“Shea’s parents passed away suddenly,” Morris explained, “so she was only there for two years before she dropped out. But she was famous back then—you can probably guess by the way she acts now. She was pigheaded—um, I mean free-spirited. She disregarded the curriculum and took whatever classes she wanted. She got an A+ in everything, regardless. One of the top students in her grade.”

Eid nodded. Wordwith’s was the best among the top academies in the world. Nobles from all over the world attended. Students had to pass a difficult entrance exam, and its campus took up an entire island. It practically acted as its own country, with the empire unable to meddle with its affairs. The place operated exclusively under Wordwith’s own rule of law.

As a boarding school, the academy accepted students of any class, provided they passed the entrance exam. Attending Wordwith’s was an excellent way to get recognized for your abilities, the only place where talent was fostered and individuals were encouraged to make connections regardless of social class. It was traditional for nobles to take the Wordwith’s entrance exam at age fifteen, the minimum age of entry.

And Shea had been a top student there.

“And above all, she was the only one at Wordwith’s who lived in Friesia,” Morris added.

The Maxwell brothers’ eyes widened at this revelation. As graduates of Wordwith’s themselves, they knew very well what Friesia was. It was one of the dormitories—but no one had ever stayed there. Rumored to have been built by the headmaster and founder of Wordwith’s for someone in particular, the building had stood empty for a long time.

Friesia was more of a house than a dormitory—a whole mansion. You could live in it all by yourself, without anyone telling you what to do. But the reason everyone wanted to live there wasn’t only the freedom it provided. Friesia was a compilation of all kinds of magic. Everything there seemed eternally paused. Nothing there decreased or ever disappeared. If a new object was put inside, it would stay new forever. No dust accumulated, and the building never grew old or damaged.

Everyone wanted to live there. But no authority had ever granted anyone the honor of living in Friesia except Shea, the first person allowed on that holy ground.

There had been a huge uproar at Wordwith’s, especially from the magical studies department. They were incredibly unhappy that someone from the economics department had been chosen to live in Friesia.

Not that Shea cared.

“Friesia?” Eid asked.

“It was total chaos. A lot of people knew about her because she took whatever classes she wanted and didn’t care what anyone else thought. And she’s a Grande, the only family connected to the dwarves. There were many who insulted her, saying she was nouveau riche for being granted a title so recently, but she didn’t care at all.”

“Of course she didn’t,” said the Maxwell brothers, who knew Shea well by now.

“Shea was always good at cooking,” Morris continued. “Since she lived in Friesia alone, she cooked for herself. Her food was so good that the headmaster would stop by every morning, making her even more famous. Apparently, they knew each other before she entered Wordwith’s, though I don’t know how.”

“…”

“One day, the headmaster shared some of her cookies with us, which boosted her reputation among us students. That’s when the thefts began. Shea was outraged that the food she made for herself kept going missing, and since she is skilled at sword fighting, she would catch the thieves and beat them up. But it was no use. Those who stole were mostly from the swordsmanship department. As you know, they tend to be very persistent.”

“Wow, how brave of them.”

But I would’ve done the same thing, Abe thought. When it came to Shea’s cooking, any risk was worth it.

“I was a year below her,” Morris continued. “As you know, my family isn’t very affluent, but I was called a genius for my intelligence, and this caused a lot of jealousy among the other students. I was bullied, but never by Shea. I always thought the way she lived her life without caring what anyone thought was quite admirable. She treated me like a normal person. I guess that’s why I was such a fan.”

Morris’ story was uncharacteristic for someone known as the “Machine of the Ministry of Finance.” The man who had brought so many officials to tears with his icy demeanor now seemed very human.

“When her parents passed away suddenly, she went back home,” he finished. “She dropped out of the academy and opened Sangria a few months later. You know the rest.”

“You said she appointed someone else to manage her territory,” Eid asked. “Is it someone trustworthy?”

It didn’t matter how trustworthy someone was. You can’t trust one person to take care of everything for you. People changed, and no one was immune to greed, especially when the territory in question was so vast.

