Chapter 10

Diana was appointed as the secretary to the princess for proposing conservation policies. Her role was to coordinate on behalf of the princess to ensure that official duties did not lag while the princess, who was three years younger, was still attending the academy. However, working under the princess now meant that her marriage would be delayed. Many women in the Kingdom of Stern married between the ages of 16 and 20, and if she waited for the princess to graduate, she would be at the very edge of the ideal age for marriage.

"Shouldn't you at least secure a fiancé?"

Even a duke known for his shrewdness in the palace seemed hesitant to bring up the sensitive topic of his daughter's marriage. Especially for Diana, who had a past of having her engagement broken off by a fiancé chosen by her parents, it was even more difficult.

"I want to achieve what 'that person' could not do on my own."

"I understand your feelings, but creating someone to carry on that ideal is also one of the duties of a noble."

"..."

"There isn't much time, but you do have some. Think about it carefully."

The Duke of Morn's words were both a father's understanding of his daughter's feelings and a duke's advice. However, Diana continued to work tirelessly for about three years without giving an answer to her father's words. One day, while inspecting a certain port town, she spotted a familiar face.

Among the porters unloading the cargo from the arrived ship, she found Leonhardt. He looked more tanned than when she had seen him three years ago, and he seemed even more robust, likely due to his physical labor.

As she hesitated whether to call out to him,

"Hey! Leon! Come over here for a moment!"

The head of the merchant guild, who owned the ship, called out to Leonhardt. It seemed he went by the name Leon. She was relieved that she didn't have to call out to him.

"Secretary, this is Leon, who recently started handling accounting for our guild."

"...Pleased to meet you. I am Leon."

Leonhardt also seemed to remember Diana, as his eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself and greeted her. It was not the greeting of a noble but that of a commoner, yet his graceful manners remained unchanged.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Diana Morn, the secretary to the Crown Princess. I am here today as her representative to inspect this place."

Being a commoner and knowing someone who served in the palace could be misconstrued negatively. Diana pretended it was their first meeting. However, he quickly returned to work, and she couldn't do anything more.

"You said he handles accounting. Why is he doing the loading and unloading?"

Uncertain of the merchant's intentions in introducing him, she asked casually.

"Leon was originally a porter. A while ago, the person who took care of the new recruits hurt his back, so Leon offered to take his place."

"..."

He still seemed to be the type who couldn't refuse a favor.

"Being a porter is not an easy job, but his accounting work is also perfect..."

"Remarkable. But why was someone who can handle accounting working as a porter for such low wages?"

Having worked as a financial officer in the palace, she had ample practical experience. It would have been better to hire him directly as an accountant rather than have him work as a daily laborer.

"Yes, it's a bit embarrassing, but we only knew that Leon had graduated from a rural school, so we assigned him to be a porter."

Hearing the merchant's answer, Diana felt a crushing pain in her chest, thinking of how Leonhardt's hard-earned education had been taken away. If his true educational background were known, he would have been in high demand. However, educational disparities existed in different regions, and she couldn't tell where Leonhardt had written he was from, so she couldn't blame the merchant's judgment.

"However, when I was handing out daily wages in the office, he happened to see the ledger and pointed out a mistake. It turned out he was right. We tested him, and he not only knew how to calculate but also quickly learned how to keep the books. I thought he was a genius. We were just about to hire more staff, so we formally employed him."

He knew how to keep books but must have pretended to be ignorant to avoid scrutiny. No, even when he first learned, he must have picked it up quickly. Imagining Leonhardt's confusion at being treated as a genius, Diana had to suppress a smile.

"Some people were jealous of his promotion from a porter, but Leon, despite being a stickler, is good at getting along with people. He works harder than anyone and never gets arrogant. Now, everyone in the office relies on Leon the most."

He was someone who would be valued wherever he went. Even though they were complete strangers, Diana couldn't help but feel proud of Leonhardt's success.