Overcoming Poverty
Glan apologized to me again in the end. "Sorry, Celestia. I won't doubt you anymore." He bowed his head as he said it. I accepted his apology. Of course, it wasn't because watching Mariella and Glan fight was entertaining enough to warrant the price of admission.
"I accept your apology."
As a bonus service, I decided to share one little fact with him. "Oh, by the way, Glan. There's a guy named Milon in the general class."
"Milon?"
"Yes. The eldest son of the Roishutent family. He sees commoners as nothing more than targets to bully and exploit. Watch out for him."
With that, I stood up from my seat. Question marks practically popped up over Glan's head. Well, of course... he hadn't suffered under Milon yet. But he'd understand the meaning of my words soon enough.
This should be enough help to put an end to any pointless suspicions. I waved to Mariella and Glan as I left the café.
For now, I had three new goals. The big one was obviously my dopamine fix—the thrill I chased to survive this boring world. As part of that endeavor, I was working on getting "pampered."
On top of that, two sub-quests had popped up: help Cedric cheat, and help Cedric get a girlfriend. Since there was still time on those, I'd push them back for later.
Besides that, one more main quest had appeared: Milon Barak El Roishutent.
The early-story villain from the original tale, the one who torments Glan. The eldest son of the Roishutent marquis family, hailing from a wealthy clan that struck it rich through commerce. I'd been sold off to him, naturally—thanks to Father's unilateral decision.
I need to make Father abandon this marriage idea. Milon's out, for starters.
So I brainstormed a few options.
First: storm in right now, wreck the family from behind the scenes so they couldn't pull any strings. For the sake of their survival, they'd have to give up on marrying me off. A perfect solution tailored for my sociopath of a father.
But that would turn my family into enemies. Losing my allowance, my comics, and my two maids? The risk was too high, so I needed other ideas.
Second: kill Milon. If I offed him and every other candidate being floated or discussed as my fiancé, all the men and families angling for me would vanish naturally. They might point fingers and call it a curse. But it was too much hassle—tracking them down one by one for quiet assassinations wasn't easy.
Third: grab some random guy, blackmail him into a fake engagement. That would shut down all the talk for good. But even fake, the idea of being engaged gave me the creeps.
Finally: devalue Milon and all the other guys in the running. Father acted for the family's benefit. If he couldn't find a decent match and I tanked the value of those "decent" ones, he'd have no choice but to reconsider.
"Hmm... Annette?"
"Yes, miss?"
"Could you bring some more macarons and tea?"
"Right away, miss."
I popped a macaron in my mouth as I thought it over. I'd go with the last option. And as a bonus, mix in a bit of the first.
First things first, I needed to send Father a letter. A protest was in order.
"Yuna. Bring some paper and a pen too."
"Yes, miss! Just a moment!"
I started writing the letter to the main house. It was close enough that a carriage or a run would get it there quick, since both the estate and the academy were in the capital... but anyway.
I finished writing and reviewed the contents.
Father,
I’ve learned you’ve been discussing my engagement behind my back. If you think I’m useless to the family, I’ll prove otherwise by smashing it to pieces if I have to—so stop the talks immediately. If you push the engagement forward, I’ll inflict direct damage on the family. Think carefully about what’s truly in the family’s interest.
— Celestia
I sealed the letter in an envelope. This should get my point across. Just as I handed the finished letter to Annette—
Knock-knock-knock. Someone was here.
I sent Yuna to check the dorm entrance.
"Got it! I'll go look!"
Yuna saluted energetically and headed to the door. She opened it.
"Who might you be?"
"Is Celestia Erienne El Fredericia inside?"
A glimpse through the door: a slightly chubby man who looked arrogant and full of himself. Speak of the devil... it was the early villain from the original story, Milon.
"Who... are you?"
"Isn't Celestia Erienne El Fredericia inside?"
I shook my head firmly. Yuna caught the gesture and nodded subtly.
"She's not here right now."
"Is that so? No need for pretenses then. I'll wait—bring some tea, commoner."
