Whatever the dream, the description of the man the child spoke about closely resembled a person.
As if he had seen it in person.
'Impossible...'
“Damian, have you seen that man somewhere other than your dream?”
At that moment, Damian pointed behind me.
“Yes, there he is!”
I suddenly turned around and saw Eric standing there, looking at us.
“I found you.”
With a terrifying smile, he waved his sword and advanced towards us in a flash.
"No, no.
Don't come!"
I hugged Damien tightly and closed my eyes as I saw the blade go down.
I gasped for air as I opened my eyes.
"Yes!"
'My child, my child…'
The first thing I thought of when I opened my eyes was my baby.
I hurriedly tried to find my child, Damian.
But before that, a warm presence nestled in my arms.
“Mami!”
Only then did I realize it was reality, and I was able to calm down.
'Damn, why do I keep having such bad dreams…'
"What's wrong, Mummy?
Did you have a scary dream?"
I found myself staring at my child's anxious face as if enchanted.
'It's really amazing.'
Damian, despite being a child, sometimes seemed to see through me and comfort me as an adult.
'It seems to be developing faster than before retreating, somehow…'
Come to think of it, Damian had walked and talked earlier than other kids his age.
He had short speech as a 2-year-old infant, but by 3, his speech was completely clear.
Recently, he had even learned to read books.
'Could it be that Damian has retreated as well?'
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, and I laughed with a wry smile.
'Well, in my previous life, I didn't keep track of my child's development, so this may seem fast to me, which is…'
'He was always a thoughtful kid who cared about me.'
Although it was certainly hard on his little body, he followed me.
He never said he was in pain until he collapsed.
I can still forget the painful memory; Just thinking about that day makes my heart heavy and my breath catches in my throat.
'You've always been smart and thoughtful, but maybe I had this dream because I was afraid of losing you again.'
In fact, after leaving the Duke's residence, I had had such nightmares several times—nightmares where Eric had come to arrest me.
'But it will be over soon.'
In just three months, it will be five years since I left Eric, and by then, I will be considered dead and will no longer be his wife.
'Yes, let's not be hasty.
I've managed to remain undetected until now.'
With that thought in mind, I shook my head at my child.
“I don't remember what the dream was.
Mami's fine.”
Damian gently stroked his small chest with his small hands before speaking.
"Don't worry!
I'll protect Mami!"
He appears to have been influenced by the Sardines, as he had recently been following them.
Seeing him actually declare that he will protect me is very touching.
"Thanks."
Damian looked at my expression, then clapped his hands.
“Mommy, let's have breakfast and then go inspect!”
"inspection?"
"Yes!
Mami is just happy to see the territory grow!"
'Well, because I enjoy seeing my assets increase.'
Even so, I was deeply impressed by how thoughtful my son was.
I smiled and said, “Okay, let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Marquis Arjen was wearing a gloomy expression.
This was not surprising, as the business he boasted about was not going as well as he had hoped.
'Damn those bastards from the Shining Stone!'
Currently, due to the expansion of the railway in the Eastern Continent, the price of jade has skyrocketed.
Because of this, he had been trying for years to obtain the mining rights to jade, the most sought-after gem nowadays.
However…
It was the same with every mine.
All mine owners signed exclusive contracts with Shining Stone.
The only remaining mine was the Duchy of Brant's mine, but he was currently in no position to discuss such matters with the Duke of Brant.
'That bastard is hostile to both Madeleine and me.'
For a moment, he was angry at his daughter's useless presence, but then his eyes lit up.
'However, things will change soon.
I found one of the mine owners who traded with the Shining Stone.'
He crumpled up the note on which he wrote “Countess Heard.”
‘A young widow is raising her child alone after losing her husband… and she is a noble without any support?’
Despite his anxiety, the mine owner seemed easier to handle than he expected.
‘Such women can be easily dealt with with little intimidation and threats.’
The best way to scare them was not only to hurt them but also their families.
Coincidentally, the mine owner had a young child.
‘First, I will scare that woman, and kidnapping her child to use as a hostage will be very effective.’
