The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 174

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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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Side Story 02-4.

“So I’ll be meeting her mother before the debutante ball?”
“That’s around when I met the Emperor.”
According to the diary, she’d been married at twenty, and their first meeting had been two years before that—at eighteen.
We checked the diary multiple times to make certain we didn’t miss the timing.
The era when she was researching the Irenol Priestess, showing keen interest in the abandoned mine, and wearing a boyish appearance to reassure her mother.
We decided to meet seventeen-year-old Maribel Reardon.
“There are still about six weeks until the wedding. I need to think about when would be best to summon her.”
I said this while looking at the Lizard.
Until now, the longest we’d been able to stay in the past was half a day at most, and most often it was far shorter.
It would be ideal if Maribel could definitely attend the wedding and we could meet her to explain things and clear up at least some confusion.
Of course, if interaction weren’t possible, we could at least observe freely, which would be good enough.
But in response to my earnest deliberation, the Lizard merely tilted its head with a puzzled expression.
—I told you, you’re different from him.
“So you’re saying you can summon me for longer?”
I deliberately interpreted it in my favor, and Pea bobbed its head as if to say of course.
“Two weeks?”
I’d exaggerated from merely half a day to dozens of times longer, haggling like a merchant.
But instead of flatly refusing, the Lizard quietly touched the diary and tapped its tail, speaking.
—It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I thought you’d want to use it to the fullest.
The Lizard pointed to two dates in the diary as it spoke.
…….
At the same time, Casian and I—having counted backward from the dates—stared at each other in utter shock.
Six weeks.
We’d been given a span of nearly a month and a half.
*
Two weeks passed.
In that time, we worked, indulged the Emperor’s whining, and asked several collaborators for help before summoning Maribel.
Mr. Parker was among them.
“You really mean I’ll see the young countess again? Oh, how can I ever thank you enough….”
“We can’t make it public, so we need your help.”
“Of course, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
To be honest, Casian and I had briefly entertained the idea of revealing Maribel’s existence entirely and making fools of the Temple and the Emperor.
But when we thought through the scenarios, the complications outweighed the gains, and besides, it didn’t align with our purpose: creating beautiful memories and, incidentally, giving hints about the future.
It was a stroke of luck that only Mr. Parker, among those who came and went from the lord’s manor, remembered young Maribel.
There was risk in involving too many people, but having at least one person who remembered Maribel put our minds at ease.
“She was fundamentally kind. Full of curiosity, yes, but gentle with the staff and not prone to tantrums.”
“So she’ll adapt quickly once she arrives here?”
“Yes. And the interior of the manor has changed considerably. Still, her room remains as it was.”
We didn’t plan to tell Maribel that Casian was her son, or speak directly of any misfortune the Riarden Ducal Family might face.
The shadows of the past that had been visible when we first arrived in Riedern had long since faded and been covered over.
“She’ll find it hard to recognize, even having seen it before. The entire duchy has changed so much in the time since you both arrived.”
Mr. Parker was delighted at the prospect of showing her not the shabby Riedern of old, but a properly maintained and prosperous land.
Both Casian and I smiled back at him.
There was unmistakable evidence of how freely we’d spent labor and money since coming to Riedern.
Even if someone disagreeable from the Capital came, there wouldn’t be many spaces worth dwelling on nostalgia.
That said, we had no intention of completely hiding the truth of the future from Maribel.
How could we possibly conceal newspapers and books?
Gaia had once mentioned that Maribel resembled me somewhat, and from what I heard others say about her, I could guess she’d check such things the moment she arrived.
After discussing things with Mr. Parker, contacting Wesley Morel, and asking my proud friend Wilhelmina for help, we summoned Maribel.
*
“…Huh?”
Just moments ago, the air had been slightly humid.
Since I’d be a debutante next year, I didn’t want to say anything unpleasant to parents who worried about so many things.
But with the stuffiness in my chest and the frustration that kept threatening to surface, I’d ended the conversation and stepped into the garden to catch the breeze.
