chapter 32
“Long time no see, Marquis.”
“To have you visit in person… how many years has it been? An old man like me is truly pleased.”
“Wasn’t it just three years ago? And you’re not old at all, so your joke is a bit excessive.”
Dorian and the Marquis exchanged light, friendly banter. Meanwhile, Iva and Hartman, who had disembarked from another carriage, also approached our side. Dorian extended his hand toward us.
“These are my family members who came with me.”
“Pleased to meet you. Some familiar faces, too.”
At the Marquis’s words, Hartman first placed a fist over his chest and bowed.
“Long time no see, Marquis. I am Hartman Müller, second son of the Count Müller family.”
“And I am Iva Artur of the Viscount Artur family.”
Iva also greeted formally. I quietly squeezed in and greeted as well.
“Rohela…”
Introducing myself as Rohela Wiebner before Marquis Wiebner didn’t feel quite right.
A brief silence passed, but soon a warm, friendly voice came from above.
“Welcome, everyone. You must be tired from your long journey. Let’s not linger here—let’s head to the dining hall. Our chef has been eagerly waiting for you.”
I lifted my bowed head from greeting. Even for just a moment, my heart raced as if it would leap from my chest.
I must have been unconsciously tense. After saying this, the Marquis entered the estate first, followed by Dorian, and then we followed behind.
“But, Iva,” I whispered. Iva turned to look at me. Even though we had only been apart for a short while, it felt like we were seeing each other after a long time.
“Isn’t it usually that the higher-ranking person goes in first?”
“Oh, the Marquis doesn’t like that.”
“Usually? What do you mean?” I wondered. Does he dislike younger people taking precedence over someone of higher rank?
My thoughts spiraled negatively from the side effect of tension. Iva quickly noticed and smoothed things over for the Marquis.
“Since this is the Marquis’s estate, he believes the host should lead. Not for the sake of vanity… but because guests should be welcomed by the host first.”
I nodded in understanding. That made sense. But still, there was something subtly off.
‘He… doesn’t seem to like me much, does he?’
Was he annoyed at me? Perhaps his nerves were frayed from the long journey.
When he heard my name, he must have realized I was the ‘Rohela’ in question, yet he said nothing, which left me uneasy.
I also wondered what he thought of me. Even though we were related through my mother’s side, did that give him the right to look down on me regardless of title?
Of course! From a modern perspective, he felt more attuned to my sense!
Honestly, I hadn’t relied on Dorian’s title—he had been like a shield—but now I worried he might not help much in my proving trials.
‘Would he really take a liking to me?’
If it were me, I would have been furious.
I shook my head at the newspaper articles I had read about myself and the Wiebner Marquis family.
The royal palace is gold, the duke’s mansion black, and the Marquis’s estate is blue. The interior is mainly navy with white accents resembling sea foam.
The chandeliers in the dining hall differed from the royal and ducal ones. Small glowing stones decorated the grand chandelier, with a large central stone and tiny crystals reflecting light throughout the hall.
The ceiling was high and arched, and the chandeliers, shaped like seashells, conches, and fish, hung like sun-catchers.
The light didn’t illuminate the hall evenly, but instead evoked the sensation of sunlight underwater.
“Elegant,” I murmured. Indeed, it was elegant. I quietly admired it as we were guided to our seats. Surprisingly, I was seated to the left of the place of honor. The Marquis took the main seat, with Dorian opposite him.
Once we were seated, a servant brought finger bowls. The Marquis dipped his fingertips and remarked,
“You’ve grown stronger since we last met, Duke.”
“Yes. I’ve been rigorous with my sword training.”
“A good stance. You never know when magic may become useless.”
The Marquis’s words had an edge. I hastily glanced at Dorian, who simply nodded without displeasure.
“Once Algoy ore mining ends and all magical tools break, magic will cease to exist in this world. Users of the Spell Word will return to their homeland.”
By ‘homeland,’ he meant an unknown place where Spell Word users go—whether on this continent or another, no one knew.
According to Dorian, they couldn’t affect the persistence of magic here, and except for Hiram and me, magic would eventually vanish.
