The Regret Novel Female Lead with Unbreakable Mentality Chapter 78

Yuliana hesitated for a moment before picking up her spoon. She’d scooped the ice cream into a huge, round ball, and now she held out the spoon. “Ah.”

 

“Huuh?”

 

“Ah.”

 

It took Riwes a second to realize she wanted him to open his mouth. Once he caught on, Riwes nodded enthusiastically and opened wide, “Aah—.”

 

While Riwes ate the ice cream, Neslan leaned in and whispered in an overly affectionate tone, “All this happiness is thanks to Giselle, Count Florette.”

 

“I’ve heard all about everything she has done. She’s just so lovable. Honestly, I thought our Giselle was practically a hero.”

 

How far are they going to take this?

 

“Even the late emperor never pulled off such heroic feats.”

 

Seriously, how far are they going with this?

 

Just as I was about to open my mouth, unable to endure the barrage of over-the-top praise any longer, Yuliana chimed in with a pointed remark. “…You’re all hopeless.”

 

That’s Yuliana for you. She seemed to be the only rational one in the room right now.

 

“Giselle, it’s all thanks to you. I thought our family was already strong enough, but I didn’t realize there were still weak spots so close by. You’re helping our family grow even more. Everything that’s happened is because you came to us.”

 

No, actually, she’s the most worked up of all.

 

…The people who should be most worried about me causing trouble are now shielding me with sparkling eyes. This is just too weird.

 

I found myself in a rather awkward situation, but the members of the Kalinos family were all smiling brightly. Ugh, I give up. If Duke Kalinos ever refuses to pay me, my only option is to keep a detailed record of everything I’ve done. Whether I end up wrecking the place or becoming the family’s savior, I’m leaving this marriage with as much money as I can carry, no matter what.

 

Just then, Yuliana looked at me intently and spoke. “Ah.”

 

“Huh?”

 

She scooped up something thick and sticky from beside the ice cream with her spoon and said, “Open up. You haven’t been looking well lately.”

 

“Huh?”

 

I barely had time to respond before something salty and savory hit my tongue. Wait, she says I look unwell. Did she catch me coughing up blood?

 

Yuliana pointed to something next to her. Seriously, what the hell is eel extract with 1% troll juice?

 

“Gasp! You can’t get sick! Eat lots, okay?”

 

Riwes was right there, making sure I finished it all so I couldn’t even throw it away…!

 

“That’s right, eat up, Dear.”

 

“Giselle, you have to eat a lot. You’ve accomplished such great things, of course you need to eat more! Come on!”

 

Suddenly, things I’d never seen before started piling up on my plate.

 

That day, my stomach ended up as round as Riwes’s.

 

* * *

Giselle is acting strange. She was never exactly normal, but still… She really doesn’t look well today.

 

Cordelia, who’d been sitting nervously by her side, spoke up cautiously. “Um, is the dragon giving you a hard time?”

 

Giselle, who’d been staring blankly into space from her armchair, suddenly sat up straight. “Huh? This person just suddenly appeared again.”

 

“…I’ve been making my presence known for a while now. And I told Madam Yuliana I’d be visiting this mansion today.”

 

Giselle blinked for a moment, then said, “Oh!” as if she’d just remembered. “Ah, I must have forgotten because I’ve been so busy.”

 

Strange. She talks so casually, but somehow it doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, it’s kind of comforting. Maybe it’s because she agreed to take care of the dragon?

 

Cordelia, frequently checking Giselle’s complexion, fell into deep thought. Among all the phantasmal beasts, dragons were known to drain a considerable amount of mana. So it made sense that Giselle seemed to be struggling. Honestly, I’m the one who pushed this on her, so I should definitely take responsibility.

 

Feeling a strong sense of duty, Cordelia turned to Giselle and spoke. “I came by today to see if there’s anything I can help you with.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I mean, I kind of dumped the dragon on you out of nowhere. I’m really grateful, so I wanted to repay the favor. I know it’s a bit awkward to say this myself, but as a member of a ducal family, I actually have quite a bit of influence both in society and at the academy.”

 

Truthfully, even as Cordelia said this, she already had a pretty good idea of what Giselle would ask for. She’ll probably say she wants me to introduce her to some social gatherings. After all, being friends with me is the easiest way to break into high society. Especially since Giselle had only just made a name for herself as the new Duchess Kalinos. Someone like her would definitely need a solid support base in the social scene.

