“T-Thank you.”The merchant hurried toward Mirova with an expression full of gratitude.“You must be Miss Mirova…”Before he could finish introducing himself, Mirova turned and looked at him.Her cold glare stopped him in his tracks.“…”The merchant immediately fell silent.For a brief moment, he wondered if he had accidentally offended her.Or perhaps…The Dragon King’s daughter simply disliked formal greetings.He hesitated, unsure whether he should continue speaking.Before he could gather the courage to try again, another voice interrupted him.“Yo.”Rhys approached on Gealion’s back and waved casually.“Still angry?”He scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.“I think I overdid it this time.”“Sorry.”“Forgive me?”Both Mirova and the merchant froze.Unlike the merchant, however, Mirova immediately realized he was putting on a show.She played along without missing a beat.“It’s fine.”She gave a small nod.“I should apologize too.”Rhys smiled.“Good.”“Then let’s

A few days later…Carmichael and Wyndia walked side by side through one of the royal palace’s long corridors.It wasn’t a route either of them normally used.Because of Rhys’s request, Wyndia had arranged an emergency meeting between the rulers of the four kingdoms.As for Carmichael, he had accompanied the King of the Virelith Kingdom as his personal protector.Oddly enough, despite arriving together, he hadn’t gone to meet the king yet.Instead…He was strolling through the corridor with Wyndia as though they had all the time in the world.“Say…”Without warning, Carmichael threw an arm around Wyndia’s shoulders and lowered his voice.“My dear future in-law…”“Where’s Rhys?”“Is he really not coming?”Wyndia sighed and pushed his arm away.“Who exactly is your in-law?”She gave him an exhausted look.“And no.”“Rhys won’t be attending.”“He has some fish to catch.”Carmichael blinked.“…Fish?”He looked at her as if she’d just said something ridiculous.“This is a conference involvi

Everyone in the hall froze.Tarok had received invitations countless times over the years, yet he had ignored every single one of them. No matter how many times they reached out, he never showed up. That was why no one had expected him to appear today of all days. His arrival caught every sovereign completely off guard.A faint smile tugged at Tarok’s lips as he looked toward the Pope.“Why? Am I not welcome here?”The Pope returned the smile without missing a beat, though his narrowed eyes betrayed the caution beneath it.“Of course you’re welcome. Why would we even invite you if you are not welcomed?”His expression remained calm, but everyone present understood what he was doing. If he relaxed for even a moment, the oppressive aura radiating from Tarok would weigh down the entire room.The Pope felt it.Balzak felt it.Carmichael felt it.None of them needed words to understand the truth. Tarok had reached a level that none of them could compare to anymore. The title of the world’s

Before speaking again, Wyndia quietly studied everyone’s expressions.No one seemed opposed to the proposal.That was exactly what she and Rhys had hoped for.Neither of them had ever been driven by greed. They wanted enough wealth to live comfortably and continue their research, but they had no desire to become the richest people in the world.To them, there was little value in endless riches if those riches only attracted enemies.It was far better to have enough money, enough influence, and enough protection to live peacefully than to spend the rest of their lives guarding a mountain of gold while everyone tried to take it away.That was why they had settled on a five-year restriction.Five years would be more than enough.After all, this wasn’t an ordinary invention.It was military technology.Everyone understood that weapons designed for war generated unimaginable profits. Those five years alone would earn them more wealth than they could reasonably spend.And the royalties woul

“Ugh. The snow is already piling up.”Laura tilted her head toward the gray sky as another wave of snow drifted down.“It won’t be long before our home is buried under the snow. I swear it’s snowing harder than last year…”Rhys followed her gaze before turning to Meave.“Have you set aside some money for the maids and butlers to take care of this place while we’re gone?”“Yes. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.” Meave smiled confidently. “I’ve been learning a lot about managing a household while visiting noble families as the vice president. I’ve already prepared more than enough for their wages, and they’ll be rewarded fairly for the extra work.”“All right.”Rhys gave a satisfied nod.With everything settled, the three of them picked up their luggage and prepared to leave.Just as they stepped outside, a familiar voice called after them.“Wait.”They all stopped and looked back.“Hmm?” Rhys blinked.Standing at the entrance was Mirova.She had a travel bag slung over one s