Chapter 3

The Fedora Grand Duchy was a small Principality located in the northeast of the Western continent. Its sole ruler was Auss Lokt Fedora.

He married twice and had two children.

A daughter with the deceased Grand Duchess of Fedora and a son from his first marriage to Sylvia of the Hereos Empire.

His daughter Evelyn was raised by the Archduke from birth. On the other hand, his son Ethan left the Grand Duchy 19 years ago and grew up in the Hereos Empire.

This was because he was both the first child of the Grand Duchy of Fedora and the heir of the Duke of Orman.

Evelyn contemplated the reasons why Ethan had to leave the Grand Duchy, why he came back, and the setting of the original novel.

As a result, she blatantly stared at Ethan who was sitting in front of her.

‘He’s really handsome.’

Two days after he arrived. Normally, she would have been watching the trending reports for the trade market at this time, but today was different. Ethan had invited her for refreshments after the luncheon they had together.

Evelyn didn’t turn down his request and set up a table in the greenhouse to escape Winter’s cold winds.

After the maids had served tea and dessert, Evelyn lifted her teacup first.

Ethan was intensely staring at her. As if observing an exotic creature, his eyes were full of curiosity.

However, Evelyn was no different: she gazed attentively at him.

While examining each other thusly, Evelyn’s thoughts turned inward.

The Coming of Age Ceremony would take place on Evelyn’s birthday, the 30th of the first month, but Ethan arrived earlier, well before year’s end.

It was a visit to spend time with his distant family before he got busier, so he wanted to stay at the Grand Duchy for a while into the new year.

His return was scheduled for next Spring. After that, he will inherit the title from his maternal grandfather, who had decided to retire.

‘At least, that’s the plan.’

The day of his return to the Empire won’t arrive. Likewise, Evelyn’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony will never be held.

The current date was the 20th of the 12th month, and after the New Year, breathtaking news would spread throughout the continent.

And even if she tried, Evelyn could prevent or change precious few things.

Most of the events that would take place during this period belonged to the main story, under the direct control of the original plot.

At best all she could do was stay on top of the events that flowed over time.

Therefore, it would be good to start carefully organizing the things that should be handled beforehand.

Just because she couldn’t stop things from happening, didn’t mean she couldn’t intervene.

As Evelyn grinned at the end of her thoughts, Ethan flinched.

“Ah…”

Then he shifted his gaze away from Evelyn.

“I’m sorry if I offended you. I… didn’t realize it.”

“It’s okay, it happens to me too.”

Ethan, lifting his teacup like Evelyn, spoke cautiously.

“It must have been a sudden request, but thank you for taking the time for me.”

“I also wanted to see my older brother, so I can make time even if I don’t have it.”

There was no denying that she was busy.

Ethan’s hand stopped mid-air. But before he could react, Evelyn continued.

“I’m not blaming you, so don’t worry about it.”

In fact, Evelyn’s daily routine was very full, and with no reason to hide it from Ethan, she just said it as it was.

However, Ethan looked quite flustered.

As he remained silently groping for words, Evelyn said, smiling gently.

“Don’t think too hard.”

Even if he carefully built it through worrying, it was a relationship that will collapse anyway,

Ethan had no way of knowing the words she left unspoken, so his expression seemed to soften a little.

“If there’s anything I can help you with, anytime… no, no, it’s a slip of the tongue.”

But his voice broke before he could finish.

At first glance, his words expressed consideration toward her.

However, they could also be interpreted as meaning interference in the private affairs of the Grand Duchy of Fedora.

His dual roles as the sole heir to the Duke of Orman and eldest son with the right of inheritance to the Archduke’s title made the statement dangerous.

Even though Evelyn knew this, she continued to speak softly.

“I’d be happy if you could help.”

Ethan didn’t answer. Instead, he fiddled with the teacup as if nervous.

He spoke again after Evelyn took a few sips.

“As I already said in the letter—”

He put down his teacup and looked straight at her.

“My place is in Orman, where I lived all my life. So I hope you don’t misunderstand what I said before.”

“Yes, I don’t misunderstand. So I’ll be happy if you help me.”

Ethan’s expression darkened at her quick reply.

Obviously, it wasn’t that she didn’t listen because she understood his will.

She knew his intentions were sincere.

However, at the same time, she knew that Ethan wouldn’t go back to Orman Duchy and she couldn’t remain in Fedora.

That’s why she said that.

‘After all, he will inherit everything, so I should teach him beforehand.’

Again, Ethan had no way of knowing such feelings and seemed troubled by the repeated suggestion to help.

