Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 224

Running the Romance Fantasy with Baby Cash – Episode 224

☆ Chapter 224 ☆

“By the way, His Majesty the Emperor is quite impressive. To think he would contact you, Miss, because the Saintess brought in a huge investor.”

“He’s a calculating person to begin with. It’s only to be expected.”

A few days ago, the Emperor called me separately and told me that Liriel had brought in a huge investor.

The intention was clear.

He was saying that since she brought in the investor, he wanted to entrust the project to her, but that would cause political problems.

If he entrusted it to her, wouldn’t the central figures in league with the Empress act even more defiant?

So, he wanted me to reorganize the situation so I could take charge.

Upon hearing that, I made only one request to the Emperor.

“Please give me more time.”

“I am delaying the announcement as much as possible, but there are limits. Even today, the central figures came to demand why the announcement hasn’t been made, even though the deadline has long passed.”

“Tell them you’re changing the competition to an open competition. If you say the preparation is taking longer for that reason, they’ll welcome it with open arms.”

“That’s true, but if it becomes an open competition, I can’t openly support you. You know that, right?”

“You don’t need to support me.”

“…Luatisha, you have never disappointed me. But you know this, right? It can’t be Paeraton investing.”

“I said it myself that day. You can’t run a country that way.”

“That’s right. …Are you really confident about changing to an open competition?”

“You keep asking, so you must be anxious.”

“I have no choice. Didn’t I tell you who Liriel said would invest?”

“I’m grateful, Your Majesty, but shouldn’t you be a little fair?”

“Ugh, to hear such words after giving you preferential treatment. You’re the only one who treats me like this.”

“My convenience is my convenience, but you’re doing this because you want a specific outcome, right?”

“Whether you were young or now, you never miss a word. Other young ladies—”

“That’s why you keep me close.”

“Ha, yes. You’re right about everything. …If I give you time, can you definitely bring in another investment source? The investment source in your current plan—, frankly, it’s inferior to Liriel’s.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Understood. I’ll bet on you.”

That was the end of the business.

As I was about to leave after bowing, the Emperor called me back.

“Luatisha.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What is your relationship with Sidrian… ahem, what is it?”

“Pardon?”

“No, well. I was just wondering if it’s a political alliance or if you’re, uh, dating…”

“……”

“I just heard some rumors.”

I was dumbfounded to see the Emperor, uncharacteristically avoiding eye contact and mumbling.

“It doesn’t seem important, so I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty.”

“Lulu!”

I ignored the Emperor’s call from behind.

The Emperor has no right to interfere in Sid’s personal life.

Hmph!

In any case, the time was postponed as I wanted.

“Everyone heard that the Saintess has almost secured an investment source, right?”

“Of course.”

“My winning is important, but the most important thing is to successfully complete the water management project and stabilize the people’s livelihood.”

“Yes.”

“If Liriel secures a better investment source than me, then Liriel should win.”

I turned to look at Azul.

“Right?”

“Yes, Princess.”

Our water fairy smiled like a fairy.

* * *

At the same time.

Liriel, having finished her conversation with the Empress, left the Empress’s palace.

The attendants who had been waiting by her side followed her.

“Your Highness, the Emperor has announced an open competition.”

“I heard. The Empress’s maid told me.”

At those words, the attendants wore sly smiles.

“It seems he’s using the excuse of changing to an open competition to buy time, but isn’t he just digging his own grave?”

“No matter how much time he spends, it will be impossible to find a better investment source than ours.”

“Isn’t he just creating an opportunity to be publicly humiliated?”

“If that happens, the influence of the Paeraton Princess will definitely decrease.”

“And that influence will come back to its original owner, Your Highness.”

Liriel paused for a moment.

“To do that, we must win this competition.”

Liriel remembered the last imperial banquet.

With just one action from Luatisha, the atmosphere that had been favorable to her turned around in an instant.

‘I admit it. I underestimated her.’

There was also a reluctance to act lukewarmly, feeling that she had to mingle with humans on the same level.

“The result is already as good as decided. Now, if you just wait quietly—”

“No.”

Liriel interrupted the attendant’s words.

“Just like she took my influence, Lulu is originally a naughty prankster who covets other people’s things, right? She might try to steal my investment source this time too.”

Her gaze was fixed on one spot in the garden.

“I have to help her so she doesn’t do such bad things.”

There, Schuelah was sitting, pathetically shedding tears.

* * *

Schuelah wiped away her tears and mumbled.

“It’s too much……”

Surely, Zeon wanted to marry her.

That day, when it was just the two of them, he definitely said he wanted to marry her.

But the nasty Paeraton Princess is interfering, so she can’t even meet Zeon.

Moreover, the Paeraton Duchy even formally rejected the marriage proposal.

It was clearly that girl’s trick!

She went to see the Grand Empress Dowager, her great-aunt, out of resentment, but she was only scolded and is now on her way back.

“I emphasized that you should act well, but how did you act to be rejected after just one meeting? Paeraton even gave you time out of consideration for my reputation.”

“No, Your Majesty. Zeon liked me. Zeon likes me too. He said he wanted to marry me.”

“Zeon Paeraton? Ha!”

The Grand Empress Dowager shook her head.

“Schuelah, you don’t know Paeraton at all. To think that Zeon Paeraton wants to marry you.”

“Wh, what does that mean……”

“If you had approached it strategically, there might have been a possibility. If you had listed the advantages of marriage, he might have nodded. But he likes you? He loves you?”

“……”

“I emphasized it so much. How important the success of this marriage is to me! But you acted so immaturely!”

