The Regret Novel Female Lead with Unbreakable Mentality Chapter 68

She was dressed from head to toe in a striking, vivid red gown. A bright red feathered hat, bright red shoes, and even her gloves were red. Yet, the bold color didn’t look the least bit out of place. On the contrary, it blended perfectly with the current social trend for vibrant hues, creating a flawless harmony.

 

Celestine Green may be the most beautiful and vivid among greens, but among all colors, red is the most striking and vivid. No matter how dazzling Celestine Green was, it couldn’t outshine the vivid, intensely red color that stood out on its own.

 

The other ladies of Muto, each adorned in splendid Celestine Green dresses, suddenly looked pale.

 

This feeling is, well…

 

Um, right. This is exactly like being the supporting character!

 

Flustered, Shabel quickly rose and led Cordelia to the seat of honor.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Y-Yes, nice to meet you too, Lady Cordelia.”

 

“I imagine everyone was quite excited when they heard I’d be meeting with ‘Muto’ today.” Whether the ladies were thrown off by her bluntness or not, Cordelia continued speaking. “I was looking forward to it just as much, you know…” She spoke lightly, in a tone that effortlessly toppled everything Marquis Berto had built up. “I’m sure you’re all curious why I showed up in such a vivid red dress.”

 

“Lady Cordelia, to be honest, yes. We did include the dress code in the invitation, after all.”

 

Just then, Cordelia brought up something no one could possibly argue with. “The dragon prefers colors as fiery as flames.” She spoke as she absently stroked the ruby ring on her finger. “It’s truly a pity that the color promoted by ‘Muto’ will have to be set aside, but for this social season, I think red should be the trend.”

 

Cordelia was the youngest daughter of Duke Inferna, the lady everyone admired. Although she had been away living abroad for a while, her influence in society remained significant. If it were only that, ‘Muto’ could have done their best to ignore her. But what Cordelia invoked was none other than a phantasmal beast—the dragon.

 

The dragon’s presence wasn’t limited to affecting high society. A great dragon was a powerful, extraordinary being—one that could even become a military asset for the empire.

 

“I trust you all understand what I’m saying by now.”

 

If red were to become the trend in society, the fame of Celestine Green would inevitably fade.

 

No, calm down. I just have to pull myself together and do something. But even as Shabel tried to steel herself, her face pale, the situation didn’t end there.

 

Cordelia smiled sweetly and continued. “Oh, and there was something else I wanted to mention. You know that painter who’s famous for using Celestine Green in their works?”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

“The one who painted the picture Lady Shabel showed us at the Party on the Phantom Ship.”

 

As Shabel’s eyes grew confused, Cordelia let out a soft laugh.

 

“There’s a rumor that the painter ‘Taran’ is actually Marquis Berto.”

 

Normally, if it were revealed that the painter Taran was actually Marquis Berto, people would have been skeptical but still rather delighted by the news. But ever since the Feast of Saint Gladius, Marquis Berto’s reputation had been on a steady decline.

 

“And for someone so controversial to have chosen that color as the main theme of their paintings… It hardly seems to fit to become the season’s trend.” Cordelia rose to her feet, making her point clear. “…What a pity, truly.”

 

Shabel’s face turned deathly pale. Those words are practically a death sentence for the Celestine Green trend!

 

* * *

“Ducheeeeeess—! Have you heard the newssss—?!”

 

“Extra, extra! There’s breaking news!”

 

It was early in the morning when Vientin had gone to work early. I still had no idea when those two had gotten so close, but Hennessy and Agnes were now pounding urgently at the door. They were like those Yakult sales ladies who came by every morning to deliver potions as tribute. But this was the first time they’d ever woken me up in such a frenzy.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Congratulations!”

 

“For what?”

 

“So you really were hiding your power all along! How are you always this lucky?”

 

“No, seriously, what are you talking about?”

 

From them, I heard the whole exaggerated story: that the dragon had declared red as the next season’s trend at my coffeehouse.

 

“Now that word’s gotten out that the great dragon made that pronouncement at your coffeehouse, everyone’s flocking there.”

 

“Even the red potions are about to sell out!”

 

“…Wait, is a dragon really that big of a deal?”

 

Hennessy stomped his feet as he spoke. “Are you seriously asking that? Do you have any idea how much a nation’s power changes depending on whether it has a dragon or not?”

