The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 9

“Ahem, just look at that bulging belly.”

“So adorable and lovely.”

“I heard the elders vehemently opposed and cornered her during the meeting back then. Wasn’t that just too much?”

“Bullying such a tiny Saintess!”

The words I’m hearing are so sweet, so sweet!

The scary grandfathers I met at the last meeting have all disappeared, and now this place is filled with vassals in their 40s and 50s.

You can think of them as the actual presidents who run each affiliate of the Dribblyane conglomerate.

‘In short, they’re all powerful figures who can hold their own outside!’

If you’re favored by these people, your future is a smooth road.

“As you said, Dribblyane bought that entire region. We bought it at a very low price because it was still winter there until a week ago.”

Wow, they’re calling buying an entire town cheap.

As if waiting for me to finish my honey milk, the Lord slowly opened his mouth. Then, as if by agreement, the surroundings became quiet.

“Now, should we plow all that land and turn it into farmland?”

“Pardon?”

“Wasn’t it originally a wheat-producing area? You meant that since spring has come, we should plow the fields?”

No, no, no! What are you talking about!

I was so dumbfounded that I snapped my head up, and the Lord’s black eyes were filled with amusement. The surrounding vassals also seemed curious about what I would say.

‘Ah, this.’

It’s a test.

Realizing this a beat late, I first wiped the milk off my chin. Then, I stuck out my round belly and waddled to my feet.

“Ahem, so cute I could die.”

“Such a little one, you can almost smell the milk.”

“Have you ever seen anything so small? It’s a first for me in my entire life.”

“Well, your family is bears, after all. There are no small beastkins [humanoids with animal features] in the Grizzly Bear family!”

Amidst the murmurs, I respectfully folded my paws.

Did the vassals deliberately chat for a moment to give me time to prepare an answer?

I took three deep breaths and then shouted confidently.

“First, put it up for auction, then sell it to the Imperial Family at a high price!”

The evidence of spring. That’s a huge event that will shake not only the Magic Empire but also the Holy Empire.

Can you even imagine how much Luxoria is worth at this point?

986, after the Saintess’s seal, and now it’s 995. The season that had been lost for nearly 10 years has returned. And only there!

‘If we were to live in Luxoria, it would be a privilege enjoyed by only a few.’

But if we were to turn it into farmland, we wouldn’t be able to save the entire Magic Empire with it.

Also, it was common sense that it would take a long time to provide enough fertilizer to the frozen land to make it suitable for growing crops. It’s a very meaningful land, but on the other hand, it has no practicality at all.

With the most trustworthy expression I could muster as a ferret, I looked up at Grandfather Lord.

“Sell it at a very high price. Sell it for the highest amount in auction history, enough to turn everyone upside down!”

That way, I’ll get more money.

Again, Dribblyane strictly adheres to the performance and reward system for being villains. If they sell Luxoria, they’ll definitely share the proceeds with me, right?

“And I have even more interesting information……”

“You have more interesting information?”

I nodded.

Now Grandfather Lord was in a very cheerful mood. From suspicion to interest, from interest to fun, and now to joy.

I watched the change and grinned.

“Soon, spring will come. To the whole world.”

So Luxoria is only valuable to the Imperial Family right now. Because it’s the first place where spring has returned.

“Then we must hurry and sell Luxoria before spring is seen across the country.”

“Yes!”

“The Imperial Family will be quite upset after paying the price!”

Grandfather Lord slapped the table and laughed loudly.

The vassals also laughed slyly, and I smiled quite like a daughter-in-law of a villainous family.

‘Ah, but.’

Why do I get along so well with villains……?

I was a little disturbed, but seeing them wiping away tears and laughing made me feel not so bad.

“If the Emperor knew whose idea this was, what kind of reaction would he have!”

“Kuhahaha, just imagining it makes me feel refreshed!”

“Every year, they take countless amounts from us in the name of taxes, donations, and border defense funds.”

“Let’s just think of it as getting it back. Keuheuk!”

Well, it seems they like the idea of messing with the Imperial Family more than the fact that they can recover a huge amount of investment-

‘Good is good.’

