ITMLWKM 9

Chapter 9.

In the original story the female lead, Iris, suffers from homesickness caused by the shock and longing after her country falls. Carsian wants to be her strength, so after tracking down rumors he obtains a flower that only grows in Iris’s homeland. But the flower refuses to bloom no matter what, and while he’s tearing his hair out over it he suddenly thinks of the Gruan Trading Company.

Even if the company has gone under, they still have years of know-how from raising all kinds of plants.

By that time Celtron’s younger sister had already passed away. Celtron had fallen into despair over not even being able to give her a proper funeral and become a complete wreck.

After hearing the story, Carsian cursed the Gladellis marquis family together with him and paid for the dead sister’s funeral.

And during that process it came out that Celtron was a descendant of the druids.

The reason Gruan’s herbs were especially excellent and high-quality was because one of their ancestors had been a druid.

Druids are a different race with outstanding ability in handling plants. What the family had always dismissed as nothing more than an old legend turned out to be true.

After that the rest is predictable.

Carsian manages to make the flower bloom, gives it to the heroine, love blossoms between them… and out of gratitude he invests in the Gruan Trading Company and so on…

Anyway, I planned to do the work that the future Carsian would have done. Tell them about the druid ability and help rebuild the Gruan Trading Company.

“First I’ll find out the deals Father is going to make ahead of time and tell you. Then the Gruan Trading Company can intercept them and supply higher-quality herbs instead.”

“But even if we do that, will the deals come back to us? We don’t have the competitive edge anymore…”

Even though I was volunteering to be an industrial spy, Celtron’s worries didn’t stop. Of course I understood.

Cheap, mass-produced herbs with weak effects versus expensive, small-batch herbs with excellent effects—

In a matchup like that you can’t really pick a clear winner. But what if the words “the grower is a descendant of the druids” were attached to Gruan’s products?

It’s said that herbs cultivated by druids have special abilities beyond their basic effects. That kind of expectation would definitely form for Celtron too.

I grinned and said,

“Don’t worry. I have a plan for that as well.”

I’ll handle attracting the customers—you just focus on growing the plants.

If the trading company doesn’t collapse, Celtron’s sister won’t die either. And it would be better for Carsian when he comes looking for Iris later too.

In the meantime, if I open a secret account and quietly save up the salary I receive from Gruan? That’s a happy ending for everyone!

Celtron, who had no idea about these deeper intentions, still looked at me with uncertain eyes. His expression clearly said he couldn’t figure out the true motives of this young lady.

I decided it was time to drive the nail in.

“You can take your time thinking about it. If you’re still doubtful… fine. I’ll give you a sample.”

I asked Susan to bring the amethyst necklace Father had given me.

“This necklace was crafted at Graham Jewelry Shop. Graham’s signature product is amethyst. But it won’t be for much longer.”

“Won’t be… what do you mean?”

“Not long ago Father bought shares in the Zirorl amethyst mine. They mine bi-color amethyst there—amethyst with two colors mixed together. And our family has been doing business with Graham Jewelry Shop for a long time.”

“……”

“Within a month at the latest, Graham Jewelry Shop’s signature product will change. Check for yourself.”

I spoke with full confidence.

“And I’ll use this necklace to buy every single herb you brought today.”

“Huk…”

“With this you should be able to buy medicine for your sister for the next half year. Or you could buy new saplings. Just sell it quickly. Once bi-color amethyst comes out the value will drop.”

I even threw in a wink.

Celtron still looked at me like he couldn’t believe it, then took the necklace with trembling hands. Even after accepting it, though, he spoke in a hesitant voice.

“Am I… really allowed to take this? Truly?”

“Huh?”

“Well…”

Celtron mouthed the word “bastard.”

My eyes went round.

Was he worried about my position?

Now that I was aware of my place, I really was just the unwanted bastard child inside the family. I didn’t even have personal property, so it was strange I hadn’t noticed sooner.

Well… before the regression I had only been a somewhat clever ten-year-old who wanted Mother’s love.

Anyway, I gave Celtron a bright smile that said it was fine.

“What does it matter? To the outside world I’m still Latia Gladellis, the eldest daughter of the Gladellis marquis family.”

In other words, it wasn’t like I had zero jewelry or dresses. Even if everything I owned was something Elene had grown tired of and thrown to me. Still, I was happy to catch a glimpse of Celtron’s kind nature.

I spoke to him with mature calm.

“Please think positively about hiring me at the trading company.”

