Obviously, It’s My Child - Chapter 166

The envelope only had “E.R.K.” written as the recipient, and Claire’s seal stamped in the place of the sender.

Erich unconsciously let out a smile. Seeing the recipient’s name made it sweet.

He had never sent a letter signed just with his initials to anyone other than her.

Erich was not one to hide his identity or engage in actions that needed hiding.

Yet, the reason he had started using only his initials when sending something to Claire was due to her anger.

“Can you please realize the impact of having your name on an envelope?”

“It was just relaying a message from Professor Miller. Did it cause a problem?”

“The dormitory supervisor came to deliver it herself, with the messenger in tow!”

Claire had nearly exploded in frustration.

He didn’t understand why the messenger was an issue, but he agreed that the supervisor’s actions were excessive.

And he acknowledged that it was his signature that had caused that reaction.

So, afterward, he began signing with just his initials and sent them via school mail. Although it didn’t happen often.

Claire was the only one he did this for. Normally, anyone would be honored to receive an envelope signed in the name of Klausener.

She didn’t know that. And he didn’t know that Claire didn’t know.

“Hmm.”

Now, he found it quite amusing.

He used a letter opener to slice open the envelope and expected the letter might contain comments about the village or perhaps to pick an argument over.

However, the contents were not merely a casual greeting.

[“Please come quickly. I need you.”]

The last line read just so.

He folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket, then lifted his head.

“Huh.”

His face turned cold and the chief administrator of Klausener, Seehofer, inhaled sharply.

Not only him, but the secretaries and clerks in the office felt the same.

Even the simple act of picking up the letter and smiling had tickled the others strangely. Erich was not someone who smiled often.

He might put on a gentle expression for official occasions, but very few had seen his personal, relaxed face.

Even the sight of a smile was rare. Although many in the capital’s Ivory Palace had seen his new demeanor lately, it was virtually unseen in Salzgitter.

‘He really is a newlywed.’ Minister Seehofer thought to himself in a daze.

When the order came to pretend not to know him as Erich didn’t want to be disturbed, he had assumed it was a joke.

But that expression had vanished in an instant. His face furrowed, and the smile that had briefly lingered was replaced by his usual stern demeanor.

The tension in the office escalated.

“Minister Seehofer.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The minister answered nervously. The sharpness in the Duke’s eyes cast a deeper shade of blue.

“I’ve kept you waiting, but urgent matters have arisen, and I need to conclude this meeting quickly. I appreciate your understanding.”

“Ah.”

The minister swallowed his reply.

There was no time to add pleasantries like he can wait or Erich can just call him any time.

To the Duke, such formalities were too trivial to even count as flattery.

His mind was a whirlwind.

“What’s the matter?”

When Minister Seehofer hesitated to start, Erich prompted him.

“There’s been some disturbance due to the large-scale inspections Your Grace ordered.”

The Duke, who had been reported to be on his honeymoon, had unexpectedly arrived at Salzgitter two days ago.

Immediately following his arrival, Klausener’s security and inspection teams stormed into major mines and factories across the region, conducting surprise audits.

Of course, these actions were solely within the Duke’s jurisdiction.

The problem was not that a few estates or businesses were under scrutiny but the scale of these operations.

He wondered what in the world was going on, and just three days later, letters began pouring onto his desk.

Klausener is the empire’s leading industrial region and a source of raw materials.

If Klausener stops, it’s no exaggeration to say the entire industry feels the impact.

There are many businesses within the Klausener domain, but none that operate independently of the Duchy.

“I’ve heard several agents have been dismissed. The Kohlberg mine is also shut down.”

“There were actions that did not align with my management policies. The inspections are because of that.”

“May I ask about the nature of the issue?”

Erich slightly furrowed his brow.

While he always respected his cabinet members and intended to continue doing so, the letter in his pocket made him less inclined to have a lengthy discussion.

As Minister Seehofer sensed Erich’s reluctance, he quickly added with tension,

“I am not demanding an explanation from Your Grace. However, I believe it is proper for me to be informed about the situation.”

“It is not my intention to blame you.”

Erich sighed briefly. The minister’s point was valid. With an operation of this magnitude, it was impossible to completely exclude the Chief Administrator.

Most of the efforts to root out the slave ring were already concluding, and with the start of the inspections, it had become impossible to keep the matter secret.

“Some were deducting from the wages of workers and miners in exchange for supplying them with opium.”

Fortunately, the number of such cases within Klausener was not high. It was thanks to the policy of prioritizing local employment over employing slaves, unlike other domains that actively utilized slave labor.

Still, it was inevitable that some malpractices had seeped into the many businesses within the domain.

And, perhaps more troubling, were the managers who knowingly allowed such practices and the agents who hired the slaves.

The audit uncovered several other issues as well, and the number was still increasing.

But for now, this was the only problem Erich had to deal with.

“Are you planning to dismiss all involved parties?”

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