ITMWG 85

Chapter 85…

Unreasonable inheritance law.

Nadia left the “in-pain” Altair alone and left the terrace. She was concerned that her uncle and Melissa were by his side, but she decided to put hẻ worries aside for a moment because of how petty he seemed to be doing things on his own without saying anything to her.

Actually, this is something he could take care of on his own, I know that Altair is not foolish enough to fall for the sweet words of my uncle or Melissa.

When Nadia came to the capital for the Silver Jubilee, she was worried that Altair would be stepping onto the stage where all the tragedies in the novel took place. She was also concerned that her uncle and Melissa, who ignored her and took everything from her, might treat Altair the same way. However, after spending a while in the capital, she realised that everything was going their way and she felt a little more at ease. Her uncle and Melissa could not dare to disrespect Altair, and Prince Orca, who could be said to be the source of the tragedies, also seemed to have failed to reach out to Altair. Perhaps it was because Altair’s situation was very different from the poverty in the novel. Still, they could not let their guard down just yet. The reason the situation has changed was because they had wealth, so they had to protect it and grow it even more. If things went wrong and Aylesford’s financial state deteriorated, a dire situation could be approaching again.

I’ve read a lot of stories like that.

She had once read about a main character who also fell into the novel and tried hard to change the destined future, but in the end, things end up going according to the flow of the original story. ‘The world proceeds as planned!’ was a fairly familiar development. She knew she shouldn’t be thinking too negatively… However, she should not get too caught up in the situation and let her guard down.

I don’t know what it is, but Altair seems determined.

He created a relationship with the Duke of Viosques, and he was dealing with her uncle and Melissa civilly. She guessed he had a plan in place and was working hard for it. And that would certainly benefit Aylesford’s future.

Then I can’t lose to him either.

Since Altair told her she was a wonderful person, she had to act the part.

I should do what I can too.

First of all, Aylesford’s finances must be steadily replenished. That would be the foundation so that Aylesford would not be ignored and that Altair would not be swayed by bad temptations. A business would not succeed solely based on a good product. Ultimately, connections with people were crucial. In particular, nobles often placed more importance on other aspects than the value of the product, so she must cultivate a good relationship with them while staying in the capital. Though with that in mind, as soon as Nadia stepped back into the main banquet hall, numerous people’s eyes fell on her. She felt like her resolve was going to shrink due to her timidity, but she forced herself to straighten her shoulders. Which group should she approach and start talking to? Since people tended to gather around influential groups, it was possible to have a grasp of the composition just by looking around the grand banquet hall.

People like me who are used to being observant can notice such compositions more easily.

The most influential group was led by today’s protagonist, the Emperor. He was busy receiving congratulations from the Empress and other nobles. Next in line was the group of the first and second princes. A group of rather young nobles gathered around them and were chatting amicably. And the third prince, Orca’s group…

It’s frighteningly quiet…

A few people stopped by, perhaps because the gift he gave to the Emperor today was impressive, but compared to other royal family members, it was scarce.

Because he was so blatantly ignored, people become twisted and commit such terrible acts.

If one had been in this state from birth to adulthood, no wonder anger built up inside them.’ She was always afraid of Prince Orca. But right now, she felt a little sorry for him. As she slowly started walking away from where she stood, lost in those thoughts, Nadia heard a familiar voice.

“…What’s the matter, Baroness?”

Huh?

Startled, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked straight ahead, and before she knew it, Prince Orca was already right in front of her.

Uh, uh, how did I end up here!

As Nadia intended to move on, feeling sorry for Prince Orca, she somehow found herself in front of him without realising it.

Thoughts and actions don’t always have to match like this, Nadia…!

This was why the life of a tactless human being was difficult. Just as she was inwardly astonished, Prince Orca also looked stunned.

His eyes, which were always curved with a smile, opened wide and she could clearly see his pupils. But Prince Orca didn’t waver for long as he quickly returned to his usual smiling face and pointed to the group of the first and second princes a little further away.

“If you go over there, it will help you with your business. My older brothers have great connections.”

As he realised what Nadia was trying to do and even kindly advised her to go the other direction, she suddenly found it hard to leave. Prince Orca’s advice wasn’t wrong, but… wasn’t it strange if she immediately said, ‘Oh, I see!’ and moved on? Prince Orca chuckled softly at the sight of her hesitatingly standing still.

“It really seems as if you’re a real admirer of mine…”

After muttering to himself quietly, Prince Orca asked.

“Have you never thought that our country’s inheritance law is unreasonable?”

He asked in his characteristic light tone, but the truth was that it wasn’t the best conversation topic.

Inheritance law.

Even for a prince, to mention the irrationality of the inheritance law, could easily be accused of treason.

“The empire is strictly primogeniture, with all the family’s wealth and titles going to the firstborn, so the rest of us don’t stand a chance. Unless, of course, the firstborn is disqualified.”

Nadia quickly looked around, and luckily there was no one nearby. Prince Orca continued, seemingly having taken that into account before bringing this up.

“It’s even more unreasonable in the case of women. They are not subject to inheritance in the first place. Had you been born male, you would have been the Marquis of Vine by now, but since you’re the previous Marquis’ daughter, the title passed to your uncle. Isn’t that unfair?”

“…There is no one who wouldn’t feel unfair in such a situation.”

