With a sigh, he looked down to the cold ground and saw a small flower by his feet. Crouching down, he tapped the flower lightly with his finger and smiled, thinking of his bedridden sister.
"My Lord, we have found traces of a vanenium mine in the north," said one of Blake's subordinates.
"Find out more about the person who owns it and tell me what they've been up to," Blake said, getting off the ground as he spared only a single glance towards his subordinate.
"Make no mistakes,"
"Yes, my Lord,"
(His subordinates call him 'My Lord' instead of 'young master'. The servants in the manor still call him young master)
****
"Good morning, Flora," Blake said softly as he walked into her room.
There, on the bed, Flora sat. playing with a string as it wrapped around her small dainty fingers. As soon as Blake walked into the room, Flora shot her head to the door as a smile spread on her cheeks.
"Brother!" Flora pushed the blankets off her legs and rushed off the bed to hug her brother.
"You shouldn't move too much yet, Flora," Blake said, catching Flora who ran into his arms.
"But I haven't seen you in a while, brother," Flora pouted, burying her head in her brother's stomach before mumbling, "Missed you…"
"I missed you too, Flora. I had some work to take care of, sorry about that, okay?"
Flora shook her head and flashed a smile, "it's okay, you were busy. In exchange, can you play with me when you finish your work?"
"Of course, of course," Blake smiled, patting Flora's head softly. "Now, head back into bed, you shouldn't be moving too much,"
Suddenly, a knock on the door made both children look over to it. Blake looked down to Flora before telling the person at the door to come in. The door opened and revealed one of Blake's subordinates.
"What is it?" Blake asked as he helped Flora to bed.
"We've found the noble who owns the mine," she said, bowing her head in respect.
"I see, let's continue this conversation outside," Blake said coldly before glancing at Flora with a smile and saying, "I will be a bit busy for the next few days. Let's play together when I have some free time, yeah?"
"It's okay, brother. Take your time!" Flora smiled and waved Blake goodbye as he walked out of the room with his subordinate.
As soon as the door closed, Blake's warm gaze turned cold as he looked over to his subordinate. The woman dressed in mercenary clothing was only in disguise. She held her hair in a bun as her face was covered in dust and dirt from the long journey.
"Tell me what your team has found,"
"The noble is Viscount Clover. After digging around, we found out that both sir Okumura and Lady Flora's nanny worked in his manor," she replied, walking with Blake to his small study.
"I see…" Blake mumbled under his breath as he sat in his seat. Blake pondered for a moment before humming.
'It's… too easy,' Blake thought tapping his finger on his desk as he looked over to his subordinate.
"What would you like to do, my lord?" She asked, head raising a little to see Blake's expression.
Despite still being 7 years old, he already had the temperament of a lord who has ruled over a territory for years. He had a cold gaze that could make anyone shiver from a slight glance. This was the same boy who was giggling and playing around with his younger siblings. None of his subordinates looked down on him despite of his age, he was well respected and loved by his subordinates and the servants around the manor.
"Look deeper into it and tell me what you find. I give you a month," Blake said, pulling out a piece of paper in his drawer and handing it over to his subordinate.
"Yes, my lord,"