Chapter 06
The moment I heard those words, I immediately clenched my fists and raised my eyebrows.
The greed for money that had suddenly awakened in me ignited instantly.
“What do you mean I can’t receive it?! What do you mean I can’t?! Don’t think you can cheat me just because I’m a kid!”
In my excitement, little sprays of spit flew toward him.
As if he had expected this reaction, Rails adjusted his glasses and pointed to a section of the document.
“Please calm down and look at this clause that the late Marquis signed.”
The legal beneficiary of the trust may only receive the funds upon reaching adulthood.
It was a safeguard to prevent relatives from stealing the inheritance of an orphaned minor.
“…No way.”
Boom.
It felt as if thunder had exploded inside my head.
I was only eleven years old, which meant I had to wait another seven years before I could receive the money?
“The reason I came today is not to explain how to withdraw the funds.”
“…”
“The trust left by the Marquis has a basic annual return of around three percent. I would like to introduce some investment products that could generate even greater profits by the time you are eligible to receive it.”
Rails began explaining Hugobrint Bank’s investment products to me, who was still in shock.
“Our bank’s policy only prevents minors from withdrawing the money. They are still allowed to make investment decisions. For example, this product invests in mana stones. It earned over seven percent during the last three months. While there is some risk to the principal…”
Just as Adam had said, Rails was trying his hardest to sell investment products to an eleven-year-old girl for his sales performance.
But I couldn’t hear a word he was saying.
My money… My money…
“I also manage another young noble who inherited trust assets from his parents. If he had simply left the money alone, his returns would have been only half of what they became after investing.”
“…Mister.”
When I finally spoke while staring coldly at the investment brochure, Rails flinched.
Then he raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, my lady. If you have any questions, please ask.”
“The first product you mentioned. How exactly does it make money?”
Apparently, he hadn’t expected such a question from a child.
He smiled awkwardly.
“If mana stone prices rise, you could earn up to ten percent. The structure may be difficult for someone your age to understand, but many nobles invest in this product, so you may trust—”
“And the losses?”
The corners of Rails’ mouth twitched.
He took a sip of tea before answering.
“The losses… can reach as much as fifty percent.”
His voice was noticeably quieter than when he had explained the profits.
“But it has shown excellent returns over the past three months. It’s a highly satisfying product—”
“Then what’s the average annual return?”
Rails froze.
“…As I mentioned, over the last three—”
“I asked for the one-year return, Mister Rails.”
“W-Well…”
The man who had hoped to boost his sales by selling risky investment products to an inexperienced little noble girl finally let out a long sigh.
“It is currently down… thirty-nine percent.”
I knew it.
Crossing my short arms, I looked at him.
“Mister, don’t sell investment products like this.”
“…Pardon?”
“You only show the best-performing period while trying to hide the losses. That’s practically a scam.”
“B-But I’m only trying to increase my client’s assets…”
“You’re trying to increase your own sales and salary.”
My blunt words struck him right where it hurt.
His expression clearly said, How can a little kid understand all that?
To someone like him, I must have looked like the perfect target—a young noble orphan who had just arrived from the countryside and knew nothing about investing.
Too bad for him.
I’d survived modern society.
There was no way I’d fall for this.
“Adam.”
The moment I called his name, he immediately opened the door and entered.
Then he frowned at Rails.
“Please escort the employee from Hugobrint Bank out. And tell the bank I want a different trust manager. I can’t leave my parents’ assets in the hands of someone I can’t trust.”
“M-My lady…!”
Rails’ face turned completely pale.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to go this far.
But I wasn’t about to forgive someone who tried to trick a child for his own profit.
“I was wrong. I promise I will never recommend such risky products again…”
“Adam, please see him out.”
Adam looked at me with admiration before turning to Rails.
“Understood. Please stop troubling my lady and come with me.”
“My lady!!”
Even though Father’s trust was invested only in the basic return product, it seemed managing it still earned Rails quite a bit.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t look so desperate.
Puffing out my cheeks slightly, I stood up.
There was something I needed to check.
Time makes memories fade.
When I realized at the age of four that I was a modern person reincarnated as the country girl Arinel Myla, I started writing in Korean in this diary.
Everything I remembered from I’ll Stop Being the Tyrant’s Mistress.
The timeline of events, the characters, the causes behind everything, and even the tragic future.
“…Haizen Machern Myla.”
My finger stopped on the page filled with crooked, worm-like handwriting.
Back then, I had naturally assumed the “Haizen Myla” Mother mentioned was simply someone with the same name as the character in the novel.
