Chapter Eight
_ What I Was Looking For
The boy was shocked, and before I moved, I remembered something I hadn't asked him despite knowing of him...
"What is your name?!"
"Fir... Firmin Neva, my Lady"
It seems it is his real name; that is very good, so I smiled at him and said:
"I am Duchess Elite de Altan, your new employer, and the person you will be tasked with protecting is the young Duke of Altan, Ian de Altan. Do you understand?!"
He seemed stunned but nodded yes. Despite his tension, he followed me in silence until we reached the palace. I requested that they clean him, care for him, and place him in a room on the first floor of the palace, not in the servants' annex, which caused Lux, the head butler, to be shocked by my bringing in this boy. However, I ignored the matter, acted as a tyrannical leader, and enforced the order. Upon leaving Firmin, I returned to my room, where Rose was present, playing with Ian, who crawled on all fours quickly toward me. My cloak had already been taken by the maids, so I embraced my child and inhaled his scent. After playing much with my child, I told Rose about Firmin and my desire. Despite her shock and objection to the mad decision, she eventually yielded. After much deliberation, I decided to appoint Lord Rocan Sophia to monitor him, as he was the closest to him in age. Rose was shocked at the appointment of her eighteen-year-old son, who was the youngest member of the Altan Knights, to watch over a vagabond, but ultimately, she worked for me and did not speak. I did not want to suppress her, but no one knows that these two were the most insane and terrifying duo in Altan; other than Firmin, whom I appointed, Rocan Sophia, with his red hair and green eyes inherited from his mother, was someone whose strength Ian admired, making him his right hand, and later chose Firmin to be his other arm. They proved their strength until they died standing to support Ian before his execution. Unlike my previous life, Rocan was appointed when he was twenty-two in Altan, but here I appointed him directly after Rose took the position of nanny, and his performance was distinguished, impressing his mother. Also, Firmin was appointed early as well. I do not know what fate hides, but I hope they will be my child's shield and sword in his life...
* * *
Only a week passed with Firmin left in the room eating and receiving medical treatment, and to my surprise, the strong and bright boy emerged very quickly. It seems he grows faster than his peers. Indeed, I placed him under the care of Rocan, who took up the task with total devotion. He made Firmin train three times as much as his colleagues, and to be fair, he trained with him since he was also considered new, and because I am keen on making them proud of their work. After another week of Firmin joining, I went down accompanied by Ian to encourage the two young men, who bowed the moment I entered. I smiled at their kind faces and spoke to them, saying:
"Ian, this is Rocan and this is Firmin... they will be your personal knights, understand..."
Ian laughed and made sweet sounds. The two young men looked at Ian with enchanted eyes; my child is sweet and attracts hearts...
"My Lady, would you permit me to speak.."
It was Rocan, who enjoys high noble manners, who began, so I nodded to him:
"My little Lord! I hope with all my heart to be your loyal servant, and it would be an honor for me to be called Roc..."
I laughed at Rocan's ecstatic face while speaking to my child, then Firmin acted in the same way, imitating Rocan:
"And I, would you permit me?!"
I gave him permission as well, and he said, imitating Rocan:
"My young Duke, I will be your loyal servant and I will be happy with all my heart for that, and I will be happy to be called by my nickname Fir..."
Ian clapped merrily, and although he still faced difficulty saying words, he pronounced the first letters of "Fir" and "Roc," which had a distinctive rhythm...
That visit was the starting point of their enthusiasm, and I have never witnessed development in my life like the development of these two young men, to the point that they were on equal footing with the commanders of the Altan Knights... they are the undisputed mad monsters of Altan...
* * *
"My Lady!"
I returned to my senses upon hearing Rocan's voice calling me. I looked at him as if to say, "Speak":
"Your Excellency! Viscount Stanley has sent word that he will be two hours late for the meeting today due to the Viscountess's health, but he will complete the rest of the work at Stanley Manor and bring it..."
I put my hand on my chin, thought for a moment, then nodded:
"No matter! The Viscountess is pregnant and has a weak body; the Viscount will be worried about his wife... let us proceed with the work"
This time Firmin spoke and said:
"I will go today with the Third Unit to receive the family of Marquis Alexia at the borders of Ruins. Their arrival at the Count's residence is scheduled within a day..."
I nodded in understanding. My sister and her husband underwent the hardship of traveling on horses because little Lorena was tired from the magic gates. I gave Firmin the order, then Rocan spoke and said:
"Regarding the painters who will come tomorrow, I have asked Thompson to prepare a list of their names and admit the minimum of them after screening"
I nodded to him in affirmation, thought for a moment, and said:
"Very well, I will leave the matter to you... everyone go to their work"
The two bowed and departed with piercing glares at each other, as they both wanted to prove their greatest usefulness. It was not an annoying competition; rather, I liked the gentle rivalry between them, resembling the fighting of two large puppies, one with purple fur and the other with fiery red fur...
