Bluebird Lady and The White Lion Family Chapter 44

 

“Yes?”

 

Sophina’s voice rose to the heavens in panic.

 

“What, land?”

 

What kind of scale was that for this house? Does she give away real estate for a job well done?

 

Sophina’s eyelashes fluttered at the unexpected.

 

It was a shiver of embarrassment mixed with joy.

 

‘Wow, the male lead’s family is no joke.’

 

This must be what it’s like to be rich, Sophina thought sadly.

 

‘If I love it too much, it shows!’

 

But unlike Sophina, who was overwhelmed by the shock, her mother continued nonchalantly.

 

“It’s no big deal, it’s only a few bucks, and it’s good for you, little girl.”

 

Indeed. Real estate doesn’t change.

 

It always goes up.

 

She squinted at Khan, muttering to herself.

 

“May I see it now?”

 

“Sure.”

 

When Khan nodded. Sophina opened the envelope as if she’d been waiting for it, but with a touch of carefulness that was almost perfunctory.

 

The black ones are for professional use. The white ones are for margins.

 

Ah, contracts…

 

Khan, noticing Sophina’s tousled curls, explained, “This is the area where the Roneache flower grows.”

 

Roneache flowers?

 

Why would my mother mention that?

 

Just as the question was forming, Mother smiled, her lips curling into her characteristic expressionless look.

 

“I’m thinking of hiring a few more servants to help cultivate the flowers.”

 

I guessed she was going to help me with my business with flowers.

 

That guess was correct.

 

“It sounds like you’re trying to do something with the flowers, I hope it works out.”

 

Khan muttered words of encouragement, unnecessarily avoiding Sophina’s gaze.

 

“…Thank you so much, Mother!”

 

Sophina clasped her hands together like a little kindergartener in gratitude for the help.

 

Then she noticed something.

 

“Huh? But you’re wearing a brooch, aren’t you?”

 

“Ahem.”

 

A brooch in the shape of a brave lion that Sophina had picked out herself at a doll shop.

 

It was the perfect piece of jewelry to match her charismatic mother’s aura.

 

‘I have good taste!’

 

Sophina says with a self-deprecating, bashful smile.

 

“Whoever picked it out, it looks great on you!”

 

“Whoever gave it to me.”

 

Khan chimed in with a look of amusement on her face, like she was looking at her mischievous granddaughter.

 

‘Oh, I didn’t expect you to say that. I’m embarrassed.’

 

Sophina changed the subject unnecessarily.

 

She was also curious, “By the way, the store where I bought that brooch was very interesting.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“It has the powers of a beast embedded in it. They said it wasn’t permanent.”

 

The shopkeeper never told me that it was a trade secret, but my mother might have known.

 

After all, she’s a knowledgeable woman.

 

And Khan doesn’t betray her admiration.

 

“Ah, you must have used the Thenedore.”

 

Thenedore?

 

Where had I heard that before?

 

The word struck a nerve.

 

‘That sounds like something from the original.’

 

Sophina rolled her eyes and searched her memory.

 

She couldn’t remember exactly what it was. Feeling like her memory was failing her, she looked up at her mother with a twinkle in her eye.

 

Her eyes twinkled like a curious child’s.

 

Khan smiled and explained briefly.

 

“It’s a rare ore that acts as a vessel to contain and store power.”

 

Very valuable, Mother added.

 

“Even in the Lion Realm, there are only two mines that produce Thenedore.”

 

Just saying the word doesn’t quite do it justice. I had to see it in person to get a vague idea.

 

“Really? What does it look like?” I asked, just out of curiosity.

 

It’s a rare thing, and I didn’t expect to see anything right away.

 

“I’ve kept a few of them, but let’s go back to the family room.”

 

Sophina followed her mother back into the mansion.

 

They soon arrived in Khan’s office. Her mother opened a safe hidden in a closet.

 

Then she reached into it and picked up something shiny.

 

As she drew closer, the object revealed itself.

 

A fist-sized, periwinkle-colored ore, polished to a brilliant shine.

 

“This is what it looks like. They say those who have seen it never forget Thenedore.”

 

I’ve seen this before, haven’t I?

 

A flashback to a novel flashed through my mind.

 

How’s that for the epitome of ruin?

 

It’s only thrilling and interesting when the heroine gets caught after running away once.

 

In the original novel, the heroine fought with the male lead and got a mysterious offer from a foreign country.

 

It’s a bit of a mixed genre.

 

Anyway, she finds a mysterious and unknown place, where she picks up several precious items.

 

It’s like a treasure trove of divine things.

 

‘It’s like hitting the lotto.’

 

The ore my mother had mentioned, Thenedore, must have been one of the things she’d gotten there.

 

‘It must have been the name of the city she fled to and hid in…’

 

I don’t know, but it was famous for its hot springs.

 

Well, it was definitely the setting of the original story when the male lead captured the heroine.

