Ch 28: The Reward for doing well - part 2

The tension at the dinner table was thick enough to be cut with a knife. No one wanted to be the first one to speak up.

Layla was content not to speak, but her mind was buzzing with anticipation about her reward with the Duke.

She had no intention of revealing her dragon egg, but she had meticulously crafted a few excuses to give.

Luckily for her, Henry spoke up first, likely to show everyone he was close with the duke.

"Duke Lockhart, I would like to thank you for the opportunity you have provided me. I promise I will use my gift well and make you proud of me for giving me this opportunity."

Layla knew what this 'opportunity' Henry was talking about was.

Mary had asked around (interrogated) and discovered quite a few things about Henry and the prize he had asked for.

The foolish man had asked to be allowed to go to war in the Duke's name and win a lot of favor with the older male.

It suited Henry's brutish personality, but Layla knew better with her deep understanding of the Duke than Henry did.

He cared nothing about war but only about the power and fame that came with a victory. So, if Henry did not win this war or took too long to come back, then he was as good as done for.

"Duke Lockhart, you are so lucky to have someone like Master Henry by your side. I was just thinking, why don't we have the young master wed my daughter? It would ensure that the young master's legacy keeps living on while we can also become closer."

The vessel asked with a confident voice.

Layla was impressed by the audacity of this man, but she could also not blame him.

Everyone was already treating Henry as the next head of the family, but little did they know that it was far from the truth.

The original book already informed Layla about the Duke's biggest secret—his hidden son, who inherited all of the Duke's dark magic and was this family's 'true' villain.

However, that kid was kept hidden due to social pressure and never brought out.

Of course, that successor fell in love with the female lead (because he did! This was a romance fantasy, after all) and ended up self-destructing.

'Tsk, so much power and potential wasted. I will make sure to use his power well this time.'

Layla had an advantage. Since she knew the kid and how to make him be on her side, she was ready to take him under her wing.

But first, she needed to clear her reward. He was already turning toward Layla to ask her about her reward.

Layla kept half her attention on the conversation in front of her while the other half focused on planning her next route out.

"You! Are you sure those worthless stones are all you want for your reward? You might not get this opportunity again in your life. You can ask for more if you want."

The duke asked, but this was all a test. Layla had already asked for something that was beyond her station at her current achievement level.

"No, this is all. If I want anything more, I will work hard to do better and ask for it. I don't want to rely on hand-outs and become dependent on them."

This was a small jab toward the Nobel, begging the Duke to look his way and his daughter's way.

It was also a jab toward those who came here to cling to the Duke.

Layla's words made the Duke smirk, but it was not a nice smirk that reassured her. The Duke was taking note of Layla, which was a double-edged sword for her.

...

The dinner passed in a flash, and Layla returned to her room.

Although her dress was the plainest and simplest of all the ones she saw around her, it still felt heavy on her small frame.

Getting out of it and into her normal clothes made Layla feel lighter.

As soon as she walked toward her table, she noticed it - the first supply of magic stones had been given to her.

Layla put it around the dragon egg to ensure that it had more than enough magic. She would supply the rest of the difference using her magic and potions.

'Finally, I will be able to meet my potion teacher tomorrow and get a head-start into the world of business. I already know what potion formulas the female lead will use in the future, so I just need to imitate her.'

Taking someone else's achievements and business for themselves was scummy, but Layla had a reason behind it.

As much good as Rosette would do in the future, this business was doomed in the female lead's hands. She would just neglect it once she fell in love.

'So, it will be better if I take over it beforehand and make sure this money will be used to train people for the future.'

But to do that, Layla first needed extensive knowledge of potions and what she was doing.

She was not a genius like the female lead or as lucky as the male lead. All she had was her hard work on her side.

But sometimes, that was enough to get her by.

...

Mary opened the door to the workshop of the dragon-demon hybrid professor, Rodric Burnance, in the middle of the night.

It was late enough that most animals had gone to sleep, but this professor was still awake and setting up his lab.

"You look like you are quite busy today. Shall I come back tomorrow to take a look at your workshop?"

Mary asked as she looked at the half-dragon. But the professor only hummed in a happy voice.

"There is no need for that. You will be back here anyway tomorrow. So why don't you just stay and help me out? Tell me, what kind of cookies does Young Lady Layla like? I will prepare those for her. Ah, what about tea? I bet she takes it sweet and -"

The professor continued spilling nonsense, and Mary kept watching in amusement.