I’m adapting to the villainous family like this again.

Soon, I gently tugged on Grandfather Lord’s sleeve. Because I wasn’t finished speaking yet.

“Um, Grandfather Lord. By any chance… does Dribblyane have seeds and fertilizer?”

“Since spring will come to the whole country anyway, you mean we should sell the seeds, fertilizers, and seedlings that Dribblyane has been researching?”

“Yes!”

“You’re saying to preempt the market. Soon, the whole country will need fertilizer.”

I’m glad you understand at once. You can’t ignore experience, after all.

In the original work, Dribblyane was a munitions dealer. So a lot of manpower was focused on research such as manufacturing guns, bombs, and invisible surveillance golems [artificial beings].

‘But the current Duchess. She’s a spiritist [one who communicates with spirits]. And she’s contracted with the spirit of the earth.’

And the Duchess has been researching for a long time how to grow crops well indoors for many people. She presented the Imperial Family with a way to grow tasty and strong crops with minimal nutrients.

Thanks to that, the people of the Magic Empire were less hungry than those of the Holy Empire.

‘And thanks to that research, the seeds held by the Dribblyane family are stronger than those held by any other family.’

If you plant them, they’ll grow reasonably well even in barren environments and you’ll be able to harvest the first crop.

That would have more meaning than just a harvest.

‘The meaning of hope.’

But how will everyone accept this information?

‘Even so, wouldn’t they be wary, thinking it’s absurd to even consider incorporating the Duchess’s research?’

After wiggling my round ears and pondering, I decided to sell out Kiraxus, who wasn’t here.

“You’re very capable. I won’t ask where you got this information or how you came up with the usage.”

“Well… Kitty told me half of it.”

“Could that Kitty be referring to Kiraxus?”

“……Uung [a soft affirmative sound].”

The name Kiraxus was too difficult to pronounce. So I looked for a substitute pronunciation… and that was Kitty.

Sorry.

“Pu, Puhahaha!”

“A-are you calling the Young Lord a kitten right now?”

“My stomach, oh, my stomach! I’m dying!”

“Our little baby kitten Young Lord, euwahahahat!”

……At this rate, the vassals will think of me as a comedian.

I sighed deeply.

“Now, what does the baby want in return for all this information?”

“Reward?”

“Yes. Dribblyane has a greedy nature to take what it wants. But on the other hand, it can’t just have anything.”

Grandfather Lord was now explaining Dribblyane to me.

‘This means he’s accepting me!’

For a moment, my heart pounded.

It was a kind of expectation for ‘belonging.’ Until now, I had wandered alone without belonging anywhere.

Now… I’ll have a place to be. Officially.

“You’re putting a value on your achievements. This kind of experience will allow you to lead the family’s internal affairs in the future.”

“Yes.”

“Now, I ask again. How much do you value this work?”

I realized. There’s no point in acting weak, cute, or ignorant here.

These people don’t want that kind of ‘child.’

‘Right now, I’m like a comet that fell suddenly, completely unexpectedly.’

After all, what Grandfather Lord and the vassals loyal to Dribblyane wanted was only one thing.

A talent worthy of the daughter-in-law position.

The theory that nature doesn’t change is the prevailing opinion in this world.

Even if I’m a little suspicious, if I’m as useful as the child of a dragon, these people will gladly discard the existing cards and take me.

“……”

I looked back at the faces waiting for an answer. There was a faint smell of expectation. I decided to gladly meet that expectation.

“Dribblyane.”

“What?”

Grandfather Lord raised his eyebrows and asked again, but I didn’t even blink and answered.

“I wanna have Dribblyane. Because… because… it’s the bestest!”

The pronunciation, which was a little clearer than before, showed how much I was paying attention to what I was saying. Then, before the atmosphere turned strange, I added some aegyo [acting cute].

“Love me, please.”

But after sticking out my belly and saying everything I wanted to say, I became a little confused.

“But where do I get petted?”

If it were a person, it would be the head, but now that I’m a beastkin and even in the form of a ferret, I was confused.

Usually, when you like a puppy, don’t you tickle its belly……? Or not……?