Night lay heavy outside, and only a faint red glow remained in the hearth.
Louis sat at his desk, leafing through thick stacks of daily workshop reports and labor rosters.
The mountain road was now two-thirds finished, and the transport route had opened. Before long, most of the laborers would have nothing to do. He could put them to use elsewhere.
"Once the mountain road is finished, we can put these workers on other jobs. Besides, trouble will follow if such a large group has no work."
Louis took out a fresh sheet of parchment and smoothed it onto the desk. The pen paused between his fingers, then touched down.
A clean sketch gradually took shape on the page: a ring-shaped fortress wall, the positions of four towers, and their orientation toward the main street and plaza.
These were all images he had been turning over in his mind for a long time.
Just then, a soft sound came from the doorway, and Louis looked back.
Emily leaned against the doorframe in a thin, pale blue robe, loosely tied at the waist.
Her blue hair was simply tied back, with a few loose strands hanging beside her neck, swaying slightly in the firelight.
She did not come inside, merely resting against the doorway with one long leg casually crossed over the other, her expression softened by drowsiness.
"What are you drawing?" Emily asked, curiosity in her voice, though she kept it low for fear of waking the child in the cradle.
Louis turned back and continued drawing. "Plans for the new castle."
He added another stroke, marking the height of the southern furnace tower. "The mountain road in the Red Tide Fief is nearly finished. A large number of craftsmen and laborers will be free. We have to build something