I looked around the village and surveyed the area.
'At least now, it's a somewhat livable place.'
When I first arrived, this province was only a small village.
There were few people and no decent facilities; It was the definition of rural depth.
Even if there were more jobs, it would be useless if there was no one to work.
So, before developing the mines, I created facilities that did not exist before, such as schools and clinics.
The purpose of the school was to provide a place for children left behind due to the absence of their parents and to develop talents in this territory where there are almost no capable individuals.
Also, the standard of medical care here was so poor that there wasn't even a small clinic, so people had to rely on collecting herbs when they got sick.
Thus, I established a hospital to help injured workers return to their jobs quickly and created a foundation to ensure that even the less well-off residents could benefit from it.
I also repaired old drainage facilities and dams, reducing damage from floods and droughts.
By reducing the tax on grain crops, the people of the province praised me.
Sure enough, as rumors of the livable territory spread, the population began to increase.
Since then, I began developing the mine in earnest, which naturally led to the creation of blacksmiths and restaurants.
The size of the village within the territory has become so large that it can now be called a city.
As the province became richer, my private assets skyrocketed.
‘Not only diamonds, but jade also contributed.’
Currently, I have purchased a large number of jade mines and signed an exclusive contract with Shining Stone for both jade and diamond.
'Even though I couldn't obtain the Brant Mines, this level of success is still satisfactory.'
As I smiled, I thought about my own origins-
“Today, we have a lot again.”
Fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and eggs brought by the Sardinians and knights were all gifts from the people of the province.
Thanks to that, I didn't even need to buy food supplies, but I still paid for them.
“Ma’am, you can just accept it.”
At the knight's comment, I smiled and spoke.
“My residents must have spent a lot of time cultivating these, so I can’t accept them for free.”
This was also a lesson for my child.
“Damien, remember this: everything has its value, and payment for it is only fair.”
My child smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yes!"
At that moment, an apple fell to the ground and rolled away.
“Oh no!”
The knight holding the fruit looked confused, and Damian pointed to the apple.
“Skon, pick it up!”
As soon as the command was given, a big yellow dog quickly grabbed the apple and brought it back.
Woof woof-!
The dog, looking up as if asking for praise, made Damian laugh happily.
“Haha, well done!”
I looked and smiled.
'I was worried, but it ended well.'
Originally, the dog was a stray wandering around the territory.
However, while inspecting the territory, the dog doggedly followed Damien and I.
When Janet and Sardine tried to kick him out, Damian begged to keep him, and so Scone became part of our family.
I was worried for a number of reasons, but Janet's ability to train the dog helped Scone adapt quickly to the palace.
Damian treated the dog well, and since he had learned from Janet the virtues he needed to uphold as a master, he quickly befriended Scone.
'In my previous life, I only focused on studies, so I didn't even know that he loved animals that much.'
At that moment, Janet approached me.
“Ma’am, it’s almost time for lunch.
Let’s go back to the palace with Young Master now.”
Recently, she's been complaining more and more, but she's been by my side as my guardian for the past five years.
She supported me during the birth and when Damien had a fever.
'I can still rule out the suspicion that she might be Eric's spy, but…'
Even so, there was now a small corner of my heart that I considered family.
I turned to her and said, “Thank you for always taking care of me.”
Janet blushed deeply, then embarrassedly rushed over to Damian.
“S-Young Master!
Let’s have lunch!”
At that moment, Sardin picked up Damien.
“I will take care of Young Master.”
“What do you mean?
Young Master would rather go with me!”
Was it because I ordered Sardin to watch Janet?
It seems they didn't like each other very much.
'Maybe I should have handled this more carefully?'
At that moment, Damian spoke to Sardin.
“Sadie, put me down!”
When Sardin sighed and put it down, Damian took both of his little hands and said, “I love both Jean and Sadie!” As expected of my son, he was very smart.
The faces of the two, which had been tense just a moment ago, softened.
Watching this, I smiled and continued on my way.
‘I hope this peace lasts forever.’