"Ah—"
"Mmm, delicious. Another piece."
"Hmm… I'm a bit thirsty. Let me have some tea."
Slurp—ahh~
"Don't just keep feeding me. You should eat some too."
Lake Impash.
Ron lay on a reclining chair, holding a fishing rod as he fished.
Sitting beside him, Nora held a pair of chopsticks and a small bowl, leaning forward to watch the fish slices cooking in the hotpot.
Sometimes she would pick up a slice, gently blow on it a few times with her small mouth, and bring it to Ron's lips. Other times she would set down the bowl and chopsticks and hand him a cup of pine-needle tea.
Hearing Ron's words, Nora simply lowered her head and smiled softly.
"I'm not hungry."
Ron glanced at her. Holding the fishing rod with his left hand, he reached out with his right and grabbed Nora's soft little hand, pulling it into his lap and slowly playing with her fingers.
Nora silently leaned closer, set aside the bowl and chopsticks, picked up Ron's teacup, and with a flushed face, gently took a sip from the rim where Ron had already drunk.
It tasted sweet.
"How's the flower shop been doing lately?" Ron asked casually.
Now that he no longer managed the daily operations himself, he didn't really know the current situation.
Although his wealth points kept increasing, he had no idea how much of that actually came from the flower shop.
After all, he now had many different sources of income steadily bringing him wealth.
"In the past few days, two marquises and five earls came to discuss cooperation. Mr. Guy personally received them."
"And there were also some minor nobles and merchants. Mr. Guy selected a few less important deals and let me handle them~"
"I've already negotiated several contracts myself~"
Nora carefully reported the recent developments, her small face filled with happiness and excitement.
"Oh, right—yesterday Jolina came to see me. She said her father is seriously ill and asked if she could receive one month's salary in advance."
"After asking about the situation, I learned that her father fell from a height at work and broke his leg. So I paid her 80 silver coins in advance."
"But if his injury can't be treated, he might not be able to work anymore."
"So I was thinking about giving her a few Scalevine leaves. Didn't you say this plant can treat almost any injury? Would that be okay?"
Nora's own life had once been miserable. Seeing someone in a similar situation naturally stirred her compassion.
Ron lowered his head and continued playing with Nora's slender fingers, smiling lightly.
"If you think it's the right thing to do, then give it to her. Helping someone is a good thing."
The existence of Scalevine didn't need to be kept secret anyway. Giving away a few leaves wouldn't matter.
"Thank you, Boss, ~."
Nora smiled happily. Lowering her head with a shy blush, the fingers of the hand Ron held gently squeezed his palm in return.
As if unable to bear watching the sweet scene any longer, the fishing rod beside them suddenly shook violently.
"Ah! Boss! A fish is biting!"
"Mhm." Ron calmly released Nora's hand, grabbed the shaking rod, and sat up in the recliner.
Nora also stood up and walked over, curiously peering into the water, which was about the size of a round table.
The hooked fish thrashed energetically beneath the surface, sometimes breaking through the water and sometimes diving back down.
The fishing line stretched tight, bending the rod into a crescent shape.
Ron skillfully wore down the fish's stamina without rushing.
When the time felt right, he suddenly looked at Nora and handed her the fishing rod.
"Here. You try."
"Ah? I can't…" Nora hurriedly grabbed the rod, nearly having it pulled away by the fish.
Fortunately, Nora was actually quite strong, and she eventually managed to hold the rod firmly.
Ron grinned and walked behind her, taking the opportunity to wrap his arms around her body and place his hands over the backs of hers.
"Don't be afraid. I'll teach you step by step."
"Okay." Leaning into Ron's arms, Nora nodded shyly and asked softly, "What should I do?"
"When a fish bites, you can't immediately pull it in. At the beginning, it still has plenty of strength, and pulling too hard might snap the line."
"So we alternate between tightening and loosening the line, guiding it in circles and slowly exhausting its strength."
"Yes, just like that."
Nora was a little clumsy at first, but gradually became absorbed in the process. When she finally pulled the fish onto the shore, her face lit up with excitement.
"Boss, I caught it!"
"Nora did great."
Ron hugged her from behind, their faces close together as they admired the fish they had caught together.
The fish, still unwilling to accept defeat, flicked its body, splashing water droplets onto both of their faces.
Pretending to be annoyed, Ron flicked the fish that was still hooked.
"What are you acting proud for? I bought you from the fish market anyway."
Nora covered her mouth and laughed, her body squirming slightly in Ron's arms.
"It's about time we head back," Ron said after glancing at the sky. "We'll take this fish back and eat it tonight."
He released Nora and began packing up.
Nora stood nearby, tidying her slightly messy purple hair.
After several months, the hair that had once only reached her shoulders had now grown gradually toward her waist.
"Boss… do you think I should cut my hair?"
Ron put the equipment into his [Backpack], took Nora's hand, and looked at her smooth purple hair.
"I prefer long hair. Why don't you keep growing it and see how it looks?"
Nora wrapped a finger around the tip of her hair and replied softly while lowering her head.
"Okay."
Ron led Nora toward a carriage on Moonview Street, thinking that long hair really had its own charm.
Especially when a girl says, "You're sitting on my hair."
Just as the two were about to board the carriage, another carriage slowly arrived and stopped beside them.
Two royal guards dismounted and approached Ron.
"Your Highness Ron, Emperor André III invites you to the palace for dinner."
Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Dinner?"
"Yes."
Ron looked helplessly at Nora.
Nora gently squeezed Ron's hand, smiled softly, and shook her head to show it was fine.
Ron patted Nora's head.
"Keep that fish for me. Tonight we'll make fish soup for a late-night snack. Don't give any to Yuna."
"Got it~ Hurry and go."
"Want to come with me?"
"Um… maybe not…"
Nora was clearly afraid of meeting Emperor André III.
"Alright. But you'll have to meet him eventually." Ron pinched Nora's cheek. "You should start getting used to it early."
"I-I'll try my best…"
Ron helped Nora into the carriage and watched as it slowly departed.
Only then did he board the empty carriage prepared by the royal guards and head toward the palace.
He wondered what his father wanted this time.
It probably had something to do with the recent turmoil in the Royal Capital.
After the two major academies got involved, it was said that the military department had now formally stepped in as well.
Many secret organizations had been destroyed, and numerous allied forces across various regions had suffered heavy blows.
Thinking about how all these events had started because of him—or rather, how he had acted as the fuse that ignited everything—Ron couldn't help but sigh.
Even a lazy fish, once it flips over…
can still make quite a splash.