 

“Oh, you want to repay the favor? I like that. I never turn down a stroke of good luck that falls into my lap.”

 

“What kind of help do you have in mind?”

 

Giselle’s face, which had looked deep in thought, suddenly brightened. “As it happens, I’ve been working on a little ‘plan’ of my own, and I needed someone with real influence in society. Could you go to the auction house for me?”

 

“Huh? The auction house?”

 

It was an unexpected request.

 

“Yes. I heard there’s going to be an auction every day for a week at the auction house in front of the clock tower, starting this week. Please buy one item each day from the B-12 cage, for the entire week.”

 

“Just buy anything?”

 

“Yes, whatever catches your eye.”

 

It was a rather suspicious request. What on earth is she up to? Narrowing her eyes like a secret agent, Cordelia whispered. “The auction. Got it. Should I go in secret?”

 

Giselle burst out laughing and waved her hands. “No, nothing dangerous. In fact, I’d prefer if you went as flamboyantly as possible, and as often as you can.”

 

“As flamboyantly as possible? That’s my specialty.”

 

“But, there’s one condition.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“You can only buy items from lot B, and only those from dealer ‘W’.”

 

* * *

Every summer, for one week, an ancient auction is held in front of the central clock tower in the empire’s main square. It’s an open auction where anyone can participate as a dealer or a buyer at any time. It was also a place where commoners and fallen nobles often came to buy medicine or curious items. And now, the usually deserted B-12 cage was suddenly buzzing with excitement thanks to the arrival of a certain someone.

 

“I-Isn’t that Lady Cordelia?”

 

“What on earth brings her here?”

 

“She’s even got the Cordelia family’s mages with her!”

 

Wherever Cordelia walked, a magical illusion of vibrant, beautiful blossoms seemed to bloom in her wake. Naturally, everyone who’d been bored for lack of gossip now turned their full attention to her. Everyone was dying to know what she would buy.

 

A day passed, then two, three, and four, and still Cordelia kept participating in the clock tower auction. And every time, she only bought from a single dealer.

 

“What on earth is that dealer selling? Why does Lady Cordelia keep buying from them?”

 

“Oh! Is it maybe a potion?”

 

“Hm, no, it looks more like medicine to me.”

 

The most gossipy woman among them shook her head. “…Ah, haven’t you heard the news yet?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“That dealer is the famous assistant, Wot!”

 

“What? Assistant Wot? Who’s that?”

 

The woman clicked her tongue. “You know, the assistant who cured Former Duke Neslan Kalinos!”

 

At that, everyone exchanged glances.

 

* * *

“I bought everything Dealer W had.”

 

“You bought everything?”

 

“Yes. You told me to buy whatever I wanted. There were a lot of interesting things, you know? Some of the labels said things like ‘Taming Potion,’ which seemed a little suspicious, but still.”

 

I nodded, handling the potion and medicine containers as if I found them fascinating. “I’d heard rumors about this potion, so I was really curious.”

 

“It would have been even better if you’d seen and picked them out yourself, don’t you think?”

 

I let my shoulders slump and mumbled in a small voice, pretending to be disappointed. “No one really likes it when I go out in public, you know.”

 

Anyone could see I was perfectly fine at socializing, so if you looked closely, it was an odd excuse. But Cordelia seemed to accept it without question.

 

See? Having a bad reputation really does come in handy at times like this.

 

As I put the items back into the box, I offered her a light word of thanks. “Thank you, Cordelia. It’s been about three days since the clock tower auction ended, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I nodded brightly, smiling. “If anyone else asks you about the items, it’d be great if you could say you liked them and maybe leave a good review. And if you could share a bit of information about Dealer ‘W’ too, that’d be perfect.”

 

“Hmm, well. Sure, I can do that.”

 

What really mattered was the ‘rumor.’ The rumor that Cordelia Inferna had visited the ‘Ancient Auction’ and bought something there.

 

Everyone in high society kept a close eye on Cordelia Inferna’s every move, so of course they’d be dying to know what she’d purchased. And of course, the ‘big fish’ in high society that I was aiming for would be just as curious.