Chapter 37

“Did you lose the doctor?”

“It seems he noticed us following him along the way.”

Henry, standing with his hands behind his back, answered Walter, who was not taking his eyes off the report.

“He had a brief military service record; maybe that’s why he caught on…”

Henry muttered as he glanced around.

Walter sat up straight in his chair and flipped through the papers in his hand. He was holding a new report on Gilbert Isaac.

While the previous report contained basic information, the one Henry brought focused in detail on Jack Vansen’s relationship.

He retraced the parts he had been carefully examining.

“Jack Vansen served as a medical officer for three months on the Eastern Front… and immediately after Jack Vansen was discharged, he followed suit and left the army.”

“It seems they were quite close. The former Count even called him to his unit on purpose.”

Henry added that following someone to the front lines was not a sign of sanity for that doctor.

Walter’s brow slightly furrowed.

“But as soon as he learned we were looking for Melissa, he went back to the East. Why?”

“……”

“Why, Lieutenant Schumacher?”

“Oh, were you asking me? Well, we need to catch him and ask.”

With an answer that was almost comically empty, Walter set down the report and stood up.

“Go and catch him. It’s a military confidential matter.”

“Got it. I’ll pick a few men and head out.”

He lightly clicked his tongue at his subordinate, who had recently been stretching out his motherly tone. Do women really like that?

Skeptical, he pulled out his pocket watch and realized it was almost time for their appointment.

As he stepped out of the study, two middle-aged men waiting outside politely bowed and approached him. They were the dedicated lawyers of House Rockford.

Born into good families and educated in law at university, they were part of the so-called elite class. They grumbled in a disapproving tone.

“Thanks to you, Your Grace, the natives are enjoying luxuries beyond their means.”

“I wonder if they can even understand the contract properly. Ha ha.”

They were referring to the mining union members who had traveled for days by carriage and train from distant mountainous areas.

These upright gentlemen felt free to voice such blatant disdain because the miners were of a minority group.

Underlying their sarcasm was a belief that even though they shared nationality, those people could never be equal citizens of the kingdom.

While there still were tribes living self-sufficiently in isolated areas, most of them had come out into the world and engaged actively in society.

The individuals who had arrived at the Duke’s castle a few days ago were also people of color who acknowledged the rapidly changing times and had left their hometowns to settle in mining villages.

Walter walked silently without any particular reaction. Due to their height difference, the lawyers naturally quickened their pace to keep up with him.

“Speaking of which, I read an article recently about a native boy who got accepted into medical school. Can you believe that?”

“Oh, you naïve fool. It’s obviously just for show. That school regularly admits women and foreigners for publicity purposes.”

The sound of their footsteps came to a halt near this conversation.

“I would rather die on the street than entrust my body to a native doctor. Who knows if they’ll chant some strange incantation while treating a patient…”

The gentlemen who had been diligently following behind the Duke suddenly looked up in surprise. A pair of cold olive-colored eyes gazed down at them without warmth.

“The doctor who graduated at the top of that university is none other than my Lieutenant Nora Wilson.”

Oh no. They stepped on a landmine.

Cold sweat quickly formed on the foreheads of both men.

“There are sometimes talented individuals among women…”

“She’s doing her job quite well for someone you’d call a publicity stunt.”

As Walter calmly interrupted them and moved ahead, their flustered excuses flew into his ears.

It seems it would be better to change companies after all.

Ignoring all surrounding noise, he opened the door to the reception room.

The aroma of black tea wafting from five teacups filled the spacious room. As Walter and his lawyers entered, five seated individuals slowly stood up.

“It’s fortunate you kept your appointment on time. Blessings from Bowerson.”

“Blessings from Bowerson.”

The oldest-looking man spoke first while the other four reluctantly echoed him.

Their attitude was quite poor considering they had arrived through heavy rain yesterday afternoon and had been provided with meals, baths, and warm beds.

The lawyers’ faces were wrinkled with displeasure.

In their eyes, union members who seemed barely out of primitive life wore neatly pressed expensive shirts. This was an incongruity like no other.

Moreover, their proud and brazen demeanor made one wonder if these so-called uncivilized people should be grateful just for being allowed an audience with the Duke.

Walter took his seat at the head of the table with an expressionless face as he walked down the hallway.

As soon as he and his lawyers sat down, the union chairman solemnly placed crumpled papers on the table.

‘Leo. J. R.’

