Because She Had A Time Limit, She Became The Villain’s Daughter-in-law - Chapter 39

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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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As I pried up the wooden floorboards, a hollow space revealed itself beneath. Inside lay a single small box.
“Shall we open it?”
“What if some curse is placed on it!”
“True, it could be something that might harm House of Icard, so I can’t ask a servant to do it… I’ll just open it myself.”
I dismissed the others and carefully opened the box. Inside were several ancient tomes preserved with conservation magic.
“This is…”
As I examined the books, I looked up at Olivia and spoke.
“These appear to be records from a very long time ago. It says they were written by Rolaid Cardi Icard. Isn’t he the first patriarch of your house?”
“What?”
Olivia jumped to her feet.
“Rolaid, you say?”
Rolaid was the founding patriarch of House of Icard, a figure from over a thousand years past. These tomes contained extraordinarily detailed accounts of daily life from that era, and since records from that period were exceedingly rare, they possessed immense scholarly value.
‘In truth, Simor would discover these tomes later…’
Years hence, while investigating information on ancient magical artifacts, Simor would uncover a clue that these very books lay dormant within House of Icard. Afterward, he would arrive to negotiate, demanding payment in exchange for the information…
“What sum would you be willing to pay for tomes authored personally by Rolaid Cardi Icard, the founding patriarch of House of Icard?”
“Insolent wretch. Rolaid was a man who found everything tedious. He would never have left behind such writings.”
“What if I could procure them?”
“I’d give you your entire fortune. What’s a mere gold mine compared to that?”
And so Duke Icard was robbed of a mine by Simor. Simor’s wealth doubled in an instant.
‘Simor will live comfortably even without one mine. He’s the male lead, after all.’
I had chosen performance and coincidence rather than discovering clues.
‘Why take the difficult path? It’s better to embellish things slightly and proceed with ease.’
Yes, absolutely.
I nodded to myself in agreement.
“H-h-how did this end up here…?”
“Indeed.”
“You… how on earth did you come by something so precious…?”
For Olivia, who cherished House of Icard, this was undoubtedly momentous.
I smiled brightly and blinked.
“Perhaps because my health is frail, I seem to have better fortune than most. It was the same with the horse racing.”
Olivia gazed at the box with a dazed expression, caressing it gently.
“Goodness… what am I to do with this? First, summon Calaudin. This is an event that will mark a turning point for House of Icard!”
And suddenly she pulled me into an embrace.
“You.”
“Great-aunt?”
“…You’re a blessing in disguise.”
As expected, she shamelessly shifted her demeanor before something she treasured—truly villainous of her.
“I do change my stance rather quickly.”
A villainess with excellent self-awareness indeed. Though she was advanced in years, she was entirely my style!
“Whether you laugh at that damnable joke or not isn’t what matters. If it benefits Icard, then it benefits me as well.”
‘Not yet.’
I blinked, thinking to myself.
‘I still have one final move left.’
My final move was none other than the disposition of Rolaide’s ancient manuscripts. Naturally, after the discovery of those texts, the House of Icard fell into complete chaos.
“In any case, the discoverer is Laria.”
Duke Icard spoke calmly amid the uproar.
“Laria.”
Olivia paced anxiously, unable to calm her restless mind.
“What do you wish to do with them?”
“Calaudin!”
Olivia interjected sharply at Duke Icard’s words.
“Regardless of whether Laria is the discoverer, these are clearly substantial assets of House Icard. How can you entrust their disposition to a fourteen-year-old child?”
“Without that fourteen-year-old child, they would have slumbered forever beneath your aunt’s floorboards.”
Duke Icard spoke matter-of-factly, then turned his gaze back to me.
“Perhaps it would be better to provide sufficient compensation and have us reconsider the disposition ourselves….”
“I.”
I interrupted Olivia’s words and spoke shyly.
“I want to donate them.”
“I knew you’d do something like this! To give such a terrible answer!”
Olivia jumped to her feet.
“Are you mad? Why would you donate these? Donation is the complete opposite of my life’s philosophy!”
Before Duke Icard could even stop her, I continued quietly.
“To the Academy.”
This was actually the same conclusion as in the original work.
“The Academy?”
Olivia furrowed her brow.
“Yes.”
Even Duke Icard tilted his head at my words.
“Explain in detail.”
“Well… I’m not entirely sure, but.”
In the original work, this suggestion had come from Evan.
“Since these are incredibly ancient texts, they must have high scholarly value. I thought scholars who specialize in research would welcome them even more….”
I continued carefully.
“These manuscripts will be used as reference materials in all texts used by the Academy going forward, so the honor of House Icard will only increase.”
“Hmm.”
“Moreover, of course they’ll be preserved with utmost care and professional expertise.”
Olivia’s breathing, which had shown instinctive resistance to the word “donation,” began to calm noticeably.
“High nobility may not attend the Academy, but scholars are all there regardless. And it is scholars’ records that remain in history.”
“Hmm.”
“Besides, Evan happens to be an Academy graduate, so it looks quite fitting, doesn’t it?”
True to Evan’s opinion that settled all the controversy, both Duke Icard and Olivia gazed at me with admiration.
“Laria.”
Duke Icard spoke with a hollow laugh.
“How on earth did you come up with such an idea?”
“Well…”
I answered shyly.
“I suppose I think of Evan often. Since he’s at the Academy right now, the thought came to me while I was thinking about him.”
Olivia folded her arms and regarded me quietly. I could anticipate that my value in her eyes was skyrocketing. Because what she treasured most was the House of Icard.
It was far more efficient to establish one great achievement for the House of Icard than to treat her well a hundred times.
“…I’m canceling my plan to take you to Rivien.”
She slumped into her chair as she spoke.
“If such a blessing who cares so much for the House of Icard is under me, I might just devise an escape plan.”
“No, Aunt!”
I was already devising an escape plan without even being under Olivia’s care.
“A good child like you would suffocate and die by my side. Charity? That’s a word I’ve never even considered in my entire life.”
I decided not to mention that I could only donate because it wasn’t mine to begin with.
“Instead.”
Olivia unfolded a fan embroidered with a menacing tiger and spoke ominously.
“I’ll establish your position in the Social Circle that Calaudin left neglected.”
“Um… I’m going into recuperation soon.”
“You’ll return someday, won’t you?”
I couldn’t answer that I wasn’t returning someday but rather planning to escape someday.
“First, it’s true you don’t have a godmother, right?”
“…Yes.”
From my childhood, the debts of my father, Rostri Count, were no trivial matter. Everyone wanted to avoid entanglement with the Rostri Count family, so unlike other noble ladies, I had neither a godfather nor a godmother. That’s why when my parents passed away, I had nowhere to go and had no choice but to come to the House of Icard.
“Social connections are incredibly important, each and every one… I should tell Calaudin to ask a few people right away.”
Since I had little hope in a godmother anyway, I answered half-heartedly.
“Yes…”
“And I should give you some short-term education before I leave.”
“What?”
I suddenly became anxious about what kind of education she meant.
“We start this evening. Just wait in your room.”
This wasn’t part of my calculations.
I suppressed my flustered feelings and only rolled my eyes nervously.

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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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