Published: January 4, 2026
I stared at the young man and thought for a moment.
“...Alright. That information is valuable. Don’t tell anyone else.”
“Of course! I won’t say a word.”
“You’ll return to Oscar’s mansion and work as usual.”
“Understood! I’ll be careful and…—”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
I cut him off.
“Huh?”
“You don’t need to consciously try to probe or search for anything.”
“B-but then—”
“Just do as you’re told.”
“—Y-yes…”
When I spoke firmly, the young man reluctantly backed down.
His frustration was clearly visible on his face—he wanted to be more useful, but I wasn’t letting him.
“Look at this.”
I summoned Fuwawa from the ring and created my original crest in the air between us.
“What is this...?”
“Look closely and memorize it.”
“H-hee… okay…”
The young man stared intently at it.
It was a crest, but I had altered part of it from the usual one I used.
This was a special pattern shown only to him.
“Have you memorized it?”
“Y-yes.”
“Good.”
I nodded and dismissed Fuwawa.
“If you’re needed, someone holding an item bearing that crest will contact you. When you see it, consider them my representative.”
“Yes!”
The young man’s eyebrows lifted.
He understood he was needed, and his spirits lifted sharply.
“Again, don’t act consciously. Oscar is clever.”
I said this with a serious expression, looking straight at him.
“If you try to probe consciously, it will definitely be exposed. So don’t think too much about it. Working honestly in Oscar’s mansion is the best way you can help me.”
“Understood! I’ll work seriously!”
“Good.”
I nodded and put my hand in my pocket—but then reconsidered, doing nothing and pulling my hand back out.
“That’s enough for today. It wouldn’t be good if anyone found out we met.”
“Got it!”
The young man said that and left the shop, keeping a low profile.
I watched his departing figure.
This was way more unexpected than I anticipated.
Or maybe it was just how things always were.
The Dosso incident was done to help Zoe.
After the floods, to protect against the locust-like merchants, I bought up most of Dosso’s land.
Even then, Dylan was grateful.
Dylan was the elderly steward who had served me when I was prince thirteen.
He was also from the Dosso region.
You could say something similar had happened again—at least, that’s one way to put it.
“It’s good to do good deeds.”
I smiled softly and reached for the drinks and snacks on the table.
“Noah-sama.”
A gentle voice called my name.
Looking up, I saw Alice had quietly come over to the table—apparently the singing had finished.
“When did you get here... well, have a seat.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Alice said and sat beside me.
“May I ask you something, Noah-sama?”
Because we were inside the shop, Alice was careful to call me “Noah-sama.”
But honestly, that politeness made little difference.
Almost every regular here knew that I was Alice’s patron, former prince thirteen, and emperor of the empire.
So calling me “Noah-sama” here didn’t really mean much.
Still, I didn’t want to spoil her kindness by correcting her.
“What is it you want to ask?”
“Earlier, weren’t you about to give a reward to that young man?”
“Ah, that…”
I hadn’t noticed because I was focused on the conversation, but Alice saw well when she came over after the singing ended.
Yes, at the end of my exchange with that youth, I put my hand in my pocket.
I usually give about 1000 riyens to encourage someone.
Alice, having known me a long time, knew this well and wondered why I hadn’t given anything this time.
“If he were a servant from my mansion or a distant relation, that would be fine, but he’s a servant of Oscar’s mansion.”
I paused, then continued.
“Judging by his attire, he’s a low-ranking servant doing menial tasks. That means his monthly wage is probably… let’s say 15 to 20 riyens if he works at Oscar’s mansion.”
I know Oscar well.
He’s known for his gentle personality and is one of the kinder princes to his servants.