Magic disappearing… I had never considered that.
While I listened with interest, a servant brought oysters and smoked salmon as hors d’oeuvres.
The Marquis picked up an oyster shell and continued,
“The Tolt Mine has been gaining much attention recently.”
“Yes. Its reserves received the highest grade in the last Hesed evaluation, so we plan to auction it soon.”
The Tolt Mine, famous for high-purity magic stones, was a closely guarded secret.
It belonged to the Duke Brecht family—no wonder they were wealthy.
I celebrated recognizing the source of the mastermind’s funds by putting a piece of smoked salmon in my mouth. Familiar yet meltingly delicious.
I wondered if Iva and Hartman were listening. And Leewin—was he bored?
I glanced; Iva and Hartman were amusing Leewin while trying to feed him oysters. Leewin cautiously poked an oyster on his plate, observing it as if testing if it was alive.
His small lips pouted like a duck’s.
I relaxed and focused back on the Marquis and Dorian’s conversation. The Marquis was speaking.
“The Algoy ore reserves will run out within ten years.”
“We should auction it at a higher price than the ten-year mining volume.”
“Then, what would be an appropriate auction price, Miss Rohela?”
I nearly brought a caper to my mouth but quickly set down my fork.
“In my opinion, it should match the quantity mined over twenty-five years.”
“Why?”
“When calculating the price, you shouldn’t base it solely on Algoy ore reserves. Everyone knows it will run out soon, but no one assumes there will be no substitutes. There’s also a usage period after being processed into magical tools.”
The Marquis’s eyes lit up.
“Can you explain how you arrived at that figure?”
I calmly explained,
“Tolt Mine’s reserves total roughly eighty years’ worth. No family could pay that in one go. Additionally, future new veins may lower the price of magic stones.”
Indeed, when Tolt Mine was discovered, prices for mid-grade magic stones plummeted. Even now, Tolt Mine’s stones were top-grade, but better grades might appear anywhere.
I fiddled with my napkin.
“If we base it on ten years, other nobles might worry that ‘there may be no substitute for Algoy,’ causing the auction price to fall. Twenty-five years is more reasonable.”
I quietly praised myself for answering so well.
The Marquis, however, dampened my enthusiasm.
“So there is no precise basis for the twenty-five-year estimate?”
“…Correct.”
After all, my only knowledge of economics came from school on Earth—not from an academy’s business department.
I silently squeezed lemon over an oyster and ate it. Sweet, not fishy—a true delicacy. My eyes widened.
The Marquis smiled at me.
“It would be nice to converse more with Miss Rohela. Do you know the specialties of the Wiebner Marquisate, Rügen?”
“Seafood,” I replied.
“Yes, correct. Tonight’s meal also features only ingredients from Rügen. Its seafood even reaches the capital.”
The Marquis rang a small bell, and two maids rolled in a trolley. Soon, a seaweed soup was placed before each of us.
“This is my favorite,” he said.
‘Seaweed!’
Back in Korea, I loved this and always ate seaweed soup on New Year’s. I eagerly waited for the Marquis to scoop the first spoon.
“It’s hard to transport and store, so you likely haven’t seen it in the capital.”
“Yes, it looks unusual.”
“Hair!”
Dorian answered gracefully, but Leewin let out an innocent exclamation. I quickly checked the Marquis’s expression; fortunately, he seemed unbothered.
“It may seem strange at first. Now, would you like to try it?”
Iva and Hartman smiled, though a bit embarrassed. Iva whispered to me,
“The previous Duke and Duchess sometimes brought it here… but it never gets familiar. You can pretend to eat just a little if you like.”
But after being dropped into this world, I couldn’t just pretend to eat seaweed.
Thank goodness, author! Who else would serve a Korean delicacy in a Western setting? Blessings!
The Marquis scooped a spoonful first. I immediately followed.
It had been ages since I last tasted this. Memories of my past life stirred, and tears pricked my eyes.
I had thought of my life as orphaned and meaningless, but now, looking back, it was a life I could miss in its own way.
