Edmund awoke in a soft bed covered in a white sheet. This was a moment he could only have dreamed of. It was a staff room on the first floor of the mansion, and for him, that was more than he could have ever asked for. He got ready to meet Ariadne with a big smile on his face. The staff rooms were used by the maids and guards in turns, as the town was so close to the mansion, just on top of the hill.

Ariadne was in her office, finishing the documents she couldn’t read last night, when she heard the knock on the door.

‘Come on in. She said.

The one who opened was Edmund. He had a broad smile on his face, which puzzled her a little, but she paid it no mind.

‘Good that you are happy, peasant; let us go; the town's craftsmen are waiting for you.’ Ariadne got up and got out of the office.

The two of them went into a room where there were a mix of A-Dam, Shafran, and Chatzi men, with a big table in the middle. The fact that the men in the room appeared to be having a good time conversing with one another excited Edmund. As all the men in the room looked at Ariadne, they bowed

‘I can talk for everyone here; it is an honor to be under your rule.’ The middle-aged A-dam man said.

‘I have a request for every single one of you, and this peasant here will tell you what to do.’ Ariadne taped Edmund's shoulders with her fan.

Edmund approached the table and placed his tablet there. The device piqued the interest of every craftsman, and they were all taken aback when the drawings began to appear.

‘To begin with, these parts must be made.’ Edmund looked at all of the men around the table.

With a wave of his fingers, another drawing appeared, and the men startled at what was happening, amazed by what the young man was doing. Some of them had their eyes so fixed on the device that they were not really listening to Edmund’s words.

‘And these parts, too, for other things; don’t worry, i will explain to every one of you what must be done if you want to.’ He explained as he moved his finger across the drawings on the tablet.

‘Is this magic? what are we really building?’ Someone enquired

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‘This is a magic lamp; it will shine and illuminate this mansion without the need for fire, and we will put this other one on the streets. I just need you to make the parts and assemble them the way i tell you too.’ Edmund Grinned.

Ariadne gave all of them a serious look and tapped the table with her fan to get their attention.

‘This is crucial: I will supply the materials you need to complete everything, and I will pay you well for this. This is the first step toward my goal, which is for the duchy to flourish. I will hire you to make these magical lamps for the villages that don’t have craftsmen. Alright?” She spoke proudly.

‘After just one day, your highness confirmed the rumors that came from the capital that you wanted the best for us, and we will do everything we can to make your hope on us not be in vain.’ The middle-aged A-Dam man got to one knee, facing Ariadne.

After he did that, all of the others did the same. Ariadne had no words; she only felt more drops in her heart. She didn’t understand what that sensation was; it was neutral.

‘I just want everyone in the duchy to have a good life and i can see in your eyes that you want to protect your families, This is a step to that; let’s start working.’ She turned around and exited the room.

Edmund continued talking to everyone in the room in more detail, and at the end, everyone walked out smiling and shaking hands with one another. He walked to Ariadne’s office and waited there.

‘Sorry, peasant, I had other things to take care of. Rita told me that there are two families of merchants in the town, one operating on Lavan and the other in Velvent; with them, we can have everything we need.’ Ariadne spoke as she sat in her chair.

She was followed by Eliza, who put some papers on the desk. Ariadne looked at Edmund and noticed that he had a serious look.

‘I think you should learn the sword with me quickly, for your safety and as a show of force to others.’ Edmund looked at the duchess

‘It makes sense, but why right now?’ She crossed her arms.

‘Because I think you will be crucial in the fight against the demon lord.’ He spoke it with pure excitement in every word.

‘By the gods, you idiot, wanting the duchess to use a sword, are you out of your mind?’ Eliza raged.

‘Come down, Eliza. Look Peasant, I said that I would support you; it will be done, and besides, having more power would not be bad but my plate is full, as you can see.’ Ariadne shrugs.

‘I understand, i will give them copies of the drawings by using one of my prototypes that copies things from the tablet to paper, They don’t really know what the parts are for but i asked for alot of different parts.’ The young man smiled.

‘Peasant, I am looking forward to it; right now, I have work to do. Leave.’ With her fan, she pointed to the door.

The night came, and in the town, a group of people were drinking and talking in the tavern. The air in the establishment was different from what they were accustomed to, more happy and hopeful.

‘Now that we have a duchess, we will be richer; she is even Chatzi, the archduke's daughter.’ A middle-aged Chatzi spoke while chuckling and sipping from his mug.

‘But the archduke's soldiers are going to be gone in a month; they don’t like us, but they do their jobs; what are we going to do? We are doomed; the monsters will destroy everything.’ Across the tavern, an elderly A-Dam screamed.

‘The mayor said the duchess will hire more guards for the town and villages; we just need brave men; the pay is not bad; I might give it a shot.’ In the back, a young Chatzi exclaimed

‘If I were a man, I would be a guard right now, and men who have something to protect are cooler.’ The light-brown-haired Shafran waitress said she was serving another drink to the elderly A-Dam.

All of the young Shafran, Chatzi, and A-Dam looked to one another and raised their hands in exasperation.

‘Yeah!!!’ They shoulted.

At the mansion, Ariadne felt more drops in her heart as she was preparing to sleep. She didn’t understand what it was. Maybe a side effect of the nail Edmund had put on her. Now, it was like the drops were filling up her heart.