Chapter 281
Chapter 281
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dealing with the Rose Count
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Back when I first visited the Rose family, I thought the Rose Count was a fairly normal person.
Regardless of his abilities, I figured the man himself was decent enough.
Of course, that notion completely vanished after hearing about my conversations with Rozalin later on.
"I just want to make a good proposal to you, Count. It's not some strange offer—it's quite reasonable. It would surely be... definitely beneficial for the people of the Rose family."
"Hmm...."
"Lately, you've been quite busy in many ways, haven't you? I hear even Aunt Christina has been having a tough time."
It wasn't wrong.
He really was that swamped.
Christina wasn't my real aunt, but I could tell from her visits for negotiations that she was incredibly busy.
She seemed to be trying to hide it so we wouldn't notice, but you could see it just from the state of the mansion.
Anyway, in that situation, the fact that the Count was talking to me now was... hilariously perfect timing.
"How about it? Could we have a chat?"
"...Hmm. Fine, I'll hear you out."
"Heh heh, shall we?"
What a moron.
A man so lacking in politics and territory management that his domain as Family Head hadn't developed at all.
The bastard who didn't properly raise or support Rozalin, born from his fling with a commoner.
The idiot who let Rozalin get bullied despite it being the consequences of his own actions.
And yet he thought of himself as a fine noble and a good man.
Even as he was being threatened under the guise of negotiation by a lower noble far younger than him, the thick-headed fool hadn't grasped the situation.
"Watching what the territory's people have been up to lately, it seems like Aunt Christina, who's been practically running the Rose family, might have caused some issues?"
"...I can't deny that."
I deliberately said Christina instead of the Rose Count.
It was true to some extent, but this thickhead clearly thought only of himself.
If he had any sense of guilt or cared about others, he never would have treated Rozalin that way.
I'd now figured out exactly how to bend this moron to my will from here on out.
"As far as I recall, things weren't this chaotic in Rose just a few years ago. You must have a lot to worry about."
"Heh heh...."
This idiot was fundamentally stupid.
Incompetent.
Poor character.
Strengths?
None that came to mind.
No interest, no curiosity.
But that's precisely why he made such a useful tool.
"From what I looked into, most business ventures failed. Even the successes barely helped the territory at all. They probably weren't enough to make a real impact."
All thanks to me, of course.
But here, it was right to pin it on Christina's shortcomings.
"That must have drained the territory's funds meant for business, forcing you to raise taxes. You had no choice, Count."
"Indeed."
"And yet, with people in the territory raging and even attacking the mansion, it somehow feels inevitable."
"...What are you getting at?"
"The solution to this mess is simple, isn't it? Very simple. Very noble-like."
"Hmm......."
To a noble, the family was everything.
Their power, tax exemptions, territory rule, and luxurious lives beyond commoners—all came through the family.
But if the family's reputation tanked and support waned?
That easy life vanishes, leaving them near commoner or semi-noble status.
Like Lize's family, my maid.
Once a barony, now practically commoners, which led to abandoning our dear Lize... anyway.
"Cut Christina loose."
.......
This solved everything with zero harm to him.
Even an idiot like him would get that.
"Announce to everyone in the territory that she squandered the great Rose family's money, harmed the people, and caused this mess. Strip her of all those powers she wielded without family approval."
.......
The moron sat silently, saying nothing.
What was he thinking?
That she was family, so as her father, he should protect her?
Or would he rip out my tongue for those words?
I just waited quietly.
"Christina certainly made grave mistakes."
"Hmm...?"
"Calming the commoners' anger won't be easy right now, either."
"Hmm?"
Huh.
No way.
Really?
Could it be??
"How about using this chance to properly revive the Rose family? I can give you exactly what you want... better than you could imagine."
"Hmm...."
No sign of dislike.
If anything, he looked... persuaded.
What an utter moron—I had to fight back the grin creeping up.
"And I have a nice villa in the eastern region. You could live there. At your age, staying in a noisy place like the capital must be tiring."
"The capital is... quite rowdy every year."
"Heh heh."
Moron.
This was the Family Head of a count family?
The ridicule kept bubbling up at the sheer idiocy.
But I had to hold it together, right to the end.
Even a total dimwit would notice if I laughed in his face.
Ah, but would he really...?
"It's about time you retired, isn't it?"
"Hmm...."
Anyway... beyond my expectations.
This Rose Count moron was... a self-serving piece of trash.
I hadn't anticipated him being this close to accepting my offer so quickly.
"Where's this eastern villa?"
"It's in a small city near Melnik. Close to the sea but not crowded. Personally, I'd recommend it over Melnik."
"Oh...."
"And the villa itself is... quite nice. More than enough for you, Count."
All true.
No pictures or photos, just words.
A bit of misunderstanding was inevitable, right?
But everything I described was genuinely, completely accurate.
"Ohooo...."
He was showing real interest.
This bastard...
Truly planning to dump responsibility on his daughters and leisurely retire to a villa.
Christina, who tormented Rozalin, was trash too.
Hmm.
What to say.
It was like getting a front-row seat to human ugliness.
Utterly ridiculous.
"Haa...! Haa...! Father, I'm sorry. I was handling things and came late...."
"Oh, hello, Aunt."
That's when Christina burst in while we were talking in the meeting room.
Did she rush over the moment she heard I was here?
Well, not my problem.
What mattered was that I'd been talking with the Count, she arrived late.
Her eyes widened in shock at the scene.
Couldn't be more enjoyable.
"It's fine. We weren't discussing much."
"Ah... really? Still, I hope this niece of mine didn't do anything rude?"
"Heh heh, jumping to conclusions is a bad habit, Christina."
"...?"
"Busy with work again today, I see."
"Ah, y-yes... Lately, the territory folk keep causing trouble, so I had to track down the ringleaders. And the new business I started......"
Christina rattled off excuses.
The Count responded mechanically, staring into space.
They felt nothing like family.
Rozalin and I—who weren't blood-related but kissed and touched like lovers—felt more like real family.
Though Rozalin and I were actual family, these two didn't feel like it despite sharing blood.
"Anyway, now that you're here, Christina, I'll take my leave."
"Ah, sorry for making you wait, Father. I'll be more careful next time."
"Heh heh... It's fine. No issue."
"Hmm...."
What was it.
Did the Count really seem indifferent to Christina's words, or was that my imagination?
That her mistakes no longer mattered...
"Hmm."
Not imagination.
It felt like he truly didn't care—and that was the truth.
The Rose Count wanted to offload all blame onto Christina for his own comfort.
He'd chatted without hesitation until she arrived.
"Heh heh...."
"Why the sudden laugh?"
"Heh, heh heh.... Ha ha...!"
"Have you finally lost it?"
After the Rose Count left the meeting room, I couldn't hold back the laughter.
I'd tried to stifle it.
But it was too absurd now.
"Wow.... Fuck."
Truly impressive.
"Huh...?"
I couldn't help the vulgar curse.
Because he was... the epitome of a fucking moron.