For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 42
The Empress did not hesitate to call for her subordinates. Instead of pulling a bell rope to summon an ordinary servant, a mere snap of her fingers caused her aide to appear silently.
“You called, Silvea?”
The man who stepped lightly onto the floor lowered his golden eyes.
His long silver hair swayed soundlessly with his movements. This casually beautiful man appeared to be around the same age as the Empress’s son, Tristan…..But in reality, he was older than the Empress herself.
Not just the Empress. But her parents and even her grandparents.
“I need your help, Alokes.”
Silvea whispered as she gazed at the man with an eternally cold face.
“There’s a man attached to Eugenie Norton who seems suspicious. We need to find out if he knows anything about ‘our business.’”
“…What’s the price for the job?”
“What job?”
Silvea chuckled derisively at Alokes’s question. It was evident that he had a twisted personality, considering he asked such a question while already knowing the answer.
“It’s a continuation of the contract between our families. Therefore, this is an order, Alokes.”
* * *
As the annoying third husband had said, a servant returned from the library with a stack of books. Unfortunately, there was almost nothing that Eugenie did not already know.
“Researching substitutes for magical ores naturally leads to connections with magic.”
However, magic was not a neatly researched field. Wizards kept their secrets among themselves and appeared to have little interest in passing on their knowledge to future generations.
“Oh, this is of no help at all.”
She felt disappointed after finally going out only to find this.
But then, one of the books piled high caught her attention.
[On the Origins of Magical Ores.]
“This one…”
Eugenie had seen this book before as a reference. She was already familiar with its contents but quickly skimmed through the pages to see if she might have missed something.
[…Magical ores can be considered a divine blessing granted at the birth of our Empire. They are the greatest source of energy, found nowhere else in other kingdoms, and can be used for everything from everyday conveniences to advanced weapon manufacturing. However, the principles of how magical ores are created and the characteristics of the land where they are discovered remain unknown.]
Eugenie’s lips twisted at the last line.
‘That’s so unreasonable.’
How could people’s everyday lives hinge on a mineral whose creation process was unknown and was discovered randomly?
Naturally, the history of the Empire was stained with blood due to this mineral. Although the Schroder family’s monopoly had curbed the violence for now.
‘That gives the Schroder family the power to bring the economy to its knees at any moment.’
Objectively, isn’t that unfair? Granting one family enough power to paralyze the entire nation when they feel threatened?
…While it might be annoying that Apollin and Agatha were close to that family.
‘Hmm. So my thesis topic is also about substitutes for magical ores…’
To be honest, things weren’t going well. At this rate, when the semester starts and she returns to the academy, she might have to start from scratch again…
‘Oh. This edition even includes a map?’
As Eugenie flipped through the pages, she tilted her head. The book she had seen before must have been an old edition, as this new one included a map marking the abandoned magical ores mines that hadn’t been there before.
‘Wait. The locations of these…’
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a cheerful knock echoed at the door, and before long, it opened.
“Hey, Norton.”
“Ah.”
“How long are you going to bury your nose in books?”
It was her third husband, whom she had been trying to avoid deliberately.
Leaning casually against the door frame, he crossed his arms and stared at her intently. His silver hair, usually slicked back, had fallen loosely over his forehead this time.
Seeing him, who usually dressed meticulously, appear even slightly disheveled made Eugenie tense up again, her waist stiffening with anxiety.
“Can’t you see the sun has already set?”
“Hmm… has it gotten this late already?”
Eugenie pretended not to know, but when she saw Magnus squinting at her, she turned her head away.
Still, the idea of having s-x with this guy felt too… too awkward. Perhaps even more so than with Percival.
‘At least Percival blushed when he looked at me, which made me feel like a newlywed…’
Of course, in bed, he was nothing short of a wild beast.
But just then, a shadow fell over Eugenie, who was sprawled on the chair.
“What’s wrong?”
Magnus looked down at her, clearly startled, and a smirk crept onto his face.
“Are you that scared of sleeping with me?”
“It’s not fear, it’s just awkward…”
“Come on, Lady Eugenie Norton.”
“You…”
“You don’t need to be so submissive just because I’ve beaten you every time.”
