Because She Had A Time Limit, She Became The Villain’s Daughter-in-law - Chapter 176

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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It was the next day.
Early in the morning, an elegant carriage pulled up to Rostri Manor, and Laria, who had been sending letters here and there, was startled and rushed outside.
The unexpected visitor who arrived at the manor without an appointment was none other than Evan.
“…Evan?”
Unlike yesterday when he’d held a sword at the Training Grounds, Evan was dressed quite handsomely today.
Though he still had a year until adulthood, his large frame and mature features made him look like a handsome man heading to a wedding ceremony in his formal attire.
“What brings you here….”
“Laria.”
Evan stepped down from the carriage with his usual stoic expression and scratched his chin awkwardly.
“I was originally planning to send a letter.”
Laria blinked for a moment, then burst into laughter. It seemed he had taken seriously what she’d said yesterday about not sending him a single letter.
“While I was agonizing over what to write and scribbling it out, I thought it would be better to just come running and see your face to tell you what I need.”
“…Huh? What do you need?”
Just then, the manor door flew open and Fred rushed out urgently. He had come out so hastily that even his glasses were crooked.
“Evan Icard!”
Fred’s violet eyes blazed fiercely. As if all those years of growing up like true siblings meant nothing, he pointed accusingly and shouted.
“Get away from her right now! Huh?”
In childhood, Laria, Fred, and Evan had truly grown up like siblings. Because of this, regardless of their titles, all three spoke comfortably with each other without formality.
So even when Fred pointed at Evan and got angry, everyone took it as merely an expression of closeness.
“Where exactly are you trying to take Laria! I’m coming too!”
Fred shouted while his eyes flickered with emotion. Laria, who had been calmly watching him, spoke in a measured tone.
“You have your law lessons to attend to.”
“I absolutely won’t let you two go alone! What if something strange happens!”
At those words, Evan, who had been standing with his arms crossed without any change in expression, tilted his head and asked.
“What kind of something strange?”
“That, that, that….”
Fred huffed and brushed back his pink hair once.
“Our Laria is cute and pretty and smart! With all those frivolous flies like dangerous men starting to swarm around, you too….”
At those words, Evan’s previously calm red eyes began to gleam ominously.
He looked at Fred seriously and asked.
“Which dangerous men? Are they among the fools exchanging letters with Laria?”
Evan himself seemed to be the most dangerous among them, but as he spoke with such a sharp tone demanding names, even Fred rolled his eyes once.
Of course, he wasn’t trying to protect the names that crossed his mind, but rather it took him a moment to calculate how he might escape if any problems arose.
At that moment, Laria, who had been watching them both with a pitying gaze, blurted out.
“Go inside, brother. Your tutor has arrived.”
“This isn’t the time to worry about lessons…!”
“How much is that tutoring worth?”
Laria gestured as if checking her pocket watch and continued.
“Isn’t it 600 silver per 10 minutes?”
“Tch…”
“Wow, that law tutor just sits around eating snacks while spending 600 silver. If I rush over there now, I could save at least 100 silver, right?”
“W-well then…”
As expected, money was the only thing that could move Fred instinctively.
He cried out as if refusing to back down.
“Laria, you’re not going either. I absolutely can’t let you two go alone! Where are you even going!”
Evan answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
“To the jewelry shop. I’m buying Laria a gift—jewels for her Debut Tante.”
“…”
Evan didn’t miss the way Fred’s pupils trembled.
“I’m planning to buy her a necklace, earrings, and a hair ornament all at once. Of course, I’ve already made a reservation at the finest shop.”
“…”
“Since that place has reservations booked solid, we have to go now. If I reschedule, we might miss the limited edition pieces…”
“…Have a good trip.”
Fred ultimately surrendered to the words “limited edition.” Of course, the fact that Laria was shooting him a look that said “if you stop me from going there, I’ll kill you” also played a part.
“Then let’s go.”
Having easily defeated Fred, Evan extended his hand to Laria.
Laria placed her hand in his with slightly surprised eyes. Though she had seen him almost every day since childhood, this was the first time Evan had come directly to the Countess’s Manor and escorted her with a carriage like this.
