***
‘Could it really be true?’
A week after the family council.
I was pondering the matter while carefully putting together the puzzle Nina had brought me.
Beside me was a huge assortment of incredibly delicious cookies, candies, jelly, cakes, and all sorts of other treats.
They were gifts from a few innocent elderly grandfathers who had readily believed that I was a saint.
‘He was probably just trying to help me back then. It’s not like I have divine power or anything.’
Phew. After letting out a short sigh, I briefly recalled what had happened that day.
“Spring is coming soon. Knowing that is my ability.”
That was definitely what I had said.
All I meant was that knowing where to invest was my ability, but somehow the atmosphere suddenly shifted into,
‘I’m another saint, so I know in advance where spring will come.’
‘It did turn out rather conveniently. Though I’m sure Kiraxus was counting on that.’
But isn’t calling me a saint a little too big of a lie?
My status had gone from merely an ‘albino beastkin’ to the remarkably elevated position of ‘Saint of the Magic
Empire,’ so at least I didn’t have to worry about being kicked out anymore, but how was he planning to deal with this……?
‘Ah, wait. Am I the one who has to deal with it……?’
The moment they heard that I was another saint, the meeting hall became a complete madhouse, like someone had stirred up a hornet’s nest.
They couldn’t believe it, if spring really came then that would be the proof, stop lying, and so on.
But spring really would come.
‘Then…… am I going to become a fake saint now?’
No, if he was going to put on a show like that, couldn’t he at least explain it to me beforehand, since I’m the one actually involved?! I thought he would explain everything after the meeting, but he just disappeared!
Crack. I got so worked up that when I squeezed the puzzle piece in my hand, it folded in half.
“Oops.”
“You’re quite strong, Lady Florin. Were you bored with the puzzle?”
“No, I was just angwy…….”
“I see. You must be feeling cooped up after being confined to your bedroom today because of the heavy snowfall. Shall I play with you?”
“I’m otay. Nina’s busy.”
I maturely shook my head.
Of course, playing tag and hide-and-seek with Nina was incredibly fun…… but she must be busy, so I shouldn’t bother her.
As it turned out, Nina was Kiraxus’s only maid. When I first learned that, I thought Kiraxus was truly a terrible person for making one person do all the work, but after hearing the whole story, I couldn’t help but admire him.
‘He caught the assassin who came to kill him and forcibly put her under a ten-year obedience contract spell…….’
……I should definitely ask her to teach me that kind of magic someday!
And so I had found a way to adapt to this villainous family.
‘It should be about time for the family head to contact me.’
Things had already gotten far too big, and I couldn’t see any chance to back out anymore.
In the end, I resigned myself to letting things happen however they would, pushed the puzzle aside, and hugged a crayon. Unlike colored pencils, crayons didn’t stick easily to my white fur, making them perfect for playing with.
‘Let’s organize my goals.’
I diligently drew a crown on the sketchbook Nina had given me. This was the conclusion I had reached.
‘Since things have turned out like this, I might as well give being a fake saint and daughter-in-law a try!’
I didn’t know who my husband would be, but he’d probably be one of the guys who appeared in the novel, whatever.
Of course, once the story reached its latter half, my husband would also become completely infatuated with Rahin and go around acting lovestruck. That was simply the kind of novel it was.
‘It’s fine as long as I don’t love my husband, but it would be troublesome if the Driblyane family fell because of some lovers’ quarrel.’
After all, if this family went bankrupt, wouldn’t I, as the lady of the house, end up living on the streets with them?
‘Then let’s see……. I’ll build my own power base completely unrelated to my husband, and I’ll be the one supporting the family.’
And what if my husband gets stabbed somewhere and dies?
‘Then I’ll become the duke myself.’
I snickered deviously.
‘But it would be better to eliminate the very reason this novel was destined to become a miserable story in the first place.’
Because I never know what kind of variable might pop up or where.
I took a pink crayon out of the long box and drew three hearts. These hearts represented the male protagonists from the latter half of the novel.
My 1st. Guide My 2nd. Dante My 3rd. Yuri
Of the three, Dante was the only one who was a direct descendant of this family; the other two were not.
