Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 125

Runs the Romance Fantasy with Baby Cash – Episode 125

☆ Chapter 125 ☆

Madam Sheruin was a famous scholar, and it was very common for people trying to win her favor to mention her papers.

They would pretend to know them without having read them.

Even if it was a child—no, *especially* because it was a child—she couldn’t tolerate that kind of false approach.

So, she had tested her, and Ruatisha answered with surprising accuracy.

“…Baron Aruso isn’t a very famous scholar, but you know his papers well.”

“Fame has nothing to do with academic depth. What matters is the content of the paper.”

“That’s right. It’s a shame that Baron Aruso is ignored because he’s from Perisha Academy, even though he has excellent abilities.”

The noble ladies around, as well as the other nobles who had come to observe, watched Ruatisha and Madam Sheruin’s conversation with great interest.

It was the first time they had seen Madam Sheruin talking so intimately.

Madam Sheruin was impressed in her own way.

‘She’s a really bright child? And she’s sincere, too.’

She spoke about black gold in a clear voice, and it was very sharp, as if she was piercing through the essence of the matter.

She had suspected that the child had already learned bad habits and was pretending to know, starting with lies, but she was wrong.

Madam Sheruin was somewhat picky, but she was a kind and thoughtful person by nature.

The countless people who flocked to her had only made her walls thicker and her defenses stronger.

“Princess Paeraton, I’m sorry. I tested you, who approached me with pure intentions.”

Ruatisha was a little surprised.

She didn’t expect her to honestly reveal that she had tested her and apologize.

‘Madam Sheruin likes honest people, so she’s honest herself.’

It wasn’t just because she was capable and smart that so many people followed her.

If so…….

“I was a little upset that you tested me, but it’s okay since you apologized! I learned that I don’t necessarily have to forgive just because someone apologizes, but I should treat those who sincerely apologize with sincerity.”

“Thank you for treating me with sincerity.”

Madam Sheruin smiled.

She didn’t pretend she hadn’t noticed the test or simply say it was okay. The way she honestly admitted she was upset showed a purity that couldn’t be seen in adults.

“As someone who values honor, I can’t just express my apologies and gratitude with words. I’ll give the Princess a gift.”

“Wow, really?!”

Ruatisha raised both hands and rejoiced.

“I’ll give you what you want, Princess. What would you like?”

“Um, um… I want to eat Pavlova!”

The noble ladies widened their eyes at the sudden request for dessert.

“Ahaha, I guess the Princess is still a baby.”

“She’s definitely different from other Paeratons. How lovely.”

“You can ask for something else.”

When someone like Madam Sheruin offers a gift, you should think of something more substantial.

“I really want to eat Sheruin’s Pavlova. I heard it’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside… and it melts like cotton candy, so I’ve always been curious.”

Sheruin’s Pavlova was famous.

Due to the nature of meringue, a lot of sugar is added to increase the stability of the foam, but Sheruin’s patissier [pastry chef] somehow managed to create a stable and delicious meringue with less sugar.

The Pavlova made in this way is a magical dessert that you never get tired of eating.

The patissier even received a medal for serving the Pavlova at the envoy’s dinner.

‘A child who likes sweets must be crazy about it.’

But she couldn’t just send Pavlova alone when she said she was going to express her apologies.

This was a matter of face and honor.

“Then I’ll invite the Princess sometime. I’ll treat you to delicious Pavlova.”

After saying the words, Madam Sheruin paused.

‘Did she aim for this from the beginning?’

There were countless people who wanted to be included in Madam Sheruin’s network.

“Wow! I’m really looking forward to it!”

But when she saw the child with chubby cheeks blushing and jumping up and down, those suspicions disappeared.

‘I’ve never seen such a smart and pure child… It’ll be rewarding to teach her. I want to introduce her to others, too.’

Madam Sheruin planned to invite other people on the day she invited Ruatisha.

[〈Socialite, Madam Sheruin〉 wants to build a close relationship with you!]

[This will lead to an increase in influence within the Empire!]

[A new quest has arrived.]

‘Good.’

The pure child, Ruatisha, smiled sinisterly inside.

Madam Sheruin’s network, who is picky about seeing people, was like a golden ticket.

Her book club, 〈Metis〉, is a private gathering of intellectuals representing this era.

