Volume 1 Chapter 51 The Margrave Has Arrived ~ II
'I knew it... he came all the way here just to say that, huh? Does he think Father will be able to handle the negotiation properly?'
Tension rippled through the whole family──except for Luke.
"If you'd like to commission us, we'll do everything in our power to meet your requests."
'Good job, Father! You said it right!'
Relief washed over the family, plain as day.
That line──"if you'd like to commission us"──was the key to the whole thing.
Without it, they'd end up doing all this for free.
Easy trap to fall into.
The family had practiced this moment again and again just for this.
After all, with that close connection──stepdad, in debt──the moment Luke tried to say "we'll just do it for free," convincing him otherwise had been its own battle.
"If you can do better than those 'stone tiles,' I want to hire you. Name your terms and timeframe."
Against all expectations, Margrave Shield still began the business talk kicked off immediately.
"Randolph, bring it here."
Luke shot out the order to Randolph.
They'd rehearsed this too.
"Understood. Head maid, could you clear the table, please?"
The maids waiting by the wall swept the table clean, then brought over a stack of parchment and a detailed model of the town, Gardy helping carry it.
"Is this...?"
You could tell Margrave Shield was stunned, just looking at the model of the town──he couldn't even breathe for a second.
"When laying the 'stone tiles,' the first step is to build a model like this. We'll set the timeline once we know exactly how many roads you want done. All the details are here."
Luke powered through the explanation and handed over a sealed parchment.
Margrave Shield cracked the seal, checked the contents, passed it to one of the butlers with him, exchanged a few quiet words, and finally spoke up.
"Understood. I want the commission. Start as soon as possible."
"""""Wait, what?!"""""
Everyone in the room who actually knew what those papers said blurted it out at the exact same time.
Nobody expected him to accept without even trying to haggle.
"What? Is there a problem?"
"No. Understood. I'll get right on it."
Luke barely managed to reboot and answer.
"Good. Good."
Margrave Shield nodded to himself, clearly pleased about something.
"So, who made that?"
"How much do they know?" He asked, pretty straight to the point.
"Yes, it was Cain who used [Earth magic] to handle this. If you'd like the details, how about after dinner?"
Luke quickly responds and suggests.
By the way, this was also a practiced response.
"I see. No need to rush, we wouldn't want to mess it up. Alright, I'll listen more closely after dinner."
"Father, I've prepared a room for you. Would you like to change? I'll show you the way."
Lydia stands up smoothly, ready to guide Margrave Shield.
"I suppose I'll freshen up a bit before dinner. Thank you."
The maids and the two of them leave the guest room.
After all of Margrave Shield's group exits and the door shuts, the Sanroze family lets out a deep sigh.
* * *
"Father, please don't tease Luke too much."
Lydia said, a little pouty.
"Forgive me, forgive me. I just wanted to tease my son-in-law a little, it's been so long. He's grown, hasn't he? Looks like he's put in quite a bit of practice."
Margrave Shield asks Lydia, clearly enjoying the moment.
"Oh, Luke really worked hard, but you saw right through him, didn't you? For his sake, I won't say how much he practiced, but he really did try."
Lydia smiled, pleased, like a teacher proud of their student.
"But that model of the town... it's dangerous. Does anyone else know the details?"
He asks slowly, his tone more serious.
"No, not yet. Just you, Father. I've ordered the family to keep quiet about it."
"That's something that could get us accused of 'treason.' Be very careful."
"Yes, I understand."
Lydia thanks Margrave Shield for his concern and responds respectfully.
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