"Eek?!"
He shoved Yuna aside and strode right in. His eyes met mine.
"Pleased to meet you. Milon Barak El Roishutent."
"Who are you?"
"Celestia Erienne El Fredericia. The one you're looking for."
I said it calmly while quietly drawing the Black Demon Sword. I pressed a finger to my lips.
"What? You're Celestia? I never heard the Fredericia lady was blind."
He didn't buy it at first. But seeing me with a sword drawn, he smirked.
"You don't know who I am? I'm Milon Barak El Roishutent. Soon to be engaged to your mistress, Lady Celestia."
True to form, he oozed early-villain vibes from the jump. And the engagement talks were about to implode anyway. So why was he so cocky...?
I considered: since he'd come here, why not kill him and dump the body? Perfect crime potential—this was my turf, and with Yuna and Annette's help, no issues.
"Um, Lord Milon. Sorry, but the lady over there really is Lady Celestia..."
Annette, fed up, gestured toward me. Milon finally looked me over again, muttering to himself.
"Academy uniform... orange hair... gold-trimmed student ID... no way."
"Pleased to meet you again, Milon Barak El Roishutent. Engaged to me, you say? With that attitude? Fat chance."
I grinned. Kill him? Nah, no need. Father tried selling me to this idiot for money, probably. The Roishutent marquis family was one of the empire's richest, loaded with assets from bustling commerce. Less authority than a ducal house, but practically quasi-ducal.
Point was, this guy had plenty to squeeze.
Squeeze him dry, impoverish the Roishutents, and Father would back off the engagement himself while seeking other options. I'd get to buy stacks of macarons and comics. Bye-bye, tight budget.
Perfect plan. Flawless, no downsides.
Action time. I flashed a creepy smile and thrust the Black Demon Sword forward.
"Milon. I've got a proposal. In exchange for not killing you right now, hand over something..."
"Wait... Lady Celestia. My apologies. I had no idea it was you. Please sheath that sword and forgive my rudeness."
His attitude flipped the moment he realized who I was. Amazing how he turned on a dime.
"I'll think about it. Will you hear my proposal?"
"Of course. Sheathe the sword first."
"For starters, I'm not interested in marrying you. I just sent Father a letter demanding he drop the talks."
"...! I-is that so?"
"Take a look at yourself. Not exactly oozing charm, are you?"
I pointed at his gut. He glanced down and flushed red.
"Are you calling me fat right now!?"
"You know it."
"I'm a marquis's son! How dare you—"
"Mad about it?"
"What?"
"You mad? So what can you do about it?"
I shoved the sword closer. He stepped back.
"What can you do?"
"Kill you and dump your body on top of White Mountain. You'd go missing. I'm special class—easy enough."
"W-what...?"
"So, my proposal: I won't kill you. Bonus: back off the engagement talks."
"Aren't you a Fredericia lady? This is blackmail! You're no noble—you're a thug!"
"It's a deal. My demands are simple."
I rubbed my fingers like counting cash. Yeah, that's it. That's all I wanted from him.
"Money...?"
"Exactly. Good deal, right? Your life for some cash?"
"You're insane. This discussion's over. And I'm pretty strong—threats like that won't work."
Slash!
I focused and sliced only his clothes. They shredded, leaving him buck naked in seconds. Annette covered Yuna's eyes. She might be used to ugly scenes, but Yuna wasn't.
"Gasp...!"
"A little adjustment and your head would've rolled. Strong, huh? Prove it."
"Wait... spare me!"
"Deal's on."
I grinned. He bolted out naked like a madman. I rifled his pants pocket—yep, valuables and coins galore. Ready to flash cash and throw weight around anytime, classic him.
"Miss. That was..."
"Annette. We're accomplices now. Perfect treatment for trash like him."
I pressed a finger to my lips. Annette pondered, then nodded.
"He shoved Yuna. Deserved it."
"Yuna? Oh, uh... yeah, sure."
And just like that, my new moneybags was born.