Chapter 132
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 132
A territory near the borderlands.
“You said the name of the territory was Bellus.”
“Yes, My Lady. It means ‘love—’”
“It’s a territory with a name that means lovely, beautiful, and cute, but the atmosphere is incredibly gloomy. The trees are as thick as a jungle.”
Max, who had been excitedly trying to explain, slumped his shoulders. Grans, standing beside him, gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.
Hey, I’m the one who knows the most about what happens in ‘The Milk Bread.’
Actually, that was a bluff.
I was just Han Ina, ‘Player 1,’ who only knew how to romance the male leads as Corico and how to become the top dog in the Frezier family.
But now, I was Tulia Frezier.
And not just anyone—the direct granddaughter with formidable power!
On top of that, I was the owner of a nightmarish personality who would turn anyone into a sandbag the moment they rubbed me the wrong way!
So, I had already made use of Tulia’s authority to obtain a letter from someone who knew our destination well.
* * *
[It is a fact known only among the residents of the Bellus territory, but there are rumors that groups of dangerous sorcerers roam near the Western Forest at night.
Based on the map you sent, there is a large oak tree with no leaves to the left of the signpost...]
Clara was reflecting on the contents of the letter she had written with all her heart when she was suddenly snapped back to reality by a hand tapping her shoulder.
“Clara.”
“Oh, yes. Head Maid Adel.”
She politely folded her hands in front of Adel.
Even before being chosen as Tulia’s personal maid, Adel had always been quiet and composed. Because of that, she could seem cold in a way.
Adel was kind only to Tulia.
In other words, she was merciless toward anyone who had tormented Tulia, even if they were members of the Frezier family.
Adel asked, “And Viscountess Aubrey?”
“She was the same as usual today.”
Clara reached into her pocket and pulled out a pouch of glittering gold coins.
To be precise, it was 2 million gold.
According to the ruling, this was the budget allocated to Lilius and Tedric.
Out of this, a mere 1.5 million gold was Lilius’s monthly budget, and the remaining 500,000 gold was for Tedric, who had been exiled to the border.
It was an amount so meager that they would starve for half the month—truly less than the wages of a common laborer.
“To think she’s trying to secretly send all of this to Master Tedric. She really is something.”
Aubrey was embezzling even the 1.5 million gold meant for Lilius to send it all to Tedric.
“What should we do, Head Maid?”
“Send it exactly as Lady Tulia ordered. And don’t forget to intercept one or two of the replies Master Tedric sends back. That was also Lady Tulia’s instruction.”
Every month, Tedric sent letters whining to Aubrey for more money.
He claimed he was freezing to death because the 2 million gold sent each month wasn't enough to buy a single extra log of firewood.
[Mother’s only son is dying every day from a terrible cold! Please, send more money! 2 million gold isn't nearly enough! The blankets are as thin as paper and the sleeping bag is rock hard!]
2 million gold.
2 million gold.
2 million gold.
The reason Tulia was inconspicuously siphoning off one or two of these letters where Tedric threw tantrums for more money was obvious.
She’s planning to send them to Viscount Lilius.
She intended to ensure their already ruined relationship was torn apart completely.
Sometimes, it was hard to understand.
Why had this incredibly brilliant young lady, who seemed capable of handling even palace intrigues, allowed herself to be neglected by her wicked relatives for so long?
“Now, return and carry out the Lady’s orders, Clara.”
“Yes, Head Maid.”
Clara quickly bowed and withdrew.
After being miraculously rescued from an illegal slave auction house by Adel on Tulia’s orders, she had become absolutely devoted to Tulia.
Clara headed straight to where Aubrey was staying.
Aubrey was confined to a small, dilapidated annex under an indefinite confinement order.
As soon as she saw Clara bringing a meager meal befitting her confinement, she screamed as if having a fit.
“How many times do I have to tell you to assign someone else as my maid?! Get out of my sight this instant and bring the Head Maid! How dare you ignore my words!”
With an expressionless face, Clara set the tray down with a clack.
“I will collect the tray in ten minutes. Oh, and My Lady. Since you smashed all the dishes last time, I won't be providing any more.”
“What?”
Aubrey stood up a beat late, trembling with humiliation as she looked at the solitary tray.
“How dare you... how dare you treat me like this?! I am a daughter-in-law of the Frezier family! My birth is different from the likes of you!”
There wasn't a single dish on the worn wooden tray. There was only a piece of hard bread, a single cucumber on the verge of spoiling, and a tiny dollop of butter carelessly smeared onto the bread with a teaspoon.
“Of course. You are indeed different from a lowly thing like me.”
Clara glanced at her pocket watch to check the time and continued in a flat voice.
“Then, so that our situations might become equal, I shall go to His Grace the Grand Duke right now and confess that you sold me to an illegal slave auction house.”
