Chapter 48
Ruan recalled the first time he met the Northern Grand Duke after his possession.
Dietrich Reinke, whom he faced while trembling, truly appeared to be the “typical Northern Grand Duke” exactly as he had appeared in the novel. Meeting him in person vividly brought to mind the sentences from the novel that Ruan had only vaguely remembered before.
Having picked up numerous rumors prevalent in Reinke in addition to the cruel descriptions from the novel, Ruan couldn’t help but be anxious all day, not knowing when the Grand Duke might rip his head off.
‘Thinking back on the reality of that ‘Northern Grand Duke’ that I later came to know, it’s just a funny story now.’
And now, having reached the point where he could hug that Northern Grand Duke tightly and trim his claws, the reason for recalling what now felt like a distant, embarrassing memory was…
Because of Ralph Steiner, whose face was so full of joy that it made even onlookers smile involuntarily.
‘In the novel, Ralph Steiner was described as a handsome man with a gentle impression, who looked at people with sparkling eyes and exuded the cheerfulness of ten people…’
It was said that those in front of him couldn’t help but smile, and those by his side naturally became happy.
Ruan had wondered how such a person could exist, thinking that both the ‘sparkling eyes’ and the ‘cheerfulness of ten people’ were just exaggerations…
Ruan watched the man walking up the ramp between the ship and the dock with a gait that seemed to express joy with his entire body. Ralph Steiner, who greeted everyone he made eye contact with during that short crossing to the dock with a face that seemed to radiate pure happiness.
‘No… Was it all real?’
Ruan’s eyes trembled as he watched the man whose every step visibly exuded excitement, yet without seeming undignified at all.
Ralph’s smile never faded even as the strong sea breeze tousled his neatly combed beige hair.
As the man ran his large hand through his hair, his perfectly tailored coat hugged his body, accentuating his tall and well-balanced figure. The clothes, made of luxurious materials rarely seen in Reinke where practicality was prioritized, had a design that gave off a neat, gentlemanly impression while also showcasing sensible details.
Ruan’s gaze, in the midst of reevaluating the author, stopped at this sophisticated appearance.
‘Come to think of it, Ralph Steiner was also described as a charming darling of social circles. No wonder he dresses so well.’
Ralph Steiner seemed to either be a sensible person who fully understood his own charm, or had someone with an excellent sense of fashion in his service.
Ruan, who had been briefly recalling his cat’s usual attire and wardrobe, put on the face of a capable assistant, wiping clean the thoughts he had been having until just now, as the bright-faced Ralph approached him.
Ralph extended his hand and greeted with a cheerful voice.
“Hello! I’m Ralph Steiner, the head of the Steiner merchant group.”
It was like the capable merchant group leader who had introduced himself to Louise in the novel had truly torn through the pages and appeared before his eyes.
‘Right. The author probably didn’t hide tricks for all the characters. Some characters might be quite different from their descriptions, while others might be exactly as described!’
Feeling slightly relieved, Ruan shook hands with a comfortable smile.
“Welcome to Reinke. I’m Ruan Daen, assistant to His Grace Grand Duke Dietrich Reinke and the one who greeted you by letter.”
To this, Ralph shook the clasped hand vigorously and then.
“Thank you so much for coming out to greet me…?”
He froze in place.
Eventually, his smile, which Ruan had wondered if it could actually go down, slowly faded…
And suddenly, his face turned serious.
‘…What’s going on?’
Confused by the sudden change in atmosphere, Ruan frantically wracked his brain to see if he had made some mistake with this merchant group leader. But he couldn’t think of anything.
‘Well, I’d have to have done something to know what the problem is.’
As he was anxiously going over what could possibly be wrong when he had only greeted him, Ruan noticed… Suddenly, Ralph’s well-shaped nose tip was twitching.
Ruan felt a strange sense of déjà vu at this sight.
And before Ruan could realize the identity of this déjà vu, Ralph’s face, which had been serious for a moment with his nose twitching, once again broke into a radiant smile.
