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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: My Sister, My Enemy, Cherishes Me
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"You're a little short on funds."
"Oh dear..."
Theon counted the gold coins in the pouch I offered and spoke.
"I paid Vittori for her services..."
"And you also spent money on snacks. Jena always brings something back when she goes out."
Thud—
I collapsed onto the library sofa, as if my legs had given out.
I'd found a fantastic piece of land for my first investment ever, but I was exactly one gold short.
I intended to buy a small plot of land that connected Carnai and the Empire.
Carnai was located at the southernmost tip of the continent, its border with the Empire consisting entirely of rugged rocky mountains and sheer cliffs.
Trade was rare, and with different languages and cultures, the two nations had remained virtually cut off for centuries.
Very, very occasionally, the servants of eccentric collectors, desperate for rare items not found in the Empire, would traverse the rocky mountain cliff paths, but that was the extent of it.
The only truly flat area was a forest situated between two cliffs. Nothing grew there but thorny vines, and occasionally, man-eating monsters would emerge from it.
"The seller requested payment by today. I'm planning to meet them at the Imperial Palace via portal."
Theon glanced at his watch as he spoke.
Neither he nor the seller seemed inclined to accommodate my urgent situation.
"Can't I pay tomorrow? You'll still be drinking tomorrow anyway."
I asked, putting on my most pitiful expression.
Thanks to my memories from my past life, I knew that forest was private property. I also knew that with enough will, I could get rid of all the thorny vines and monsters.
Calein, who desired the entire continent, found the unsubjugated Carnai bothersome. He abruptly burned down the forest and occupied the village.
When a significant number of knights died in the process, he took out his frustration by killing the innocent forest owner. His justification was that the owner had been negligent in its management.
Thanks to remembering his name—the one who'd been dragged from the tavern, tipsy—finding him was quick.
"He said if he didn't get it, he'd hand over the land today in lieu of his outstanding tab."
"No!"
I wailed.
"Um, could I possibly get my allowance for next month in advance...?"
"You've already received it in advance."
"Then the month after that."
"More than one month in advance is not permitted."
The cold-blooded stickler for rules replied as if he didn't see my politely clasped hands.
He was the one who asked to be my subordinate, but when I look closely, I can't tell who the master is.
"Then just lend me one gold..."
"For a superior to borrow money from a subordinate is the beginning of corruption. I've told Jena the same."
You need power to be corrupt!
Theon seemed to view all these experiences as part of my education.
His flat refusal of my repeated proposals for joint investment was along the same lines.
He'd said that mixing money between master and subordinate would ruin the relationship, so I should arrange the funds myself, and if things went well, he'd expect a hefty bonus.
"But everyone in the mansion is a subordinate!"
"That's not entirely true."
"Then should I borrow from the Duchess?"
"Isn't there someone else?"
"…!"
I realized a forgotten fact, and my mind went blank.
There *is* one more person. But...
Theon tilted his head and asked again.
"What will you do?"
"Sigh..."
Thirty minutes later, my trembling hands were knocking on Callista's door.
***
"Come in, Lady Harper."
Callista's maid led me into the room.
Callista was reading a book on a spacious sofa. Upon seeing me, she immediately closed her book and asked,
"What is it, Harper?"
It was her usual even tone, one that always put people on edge. I hesitated, then approached and stood before her, taking a deep breath.
"...please."
"I can't quite hear you."
Her voice, clear and resonant unlike mine, made my heart pound even harder.
What if she gets angry? Is this crazy?
But if I turned back now, Callista might be even more displeased.
I bowed my head deeply and extended both hands as politely as possible.
"...just one gold... please lend me."
Callista remained silent for a long moment. When I looked up, she was blinking her eyes, which seemed larger than usual, as she stared at me.
"I'll pay you back the month after next!"
I tried to make my case.
Theon said it's important to be clear about the repayment period when borrowing money.
"I'll write an IOU, and if you need collateral, collateral too..."
I trailed off, trying to think of something I could offer as collateral.
Surely she wouldn't ask for an arm or a leg.
"...Why do you need the money?"
Callista asked slowly.
"I want to buy land."
"An investment, you mean?"
"Yes."
I nodded. And just in case, I added,
"If you perhaps invested one gold with me..."
"You can't buy land with one gold. At least ten thousand gold is needed for land to be considered a worthwhile investment."
She said, frowning.
"It's not one gold. It's much more expensive, but that's just how much I'm short."
"How expensive is it?"
"Eight gold."
"..."
Callista seemed about to say something, then pressed her lips together again. She looked as if she was pondering how to explain something difficult.
"What kind of land are you trying to buy?"
"It's a thorny vine forest where monsters appear. To be honest, I've never actually been there."