Evan’s extended hand was thick and large, and suddenly Laria realized just how much bigger his physique was compared to hers.
Evan, dressed in his uniform as if he had planned the day carefully, looked dashing, and brilliant morning sunlight sparkled behind him. A slight tremor ran through their joined hands. And seeing their clasped hands, Fred could no longer contain himself and cried out.
“W-wait! Stop!”
Evan and Laria turned to stare at him as if asking what now.
Fred huffed and then added.
“…Make sure you buy a bracelet too.”
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The place Evan took Laria to was a shop specializing in rubies. Laria’s eyes widened as she saw such brilliantly sparkling, large rubies for the first time.
“These are rubies from Abonitar. It’s quite a renowned ruby mining region. With the discovery of a new mine recently, many high-quality rubies have come to market.”
“Wow, they really are beautiful.”
Laria gazed at the ruby necklace as if enchanted, then tilted her head and asked.
“But do you only sell rubies here? Do you have any emeralds…?”
At that, Evan, who had been looking through the pamphlet halfheartedly, tossed it aside.
“Green doesn’t suit your eye color.”
“…Really? What about sapphires…?”
“Sapphires are that dull blue color—it bothers me.”
“…But Matilda’s eyes are blue?”
“Ahem, eye color and gemstone color are different things.”
Evan switched his stance without a trace of irony, despite having just said that emerald’s green didn’t suit Laria’s eye color.
The shop attendant smiled and showed an earring to Laria, who was making an exasperated expression.
“I heard your companion wanted to gift you jewels for your Debut Tante. How about these earrings? They’re precious rubies called ‘Promise of Love.'”
At those words, Evan set down the pamphlet and spoke.
“We’re not lovers. But let’s go with that.”
“However….”
Laria was about to request to see other pieces as well.
The clerk smiled brightly and continued speaking.
“This is the most expensive earring we have.”
“I’ll take this one.”
Before the clerk could even finish speaking, Laria had already made her decision. And so Laria received a ruby jewelry set adorned with adjectives like “limited edition” and “most expensive” as a gift from that shop.
Evan had offered to buy everything in the store, but Laria refused, saying it would cost more to store.
“Thank you, Evan.”
Laria smiled brightly as she spoke.
“I won’t forget to give you a nice gift when you come of age either.”
“What….”
Evan answered awkwardly, looking away.
“At your Debut Tante?”
“Well, I suppose so. I haven’t chosen a jewel yet, so this works out perfectly.”
The clerk offered to wrap all these jewels and send them to Rostri Manor, but Laria flatly refused. Her reasoning was quite rational—if they fell into her father’s hands first, they might disappear at some gambling table.
Having personally collected all the jewels she received as gifts, Laria climbed back into the carriage with Evan.
“It’s lunchtime now. If you have time, shall we eat lunch outside?”
Evan spoke with his arms crossed, his ears flushing red. He still couldn’t meet Laria’s eyes.
“I just thought, casually, to grab a quick bite… I’ve reserved the entire Estrint Restaurant… and after that, tea time….”
“Evan?”
Laria opened her mouth in disbelief.
“Estrint Restaurant is the most famous place in the Capital, and you’re going to reserve the whole thing just to grab a quick bite?”
Then she burst into laughter.
“Actually, there was a place I wanted to go for lunch, but I suppose that won’t work now. With how much that reservation costs, I should at least have a meal with you.”
In truth, that amount probably wouldn’t even be a week’s allowance for Evan, but regardless, it was clearly a substantial sum.
Laria narrowed her eyes and continued speaking.
“But I can’t do anything after that. I really do have somewhere I need to go.”
“…Somewhere you need to go? Where?”
Evan furrowed his brow as he looked at Laria. Suddenly, he thought the carriage of House of Icard was smaller than he’d realized. Laria’s face was far too close to his.
Just as his ears began to flush slightly, Laria answered.
“Ah, yes. But it’s a place you probably won’t be interested in. Card House.”
At those words, Evan’s eyes widened. Card House was a social establishment where young nobles around Evan’s age engaged in light gambling.

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