Walter recognized this name along with Duke Leonhard’s address—it was not unfamiliar to him.

“This is a promise made directly by Duke Leonhard when he visited us. I don’t know if you’re aware, but our Bowerson clan is very impatient. Since we exchanged greetings yesterday, let’s get right to business.”

—

Next to the seal of Rockford, the signatures and seals of union chairman Dario Bujam were clearly stamped.

Below that were the seals of members sharing the same surname, “Bujam,” differing only in their first names. These individuals, known for their strong unity, often used the same surname despite not being blood relatives.

Walter’s gaze shifted to the phrase “9% wage increase rate for next year.” This was a higher figure than what his grandfather had promised them.

He had anticipated that the Bowerson clan would demand a double-digit increase and had prepared for the meeting, so this was somewhat unexpected.

They requested 7% as promised by the former Duke, while Walter proposed 9%, which barely matched the figures for miners in other regions.

The lawyers could only wipe the sweat from their faces with handkerchiefs as they witnessed an employer willingly taking a loss.

Ignoring the fact that this increase would not even scratch the surface of the family’s finances, Walter was more concerned about something else.

It was due to a comment made by one of the excited Bujams, who had inadvertently blurted out,

“Don’t trust Rockford anymore!”

Whether it was a slip of the tongue or not, another Bujam hurriedly covered his mouth and quickly made excuses.

“One of our brothers just returned from the capital and has been saying strange things. He’s always been a gloomy fellow, so no one really pays attention.”

So that was why they had come all this way. They were suspicious after hearing words from their own clan.

The excuse that no one cared enough to come check in person was laughable. Someone must be spreading suspicious rumors about Rockford.

“Your Grace?”

A lawyer’s voice snapped Walter back to reality. The two who had finished notarizing were organizing their documents and packing their bags.

“We’ll wrap this up and take our leave now.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, we hardly did anything. It’s all thanks to your efficiency, Your Grace.”

“Indeed! The late Duke Leonard would be so proud to see the capable man you’ve become.”

I need to hire a new law firm when this contract ends.

This moment marked a firm resolution amidst yet another round of flattery.

As the door to the conference room opened, the two gentlemen about to leave paused at the entrance with surprised expressions. A young woman in military uniform stood before them.

“Oh! This is her!”

The lawyer’s eyes widened when he spotted the name “Wilson” on her uniform.

“That’s impressive. Truly impressive. I can only imagine how proud your parents must be!”

“Excuse me?”

Wondering what he meant, Nora asked back, and another lawyer smiled broadly.

“Pardon me, but has Miss Wilson gotten married yet?”

“I haven’t yet…”

As she answered with a somewhat dazed expression, pitying looks were cast her way.

“Oh dear. Your parents must be quite worried. You should hurry before it gets too late.”

“Oh. Yes. Thank you.”

Quickly grasping the situation, Nora replied politely. Though it had been rare recently, she managed a smooth response to something she had heard often before.

Henry, standing behind her, casually pushed past the lawyers and stepped forward. He bumped shoulders with one gentleman who staggered but didn’t bother to look back as he spoke indifferently.

“Why are you just standing there, Second Lieutenant? Are you coming in or not?”

“Apologies. Excuse me.”

Nora bowed politely like before and entered inside. Before the lawyers could respond to her greeting, the conference room door slammed shut with a loud bang.

As Walter watched Henry push against the door instead of using the handle, his view was blocked. Nora was unrolling a string at the entrance while holding a yellow envelope.

Pulling out a stiff piece of paper from inside, Nora held it out to Walter.

“This is Miss Vansen’s exam results. As I reported, she seems interested in entering university, so I’ve provided some past exam questions from the academy.”

Her eyes held a hint of expectation as they lingered on the paper. It contained subject names and scores listed in columns.

“Is this out of ten? History 7, Politics 4, Economics 9…”

As he read through her report card carefully, he fell silent at her math score.

53 points.

Before he could utter anything aloud, Nora answered monotonously,

“Out of 100 points.”

As Walter remained still without moving, Nora pulled out the exam paper from the envelope and held it out again while repeating,

“It’s out of 100 points.”

“……”

Walter accepted the test papers and began flipping through them, page by page. The effort she had put in was evident, with underlined sections and notes showing her genuine attempts to solve the problems.

However, over it all were merciless red marks that looked as if they had transferred the pouring rain outside directly onto it.