A middle-aged man placed the quill back into its container and reviewed the paper he was just writing on. He had brown hair and an inch length beard. His clothes were neat and made of fabric that no common folk could easily get their hands on, nor could they afford it.

His hair was combed back, and he had a pleasant lingering fragrance of perfume over him. Fancy rings with gems colored his fingers. A man of wealth, a businessman whose power reached all around the nation of Wisteria.

“Here.” He handed the paper to one of his people.

This man’s name was Egid Gresnel, the leader of the Gresnel Company, a private enterprise that specialized in crop production and trade. With the consent and cooperation of the local lords, he owned several farms across Wisteria, where he cultivated various crops. Many nobles lacked the interest or expertise in farming, so they often depended on his company to take care of matters involving agriculture. But the core part of their business was to bring crops produced in Wisteria into the market, whether they grew it themselves or not.

They were not alone in that service, but they were the first who expanded on such a grand scale. This company had been in their family for four generations. With every other company’s decline, their opportunity.

“Sir,” another employee approached him. “This is the report for our total produce for this month in four regions.”

Egid received the paper and read the contents. He repressed the urge to sigh the moment that matter crossed his mind.

“Thank you.”

Would it even matter if I review this now?

He set it down for now. In a few moments it would be time for lunch, he would like to take this chance to rest his mind a little. With another sigh, he rose from his seat and stood by the window, watching the busy streets of the beautiful city of Serene. The home of his family ever since the beginning.

Work has been more tiring these last few years. He longed to be relieved of this, but he just couldn’t.

Just as he was lost in thought, loud steps suddenly barged through his door.

“Father!” The voice was from a small boy around the age of nine.

The moment he heard him, Egid instantly turned around with a wide smile and spread out his arms. “Juny!”

The boy practically jumped into his arms, and Egid hugged him tightly. “How’s my boy, eh?”

“Amazing! I finally got to visit you at your work again.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect you at all. Who’d you come with?”

“With Edric!”

It was then another person entered the room, a young man around the age of fifteen. He walked with regality, his formal outfit was refined and neat. All in all, he was very well-dressed, making it apparent he was a son of someone extremely wealthy.

“Hello, father. I hope we didn’t interrupt your work.” He placed a hand behind his head, as though feeling awkward, or perhaps shy.

“No, I was about to go to lunch anyway. We can eat together.”

“Alright.”

“Why did you come here? Is there something you need to get?”

“Not really. I just think it would be nice to study more of your business. The earlier, the better.”

Egid smiled at his son’s diligence and sense of responsibility. He had mentioned recently that he would be inheriting the business in the coming decade, or perhaps a little less than that. It was not his intention for Edric not to enjoy his young days first, because after all, once adulthood arrives, it would not be easy to find the joys we once had when young.

But for now, it should be fine for Edric to learn a thing or two of the business, just the surface.

“I see. Then we’ll start after lunch.”

Egid led them to another room, where there was a long table and a group of chairs. It was a room used for dining in general, it could be for Egid alone, for dining with business partners, or for family.

They sat down on the chairs, and Egid ordered one of his servants to bring the food. A moment later, several plates were placed on the table. Upon removal of all the lids, various delicious fragrance instantly permeated the air.

A collection of assorted and expensive food made with the finest ingredients. A type of delight people of wealth could only enjoy.

Then a particular large plate was placed in front of him, and upon lifting the lid, revealed a dish with ingredients that could never be found here in Wisteria. On the plate were many clams. An ingredient and delicacy that originated from the southern nation. It had only been brought here to Wisteria yesterday.

They were not easy to bring, and not quite cheap. A luxury and privilege that nobles in this nation usually never even had. Although, in truth, nobles just wouldn’t bother spending money on this kind of delicacy when something more delicious could be found here.

Egid just wanted the aesthetic and the sense of specialty that came with eating something that originated in another nation. Perhaps he failed to realize he was involuntarily too arrogant for his own good, or perhaps he was aware.

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At any rate, this dish was his most favorite of all. And he was willing to spend dozens of gold coins just to eat this at least once a week.

There was quite a lot of food on the table, which was a common occurrence. He wanted to taste each one, and he would always give the leftovers to his people after eating — which was still a lot, although he would always eat the entire clam soup. But for now, he was with his children, maybe there won’t be much leftovers for today.

They started eating.

He watched his children with a smile. “You like them?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Indeed.”

It warmed his heart to see them enjoying the delicacies.

“Father, can I have some of that?” The youngest son pointed at the clams.

“Of course.”

He placed some clam soup onto his plate. This dish was made in their home a few times now, Juny must have found it incredibly delicious judging from how fast he was eating it. At this rate, this soup would end up being his favorite in the near future.

He also gave some clam soup to his older son, who also quite enjoyed it. But he didn’t have as much enthusiasm as his younger brother. He must have favored others.

Once they were done eating, the servants began cleaning up, and the three drank their refreshments. Some juice.

After getting a little more rest, they all rose from their seats and returned to Egid’s office.

“Right then, I guess it’s time to show how things work in this establishment.” He wrapped his arms around his oldest son and roughly rubbed his head. “You better listen closely and remember, alright?”

Edric chuckled with an awkward smile. “Of course.”

