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Chapter 17 "If I may ask, ‌‌‌‌Young Mistress, where would you sell weapons in the future?" Me? Well, I would... The answer came easily enough. "To those who wish to defend and protect." Was that the right answer? Raphiren's expression was unreadable, but he did not refute my opinion. Rather— "Precisely. Not to ‌‌‌those who wage war, but to those who prepare for it. Not weapons for attack, ‌‌‌but ‌‌‌weapons for defense. That is what Driblyane must now develop and sell." "!" So I was right! Pleased with myself, I puffed out my ‌‌chest. "Furthermore, these modern firearms shall now be sold to the nobility. The age of the sword has passed. Soon, all the nobles throughout the world will learn to shoot as a matter of refinement." So this was the future Driblyane envisioned. 'It's an inevitable shift of the times.' The era of swords was naturally giving way to the era of guns. 'Then I wish to become skilled with firearms as well.' Swords are heavy and difficult to learn, but guns are not. I wanted to ‌‌be capable of protecting myself against the countless threats that lay ahead. After ‌‌our brief demonstration and discussion of weapons concluded, Raphiren cleared away the items and produced a book. ‌‌‌"Now then, let us begin with the very fundamentals and examine the family ‌‌‌tree." Oh! At the appearance ‌‌‌‌of something I desperately needed, I exhaled ‌‌‌‌sharply ‌through my nose. "First, let me tell you what is most important: there are currently ten heirs to Driblyane." The current Patriarch, Emmanuel, had three siblings. They bore ‌‌children, and those children bore children, ‌creating the ten heirs we see today. "The heirs of ‌‌Driblyane are constantly evaluated. From ‌‌time to time, the Patriarch culls the weak. Some also choose to withdraw of their own accord." "I see." "Therefore, Young Mistress, you need not learn each heir individually right now. Rather, do not attempt to remember them." Raphiren covered ‌‌‌the family tree with his hand. Indeed, there was no point in befriending someone who would eventually be stripped of their position as heir. "That is why the heirs ‌‌‌‌are housed separately in the heir's quarters. Eventually, there will be those who meet ‌the conditions to enter the Main Residence..." "Will be...?" "You need only remember those who enter the Main Residence." Ah, so I don't need to remember everyone, even if there are many! Though I didn't know what those conditions were, ‌‌I understood the meaning clearly enough and nodded. 'So in the original story, aside from the three male leads, the other children barely received any explanation.' Now I could see more clearly what I needed to do. "Only three ‌‌‌of them will enter the Main Residence. You might say they are your ‌‌potential husbands." "Three out of ten..." "Yes. Currently, Gerd, who has the strongest political position, is the most likely candidate." I glanced at that name. Gerd's name was plainly visible in the section Raphiren's hand had not covered. Raphiren, who had ‌‌been observing my demeanor, leaned forward and pointed at Gerd's name on the document. "Would you like to remove him?" "...Remove?" "If so, you must devise a strategy. Gerd has grown up ‌‌as ‌‌a prince and possesses considerable pride. He will harbor resentment and cause troublesome incidents in the near future." Raphiren exhaled softly ‌‌‌and shook his head, his expression suggesting that mere contemplation exhausted him. "If possible, it would be wise to expel him before matters escalate. The faction supporting Gerd within this Estate is quite formidable, after all." "...What if I fail to expel him...?" "Well, beginning tomorrow, your meals may very well contain poison." Eek! Could he really speak ‌‌‌of such matters so casually?! "However, he will likely refrain from acting ‌‌too boldly before it becomes known that Kirakserus is absent." "But... he went to the Mountain Range...." ‌"Yes. Once that fact becomes known, your situation will become considerably difficult." For reasons I couldn't fathom, Kirakserus had declared he would ‌‌unconditionally take my side. However, the others, being of sound mind, did not blindly accept me one hundred percent. 