated tasks like packaging.

This was possible because the entire domain was relatively small and the community was based on a feudal system.

“Velon needs Mr. Everdeen’s help.”

Hernan’s eyes lit up as he grasped my hand. I answered, caught off guard by Hernan’s sudden grip.

“It might not be as ideal as it seems. Nirvan is a structure maintained by strong trust in the community and its lord. Even if we pursue a similar project, there’s no guarantee the residents of Velon will follow along positively.”

It would’ve been better if I had married Berta and formed an alliance between the two families.

But since the engagement was called off, we were practically strangers now.

“No, Mr. Everdeen, you can do it. No, I hope you will.”

Before I knew it, Hernan’s eyes were burning like blue flames.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand his point.

The duke wasn’t getting a bad deal either.

They were creating jobs with the help of an expert, and I would take the profits from it.

It was a win-win business.

When I managed to avoid his gaze and finally looked up, the duke was looking at me with a pitiful expression. His pale hair made him look like a baby fox on the verge of tears.

“On behalf of Velon, I earnestly request your help.”

When he put it like that, I couldn’t just say, “It’s too good of a deal for us, and I’m too anxious to go through with it.”

I felt like I could hear a faint whining sound as I nodded, exhausted.

“…Alright. I’ll review it.”

With a foreboding feeling, Hernan smiled, his long eyelashes fluttering as his radiant face lit up.

‘It feels like I’m walking into trouble on my own…’

Unfortunately, I was always good at sensing things like that.

That afternoon, I received documents from Hernan detailing five potential locations for the business.

It seemed they had done quite a bit of thorough research, so it wasn’t just a hastily put-together plan.

While I would need to visit the sites to determine if they were truly suitable for a resort, the documents were enough to confirm the general location conditions.

“Hmm…”

Once I decided to go ahead with it, half-hearted efforts were out of the question.

I would need to inform the baron that the dowry issue was settled, and instead, I decided to help with Velon’s tourism development project.

Suddenly, I had a mountain of tasks, leaving no time for idleness.

After contacting the baron via the communication network and appointing a replacement to handle the main office of Ever Paradise while I focused on the new Velon business, the afternoon quickly slipped away.

To top it off, the additional materials I had requested for each site arrived that evening, turning the guest room where I was staying into a paper bombshell.

“Mister, these are the documents the duke instructed to deliver.”

From local legends that could be used for tourism storytelling to nearby springs and water sources, there was no shortage of things to check before any site visits.

The stack of papers reached my head, and it seemed like only a matter of time before they engulfed the room.

With a typewriter and communication device also brought in, the room was so cluttered that it felt overwhelming.

“How much more paperwork is there?”

“We plan to report the demographic statistics and main products for each region, as well as the water source size and quality, within three days.”

If there were any more documents, I wouldn’t have room to move.

I would either need to organize them better or move to a larger room.

As I picked up the most critical documents, the duke, who had been standing at the room’s entrance, spoke.

“It seems the room is too small for your work. I’ll have an office prepared for you in the castle.”

It was a welcome suggestion, but I couldn’t just accept it without hesitation.

“No, it’s alright. You don’t have to go that far. If you could bring in a bookshelf to organize the documents or move me to a slightly larger room…”

Hernan nodded as if he understood.

“Ah, you prefer something larger. There’s space in the garden, so it would be better to build something new.”

…? What is he talking about?

Build what?

I was startled and quickly shook my head.

“No! It’s fine. Just one space for a study would be enough.”

When I quickly declined, the duke nodded satisfactorily.

“Understood. I’ll have it ready for you by tomorrow.”

I felt like I had fallen into a classic negotiation trap.

Propose 5 so that when the other party rejects it, you offer 10 to shock them and make 5 seem like a reasonable offer.

Still, it wasn’t a disadvantage to me, so I agreed without further protest.

“If you need, I can assign a dedicated staff member to support you with the resort project. If you’re uncomfortable with someone from my side, you can bring someone from Nirvan.”

Isn’t this too much pressure before we’ve even started? I shook my head again.

“Not yet! Not yet, anyway. If I need help, I’ll let you know.”

At this stage, it was just taking time for them to prepare the materials.

I wasn’t at a point where I was making decisions or researching things myself.

Having someone assigned to me would only be burdensome.

And honestly, it felt uncomfortable. I knew why they needed my expertise, and I was less worried now that I understood it wasn’t a losing deal for the duke.

But I couldn’t forget that I still owed the duke a significant debt.

‘All because of Berta… sigh…’

If they didn’t want to get married that badly, they should have said something earlier.

Then I could have at least helped with the situation.

But complaining about it now, after they’d already fled, wouldn’t change anything.

I snapped out of it and looked up at the duke, who, with his dazzlingly handsome face, still had a faint trace of worry as he smiled.

“If you need anything, let me know. I’ll prepare it at the highest level in the North, in honor of Yudenet.”

He was smiling, and it didn’t seem like he was angry or in a rush, but there was something unsettling about the shadow on his face that made me uneasy.

The reason was clear to anyone.

Though he tried to act composed and focused on the practical benefits for the domain, the duke was still a young man, not yet twenty-five.

In this world, it was common for someone in their twenties to have two or three children, but for a noble with a title, he was considered quite young.

Typically, titles above a count were passed down to a married eldest son, making his case even more exceptional.

From what I remember, in the original story, Hernan was the third son of the Yudenet family, and after his two older brothers overthrew their father and fought over the title, they both died in accidents.

As a result, Hernan, who was far from power, suddenly inherited the title while he was on a campaign ordered by the emperor.

‘That’s why the servants didn’t respect him, and he became a tyrant who ruled with an iron fist until he met the female lead and became obsessed with her.’

But now, Hernan seemed more like a tragic hero than the fearsome character from the original story.

He was trying to hide his lonely heart after being betrayed by his fiancée….

I watched Hernan’s back as he turned and walked back to his office, feeling a bit uneasy.

“There’s nothing more I can do besides work hard, even if I feel uneasy…”

I shook off the gloomy feeling and picked up the documents again.

How long had it been since I had a simple dinner in my room and immersed myself in paperwork?

Maybe it was because I had been using my brain all day, but as soon as the hangover started to lift, I felt my blood sugar drop.

“I should have some of the dried fruit I brought from Nirvan…”

I immediately opened the wardrobe where I had stowed the trunk.

The weather had been so cold that it shouldn’t have spoiled on the way, so I thought I’d eat a bit while I continued working.

With that thought in mind, I lifted the blanket that was covering the bag, only to hear an ominous sound that shouldn’t have been there.

Rustle. Rustle.

“……?”

What was that? Could it be a mouse?

The castle was quite old, but it was well-maintained, so I didn’t expect mice to be running around in a room meant for people.

Maybe a mouse got in while I had the window open for ventilation?

With a growing sense of unease, I opened the bag, and what was waiting for me inside was a creature I had never seen before.