It's so hard being a hero!

Vlad paused for a moment.

"Huh? That's it?"

Drummond put down his teacup and looked at him.

"Otherwise what? Your Excellency, you should be glad that this is the outcome."

Vlad was embarrassed and wanted to say something, but when he saw Drummond's shrewd eyes, he swallowed his words.

He certainly knew this was the best outcome.

Even the highest echelons of the empire are unwilling to offend that little girl's teacher, so what right does a mere count have to mess with him?

"Then my mine."

"The compensation will be deducted from that card, calculated based on the actual losses. You won't suffer losses for nothing."

Drummond stated.

"The Ministry of Finance will calculate the specific amount, and it will be transferred directly to Kyle City's account."

Vlad nodded, finally feeling relieved.

Although not all losses can be recovered, at least we won't lose everything.

And most importantly, this matter is now closed.

In the afternoon, Harris, accompanied by several servants, arrived at Sofia's house with seven or eight gift boxes of various sizes.

Sofia, who was sunbathing in a rocking chair in the yard, immediately became interested when she saw this scene.

"Lord Harris, what's going on?"

Harris gave a wry smile and gestured for the servants to place the gift box on the stone table in the courtyard.

"The Earl sent this on my behalf. He said he had offended you before and this is a small token of his appreciation as compensation for the fright your father suffered."

Sophia looked at the gift boxes, remained silent for two seconds, and then smiled.

"Alright, please thank the Earl for me."

Harris was taken aback, not expecting her to agree so readily.

He had expected to have to explain himself at length and was even prepared to be rejected.

"Then, won't you take a look?"

"What are you looking at?"

Sophia waved her hand, her tone very casual.

"It's a gift from the Earl, so it must be expensive. I'll accept it."

Harris opened his mouth as if to say something, but when he saw Sophia's calm blue eyes, he swallowed his words.

He bowed, then turned and left with his servant.

Bisis walked out of the house and stared wide-eyed at the pile of gift boxes on the stone table.

"These, these were all gifts from the Earl?"

"Ah."

Sophia nodded, stood up from the rocking chair, walked to the stone table, and casually opened a gift box.

Inside, several bolts of fine fabric were neatly stacked, their colors vibrant and their texture soft, clearly indicating their high value.

She then opened another gift box.

Inside were several beautifully packaged bottles of red wine, labeled with the names of renowned wineries in the Empire.

"Honey, these things are way too expensive!"

Bessis started to panic.

Would it be inappropriate to accept it?

"What's wrong with it?"

Sofia picked up a bottle of red wine and examined it from all angles.

"They've already brought it to us; it would be a slap in the face to refuse it."

Bisis opened her mouth, only to find that she couldn't refute it.

Sophia smiled as she looked at her mother's conflicted expression.

"Mom, just accept them without worry. The Earl may be a bit greedy, but he's not stupid. He's sending these things to try and mend things. If I don't accept them, he won't be able to sleep."

Bisis paused for a moment.

"There's such a saying?"

"of course."

Sofia put the red wine back into the gift box and clapped her hands.

“By accepting his gift, I’m essentially telling him that the past is behind us, and he doesn’t need to worry about me causing trouble for him one day when I’m in a bad mood. Do you think he should be happy or unhappy?”

After thinking about it, Bixi realized that it made sense.

"Alright, then Mom will put the things away."

"Take it, take it."

Sofia waved her hand, lay back down in the rocking chair, and squinted her eyes to continue sunbathing.

Looking at his daughter's relaxed demeanor, Bixis couldn't help but sigh.

When did this child suddenly become so mature?

At dusk, Drummond came to Sophia's house in person.

He held the gold card in his hand, and his expression was much more polite than in the morning.

"Miss Sophia, excuse me."

Sophia came out of the house and saw the card in his hand; she already understood most of it.

"Lord Drummond, is the matter settled?"

"It's done."

Drummond walked up to her and handed her the purple-gold card.

"The compensation has been deducted from your card. Here is your card, please keep it safe."

Sofia took the card and stuffed it into her bosom without even looking at it.

"That's fine."

Drummond's lips twitched involuntarily as he looked at her casual demeanor.

"Miss Sophia."

Drummond hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Ok?"

"I was asked to pass on a message to you."

Sophia raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"This matter ends here."

Drummond's tone was very serious.

"However, I hope you won't do it again."

Sophia looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then smiled.

The smile was calm, but the words that came out made Drummond feel terrible.

"Lord Drummond, I don't like hearing you say that."

Drummond paused for a moment.

"how?"

"You told me not to let it happen again, but let me ask you, what should I do if I encounter a similar situation again, or if I encounter something I feel is wrong?"

Drummond opened his mouth, unsure how to answer.

“Lord Drummond, I don’t mean to cause trouble for the Empire, but there are some things I will do if I feel they are right, and there are some things I will not compromise on if I feel they are wrong.”

"This is not because I'm willful, but because it's my principle as a person."

These words made Drummond fall into deep thought, but he eventually nodded.

"Alright, then I won't insist."

Sofia waved her hand as well.

"Alright, you're just following orders. I'll try my best not to cause trouble for the Empire, but how to do some things is up to my own judgment. You can't control my will."

Drummond said nothing more, gave a polite bow, and then turned and left.

Chapter 54 A New Journey

The matter was resolved quickly; the count received the money and paid the workers according to the three-year period.

He received three years' worth of mining profits at once. After deducting a portion to be handed over to the government, he kept more than 60 yuan for himself. After paying the workers, he still had more than 50 yuan left.

That 50 yuan is enough for him to develop another mine.

Sofia also had a rare good night's sleep, and didn't get out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.

As she yawned and went downstairs, she found Frey sitting in her living room.

"Hey? Teacher? What brings you here?"

Sophia rubbed her eyes and plopped down opposite Frey.

"It's nothing, I just mean you're being too roundabout. You probably originally planned to borrow money from me to compensate the Earl and the Empire for their losses, right?"