@Introvert And
Spoiler!
Leo hated the idea. She openly admitted that she disliked lessons about morals and thought it would be impossible to change her personality. However, Varya was determined. She believed Leo was talented, intelligent, brave, and kind, but she worried about Leo's vulgar jokes and inappropriate comments. Varya wanted to help her become more refined and responsible, especially because she would one day inherit Phileo's position. The lesson quickly turned into a playful argument. Leo claimed that even her father had given up trying to change her. Varya responded that she loved a challenge and would not surrender so easily. The two joked about muscles, with Leo teasing Varya for becoming interested in Phileo's muscles because of her influence. When Phileo returned home from the meeting, Leo happily ran to greet him. Varya also joined them and asked how the meeting had gone. To her shock, Phileo revealed that the proposal had passed. Varya became worried because imperial officials would now be able to enter the North and investigate areas near the northern mountains. Unlike Varya, Leo was pleased because the result matched what she had expected. Phileo explained that the Emperor had carefully arranged the voting list to ensure enough supporters attended. He believed the Emperor's true goal was not road improvement but obtaining a mysterious "thing" hidden in the northern mountains. Leo agreed with him and suspected that Viscount Olore was also interested in that secret. Phileo answered cautiously, saying it depended on how much Olore knew. The three concluded that the Emperor and his supporters were pursuing their own hidden agenda. Leo insulted them by calling them bird-brained fools, and Phileo jokingly replied that birds deserved more respect than that.
✕Varya asked Phileo and Leo what was really in the northern mountains. She felt that the imperial family’s interest in the North was strange. They had attacked Ardea’s research room, were obsessed with gates, and seemed determined to reach the northern mountains. Varya believed there had to be something much more important there than simple mines.
Phileo and Leo exchanged looks before finally explaining. They told Varya about an old northern legend. According to the story, a god lives in the northern mountains. At first, Varya was shocked and thought it sounded like a foolish folktale. She couldn't believe the Emperor would risk so much over an unproven legend. However, after remembering that she herself had died and somehow returned to life, she realized that strange things could be real. Phileo explained that ordinary people could not even approach the northern mountains, let alone see the god. While gently running his fingers through Varya’s hair, he made it clear that the Emperor’s plans were doomed to fail. Varya realized that if the legend was true, the Emperor’s greed would only lead to disaster. Thinking about her past life, Varya felt bitter. She had worked so hard to stop her family’s plans before her death, yet now it seemed that everything would have failed anyway. She wondered if all her sacrifices had been meaningless.
I like to post spoilers for the stories I find interesting because I don't have much time to read novel due to busy schedule you will find me in most romantic historical manhwa comment sections