Though Riedern sat in the relatively northern part of the Empire, it was still quite hot in the height of summer.
I was thinking I should have just gone to my room and taken a bath instead, when the change happened.
Since it was night, it was strange to attribute the sudden temperature drop to natural causes, and Maribel gasped and lifted her head.
“Even the column’s paint is different….”
A few days ago, Father had mentioned that the stone pavilion was quite old and probably due for repairs soon.
As my gaze gradually widened from the pavilion, I noticed that not just the pavilion, but the garden and the manor itself looked different from what I remembered.
“What on earth is happening?”
A space that had felt familiar and comforting suddenly became frightening and strange.
Making matters worse, at that moment, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
Who could it be? Someone I knew—my parents perhaps?
Or what if it’s someone unfamiliar and dangerous?
Even as tension seized me, Maribel quickly assessed escape routes and gripped the hilt of the dagger she always carried.
Whatever was happening, I had to survive first.
“Oh my.”
But the moment I saw who was approaching the pavilion, I went stock-still.
The woman of the pair, who looked like lovers, was so kind and beautiful that my heart melted, and the man escorting her was truly…
‘…When did I get a younger brother?’
I became convinced, without a doubt, that he had to be my blood relation.
*
“The First Dragon, Gaia, embraces this land, so things like this happen often.”
The woman who introduced herself as Rozelita greeted Maribel warmly, without the shock that might have been expected.
“Please don’t worry too much. When your time here ends, you’ll naturally return to your proper place, according to what Gaia’s priestess told us.”
Her manner of explaining these anticipated concerns was kind and inspiring trust.
Of course, I was startled that she spoke so casually of Dragons’ existence and even mentioned having a priestess.
Could it be that Dragons are no longer treated with contempt?
If that’s the case, what about Riedern…?
Without quite realizing it, hope began to bloom in one corner of my heart.
Perhaps because I’d been struggling through those frustrating conversations with my parents, my ears opened wider still.
When I followed Rozelita inside the manor to be shown to my lodgings, my eyes grew even wider.
The original Riarden Manor had been well-appointed, but now there was a meticulous attention to detail everywhere I looked.
“Rose, we received a message from the Capital and need to confirm it first thing tomorrow morning and send a reply right away.”
“Marquis, the Temple has sent word with questions about the Dragon History we reviewed last time. They’re requesting cooperation on the materials—”
As we walked, every snippet of conversation passed to Rozelita was exactly the sort of thing I’d only ever imagined.
The Capital and Riedern exchanging freely, and the Temple receiving respect.
Was this really true?
Rozelita had said she didn’t know whether this was before or after Maribel’s own time, but I was certain it had to be the future.
“You can stay here for a while. If anything is uncomfortable, speak to the maid attending you.”
After seeing the room Rozelita showed me to, my certainty only deepened.
It was neatly organized yet strangely familiar—unlike the other parts that felt subtly strange—because it was my actual room, and my beloved desk bore scratches I had no memory of acquiring.
Maribel bowed respectfully to Rozelita, who seemed to worry whether I might be displeased.
“Though this came as quite a shock, thank you for treating me with such kindness.”
The mysterious figure who might be my younger brother had said nothing up to that point, which was somewhat on my mind, but a greater desire burned in me: to meet this future no matter what, and secure it.
I had to glean every hint I could.
Maribel felt as if she’d finally found a clue to a question she’d been searching for long.
*
“My goodness.”
After seeing Maribel to her room and returning to ours, I felt my heart flutter with a strange ticklish sensation.
“Did young Casian really look like that at seventeen? She was absolutely adorable!”
They said Maribel Reardon moved about like a “young master” before becoming a debutante, and watching the younger Casian truly resembled that.
Though admittedly, a more delicate and fine-featured version of Casian.
What’s more, that cautious demeanor, the way she observed everything around her and tried to glean what she could—
I wondered if that’s how young Casian had been, a version of him I never got to see, and satisfaction welled up within me.

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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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