 

“Wow, just imagine how happy Lady Cordelia must be to be friends with a Dragon. She must feel like she owns the whole world!”

 

…But as the one who actually controls the dragon, I don’t feel all that happy. Is Coocoo really that amazing? I just thought of it as a mana-eating egg…

 

Still, Cordelia had been very generous. All I’d asked of her was just to lay the groundwork for Marquis Berto’s complete downfall.

 

1.To wear red instead of green.

2.To spread the rumor that the painter Taran is actually Marquis Berto.

 

That was it—just those two things. But she went so far as to say the color was chosen by the dragon, completely stripping Celestine Green of its influence! Thanks to that, it looked like Marquis Berto’s ruin would come much sooner than planned.

 

“Anyway, you two can leave now.”

 

“Yes! Once again, congratulations!”

 

After kicking out Hennessy, who was so excited she started doing a celebratory dance, I took out the ‘money box artifact’ to check the accounts.

 

“Alright, looks like the funds are more than enough.”

 

“Coo? (What’s more than enough?)”

 

“From now on, Marquis Berto’s going to get desperate and start making mistakes as he falls apart. All I have to do is watch the show, eat rice cakes, and wait for him to trip over himself… Ah, you startled me.”

 

I looked at the dragon, which was hiding on the floor with its body half-transparent. “Coocoo.”

 

“Coo? (Yeah?)”

 

“Come to think of it, you have the ability to turn invisible, don’t you?”

 

“Coo. (Of course. I’m a great dragon. I’m really good at illusion magic too. Did you see how impressive I am?)”

 

“Really? You’re so great. Then try living on your own like a true great dragon.”

 

At my cold words, Coocoo’s body became even more transparent.

 

“Coo. (No. I can’t live without mana.)”

 

“A dragon that only sucks up mana? You’re basically a parasite, aren’t you?”

 

“Coo. (I’ll repay you.)

 

“Coocoo, how exactly will you repay me? Are you going to cough up some gold or something?”

 

“Coo. Coocoo. (I’m not a gold dragon, so I can’t do that.)”

 

This little brat was even starting to get snippy with me.

 

I kept chugging potions like pouring water into a bottomless jar. So this is why archmages always spend so much money. Because they’re stuck with useless pets that do nothing but drain their mana!

 

Still, I couldn’t get rid of the dragon as long as it had such a great reputation. Besides, Coocoo’s special abilities might come in handy when dealing with those regretful male leads. But right now, it’s just eating way too much mana!

 

I sighed deeply, endlessly drinking the potions Hennessy had left behind.

 

It was the next day. In the end, the side effect of having my mana sucked by this damned Coocoo brat was coughing up blood.

 

“Cough!”

 

I quickly hid behind a tree and covered my mouth with a handkerchief as I coughed up blood. It seemed a lot had come up after holding it in for so long. Still, perhaps thanks to my increased control over Coocoo, I manage to make it go invisible at my will.

 

“Cough cough! Cough cough!”

 

After bleeding for a while, my head finally cleared. What if someone sees me coughing up blood like this? That would be a disaster. How uncomfortable would Duke Kalinos feel if he found out I was spitting up blood? Yuliana and Neslan would be completely thrown off as well. If I could just clean up after myself and hide the evidence, no one would ever know I was coughing up blood…

 

The real problem is, what should I do with this bloodstained handkerchief? Unfortunately, most nobles never did anything themselves. It’d be tricky to hide the laundry somewhere, too.

 

Lost in thought, I headed back to my room, only to find the maids gathering around me. Their mood was oddly excited.

 

“Madam, we have good news!”

 

“What news?”

 

“Lord Riwes is coming to visit!”

 

“Lord Riwes is arriving before Lord Garno!”

 

I was familiar with the late Duke Garno, but the name Riwes was unfamiliar to me.

 

“Who is Riwes?”

 

“Ah, he’s His Grace’s nephew!”

 

I racked my brain, trying to recall the Kalinos family tree I’d heard about before. Right, when we first made the contract, he’d mentioned having a nephew who would succeed him. He’d said the boy was young—maybe five years old?

 

I wonder what kind of child he is. As the Kalinos family’s heir, is he going to be terribly arrogant?

 

Gazing into the air with a determined look, I spoke. “So, when is Riwes supposed to arrive?”

 

“He should be here soon, Madam.”

 

“We think his expected arrival is today or tomorrow…”

 

Wait, he’s coming that soon?