TVBDP 09

Chapter 09

“Look into what happened in more detail.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As the aide who received the order left, Cordelia, who was scheduled to have lunch with him today, entered and greeted him with a bright smile.

“Your Highness.”

“Ah, Cordelia.”

Noticing the uncomfortable look while seeing Adrian’s stiffened face, Cordelia asked cautiously.

“Your Highness. Do you have some worry?”

“No.”

“Is that so? Then that’s a relief.”

Although he answered no, looking at Cordelia who naturally linked her arm with his, his heart felt unsettled.

Cordelia chattered about something, but Adrian couldn’t focus well on the conversation.

‘Ah, right.’

He thought he should call Varden, the Young Duke Argenthose and mage who fought on the battlefield with him, and ask him casually.

‘…….’

Noticing that Adrian was lost in other thoughts unlike usual, Cordelia’s eyes sank coldly.

I grinned broadly.

These days, I was truly so happy. Wouldn’t this be happiness?

The joy of learning. Is this what a late-blooming student feels like!

I could understand a little bit the heart of the 90-year-old grandmother who was said to be happy writing every day after learning letters late.

‘Studying is so good.’

The teachers the Duke assigned to me were very excellent.

I realized only after receiving lessons that I had been so thirsty for learning.

The reason it became like this.

Perhaps it seems to be because I got a job right away.

Until high school, I maintained relatively high grades, but after taking the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test), I was swept up in a great conflict.

I was shocked because the results came out too poorly due to my condition being low on the day of the CSAT.

Eventually, it became a situation where it was difficult to enter the university I wanted.

However, I hated going to another place matching my grades.

It was stubbornness, well.

So, leaving behind the ridicule of the kids who ignored me and were my competitors, I chose the path of employment.

Thinking, I will earn money for just one year, stabilize my life, then retry the exam and go to the university I want.

However, perhaps there is a time for learning; I seldom had the opportunity to study persistently, and actually, it was difficult to concentrate.

Because enduring the continuous overtime every day, the senior’s bullying, and the hardships of life alone was hard enough.

Like that, five years passed, and it was too difficult to make the resolution to retry the exam.

I happened to tell this story to my senior at a drinking party.

What did that jerk say?

He criticized me, saying if I really wanted to study, I should split my time after work to study, and that I had no will.

Damn jerk.

Since I got a house on the outskirts, commuting alone took three hours in total.

On top of that, overtime. Let alone time to rest, even sleeping time was insufficient.

Right, well, maybe I have weak will. Others might call it an excuse.

But… as a famous celebrity said, it’s not youth because it hurts, but a patient if it hurts.

‘However, my youth that was getting sick like that starts again here in the villainess sister’s life!’

Even now, how happy it is that I can study again.

My priority for the purpose of life is to first satisfy this desire for learning and quietly lead a happy and comfortable life.

‘Not something like matchmaking. Something like dating comes later.’

Today as well, I concentrated and listened to the history teacher’s class, and as he finished the class, he showed tears out of the blue.

“Princess… to turn over a new leaf like this… Ah, no, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Umm.”

“When you called me again, I really didn’t want to come… but now I don’t regret it at all.”

Glancing at the burn scar remaining on the tip of the ear of the history teacher who took out a handkerchief and dabbed his eyes, I felt guilty.

A trace suffered from Yvonne’s fire magic.

“It was a good class. Thank you for your hard work.”

So I quickly sent him out.

As today’s class schedule ended completely, I stretched lightly.

“Princess. A-Aren’t you overdoing it too much?”

Toward Carol, who was trembling today as well but still nagging faithfully, I smirked and answered calmly.

“It’s fine.”

Compared to high school times when digesting an educational schedule where 10 periods were standard, it’s so leisurely that yawns come out.

Moreover, I sincerely, really really found studying fun.

My original self wasn’t on the stupid side either, but Yvonne’s brain was truly outstanding.

It’s like a state where passionate software like me entered tremendous hardware.

To think I can concentrate on studying amidst luxurious food and a leisurely life every day.

I want to live forever in the Argenthose mansion learning like this all my life.

While doing so, wouldn’t a method to use magic again come to mind somehow?

Or, it wouldn’t be bad to quietly quit being a mage and find some other job somewhere.

Since I thought of it, I decided to read the magic book I secretly brought from the mansion’s library yesterday.

‘Hm.’

《Basic Magic Theory》

I opened the hard cover of the thick magic book and started reading.

‘W-What is this?’

Flustered, I was engulfed in shock.

I flipped quickly from the first page to the last page, but the situation was the same.

‘Oh my god. Can I… not be a mage? Because I am not Yvonne?’

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang.

While I was lying half-reclined on the armchair blankly without strength, the sound of someone roughly knocking on my door was heard.