 

And in that hot spring…

 

‘They were so nice.’

 

Oh, what did I imagine?

 

Pushing her thoughts away, Sophina pondered.

 

Perhaps I should just get that Thenedore ore. Just a few, so as not to disturb the original.

 

‘I don’t think it’s ever been used for anything other than in the novel, so I suppose it’s okay.’

 

In fact, I hired a few more servants.

 

Even so, the labor shortage seemed impossible to overcome.

 

‘My mother gave me the land… I’m going to need a lot of workers… farmers, sorters, deliveries, and people.’

 

Moreover, the lion’s territory was enormous.

 

It was mountain after mountain.

 

‘Startup is always challenging.’

 

In the end, Sophina decided to visit the unknown place.

 

She called out cheerfully to Khan.

 

“Mother!”

 

And then she grabbed her mother’s hand and squeezed it as tightly as she could, trying to sound as affectionate as possible.

 

“Can’t we all go on a trip sometime?”

 

“A trip?”

 

“Yes! There’s a famous hot spring nearby.”

 

The original heroine hadn’t fled as far as one might think, so it had to be a city somewhere nearby.

 

‘Still, we can’t be sure, so we need information.’

 

Ah, the insane informant!

 

I didn’t like the idea, but I figured I’d at least try to meet him in person.

 

It seemed like he was pretty good at his job, and since he was suspicious, it would be good to have a proper conversation with him.

 

‘Good timing.’

 

Sophina balled her fists, determined to get every last bit of information out of him.

 

Khan, meanwhile, reacted positively to Sophina’s unexpected suggestion.

 

“Ohoh, hot springs. Sounds good.”

 

Khan also liked the idea of a family trip, even if it wasn’t possible right now.

 

“I don’t think it’ll be possible in the fall, so let’s go in the winter.”

 

“Of course, hot springs are best in winter!”

 

Sophina exclaimed in agreement.

 

“We’ll discuss the details after the tour is over.”

 

“Okay, Mom!”

 

‘I’ll see you then.’

 

Until then, I just need to know where that city was located.

 

Sophina’s mischievous grin tugged at the corners of her lips.

 

“Oh, by the way, the location of the fall tour will be in the forest, on the border of the territory of the other beasts’ people.”

 

Khan naturally shifted the conversation to the tour.

 

The summer banquet went off without a hitch, so why not prepare for the next one?

 

Of course, she wouldn’t leave the fall tour to Sophina, as she’d organized it herself.

 

“You’ll need to be well-prepared, are you sure you’re up for it?”

 

Still, it would be her first tour, and she was worried about the bluebirds, which were more fragile than lions.

 

‘The way they’re morphed into animals, they look like they’ll collapse if you hit them.’

 

She wondered if she might be injured by the paws of lions in the forest.

 

Khan had forgotten that the bluebird was a bird that could fly. Khan’s worried expression frightened Sophina.

 

‘I thought this was just a roaming, exploratory event, nothing dangerous, right?’

 

After all, the borderlands weren’t exactly lawless territory where disputes between the beasts could break out.

 

Her eyes quivered and she scratched her head warily.

 

“Why don’t we build up our muscles?”

 

“Why?”

 

Khan asked and then echoed the question. Sophina replied nervously, her voice cracking.

 

“In case someone attacks, or there’s a fight or something.”

 

“No one would dare mess with the lions. They’ll be fine, even if the dastardly leopards come after them.”

 

Khan chuckled at the small animal’s determined defense of its tree fruit.

 

Then, finally, recovering her composure, she advised Sophina.

 

“Just pretend you’re going for a walk in the woods, it’s not that hard.”

 

Oh, I’m being a brat.

 

Sophina patted her chest and listened as Khan continued.

 

“That wasn’t so bad, though.”

 

“What?”

 

“You need to learn some more exercises, sweetheart. You’ll be on the move a lot if you’re going to make the rounds, and stamina is a must.”

 

Gently, her mother poked her finger into Sophina’s forearm.

 

The flesh, smooth as a milk pudding, felt like clay to the touch.

 

“You’re squishy.”

 

“Let me help!”

 

Just then, Ririela, who had suddenly appeared, interrupted the conversation.

 

Ririela remains awkward. But she’s more relaxed than she’s been in a long time, and she speaks to Khan.

 

“Please allow me. Mother.”

 

“I think it’s a good idea, but…”

 

Khan trailed off, looking for Sophina’s opinion.

 

“What do you think, sweetheart?”

 

“Me, I love it!”

 

Sophina affirmed, sneaking up on Ririela and throwing her arms around her.

 

Maybe this would be a good time to bond.

 

Soon after.

 

Sophina found herself training for physical fitness like never before.

 

But when did Ricardo and Canus join the party?

 

— Run, brother!

 

“Madame, shall we put that little snake away?”

 

Sophina muttered to her husband as she glanced at the others, who had now begun to hover around them.

 

What an entertaining gathering.