‘Even the Emperor can’t ignore 〈Metis〉’s opinion.’

Having achieved her goal, Ruatisha greeted the noble ladies and left in a hurry.

“Isn’t her greeting so cute?”

“Look at her chubby arms and legs. Oh my, I need to get my child married soon so I can see grandchildren like that.”

Listening to the chatter of the surrounding noble ladies, Madam Sheruin took out a small board from her bosom.

It was a board for checking scores.

The observers of the salon were all judges.

She entered 100 points and 20 points next to Ruatisha’s name.

A total of 120 points!

100 points was a perfect score, but the judges could give a total of 20 points of bonus points at their discretion.

Usually, they would divide the 20 points among several people little by little.

But Madam Sheruin gave all the bonus points to Ruatisha without any hesitation.

Seeing Madam Sheruin scoring, the others also took out their boards and started entering scores.

The scores they entered were not much different.

* * *

“Do you think this makes sense?!”

The Empress shouted after seeing the interim scores.

“To give all the bonus points to Princess Paeraton! What are we supposed to do if you score like this!”

“Please calm down, Your Majesty. Prince Esteban achieved excellent results in today’s debate.”

“Excellent results? The combined score is lower than that half-wit who just came to the Imperial Palace, and you’re saying it’s excellent?!”

Sidrian, who grew up outside and was thought to not have the basic qualities as a royal, was actually ahead of Esteban.

Of course, it was a close difference.

But that was only because those who were influenced by the Empress gave Esteban all the points.

If they had faced each other head-on, there would have been a big difference.

The Empress could not accept that Sidrian, who was like a bug, was actually receiving a higher evaluation than her son.

“Use your means.”

The aides expressed their disapproval.

They were already using their means. Weren’t they manipulating the scores?

“We can’t do more than this. The Empress is watching with her eyes wide open. His Majesty the Emperor is also giving him strength.”

Bang!

The table that the Empress slammed shook.

“Why doesn’t your head work? If the two of them are protecting Sidrian, then touch Aurora!”

Partnership is very important at the Dawn Festival.

“Anyway, the difference between Esteban and that bug isn’t much. The problem is Lady Michellin and Princess Paeraton.”

“Lady Michellin will be hosting the salon soon. We will unconditionally give 120 points to our nobles and give Princess Paeraton the lowest possible score. It’ll be obvious if we give the Princess 0 points, so…….”

It wasn’t a very satisfactory solution, but it would still reduce the score gap quite a bit.

Princess Paeraton was just overshadowing her, but Lady Michellin was also achieving respectable results.

The Empress sighed and leaned back on the sofa.

‘It’s not enough.’

Lady Michellin was smart and thoughtful, but she wasn’t the type to attract people’s attention.

In society, extroverted people were more advantageous than introverted people.

Especially in evaluating many people in such a short period of time.

Tap, tap.

The Empress, who had been tapping the armrest with her fingers and thinking, opened her mouth.

“Find out the topic of Aurora’s last competition.”

“Yes? That’s…….”

“Can’t you?”

The Empress scanned her aides with sharp eyes.

“It’ll be easier than finding out about Eos.”

It was definitely less burdensome than Eos, where there were even rumors that it was a fight for the throne between the princes.

“You can use as much gold as you want. Use all the connections you can.”

“……I understand.”

“After you find out, tell Lady Michellin in advance. Fortunately, the last competition is an in-depth interview, so it’ll be advantageous for Lady Michellin.”

“Yes, Lady Michellin’s academic knowledge and culture are recognized even by Chevron’s professors.”

“She’s just not standing out because she has a quiet personality and is weak in showing off.”

“In an in-depth interview, a quiet, calm, and persistent person stands out. She’ll get a much better score than Princess Paeraton.”

Not only that.

No matter how bright Princess Paeraton is, she has to answer as soon as she hears the question.

On the other hand, Lady Michellin has plenty of time to prepare her answer.

It’s a situation where it’s harder *not* to win!

The Empress finally smiled.

“Good. Narrow the score gap at the salon and win the final competition. People like dramas.”

Princess Paeraton will be reduced to a stepping stone for this dramatic come-from-behind victory.

The main characters were her son, Esteban, and his partner.

“Hmph, foolish girl. Even though I reached out to you first. Your failure is that you didn’t know your place and rejected Esteban.”

Crack.

