Chapter 246
Chapter 246
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Final Blow Against the Roses
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Time with Rozalin was good, time with Lize was good, and time with Ashley was good.
Ella was also stopping by the mansion frequently, even if she didn't live there every day, which was great.
But I still had many goals left to achieve.
"Um... Camellia?"
"Yes, Mother. What is it?"
"The letter you're writing now. Is that to your sister? The second sister."
"Yes, that's right."
Among them was the long-planned destruction of the Rose Family, which wasn't just about women.
I'd even told Rozalin about it before.
Since it was already known, there was no need to hide it anymore.
"Does that sister want to join the plan? The operation?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Uh... why?"
"Because she said she dislikes Christina Rose too."
Rozalin was asking about Alexandria Rose.
She was part of the Rose Family too, so she couldn't understand why she'd join us?
"Hmm... that could be true..."
"What?"
"That sister didn't get along well with the eldest either. Yeah."
"Ah."
"Well... other than our parents, who did get along with the eldest sister? Obviously not me... hehe."
Well, I didn't know exactly either.
Why did Alexandria dislike Christina Rose?
Honestly, I didn't think she hated her enough to want to destroy the family.
But the information she provided was quite useful?
"She's dealing quite a bit of damage to the Rose Family. It's too valuable to just suspect."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Everything is progressing well. Probably... just one solid blow, and it'll crumble easily."
It was true.
The Roses were currently so fragile that a single minor attack could topple them if mishandled.
They were definitely planning and preparing new ventures to sustain the family.
But all those ventures were blocked by me, Rosaki, and Nordal.
Forget rebuilding their foundation—they were probably desperate just to scrape together a year's budget.
I'd aimed for that, but it was almost too easy.
Of course, enduring attacks from the robust Rosaki Count Family and Nordal Ducal Family would naturally be tough, unlike the Roses.
"...Mind if I ask when you started preparing?"
"Of course."
It wasn't hard.
I'd already revealed everything else anyway.
"The first time I went to Rose Territory with you, Mother. That's when I thought of it. I must have been... 11? Or 12?"
"That's been a long time."
"That's how much I disliked them."
There were various reasons, but the biggest was Rozalin.
I hated how they'd treated her like that since she was young, and it made me so angry that I devised the plan.
At the time, Rozalin was struggling quite a bit and spilled a lot about her childhood while drunk?
"Fufu..."
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm just glad I can talk about this with you, Mother."
I'd been preparing in secret all along.
Talking about it like this was quite enjoyable.
Even though it was about destroying Rozalin's family.
"But Mother, is it okay if I say I'm going to destroy the Rose Family? You lived there for nearly 20 years."
"It's fine."
"Really?"
Such an immediate answer.
I thought kind-hearted Rozalin would hesitate a bit.
But no.
Well, she was pretty open-minded in her own way?
That made sense.
"Rather... I've never even thought about it until now. I'm not as smart or capable as you, Camellia. I just... lived being pushed around, same as always. Probably..."
"..."
"On one hand, before coming to Leonhardt, I lived there—excluding my academy days—and the time in Leonhardt isn't much different...?"
"So?"
"No, even without that, this is my home now, where I live with you, Camellia..."
Rozalin's expression as she said that was filled with sincerity.
It was a genuine answer, not just to please me, but from the heart.
"And honestly, the Rose people... never really liked me much since childhood. Unlike you, Camellia...?"
"I'll like you even more from now on."
"Uh, wh-what...?"
"Tonight too?"
"Eh?!"
Now... it was time to truly finish the plan to destroy the Rose Family.
I'd actually prepared and started long ago, so all that remained was one powerful blow.
What kind that would be... I could think about it slowly.
"No. Shall we do it now?"
"Aren't you going to work? You were just writing a letter to Alexandria..."
"Come here quickly!"
"Kyaa?!"
For now, I decided to spend some time with Rozalin first and think later.
*
Who could help deliver that powerful blow to destroy the Rose Family?
That was the question.
I'd pondered it for a few days.
Honestly, there was no difficulty at all.
"The interior of the mansion has changed more than I expected."
"The Family Head changed, so of course. Isn't it much better redesigned to suit me?"
"The previous mansion did look overly lavish."
"Even Ivana thinks so?"
Of course, it was Ivana.
The Rosaki Family was certainly better than Leonhardt, but incomparable to the Nordal Ducal Family.
"It might suit Camellia, but some of the interior felt a bit mismatched. It could have been a touch darker."
"Fufu... I really feel so comfortable talking with you, Ivana. Conversations just flow."
"Is that so...?"
Talking with Ivana really was comfortable.
Her personality was surprisingly relaxed for the heiress of such a great family.
Refreshing, a bit clumsy, and quite cute.
Most people around me weren't strong-willed anyway... but Ivana was even more so.
"Thank you so much for coming. You must have a lot on your plate these days, Ivana."
"Rather, coming down here let me get some fresh air, so it's good."
"Really? Then... that's fortunate. I was worried you'd hate coming all the way to the south."
"It takes a while, though."
"Hehe."
Anyway, I'd called Ivana to the south, to Leonhardt Mansion.
There were various reasons, but on the surface, it was business.
Ivana had been preparing businesses before, and she was leading most of the Nordal ventures in the north excellently.
The north's tourism business had developed properly recently, and they were thriving by selling goods to other regions.
Honestly, she must be so busy, so I was grateful she came.
Of course, the tasks I had for her might feel a bit sorry?
"You'll stay at our mansion for about a week, right?"
"Probably, for now. I could stay longer, no problem... but I have to return north."
"True. You have to manage the north. You can't stay in the south forever."
Of course, a week was plenty.
Business talks wouldn't be hard, and Ivana basically had a lot of fondness for me.
I didn't know the exact direction of that fondness.
But since academy days, I knew I had surprisingly low resistance with women, so no big worries.
"For today, just rest comfortably at the mansion. The trip must have tired you."
"It did, but... not enough to keep resting."
"Hmm... really?"
She said she wasn't busy, that it felt like a break, coming for some air.
But this was basically suggesting we start business talks early.
I liked how much more business-savvy Ivana had become compared to academy days.
At first, she wasn't confident about these things and didn't know much, but now...
"Fufuu..."
"Why are you smiling?"
"Just... it's nice to see."
"...Is it?"
"Fufufu."
Anyway, it was nice to see.
When Ivana first proposed a business partnership, it felt annoying.
But seeing results like this made me proud, honestly.
A businesswoman I nurtured achieving great success.
I wonder if William felt like this.
"Then, Ivana, shall we move? It's awkward to keep talking in the drawing room."
"Let's do that."
The drawing room lacked soundproofing and wasn't ideal for truly important talks.
The hallway outside saw a lot of traffic too.
So, I naturally moved us from the drawing room to my room.
It was in a secluded corner of the mansion, with strong soundproofing... no one would hear even if we did something major.
"Shall we keep it light today?"
"If that's what Camellia wants, that sounds fine."
"Fufufu... then let's. Have a seat."
Of course, I didn't plan to dive into those matters right away today.
I just wanted to spend time admiring Ivana's pretty face and legs after so long.