Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 41

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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 41
The younger sister who had once been the ugly duckling of the Simour family had suddenly produced a groundbreaking improved formula, rapidly rising to prominence as a prodigy in magical theory.
It was difficult to accept that this absurd situation was reality, but something far more terrible had unfolded.
‘I’m screwed.’
The moment Beleck Simour saw Deborah Simour’s formula, a chill ran down his spine. It appeared extraordinarily useful for combat mages, for whom casting speed was paramount. And of all people, his rival and twin brother Rozard was precisely a combat mage.
From the beginning, Simeon’s magical formulas were devised to win wars, making them inseparable from combat mages.
A formula was an arrangement of the regularity of mana drifting through space, and by utilizing this regularity, combat mages amplified magical effects and transformed their shapes to strike enemies. However, since it involved manipulating mana from external space rather than the mana circles within one’s body, it was a field that everyone found difficult.
‘Especially since casting takes forever.’
Yet Deborah had compressed this sluggish and complex casting process into a simple formula. Moreover, I heard that using the improved formula Deborah devised resulted in almost no mana loss from prolonged incantation times.
For combat mages, where speed was everything, it was nothing short of a revolution.
Rozard was probably going mad with joy right now, wasn’t he? Enjoying all sorts of benefits for a mere pittance of seven silver.
I’m subscribed to a monthly plan, but I don’t really enjoy anything from it.
“Your complexion doesn’t look well.”
My attendant spoke with concern.
“I have a headache.”
Beleck Simour, whose face was clouded with melancholy and whose long eyelashes drooped sadly, squeezed his eyes shut.
“Young Master Beleck. Still, your recent artifact research has yielded significant results.”
“What good is that?! I must always maintain a competitive advantage! Both players were running the match on two feet, but Deborah gave Rozard wings! How could I not have a headache?”
“Is that improved formula really that remarkable?”
Beleck Simour let out a hollow laugh.
Remarkable?
Even I, called a prodigy among the top three researchers at the Magic Tower, felt self-loathing. My twin brother, who always stayed one step ahead, had never made me feel such despair.
The moment I saw the formula, my past of ignoring and scorning Deborah Simour unfolded like a revolving lantern, and I experienced for the first time what it felt like to want to hide in a mouse hole.
‘Why did Deborah pretend to be stupid all this time when she’s so intelligent?’
I was too ashamed to face my younger sister. How else could I explain that I’d been avoiding the Town House lately and holing myself up in the Magic Tower?
“Remarkable?”
“Ah, isn’t it?”
“That’s what you call a question?! I don’t even want to speak with an idiot like you. I feel like I’m becoming ignorant myself. Get out.”
Beleck Simour drove away his attendant with an irritated expression and remained alone in his office, washing his face with dry hands in a melancholic mood.
“But why is Louis Gazel, this provincial bumpkin from the Western Region, suddenly making a fuss? It’s annoying.”
Already troubled by Deborah Simour, Louis Gazel’s arbitrary actions further disturbed Beleck Simour’s peace of mind.
Previously, I had exchanged letters with Louis Gazel several times with the implication of introducing my younger sister. In that process, I received some silver as a token, but it was a sort of convention.
It was common for an older brother to introduce his younger sister of marriageable age to acquaintances.
‘I thought it had fizzled out.’
I had tried to arrange a meeting, but research kept me so busy that I kept postponing it, and Louis Gazel’s side was lukewarm as well. But when he heard that Deborah Simour was doing well, that fool suddenly changed his lukewarm attitude and began sending gifts.
In all this, I couldn’t understand what Deborah Simour was thinking when she suddenly accepted Louis Gazel’s gifts.
Doesn’t she like Philaf? I thought she would ignore and discard gifts from that provincial bumpkin of the Count Gazel Family…
A cold feeling washed over me. In the meantime, my attendant rushed into the office.
“Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“Duke Simour requests your immediate presence in his office.”