“W-what? C-Clara! Tulia clearly said she would keep that a secret...!”
“That was Lady Tulia. I was the one who was sold, was I not, My Lady?”
“That... that was because I briefly lost my mind...!”
But Clara’s eyes were filled with raw hatred.
In the end, Aubrey trembled.
Without another word, she stuffed the nearly spoiled bread into her mouth.
“Clara. If Aubrey says anything, just tell her you’ll report it to the Grand Duke. Well, if you really want to report it, feel free. You were the one sold, so you have the right to that much revenge, don't you?”
Tulia might not have realized it, but those were words no other noble would ever say.
Clara looked down coldly at Aubrey Frezier, the once beautiful and cruel noblewoman who was now hacking and coughing as the bread got stuck in her throat.
In just a few months, Aubrey’s hair had turned white.
She was no longer the young, beautiful, and elegant noblewoman of the past, draped in wealth and power.
Her shoulders were hunched, and her dignified aura had vanished.
She had become nothing more than a madwoman steeped in the delusion that her son would one day grow up, slit Tulia’s throat, drink her blood, and avenge today’s disgrace.
Oh, right. There were olive fruits that only grow in the Bellus territory. I think Lady Tulia would like them. Should I mention it to her?
After securing the large steel lock on the annex door, Clara hurried off to write a new letter.
* * *
“Huff, huff. My Lady. I have never seen such rugged terrain in my life.”
“Were you guys soldiers instead of knights?”
“Actually, I’ve seen it every day! It’s perfect for morning training!”
“It is a strong and good morning!”
The knights straightened their chests and immediately began to jog.
Max scratched his head.
“Lady Tulia. You certainly know how to handle the knights.”
Grans, who had been following behind me, answered from the side.
“Our Lady has always been good at everything.”
“She is indeed the Marquis’s daughter.”
“She has been thriving on her own since birth.”
“They say a good seed produces good fruit...”
Are those two on good terms or bad terms?
Sometimes it seemed like they were building rapport over me, and other times they seemed to be wary of each other because of me. It was a funny sight.
Regardless of whether they were fighting with their eyes or not, I continued deep into the Western Forest.
I’m certain. In the game, there was a cave inside the Western Forest.
However, Clara’s letter weighed on my mind.
Why did she say groups of sorcerers appear in the Western Forest?
Sorcerers were mentioned in ‘The Milk Bread,’ but only in very minor descriptions.
They never even appeared in the Bellus territory.
Hmm.
What on earth happened in the Bellus territory just two or three years before Corico appeared?
But I couldn't just not go in. Because the item I was looking for was right in the center of a cave within this dense Western Forest.
Fertilizer.
To be precise, its full name was ‘Rainbow Fertilizer.’
“...”
It was a name so childish it was a bit embarrassing to say out loud, but the effects of this item were incredible.
It was a common trope in martial arts novels—a martial artist gains immense spiritual power after consuming some kind of legendary pill.
You could say this was the fertilizer version of that.
It’s an item that can turn even a desert where not a single blade of grass grows into fertile land.
If you obtained this item in ‘The Milk Bread,’ you could even see the ‘Wealthy Farmer’ ending.
Because you could buy up vast amounts of barren land for a pittance and turn it into the greatest granary on the continent.
But I couldn't settle for a mere Wealthy Farmer ending. The reason? Simple.
I had to see the A-rank ending.
I gritted my teeth and glared at Jjapddongbyeol, who was leisurely floating around today as well.
I sent a letter to Ramus Jeremiah the day before we left for here.
Specifically, it was a commission.
To find one specific ‘gem’ that I wanted, no matter what.
I wanted to commission him earlier, but this guy’s down payment was no joke.
In the end, I had to save up my allowance like a miser, secretly sell the jewels I owned, and gradually receive surplus budget as bonuses with Grandfather’s permission just to scrape together the down payment.
I was broke because of it, but I didn't regret it one bit.
“I will accept the commission, Lady Tulia Frezier.”
Ramus Jeremiah only accepted such an enormous down payment when he could guarantee 100% success.
What I wanted was nothing else. It was the hidden item of ‘The Milk Bread’ contained within that gem.
‘White Tulip Seeds.’
An incredible item that creates an explosive wealth synergy when paired with Rainbow Fertilizer.
If I succeeded in today’s plan and held both items in my hands...
The first place I’ll empty out will obviously be the Imperial Family.
If she knew what White Tulip Seeds were, Empress Carmi, who valued beauty above all else, would completely lose her mind.
She might even flatter me, begging me to sell them to her.
Clink, clink!
I could hear the sound of money piling up in real-time surround sound.
Standing before the cave, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Everyone, let’s go!”