I spoke slowly.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me. Yvonne Argenthose.”

Varden Argenthose.

Right, I knew you would come too.

Still, Varden, who waited knocking instead of just barging into his younger sister’s room, was a guy with more common sense than I thought.

And seeing him call me accurately by name ‘Yvonne Argenthose’ instead of ‘Mad Dog,’ it was certain he came because of ‘that matter’ I was thinking of.

“Come in.”

Smiling brightly, I looked at Varden entering the room and got up slowly.

Varden, meeting me after a long time, stood in front of me with an expression full of suspicion and crossed his arms.

Feeling like I was dealing with my senior, I instinctively shrank back, but deciding not to be afraid anymore, I straightened my shoulders.

Right, the painful and stupid life of just living suffering from the senior is over.

I had to make that jerk my side while confidently saying what I wanted to say.

‘Right. Varden and the senior are different.’

Although that bad senior was a stranger not sharing a drop of blood, this guy is Yvonne’s blood relative anyway.

Let’s trust that.

Exploring each other, silence flowed between us for quite a while.

Eventually, Varden, narrowing his eyes, opened his mouth first only after a long time.

“You, just what are you plotting.”

“What do you mean, Brother?”

As I answered softly smiling gently, Varden was horrified.

Biting his lip as if suppressing his emotions, he barely continued speaking.

“…Right, that changed tone gives me goosebumps first of all, but I will ask the important thing first.”

“Yes.”

“The newly created sales organization method. I heard you told Father that I helped you with that. Just what is your dark plot. Confess properly.”

‘Huhu. As expected, he came because of that matter.’

I grinned inwardly.

The sales organization method where I made a ‘table’ and organized caused a considerably big wave within the Hose Merchant Guild.

Since it was a very innovative method in this world, they said they plan to apply it to the entire Hose Merchant Guild.

The Duke’s aide praised me excessively, saying the practitioners, moved by the drastically reduced workload, were shedding tears.

Toward the aide praising me asking if I knew how great an innovation of a report my achievement was, I almost said this habitually without realizing it.

‘No, all of this is thanks to Assistant Manager ○○○ doing well,’ like that.

I was sick of that son of a b*tch remaining like a habit even though my life changed.

But just then, a good idea flashed in my mind.

I decided to attribute this credit to Varden, who is practically my senior in this world.

My instinct was telling me this is the way to survive.

If I suddenly show ability and stand out now, would Varden, who used to call me ‘Mad Dog’ all this time, like it?

Rather, he would be wary of me, and then it would be just raising an enemy inside. It is different from my purpose of wanting to live a comfortable life quietly.

‘Of course, while attributing the credit to Varden, I won’t suffer foolishly like before.’

If I lived as a fool who had my work performance snatched away by my senior and kept my mouth shut before, now I will appropriately threaten this new senior and take my share.

Like that, I did groundwork with the aide and the Duke, and finally today.

Varden, who went on a business trip for investigation to write a report on the battle with monsters that occurred in the West, returned to the Argenthose Townhouse after a few days.

The returned Varden must have received huge praise from the Duke out of the blue regarding the development of the document organization method.

Varden’s expression, looking at me anxiously after running over immediately in confusion, felt quite cute, but I didn’t show it.

Instead, I threw a move calmly.

“Do you think I have a black heart and am plotting something? If you hated it that much, naturally you would have told Father right away that you didn’t do it, Brother.”

Varden crumpled his expression roughly and swept his hair back nervously.

As his handsome forehead was revealed momentarily, I realized anew that the guy was a handsome man.

If only he fixed his temper a bit, he’s a person I would want to see often… It’s a pity.

While I was smacking my lips regretting his appearance, Varden bared his teeth and approached one step closer.

“Hey. Just why are you being like this? Damn it, I thought you were aiming for the title succession in earnest because you said you started taking essential classes including liberal arts subjects. But what kind of dirty trick is this?”

“Pardon? Title succession?”

“Right. Since the Young Duke can change anytime.”

I was dumbfounded by Varden being wary of me with an absurd misunderstanding.

No, doesn’t the Duke misunderstand that I am staying still at home sad because I was rejected big time by the Crown Prince.

Varden thinks I’m aiming for the successor position?

I don’t want to do such a thing!

Well, since Yvonne’s evil deeds all this time were so varied. It’s not strange even if she suddenly aims for the Duke succession.

‘Since I am the person who thought I wanted to possess a villainess, let’s consider all this my karma and navigate through it.’

I put strength in my eyes and glared at Varden with all my might.

Perhaps surprised by Yvonne’s intense gaze after a long time, Varden flinched and stepped back.

‘Scaredy-cat.’

Varden, whimpering at his younger sister’s gaze domination, felt slightly cute again, but maintaining the momentum, I spoke firmly.