After all…
Whenever Amelia wore a certain style of clothing, Parmes would fly into a frenzy and nearly kill her. It turned out to be the outfit Haizen used to wear. After that incident, those clothes were banned from the palace.
Whenever Parmes got drunk, he would stare into his wine glass and quietly mutter Haizen’s name.
Several subordinates were caught speaking ill of the dead Haizen and were brutally executed by Parmes. Parmes is seriously insane.
Haizen is Parmes’ berserk button.
…I thought Haizen had been Parmes’ ex-lover!
Dad… I’m sorry…
I smacked my forehead with my palm.
Anyway, it was mostly the author’s fault for never properly explaining who my father was.
I focused and continued flipping through the diary.
Nothing about Mother.
Nothing about me.
The original novel was about the tyrant Emperor Parmes and his mistress Amelia, so I wasn’t even important enough to be an extra.
Still…
The event that would happen two years from now definitely involved me.
The famine was so severe that even the grass and trees withered away. The people wandered desperately in search of food but couldn’t even find tree bark.
Looting became common in the cities. Noble storehouses were completely emptied. Many nobles were killed, and their homes were burned.
Public anger toward the Imperial Family exploded, and the people marched all the way to the Imperial Palace. Parmes got up, swung his sword, and killed them all. Kind of pitiful.
The famine lasted four years. One-third of the population starved to death. Total catastrophe.
According to the timeline in my diary, Parmes would ascend the throne two years from now, and the famine would begin immediately afterward.
Though for some reason, history had already changed, and Parmes had become Emperor early.
And then…
I found it.
The Empire’s economy collapses.
Hugobrint Bank goes bankrupt.
“Ahhh!! No!!”
I grabbed my messy hair with both hands.
So that was why hearing the name Hugobrint had given me such a bad feeling!
The legal beneficiary of the trust may only receive the funds upon reaching adulthood.
Father had deposited ten billion won’s worth of assets in Hugobrint Trust, but since I was still a minor, I couldn’t withdraw the money.
Then, two years later, the famine would begin…
And Hugobrint Bank—the bank holding all of Father’s inheritance, my money—would go bankrupt.
I couldn’t just sit back and watch!
“By the way, could you tell me who is in charge of the Empire’s food supply?”
Adam looked slightly surprised by the question.
“If you mean food supplies, that would be His Grace Duke Zigfrid, the Minister of Finance.”
“Zig… frid?”
“Yes. His Grace Duke Clyde Zigfrid is His Majesty’s closest friend and oversees the Empire’s treasury and finances. He comes from one of the oldest noble families and is one of the most powerful men in the Empire.”
I opened my diary and found the section about Zigfrid.
At the height of the great famine, Clyde Zigfrid invaded neighboring countries, slaughtered soldiers and civilians alike, and stole their wealth and food. His name alone was enough to make crying babies convulse in terror. A cruel and destructive monster…
In other words, he was every bit as tyrannical as Parmes Aslet.
Everyone surrounding Parmes Aslet was ruthless and merciless.
And at the very top stood Clyde Zigfrid.
Ugh… This is bad.
“…What is that?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just… my study notes.”
“It’s impressive that you’re already taking notes to rebuild the Marquis House, my lady.”
Ignoring Adam, who looked deeply moved, I closed the diary.
Someone that cruel and violent would never believe an eleven-year-old girl claiming that a great famine would strike in two years.
He might even kill me instead. According to the novel, he’s a complete psychopath.
Meeting him and trying to persuade him clearly wasn’t an option right now.
I’d have to find another way.
Two years until the famine.
The tragedy of the novel.
The tragedy of the people.
The tragedy of Albreon.
And my own tragedy.
The tragedy of my money.
When I was just Arinel Myla, the country girl living in Galnem Village, all I could do was store red sugar beets to prepare for the famine.
But now that I had become the heir to the Marquis House, I believed I could do much more to avoid the tragic future that only I knew.
I didn’t want to lose the inheritance Father left me.
And…
I didn’t want to watch everyone die.
But was there anyone else who could help me?
The lofty Sky Garden of the Imperial Palace.
“Hehehe! Have you heard the news?”
At the crescent-shaped round table where the Empire’s four highest ministers gathered, three seats were occupied, with only one left empty.
A woman in a velvet dress covered her smile with a fan.
“That child… has finally arrived in the capital.”
“Ohh. So the day has finally come.”
A huge man wearing light armor slammed one hand onto the round table in excitement.
The impact alone made the table tremble as if it might crack.
“…Then.”
Sunlight glinted off the glasses of a man with a brown ponytail.
His lips slowly parted.
“…Our war begins again.”