Of course, throughout those long months, I worked hard. My brother was able to restore the glory of Bryant with my help and the help of some relatives who hold loyalty to the previous Bryant, who is my grandfather; it was a family that existed even before Altan...
After he finished everything, my brother decided to finally hold his wedding. This time, the sweet love relationship between Louis and Aldora was clear... it seems they fell in love at first sight. As for Martin, he developed even more than I expected...
A year ago, I asked Baron Stanley to go to the capital with knights from Altan as my representative because Louis was busy with Bryant's internal affairs...
In truth, I had a goal for that; Martin Stanley was not just an ordinary office man, but he was also a magician skilled enough to fight a group of mercenaries...
I specifically asked him to take the Alkan road, which is a slightly rugged road but a shortcut to the capital. It was also the road that Helga Orion, niece of Marquis Julian Orion, would take. She is the precious cousin of Empress Sophia von de Roshan...
And upon Baron Stanley helping young Orion, he would be granted some honor and perhaps his rank would be raised. It's not that I feel he is less than others, but I want to increase my power through the power of my followers. Indeed, Martin Stanley, the upright man, would not leave a young girl even if he didn't know her identity. He helped her and brought her on his own horse to her residence in the capital and returned to complete his assigned tasks. Because the young Lady Orion was very close to her cousin, the news reached the ears of the Empress, who summoned Martin the following day and expressed her gratitude to him. The Emperor had many intentions and indeed raised Martin's rank from Baron to Viscount and the Empire gave him some lands. But what was not expected was that the young Lady Helga fell in love with him, and even Martin, the upright man, was attracted to her, but as a sensible person, he tried to stay away from the matter...
The beloved and pampered girl was deeply fond of Martin and told them of her desire to marry him. Everyone was shocked by the matter, but after much deliberation and according to the benefits—despite his lower rank—the marriage took place, because Martin was also a person who had many properties and abundant lands, not just because of me, but because when he worked for the previous Duke, he worked with diligence and sincerity, and the Duke used to throw a lot of work on him. Despite his despicableness, he was generous with his loyal servants, and indeed, he gave Martin Stanley a lot. In addition to the news of his younger sister's marriage to Count Bryant, who is considered the maternal family of the young Duke Ian de Altan, it made things go smoothly. I do not deny that I had a hand in the intervention, and the marriage was completed in less than three months because of Helga's worry about her family changing their minds. Martin was happy despite his indifferent appearance, but his face became bright after the marriage. I was worried about Helga's pampered personality, but she behaved well and did not pose a harm or obstacle; she is just an orphaned girl whose parents died and her uncle cared for and cherished her, and in my previous life, she followed the Empress like her older sister...
In this period, many good things happened; it could be a happy ending in a novel, but it is not a novel, it is my child's life and his future...
What I have done during the past period had much cruelty and kindness in it, starting with receiving the reports I requested from the Guild. The investigation was about all of Altan's servants and its knights, and not only that, but even Bryant. Every root of corruption must be pulled out forever...
No one was excluded, even Rose and Lux. Indeed, after verification, their records were found to be completely clean, but there were many involved. I did not fire them just like that; I conducted a competency test, and many of them lost, and those who lost must leave. As for Celine, my close maid, she was bad from the beginning. Celine entered from the start to spy on me and approached me for this goal; for a long time, she was putting contraceptives in my food, but she was negligent once, which led to my pregnancy with Ian. She was punished by her master for that, but she continued trying to introduce abortifacients into my food. It seems fate was on my side, for during my pregnancy with Ian, I faced difficulty in eating and barely sufficed with fruits...
This woman was close to me for my betrayal, and I was not wrong in my previous life to kill her brutally, but let us be sensible this time; she hasn't done anything yet, and I will suffice with banishing her outside Serdia. Of course, I have the authority for that, and conversely, she was useful, for because of her, I was able to bring down Count Ronda and throw him in prison...
The number of servants has become fewer in Altan, and about a quarter of the servants were dismissed. There might be a fuss, but I didn't care...
As for the remaining servants, without exception, their work contracts were renewed with an increase in their wages. It wasn't that I was caring for them, but because the contracts were magical and there were two activated spells: non-disclosure and the inability to harm the employers. I alerted the employees to the matter, but there was sincerity in the remaining servants. Even the Altan Knights, fewer were dismissed because it was difficult to enter the Order of Knights, so I made everyone sign a contract and there was no annoyance. It became a formal procedure—as soon as a new member joins work in Altan, the contract is signed...
I used my knowledge of the future to build this life and I will never back down in anything I do for Ian and for my family. The more precious things you have, the stronger you must become to protect them....
