# 28
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Evelyn received a stack of letters handed to her by Merlin and began to leaf through them one by one.
“This is from a tailor, this is from a countess I met at a ball, this is from a jeweller...”
She checked daily to see if there was a response from Fenris, but she couldn't find his name anywhere.
She even opened letters with unfamiliar names in case Fenris sent a message under an alias, but nothing seemed to be from him.
“Could he have already attacked Noston?”
If that was what happened, the empire would be in turmoil due to the fall of Noserton.
At that moment, Evelyn noticed a name she had forgotten over the past few days among the envelopes she was flipping through.
[Oakley Day.]
Evelin sent her a message to get permission to visit the trading company, but she completely forgot about it.
Evelin quickly opened the letter to check its contents. Along with compliments from Oakley, there was an invitation to come and see the new treated stone coming this week if it was available.
She was grateful for the invitation.
“Okay… Since things are still quiet on Fenris’ side, I’ll meet Oakley first.”
Evelyn wrote a quick reply.
After asking Merlin to send the message, Evelin took a sip of the now cold jasmine tea.
“Hmm...”
It seemed like a good idea to discreetly check Noston's safety through Differin.
Dyffryn was Noston's closest confidant, so if anything happened to him, Dyffryn would be the first to know.
In the past, Devrin would coldly dismiss any questions about the business, saying, “It’s a matter for the royal family,” but these days, he was completely open to discussing various topics, so he might share news about Noston as well.
At that moment, a knock was heard on the door outside the entrance. Since there was no maid nearby, Evelin walked over and opened the door herf.
“Lady Evelyn.”
The person who knocked on the door was Rikal.
"Rekal! What brings you here at this hour?"
Normally, he was supposed to be working with Dyffrin at the palace.
“I came to get some documents from Mr. Defrin's office.”
“Oh, I understand. Please come in.”
Evelyn stepped aside. Rykal bowed politely and entered, heading upstairs to the office on the third floor.
Soon, when Rikal came back down, Evelin gently patted his shoulder several times.
“Rekal.”
"Yes?"
“If it's not urgent could you spare a moment? Would you like to have a cup of tea before you go?”
“This...”
"It's okay to slack off sometimes. The streets in the capital are under construction these days, so you can use that as an excuse for Dyfferin."
Evelyn coaxed Rykal with a cheerful smile.
Rykal looked embarrassed at first, but after deciding to enjoy a short break, he nodded.
“Okay. Then just let me rest for 10 minutes.”
“Good decision.”
Evelyn called a maid and asked for black tea with sugar and milk. Since there was no need to have a secret conversation with Rekal, they sat in the hall on the first floor instead of moving to the reception room.
The maid quickly brought what Evelin ordered on a tray.
Evelyn made the tea herf and added sugar and milk. Rykal's gaze was fixed on the strange recipe.
"What is this…?"
“It's the latest trend, milk tea.”
Sweet drinks or light desserts containing a lot of sugar were still an exclusive culture for noble women.
The men would sometimes go partying, but they didn't really enjoy it. Some felt embarrassed to enjoy sweet food.
That's why Rykal looked at milk tea with one or two spoonfuls of sugar as if it were something strange.
But Evelyn knew Rykal's secret taste. Not only did he like cute things, he also enjoyed sweet foods.
“Try it. It's a fashionable tea among noble ladies these days.”
I heard that this sweet milk tea was popularized at the royal party I attended previously.
Rykal carefully took the cup and sipped from it. Evelin didn't miss his eyes widening slightly.
'He likes it.'
Evelin didn't want to embarrass him by pointing this out, so she suppressed a raised smile and brought up the topic she had in mind.
“I will be visiting Liom Trading Company this week, and I was wondering what the right gift would be.”
“Liom Trading Company?”
Rykal's eyes widened even more as he took a sip of his milk tea.
Evelin and Liom Trading Company, it seemed like an unlikely combination.
“Yes. I spoke briefly with Mrs. Oakley at the royal ball. She invited me to visit the trading company this time.”
“Oh… I see.”
Rikal seemed to find this invitation very bold.
The Leome family was one of the most famous families these days. People were lining up to get closer to Oakley Loyum.
The reason the Liom family became so famous was their business prowess.
The Earl of Lyom managed the minerals produced in his territory, his eldest son processed the metals in smelters, and Oakley herf made mine surfaces in the capital's harbor and sold the processed stone to other countries.
