"Ahem. Anyway! They said they would have a snack time while bringing homemade dishes or cookies."
"It's because I'm not good at cooking."
Roselyn answered without hesitation to the remark Duke Bellion casually added.
"And objectively speaking, having a verified chef or patissier make it is more time-efficient and will suit your taste better than having me make it."
"..."
That is correct.
Of course, food made by someone who has studied cooking and patisserie their whole life will taste better.
Duke Bellion kept his mouth shut at the somewhat superficial conversation.
He, too, was the type of person who would invariably hear people say he had a grumpy personality wherever he went.
However, having received all sorts of reprimands from his eldest son for it, he was trying not to do the same to his grandchildren.
"Anyway, there is a sense of reward in being a grandfather if you vent or something when you’re upset. Why do you try to solve everything on your own?"
"What happens if I talk about something upsetting?"
"I could at least give you advice or tell you how to solve it."
"No. If I vent my frustration, it just means two people are upset."
"..."
Duke Bellion looked at Roselyn with a questioning gaze, then looked at Ian and Aegis.
"And as you can see, I solved it by myself."
"Good heavens, I've been so unlucky with granddaughters"
"Are you the only one without luck with granddaughters? The way I see it, your luck with children is... Ah. I'm sorry."
Roselyn, who had been smirking and muttering self-deprecatingly as always, quickly shut her mouth.
The three people stared blankly at Roselyn.
She averted her gaze.
"Hmm. Anyway, once things are ready, to the villa owned by Marquis Garen..."
"Bullshit, do you even realize what you're talking about? Do you think Kaluta is just some random dog's name? It's a scary place where a skinny girl like you could get eaten at any moment. Didn't you hear that they eat everyone, whether they're human or not?"
Ian fiercely interrupted Roselyn's words again.
"I heard that one of the guard dogs raised by Marquis Garen is named Kaluta."
"..."
Ian looked at Roselyn with a look that seemed to say, 'What kind of bastard is this?'
"I'm just kidding. Isn't it funny? I tried applying something I saw in a book called 'Pleasant Speech That Guarantees Bursting with Laughter.'"
“Uh, that’s not it.”
"Yeah, anyway, Kaluta doesn't eat humans. Anyway, please keep egging."
"..."
As Roselyn clicked her tongue in response, Ian, who had been gaping, let out a hollow laugh.
"Niece, disturbing rumors are going around these days, so I am also against you moving out to live on your own."
"Marquis Garen said he would provide an escort."
"I'm telling you, why is that guy taking care of you?! Are you something to Marquis Garen?!"
"Yes."
Roselyn said.
'If we have crossed over to a parallel world together, I suppose you could say we are something.'
Ian gaped at Roselyn's nonchalant words.
"Anyway! It won't do you any good to go, so just keep that in mind! Tsk, when an adult speaks, you should just say 'Yes, sir' and leave it at that. Why do you keep arguing?"
Roselyn frowned at the truly old-fashioned remark.
"I think we should talk about this again later. I'll be going now."
Even the unconscious Cherty, Aegis carrying him, and the squawking Ian.
Unable to endure the total crisis, she put on the slippers brought by the maids, bowed her head, and turned around.
“Ah, Your Excellency the Duke."
"Make sure to attach Grandfather."
"Yes. Your Excellency Duke Bellion, grandfather."
"..."
Bellion also made a face that seemed to say, 'What kind of bastard is this?'
"Ah, Your Excellency the Duke, your second uncle is also a Makluxa. There is proof on the soles of his feet."
Roselyn, who had just thrown the bomb without warning, left the garden.
"...What?"
"Uh?"
“This bastard......"
"Hey, hey! Hey! You crazy bastard!! Hey!!! Where did you get that bullshit from! Say it's not true!! Ow! No, it's not, father. Ow! Father! It hurts! Ow. It's not true!"
With a scream-like sound as background music, she leisurely returned to her room.
A day later, the maid told her.
Ian Bellion was Makluxa's 'look'.
***
[Come find me right now! I'll kill you!!!]
The writing in a fierce, cursive handwriting showed that the other person was filled with rage.
Roselyn narrowed her eyes as she looked at the note delivered every morning for the past two weeks and pushed it aside.
Next in line were invitations to banquets and tea parties.
Except for the banquet invitation from the Imperial Palace, she pushed everything else aside in the same way.
