Watching Ni Wei’s profile, His Blackstone said nothing more.
The lingering sunlight of the setting sun spilled across her hair, coating the young girl in a warm halo.
For some reason, as His Blackstone looked at this scene, he suddenly felt that facing Duke Blackstone tomorrow wouldn’t be such a headache after all.
The next morning, His Blackstone changed into a formal suit.
Although he usually dressed casually, he still had to be a bit presentable when meeting his father.
“If you want to go out and look around, remember not to wander too far.”
Before leaving, His Blackstone made sure to stop by Ni Wei’s room and give her a specific reminder.
“I know, I know. I’m not a child.”
Ni Wei waved her hand, her expression saying, ‘Just go already and stop bothering me.’
His Blackstone nodded and turned to leave.
The moment the door clicked shut, Ni Wei let out a sigh.
When the townspeople talked about Duke Blackstone, their tone always carried a hint of reverence.
They said he was an incredibly formidable man—stern, imposing without even trying, and even the kingdom’s ministers had to show him some respect.
‘What kind of father would someone like that be…?’
Ni Wei shook her head hard, flinging those messy thoughts out of her mind.
Hmph.
What did it have to do with her?
Yet, less than half an hour after His Blackstone left, Ni Wei could no longer sit still in her room.
She casually flipped through the newspapers the inn had provided on the shelf, opened the window and then closed it again, and finally lay on the bed staring blankly at the ceiling.
‘He… should be there by now.’
‘I wonder if he got scolded.’
“How annoying!”
Ni Wei yanked the blanket over her head and rubbed it vigorously against her face.
Even though it had nothing to do with her, she still couldn’t help thinking about it!
After a while longer, the girl finally gave up on waiting in the room.
She changed into the new clothes His Blackstone had bought her yesterday, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the inn.
Well, he did say she could go out for a stroll.
It wasn’t because she wanted to wait for him.
She was just getting some fresh air.
Yeah! Just fresh air!
Ni Wei aimlessly circled the area around the inn, her eyes drawn to a pastry shop.
The dazzling array of sweets in the display window looked really tasty.
Gulp…
Since she was already out, maybe… she should buy something to eat?
***
Duke Blackstone’s residence in the royal capital was located in the inner city, just two streets away from the glittering royal palace.
Though not as grand as the Duke’s mansion in his domain, its location was excellent, and the neighbors were all big shots.
When His Blackstone arrived, the attendant at the door seemed to expect him and directly led him to the study.
Inside the study, Duke Blackstone sat behind a massive desk, pen in hand, apparently reviewing some documents.
He looked to be in his early fifties, with a few traces of gray at his temples, but he still appeared full of energy.
“Sit.”
The old duke didn’t even lift his head; his words were more like a command.
His Blackstone sat down in the chair across from the desk, took the prepared report from his bag, and placed it on the table.
The old duke ignored it until he finished reviewing all the documents.
Then he picked up the report and casually flipped through it.
After all, he knew his own son best—over the years, there had been nothing truly commendable.
Although Florin had reported that His Blackstone had recently changed, started taking initiative with matters in the domain, Duke Blackstone remained skeptical.
His leniency toward his son’s activities in the domain was nothing more than letting him gain some experience; he didn’t really expect any actual results.
However, as Duke Blackstone’s brow slightly furrowed, his pace of reading the report slowed down.
It wasn’t dissatisfaction, but rather a bit of surprise.
The commercial layout planning, profit growth curves, forward-looking acquisitions of various shops…
These weren’t things the spoiled playboy of the past, who only knew how to waste money, could have come up with.
Duke Blackstone set the report aside, finally raised his head, and began scrutinizing this good-for-nothing son of his.
“Did you do all this yourself?”
“Yes, Father.”
His Blackstone’s voice was calm.
The old duke’s gaze lingered on his son’s face for a long time.
He saw no trace of guilt.
“Not bad.”
The old duke averted his eyes, picked up the report again, and pointed to one page.
“The profit figures here look good, but your investment is too large. If it were me, I would reserve some capital for turnover.”
“You’re right, Father. I did overlook that.”
His Blackstone nodded, offering no excuse.
He couldn’t exactly say he had obtained intelligence from the System in advance, so he dared to go all in.
Duke Blackstone flipped a few more pages and tapped on another spot.
“Winning over Molis was a good move, but knowing him, I doubt this is all you got out of him, is it?”
“Can’t hide anything from you.”
His Blackstone scratched his head.
“Never mind. But remember, he’s usable, but don’t trust him too much. Better to cultivate a few people you can truly rely on.”
