She pulled the fur robe up again on him. Elara looked at Mathias, whose complexion had finally returned to normal after his body temperature rose. She figured his mind should be working normally again, so she pushed the large pile of memorials on the table in front of him.
"I've found something fun recently and want to go out of the palace to play. But I don't know much about what's going on outside, so I'll leave these to you. Sort through all the information about outside the palace, respond to the ones that need answering, and handle the rest. I won't lay a hand on you today, how about it?"
Yes, Elara really had a reason to make time for this Mathias despite being so busy.
She wanted a new chief secretary.
Still, using a seriously injured beautiful man like this made Elara feel a little inhuman.
But she had no choice. The situation forced her into this, so all she could do was try to make his conditions better in exchange for his work.
Otherwise, when would she ever finish all this?
Mathias stared at the large pile of memorials in front of him. The warmth spreading from all over his body was constantly breaking through his cold, stiff nerves.
After a long while, he finally seemed to understand what Elara meant. His long lashes trembled, and he forcefully pushed down the emotions and disbelief in his eyes.
When he looked at Elara again, he had returned to his indifferent appearance. His green eyes were calm, and his clear voice was steady. "Yes, Princess."
The warm inner room, heated by the stove, had the two of them sitting across from each other as they handled their own affairs.
In the quiet space, only the soft rustling of bamboo slips and the occasional crackling of firewood in the stove could be heard.
But this peaceful silence didn't last long. When Elara finished reading the third document, Uno appeared beside her again and leaned close to whisper:
"Master, a message came from Lianyi House. The gold and silver they prepared for you is ready. They're asking whether you'll go pick it up yourself or have them send it to your merchant estate."
As expected of Lianyi House, they were really wealthy. That much gold, and they managed to get it ready so quickly?
But merchant estate… where did she have a merchant estate? Neither the princess's residence nor the estates under her name could be exposed. Letting all that gold and silver stay in Lianyi House for too long would definitely raise suspicion.
So now… where could she find an estate under someone else's name but entirely under her control?
It had to be a merchant estate too…
Elara rubbed her temple as she thought. But all the original host's memories were useless. After thinking hard for a while, Elara eventually turned her gaze back to Mathias beside her.
Mathias, that noble son of the powerful Pei family. His family definitely had many estates. One unused merchant estate from some distant Bai clan relative shouldn't be a problem, right?
Even though it felt a little shameless, right now the only one she could exploit, and conveniently too, seemed to be this beautiful young master.
Elara stared at Mathias's calm side profile for another two seconds and decided that if she was going to exploit him again, she had to treat him better in the future. At least better than how she treated her chief secretary in her previous life. Yes, even her tone should be gentler.
"Mathias."
Mathias had already finished processing several documents. Elara had glanced over earlier and could only say that this young master really lived up to his reputation as the top scholar of Plumera's capital. His calligraphy was excellent, and his replies were perfectly worded. He was indeed very capable.
When he heard her call him again, Mathias paused slightly in his writing hand, gently put down the brush, and looked up at Elara.
"Yes, Princess."
Elara turned her body to face him directly. While watching him, she considered how to ask for his help more tactfully.
"Mathias, how long have you been in the princess's residence?"
"Replying to the Princess, two years."
Elara raised her hand and rested her chin on it. Her index finger gently tapped the corner of her lips. "Two years. That means you haven't returned to the Pei family for two years either?"
Mathias paused. His dark green eyes trembled slightly before he lowered them. "Yes, Princess."
Elara sat up straight and leaned forward a little in his direction.
"Well then, today I'll grant you permission to return home for a visit. But after you go back, you must do something for me. As long as you complete this task, I promise that as long as the Pei family stays obedient, I won't touch them again."
Her soft voice echoed in his ears. It was no longer cruel or frightening, but it still made Mathias freeze.
Go home...
Since stepping into the princess's residence two years ago, he had not seen his parents or family again, except that one time...
As something came to mind, pain flashed through Mathias's eyes, but he quickly pushed it down. His cold dark eyes continued to think over what Elara had just said.
She said she wouldn't touch the Pei family again. Wasn't that exactly what he had been enduring everything for?
He had thought that after suffering for two years, this wish would never be granted, yet now it was suddenly within reach.
His emotions stirred in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed them, and his expression returned to complete calm.
He looked down at the memorial in his hand. "May I ask, Princess, what do you want me to do…"
Could he really leave this hell? Or was it just another hell waiting for him?