'In other words, now that Kirakserus is absent, I find myself in a precarious position.' How could I survive this? Should I go to Jeff and ask if the Kitchen staff could bring my meals ‌‌‌‌directly, since poison might be added? Or should ‌‌I simply say I'd come down myself to eat without causing ‌trouble. "Since I have been entrusted with your guidance, I shall provide you with a method." Raphiren regarded me with eyes devoid of ‌‌emotion. To him, I am nothing. Yet he extends such kindness nonetheless... Is it truly because of Kirakserus? "First, the Patriarch must seek a path to expel Gerd without bringing harm to the family." "Mm." That would prove quite difficult, I imagined. I stroked my marten whiskers as though I had become the world's greatest ‌‌schemer. "The bonds between Lichenbaum and the Holy Empire are quite strong. The Holy Empire has allied nations and procures military supplies from them, so this nation cannot be abandoned." "I see." "Therefore, the Patriarch, who must consider the interests of the entire ‌‌‌‌family, will not strip Gerd of his status as heir over trivial matters. Since his own abilities are not lacking, he will likely gain entry to the Main Residence as matters stand." Even if I could avoid choosing him, the moment he entered the Main Residence, I ‌would have to oversee that child until he reached adulthood—and that was the problem. 'Absolutely not!' I would rather give that Main Residence entry ticket to someone else entirely. "You must ‌‌understand ‌‌‌‌clearly, young lady. Human nature, after all, does not change." "So if I don't expel him quickly... will I suffer?" "Yes. Gerd does not treat albinos as fellow demihumans. This is also connected to the deep-rooted prejudice of the Lichenbaum Kingdom." "...." "The ‌‌successive kings of Lichenbaum have governed through hatred and superiority. Albinos have always been the sacrificial lambs." So do not harbor naive thoughts that you might change such perceptions. That was Raphiren's warning. Fortunately, I harbored no such foolish notion of rehabilitating trash. "Hmm... Is there another method?" "You could also gain the right to choose by accomplishing a great deed." "The right to choose?" "Yes. It cannot be done through mere merit alone—they must accomplish something so extraordinary that ‌everyone cannot help but acknowledge it. Then the Patriarch will grant you the <right to choose>." Ah, so that's what you wanted to say all along. "When you say the right to choose...." "Ten candidates are simply too many. The Patriarch will place the authority to thin out half of them directly into Florin's hands." "!" "Is that not ‌‌‌desirable?" Desirable! I absolutely want it! My eyes sparkled with excitement. "Thank you for telling me." "It is ‌‌‌‌‌nothing. Personally, I find the young lady's foresight-like ability to be quite exceptional. I am most curious to see what other surprises you will reveal." Raphiren's demeanor was courteous, yet carried a certain evaluative quality. However, ‌‌‌with this statement ‌‌‌alone, I could clearly sense that he was ‌‌‌granting me considerable credit. As I briefly pondered how to respond, I made a bold decision to make an investment. In truth, it was not much, but... ‌it was precious to me. "Um, Raphiren." "Yes, young lady." "Since you were so helpful... I'll give you candy." I rummaged through the drawer and retrieved a caramel I had secretly hidden away in the corner. ‌‌‌It was an incredibly, incredibly delicious strawberry-flavored caramel. 'I ‌‌‌was worried it might have melted and ‌‌‌become sticky.' Since it was winter, it remained perfectly intact. I clutched the caramel wrapped in thin paper and scampered over to Raphiren, extending it to him with both paws. "I hid this really, really carefully. Only you can eat it!" "This is... a caramel, is it not? The Governess restricts sweets, so you must have wanted this very much." "Sharing... sharing is fine, right?" I hesitated for a moment, but it had already left my paws. ‌‌‌I boldly squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head away. If I kept watching, I feared I might start drooling. "...The value of a gift is relative. This caramel must have been something truly precious to you, young lady." "Mm-hmm." "I, Raphiren, gratefully accept your kindness, young lady." The strawberry caramel ‌disappeared into his hand. But then, after a moment's hesitation, he stepped closer to me. "Do you have further questions? I would be happy to spare more time for ‌‌‌‌you." Oh, what's this! My face brightened as I looked at ‌‌‌‌‌Raphiren. "I do have something I'm ‌‌curious about." I hugged Pompom and carefully typed out my question. -People like Gerd must have existed before too. But if they weren't chosen by the Patriarch, they probably resisted fiercely.... Did everyone really accept the lady of the house's choice? The Patriarch candidates are all alphas too. -What happens to the Patriarch candidates who aren't chosen? Do they start rebellions or something?

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please ‌‌‌‌read directly on our official site: ‌‌valirscans.org

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