I looked at the accumulated work and began working again, and I have many ideas: Ian, my brother's wedding, my sister's arrival, and the painter I am looking for. I wish Mr. Thomas had retired a bit later; I would have used photography which needs only a minute to draw a person's picture in whatever size it was. It is a technique invented by the Melody family two years from now. It was very expensive but it was wonderful and easy. It is said that the owner of the technique, Karl Jerome, was working for the Melody Duchy and Marsha Melody, the pampered princess of her family, supported him...
If Karl Jerome were working for me, there would be many benefits. No matter how great Altan's wealth reached, I must expand for its political and economic stability, and wealth is very important, and certainly, I have many ideas for that...
* * *
The next day, from early morning as usual, my schedule was crowded, especially since Martin is busy with his wife with preparations for Aldora's wedding ceremony, so I granted him leave and began working alone, and the time I spend with Ian decreased. "Martin, I swear I will make you work until you die when you return." Why am I harsh? I will look for an additional assistant; the Duchy is one of the largest provinces in Serdia, so I need another assistant to be able to dedicate some time to my sweet child. I worked hard to finish quickly, but the work was increasing madly. Where does this madness come from... I skipped lunch to end the work quickly, but it does not end. I looked at the time and it was running like light. "Ian, my little one, wait for your mother, she is coming..."
Knock knock knock !!!
"Enter"
I raised my head from the soul-crushing pile of papers and looked at Rocan, who bowed...
"My Lady, the painters have arrived and I have made them wait today in the garden for fresh air..."
"Well thought, Roc. I will go to my room to prepare now..."
Rocan left, and I left the desk that I cursed hundreds of times and returned to my room. The two responsible maids entered and began adjusting my hair, and I changed my clothes quickly and went down to the garden. I saw Rose carrying Ian, so I couldn't resist and went to my child and took him from Rose. Rose laughed and walked behind me as I carried my child, whose scent and face I missed, and I continued playing with him until we reached the designated place. Flowers were everywhere and the umbrella blocked the sunlight, surrounded by blossoms. Under it were two chairs; one for me and one for my child with a footrest for the child, and a chair slightly further away for the painter...
After sitting, the journey of exhaustion for the talentless painters began. Four hours passed, and the sun began announcing its setting...
I wanted to leave the place after the foolish painter who kept drawing stupidly and praising Ian foolishly, but Rocan approached and whispered:
"Only one remains, my Lady, then the Lady and the young Duke can rest"
I looked at Ian, who was a sensible child. He usually meddled with things, but he returns to sitting obediently; my child is wonderful from a young age...
"Very well, let him in..."
The last one was a very thin young man, like someone who hadn't eaten for days. I looked at the list, and written on it was «Lord Teddy Sorion»
Is he not a noble youth? But he looks tattered. Wait.. Teddy Sorion? I looked at Rocan, who knew the names of nobles by heart; there was a look of suspicion at this young man...
The young man bowed in an awkward manner and introduced himself:
"Teddy, greets the Duchess"
I smiled playfully to see this trickster and said with fake kindness:
"You may sit"
"..."
"Teddy Sorion, you are the third son of Count Sorion. Happy to meet you. How is your father?"
The seated young man became flustered and gripped his leather bag anxiously and spoke with confusion:
"He is well.."
I smiled cunningly and said...
"Very well, you may begin, but remove your cloak first. You look mysterious and you will scare my child"
Ian was busy playing with the flowers near him, and indeed I was worried that the cover might cause anxiety for my child...
The young man hesitated and removed the cloak. Instead of the blonde hair of the Sorion family, there was dark purple hair and bright honey eyes. The boy was thin but his features were good; it seems he is from a family that has a different beauty gene, but his features are very familiar...
The boy hesitated a bit and said:
"Shall I begin, my Lady?!"
"Please"
"But my Lady, first, I do not paint..."
Rocan grew angry and grabbed the boy's collar and said:
"You trickster, you do not paint... why did you come?!"
He was afraid but acted with courage and tried to push away Rocan's hand, which did not budge until I gave him the permission. He moved his hand and I looked at the boy and said:
"What is it that you will do?!"
"My Lady, it is a magical technique. It copies the image. Perhaps you know the magic crystals used to record a short moving image. This technique is still under trial; I copy images and project them onto any piece, whether small or large. It is called the Magical Photography technique..."
I laughed merrily and looked at the boy who was explaining anxiously and said playfully:
"This is what I was looking for"
The boy became flustered, but what increased his confusion was the sound of shouting coming from the start of the garden...
"What are you doing here, you trickster?! "
It was the original Lord Sorion and Firmin, and it seems the boy's trick was exposed...
...... To be continued ......