I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 38

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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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Chapter 38.
I had mountains of work waiting, and wasting time with Dayson would only fray my nerves further.
For a moment I’d considered simply driving past him, but there was no way around it—I had to stop to deliver Casion home.
The roads leading to Casion’s estate were still impassable; traveling by carriage was out of the question.
“Are you feeling all right, Your Highness?”
I told the coachman to stop and checked Casion’s condition first.
He’d already weathered a battle of wits with Karman and the bitter disappointment of failed hopes—throw Dayson into the mix and he’d be utterly exhausted.
‘A healthy person would collapse under this much stress.’
“I’m fine.”
That declaration from a face gone ashen was hardly convincing.
“Stay in the carriage. I’ll handle Dayson alone.”
I could always tell Dayson that Casion was indisposed.
His reason for coming was obvious enough anyway.
“No. I’ll come out. If I don’t see him now, he’ll only track me down later.”
Given Dayson’s nature, that was a certainty. He’d actually shown remarkable restraint by not appearing on his birthday itself. Perhaps he deserved some credit for that.
“Very well, then.”
I instructed the coachman to halt the carriage in front of Dayson.
“Come with me, though. If you feel unwell, signal me right away.”
Casion nodded. The carriage came to a complete stop and the coachman opened the door.
Before we could even step out, Dayson thrust his face inside.
“What are you giving me?”
Dayson fired his question without preamble.
He’d skipped pleasantries entirely—he must have been burning with curiosity.
As if hiring expensive etiquette tutors in childhood would make any difference. They’d somehow managed to produce an ill-mannered fool who didn’t know how to greet people properly.
‘Then again, that’s hardly the tutor’s fault.’
I reminded myself that Dayson’s corrupted character lay beyond the reach of mere education and withdrew my judgment against the tutor.
“Glory to Petrola, Your Highness Dayson. I am Diana of Irenber. I trust you have been well?”
Just because someone else had abandoned courtesy was no reason for me to do the same.
Dayson stared at me and cleared his throat awkwardly, then stepped aside from the carriage door. Only then could we descend.
Once out, Casion greeted him as well, his composure unmarred despite his turmoil within.
“Good to see you, brother.”
“Good to see me? Are you really in any position to say that?”
Dayson was agitated. He stepped close to Casion, practically towering over him.
He was practically vibrating with energy—he must have eaten something fortifying this morning.
“I’m afraid I don’t follow your meaning, brother.”
Casion widened his eyes with genuine innocence, and Dayson clutched the back of his neck.
Casion’s acting was improving by the day. He had natural talent.
I stepped back, watching the exchange between them. If Dayson tried to harm Casion, I could intervene then.
“You met with Father, didn’t you?”
So that’s why Dayson had ventured out to such a remote place this morning—he’d heard we were meeting with Karman.
I’d expected rumors to spread, but this was faster than I’d anticipated.
‘Karman must have someone from Julia among his inner circle.’
I gained a new appreciation for Julia’s reach.
“Yes, I had the honor of meeting His Majesty.”
“It was about a gift, wasn’t it?”
Casion adjusted his posture and brushed the back of my hand lightly—a silent question asking if he should answer.
I raised and lowered my eyebrows in permission.
“Yes, exactly. I went to speak about a gift.”
“What did you ask for? Is he giving it to you?”
“No. He said he couldn’t grant it.”
Casion wisely answered only the second question. Color flooded back into Dayson’s face.
“He’s not giving you anything at all?”
“No. I’m afraid I was too greedy. He said he couldn’t help me.”
Dayson’s mouth twitched with delight. It was the kind of conversation designed to disarm, but seeing him pleased irritated me.
“What on earth did you ask for? Tsk, tsk. Sounds like your greed knew no bounds. This was a golden opportunity.”
Casion bowed his head, and in the shadow cast across his face, I glimpsed a twisted smile.
I shifted position to block Dayson’s view of Casion’s expression.
“Ah, Miss Diana, forgive me. I was just having a word with my brother.”
A word—if that’s what you called an interrogation. To any observer, Casion would look like the criminal and Dayson like the investigator.
“Indeed. Though it seems you take quite an interest in His Highness Casion. You learned of his visit to His Majesty remarkably quickly.”
“Haha, we’re such affectionate brothers, you see. I take great interest in what my younger brother does, whom he meets.”
That kind of interest twice over and someone’s going to end up dead.
I wanted to flick that shamelessly glib mouth for invoking brotherly affection, but I couldn’t, so I clutched at the hem of my dress instead.
Dayson’s business should be finished by now, and I wanted to hurry home.
“Your Highness, if you’re finished speaking, may Casion and I take our leave?”
“Already? You’ve only just entered the palace. Miss Diana, I recently acquired some excellent tea from abroad. If you have time, would you care to join me for a cup?”
Dayson deployed a tired old ploy on me—such a hackneyed line that even the elders wouldn’t use it anymore. I nearly gasped.
‘What’s this?’
Dayson had shown his interest in me openly.
Had I ever received a date proposal from Dayson in the past? From what I remember, it was always I who sought him out first.
What could have changed in Dayson’s heart?
