The Fake Wife of the Strongest Husband Wants to Survive - Chapter 70

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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 70
Io’s footsteps quickened as she crossed the hallway, nearly breaking into a run.
Normally she would never permit herself such an undignified display, but today was different.
Standing before Clark’s Study, Io steadied her breathing and knocked.
“Father. It’s me, Io.”
“Yes, come in.”
At his permission, she swallowed hard and opened the door.
The Marquis sat in a comfortable leather chair reviewing late work; the side table beside him was stacked with a considerable pile of documents.
“What brings you here, Io?”
Clark greeted her with a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners with what appeared to be warmth.
Despite the seemingly affectionate atmosphere her father projected, Io kept her guard up as she broached her purpose.
“I heard the news. You’ve decided to import Saffron after all.”
Clark answered readily.
“Yes. Do you have questions? Your brother has taken on the responsibility for this trade, so as for the details…….”
“Please, stop.”
Io cut him off, her words tumbling out even as beads of cold sweat rolled down her face from the tension.
“Importing Saffron at this moment is madness. You know as well as I do—Fabiano won’t listen to me. Only you can stop this.”
Clark listened to Io’s words in silence, never letting the smile fade from his lips as he sought to calm her.
“What are you saying? Your brother cares for you deeply.”
Fabiano cares for her?
Io had to suppress a bitter laugh.
“I can see it coming. The Shipbuilders’ Guild no doubt tempted him with promises of open sea routes and swift transport. But how could all those favorable circumstances align so perfectly? To bring Saffron safely requires more than just a shipping route—there’s weather to consider, the risk of piracy, storage methods, and theft. Do you truly believe Fabiano has prepared for every possible contingency?”
……
“We have no immediate need for such a massive commission. There’s no reason to import Saffron simply chasing rarity when we already have abundant Spices.”
The words she had rehearsed dozens of times before entering this study spilled out, and her stomach twisted.
Then Clark rose from his chair.
A Document Folder was in his hand.
“I understand your thoughts well enough. So tell me, Io—what countermeasures do you propose?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Clark, having reached Io, hurled the Document Folder directly at her face.
The densely written pages scattered through the air, brushing past her face as they fell in disarray.
Io stared blankly at them as Clark spoke.
“I received a report on your recent Purification record. It’s pathetic. Shameful to present before Turbon. Do you know how much money was at stake in this Purification project?”
……Father.
“If not for Olga and Stefan—those elderly mages barely hanging on—your worth would be cut in half. Can’t you even properly Purify a single small parcel of land?”
“Purification isn’t easy. And the Turbon Viscountcy, in terms of size…….”
“So! Is that why you stand before me making speeches?”
……
Clark’s face, having hurled the stack of documents at his daughter, had turned cold and merciless.
“The fact that you cannot do your own work properly is undeniable. Yet you dare stick your nose into family business?”
“……That’s not relevant. It’s just my Purification—my condition has been poor lately, that’s all.”
“That IS failing at your duties! Did you think I wouldn’t notice you neglecting Purification while you drool over the company’s affairs?”
“Drool? What kind of thing is that to say? I’m your daughter too. I have the right to participate in the Merchant Company’s work!”
When Clark raised his voice, tears threatened to spill from Io’s eyes.
She held them back only by sheer force of pride—unwilling to show her weakness to her father.
“So to insist on your point, you want to overturn a decision already made? Bringing shame to my name, damaging your brother’s reputation?”
“Father……! That’s not it at all! I only want what’s best for our family……!”
“What do you mean ‘not it’! I could tell from the moment you began eyeing the company’s affairs—you’ve steeled yourself to crush your brother’s prospects.”
“That’s not true. Since it’s not too late, I simply wanted to suggest we change the import to Pepper or Clove instead—the safe path everyone takes—rather than Saffron!”
“That will do nothing for his Succession! I cannot manage the Merchant Company Master’s duties forever, so I must begin preparing to hand things to my eldest, and the best way to earn him recognition within the company is to make the Saffron trade succeed!”
At those words, Io’s face contorted.
“So you’re willing to accept such massive losses just to build Fabiano’s reputation……?”
Even seeing that expression of despair, Clark’s demeanor did not waver.
“Of course. What kind of father wouldn’t do that much for his eldest?”
There was no reasoning with him.
As always, she now understood with certainty that there had never been room in her father’s heart for someone called Io.
Seeing Io at a loss for words, Clark looked down at her with displeasure and spoke firmly, as though determined to stamp out any seed of discord before it grew.
“And since you seem to be laboring under a misapprehension, let me set this straight—never again refer to the company’s affairs with ‘we.’ You have no voice in the company or in family business. What could a girl possibly know, one who will one day marry and leave this house?”
……
“Just tend well to the reputation we’ve built for the family name. Tsk! I can’t stand the sight of you—leave at once!”
Expelled from the Study, Io could not hide her indignation.
She was sick of Fabiano—incompetent and wielding everything the family possessed simply because he was the eldest son—and sick of her father for measuring a child’s worth by gender and birth order. But what infuriated her most was her own powerlessness, the inability to speak against such contempt.
Her father’s discrimination. Her brother’s disdain.
Isolated in every way, even the Purification Power—the one thing she had relied on—was beginning to show its cracks.
‘If Father discovers how incomplete my Purification Power is… I’ll be cast aside entirely.’
She still needed her father’s influence and the name of the Clark household.
At minimum, until she received a Peerage under her own name, the inadequacy of her Purification Power had to remain a closely guarded secret.
Wiping her tears away, Io returned to her room to find a servant waiting for her.
The way he lingered near the door seemed anxious somehow.
“Miss!”
The servant approached eagerly upon spotting Io and handed her a sheet of paper.
Io took it and read the contents in silence before asking a question.
“Is this an Application Form addressed to Father?”
The paper in Io’s hand stated that anyone wishing to attend the ceremony for the Portrait of the Crown Princess was to submit the name of either their patron or themselves.
“Yes, yes. I went through considerable trouble smuggling it out.”
Io cast an irritated glance at the servant, who was bowing obsequiously and taking credit for his deed.
“Tell the maidservant to give you the payment. See that you handle it yourself.”
“Thank you so much!”
Leaving the servant bowing repeatedly in her wake, Io entered her room, reading the paper over and over.
She had heard rumors that the Emperor was seeking a painter for the Crown Princess’s Portrait, but now that she held the Application Form in hand, her heart began to race.
She had enough funds to hire a painter of considerable talent, and it seemed worth attempting.
If she won this competition and caught the Emperor’s eye, she might not only gain his trust but perhaps even be chosen as the Crown Princess’s personal lady-in-waiting.
That would bring her one step closer to obtaining a Peerage than she was now.
‘Yes, there is a way.’
Of course, she intended to secure the finest painter available, but she had much to prepare in case the painter fell short of his task.
If she could only climb higher, Io was ready to step on anyone in her path.
Otherwise, she would plummet into an endless abyss.

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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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