I Stole The Duke - Chapter 130

A hand slipped beneath her skirt and gripped the inside of her thigh without hesitation.

“S-Stop it!”

Startled, Eliana pushed Michalis away by the shoulder.

“Hm…”

Michalis furrowed his brow, clearly disappointed at being rejected just when the mood had started to build.

“Let’s not do this right now. We need to talk.”

She hadn’t come to flirt like some giddy newlywed—they had important business to discuss.

“My ears are open. Please, go ahead.”

Michalis gave her a playful, half-lidded look as his hand began to wander again.

“Oh…”

This man! He still intended to “talk” with his hands.

“Did you enjoy your outing today?”

Before she could find her words, Michalis leaned in close to her ear and whispered. Such a cruel tease.

“Yes… and it’s made me consider launching a business based on coffee.”

“A business?”

Michalis didn’t seem thrilled by the idea. In truth, he had hoped his wife would live like most noble ladies—waking leisurely around ten, overseeing light household affairs, and spending peaceful days attending tea parties and salons.

“Actually, the business is a cover. It’s part of a plan to shake the Mage Tower.”

“…If you go through with this, you’re going to face a lot of trouble.”

Michalis buried his face in the curve of her neck, quietly swallowing his unease. He had already chosen to trust and support his wife—but still, he worried.

“Hmm… how’s the cover identity coming along?”

“It’s ready to use at any time.”

Michalis replied with his lips brushing her neck. Her skin smelled like sweet cream and roasted beans—enough to cloud his mind.

“Looks like you’re ready on this side, too…”

He gently bit her neck as he slid a thin ribbon of fabric from her shoulder.

“W-Wait, Michal, not here…”

Eliana flinched again and pushed him away. They were just a door away from the adjutant’s office.

“These doors are specially soundproofed. As long as you don’t scream, we’ll be fine.”

“What if someone comes in?”

“If anyone walks in without knocking, that’ll be their execution day.”

“…Still.”

No one would ever dare enter the Duke and Duchess’s office uninvited. That much was true.

“But we’re way too close to the door.”

“If you don’t like the location, take my hand.”

What a shy wife he had. With a grin, Michalis stood from the couch first.

“Okay.”

Eliana, relieved, quickly took his offered hand.

“I’ll take you to the best sunset view in the castle.”

“Michal, this is…”

The place he led her to was none other than the window right behind his desk. So much for going far.

“Not to your liking either?”

“No, uh… it’s actually nice.”

Eliana had intended to scold him but found herself mesmerized by the view. The city walls were bathed in deep orange light, and the scattered clouds glowed like ripe persimmons.

“The best sunset spot in Flencia… isn’t the beach after all. It’s here.”

The sight of the red sun sinking between the distant twin islands was breathtaking.

“Just lean here and enjoy the view. I’ll take care of everything else.”

“Ah… okay.”

Her skirt was gently lifted to her waist.

“How do you plan to tie this coffee business to the Mage Tower?”

Michalis hugged her from behind, naturally continuing the conversation.

“Ice.”

In the South, ice wasn’t just a luxury—it was power. A status symbol.

“Ice, huh… You’ll face resistance.”

The ice trade was one of the Mage Tower’s biggest sources of income—like a magic purse siphoning southern wealth.

“That’s why I want to approach it through beverages.”

She needed a reason for people to start consuming more ice. The South, with its heat and clean water, already enjoyed chilled drinks. But even in Wespa, cold drinks weren’t part of the culture. To get the entire continent sipping iced beverages naturally, iced coffee was the perfect entry point.

“If it hurts, just pinch the back of my hand.”

That was when Michalis pressed deeper.

“So the idea is… to popularize cold coffee and—ah!”

Eliana could no longer form full sentences.

…

…

In the end, they did it in the office.

“Haah…”

Outside, the sunset had turned from crimson to black, burned down to ash. Meanwhile, Eliana’s thoughts were completely scattered. Michalis had always been amazing, but today… he had outdone himself.

“Michal… where did we leave off again?”

Her mind was utterly blank from the aftermath.

“Whether you start with a coffee house or a salon… the point is, Riana’s involvement must remain hidden.”

Michalis wiped the traces of their love with a handkerchief as he continued, calm and composed.

“Got it.”

From his reply, it sounded like she had managed to say what she needed to—despite everything.

“I’ll look into ways to minimize backlash from the Mage Tower.”

With Iadis currently infiltrating the Tower, now was the time to lay the groundwork.

The Next Morning

Michalis received a magical message from an informant who had infiltrated the Kingdom of Kantur.

“The Scorpion has risen to the Serpent’s Seat.”

Prince Maxim, the second prince of Kantur, had ascended the throne.

“Understood. The Scorpion is a cautious one—avoid getting too close to the Serpent’s Seat unless absolutely necessary.”

