"I plan to soon pass on the skills to the skilled technicians in the family, expand the workshop, and start a business with this."
"..."
“Roselyn?”
At the sound of the voice, Roselyn slowly blinked and lifted her head.
"...Ah."
Roselyn, who had been twitching her lips, barely managed to make a sound.
"If this isn't urgent... could you please do as I say?"
"...What do you mean?"
"We are hiring technicians. Just in case someone tries to leak the technology elsewhere."
Although she has cut off Lady Carmel for now, you never know.
If you were swayed in some way in that world, you might be swayed in this world as well.
Because we don't know how deep the roots have dug.
"I've borrowed quite a bit of the Duke's family's money for this research. I need to start recouping my investment now. The technicians are trustworthy individuals who have done business with the Duke for a long time..."
"Still. You never know. The money should be fine."
If things go as expected, we will soon be exporting what is in the Orang mine as well.
"Please consult with my grandfather and be careful."
"..."
Cherty's expression turned subtle at Roselyn's sudden words.
“Please.”
As Roselyn added one more thing, Cherty's eyes widened significantly.
"...Ahem, hmmm!"
He suddenly cleared his throat loudly, then nodded with a much more serious expression.
"It is my daughter's first request, so I have no choice. I will put it on hold as long as possible."
Roselyn paused at that rather serious look on her face, then suddenly stood up and started pushing Cherty's back.
"I think I can bring the technician with me once the Kaluta job goes well."
Roselyn, pushing Cherty's back, chased him out the door.
"...Roselyn?"
"Yes, Father, I'm tired, so I'm going to get some sleep."
"...Are you okay?"
Although her expression was calm, her daughter looked strangely hurried and anxious, so Cherty grabbed the closing door and asked urgently.
"Yes."
A brief answer came back, along with a picture-perfect smile.
And soon, with a bang, the door slammed shut.
"..."
However, Cherty did not move or speak.
It was because the child's presence was still felt at the door.
Those who possessed the Abyss had a keen sense of energy, so they could sense presence even without seeing.
"...Why?"
A small voice was heard from beyond the door.
Cherty did not move a single step until Roselyn's presence moved away from the door.
***
Roselyn, having driven Cherty away, let out a deep breath, clenched and unclenched her fist, and headed to her bed.
Roselyn has no affection for his family.
That does not mean she resented her parents or her family like any other child.
No, no.
In fact, seventeen-year-old Roselyn was like that.
She constantly compared herself to others.
She envied a harmonious family.
She always wondered why she couldn't do that.
When someone criticized or hurt her, she couldn't say a word, held her head high, glared, and threw things.
She dismissed every approaching goodwill as pity and found it unpleasant. She glared, shut her mouth, and swallowed.
Then, from the day they realized that wasn't the answer, they started acting wickedly and putting up their thorns.
She thought that if she pretended to be strong, she would really become strong.
She ended up resembling it in some way because she kept muttering that she was okay even though she wasn't, and she thought she was the one having the hardest time in the world.
Thinking that crying was a sign of weakness, she held back until she eventually forgot how to cry.
Concluding that expecting and relying on someone is because that person is weak, she blackened herself and abandoned them.
She thought that she had to be alone to become an adult, so she became alone.
She wandered for a long time because she couldn't accept the fact that she was lonely.
She did not know how to appreciate the small joys given to her, nor did she express gratitude for the kindness shown to her. Lying on the bed, Roselyn raised the dagger she was holding high.
She lightly traced the neat cursive writing on the blade with her fingertips.
If there is anything she regrets the most right now...
That means she cannot verify if her name is engraved on this dagger that originally belongs in her world.
Now, Roselyn could not confirm whether she, at that time, was also loved.
It is because the father of that world is dead, the grandfather is dead, all the uncles are dead, and Roselyn is dead.
At one time, Roselyn did not want to live.
She regretted being born dozens of times, and felt euphoria when she realized she could die. Yes.
To be honest, it was after she stepped out of the Duke's shadow that she began to think about whether or not to resent the family.
It was only then that Roselyn realized the weight of the fence surrounding her.
So, twenty-seven-year-old Roselyn no longer resented them.
She did not compare herself to others, and she did not envy what she did not have.
Shd have grown up enough to think that way.
However, twenty-seven-year-old Roselyn came to another world and was only able to look back on the life given to her once again when she turned seventeen.
What she couldn't see back then because she was struggling just to breathe, shr could see now.
Looking back, there was something she regretted.
These are questions that will forever linger in her mouth, lost both the person to ask and the person to verify.
'I thought you just found me annoying and hated.'
Because she doesn't have an Abyss and her body is weak, she's just a useless fellow with nothing special about her.
Because she only knows how to cause trouble.
So she never doubted that she was hated.
But if there had been a name written on the dagger...
If her father in the past had also made that dagger for her, and Lady Carmel had been keeping it without telling anyone?
'Did I hurt my father without realizing it?'
Roselyn slowly closed and opened her eyes.
"..."
It hurt as if someone had plunged a fist into her throat.
Yet, her eyes were dry.
"Even a broken doll would be better than this."
Roselyn rubbed her dry eyelids once and let out a light chuckle.
Since she had more work to do than to cry, Roselyn simply closed her eyes slowly.
***
"Welcome, Red Cat."
Roselyn let out a hollow laugh at that title.
The 'Underground Auction' was an auction that started at 8 PM and ended around midnight.
And unlike the main auction, VIP purchases began at 5 PM.
The rule was to come wearing a solid-colored mask with a black veil that covered the entire face, including the hair.
Only one accompanying person, including an escort knight, is allowed.
Possession of weapons is prohibited.
Use the mask color determined by the organizer in advance.
It was like this.
A red cat to the red cat mask.
The blue puppy mask is a blue puppy.
It came to be called by a pseudonym in this way.
Roselyn was a red cat mask.
The reason she came here was to buy a person.
"Is there a product you are particularly interested in?"
"Slave".
As Roselyn spoke briefly, the man wearing a blank white mask and a pitch-black robe nodded.
“I will guide you.”
The underground auction house was like an ant colony. In fact, they did call it an ant colony.
'I'd get lost without a guide.'
Roselyn frowned at the underground, where she was completely confused about where everything was.
'It's also perfect for getting rid of people secretly.'
She glanced behind her.
The bodyguard assigned by her father was walking beside Roselyn, wearing a black mask with no expression.
"This is the room where the items you are looking for are gathered."
As she followed him into a path as narrow as an ant colony, a large room filled with iron bars appeared.
There were people in the cage.
They were all half-naked, wearing tattered scraps of cloth with resigned expressions.
Roselyn was not the only one looking at the slaves, and unpleasant comments were coming from here and there.
There were plenty of people who wouldn't hesitate to strip you naked if necessary, acting as if they were buying livestock.
'How unpleasant.'
Roselyn clicked her tongue inwardly.
"Is there a specific age group or gender you are looking for?"
"It would be nice if he were a man in his teens."
"In that case, you can start looking from this side."
Roselyn followed the guide. What she was looking for was a 12-year-old boy
'It's the means of transaction to be used in this Kaluta.'
Roselyn stopped abruptly after walking only a short distance.
She saw a boy crouching inside a narrow iron cage, his eyes glaring menacingly and his mouth tightly shut.
Green eyes and silver hair.
Eyes raised like a cat.
Dark complexion.
Shackles worn on the neck and both wrists.
Even the red dye tattoo that stretched from the forehead across the left eye to the chin.
'I found it.'
He was the second son of King Kaluta that Roselyn had been looking for.
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