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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Hidden Treasures and Family Bonds
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“Mother told you, didn’t she? Never let it show.”
Kaleo slowly wiped the moist corner of Seletrina’s eye with his thumb.
But he fully understood his wife’s feelings.
Before Arep came to the Dayamor mansion.
Muniel had told Kaleo and Seletrina about the sacrifices that child had made to save Nibelria.
“That child is the reason Nini is alive.”
“...”
“There’s not much we can do for Arep right now, but he’s happy anyway.”
The kind of affection and attention anyone would naturally receive if raised normally.
Arep was overjoyed even by such small things.
Whenever that happened, Kaleo and Seletrina always felt sorry for him.
Compared to the sacrifice you made for us, we’ve done nothing in return.
And yet he was so grateful.
“So let’s keep cherishing and loving him like this, so he can be happy.”
“I will. Always.”
Seletrina nodded.
A few days later.
The newspapers reported that the pharmaceutical company jointly established by Dayamor and Lubeo Corporation would launch as early as late autumn.
“The management philosophy of our pharmaceutical company is ‘Healthy Happiness.’”
Seletrina gathered the reporters and held a press conference.
“Lubeo and the Dayamor Family are focused on improving access to treatments and further developing the efficacy of medicines.”
She also announced their commitment to workers’ safety and welfare through an innovative work environment.
“President!”
At that moment, one reporter raised a hand.
“There was an article recently where the Petra Count’s heir mentioned you. Is there any investment from the Petra heir in this pharmaceutical company...?”
“No.”
Seletrina shook her head.
“Many people, including myself, are working for the Drameno Empire and the Imperial Family. The Petra Count’s heir is one of them.”
I’m not close to that person.
“Right now, Lubeo and the Dayamor Family are concentrating on the pharmaceutical company. That doesn’t mean we’ll neglect our other businesses.”
We have no spare funds to invest elsewhere.
With her refined smile and elegant tone, Seletrina refuted them perfectly.
The scratching of the reporters’ pens grew even noisier.
Thanks to Seletrina’s deft handling, the rumors that the Dayamor Family and Lubeo were meddling in the Petra family’s succession struggle quickly died down.
“Well, Dayamor doesn’t care about that kind of thing.”
“They’ve never been interested in power since way back.”
“That’s why they ended up with such a wonderful daughter-in-law.”
“Dayamor—‘God’s Love’—has finally received God’s love...!”
Their long history of modest living played a big part.
Seletrina’s role in generating the Dayamor family’s wealth was thrust back into the spotlight.
“As expected of my wife.”
Kaleo grinned from ear to ear at the newspapers plastered with praise for Seletrina.
“Stop it, you.”
Seletrina chided him, her cheeks flushing red.
“Making me embarrassed first thing in the morning.”
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s something to brag about.”
Right, kids?
Kaleo flashed a bright smile at the children, as if seeking their agreement.
“Dad’s right. Mom is really cool.”
“Mom’s the coolest!”
“She’s incredibly splendid and amazing.”
The children piled on the praise as if they’d been waiting for the cue.
Ardores joined in too.
“Of course our daughter-in-law is remarkable. What’s there to say?”
“Even you, Father?”
“Still, we should stop now. Selri’s face is ripening redder than a tomato.”
“Press it with a finger, and it’ll squish right in.”
Finally escaping the torrent of praise, Seletrina pressed the backs of her hands to her burning cheeks to cool them down.
As Nibelria munched diligently on her pancakes, a smear of bright red jam caught her eye.
“Grandma, what’s that?”
“This?”
Muniel pointed to the jam she’d been spreading on a neatly sliced piece of bread.
“There’s red fruit inside the honey balls, right?”
“Arep’s eyes?”
Arep’s eyes went wide as he chomped on his carrot.
“Haha, that’s right. It’s jam made from those red fruits.”
“Give some to Nini too!”
“What do you say to grown-ups?”
“Pleeease.”
“That’s my girl.”
Muniel fed Nibelria the bread slathered with jam.
Nibelria opened her mouth wide like a baby bird and chewed away.
“...”
Her diligent chewing gradually slowed.
And then—gulp.
“...Tastes bad.”
Her blue eyes shot Muniel a resentful glare.
“Too bad!”
