I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 53

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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 53.
Not long after Lebert promised to find a motion sickness remedy, he brought Diana a sample.
Diana took the sample and headed straight for the palace.
“I thought you might come.”
Kallos had heard from Karman that Diana would arrive, so he showed her directly to Karman’s office.
The moment the door opened, Karman looked up and saw Diana.
“Your Majesty, I hope you’ve been well.”
Diana greeted him respectfully.
“I’ve been fine, thanks to the young lady.”
Karman’s expression softened as his eyes met Diana’s.
Unlike their last meeting, Karman was decidedly cordial toward her today.
With a gesture of his chin, Karman indicated the refreshment table.
Diana took a seat at the table. Arranged across its surface were beautifully colored, delicate pastries.
“They say such things are essential when conversing with children. Though it’s difficult to see you as one, my dear.”
As he had done when offering her candy before, Karman pushed the plate of cookies toward Diana.
It would be impolite to refuse food offered by the king, so Diana reached for a cookie and placed it in her mouth.
While she savored the taste, Karman rested his arm on the armrest and propped his chin on his hand, beginning to observe her intently.
Under his relentless gaze—as though he meant to count every single hair on her head—Diana felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.
‘If you want to ask something, why not just ask directly?’
Diana pretended not to notice his scrutiny and devoted herself to eating the cookie.
Truthfully, the palace cookies were nothing compared to what the cook at home made, yet Diana finished the large cookie entirely.
“How did you manage to wrap Guardian around your finger?”
At last, Karman posed his question.
It was not the question Diana had anticipated.
Rather than answer immediately, Diana bought herself time by chewing thoroughly on the mouthful of cookie.
Karman waited patiently until she had swallowed.
In the meantime, Diana decided how much to reveal about Guardian to the king.
‘I’ll acknowledge knowing something, but make it all seem coincidental.’
Gulp—at last Diana finished the cookie.
She took a sip of tea to clear her throat, then spoke.
“Wrap around my finger? Your Majesty, how could I possibly do such a thing to the greatest mage in the world?”
“Then why did you say Guardian would become Cassion’s master?”
“Pardon?”
The cookie slipped from Diana’s hand. She scrambled to brush the fallen crumbs from her skirt.
“You didn’t know that Guardian had become Cassion’s master?”
“I didn’t know.”
Diana’s surprise was genuine—she truly hadn’t known.
Guardian had said he’d be in touch later but never sent word, and Diana had been too occupied to visit the palace herself.
‘Does Prince Cassion know?’
If he did, she felt hurt that he hadn’t told her; if he didn’t, she’d be thrilled to share the good news with him.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you genuinely didn’t know.”
“No, I truly didn’t. While I was the one who introduced Mage Guardian to Prince Cassion, I never imagined that Mage Guardian would become his master.”
Diana made a point of emphasizing that she had introduced Guardian to Cassion. Karman let out a soft chuckle.
‘Is she fishing for praise? Asking me to commend her for a job well done?’
The way she sought praise was remarkably childlike for a thirteen-year-old.
‘Sometimes she seems like a child, sometimes not. She’s impossible to pin down.’
Karman’s curiosity was gradually shifting into something warmer—a kind of liking.
“So you introduced them. Why?”
“Because it would benefit Prince Cassion.”
“And it benefits you as well?”
Diana nodded firmly. Her expression and eyes were utterly sincere.
Karman’s suspicion of Diana eased. While it was still difficult to believe she had acted entirely on her own initiative, he concluded that she was not the sort of person to use and discard Cassion.
‘She’s talented, no doubt about it. Her ability to assess situations and predict the course of war, and now placing Guardian as Cassion’s master.’
Karman was now certain that the talented person at Cassion’s side Guardian had mentioned was indeed Diana.
“The cookies seem to suit your palate. Have more.”
Karman encouraged her. Diana smiled brightly and reached for a walnut-studded cookie.
As she ate, Diana pondered when would be the best moment to present the motion sickness remedy sample.
‘The mood is good right now. Let’s press forward.’
Diana drew out her handkerchief and wiped the cookie crumbs from the corner of her mouth. Then she rummaged through her bag.
Karman watched with interest, leaning back against his chair.
Tap.
Diana set a small bottle—no larger than a child’s fist—on the table. Inside, it was filled with round pills the size of baby fingernails, their color a pale yellow.
“What is this, Princess Diana?”
“Your Majesty, I’ll prove myself with this.”
Diana spoke with confidence.
Karman picked up the bottle and swirled it around, then chuckled softly.
“Some sort of health tonic, I suppose. But if a princess can obtain it, I can obtain it just as easily.”
Without hearing Diana’s explanation, Karman pushed the bottle back toward her. Diana’s lips curved upward.
At her self-assured expression, Karman’s gaze deepened.
“Your Majesty, this isn’t a nutritional supplement—it’s a motion sickness remedy. Do you know of the discomfort one feels when sailing?”
“I do.”
Karman had suffered terribly from seasickness before.
It had been dreadful, and he never wished to experience it again. Yet as king, he often found himself at sea. Sometimes lengthy voyages ended with visits to foreign lands.
