A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 53

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 53
Kiana blinked, her eyes wide with bewilderment.
It was true that she had asked Julius to come here, and yes, she had planned it all. But she never expected Scari to arrive. He hadn’t attended a banquet in ages.
“G-Grandfather? How did you…?”
Scari erupted in anger at Kiana’s flustered question.
“So you’re telling me I should just stand by and watch my granddaughter call some other old fool instead of me!”
Everyone’s faces froze in the expression of ‘What on earth did I just hear?’
“That senile old man who’s nothing but a lump compared to me!”
Scari bellowed, unable to contain his fury.
“And just how much emotional torment must she have endured for her body to react this way just hearing such words!”
“B-Body reaction?”
“Dry heaving! Yes, it’s certainly the kind of thing that would make one retch!”
Scari shouted as if spitting blood.
“How dare you—how dare you brainwash my granddaughter with such nonsense since childhood!”
In truth, Kiana had simply drunk too much last time and caught Nix’s scent, leaving her feeling unwell ever since. The wine aroma from the Duchess Purbis had triggered her again….
To be precise, the retching happening now had nothing specifically to do with the Duke and Duchess Purbis. But she saw no reason to mention that. Instead, she repeated it once more with an even more sorrowful expression.
“Ugh, uuuugh… I’m not worthy, uuuugh….”
And that wasn’t all.
“Wow, this is truly absurd.”
There was another person Kiana hadn’t anticipated at all.
“So Kiana’s been shut away so gloomily since childhood because adults from House Purbis have been whispering in her ear?”
Joshua, dressed so characteristically himself, gazed at the Hydrangea Garden with cold eyes.
“And you were the ones who encouraged her to torment Melissa?”
He sighed while supporting Kiana, whose complexion looked terrible.
“Let’s go, Kiana. Your pathetic face is even paler than usual. Being around these people seems to be making your condition worse.”
“Huh? Uuuugh….”
“Abnormal reactions from touching childhood trauma are common enough. Let’s get away from these people first. The rest will be handled by Grandfather, whose cruelty matches his years.”
Kiana blinked blankly. Why was Joshua, who had never attended a banquet since his youth, here of all places….
But one thing was certain. Among these three, Julius was the most manageable target. In other words….
‘House Purbis is truly finished.’
Kiana tossed her red hairpin into the pond.
‘I get so excited when situations like this unfold.’
She then pulled a checkered ribbon from her pocket and fastened it in her hair with a click of her tongue. She hadn’t expected Scari and Joshua to attend the banquet, but things had turned out this way anyway….
Hearing about it later and witnessing it directly were entirely different in terms of impact. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, laughter bubbled up from within her, feeling remarkably refreshing.
“Then, brother.”
Kiana spoke to Joshua with a delicate expression.
“I’m too weak-hearted to watch Grandfather deal with these people. Let’s hurry and follow Julius. I’m worried.”
Her plan was only just beginning.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Banquet Hall without Kiana had descended into absolute chaos.
Sezare walked calmly out of the Banquet Hall, which was filled with screams, with Ranaq trailing behind him.
“Did the job go well?”
Without properly answering, Sezare asked anxiously.
“Where is the Princess?”
“She’s in the Medical Room. A relative of hers was injured.”
At the mention of the Medical Room, Sezare raised his eyebrows, but his expression softened at the word “relative.” Ranaq glanced around and spoke quietly.
“I’ve had the carriage brought to the rear entrance. You should leave quickly.”
“Let’s go to the Medical Room.”
“Pardon?”
“I need to escort the Princess all the way through.”
“W-what are you saying?”
Ranaq’s eyes widened as he questioned him.
“These people here are all going home on their own right now. And Lady Kiana isn’t alone—she’s with her family. We’re just using each other plainly. Why would you need to go that far?”
Sezare answered coldly.
“Even so, I must fulfill my responsibilities as her contract lover. That’s all.”
And he turned his steps toward the Medical Room.
* * *
Four knights carried Julius and headed straight to the Medical Room in the auxiliary palace.
“Ughhhh… I really gave it my all swinging that sword….”
【Hadn’t my muscles stiffened from riding for days without rest? And yet I charged out like that!】
Julius groaned and then let his body go limp. At that, the faces of the knights carrying Julius’s massive frame darkened. The doctors rushed out the moment they entered the Medical Room, seeing how grim the knights looked.