“Hmm, it really doesn’t taste good, does it.”
Muniel nodded.
Truth be told, she hadn’t tried it herself yet.
“It’s medicine originally. I got it from the Great Witch because a spoonful in jam form is good for your joints...”
“If medicine tasted good, would it be medicine?”
Ardores scooped up a spoonful of the red jam, spread it on bread, and took a bite.
He chewed a few times, then downed a full glass of water.
“...An astringent bitterness that kills even sugar.”
Starting with Ardores, the whole family scooped out spoonfuls out of curiosity.
And they all amiably chugged water afterward.
“When I ate it with the honey ball, cough! It wasn’t this astringent...?”
Solles looked utterly shocked, like he’d been struck.
The honey balls from the Great Witch had been sweetly tart and addictive—you just wanted more.
“Nini just wants the honey balls...”
Fearing they might force more jam on her, Nibelria hurriedly stuffed her mouth with pancakes.
Seeing that, Arep filled his mouth with water again.
“Don’t worry, dears. Grandma and Grandpa will finish it all.”
Ardores’s eyes went wide.
“...Dear, my joints are still perfectly fine.”
“Perfect. Then you need to eat even more.”
“Eat it while your joints are good, so they stay that way longer,” Muniel said with a smile.
Ardores shot an annoyed glare at the jam.
No matter how much he hated it, he couldn’t glare at his beloved wife.
The lively breakfast filled the family with energy.
“Mom’s off to work.”
Seletrina headed to Lubeo.
“Dad’s got a busy day too. See you at lunch.”
Kaleo went to his study.
Solles’s tutoring was in the afternoon, and Nibelria and Arep had no kindergarten since the Magic Tower nursery was on summer break.
“Now it’s just three of us!”
“Five.”
“Huh?”
Nibelria looked back and forth between Muniel and Ardores.
“You two don’t have work? Just gonna laze around?”
“Lazing, you say.”
Muniel planted a light peck on Nibelria’s forehead.
Nibelria beamed.
“Today, I’m putting you three to work.”
“Camping prep time.”
The elderly couple led their grandchildren to the storage room.
They entered a dim corner room on the first floor, piled high with unidentified odds and ends.
“There should be a tent and some camp chairs around here somewhere.”
Ardores peered around inside.
The servants cleaned it regularly, so the storage was fairly tidy—hardly any dust.
But with all the unused junk crammed in, it was hard to tell what was what.
“So today, all five of us will search the storage together and list everything we find on paper.”
“Treasure hunt!”
Nibelria bounced like an excited kitten.
“We did it at kindergarten! Hidden treasure hunt!”
“You might find something treasure-like in the process.”
Ardores murmured, reminiscing about his own childhood.
“Dayamor was dirt poor back then...”
“Dear?”
“Ahem. Anyway, there was a time when Dayamor wasn’t nearly as well-off as now...”
The Drameno Empire had one great mystery.
How had the powerless, penniless Dayamor family survived?
They’d barely clung on through the symbolic prestige of their meritorious lineage.
History recorded the Dayamor family as brutally poor.
Many mocked whether they’d truly received “God’s love.”
Now they were wealthy, thanks to the war hero Muniel and Ardores earning a fortune, and Seletrina building the Lubeo conglomerate on that foundation.
But just half a century ago—when Ardores was a child—the Dayamor family had been so broke they struggled to buy a single sack of flour.
“...Whenever things got dire, the adults would dig through the family storage, find jewels or treasures, sell them, and scrape by.”
“Our house was beggars.”
Nibelria put it bluntly.
“...Er, the important thing is...”
Embarrassed, Ardores hurried on.
“It means the Dayamor mansion is full of hidden treasures.”
Of course, after he became marquess and married Muniel, they grew prosperous, and no more treasures appeared.
“It’s just like a fairy tale!”
Solles couldn’t hide his excitement.
“Like a great god or a cool fairy sent treasures to help good people.”
“Yeah! Such a cool story!”
Arep nodded in agreement.
But Nibelria didn’t seem satisfied.
“Stingy. Just giving one or two treasures.”
Why not just make them rich?
“I love even your materialistic side, dear.”
Just grow up healthy.
Ardores stroked Nibelria’s head with affection.