Morris immediately nodded. “There’s no need to worry. He would be willing to give up his life for Shea Grande. And he is frighteningly capable.”

The frighteningly capable vice-minister of finance was calling someone else frighteningly capable.

Ace, unable to hold back his curiosity, had to ask. “Who is it?”

“You probably know him well, Sir Ace. It’s Noel Osborne.”

“Not that Osborne?”

“Indeed. The son of Count Osborne, who is a vassal of the Morgan duchy. The same Noel Osborne who nearly got himself executed for refusing to cooperate with Duke Morgan. The boy was once said to be the most promising prodigy of this age.”

“And Shea recruited him?”

Ace remembered all too well. When the foolish Duke Morgan tried to get Osborne killed for opposing him, Ace had planned to rescue him. The man was so talented that he deserved to be revered. He would be incredibly useful. But before Osborne was executed, he disappeared, leaving a letter forsaking his title. Since the incident had happened within the Morgan duchy, the laws of the empire didn’t apply, and because Osborne hadn’t officially committed any crime, Duke Morgan wasn’t able to chase him down. The incident had come to a close with his disappearance.

Ace shook his head. But then Shea got her hands on him? The Noel Osborne who had no interest in working for anyone?

“He’s not hiding or anything,” Morris noted. “He always signs his name under the tax reports for the Grande territory.” He added that Osborne’s reports were always flawless, as expected of a genius.

“Didn’t the Morgan duchy object?” Ace sounded exasperated. “There must be some protest from them.”

Morris waved his hands dismissively. “It’s not like Shea Grande would bend to that sort of pressure. She probably ignores them. She hides the fact that she owns that territory to begin with, to avoid people bothering her. Few people know that the Grande territory is actually owned by Shea Grande. Most nobles don’t know that, either. Shea isn’t called a genius for nothing. And above all, the successor to the Morgan duchy is infatuated with her.”

“You mean Icar de Morgan?” Eid asked.

“He’s a good man, unlike his father. He followed Shea around on a daily basis back at the academy. Those who attended Wordwith’s at the time, including me, all knew about his crush.”

“Icar de Morgan is a great catch, and he’s handsome, too—as expected of Shea.”

It somehow made sense because it was her.

“Shea was very popular,” Morris said. “There was even a fan club with quite a few female fans as well, not only because of her beauty but also because of her personality. During every school festival, the theater club went above and beyond to try and recruit her. During the two years she was there, she went onstage twice. She was so pretty. I recorded it with a recording orb after paying a fortune.”

Many had asked him to make copies and sell them, he noted, but he refused because it was his number one treasure. He glowed with pride.

“She was in a play?” Eid asked.

Morris nodded. “She’s a great actress, and beautiful. When she said, ‘I love you,’ the whole audience was captivated.”

“She acted in a romantic play? How surprising.”

“She actually likes romance a lot. It’s kind of a love-hate thing for her. It sounds paradoxical, but she reads a lot of romance novels and watches romantic plays.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“It’s that surprising side of her that makes her so charming.” Morris was full of pride, a true die-hard fan. The cyborg of a man was starting to look cute. “At first, she was just an extra, but since the audience only had eyes for her, she took on a leading role the next year. She’s so good at acting and so beautiful that the leading actresses paled in comparison, you see. And the following year’s play was fantastic, thanks to her.”

He talked about the play as if recalling a particularly wonderful dream, saying that he rewatched it whenever he needed a pick-me-up.

Everyone in the room clucked their tongues and chuckled at how absurd and funny but cute Morris was being when an unwelcome voice suddenly broke in.

“Let me see it.”

“Ed?”

“Sir Griffith?” Poor Morris’ eyes widened in alarm at Edward’s sudden appearance. It was a natural response to a thief trying to take his most prized possession. He began to tremble and shook his head vehemently. “N-no, I refuse! It’s my most prized possession.”

Shea might kill him if she found out he had it, he said, and he was determined to keep it to himself forever.

Naturally, Edward didn’t care. “How much do you want?”

“You can’t put a price on love.”

It was a naïve thing for a noble to say. Edward huffed at Morris’ response.