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Episode 4 'A daughter-in-law? Out of nowhere? But more than that—such an honored ‌‌‌position for me?' I had been ‌‌‌‌certain I would die, yet when this absurd proposal came, I found myself utterly bewildered. The Driblyane family possessed a most peculiar tradition. To summarize in three points— 1. They bring a child into the household in advance to become the consort of the next family head. In other words, they designate the next ‌‌‌mistress of the house before the heir is even chosen. 2. From childhood, the designated future mistress grows up alongside the so-called 'Heirs of Driblyane.' 3. Upon reaching adulthood, she is betrothed ‌‌to whichever of the 'Heirs of Driblyane' awakens dominant pheromones and rises to alpha rank. Only an alpha can become the family head. So while one cannot know ‌‌‌which heir she will marry, the future duchess is determined first, and then the duke is determined afterward. 'But usually, the problem arises at step three.' ‌‌There should be only one who qualifies to become family head—that is, only one alpha. Yet the Driblyane family consistently produced two to four individuals ‌‌‌who awakened dominant pheromones. And when there were multiple alphas, only the mistress of the house held the right to choose which one would become the family head. 'Thus, the daughter-in-law of Driblyane grows up surrounded by sweet power from childhood.' If one ‌‌‌wished to live an ordinary life, that position was a trap. It was said that not a single Driblyane duchess throughout history had escaped kidnapping, confinement, or coercion in her youth. 'But I....' I wanted to seize it by sheer audacity. That luxurious position—honestly, I coveted it! Yet if I accepted too eagerly, I might ‌‌appear foolish. Moreover, uncertain whether this was a trap or not, I decided to ask a childlike question. Now that I knew the other party was Kirakserus Driblyane from the original work, my body trembled three times more than ‌‌before, but I still pretended to be composed. "If I'm a daughter-in-law, what do I get?" "You'll eat well and live well." Kirakserus responded slowly, as if amused by my question. ‌‌‌‌'Yes, that's right. ‌‌‌I'll eat well and live well.' Honestly, I would not live as the character in the original work did. I would not die miserably and forlornly. Let Rahyun have the love. In the meantime, I'll secure money ‌‌‌and power and live lavishly without a ‌‌care. "Then... why me?" "Because I need a good child with no backing." Hmm, that sounds like he needs someone who can be disposed of without complications. Is my hearing off? "I wondered where to find a child of suitable age untouched by the elders' influence... and here you are. How convenient—no need for a tedious search." "But ‌‌‌‌I'm a slave...?" "Will you sell the information ‌‌‌about Driblyane that you've learned to the ‌Holy Empire?" "N-no!" Are ‌‌‌you insane? I immediately turned serious. Living as a daughter-in-law here would be far happier than whatever they'd pay for that information! At that, Kirakserus chuckled. "Then it's settled. Anything else?" "Um... then... am I a contract daughter-in-law?" For a few years, ‌only as long as I'm useful ‌‌to Kirakserus? Then I need to save as much money as possible during that time. In truth, it's a common trope in novels for those in power to ‌‌seek a child with no backing whom they can control freely. As long as there's the premise ‌‌of not betraying, a spy is actually the most desirable talent in a powerful family. No consequences for killing, no knowledge to leak, no troublesome family on the parents' side to cause a fuss...? Literally a 'clean' child. But Kirakserus Driblyane didn't answer my question about being a contract daughter-in-law. Instead, he stopped abruptly and tried to hand me over to a maid. "Master, what is that round thing?" "A spy." "I see." With a metallic ring, the maid immediately drew dual blades from behind her back upon hearing the word spy. Kyaaah! 'He, he, he played me for a fool! Truly a villain!!!' I'm definitely going to die! My heart nearly leaping from my chest, I clung to his collar to avoid being handed over ‌‌to the maid. Then Kirakserus Driblyane chuckled wickedly, as if thoroughly satisfied. "But she will soon be my daughter-in-law. Treat her with respect. Tomorrow I'll take her to the family meeting and introduce her formally." "Understood. Then, what is the young lady's name...." "For now, call ‌‌her Marten. Give her a proper bath ‌‌and food." If this madman had just said that from the beginning! He gave the order so casually and then vanished somewhere in a whoosh. The maid left behind placed me on her two hands with a serious expression. "I am Nina, a cheetah-human. I will serve you with all my heart from now on, young Lady Marten." A slight start. A cheetah? "Ah, y, yes...." ‌‌"You don't need to use formal speech with me. ‌‌‌Please speak comfortably." Nina, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, was quite cute in ‌‌appearance. With her tawny hair braided on both sides and a face as small as befitted a cheetah. But the pheromones emanating from Nina were anything but gentle. ‌‌'Even the maid possesses a higher-ranking pheromone than me...! Truly, this is a ‌‌villain family ‌‌I can't let my guard down around.' I wanted to escape if possible, but ‌honestly, I ‌‌‌had no confidence I could run faster than a cheetah. 