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Episode 7 "Patriarch, please listen to me!" "But still... the Young Master intends to take that albino beastkin as his daughter-in-law, does he not?" "It is true that the Young Master has the authority to bring in a daughter-in-law in Ariadne's absence. However...." So this timeline is after Ariadne's death in the original story. 'What a shame. I would have liked to see her directly if possible.' Ariadne was truly a villainess from the Holy Empire's perspective, but from the Demon Empire's standpoint, she was an extraordinary talent. Kirakseruss's sister and a genius among geniuses ‌‌‌who possessed superior pheromones from birth. Originally, only men could become Patriarch of the Driblyane Family, but Ariadne shattered that unspoken rule without hesitation. Politics, business, swordsmanship—she was lacking in nothing and surpassed Kirakseruss in every way. She completely demolished the era of male Patriarchs that had continued under the name of tradition, and rather than being chosen by the mistress of the house for marriage, she selected whomever she desired.... Yet she died. 'Honestly, she wasn't the type to go out like that.' It was accepted wisdom in the genre community that the author had deleted the character of Ariadne in the latter half of the original work to make everyone fall for Rahyun. In conclusion, since it's a decadent story, the Driblyane Family must collapse, but if someone like Ariadne were alive, it couldn't possibly fall, could it? "Enough." That was when it happened. At the Patriarch's expressionless remark, everyone fell silent once more. "You wouldn't have started this without thought. Did that demon you contracted perhaps tell you to bring this child in?" "If you wish to think of it that way, I shall leave it at that." Kirakseruss shrugged his shoulders. At that, the Elders, ‌‌‌‌their reason snapped, ‌‌‌‌suddenly leaped to their feet and began shouting at the top of their lungs. "That cute little rascal!!!" "That adorable, precious little pup!" "So charming I want to pet that belly!" Yet something was strange. Crude tones poured forth with gentle words. I, who had covered my ears to avoid hearing their rough voices, lowered my front paws cautiously, wondering what was happening. Could it be dark magic? "Using such vulgar language in front of a child. The child will hear and learn such things." Kirakseruss clicked his tongue sharply. Then he pulled me out from inside his vest and placed me on the table. "I understand well that you dislike this clean-backed child I have brought—one without connections through school ties, regional ties, or bribery networks like your other candidates." No, no, that's not it. Listen, that one's a spy. If we're talking about dirty backing, isn't she the dirtiest of all? "In short, all ‌‌‌that matters is if this child possesses outstanding ability, is it not?" "That, that is...." "Indeed? Since you care so deeply for the family, I am certain you will undoubtedly ‌‌recognize ability as your priority." Kirakseruss rested his chin on his interlaced hands and narrowed his eyes. Yet the feeling was entirely different ‌‌‌from when he smiled at me. I couldn't explain it precisely, but there was something distinctly... dangerous about it. The other party seemed to sense the same thing and flinched, retreating. "If I take this child I have brought as my daughter-in-law, I ‌‌shall inherit ‌‌‌the position of Vice Patriarch this very day." "!" "What remarkable ability—to possess the power to make me abandon my stubbornness and ascend ‌to the Vice Patriarch's seat, is it not?" Wow, this is absolutely ridiculous nonsense. I sat there listening in silence, my mouth hanging open. "What ‌‌do you think, Father?" Kyraksos ‌‌‌turned to the Patriarch with a smug grin. It was an utterly ‌‌‌shameless threat. 'Ah, so this is ‌‌how it happened in the original story too...' Cold sweat beaded on my skin. Kyraksos had bulldozed his way through, installing just anyone as a daughter-in-law, and in doing so had completely crushed the Elders who had been trying to seize power in the chaos left by Ariadne's absence. Ariadne, who had once been the absolute authority within the family, was gone. Kyraksos had kept himself one step removed from family affairs until now, so the Elders must have thought this ‌‌‌was their ‌moment to run wild. But Kyraksos had no intention of allowing that. Which meant... I, someone definitely from the Holy Empire with no connections to anyone in this room, was ‌‌‌the perfect daughter-in-law candidate for him. At least I wouldn't have any ties to the people sitting in here. "And... this is a ‌‌warning." A faint shimmer rippled through the air. Kyraksos's pheromones flooded the hall. Unlike before when he'd kept them carefully suppressed, they now cascaded down like a waterfall—ferocious and savage enough to tear apart everything in sight. "Never again will you raise your voices so carelessly in the Patriarch's presence." ‌‌"...!" "If you grow insolent just because my sister is absent... I promise you. It won't be pleasant." The Elders' faces, which had been shouting with such confidence, gradually turned ashen. They clutched at their throats as if suffocating, gasping and choking, ‌‌‌‌before one by one they bowed their heads in submission. 'The Patriarch is just watching calmly, so I guess this is acceptable.' I took the opportunity to sneak a glance at the man who might one day become my father-in-law...and our eyes met directly. "My son seems to care for you quite a bit." Eek! He's talking to ‌‌me! The boss... no, the Patriarch is talking to me! "The way he's protecting you from all this influence suggests breaking ‌‌‌his stubbornness ‌‌‌won't be easy. What shall we do about this?" The look in his eyes, as if he expected something from me, was ‌‌‌quite burdensome. My vision spun slightly and I groaned, but I forced myself to focus. 