* * *
Beleck Simour rushed through the magic circle from the Magic Tower to the Main Mansion, bewildered by the strange atmosphere that greeted him.
“Sit down for now.”
“Yes.”
My father’s expression was unusually grave today. Deep furrows creased his brow, and his cold silver eyes blazed with displeasure. I felt the weight of his scrutiny as I nervously lifted the steaming teacup to my lips.
“Beleck.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I’ve heard rumors that you intend to play matchmaker between the eldest son of the Count Gazel Family and Deborah Simour.”
I had been considering such an arrangement, but why had word of it spread far enough to reach Father’s ears?
Duke Simour continued, his expression darkening at my bewildered silence.
“Apparently, Deborah cannot discard his gift carelessly because of your reputation as the intermediary.”
‘That’s not like her at all—she would never concern herself with my face. Why is she suddenly using me as an excuse?’
I felt a profound sense of confusion. Moreover, I couldn’t fathom why Father was emanating such a menacing aura.
In the past, when Deborah had tormented a young lady hovering around Philaf Montes and our family paid compensation to the other house, Father had worn an exasperated expression and said this:
“She was already rejected for a marriage proposal—how much longer will she obsess over that Montes fool? It’s embarrassing and shameful. Find her another suitable young man quickly!”
So I had believed my actions posed no particular problem.
Besides, Deborah was of marriageable age.
“It’s quite common for an older brother to introduce a suitable young man to his younger sister. Deborah is certainly at an age to consider marriage now….”
Before I could finish, Duke Simour erupted.
“You fool! You dare present the eldest son of some backwater count from the Western Region—the farthest reaches from Simour Territory—to your sister? What possessed you to commit such a senseless act without being asked?”
“But the Gazel Family does own substantial silver mines, and Father, you previously told Deborah to consider a suitable young man….”
“When did I ever say that? I did no such thing!”
My father denied it so confidently that I nearly dropped my teacup.
‘That’s absurd. He clearly said exactly that around this time last year.’
But voicing such an objection would only worsen the situation, so I merely trembled, my thin lips quivering silently.
‘The man who was always so composed and objective…’
The father who had dismissed Deborah with disdain had vanished entirely. Before me stood only an irrational hothead.
‘Something was amiss even when he purchased that pink diamond.’
How had matters spiraled into this chaos?
As I swallowed my dismay, Duke Simour, his anger somewhat subsiding, cleared his throat several times.
“In any case, you need not concern yourself with Deborah’s marriage. Do you understand?”
“But if she continues without a betrothed as she is now, wouldn’t it be better for me to step in?”
Deborah was displaying the competence befitting a Simour for once, yet my desire to remove her from my sight remained unchanged.
‘One of my attendants that I’d finally placed in the Library disappeared because of Deborah.’
And how infuriatingly she continued to needle me.
But even if I pushed the matter forcefully, the family head’s approval was necessary for any marriage to proceed, and Father merely erupted in anger.
“For heaven’s sake, attend to your own affairs and stop meddling! Buried in the Magic Tower every day—no wonder your perception is so dull. Tsk!”
“I merely worry for my sister as her brother….”
“I’m more concerned about you. If you’re so determined to meddle, then bring me a frost mage superior to myself. Then I’ll give the matter serious consideration.”
‘You must be joking.’
Who in this world could surpass Father in ice magic?
‘He must mean he wants to take in a talented mage as a son-in-law. Surely he can’t be serious?’
“I… I will keep that in mind. I apologize for my reckless behavior and for disturbing Father’s mood.”
“If you understand, then leave.”
“Yes.”
Beleck Simour emerged from his father’s office with a weary expression etched across his face, exhaling a long sigh. For some reason, everything seemed to be unraveling.
‘When I was young and accidentally disturbed a wasp’s nest, I felt this same ominous sensation.’
And his ill omens had a rather uncanny way of coming true.

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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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