“Yo, Your Majesty……”

Still, blood is thicker than water, so she felt sorry for Schuelah, who was crying like that.

The Grand Empress Dowager clicked her tongue and turned her head.

“Well, the Paeraton young masters of this generation are relatively gentle, so you might have misunderstood. Is it thanks to the Paeraton Princess?”

At the mention of the Paeraton Princess, sparks flew from Schuelah’s eyes.

“It’s not thanks to the Paeraton Princess! The Paeraton Princess is monopolizing her brothers and preventing them from associating with other young ladies!”

“……”

“When I went that day, she said that Young Master Ixion and Young Master Ares had urgent business and couldn’t meet me! Then, later, I ran into the two young masters—”

“Schuelah Prussian!”

The Grand Empress Dowager’s voice, full of anger, abruptly cut off Schuelah’s words.

“Don’t tell me…… you had a bad ending with the Paeraton Princess that day?”

“Yes?”

“No, right? It can’t be.”

The Grand Empress Dowager shook her head, forcibly raising the corners of her mouth as if she couldn’t believe it.

“It’s better to be disliked by Zeon Paeraton, but the Paeraton Princess……”

“At first, I tried to get on the good side of the Paeraton Princess. I even made several suggestions to ease the Princess’s burden. But the Paeraton Princess—”

“Why are you telling me this now, acting wronged!”

The Grand Empress Dowager stood up from her seat.

“I personally called you and urged you, but you didn’t understand my words. Rather, you’ve only made my position difficult, as I was the one who pushed for the marriage proposal! I don’t even want to see your face, so get out of here right now!”

“Gra, Grand Empress Dowager Your Majesty……!”

Schuelah clung to the Grand Empress Dowager’s skirt, crying.

“Great-aunt, please help me one more time. I will definitely put the Paeraton Duchy in your hands, okay?”

“Arrange another meeting? How much further are you going to damage my reputation! Didn’t you hear me say get out?”

Recalling being kicked out of the Grand Empress Dowager’s palace like that, tears welled up again.

It was then.

“Oh my, are you alright?”

At the gentle voice reaching her ear, Schuelah slowly raised her head.

Bright light poured into her eyes.

A girl with a soft smile and clear, pure eyes, with the sun in her hair, was looking down at her like a part of a sacred mural.

“Saintess……”

Schuelah murmured without realizing it.

She didn’t call her Saintess because she was called Saintess.

She was truly like a saintess.

As if the word ‘Saintess’ was created for this person.

Liriel smiled and sat next to Schuelah. Then, she kindly wiped away her tears herself.

“Why are you shedding precious tears in a place like this? Such a beautiful person.”

“I, I, that’s……”

Seeing Schuelah hesitating, Liriel gave a gentle smile.

“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to. I’ll be here for you.”

“……”

“But if there’s something you want to pour out, you can pour it out to me. Helping someone is my joy.”

Schuelah somehow felt at ease.

A soft yet powerful voice.

Golden eyes that seemed to draw her in.

Schuelah’s lips opened as she stared blankly at Liriel.

“That’s, the Paeraton Princess, sob……”

* * *

“So, Young Master Zeon wants to marry you, but the Paeraton Princess is extremely interfering, is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s right. Really, sob, I thought encountering such extreme opposition was only in romance novels……”

‘What is this idiot?’

Liriel thought so inwardly, but she smiled without showing it.

Liriel knew very well that the Grand Empress Dowager had proposed a marriage to Paeraton for her niece, but it was rejected.

That’s why she approached Schuelah.

“Oh dear…… Come to think of it, I’ve heard that the Paeraton young masters think terribly of their youngest sister.”

“That’s all because the Paeraton Princess is interfering in the middle so that her brothers can’t associate with other people!”

“Then the solution is simple.”

“Yes?”

Liriel smiled.

“If Young Master Zeon’s feelings for you are so deep that he can reject even his youngest sister’s opposition, then it’s possible, right?”

“Th, that’s—.”

To be honest, that’s right.

But even though she’s blaming Luatisha for this and that, Schuelah knew very well that it would be difficult.

It’s just hard to admit.

At that moment, Liriel gently wrapped her hand around Schuelah’s.

Schuelah was startled and looked at Liriel.

“I think I can help you.”

Help her?

How?

But looking into Liriel’s eyes, she began to feel that she could somehow help her.

“Do you trust me?”

A kind and gentle voice dug into her mind.

Schuelah nodded blankly.

* * *

I was currently in a huge dilemma.

Two 3000 cash gacha tickets that I currently have.

‘Hmm, even if I do well and both hit the jackpot with 3000 cash, it’s not enough to summon anything to the end.’

Should I just spin the gacha now?

Or should I complete the newly appeared quest and then spin the gacha all at once?

‘Ah, before that, let’s check the additional rewards first—.’

At that moment, something soft and warm touched my cheek.

Smack.

Making a wet friction sound and falling away—.

“U, uaa?”

Sidrian smiled as he looked at me holding my cheek.

“What were you so lost in thought about that you didn’t even know someone was here?”

“Yo, yo, you!”

“Yeah, I came.”

Sidrian narrowed his eyes and smiled.

It was a smile that made people’s hearts flutter.

But that doesn’t mean I can just let it go.

“Ju, just now, to me!”

“Yeah, I kissed you.”

I gaped.

Since he came out so confidently, I had nothing to say.

“You did it before too, Master.”

Sid, who came close to me, whispered in my ear.

“On my lips, grabbing my collar.”