The more I spoke, the stranger Callista's expression became. Just as I was about to give up, she asked seriously,
"Ultimately, what do you intend to do by buying that land?"
Ultimately?
'I'm thinking of living far away from you, somewhere Calein can't find me, with a personal masseuse. Once I save up enough money.'
"I plan to turn it into a trade route."
I shook my head to clear away my stray thoughts and answered Callista's question.
'She means, how will I earn money, and how much will I earn, right?'
"A trade route?"
"Yes."
I said with renewed confidence. Her expression still indicated her doubts hadn't been resolved.
"How much do you expect to earn from it in a year?"
"Per day..."
I recalled the data Theon had given me and smiled faintly.
"Ten thousand gold a day."
Callista's pupils, deep as the ocean, trembled subtly for a moment.
***
"You called for me?"
"You've arrived, Aramis."
"You seem spaced out today."
He waved a hand in front of Callista's eyes. She had been staring intently at one spot, and only then did she look at Aramis.
"I met Lady Harper on my way in. She looked quite excited, holding a single gold coin in her hand."
"She received it from me."
"Now you're giving her an allowance?"
"No. It's an investment contribution."
She replied.
"Her plan seemed rather plausible, so I decided to take a share instead of money."
"Sounds like a scam, though."
He was about to add something else but saw Callista's serious expression and closed his mouth.
"Aramis, you said it before. That Igard, that the Elder Council, would try to use Harper. That children are easy to exploit."
She said quietly.
"That's right."
"I thought so too, but..."
Callista smiled, half-amused and half-baffled.
Aramis's eyes widened at her unfamiliar expression.
"Lately, my thoughts have shifted a little."
"Oh?"
Callista's smile deepened.
"Perhaps, that child might not be so easily used after all."
***
I stared intently at a sheet of paper, worn and tattered from being folded and unfolded too many times.
"It's been an hour, My Lady. You should put it away now."
Theon reached out for the paper, but my eyes remained fixed on it.
"Staring at the land deed won't change it."
Right, this was the land deed. My very first piece of land across two lifetimes.
No, to be precise, one-eighth of it belonged to Callista.
But what did that matter? My share was seven times hers.
"Proper storage is important, so put it away carefully. And you need to get ready to go out."
Oh, right. I need to get ready.
Only then did I carefully fold the paper as Theon instructed and place it in the safe I had prepared.
"It could be dangerous, so don't let Sion out of your sight."
I nodded at Theon's words.
As he said, today was the day I would go out of the mansion.
To a place familiar in my previous life, but one I hadn't visited even once since my regression.
"You also need to dress warmly. The Imperial Palace is colder than the Luperne Duchy."
To the Imperial Palace, where Calein had taken me.
***
It all began with Sion's sigh.
"Sigh..."
During our mid-day stroll in the garden, he let out a deep sigh that seemed to drain the very earth.
"Sion."
"Hoo..."
"What's wrong?"
I asked kindly. The day was beautiful, the garden lovely, and most of all, I wanted to make a good impression on Sion.
"Tell me, I'll listen to everything."
"Haaaah... My Lady is too young to understand."
"No, I have more experience than I look."
I declared confidently.
Throw anything at me. Assassination, running away, imprisonment, death... there's very little I haven't experienced.
"It's a matter of romance."
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, all my confidence drained away. That was one thing I hadn't experienced.
I didn't even have a single male friend, let alone a lover. And Calein, my fiancé in name only, couldn't really be called a lover.
"Ahem. So, why is... romance a problem?"
I felt awkward and tried to change the subject, but Sion was just staring blankly into space.
"It's not romance, it's unrequited love. There was a woman I liked, but I haven't seen her in a long time."
"Who? One of the mansion's employees?"
"No. It was someone I saw once when I lived at the Imperial Palace. Iris, the daughter of the tavern owner where I worked."
I stopped walking abruptly.
"...That's a unique name, isn't it?"
"Yes. I only had a crush and couldn't speak up. She's probably inherited the tavern by now... If only I had confessed, I wouldn't have any lingering regrets."
He murmured, steeped in sentimentality, but my mind was already racing with different thoughts.
Iris's tavern. That was the base where Sion had established his information network in my previous life.
He sold information gathered from the patrons of the tavern, and with that money, he opened several other taverns and salons, repeating the process until he grew into an emperor of the underworld.
And Iris, the owner of that establishment, had been his right-hand woman from the very beginning when Sion first built his information network.
In other words, that vast network began with the meeting of the two of them as adults.
But they were just colleagues.
"That person... you saw her when you were young and haven't met her since?"
"Yes. But I heard she still isn't seriously seeing anyone. That's why my heart feels even more restless."
Poor Sion. The emphasis in that sentence should be on 'seriously'.