“Brother, Diana is busy.”
While I was pondering, Casion stepped in and declined Dayson’s request.
“Casion, I asked Diana directly.”
Dayson answered coldly to Casion.
Here they were discussing her future without consulting the person involved.
I grasped Casion’s collar and pulled him back gently.
“I’m afraid I have other business today, Your Highness. Oh! If you need someone to share tea with, perhaps I could introduce you to someone?”
A splendid idea had suddenly occurred to me.
***
Quite some time had passed since my conversation with Karman. I summoned Jennis to set my postponed plan into motion.
“Jennis, send this letter for me.”
“To Miss Bella, ma’am?”
Jennis accepted the letter and looked at the address, then questioned back.
“Yes.”
“Miss Bella should be at Count Kolkos’s estate in the provinces. But the address written here is the Capital.”
“She’s in the Capital.”
“Pardon? If she’d come to the Capital, she surely would have visited the manor.”
“I’m certain. She’s there.”
The moment Count Kolkos became my guardian, he held a reception. The timing would place it around now.
And Bella attended that reception. Even if she’d rushed up from the provinces after hearing the news, she couldn’t possibly have made it to the reception in time—yet there she was, adorably adorned with a large ribbon in her hair.
‘He must have summoned her in anticipation of becoming my guardian.’
A strong premonition told me this time would be no different.
“Go on, she’ll really be there.”
Jennis left with an uncertain expression, taking the letter with her.
After Jennis had gone, I thought about Bella.
Bella, Count Kolkos’s daughter and my cousin of the same age, was like a sister to me.
My parents had always pitied me for having no siblings.
So they had hoped Bella and I would grow close. Whenever Count Kolkos had business in the Capital, he would bring Bella along so we could spend time together.
I, who had little interaction with children my own age, had grown fond of Bella quickly.
Every game that girls could play together—dolls, pretend play, everything—I played with Bella.
My parents cherished Bella as if she were their own daughter.
They believed that when I was alone, Bella would become a great source of strength for me.
Knowing this, Bella naturally sought out our home whenever she came to the Capital, and she received treatment at Irenber no less than I did.
‘Mother and Father were wrong about that.’
Though they had treated Bella well for my sake, Bella—thoughtless girl that she was—had pushed me aside and nurtured an ambition to take my place.
Probably when Count Kolkos summoned her to the Capital, she had wanted to rush to me at once.
But my attitude had changed, and Count Kolkos, finding it strange, must have restrained her.
Yet if I called for her, she would come running without hesitation.
Bella was still a child and couldn’t hide her desires. And I—I wanted her to indulge those desires to her heart’s content this time.
“I hope things work out between her and Dayson.”
The thought of the two of them standing side by side was already putting me in a good mood.
I was about to consider how to persuade Karman with this improved spirit, when—
“May I come in?”
A thin voice drifted in from beyond the door.
“Robert?”
“Yes, Miss.”
I hopped down from the large office chair and opened the door myself. Robert’s eyes widened slightly—apparently he hadn’t expected me to open it personally.
He bowed his head. His sky-blue hair tumbled down like a waterfall, obscuring his face. The thin man seemed to shrink even further as he hunched his frame.
“Are you eating properly, Robert? Getting enough meals?”
Whenever I see Robert, I find myself asking what he’s eaten first.
“Yes, thanks to your concern, I’m eating well. And I’ve been working on a new painkiller…….”
Robert fished a bottle of medicine from his pocket with fumbling fingers. Every time he saw me, he would produce some newly developed remedy.
The medicines he created improved steadily. Their size diminished, their foul odor faded, and their potency and speed of effect grew more remarkable.
Thanks to this, Casion’s daily life had improved considerably in many ways.
‘Perhaps I should have Robert properly trained and have him handle Casion’s medical care.’
Normally, there was only one path to becoming a physician: entering the service of a skilled doctor as an assistant, running errands while learning by observation over the years.
But Robert had no need for that. I could simply assign him a teacher directly.
‘I should tell Dallas to take Robert on as a student.’
If Robert proved as clever as I suspected, six months would likely be enough for him to grasp the knowledge Dallas possessed.
“But good timing. There’s something I wanted to tell you.”
“What do you mean, sir…….”
Robert’s facial muscles tightened rigidly. He narrowed his shoulders and studied my expression nervously.
I couldn’t tell what Robert was thinking, but it certainly didn’t seem to be anything good, so I hurried to speak my purpose.
“Robert, I’ve pulled out all the children from the smugglers’ side.”
One, two, three.
A rather long silence fell.
I’d expected him to be thrilled, but Robert merely blinked, saying nothing. Had he not heard me?
“Robert, your siblings. I’ve gotten them all out and sent them to the Protection Facility.”
“H—how? H—how……?”
Now Robert finally gave me the reaction I’d hoped for. With eyes that couldn’t believe what he’d heard, he stammered out the question.
I Bought Out the Villains with Money (Serial)
Author │ Lee In-hye
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 11-1101, 33-gil Daeul-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th Building, 11th Floor)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
© Lee In-hye 2021
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
Without permission from the publisher and author, the contents may not be used in any form or by any means.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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