'From now on, I need to sell myself.' In other words: 【Operation: Live Well as the Driblyane Family's Daughter-in-Law!】 "Ahem." I gave a short cough and pointed to the large mobile blackboard positioned behind the Patriarch's seat. More precisely, at the map hanging there. "I have an ability, sir." "Hmm?" The Patriarch's eyes lit up at the word "ability." To appear trustworthy, I smoothed down my chest hair neatly, then straightened my posture. "Well then, ‌‌‌what sort of ability?" "That would be..." First, I let my words trail off to build tension and focus. Once I felt all eyes ‌‌in the room fixed on me, I shouted as loudly and clearly as I could. ‌‌"Trust me and buy the land!" Buy land... Buy land... Buy land... My voice echoed loudly through the now-silent conference hall. It sounded suspiciously like some sort of ‌‌pyramid scheme pitch, but this is actually from the original work, you know. "Hmm, buy land?" "Yes...!" The Patriarch raised his eyebrows at this unexpected statement. I ‌clenched my teeth to avoid looking at the ‌‌‌hot pink shirt that was making me want to burst into laughter, and attempted to negotiate. "If you buy me land in the spring, I'll explain why you should buy the Luxoria Territory." "Ho. Not only can it speak, but it even recommends real estate investments. How remarkable. Well then, where should we buy?" The moment ‌‌‌‌the Patriarch asked, Raphiren tore off a map and laid ‌it before me. I hesitated for a moment, then moved my finger across it and pointed decisively at one location. He hadn't said he'd buy me land yet, but truthfully, I hadn't made this suggestion with much hope. It was more of a provocation to make him take greater interest in me. "Right here." "The Luxoria Territory? This is completely inland. It's certainly vast flatland. Long ago, wheat grew abundantly here." Now that farming was impossible, it was essentially useless land. But that would change in the future. "Raphiren. Is there anything noteworthy about Luxoria?" "After the previous count died, a great dispute broke out among the brothers who inherited the territory. There are three brothers, all of whom are addicted to gambling, and their current situation is ‌‌‌‌quite dire." "I see, child. Will you tell me why you want us to buy this place?" The Patriarch's dark eyes turned toward me. Perhaps those beautiful teal eyes of Kirakus were inherited from his mother. 'I could give him the answer right away, but it's more important to look good in front of the Patriarch.' After thinking for a moment, I waddled forward and stood before the Patriarch. Then, toward those large, sturdy fists that looked like they could smash a desk in one blow...! Poof. I wrapped my soft belly around them in an embrace. It was my attempt at being cute. "Patriarch! Marten wants to whisper ‌‌in your ear. I want to tell only you." As I cried out with a bright smile, the Patriarch laughed heartily and lifted ‌‌his fist. "You've ‌‌‌got nerve. Very ‌‌‌well. Good. Go ahead and whisper." My attitude score seems to have improved, doesn't it? I worried he might think embracing his fist was presumptuous, but his generous nature ‌‌‌meant he didn't seem to mind much. In fact, he seemed ‌‌‌to like it. "Spring will ‌‌‌come early. Knowing that is my ability." I placed my front paws together demurely and chattered softly near his ear. I was beginning to understand roughly where this point fell in the original work. The spring that Saint Rahyun had stolen. It's starting again right now—this is the midpoint of the original story. The time when Rahyun was sealed. The period when supporting characters could move a little. In the Demon Empire, spring begins from the Luxoria Territory and spreads rapidly across ‌‌the entire realm. This also meant that the long, ‌‌endless war would soon end and everyone would return to their farmlands. "That's a lie. How could this child possibly know what spring is?" "Correct. It appears to be quite young—it must have been born after the Saint's rampage." ‌‌‌‌‌The Elders, who were close enough to inevitably hear my words, immediately objected. In the past, this world naturally had four seasons. But children born after the Saint's rampage in 986 had only known winter. Only winter. So it was natural that they scoffed at my words. "No, it's true! Flowers will bloom. If you buy that place now, you'll make a huge fortune—I'll even bet today's dessert on it!" But I pressed on with my argument to the very end. The Patriarch was already listening to me. For the Driblyane Family, the cost of purchasing Luxoria Territory was pocket change—mere coins they could afford to throw away. There was absolutely no harm in investing with the mindset of discarding it. The only problem was ‌‌‌that he would ask ‌‌‌for my reasoning. ‌‌‌How on earth was I supposed to answer that? "What makes you so certain of this?" "That is ‌‌‌‌because...." Oh no, I hadn't thought that through. ‌‌‌‌I rolled my eyes desperately and glanced toward Kirakserus. 'Help me!' At this point, I'm quite useful, aren't I? Even if you brought someone else, they couldn't match what ‌‌‌‌I can do, right? I stared as hard as I possibly could. Then Kirakserus, as if he had no choice, let out an amused chuckle and rose gracefully from his seat. "It would be reasonable for her to possess foresight. After all, this ‌child is a Saint." That's right! A Saint...? '...What?' I was so ‌‌‌‌‌shocked that I simply collapsed onto Grandfather Patriarch's shoulder. For a moment, I wondered if this was real. Kirakserus approached my side, casually lifted me ‌‌up, and placed me on his own ‌shoulder instead. Then, toward the assembly frozen in astonishment, he added playfully: "Well, to explain it simply." "...." "The Demon Empire ‌‌has finally produced a Saint." Was he serious?! ‌‌

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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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