Well, it wasn’t strange to think that she was wary of him.

However, since the end results were set, it wasn’t a big deal for her to ignore the misunderstanding she was creating but…

‘It will be annoying if the same conversation is repeated every time we meet.’

Evelyn looked straight into Ethan’s golden eyes and said.

“I hope Brother doesn’t misunderstand my intent.”

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly at the unwavering gentle tone.

“S, so… did you really… mean to ask for help?”

“Yes.”

“You… must have a lot of work.”

“Yes, so I will ask for your assistance if you’re okay with it.”

Only then did Ethan glean the truth from Evelyn’s words and heave a sigh of relief.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll gladly help you.”

It was a placid and calm voice, but it was filled with sincerity.

‘If he’s so eager to help, shall we start?’

Evelyn put down her teacup and said,

“Then, since we’re already here, shall we go now?”

“…Uh?”

Evelyn got up first and headed to the office, and Ethan followed her awkwardly.

The territory of the Principality of Fedora was only 30% the size of the Kingdom of Yutra, on the southwest border.

The population was also remarkably small when compared to other countries.

Thus they were unable to be labeled as a Kingdom and continued to be a Principality.

Nevertheless, it was a bit ironic that it was wealthy beyond compare to those other lands.

‘The privilege of the royal family.’

Everything was possible because the Grand Duke of Fedora was the trusted brother of the Hereos Empire’s Emperor.

When the current Emperor ended the political war and ascended the throne, he gifted his supporter, Auss, the title of Archduke of Fedora.

At that time, the Emperor proposed Fedora’s independence in exchange for appointing a new ruler of the Grand Duchy.

Thanks to this, the ruler changed, maintaining the family name in line.

Despite its independence and freedom from interference by the Hereos Empire, the blood relationship didn’t disappear completely.

That was why the Guilds of the Empire paid the lowest tariffs in Fedora.

However, even allowing for some preferential treatment, the Grand Duchy’s wealth was enormous.

Additionally, there were other cash streams into the Grand Duchy coffers. Ship anchorage tax, territorial water fees, and damaged ship repair costs.

Too, the amount spent by sailors from each country staying in port cities wasn’t small.

Those revenue streams combined did not touch the scale of the Duchy’s tariffs levied on the trade between Guilds, a sum reaching several digits.

No one could avoid using Fedora’s territorial waters to trade goods.

Evelyn’s responsibilities included managing the documentation of such trade, thus she had a lot of work to do.

That meant there would be a lot of work for Ethan to handle afterward.

“This…”

Evelyn, who was looking through the documents, turned at the sudden murmur.

Eathan was seated at a newly arranged desk on one side of the office.

He was checking the entry and departure permits Evelyn had given him and documents related to crew member length of stay for each ship from other countries.

If he could first fathom the size of the ships arriving and departing the Port, it would be easier for him to understand the next steps, so it was the first task Evelyn gave him.

“Evelyn, is this all data for this month…?”

It was a pretty cautious question.

Evelyn nodded and looked at him as he stiffened.

Was it hard to believe? He blinked for a moment without saying a word.

Currently, Fedora held more than 70 percent of trade with the East continent.

The remaining 30% took place in the ports of the Hereos Empire and the Ragusta Kingdom to the South of the Grand Duchy.

And there was also a guild that occasionally traded directly with the Kingdom of Yutra.

The Fedora monopoly was possible because the coast in the northeastern part of the continent was mostly Grand Duchy’s territory.

The new continent, called the Eastern Continent, was located in the northeast of the Western Continent, and for Guilds who faced enemies in the Eastern Continent the port of the Grand Duchy of Fedora proved the shortest route.

In addition, the territorial waters of the Grand Duchy were connected with rivers that reached deep inland.

Loading and unloading between a small inland-bound ship and a large continental ship was bound to happen frequently in the Port of Fedora.

“How is this possible… Oh, I didn’t mean anything else! It just came out of curiosity.”

Ethan stopped talking and rushed to make excuses. Standing before him, Evelyn nodded her head to show that she had not misunderstood.

“It’s a little weird, right?”

“That’s—”

“Even if it is a prosperous port, when so many ships flock to it, it’s normal for some to seek other docks.”

Evelyn answered the questions he didn’t complete.

If someone didn’t know the internal situation properly, the current abnormality might be interesting.

Evelyn began to explain in an attempt to clarify any doubts.

The reason why ships in the eastern continent, which should have naturally dispersed due to excessive concentration, continue to insist on Fedora’s port.

Excluding the logistical location of the Grand Duchy, there was a singular reason.