Gerd was a collateral relative with the blood of the Lichenbium royal family in his veins. Yuri was the youngest son of
Lady Ariadne, who herself had blood from the imperial family of the Magic Empire.
‘These three have deep wounds from their childhood. And they helplessly fall for Rahin, who understands and empathizes with those wounds.’
It was the most obvious salvation cliché.
‘What if I steal that salvation cliché away from Rahin before she can?’
Wouldn’t that reduce Rahin’s influence a little?
This time, I took out a red crayon and wrote down some numbers. They were my concrete goals for my life from now on.
- Make Driblyane’s mother
become mine! - Keep the false saint’s outfit
to maintain
my political influence! - Get along with people in the temple
from now on so that Rahin
doesn’t know anything! - Take the exhausted men!
Let’s prefer Rahin!
“Very good.”
Looking at my squiggly handwriting, I grinned. Then I reached out and quickly devoured a piece of brownie like a rich person.
I didn’t even suck the chocolate off my hands.
‘If this is how they treat a saint…… I’ll keep pretending to be one!’
Overwhelmed by the heavenly taste, I flopped onto my back, exposing my round belly.
“Is Lady Florin here?”
That was when it happened. The summons from Grandfather, the family head, that I had been waiting and waiting for finally arrived.
I threw down my crayon, jumped to my feet, clenched my little chestnut-like paws, and ran outside.
“I’m hewe!!!”
Let’s go! Time to sell off information about the Holy Empire!
***
“Look at that! New shoots have sprouted!”
“Spring really has truly come. And only in the exact place Lady Florin pointed out!”
“This is the proof, Family Head!”
“Just as Young Master said, could it really be that our Magic Empire has finally produced a saint as well?”
The private meeting room attached to the family head’s office.
Right now, the excitement in this room was tremendous.
Amid the excited shouts of the retainers, the family head, Immanuel Guillaume Driblyane, was staring intently at the scenery displayed in the viewing crystal. More precisely, he was looking at the land where new shoots had sprouted and the dry branches that had begun to grow flower buds. Proof of spring.
About a week ago, he had bought the County of Luxoria, figuring that he might as well take the chance even if he was being fooled. Not just a piece of land, but the entire territory. And this was the result of that investment.
“Family Head!”
Eventually, the door opened, and a white marten appeared, respectfully carried in a basket by the butler.
Immanuel stared at the little creature that had been placed on the table, then shouted at those around him.
“Why haven’t you laid out the red carpet immediately?! What are you all doing?!”
The Driblyane family was thoroughly merit-based. Even the heirs were absolutely required to follow this principle.
Their basic allowance and living expenses were extremely small, and they could only receive performance bonuses when they achieved some kind of political or business result.
‘I knew that already.’
But actually experiencing it clearly was something else.
The carpet made of wool was so soft that I almost felt like I might slip on it. The fact that something like this had been laid out solely for me could only mean one thing.
They recognized my ability!
If there was one advantage to being part of a villainous family, it was probably that as long as you brought them profit, they were willing to turn a blind eye to your origins.
Getting complicated and nitpicky about such things was more the Holy Empire’s style.
The Holy Empire valued honor, bloodline, nobility, and dignity over money. But the Magic Empire was different.
Money was king!
“Child. What is your name?”
“Florin.”
“Florin, is it? I shall remember your name from now on.”
A short while later.
I was sitting proudly in front of Grandfather, the family head, drinking milk mixed with honey. Sticking my face into a large cup and lapping it up wasn’t exactly easy, but the smell of honey was far too tempting to ignore.
“Hmm, yes. Since you are an albino, humanizing must be difficult. I shall have tableware and cups made that are easier for you to use.”
“Thank you.”
“Ho ho ho, there’s no need for that. Now that I see you, you truly are a treasure!”
“Hehe, then I won’t wefuse…… Please make a table too! An’ put pwetty, shiny things on it!”
Why would I refuse when he was offering? If anything, I’d take whatever extras I could get.
I was certain that the things the family head himself had promised to have ‘made’ specially for me couldn’t possibly be cheap. They would surely be miniature pieces of art valuable enough to be displayed in some museum or another.
I grinned happily and rested my soft cheek against the cup. It was my way of telling everyone gathered here to look at me.
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