“Ah…”

“We can discuss the employment contract terms when the time comes.”

Celtron looked at me, then nodded and said he understood.

“Susan, see Celtron out.”

“Yes, young lady.”

Susan gave a warm smile and left the room with Celtron. I watched through the window as the two of them passed the entrance and walked through the garden. She was putting her whole heart into persuading Celtron to hire me.

Actually, on the way to the room I had already told Susan about my other plan.

‘If I get hired at the trading company, I’ll be able to look into more ways for Carsian to contact his father.’

‘My goodness, young lady, you have everything planned out!’

Susan had happily promised to help me.

After seeing Celtron off, Susan came back and grinned at me. It seemed she had gotten a positive answer from him.

I smiled brightly and waved at her, then casually turned my head. And—thud—my eyes met Carsian’s, who was standing in a corner of the garden.

W-was he watching me?

My heart suddenly started pounding. Carsian stared at me with his red eyes for a moment, then quickly looked away.

One week later.

Graham Jewelry Shop announced a set of earrings and a necklace made from bi-color amethyst. And I met with Celtron and signed the employment contract.

“I look forward to working with you, Miss Tiana Amethyst.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Trading Company Owner.”

“Please just call me Celtron.”

“I couldn’t possibly. You’re my employer.”

Celtron and I smiled warmly at each other and shook hands.

Tiana Amethyst was my forged identity. I had created it in case Father, who kept failing at deals, got suspicious and decided to dig into the background.

The experience of forging identities for the gambling nobles while helping Father run the illegal fighting ring before the regression had come in handy like this.

In the Tiana Amethyst account, funds for my future would slowly pile up. More precisely, funds for a future that escaped the original story! Just thinking about it made my chest swell with excitement.

And that night, Carsian finally came to see me.

* * *

For the past few days, the only thing that occupied Carsian’s mind was, without a doubt, Latia Gladellis. From the moment he opened his eyes in the morning until he closed them in the early hours, he thought only of Latia.

‘Please stop appearing in my head.’

It was driving him crazy. The second he had even a moment of free time, Latia’s voice echoed in his mind.

‘Yeah. I believe him.’

That voice was enough to make him lose his mind.

Carsian knew perfectly well how the people in the mansion saw him and how desperate they were to bully him.

‘No one believes me.’

More than the abuse or the neglect, the fact that he had no one on his side made him feel even lonelier.

Truthfully, that day too he had already given up. Just like Bill said, there was no one who would believe Carsian’s words.

But then Latia appeared.

‘I said I believe him. Carsian’s words.’

Even though she was shorter than him, why did the voice saying those words sound so solid? Latia was believing in Carsian without the slightest hesitation.

She had even drunk the dirty water to save him.

‘Is that all? The water of reconciliation—is that all? Then I’ll drink it instead. That’ll settle things. This whole thing gets covered up.’

After that she had even helped him receive an apology from Bill and Ron.

‘What am I to her that she’d go that far… Susan said she took medicine, but is she really okay?’

He was extremely worried that her body might get worse.

But separate from that, the way she appeared like the wind, helped him, and disappeared like the wind without even taking credit felt exactly like a hero.

Lately, every time Carsian thought of Latia the tips of his ears turned red. His heart pounded and his breathing grew short, so it seemed like a pretty serious illness.

On top of that, a week ago he had seen Latia save someone else.

‘Didn’t you hear me say I need “herbs with excellent effects”? And I don’t recall giving you permission to speak.’

The voice she used toward the knights who had embarrassed the Gruan Trading Company owner was clear and firm. The attitude was cold, but it was only to protect the weak—it wasn’t rude the way the knights had been.

Latia had spoken kindly to the gloomy-faced trading company owner.

‘Shall we go inside and talk more slowly?’

It was only a brief scene, but Carsian could tell that Latia had saved the Gruan Trading Company owner. At the same time, the memory of her sharing food with him and the worries he had been carrying all this time came back.

‘…Latia is strange.’

Even to Carsian, who had been trying hard to look at her unfavorably these days, it was obvious that Latia had changed for real. After that, while taking the trading company owner to her room, she had a short conversation with Susan.

‘I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.’

It just so happened that Carsian was outside the window of the hallway she was passing through.

‘If I get hired at the trading company, I’ll be able to look into more ways for Carsian to contact his father.’

‘My goodness, young lady, you have everything planned out!’

It was one shock after another.

Not only was she solving the trading company owner’s difficult situation, she was even thinking about him!

There was no longer any excuse left to deny Latia.