"It's very simple. When you go home, help me find an abandoned manor your family owns. It's best if it's near the capital. Then register the manor under the name of a distant relative from the Pei family's Bai clan and claim it as a merchant estate."
After Elara finished speaking, Mathias still kept his head lowered, quietly waiting for her next words.
But she said nothing more for a long time. Realizing that this was her only request, Mathias couldn't help but glance up at her.
Elara caught his gaze and noticed that his dark green eyes, always as calm as still water, were finally showing signs of emotion. Her mood suddenly lifted, and she smiled again as she asked:
"So? Young Master Pei, I'm recently interested in new things. This is your only chance. If you do this well, and if you stay obediently by my side in the future, I'll never touch your family again. I also promise not to act against you without reason. How about it?"
The turmoil in his eyes could no longer be hidden. Mathias looked at the woman across from him, her gentle smile so different from before. It took him a long time to calm the waves inside his heart.
His hand, warmed by the hand warmer, emerged from his sleeve. He lowered his eyes, then bowed deeply to her.
"Yes, Princess. I will take care of it. I will also remain by your side forever."
Elara's smile grew. "Good."
Because she wanted to get her first bucket of gold quickly, Elara didn't even let Mathias finish reading the memorial. She just told him to go pack and return home.
That afternoon.
In the eastern part of the capital, compared to the lively estates of other noble families, the Pei family residence looked quiet and deserted.
In front of the tightly shut gates, Mathias stood in a long green robe. He looked up at the familiar yet distant doorway. His dark green eyes were filled with dazed emotion.
Two years…
Behind him stood only one servant, Servant Yinon, who had entered the princess's residence with him back then. The other two were gone.
Servant Yinon stared at the Pei family gate, eyes turning red with emotion.
Two years! It had been two full years! The young master had been humiliated for two years and cut off from the Pei family for just as long. If the lord and lady knew he was coming home today, how happy they would be!
Servant Yinon couldn't wait and rushed forward to knock on the large front gate.
But after a few seconds, it didn't open. Instead, an impatient voice came from inside.
"The master isn't seeing guests these days. Just leave!"
After two years away, Servant Yinon no longer recognized the voices of the servants who had once worked beside them. Hearing the footsteps fade, he quickly pounded on the door and shouted:
"Wait! Young Master Pei has returned! The young master is back!!"
There was a pause inside, then a few seconds later the large door suddenly flew open!
When he saw clearly who was standing outside the door, the gatekeeper became excited. But after a few seconds of excitement, he looked at Mathias with a strange and troubled expression.
Standing behind the slightly opened door, he bowed from a distance.
"Young Master has returned! Please wait a moment, I will go inform the Master and Madam right away!"
After speaking, he didn't even open the door fully. He just turned around and rushed inside in a panic.
Servant Yinon was stunned by this strange reaction. The young master had returned, so why was the gatekeeper acting like this? Why wouldn't he open the door or let them in? Were they really expected to wait on the street like this?
Servant Yinon wanted to knock again and call out, but Mathias stopped him from behind. "Yinon, come here and wait."
Servant Yinon turned back and stood behind Mathias, his face full of confusion. "Young Master, that gatekeeper…"
It had been so hard for the young master to finally return home. How could they be stopped like this outside their own gate?
Mathias raised his hand, signaling him to stop talking. A memory appeared in his eyes of one year ago, when his parents had paid a great price to bribe the people in the princess's residence, trying to get him out. But he had refused.
Mathias lowered his eyes. "It's fine. We'll just wait."
Seeing him like this, Servant Yinon didn't say anything more. But the excitement he had felt about finally coming home was mostly gone, replaced by a growing sense of unease.
And the longer they waited, the heavier that unease became.
When they left the princess's residence and arrived at the gate of the Mathias estate, it was still early afternoon. But after waiting, the sun had already started to set. It was hard to tell if two or three hours had passed.
Servant Yinon was so tired he could barely stand. He looked at Mathias, still injured and weak, and wanted to help support him. But Mathias quietly pushed him away. His thin and pale figure stood silently in front of the gate, unmoving, looking even thinner under the glow of the sunset. He seemed like he might fall over from a simple breeze.
After another half hour, seeing that Mathias's already pale face had turned even whiter, Servant Yinon couldn't hold back anymore and went up to knock again.
Before his hand touched the door, it suddenly creaked open from the inside.
Before he could feel happy about it, a bucket of icy water was thrown at them, followed by a harsh and angry shout:
"Get out! Our family will never accept a coward who willingly shamed himself by serving those rotten parasites of the kingdom with his looks! Get out of here!"