It wasn’t an unexpected development—just one that had come a little sooner than planned.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“From now on, focus not on the movements around the Serpent’s Seat, but on the shipbuilding activities and whether there’s any sign of a large fleet being mobilized.”

Michalis hoped that Maxim’s ambition would remain within the borders of Kantur. But deep down, he doubted it would end there.

“Understood.”

“Also… find out if the bee that once played in the chrysanthemum fields is now flying toward the desert.”

One thing particularly bothered Michalis—Maxim had recently been seen in the Kingdom of Zaiphon. If there was a secret pact between Maxim and Zaiphon’s crown prince, and it didn’t end with them merely seizing their respective crowns, it could turn into a far greater problem.

“I’ll begin focusing operations around the port.”

“Value the information, but prioritize your safety above all else.”

Losing an informant was like losing eyes and ears in a foreign land. Skilled agents stationed abroad were rare and extremely valuable.

“I will keep that in mind. This concludes my report.”

“Good.”

After ending the brief magical communication, Michalis sat silently, lost in thought.

“Everything is moving faster than expected.”

The issue with the Mage Tower and the Archmage hadn’t even been resolved yet—and now the international situation was quickly turning volatile.

“I present myself to His Excellency, Lord Renos Terius.”

Count Terius had stopped by the previous duke’s grave to pay his respects before coming to Michalis’s office.

“It’s been a while, Count Terius.”

“Though I’m rather late, allow me to congratulate you on your ascension to Duke—and on your marriage.”

Although Michalis was nearly young enough to be the Count’s son, Terius paid him proper respect as a loyal retainer. The young duke who once held temporary authority during the expedition had now become the official head of House Ascher.

“Please, sit. Now tell me—what did you see on this last voyage?”

Michalis helped him up and led him to the sofa.

“As I mentioned before we set sail, I went beyond the Eastern Empire. This is the result.”

“Let’s see…”

A new map.

Michalis unfolded it across the table. It was far more detailed than the existing ones, with more precise coastlines and several newly charted islands.

“Had I not rushed back, I would have sailed farther east. It’s a shame, really.”

Count Terius spoke wistfully, watching Michalis study the map. The journey had been cut short because of news about his second son’s engagement.

“You’ll have time to rest now—and to prepare for your next voyage.”

“Ah, and this is a map I acquired while in the East.”

While the first map had been hand-drawn by the Count during his travels, this second one had been obtained in the East. It included regions even he had yet to visit.

“Count, how exactly did you get your hands on this?”

The map included details of overland routes—information considered military intelligence in most nations. It wasn’t something people gave away freely.

“Hahaha! During my travels, I grew close to the King of the Southeastern Nation. We became sworn brothers. This map was a personal gift from the king himself, so there’s no need to worry.”

“…Your ability to win people over is truly astonishing.”

Michalis was left momentarily speechless. Becoming sworn brothers with a foreign king—of a different race and language—was no small feat.

“The Southeastern Nation is located here, at this point on the map.”

“So, it’s about four months away by regular sailing?”

“Yes, that’s right. Four months at normal speed, three if the weather is favorable and we travel swiftly. It’s a humid country—warm with lots of rain. And the neighboring nation here is…”

“…”

Michalis found himself drawn into the Count’s tales of distant lands.

“For my next voyage, I plan to travel beyond even this map—after passing the family business completely to my eldest son.”

Count Renos Terius had always been more driven by adventure than trade.

“You’ve only just returned, and already you’re planning to leave again? I just said you should take a proper rest.”

“Hahaha! I grow restless on land. Before I get any older, I want to complete a world map—and offer it to you, Your Excellency.”

World maps already existed, but they were fragmented and imprecise—composites made from scattered regional maps. A complete, accurate one had yet to be drawn.

“Really now…”

No one had asked the Count to create a world map. He was doing it entirely on his own.

“How about setting sail after Sir Joel’s wedding next year?”

“If I wait that long, I might end up wanting to meet my grandchildren, too.”

If they wanted to keep this sea-loving Count on land, they’d need a solid excuse to do so.

“Before that, there’s something I need you to do.”

Yes—he needed to be assigned a task.

“…A mission, Your Excellency?”

With a dependable eldest son running the business, the Count had already begun stepping away from trade.

“Count Renos Terius, you are still a vassal of House Ascher, aren’t you?”

Michalis threw a net the Count couldn’t possibly escape.

“But of course!”

The relationship between House Ascher and House Terius was like that of a clownfish and a sea anemone—mutually dependent and inseparable. Their bond went back generations.

“If you truly see me as your liege, then I ask you to take on a mission—one that involves false trade.”

“False trade, Your Excellency? What exactly do you mean by that?”

A new form of trade was beginning to take shape—one that could change the world.

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