"Master, please listen!"
"No, but... isn't the young master planning to take that albino beastkin as his bride?"
"Since Lady Ariadne is no longer with us, it's true that the authority to choose a bride lies with the young master. However..."
So this is the point in the original story where Ariadne had died.
'What a shame. I wanted to see her in person if possible.'
Ariadne was a tremendous talent from the perspective of the Magic Empire, although seen as a villain from the perspective of the Holy Empire.
She was Kiraxis's sister and a genius born with dominant pheromones.
Originally, only men could become the head of the Driblyane family, but Ariadne shattered that tradition.
In politics, business, and swordsmanship, she excelled in every field and was superior to Kiraxis in many ways.
She broke the male head tradition, choosing her own spouse rather than being chosen by the family, and yet...
She died.
'Honestly, she wasn't a character who would die like that.'
The consensus among genre fans was that the author killed off Ariadne to make everyone fall for Raine in the later parts of the original story.
Ultimately, since it was a tragedy, the Driblyane family had to collapse, and with a character like Ariadne around, that couldn't happen.
"Enough."
At that moment, the master's serious tone made everyone fall silent again.
"You wouldn't have done this without thinking. Did the demon you contracted tell you to bring that child?"
"If you want to think of it that way, go ahead."
Kiraxis shrugged.
At that, the elders, who had lost their temper, stood up and began shouting.
"That, that, that cute and adorable creature!!!"
"That lovely and charming little puppy!"
"So cute I want to ruffle its fur!"
But something was strange. Despite their rough tone, the words were not what
I expected. Blocking my ears to avoid the elders' shouts, I couldn't believe what I was hearing and slowly lowered my paws.
Could this be black magic?
"How can you use such foul language in front of a child? They will learn from you."
Kiraxis clicked his tongue briefly. Then, he took me out of his vest and placed me on the table with a light plop.
"I understand that you don't like the candidate I've brought, who isn't tied to your academic, geographic, or bribery connections..."
No, no, that's not true.
Hey, I'm a spy! If we're talking about shady connections, mine are the shadiest!
"In short, you're saying that as long as this child is competent, it's fine, right?"
"Th-that's..."
"Isn't that right? You all care so much about the family that you would surely prioritize ability."
Kiraxis, with his fingers interlaced and chin resting on his hands, gave a sly smile. The feeling was completely different from when he smiled at me. It was hard to explain, but it felt... dangerous.
The opponent, feeling the same, flinched and backed off.
"If I take this child as my bride, I'll immediately assume the position of the head's heir."
"!"
"A person who can make me, who never intended to take the position, yield must be extremely talented, don't you think?"
Wow, that's complete nonsense.
Listening quietly, I was stunned.
"What do you think, Father?"
Kiraxis turned to the head of the family with a smile. It was shamelessly audacious blackmail.
'Ah, so this is how it happened in the original story.'
I was breaking into a cold sweat.
Kiraxis had been so unreasonable that he put anyone, any random person, in the position of bride, crushing the elders who had hoped to gain some power during this opportunity.
Ariadne, who had absolute authority within the family, was no longer there. Kiraxis had kept himself distant from family affairs until now, so the elders must have thought this was their time to act up. Kiraxis had no intention of allowing that.
Thus, I, definitely from the Holy Empire, was a perfect candidate for the daughter-in-law position.
No connections to anyone in this room.
"And... this is a warning."
Swoosh.
Kiraxis's pheromones began to flow through the room. Until now, he had only been moderately concealing them, but now they poured out like a waterfall, savagely tearing at everything in sight.
"Never again. Do not raise your voices recklessly in the presence of the head."
"......!"
"If you act arrogantly just because my sister is not here... I promise you, it won't be fun."
The elders, who had been shouting confidently, began to turn pale.
Clutching their throats as if they were suffocating, they gasped for breath and eventually bowed their heads one by one in submission.
'Seeing how the head of the family is just watching quietly, I guess this is allowed.'
Taking advantage of this moment, I glanced at the man who might become my future grandfather-in-law.
Only to lock eyes with him.
"It seems my son cherishes you quite a bit."
Yikes! He spoke to me!
The boss... I mean, the master, spoke to me!
"Seeing how he protects you so you aren't affected, it seems breaking his will won't be easy. What shall we do?"
The gaze he directed at me was full of expectations, making me feel immensely pressured.