No one could have moved on without a care and said, ‘It’s the laws of the empire, what else can we do?’ However, she thought she knew why Prince Orca raised such an obvious question. Prince Orca, the third prince, was in a position to become Emperor only once the first and second princes passed away. Everyone knew that such a thing was not only very rare, but almost impossible. He seemed to want to find something in common with her. She, who did not inherit her family’s property and title as a daughter, and himself, who was completely excluded from the succession to the throne as the third son.

“Have you ever thought about changing that?”

“That… Uh… If you say something like that here… ”

Prince Orca, who spoke those words himself, was calm, yet Nadia was the one on edge. Her eyes were flitting here and there, worried that someone might be listening to their conversation, and Orca burst into laughter.

“It wasn’t a question meant to cause trouble. I’m just curious. What do other people think about their lives? Am I the only one who thinks ‘like that’?”

Why on earth is he telling me this?

Cold sweat ran down her back.

I don’t really want to know the villain’s inner thoughts…

It was obvious what would happen after the villain spoke his mind. The development would go along he line of ‘So, join my side!’ or ‘Now that you know my intentions, die!’

I don’t like either one!

When Prince Orca gave her the chance to leave, she should have run away quickly. When she saw that the surroundings around him were noticeably quiet, her heart became heavy, but she couldn’t have thought staying there with him would cause her this much trouble. Currently, Prince Orca was still waiting for her answer. It didn’t seem like he would back down before she answered him. After some thought, Nadia opened her mouth cautiously, worried that her answer might provoke him.

“Obviously that was unfair to me. It is true that I resented the law and wondered why things ended up like this.”

The unjust felt even doubled to her, who once lived in a world where all children had equal inheritance rights.

“Anyone in a similar situation would think about wanting to change. But it has already happened, and even if the law changes, it will not be applied retroactively, and I realised something else more important.”

“Something else?”

“My family’s wealth and title are not the only things that display my value. I kept thinking about that. Even without family wealth and title, I am a worthy person. So, I told myself not to be too burdened and keep moving forward…”

Moreover, the issue of death was more urgent for her at the time. If the story proceeded according to the novel, what good was wealth or title? Everyone would die. However, Prince Orca, who did not know such circumstances, seemed to be a little surprised by her answer and lowered his gaze with a strange smile.

“Family wealth and titles aren’t the only things that represent one’s worth… ”

Orca’s words slurred at the end, but it was almost as if she could hear him say, ‘But that’s everything to me.’ The atmosphere somehow became heavier than before. As Nadia was about to ask if she had made a mistake, several people came closer to the quiet surroundings.

“Did you two know each other?”

The combination of her and Prince Orca was fresh and seemed to attract attention.

“Oh, we became acquainted because she tended to me when I stopped by the Aylesford estate during my medical treatment journey. The Madame here helped me a lot.”

Prince Orca returned to his smiling face, as if he had never felt bleak from their conversation, and began to socialise with other people. Thanks to this, the number of people around them increased. As Nadia watched Prince Orca leading the conversation, she felt a strange sense of anxiety. She could visualise Prince Orca beginning to dominate the social world in earnest. She could clearly feel that the ‘novel’ tragic ending was approaching.

❈❈❈

The Silver Jubilee Banquet ended successfully, as they harboured many achievements. They became acquainted with the Emperor, developed connections with influential nobles, and were able to promote Magic Stone to them. Many families had already expressed their desire to purchase the magic stones. When calculating the contract units, though roughly, the amount was so enormous that it seemed unrealistic. Still, Nadia felt more anxious than happy. After returning to the mansion, Altair seemed to want to say something as he kept glancing at her, but in the end he did not say anything.

It’s probably because he’s afraid of being questioned about what he’s doing.

It seemed like he was making some kind of deal with her uncle, but he didn’t want her to know about it.

But this is not Aylesford Castle, it’s the Marquis of Vine.

It was a place that was familiar to her and to Marie. In particular, Marie’s connections were amazing. If Altair wouldn’t tell her, she could find out on her own! With that, Nadia secretly called Marie and asked her a favour.

“Marie, I heard the family lawyer is coming tomorrow. Can you find out what’s going on?”

“The family’s lawyer is Lord Daemon. I have a close friend among the servants of that house. I shall find out as soon as possible. However…”

Marie smiled as if telling Nadia not to worry, but then asked cautiously.

“Are you taking your medicine as prescribed these days?”

“Medicine? The one you brought from Aylesford?”

“Yes.”

“Of course. Marie and Anna are preparing it with care after all.”

Nadia did not know what the doctor said, but she couldn’t do anything because they both stayed by her side and watched until she swallowed the medicine. It also seemed difficult to eat food that was the opposite of the medicine, and so Marie personally checked her every meal.

“I think you can stop now. My health has also recovered.”

When Nadia sighed, thinking the maid was making a big fuss even though she was in no serious pain, Marie quickly refuted.

“You can’t say that!”

As Nadia’s eyes widened at the aggressive reaction, Marie let out a sigh.

“We still have a lot of medicine left. If you don’t take them, I would have to throw them all away, and that would be a waste.”

“Right…”

“Anyway, I will quickly find out what madame told me to.”

Marie quickly retreated. As Nadia watched Marie walk away, she tilted her head, feeling strangely unsettled.