I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 42

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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 42.
Karman received word of a merchant company systematically buying up all the lumber in Petrola.
It was not pleasant news to hear at such an early hour.
A king would not ordinarily concern himself with every shift in a merchant company’s inventory and sales volumes.
But this situation was different.
Karman ordered Dayson to discover what the company intended to do with the lumber.
While he waited for Dayson’s report, Karman threw himself into his work.
Just as Karman’s patience began to wear thin, a letter concerning the lumber’s whereabouts arrived.
Not from Dayson, but from Diana.
“Summon Lady Diana at once.”
Karman had Diana brought to the palace immediately.
***
I was sipping tea in the afternoon calm when Karman’s letter arrived—the king’s stern command to come to the palace at once made me set down my cup.
I could easily predict that Karman would seek me out once he received that letter, so I had prepared to depart for the palace beforehand.
Thanks to that foresight, I was able to set out the moment his summons came.
The journey from the Irenber Residence to the palace was not far.
For generations, the kings of Petrola had summoned the heads of House Irenber frequently, so the residence had been built close to the Royal Palace.
I now walked the path my father once traveled so often.
Though I had crossed this road many times before, responding to the king’s direct summons felt fresh, almost thrilling.
The carriage slowed gradually as we drew near the palace where Karman kept his office.
When passing before the king’s residence, one was expected to dismount and walk if possible, or if using horse or carriage, to move at the slowest pace—so as not to disturb the king’s work.
“You have arrived, Lady Diana.”
As the carriage stopped and I descended, Dayson, who had come to greet me, offered a bow.
“The usual procedures would normally be observed, but we shall dispense with them. Your Majesty is quite busy, you understand.”
A private audience with the king required complicated identity verification and various formalities.
For someone of no particular status like myself, these procedures were emphasized all the more.
Though it was said to be for the king’s safety, I knew it was merely formal, antiquated ceremony—so I was delighted by Dayson’s offer to skip it.
The door opened, and Dayson stepped aside, gesturing me forward with his eyes.
“I am to see him alone?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
I smiled slightly. Dayson’s pupils trembled at the sight of it.
Even seasoned adults feared a private audience with the king.
No matter how favorable the relationship, one could never predict what might happen on a king’s whim.
Formally speaking, the king too was subject to law, but for anything that transpired during a private audience with the king, no one could be held accountable.
There would be no witnesses to prove the king’s wrongdoing.
A sensible king would never be so foolish as to summon someone to the palace and commit murder, yet history afforded precedent enough that those without powerful backing found private audiences genuinely frightening.
So most people tried to avoid them when possible.
But I was actually looking forward to it, which was why Dayson seemed bewildered.
“His Majesty will be waiting. I should go in.”
While Dayson hesitated in confusion, I nodded in greeting and entered the chamber. Behind me, the heavy door closed with a solid thud.
Karman sat before an enormous desk, his nose buried in documents. He showed no sign of noticing my entrance.
I approached him slowly.
Tap, tap.
Though I walked quietly, my heels could not help but sound against the marble floor. Yet Karman did not lift his head.
I hesitated—should I sit on the reception sofa, or approach his desk?—and settled in the uncertain middle ground between them.
Then I tapped my heel against the floor a couple of times. The sound was louder than when walking, but Karman remained unmoved.
‘What is he doing, summoning someone and then ignoring them like this?’
Irritation flickered through me, but his grave expression and the weary depth settling into his eyes made it difficult to interrupt.
His troubles were for Petrola’s sake, after all.
‘He wasn’t a bad king, just unable to get rid of Julia. He’s never treated me poorly either.’
Karman turned a page of his documents. If I were merely to wait, that would be one thing, but now was the moment to speak.
I called out to him in a quiet but clear voice.
“The radiant light of the realm—Your Majesty. I am honored to be received.”
Karman’s head rose slowly, his pupils dilating slightly as if confirming that I had indeed arrived.
“Be seated, Lady Diana.”
Karman set down the documents in his hand and gestured toward the reception sofa.
I thanked him and sat demurely on the sofa he indicated.
When I leaned against the backrest, my feet dangled above the floor, so I was forced to perch instead at the very edge of the cushion.
Seeing my awkward posture, Karman let out a quiet laugh.
“You conduct yourself with such boldness that I often forget your age—you’re thirteen this year, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m thirteen this year.”
Though the soul within me is well past twenty.
“Thirteen—so two years younger than Dayson, and two years older than Yumire and Cassion.”
I’d wondered if he paid so little attention to his children that he couldn’t even keep their ages straight, yet Karman knew the ages of all three with precision.
As I smiled bashfully, Karman pushed a glass jar filled with candy toward me across the reception table and opened the conversation.
“So it was Princess Diana who swept up all of Petrola’s lumber.”
In the letter I’d sent to Karman, I had informed him of the substantial quantities of lumber I possessed.