“Is this a death case?”
“Lay him down quickly! Find out the time of death! Stay calm and follow protocol!”
In the midst of that chaotic atmosphere, Julius’s eyes snapped open.
“I’m not dead, you quacks!”
…The audacity of calling the Imperial Palace’s Medical Room—where only the finest talents gathered—”quacks.” Daram hid in Julius’s beard and muttered.
【I’m so embarrassed because of you that I can’t even lift my head….】
Despite his difficulty moving, Julius bristled and erupted in anger.
“I need to cut off all dealings with those damned House of Purbis and their warm stones immediately!”
Yes, that’s it. I chuckled inwardly. Cutting off the warm stone trade was precisely the reason I endured until Julius arrived.
Most of the warm stones traded with House of Purbis are sent to the Northern Region. This was because Prelai’s forces were concentrated there. Naturally, Julius was the one ultimately responsible.
Simply informing Grandfather would have been enough to cut off the warm stone trade. But if we suddenly stopped supplying warm stones to the Northern Region, there might be strong resistance from those in the field.
‘The difference between orders from a distant Duke and decisions made by Julius, who is always present and sees the situation firsthand, changes how subordinates accept them entirely.’
This also eliminated the burden Grandfather would have had to bear in conveying this to Julius.
Of course, since Julius liked me, he would have listened to Grandfather’s request anyway. But actually seeing it and making the decision himself carries a different authenticity.
“Let’s do it, Julius! How much money does House of Purbis make from us with those warm stones that are useless anywhere else?”
Joshua shouted with blazing eyes. But then, as if something bothered him, he added hesitantly afterward.
“W-well… I-I don’t know how cold the Northern Region actually is….”
Julius was quite hot-blooded and not particularly thoughtful. That’s why he could immediately shout “No more warm stones, you fools!”
But there was actually a reason Prelai had traded with House of Purbis for so long. Without warm stones in the Northern Region, soldiers’ body temperatures drop rapidly. When warm stones run out, soldiers’ shift times shorten, and that itself causes troop losses.
So I quickly interjected.
“Then wouldn’t it be possible to create a substitute instead of warm stones?”
“A substitute?”
Joshua responded immediately.
“There are several ways to generate heat. Using that method, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
I spoke with confidence.
“If you grind a mineral called Pebble into powder and place it in a pouch… it oxidizes just from shaking, raising the temperature. With a bit of mana refinement, it could last longer than warm stones.”
That principle differed from the hand warmer I’d given Mayer. What I gave Mayer was liquid-based, and its duration was shorter than using Pebble powder.
“Huh?”
Joshua looked somewhat dazed. Julius, who had been groaning, suddenly shouted from the bed.
“Yes, Kiana! Let’s go with that!”
“…Julius, surely you didn’t understand that?”
“No! Of course not! What do you take me for!”
Julius answered cheerfully.
“But regardless, there’s an alternative, isn’t there!”
And from between Julius’s whiskers, Daram poked his head out.
【Does it not cost a lot of money?】
There was a rumor in the Prelai Family: that Julius’s squirrel summon, Daram, raised Julius. That Daram hadn’t appeared until Julius was twelve years old was merely because he was waiting for minimum intelligence to develop.
【Isn’t it always a matter of cost with these things?】
Indeed, Daram was smarter than Julius.
That remark about cost was accurate. It wouldn’t be resolved with one or two; we’d need to purchase them in bulk every year.
Using warm stones directly versus creating hand warmers with Pebble powder. Based on my calculations, the cost difference wasn’t significant compared to using warm stones. However, that’s precisely why switching would be a loss.
If Pebble ore were overwhelmingly cheaper, it might be worth considering, but since it wasn’t, maintaining the status quo was better. This was because warm stones could be stably supplied from House Purbis, whereas Pebble ore was a different matter.
Moreover, warm stones weren’t needed in many places, but Pebble ore was required in many locations. Since we’d need to establish new direct transactions, finding a stable supply source in the first place was the main obstacle.
“Well, the point is that we need Pebble ore. I should start by identifying regions with abundant Pebble mines.”
Joshua seemed uninterested in the principle of the hand warmer, but he grasped the essential point: ‘Pebble ore is needed.’
“Yes. And…”
I spoke calmly.
“I’ve heard there’s a massive Pebble mine in the new frontier territory of the Western Levin Marquessate.”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————