“What about me, father?”

Egid lowered his gaze to look at his youngest. “You can come with us.”

“Aaaw, but I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to?”

I guess, it’s not like he’s going to remember or understand everything.

“Alright, you can play with some toys. I’ll have some brought to you, okay?”

“Okay. What about snacks?”

“You just ate.”

“But… I want to eat cookies!”

“Alright, then you’ll have cookies.”

***

It was now late in the afternoon, and it was time to close the office.

“So, did you learn a lot?” Egid asked his son as they got down the stairs.

Edric was finishing his writing on a small notebook tied by a string before responding. “I did, but there are some that I still need to wrap my head around.”

“Well, take it slow, there’s no need to rush things.”

As they went down, they met up with the youngest child brought by one of the staff watching over him. The two siblings talked with each other as Egid spoke to the servant standing by the door.

“The kids will be riding with me. We’ll be using the carriage they used. Tomorrow morning, use my personal carriage to get me.”

“Understood, sir.”

Together they exited the building, and just as they did, the carriage the children used pulled up in front of them. While the children got in first, Egid paused briefly as he looked around, suddenly feeling nervous. Likely because of the paranoia he felt after being compelled to do something unforgivable to the land he was born in. All of the time, every single day, it was almost like the people that threatened him were always watching.

With a deep breath, he entered the carriage. After sitting down on the soft couch, he patted the wooden wall by the coachman. When the carriage began to move, they barely felt the shaking.

He watched the outside quietly as his children chatted and played. The younger one flaunted his new toy from the office and Edric indulged him. Egid couldn’t help but smile, amused at the friendly sight of the two.

This enjoyable atmosphere kept on until they arrived at their destination. Home.

The pair of guards on the other side opened the gates quickly. The carriage stopped at the front of a two-story mansion, majestic and grand, completed with a few balconies and wide windows. Although, despite their riches, it couldn’t match the mansions of the capital nobles. Egid was not the one that built this but his ancestors before him, perhaps they showed restraint to not offend the nobles, or perhaps they just wanted to save their coins.

In any case, the house was enough for now. But he was planning on renovating some parts, or perhaps expand and beautify the front yard even more, or perhaps add a fountain in the middle of the road.

After getting out, the children rushed inside while Egid briefly glanced at the darkening sky before catching up to the two. They were greeted first most by Egid’s wife. The moment he laid eyes on her, all the problems, and the weight on his shoulders, washed away.

He hugged her and kissed her on the lips.

“How’s work?” she asked.

“Fine as always. Nothing too headache inducing.”

“That’s good then.” She turned towards the two children. “Did you have a good day? What about you Juny, did you have fun in your father’s office?”

“Yes!”

“I see you have a new toy.”

“Yes! It’s cool, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes. Very cool.” She smiled tenderly then turned towards their oldest son. “Edric, how was your study?”

“I learned many things, mother. But I still have a lot to learn.”

“Eager to learn! I like it. You three must be tired. Do you want to eat? After a little rest, the food should be ready.”

Complying with her request, the family assembled in the lobby to rest. Edric shared to her mother what he had learned and then expressed some of the confusion he had. But Egid was there to settle some of it, while the others he would need firsthand experience. The youngest couldn’t understand anything of course, so he was playing in his own world.

Eventually, the food was ready, and they all immediately assembled in the dining room to eat. Home food definitely was the best, Egid couldn’t help but feel great peace and relief. Even more so when eating with his beloved family. He was happy. Every moment like this, he would treasure every single day.

After finishing eating and cleaning up, he rested for a while for the food to be digested. Egid and his wife went to bring the children to each of their rooms. Each corridor, and each room was extravagantly decorated, chandeliers lighting up every corner.

When that was done, he and his wife went straight to their bedroom, all peaceful as usual. Nothing to disturb them.

***

Early in the morning, just as the sun rose up, Egid was notified that his carriage had arrived. He pulled and fixed his collar before going for the front doors.

“See you later, love,” He said to his wife, and they kissed before he went out. The kids were still asleep at this hour, as usual. There was no need to wake them.

There were two people in the driver’s seat, one was the coachman, and the other was a muscular man — his long acquainted guard.

“Good morning to you two.”

He greeted them, and they greeted back with a smile. The moment he was inside, the carriage began to move. He waved one last time to his wife.

It was the usual routine. However, after several minutes of leaving the mansion, the carriage suddenly stopped. Egid’s brow knitted in confusion. He set aside the curtain of his window, but the moment he did so, someone, a man, forced the door open.

“ — Who are you?!”

The man was in a brown cloak, his gaze fierce as he stared Egid in the eyes and sat down opposite of him.

“Greetings, Mr. Gresnel. We have come for you.”

“How? Where are my men?!” He glanced outside to see a couple of more strangers.

“Your guards cannot hope to defeat a royal knight, merchant.”

His eyes widened in surprise.

Did he hear that right?

A royal knight?

What were they doing here?

“W-What do you want from me?”

“To talk. But not here. Someone important wishes to speak with you personally.”

“Who—”

Before he could ask, the man covered his head with a bag — his vision completely obstructed. And before he knew it, he was forcefully dragged out of his carriage.

“Let’s ride in something else to be more discrete, shall we?”