I judged that Kal must have told him about the state of affairs in the Brook Kingdom.
Karman wouldn’t fail to connect the political situation in the Brook Kingdom with the lumber.
And my assumption proved correct. I could tell from the fact that he reacted immediately to my letter mentioning the lumber.
“May I ask a few questions?”
I stopped dwelling on Kal and focused my attention on Karman.
“Of course, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to answer within my capacity.”
The proof you speak of—I’ll demonstrate it now, so please ask your questions carefully.
“What do you intend to make with the lumber?”
“I don’t intend to make anything with it.”
“Then why did you purchase it?”
“To resell it.”
“Resell it. To whom?”
“To whoever desires it.”
“Princess Diana, do you understand the sheer volume of lumber you’ve acquired? You haven’t made some careless error in reading the figures, have you?”
“Your Majesty, I have watched my father’s budgets and accounts since I was five years old. While other children read fairy tales, I read the documents my father reviewed. It’s impossible that I would misread numbers. Besides, I’m still young, with sharp eyes.”
I had played at my father’s side, but reading budgets and documents from age five was a lie.
Yet even a genius requires a process before achieving results.
The things I would do going forward were possible only in circumstances where a genius had also been blessed with fortune. So it was necessary to paint my past in pleasant colors.
“I’ve heard House Irenber educates its heirs from childhood, but from age five? The late Duke of House Irenber was unusually devoted to his family’s interests. Let me ask again. What does Princess Diana intend to do with the lumber?”
Karman fixed his gaze upon me, his eyes deepening.
“I would be grateful if Your Majesty would purchase it.”
Karman said nothing. Instead, his eyebrows twitched twice. He maintained an outward composure, but inwardly he was startled.
Since I’d already surprised him, why not surprise him further.
“If Your Majesty declines, I shall sell it to the Brook Kingdom.”
Karman’s eyes sharpened with light. Suspicion filled his gaze.
“Princess Diana, what do you know? How much?”
“I know the Brook Kingdom is preparing for naval warfare.”
“That’s preposterous. I don’t know where you heard such rumors, but the Brook Kingdom is not preparing for naval warfare.”
This was a lie Karman was telling to test me.
If I challenged him by saying it wasn’t true, I need only provide proof that it was.
“Your Majesty, for several months now, the Brook Kingdom has been purchasing lumber from neighboring nations. The shipbuilding factories in the Brook Kingdom operate ceaselessly. The Brook Kingdom has long expressed dissatisfaction with having to conduct trade with the Empire through the Donet Kingdom. Recently, the Donet Kingdom raised its harbor fees substantially, and the timing when the Brook Kingdom began purchasing lumber aligns perfectly with that increase. The motive for war is clear, and the materials for war preparation are in motion.”
“Even so, isn’t that a rather extreme leap? Raising harbor fees could just mean they wish to increase trade to offset the cost.”
“Your Majesty, the Brook Kingdom’s principal trading goods are spices and foodstuffs. No matter how much they increase production, they cannot exceed a certain fixed quantity. These are not ships meant to transport goods, are they not?”
“Very well, Princess Diana. Let us suppose, as you say, that the Brook Kingdom will wage war.”
Just admit it already!
“Now I must ask: why sell the lumber to me rather than to the Brook Kingdom? Do you predict that the Brook Kingdom will invade our nation?”
“Certainly not. However, I cannot guarantee that our country will remain free from war.”
“Why not?”
I smiled softly and explained with measured calm.
“The naval war between the Brook Kingdom and the Donet Kingdom will be prolonged. Both nations will be unwilling to surrender maritime supremacy. As the war lengthens, both will reach out to neighboring powers. Our nation is no exception.”
“I intend to take no nation’s hand. I am a pacifist.”
One might obtain peace by turning away from war. Yet to me, it sounded like a resignation to accept reality as it was.
“Whatever choice Your Majesty makes, I, as a subject, support that choice. I have merely purchased this lumber hoping it will prove useful when Your Majesty executes that choice.”
Even as I inwardly condemned Karman’s lukewarm attitude, I bowed my head and answered with utmost courtesy.
Karman fell silent. He gazed intently at my face, his expression grave.
If, after all this, Karman still saw me as nothing more than an adorable child and dismissed my words, I would have to hand over the lumber to the Brook Kingdom.
It would be a shame to lose maritime supremacy, but I would have gained financial profit, so it would suffice.
The thought of having to devise a Plan B to win Karman’s favor left me exhausted before I’d even begun.
Forcing myself to smile brightly in that state made the fatigue feel twice as heavy.
How long had I been wearing this false smile?
“Princess.”
After a long pause, Karman suddenly opened his mouth.
“Princess Diana, tell me—what is it that you truly want?”
I Bought the Villains with Money (Serialized)
Author │ Lee In-hye
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 1101, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th Building, 11th Floor)
Email │ [email protected]
Homepage │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
© Lee In-hye 2021
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder,
and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this will 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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