How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 8
A calmness that rarely shows emotion. The weight contained in words spoken leisurely.
“As soon as she enters high society, proposals will pour in like crazy.”
Even without that, there were more than a few nobles who had pushed for proposals as soon as she came of age, in order to form connections with the Flaubert family.
But if that appearance were to be revealed, it was unimaginable how much more intense the competition would become.
“Well, in the end, she’ll marry the Crown Prince, right?”
Mason, the man who had appeared on the roof, clicked his tongue as if somewhat disappointed.
Since even provincial nobles knew that Marquis Flaubert was close to the Empress, it was natural to think that way.
Blake Kadenhart, the ‘owner of the heirloom’, who had been quietly listening to Mason’s words, spoke softly.
“…It seems she didn’t recognize me.”
“Just as we don’t know about that person, perhaps she’s also unfamiliar with high society? Well, since Your Grace has been moving from one subjugation unit to another, your face isn’t well-known either.”
At those words, Blake let out a small sigh. Then he tightly gripped the wooden tag he had been staring at for a while.
“Innocent, but not stupid. Generous, but not foolish.”
Blake hadn’t intended to deceive her from the beginning.
When he heard the news that the lost heirloom ‘Artoas’, which had disappeared due to the previous Duchess, had appeared at the Flaubert auction house. He made efforts in various ways to get it back into his hands.
Of course, he had contacted Marquis Flaubert, the owner of the auction house, and demanded its return, offering to pay the price, but this was flatly refused.
As if he didn’t even want to exchange words, Ante Flaubert ignored all his subsequent communications.
He tried to negotiate directly with the auction house but failed repeatedly.
The only response he got was that he had to participate in the auction directly.
But unfortunately, the Kadenhart duchy didn’t have that kind of money, nor did they have any allies willing to lend a helping hand.
So, as a last resort, he came here in person.
He was prepared to cause a scene at the auction house or intimidate the buyer.
The reason he approached the ruffians was because they were talking about the location of the auction house warehouse, and he wanted to gather information.
But who would have thought he’d end up meeting the Marquis Flaubert’s younger sister.
It was truly an unexpected harvest.
She, who had chased away the ruffians in an outlandish manner, didn’t hesitate to scold him either.
“Someday you might meet someone more skilled than you and suffer greatly.“
It was something he had never heard before in his life.
No one on this continent handles a sword better than him, so what nonsense was this?
But realizing that it was her own way of showing concern, Blake’s mind worked quickly.
This woman is different from Ante Flaubert.
Marquis Flaubert, far from being lenient with ruffians, would have made them taste bitterness, whether by cutting out their tongues or dismembering their limbs.
No, he wouldn’t have intervened to help in the first place.
‘A flower grown in a greenhouse.’
So Blake judged Angelina as such and stopped her as she was about to leave.
“It might seem shameless to say this upon our first meeting, but since we’ve met like this, it must be fate… “
He added these words deliberately, thinking to break down her guard and elicit sympathy. And at the point when he thought her heart had softened, he appropriately removed his hood.
Of course, he expected her to recognize him and be flustered.
But…
“You need to tell me what your request is before I can decide whether to grant it or not. “
Her attitude didn’t change.
This was the first variable.
It couldn’t be that she was acting like this knowing he was the Duke of Kadenhart.
No matter how you looked at it, this was nothing more or less than how one would treat a subject of their domain.
So he pondered for a moment.
“I… “
Whether to reveal his identity or not.
But suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
If he could use that tender heart well, he might be able to persuade her without revealing his identity.
“I need money. “
So he shamelessly began to act.
“I tried contacting the auction house to ask for its return, but they said they have no obligation to return it. “
He spilled out his circumstances without being asked.
As expected, she wore an expression of pity.
Despite her indifferent voice and seemingly uninterested expression, it seemed she was indeed a woman whose heart was easily moved.
Those who didn’t step into politics and grew up delicately in greenhouses tended to give unnecessary sympathy to others more easily, and Kadenhart considered this woman to be of that type.
“Couldn’t you just exclude the item from the auction? “
So he pushed a little further.
He expected one of two reactions.
Either an innocent response suggesting she hadn’t thought of that, agreeing to do it.
Or a refusal to help, saying it wasn’t within her authority.
If it was the former, he was willing to watch her use her position to extract the heirloom, and if the latter, he planned to reveal his identity and ask to meet Ante, who had the authority.
Either way, it would be beneficial.
“Even if I am the sister of the head of the Flaubert family, that would be crossing the line. “
And one of the expected reactions came.
“What’s the point if we don’t follow the rules we’ve set ourselves? “
Although he was a bit taken aback by the response, which was more upright than he had anticipated.
“If I’ve said something out of line, I apologize. Actually… “
Thinking he had gained what he needed anyway, he was about to take out the Kadenhart family tag to prove his identity.
He intended to request a meeting with Ante Flaubert.
Even Ante Flaubert couldn’t turn away someone who came as his sister’s guest.
But then…
“Show me. “
She beat him to it before he could reveal his identity.
“Let’s go see this heirloom you speak of. “
This was the second variable.
And it didn’t end there.
“Well then, shall we participate in the auction? “
Saying that the only way to get the item back was to win the bid, she really jumped into the auction.
The variables didn’t stop.
“Ten billion. “
She casually threw out an amount that made his eyes widen and obtained the heirloom far too easily.
She even seemed to be enjoying it.
“How dare you try to outbid a Flaubert with money. “
Blake couldn’t take his eyes off the woman who, despite seeming innocent, was now burning with competitiveness.
She was an unfathomable woman.
And she continued to defy his expectations until the end.
“But we can’t rule out the possibility that you might be a con artist and this actually belongs to someone else, right? “
She wasn’t just some naive young lady who was easy to deceive.
“Prove it. Prove that this is really your family’s heirloom. “
Her willingness to help and spend money so easily was bewildering, to the point where he wondered if she knew his identity and was acting deliberately, but that wasn’t the case either.
At times she seemed sharp enough to recognize the value of ‘Artoas’, yet showed naivety in not knowing it was the Kadenhart duchy’s heirloom.
She acted all kind-hearted while helping him when surrounded by ruffians, yet sharply pointed out that there were lines not to be crossed.
She was a woman full of contradictions.
“But in the end, you couldn’t find ‘Artoas’, is that okay?” Mason asked as Blake continued his thoughts about Angelina.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What? But…”
“We prevented it from going to the Crown Prince, that’s enough for now.”
Blake wasn’t the only one who learned that ‘Artoas’ had been put up for auction at the Flaubert auction house.
Crown Prince Aiden Grandonia had also noticed this.
The Crown Prince was someone who made every effort to find Blake’s weaknesses.
As such, it was clear he would try to obtain ‘Artoas’ by participating in this auction.
If it fell into the hands of the Crown Prince, of all people, it would surely become quite troublesome.
So Blake moved quickly to deal with this first, putting aside all other issues.
“But isn’t Flaubert the Empress’s person? Then it seems like it’s only a matter of time before it’s handed over…”
“…No.”
While Mason expressed concern, Blake shook his head.
With narrowed eyes, he looked in the direction where Angelina had disappeared.
“That woman won’t hand the sword over to her brother.”
“How do you know?”
“…Just a feeling.”
Ridiculously, it was just a ‘hunch’.
That woman full of contradictions doesn’t step into her brother’s authority. That much was clear from this conversation.
