Chapter 55:Old man

Ethan entered his study and sat down in his chair. Dozens of letters lay on the desk in front of him, but he opened Ulric's letter first.

This was the summary of the letter

"To His Majesty, Ethan,

Firstly, I want to thank you. I am delighted to have regained my home, and I am grateful to you. As I have said before, I want to assure you of my absolute loyalty. I vow to strive to fulfill your orders throughout my life, and I await your new commands..."

Ethan retrieved a paper from the drawer and began writing a reply.

"Dear friend Ulric,

I am glad you are pleased with the gift I bestowed upon you, and I have never doubted your loyalty towards me. I want you to know that I see you not only as a subordinate but also as a friend. Regarding your orders, it is to strengthen your region with the territories you have acquired and ensure the well-being of your people. Lastly, I ask of you not to hesitate in carrying out provocative actions against Duke Eddart, and I even urge you to do so deliberately..." This was the essence of the letter, and after writing it, Ethan handed it to one of his guards.

Returning to his desk, Ethan began opening the marriage proposals. Frankly, he had no desire to accept any of these proposals, but being a prince, nobles and wealthy individuals sent all these marriage proposals. Although he didn't have to answer all the letters, not answering would have made Ethan look like an arrogant prince. After seeing the identity of each sender with every opened letter, Ethan started writing another letter in response. Given the number of letters received, he knew this task would take quite a while.

Although some of the marriage proposals came from highly ranked nobles, others were from lower noble classes. Some even came from nobles of foreign kingdoms. Some barons even proposed to their daughters not for marriage but as concubines. Most of these letters included photographs of the proposed brides, and some were quite impressive even to Ethan. However, the downside of these marriage proposals was that Ethan couldn't know the intentions of the senders, and it couldn't be said that those who auctioned off their daughters in this manner had particularly good intentions.

Therefore, Ethan, using his already engaged status as an excuse, politely declined these proposals and didn't forget to compliment the daughters of those who sent the proposals. By the time he finished responding to all the letters, darkness had fallen. Ethan stood up from his chair, yawning, and headed towards the dining room. As he entered, he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Welcome, Your Majesty," Eleanor greeted.

Ethan turned to Eleanor and said, "I've written a response to the marriage proposals, can you take care of them for me?"

"I will," Eleanor said, trying to hide a slight expression of jealousy. Noticing Eleanor's dissatisfaction, Ethan said, "Just so you know, I turned them all down."

"You didn't have to explain it to me, Your Majesty."she said. After exchanging silent glances, they turned back to their meals. Ethan quickly finished his meal and left. He went back to his study and glanced over his pending tasks. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"You can come in." Aphrodite came in.

"I came to thank you for bringing my brother, and I really thank you, you didn't have to, but you helped me anyway," Aphrodite said.

"Aphrodite, I merely freed an innocent man, and you don't need to thank me for such things," Ethan replied.

"I still want to thank you Ethan, not only for helping my big brother, but for coming into my life and being there for me." Aphrodite said

At that moment, Eleanor entered the room. "I've come to collect those letters you mentioned," she said. As Ethan handed Eleanor the letters, he looked at Aphrodite and "Thank you, Aphrodite, for being there for me in the same way," he said.

"Always. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to my room to sleep," Aphrodite said, then left.

Later, Ethan approached Eleanor, who was still in the room. "Tell me, Eleanor, does the thought of other women in my life make you jealous?" he asked.

Upon hearing those words, Eleanor dropped the papers she was holding. "No, Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing. I just don't want you to make a mistake," she said.

"I understand. If there's ever anything that bothers you, don't hesitate to talk to me," he said, sitting back in his chair. "Okey, Ethan. I will do so" Eleanor said and took the letters, then left.

Waking up to a beautiful day the next morning, Ethan got out of bed and reached for his clothes. After having breakfast outside, he called for a servant. When the servant arrived, Ethan said, "Summon Mr. Jackson to my office." About a dozen minutes later, Jackson knocked on the door and entered. "Welcome, Jackson. You may take a seat," Ethan said.

Once Jackson took his seat, Ethan began, "Tell me, Jackson, what abilities do you have in alchemy?"

Jackson thought for a moment before responding, "majesty, I have many talents in the field of alchemy. First of all, I have the ability to control the earth element. I can also make plants grow, shrink and in some cases even make medicines from special plant extracts. I can also make special pills that increase mid-level magic power."

Ethan listened thoughtfully to Jackson's words and after a moment's reflection continued: "I see, these abilities of yours are quite impressive. But can you tell me what you need to do all this?"

With brief hesitation, Jackson replied, "Firstly, I need a laboratory, and secondly, I need a plot of land to cultivate my plants."

"In that case, Jackson, I will provide you with enough gold and even an area to cultivate your plants And I will also provide a laboratory. Additionally, if you wish, we can open a shop in my city for you to earn money. What I want you to do is prioritize my orders and also train a student for me. What do you say, fair enough?" Ethan said

"More than fair, Your Majesty. I am indebted to you, and it is a great honor to serve you," Jackson said.

"Then, go to Evelyn now. She will discuss the details with you," Ethan said. Jackson nodded respectfully and left.

A few hours later, Ethan left the mansion and headed towards the harbor. Upon arriving, he proudly smiled at how much the harbor had grown and become a bustling place. He then noticed the port manager sitting in a distant corner and walked towards him.

"Are you slacking off from work, old man?" he teased.

The old man smiled and replied, "Just like everyone else, Your Majesty. Care to join me?" he asked, gesturing to the nearby rock. Ethan sat down on the rock and looked out at the vast ocean.

"I want to quit my job, Your Majesty," He said suddenly.

Ethan looked at the old man in surprise. "Why? Are you asking for a raise? Or is there another issue?" he asked.

"No, Your Majesty, everything is perfect."

"Then why do you want to quit? You're an important employee to me and very successful at your job."

"because sometimes one gets an insidious pleasure in destroy everything, and I want to experience that pleasure"

"I still don't understand, old man. Why would someone find pleasure in ruining their life?"

"Because being able to destroy everything makes you feel free in this world, and freedom is a very attractive thing, especially for someone like me who has always dedicated his life to his work and has only ever worked... Forgive me, Your Majesty."

"You're free to do what you want, old man. Just don't regret it"

"Hahaha I'll definitely regret it. "