Ruatisha’s name written in the interim report was mercilessly crumpled by the Empress’s touch.

* * *

‘Wow, amazing.’

I was impressed by Lady Michellin, who was leading the salon calmly and deeply.

The top three ladies have the right to host the salon, and today, Lady Michellin, who is in second place, was hosting the salon.

It was impressive how she clearly organized the speaker’s opinions without saying much and led to deeper discussions by pointing out the core issues.

‘She’ll definitely leave achievements that will be written in textbooks later.’

While I was admiring, the salon ended.

I made eye contact with Lady Michellin and gave her a thumbs up—.

‘Huh?’

Lady Michellin turned her gaze away without any reaction.

‘Didn’t she see me? No, we made eye contact.’

Well, she’s not the type to ignore and be hostile just because we’re in a competitive relationship…….

“It was quite an interesting strategy. And I prefer people who know how to use the situation rather than stupid people who have low-level arguments.”

“Even if you were used, Lady?”

“I was also part of that situation. I look forward to working with you in the finals.”

The image of her coolly flipping her long hair and asking me for a handshake was still vivid.

Even if we’re competing for first and second place right now, she would have acknowledged me if she acknowledged me, but she wouldn’t hate me.

She hadn’t cleanly accepted the results from the preliminaries?

At that time, something hit my hand.

‘A note?’

I unfolded the note that had rolled onto the table.

It said to meet outside because there was something to talk about.

‘Who is it?’

I looked around, but there was no one who seemed to have thrown the note.

The salon was already over, so I got up from my seat without hesitation.

“The salons at this Dawn Festival are all high level.”

“She’s showing off her skills while hosting a salon where she should just be doing her best.”

“I was surprised at Princess Paeraton’s salon, but Lady Michellin is indeed Lady Michellin. She’s stable.”

“But isn’t it a little boring? Is it because she lacks charisma? The participants are definitely not as focused as they were during Princess Paeraton’s salon.”

“Oh my? That’s the fault of those children who don’t have concentration.”

I was quietly passing by when I overheard the observers talking.

There were enthusiastic championship candidates, each pushing for their own as if they were cheering for a sports team.

‘Hmm, I hope Lady Michellin’s attitude hasn’t changed because of those people who are making them compete like that.’

I was a little disappointed.

The place written on the note was a bench in the back garden.

But there was no one there.

‘It’s not a prank, is it?’

I frowned and looked around when I heard a voice.

“Lulu.”

At my nickname, I turned around with a slightly bitter feeling.

“……Acrin Young Master?”

I was a little embarrassed by the appearance of the Young Master, who I had no acquaintance with.

Why did he call me out?

“I’ve been thinking a lot. How should I decide my heart…….”

Huh? Relationship advice?

One of my greatest interests was when the taciturn Acrin Young Master and the shy Quirell Young Lady would get together.

But I have no relationship with Acrin Young Master to give relationship advice?

Did I show too much that I was interested in their love story?

However, the words of Acrin Young Master that followed exceeded my imagination.

“But I’ve made up my mind because of the actions the Princess showed me.”

Huh?

Acrin Young Master came close to me and grabbed my hand.

“I will date the Princess.”

“What… did you say?”

“There’s no need to be shy. I already know all about the Princess’s heart.”

“My heart?”

“Isn’t it hard to be partners with a man you don’t like for political reasons? If I know that the Princess has feelings for me, I won’t choose Quirell Young Lady either, and of course, I’ll—”

“Are you crazy?!”

I said harsh words without realizing it.

“Ah, no. Acrin Young Master, I think you’re mistaken. I have no interest in you. Not even a speck of that kind of feeling—”

“I told you, you don’t have to be shy. You’ve been glancing at me and smiling seductively. I know everything. I like you too? Stop playing hard to get.”

Wow.

I was only impressed by the attitude that threw away even the minimum courtesy.

Was this his true nature?

“Hoo, listen carefully? You were just where my eyeballs were moving. I never really smiled at you. Maybe I smiled because Quirell Young Lady is cute!”

“Ah, are you worried about Quirell Young Lady? Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it—”

“I have high standards! Compared to my dad and brothers’ faces, I’m sorry to even call you a squid!”

“O, a squid?! You were the one who flirted first!”

Is he sane?

Does he want to talk about a ten-year-old flirting with him?