‘I have voyages scheduled for this year as well.’
Already his energy was draining, and his head had begun to spin.
“What of seasickness?”
A premonition came to Diana that she would amuse him. Karman, dying of curiosity about what she was driving at, asked with apparent leisure.
“You’re aware, I’m sure, that Pffrica Leaf is beneficial for seasickness. This remedy combines Pffrica Leaf with medicine for headaches and something to settle nausea. It significantly reduces the discomfort felt while sailing.”
“Why are you giving this to me? So I might take it whenever I board a ship?”
‘He knows perfectly well, but he’s playing ignorant.’
Watching Karman’s posture gradually lean toward the table as she spoke, Diana could see he held considerable interest in the motion sickness remedy.
Not mere curiosity, but interest in an object whose commercial value had been confirmed.
So the questions that followed were merely wordplay. Diana hadn’t come here to play twenty questions, so she laid out her plan honestly.
“If we sell this motion sickness remedy to both kingdoms after the war begins, we could turn a substantial profit. We could also claim credit for having helped after the conflict ends.”
As Karman listened silently to Diana’s plan, his lips parted slightly.
He felt caught off guard.
Diana had presented an angle he’d never considered.
He’d only thought of selling a new medicine for profit.
He reached for the bottle on the table.
‘It’s a success.’
Without hearing his answer, she could tell that her plan had struck exactly the right chord with Karman.
“Are you certain the Brook Kingdom and the Donet Kingdom will welcome this remedy?”
“I’m confident that Your Majesty’s opinion and mine will align.”
Karman laughed outright. Diana was startled. For when Karman laughed genuinely, his face bore a striking resemblance to Cassion’s.
“Let’s proceed with your plan.”
“If the Brook Kingdom and the Donet Kingdom show active interest, that will complete the three proofs, won’t it?”
Diana’s eyes shone brightly. Her eager face was almost childlike. A child striving for his recognition—Karman felt an impulse to pat her on the head.
“Why three?”
“I earned you great profit through timber, I brought the mage Guardian into the kingdom, and now I’m winning the trust of two nations through the motion sickness remedy.”
“I’ll grant the first two, but not the last.”
‘So he’s saying he’ll wait until the answer comes.’
Since success was inevitable, a delay of a few days was acceptable. But she needed to secure a firm promise.
“If I succeed in the end—will you grant it then?”
Instead of answering, Karman glanced toward the door. It was a dismissal. Diana considered pressing further but rose from her seat.
She sensed that if she pushed now, Karman wouldn’t give her an immediate answer. Diana bowed deeply.
Karman looked down at her round, graceful head and spoke.
“Princess, if things proceed as you say, I’ll give you a great gift. You may look forward to it.”
If Diana’s plan succeeded, the Petrola Kingdom could secure advantageous ground in commanding maritime hegemony without even entering the war.
It was truly a matter of profit without effort.
So gifting something like a betrothal wouldn’t feel wasteful at all.
‘It’s only a betrothal, after all.’
***
Upon leaving Karman’s palace, I made my way directly to Cassion’s palace. My steps were light as if they might take flight. Karman’s response had exceeded my expectations.
“If things proceed as you say, I’ll give you a great gift.”
What could the gift be?
It would be wonderful if it were permission to marry, but the odds are against it.
Still, I had a feeling it would be something close to that. If it fell short of my hopes, I could always negotiate.
‘The formula for the motion sickness remedy belongs only to Lebert.’
I had given Karman only a single prototype of the remedy.
Even if Karman received requests for motion sickness remedy trades from the Donet Kingdom and the Brook Kingdom, without me, he could never send it.
‘Just marry her off? Is that what he wants?’
I dismissed the thought almost at once. Knowing Karman’s temperament, he’d sooner abandon the motion sickness remedy than agree to a marriage.
Kings and nobles wear a mask of fairness and reason, but they despise wounded pride as much as death itself.
Whenever I negotiate with Karman, even if I hold the advantage, I must let him believe he’s the one in control.
‘This is genuinely difficult.’
The thought of haggling with Karman over a gift made my head throb.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to scatter the tangle of worries.
I had two pieces of good news today—no point dwelling on complications now.
“Holsman, pick up the pace!”
I rapped on the carriage driver’s partition. The clatter of hoofbeats intensified.
The moment the carriage lurched to a halt, I leaped out before the step was even lowered.
My body practically vibrated with the urge to rush to Cassion with the good news.
There was no way I could sit there demurely waiting for the footstep to be properly arranged.
I was already braced to sprint up the stairs to Cassion’s chambers the instant I was free of the carriage.
I’d even hitched my Dress high enough to bare my calves for running—but suddenly there was no need.
Cassion stood before me, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
But he wasn’t alone.
A host of unfamiliar faces were moving in and out of the Third Prince’s Palace.
I Bought the Villains with Money (Serial Serialization)
Author │ Lee In-hye
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Publishing House │ Jae Plus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 1101 Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11th Floor, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
ⓒ Lee In-hye 2021
※ This work is published by Jae Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder.
No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher and author.
Violation of this provision 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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