With a face even more cheerful than before, Ralph clasped Ruan’s hand with both of his hands and said:
“It seems His Grace the Grand Duke truly trusts you!”
The Grand Duke’s trust… Why… How did he figure that out by twitching his nose?
At that moment, Ruan realized the identity of the déjà vu he had felt.
‘No way…’
Ralph Steiner… too?
Ruan’s mind instantly became confused by this hypothesis he had never even imagined.
‘No, he said it was so secret that even its existence was unknown to others, and that he only told me. How could something so secret so easily pop up again…?’
As all sorts of thoughts were running through his mind, suddenly a memory surfaced in Ruan’s mind.
The time when he had hastily drawn conclusions based on mere suspicion and firmly believed that he had turned a perfectly normal Grand Duke into a cat.
The experience of falling into a strange misunderstanding alone after carelessly concluding things just because this was a fantasy world brought Ruan’s mental faculties, which had briefly escaped far away, back into check.
Right. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions based on just one thing. Maybe his nose just happened to itch then… and maybe he already knew that the Grand Duke trusted his assistant.
‘That’s right. I shouldn’t make hasty judgments just because I saw one suspicious thing.’
Ruan decided to postpone his judgment.
After exchanging greetings, Ruan guided Ralph and his aide Nina to the carriage he had arrived in.
After briefly checking that the merchant group employees, guards, and sailors who had come with Ralph were boarding the carriages prepared for them and following behind, Ruan turned his gaze to Ralph sitting opposite him…
The young merchant group leader was sniffing the carriage seat covered with troll hide.
‘What is he… No, no. Right. Don’t jump to conclusions.’
Ruan, trying hard to suppress the suspicions that kept rising no matter how much he tried to cut them off, opened his mouth.
“Is there something bothering you?”
At Ruan’s words, Ralph, who had been sniffing here and there, raised his head and said with shining eyes:
“I checked because it feels similar to the monster by-product samples you sent with the letter, and it seems this is also made from monster by-products.”
Ralph’s innocent appearance briefly made Ruan think, ‘Why does he know that by smelling it?’, but… Ruan didn’t show it and kindly replied:
“As expected, a merchant group leader who handles many materials can recognize it! It’s a seat made with troll hide. It’s softer than other monster hides, so it’s often used like this.”
“I like how it gives off a Reinke feeling right from the carriage. Ah, by the way.”
Ralph, who had been smelling the seat again, leaned his body towards Ruan sitting opposite him and said:
“Not only did we confirm at the merchant group level that monster by-products are excellent materials, but I found the idea of using Reinke’s image extremely interesting! You said it was you who came up with that idea, right?”
As Ruan noticed a few strands of hair the same color as Ralph’s hair but too long to be head hair stuck to Ralph’s collar, and recalled similar situations he faced while living with the Grand Duke, his eyes clouded over. Meanwhile, Ralph moved even closer.
“How did you come up with such an idea? Using Reinke’s skyrocketing popularity after reclaiming the walls. Adding to Reinke’s already pervasive image to increase the value of the products, and then using those products to further strengthen Reinke’s image. It’s a strategy that makes me want to scout you for our merchant group right away, but…”
Ralph paused for a moment, sniffed Ruan who had suddenly come much closer, and then said in a dejected voice:
“His Grace the Grand Duke values you so much…”
‘So why do you smell and then… No. No. Let’s not make judgments yet…’
Ruan forced a smile and replied:
“I’m truly grateful that you evaluate it so positively. However, as a person of Reinke, it’s difficult for me to leave this place…”
At Ruan’s words, Ralph scratched the seat with his finger and said:
“That’s right. That dreadful custom existed. How could they oppress those who are suffering to protect the empire in such a way.”
Ralph, despite not being from Reinke, seemed genuinely upset as he said this. Looking at Ralph, Ruan recalled another purpose he had in mind when conceptualizing the monster product business.
‘Hmm… Should I talk about that now? I’ll have to tell Ralph anyway if we’re to proceed with the work properly.’
Having made up his mind, Ruan spoke:
“In fact, laying the groundwork for improving Reinke’s treatment is also a purpose of this project.”
