ITMLWKM 18

Chapter 18

My father had stolen the cultivation methods used by the Gruan Merchant Company and was mass-producing their medicinal herbs. However, the herbs produced by our family’s business weren’t even half as effective as the ones sold by the Gruan Company.

Even though they were supposedly using the same herbs and the same cultivation methods, the difference in quality clearly bothered him.

“What exactly makes you think there’s a difference between the herbs sold by the Gruan Merchant Company and those sold by our merchant business?”

And I was certain that Father assumed Celtron had told me the reason behind that difference.

Honestly, Father, think about it. Even if his business is struggling, would a merchant company owner really reveal his trade secrets to a child he’d just met?

I found my father pathetic.

At the same time, though, I realized just how much this problem had been troubling him.

I thought things through carefully.

My mathematical ability had improved even more, so I would definitely end up working for Father again, just as I had in my previous life. However, although the period during which I’d be assigned simple calculations might become shorter, I wouldn’t immediately gain access to the core of his business.

In other words, I still wouldn’t be able to feed any of Father’s business secrets to Celtron for the time being.

The knowledge I possessed only extended to next year’s business dealings.

But what if I managed to earn just a little of Father’s trust here?

If I could improve the effectiveness of the medicinal herbs that had been causing him so much trouble, and if he also benefited from my exceptional mathematical skills…

Wouldn’t I be able to gain access to his core business much sooner?

Good.

After organizing my thoughts, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I think it’s because the soil is different.”

“The soil?”

“Yes. I heard that the soil in our greenhouse is mixed with special compounds that are good for growing medicinal herbs.”

“That’s right. Thanks to that, we can cultivate a large number of herbs.”

“But… I don’t think medicinal herbs should grow too easily.”

“What do you mean?”

Father, who had been lounging lazily against the back of the sofa, suddenly leaned forward.

Since I already had his attention, I decided to press my advantage.

“Um… this is only my personal opinion.”

But Father didn’t seem to believe that.

That foolish man was completely convinced that Celtron had shared the secret with me.

Putting on an uncertain expression, I continued.

“Just as fruit tastes better after a slightly dry summer, shouldn’t soil be a little rough as well? It’s the same with sweet potatoes and potatoes, isn’t it?”

Perhaps because he believed these weren’t my thoughts but Celtron’s, he listened with intense concentration.

I continued.

“Medicinal herbs also grow from the earth, so… I think they might mature better if the soil isn’t too fertile.”

The truth was that the Gruan Merchant Company’s herbs were superior because Celtron was a descendant of druids.

However, what I was saying wasn’t entirely false.

When I was nine years old in my previous life, Father happened to meet an agricultural scholar.

The man explained to him that flowers raised in a greenhouse were delicate, while wildflowers were resilient.

One reason the Gladellis family’s medicinal herbs were so ineffective was because they’d been forced to grow too quickly.

“I heard that beautiful pearls are created only after oysters endure tremendous pain. Without that suffering, beautiful pearls could never exist.”

The herbs weren’t being given enough time to mature naturally.

Instead, they were being overloaded with nutrients and forced to grow.

Even fixing that one issue would probably double their effectiveness.

Of course, even then, they still wouldn’t match the quality of the Gruan Merchant Company’s herbs.

My father’s blue eyes gleamed.

If he was going to assume these were Celtron’s words anyway, then I might as well take advantage of it.

So I delivered the finishing blow.

“I heard that all of the Gruan Company’s herbs are grown in open fields. They don’t use greenhouses like we do. Flowers raised in greenhouses are fragile, but wildflowers are strong, aren’t they?”

A sharp look of realization flashed across Father’s face.

I didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

“I injured my hand while hitting Carsian.”

“Oh?”

“But no matter how much ointment I applied, it wouldn’t heal. So I asked Betty why that was, and she told me it was because our family’s medicinal herbs weren’t very good.”

“…Betty said that?”

The corners of Father’s mouth twitched.

“Yes. Mother assigned her as my maid, so we’ve become very close.”

I answered with the innocent expression of someone who knew nothing.

“And Betty also told me that nothing could compare to the medicinal herbs sold by the Gruan Merchant Company. That’s why, when their merchant arrived, I tried to buy some herbs from him.”

Although I couldn’t actually buy any because I didn’t have any money…

I added the last part in a disappointed voice.

A subtle look of satisfaction crossed Father’s face.

Because I was an illegitimate child with no personal funds, he believed he’d managed to obtain information from the Gruan Merchant Company without spending a single coin.

Not quite.

The herbs I’d purchased from Celtron had already been secretly mixed in among the herbs growing in the greenhouse.

After that, just as he had in my previous life, Father assigned me simple calculations.

In my previous life, even four-digit addition had intimidated me.

Now I could mentally calculate numbers up to eight digits long.

I wasn’t afraid anymore.

So I completed every calculation he gave me right there on the spot.

The way Father looked at me changed.

The illegitimate child he’d never expected anything from had somehow managed to obtain the Gruan Company’s secrets and also happened to possess exceptional mathematical ability.