'Yeah, giving up on escape.' It would be better to think about how to live happily after becoming a daughter-in-law. 'But I'm an albino. Does that not matter?' I can't even properly humanize myself, and the pheromones I emit are recessive. Why did I suddenly become a daughter-in-law instead of ‌‌the original ‌‌‌‌person? "Kyahahaha! Belly tickle hard meow!" Just as I was engaging in tremendous anguish as a marten, Nina kept rubbing foam on my belly. Unable to bear the tickling, I flipped over in the small silver basin and burst into laughter. Though my entire body was covered in soapsuds, ‌it felt good since I hadn't bathed in so long. "...You look even cuter when you laugh. Like a baby shrimp, I could pop you in my mouth and go lalala...." ‌‌"...!" "I won't do it. I'm sorry." Though Nina's face remained expressionless, her touch was calm and meticulous, which felt wonderful. And I was even more grateful that she didn't show contempt despite me being an albino. "Now then, let me dry ‌‌you off." "Thank you." "You must dry thoroughly, or you'll catch a cold." ‌‌Scrubbed clean, I trembled as I gazed ‌‌at the silver basin I'd emerged from. It was absolutely filthy! But surely I'm cleaner now, aren't I? While Nina dabbed away the moisture with ‌‌‌soft cloth, I'd been staring blankly out into the darkening night when ‌‌‌‌‌‌my gaze shifted to my reflection ‌‌‌in the window glass. Pure white fur. Cherry-red eyes. Perfectly round ears and an adorable twitching nose. It was a lovely appearance. But unfortunately, I couldn't achieve humanization. Even escaped from that cage, I remained nothing but an animal. The power necessary for a beastkin to transform from animal form into human form is called Ikulis. This Ikulis is the purest form of natural power that, after growth, can manifest as swordsmanship, mana, spirit arts, or countless other things. But albinos are born with far too little Ikulis. Practically none at all. I could forcibly replenish my Ikulis from outside sources by consuming Dice, but... how would I even obtain such ‌‌‌a precious divine substance, and even if I did, could I really afford to consume it? "Marten, the way you speak so well even in animal form is truly remarkable." Did I ‌‌look a bit melancholy? Nina suddenly offered me praise. As I wrung out the moisture from my tail, her words lifted my spirits and my ears perked up eagerly. "Really? A marten that can speak is... rare?" That would be wonderful. This could become my weapon. "Quite rare indeed. I've never seen a beastkin who can speak while in animal form. Usually they can't talk ‌‌‌once transformed—the oral structure is different, ‌‌‌after all." "!" "Then I already have one use!" I laughed brightly with genuine joy. But Nina's expression as she watched me seemed slightly odd. "A child shouldn't be thinking about usefulness." "Is that so...?" "Yes. So tonight, don't think scary thoughts—just sleep well, Marten." "Mm." "But if you do get frightened, pull that cord and call for me. I'm confident I can reach you in less than a second, no matter where I am." Of course she could. She's a cheetah. Even if I tried to escape, she'd catch me in a second. I quickly nodded and sent Nina away. 'Please don't tell me this is Kirakserus's bedroom...' The overall majestic interior with its blue hues seemed ‌‌‌rather suspicious, but fortunately no villain made an appearance. Though I'd tensed for a moment, I soon found myself grinning foolishly at the plush pillows of my designated sleeping place. 'This is wonderful...!' Crackle, crackle. The firewood in the fireplace emitted a warm, comforting heat. The honey-sweetened milk I'd drunk before sleep was ‌‌‌delicious, allowing me to forget my anxiety, if only briefly. Buried within the woolen blanket Nina had draped over me, I curled my body into a ball. 'Somehow I survived. This time, let me live for a long time.' ‌‌‌Since possessing this book, I'd never known a moment of peace. Honestly, every single day I'd wanted to die, then wanted to live, then didn't want to die unfairly, then didn't want to live at all. In the end, I ‌‌‌lived only to die well. ‌‌‌‌‌It was too unjust to die in order to ‌live. 'I'm getting... tired. This nomadic ‌‌‌‌life of possession.' Could I settle down here? Could I... become an adult again? Or at the very least, could I survive for more than three months? 'I need to sell the information about the Holy Empire from the original work, and sell it well.' So that Kirakserus Driblyane will want to keep me alive. Kirakserus Driblyane ‌‌hadn't asked me for information yet. That was probably because he thought a worthless child like me wouldn't know anything of value. 'So I need to find something worth selling ‌on my own...' After everything that had happened, sleep came swiftly. It was the first night in a long ‌‌time that I wasn't freezing.

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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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