All that remains is the letter from Marquis Garen and...
[It is the most precious flower in the world. It is a flower that Marquis Garen cannot obtain.]
[I didn't just pick it up; I went and bought it myself. If you leave, you won't be able to receive even things like this.]
[I was passing by an expensive jewelry store and thought of you, so I bought this specially. They say even gems like this don't grow in Kaluta.]
[You are sickly, so if you go to a place like Kaluta, you will surely realize in no time that Kaluta is a place inhabited by barbarians. It doesn't suit you.]
It was nothing but a note that had now been distorted into a different meaning.
Roselyn laughed hollowly.
'...Should I have been a little more honest?'
Even though she thought about it, looking back on the situation at the time, it didn't seem like it would have been particularly good.
After realizing that holding back wasn't the answer, whenever she got angry, she would grab the other person by the hair or slap them across the face.
Her father had no interest in her and consistently ignored her even when her grandfather and other uncles spoke to her.
She admits it now.
That it was a trivial effort to try and uphold a pride that didn't even exist when she was young, and that if she had asked for help back then, she might have met a better death.
However, the more someone provoked her, the more wicked she became.
She thought that if others acted dirty, acting even dirtier than them was the way to win.
When she came to her senses, all sorts of dirty rumors were rampant in high society.
Thinking she could handle anything on her own, she left the Duke's estate, only to be met with petty retaliation.
It was difficult to find a job, and it was hard to even have a meal.
Because the nobles intervened and blocked everything.
So she took revenge and made money by selling information to hostile families or nobles.
She did not hesitate to use and discard people to obtain information.
Of course, there were times when she used the person who trusted her as a shield.
When she became a fugitive, she hid her identity and received kindness from the villagers, but there was even a time when her heart was completely wiped out.
She did it even though she knew she would die.
Trying to keep that life alive for even one more day, even if it meant doing that.
Roselyn pushed the letter to the side.
Marquis Garen's letter was not even opened.
The last letter...
It was a letter with the imperial crest stamped on a golden wax seal.
'...3rd Prince.'
She let out a short sigh and tore open the letter with a letter opener.
[To Lady Roselyn Bellion.
The warm spring weather continues day by day. I hope you are also fully enjoying the warm spring days.
I have written this letter to ask for permission to visit the Bellion family.
I have a gift for the Young Lady, and I also have something important to tell you.
Of course, I will adjust to a time that is convenient for you, Young Lady. If you do not have a particular preferred time...
May I visit you around noon this Friday?
I hope this letter does not take up your precious time for too long, and with that, I will conclude.
I hope you will allow me to be with you during your time, Young Lady.
-Arma Dianitas-]
It was an incredibly polite letter. It was so polite that she felt bad even refusing it.
Roselyn leaned back against the backrest with a thud and tilted her head back.
'It's peaceful.'
It was so peaceful.
It's so peaceful, how should I put it...
She wondered if this was right.
Marquis Garen seemed to know what she did.
She roughly tore open the letter and looked at the contents.
[You're being too much. I'm hurt.]
It was just one word.
It wasn't difficult to guess what was being considered excessive.
'He probably didn't win the bid for the Nolang Mine.'
It was obvious even without looking.
Roselyn snorted, tore up the note, and tossed it carelessly onto the table, then pulled the mountain of newspapers towards her.
'So far, it doesn't seem like there are any major variables compared to what I remember, though...'
The political situation in Kaluta, as well as the current king and history, were almost identical.
The subtly different parts can be covered to some extent by the information Roselyn found out in advance.
Since they both know the future, she naturally thought that Marquis Garen would also be aiming for what he needed.
Among them, the Nolang Mine was also a jackpot item that could be obtained most cheaply and easily.
'Right now, you might think it's just a place where cheap amber is found, but...'
In fact, that place was truly a hidden gem.
It will be announced in a few days that the amber gem mixed with impurities is actually a special mineral called 'Yellowite.'
In her original world, Baron Robert took 340 million Orlangs.
Honestly, Baron Robert took it for a really pittance.
Thanks to that, the Baron's family was practically rolling in money, but Baron Robert, who was flirting with her, ruined it.
'Come to think of it, at the banquet next week as well...'
Baron Robert attended.
'This turned out interesting.'
Roselyn smiled elegantly, thinking that she probably wouldn't be bored.
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