How could he not be interested?

I continued smiling brightly, pretending to be a completely ignorant child, and left the drawing room.

That evening, a maid brought me dinner.

The punishment had been lifted, but I wasn’t expecting much.

And yet…

“My goodness…”

The meal was so extravagant that I couldn’t help gasping.

There was an entire roasted chicken.

A fish dish without even the slightest unpleasant smell.

Fresh salad.

Three different kinds of soft bread.

And on top of all that, a thick, warm cream soup.

“The Marquis sent this. Be grateful.”

The maid spoke irritably, clearly unhappy about serving me such a luxurious meal.

I didn’t care whether she slammed the door behind her or not.

“Pirori, look at this.”

“Ppi-reuk!”

Pirori flew out from his hiding place and landed on my shoulder.

Grrrrrr…

My empty stomach growled loudly.

I swallowed hard and muttered,

“As I thought… even while I’m plotting revenge, I still need to make sure I don’t neglect my own meals.”

I didn’t need to starve while sharpening my blade.

My venom was growing deeper all on its own.

Maybe I should take this opportunity to completely wrap Father around my finger so that he’d never dare mistreat Susan and me again.

Besides, Carsian’s father wouldn’t return for another three years.

Whether I liked it or not, Carsian and I would be stuck here together for the next three years.

In that case…

During those three years, I’ll use everyone in this household to my advantage.

I’ll make the people who looked down on me for being an illegitimate child hand everything over to me.

And when the executions come… you’ll be the only ones facing them.

Hehehe…

An evil laugh escaped me before I realized it.

“Ppi-reuk! Ppi-reureuk!”

Pirori kept staring at the sweet bread crumbs and fresh fruit, practically drooling and urging me to hurry up and eat.

But I waited patiently.

The delicious aroma gradually filled the room.

Then—

“What… is all this?”

Carsian climbed through the window, carrying bread with him.

Apparently, he’d been worried that the people in the Marquis’s household had starved me again.

I grinned.

“It means that part of my plan worked.”

I briefly explained the conversation I’d had with Father earlier that day.

“The Marquis actually believed you? Seriously? He thought the owner of the Gruan Merchant Company would reveal his trade secrets to a child he’d just met?”

Carsian asked in disbelief.

Instead of answering, I gestured toward the feast spread across the table.

My eyes seemed to say,

Didn’t I tell you part of my plan succeeded?

“Ha…”

Carsian let out a disbelieving laugh.

I pushed the sweet bread crumbs and fresh fruit toward Pirori.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to ask him to release Susan.”

“Do you think that’ll work?”

“Of course it will. I’ll still be good at math tomorrow.”

Tomorrow, I planned to demonstrate my mastery of the abacus in front of Father.

And then he’d think:

This girl is useful.

The accusation that I’d stolen the magic potion was already proven false.

And now I was also proving myself useful.

Did he really think he’d leave me alone without exploiting me?

Susan would be back tomorrow.

So, as I set aside extra bread and fruit that we could eat later, I said,

“Let’s eat. From now on, we’ll be getting meals like this more often. I’ll pay back what I owe, but I’ll still take advantage of every opportunity.”

I was only seven years old.

Carsian was only ten.

Whether people loved us or hated us didn’t matter.

We had to use the adults around us to create a foundation for our future.

Maybe I should even start keeping a double set of account books.

As that thought crossed my mind, I noticed Carsian’s hand reaching for a piece of bread.

His hand was rough from working in the stables.

Seeing it made my heart ache.

I remembered again just how gentle those rough hands had been.

If I really did create a second set of account books, I decided then and there that the money would be spent on Carsian.

The next day, as planned, I demonstrated my skill with the abacus in front of Father.

“No… since when did you…?”

He seemed completely speechless.

I’d mentally calculated numbers up to eight digits, then switched to the abacus to quickly solve nine-digit calculations.

At the same time, his blue eyes gleamed.

He was undoubtedly calculating how much he could make use of me.

Finally, he spoke.

“You have quite an impressive mind.”

Honestly.

Was it really so difficult for him to offer a simple compliment?

Still, I smiled brightly.

“Thank you!”

Right now, I needed to look like nothing more than an illegitimate child desperately trying to earn her father’s love.

Even though he’d previously called me “lowborn,” I needed to appear so innocent that he wouldn’t suspect me for even a moment.

He couldn’t be allowed to imagine that I was secretly preparing to stab him in the back.

Father continued testing me several more times.

But as my calculations became faster and faster, he finally stopped doubting my abilities.

“It’s a shame I failed to recognize your talent sooner.”

That wasn’t an apology.

He was simply regretting all the time he’d wasted by failing to notice my usefulness.

I barely managed to stop myself from glaring at him.

“From now on, work hard for your father.”

With a gentle smile, Father reached out and patted my head.

That day, I returned to my room carrying two things hidden inside my sleeves:

The merchant company’s delivery ledger…

And Susan.