My mind was spinning, but I forced myself to stay calm.
'From now on, I need to sell myself.'
Operation "Live Well as Driblyane's Daughter-in-law!"
"Ahem."
After a brief cough, I pointed to the large mobile chalkboard behind the head's seat.
To be precise, at the map hanging there.
"I have abilities."
"Oh?"
The head's eyes sparkled at the mention of abilities.
To appear trustworthy, I tidied my chest fur and stood up straight.
"So, what is this ability?"
"Well..."
To build tension and focus, I let my voice trail off.
Once I felt everyone's attention on me, I shouted as clearly and loudly as I could.
"Trust me and buy the land!"
"Buy... the land..."
"Buy... the land..."
"Buy... the land..."
My voice echoed through the now silent meeting room.
It sounded suspiciously like a sales pitch from a pyramid scheme, but this was from the original story.
"Hmm, buy land?"
"Yes...!"
The unexpected suggestion made the head raise an eyebrow.
Trying to avoid the hilarity of his hot pink shirt, I bit my lip and began negotiating.
"Buy it for me, and I'll tell you why you need to buy it."
"Oh. Not only can it talk, but it's also recommending real estate investment. Quite impressive. So, where should we buy it?"
The head's question prompted Rafiren to take the map and place it in front of me.
After a moment's hesitation, I scurried across the map and pointed to a specific spot.
Though he hadn't agreed to buy the land yet, I hadn't made the suggestion with high hopes. It was more to provoke further interest in me.
"Here."
"The Luxoria estate? It's entirely inland. A vast plain. In the past, it was full of wheat."
Now, unable to farm, it was practically useless land. But that would change in the future.
"Rafiren. Any peculiarities in Luxoria?"
"After the previous count died, his heirs had a major dispute. There are three brothers, all addicted to gambling, and their situation is dire."
"I see. So, why should we buy this land, child?"
The head's black eyes fixed on me. Kiraxis's beautiful turquoise eyes must have come from his mother.
'I could give a straightforward answer, but it's more important to make a good impression on the head.'
After a brief consideration, I scurried to stand in front of the head. Then, towards his large, solid fist that looked like it could crush a desk...!
I gently hugged it with my soft belly. It was my attempt at being cute.
"Head! Dambi wants to whisper it to you. I'll tell only you."
Grinning broadly, I repeated myself, and the head laughed heartily, lifting his fist.
"You've got guts. Alright. Whisper it to me."
It seemed I had earned some points for attitude.
I was worried that hugging his fist might be seen as presumptuous, but his hearty nature didn't mind. He even seemed to like it.
"Spring will come there. That's my ability."
I whispered into his ear, holding my paws together daintily.
I roughly knew where we were in the original story.
The spring stolen by Saintess Raine. The beginning of its return was now, during the middle part of the story.
The time when Raine was sealed.
The period when the supporting characters could start moving.
In the Magic Empire, spring starts from the Luxoria estate and quickly spreads across the land. This signifies the end of a long war and the return of people to their farmlands.
"That's a lie. That child can't know what spring is."
"Indeed. Judging by their age, they were likely born after the saintess's rampage."
The elders, close enough to hear, immediately refuted my claim.
Seasons were a given in this world before. But children born after the saintess's rampage in 986 knew only winter.
So, it was natural for them to scoff at my words.
"No, it's true. Flowers will bloom. If you buy that land now, you'll make a lot of money. I'd bet today's cookie on it!"
But I continued to insist.
The head was already listening. Buying land in Luxoria was like pocket change to the Driblyane family. There was nothing to lose by considering it an investment.
However, they might ask why. What should I say then?
"How can you be so sure?"
"That's..."
I hadn't thought of that.
Rolling my eyes, I looked at Kiraxis.
'Help me!'
See, I'm pretty useful, right? No one else could do as well as me.
I tried to appeal with all my might.
Kiraxis, chuckling as if he couldn't help it, gracefully stood up.
"There are reasons to believe it. This child is a saintess."
Right! A saint... what?
"...What?"
Too shocked, I plopped onto the head's shoulder. For a moment, I thought it might be true.
Kiraxis gently picked me up and placed me on his shoulder, then spoke mischievously to the stunned assembly.
"Ah, let me explain."
"..."
"Our Magic Empire has finally produced a saintess."
No way, really?!