Unlike the nobility who focused solely on administering their lands, the Liom family quickly ventured into industry and commerce, and all family members had experience in manufacturing and ling goods.
However, Rykal was not okay with this relationship just because Liom's family business was promising.
After all, Duke Leonok's name alone was enough to open doors with any trading company, including Liom Trading Company and Benford Trading Company.
But relationships built on personal connections cannot be bought with money or power, and sometimes these relationships reveal hidden treasures.
Sometimes, these hidden treasures were more valuable than money or military power.
That's why Rykal welcomed Evelyn's growing relationship with Oakley.
‘If it was a large merchant family, the best choice would be Marquis Benford, but I didn’t really like them.’
Evelyn brought Rykal out of his thoughts.
“I'm thinking of bringing alcohol as a gift.”
“Alcohol…?”
It was an unusual gift for a young lady to give.
“I heard Miss Oakley drinks a lot.”
Gentlewomen or women who loved to drink were usually seen as lacking in sophistication, but Oakley was an exception to this idea.
Since she dealt with merchants from the Commerce Company and male nobles, she couldn't avoid drinking, and people didn't find it strange.
This was her talent, if it could be called a talent.
Rykal also thought favorably of Evelyn's bold idea.
“I think it would be nice to give valuable alcohol as a gift. It may not be the usual thing, but it is better to give something that the recipient likes.”
“As expected, we think alike.”
“Since you may not be very familiar with alcohol, I will order it and deliver it to you by the day you visit Liom Trading Company.”
“Oh my God, thank you.”
Evelin had mentioned the matter to Rekal with this situation in mind, but she smiled slyly.
Rikaal also smiled and finished his milk tea.
Then, subtly inspecting the wall clock, he quickly rose from his seat.
“It's been more than 10 minutes...!”
It had already been 20 minutes since Rickal sat down on the couch. Evelin quietly stood up to bid farewell to Rykal.
“There's nothing we can do about the time that has passed, so don't rush. If Dyffrin scolds you, just use me as an excuse. He's been very kind to me lately.”
Rykal muttered softly as he gathered his coat.
“It seems my persistence has paid off.”
"urgency…?"
Rekal shook his head with a smile on his lips.
"Nothing, Lady Evelyn. I'll be on my way now. I'll make sure to send the alcohol for the gift."
* * *
Time passed, and the day came for Evelyn to meet Oakley.
Rykal had not actually forgotten that and sent alcohol to Oakley. Evelin dressed more meticulously than usual and put the alcohol into the prepared gift box.
“Are you sure you're okay to go out, ma'am?”
Merlin who received the gift asked, with a worried face. She was worried about Evelin going on a long trip so soon after she collapsed a few days ago.
It will take about 3 hours to reach the port where the trading company is located. By the time you get back to the palace, the sky will be dark.
"I told you, I feel better after taking the medicine. Really, I don't cough anymore."
The medicine from the clinic worked well, the cough symptoms and the lethargy feeling like a wet sponge went away.
Merlin, who had observed Evelyn's condition up close, couldn't express her concerns any further.
When Evelin finished all the preparations, she went downstairs, and Devrin, who was drinking coffee on the sofa in the first floor hall, looked at her.
Today was Devrin's rare day off, but he would probably spend the entire day completing work in his office here at the palace.
“Are you leaving now?”
"Yes. I need to hurry. I promised to have lunch with Miss Oakley."
Defrin made no secret of his displeasure.
When Evelyn first mentioned going out to meet Oakley, Defrin showed the same expression.
His reason was similar to Merlin's. He wondered if she should go on such a long trip when she hadn't fully recovered yet.
He was very concerned about her health. Evelyn found Dyffryn's behavior puzzling but recently came to a conclusion.
‘If I as his wife collapse outside again, it will create bad rumors about Devrin as well.’
Of course, there might have been some genuine concern about her safety, but his excessive care was most likely due to the opinions of others.
“Okay, I'll go then.”
“Evelyn.”
Evelyn stopped when she heard his voice calling her. Devrin folded his newspaper and spoke.
“If you collapse there, I won't be able to come get you. So if you feel even a little tired, just go back to the palace.”
“How can I do that when I made a promise to the lady?”
“This is not something you should worry about. There are not many people who dare to challenge the Leonok family.”
Unlike Rykal, Devrin did not seem to care which family the person she was meeting belonged to.
“Remember what I said.”
Despite everything, I felt some relief.
Evelyn replied with a smile.
"Good."