“Understood.”
Seeing His Blackstone so receptive to advice, the old duke couldn’t help but feel a stir.
In the past, his son would only nod perfunctorily and forget the advice in an instant.
This change was even more surprising to Duke Blackstone than the report itself.
No wonder Florin had been praising him so highly lately.
“You didn’t come all this way just to show me this, did you?”
The old duke leaned back in his chair.
“Speak. What’s the matter?”
Here it comes!
Hearing this, His Blackstone straightened up.
“Father, I hope to gain greater autonomy over the family funds.”
“Oh?”
“My current layout in the domain is showing initial results, but with the limited funds I have on hand, I’ll miss many opportunities to make money.”
His Blackstone wasn’t lying.
He had already figured out the pattern.
The intelligence the System provided was basically based on what he could currently achieve.
Which meant that if he could get his hands on more capital, would the System then give him intelligence on how to make even more money?
After listening to his son’s request, Duke Blackstone tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
His Blackstone didn’t rush him.
He knew this kind of thing needed patience.
The more anxious he seemed, the more immature he would look.
“How much authority do you want?”
His Blackstone rejoiced inwardly but kept a calm face.
“From now on, for any single expenditure not exceeding one hundred thousand gold coins, I can decide on my own and report to you afterward.
For amounts exceeding that, I’ll come to you for approval in advance.”
“One hundred thousand?”
Duke Blackstone raised an eyebrow.
“You’re not being greedy.”
His Blackstone smiled.
“Just enough to get by. Any more, and I’m afraid I might not be able to handle it.”
Duke Blackstone stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed as well.
“Fine, I agree.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
The old duke waved his hand, his tone turning more serious again.
“There are two things I need to emphasize. First, even though I don’t know how you found out about the conflict at the border, you absolutely must not get involved with the people in the royal palace.”
“I understand, Father.”
“Second, don’t provoke the Church of Light anymore. They’ve been making moves in the capital lately. Don’t give them any leverage.”
“Yes.”
Duke Blackstone looked at His Blackstone, a hint of approval in his eyes.
“You’re more capable than I thought. Go ahead and do what you need to do.”
***
After stepping out of the mansion, His Blackstone took a deep breath.
Facing his father was still a lot of pressure.
Fortunately, the whole process went much smoother than he expected.
Seems Florin had been putting in a good word for him all along.
He’d have to think of a good way to reward her later.
His Blackstone looked up at the giant clock in the royal capital to check the time.
It was already this late…
He wondered if his little maid was getting impatient waiting at the inn.
She might have already gone out to play by herself.
Thinking that, His Blackstone quickened his pace toward the inn.
Before he even reached the entrance, he spotted a familiar figure.
Ni Wei was standing at the nearest intersection to the inn, holding a bag of pastries in one hand and resting the other on her hip, occasionally standing on tiptoe to peer down the street.
She looked just like a young bride waiting for her beloved to come home.
“What are you looking at?”
His Blackstone walked closer.
“You wouldn’t be waiting for me, would you?”
His words made the girl’s face turn red.
“Who… who’s waiting for you? I just came out to buy some snacks!”
“Alright, let’s go back to the room first.”
“Oh…”
Ni Wei lowered her head and followed His Blackstone into the inn.
After a few steps, she couldn’t help but sneak a glance at his profile.
He looked… in a pretty good mood?
“How did it go?”
Ni Wei asked, trying to sound casual.
“How did what go?”
“I mean… your meeting with the master. How was it?”
“Pretty smooth.”
“Oh…”
Ni Wei nodded, realizing her mouth had twitched upward, and quickly forced it back down.
‘Good… it went smoothly…’
“Oh, right.”
His Blackstone pulled a small box from his coat pocket and handed it to Ni Wei.
“What’s this…”
Ni Wei took it and opened it.
Inside was a pair of earrings, completely different from the ones she had bought yesterday.
“I thought about it—though you’re sisters, you don’t have to wear the same accessories as her. So I bought you another pair.
As for which one to wear, that’s up to you.”
With that, His Blackstone walked into his room.
“I’ll change clothes. We’ll go out for a stroll later.”
“Oh… okay.”
The girl stared at the pair of earrings inlaid with emerald-green gems in her hand, a storm surging in her heart.
‘He… he bought a pair just for me.’
‘Does that mean… no way?’
Ni Wei slapped her cheeks hard, then turned and ran back to her room.
After agonizing for a while, she finally decided to put on the new earrings His Blackstone had given her.