The World Mistakes Me for Terminally Ill - Chapter 40

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The World Thinks I’m Terminally Ill Episode 040

 

At that moment.

 

I was inspecting the situation while looking around the villa.

 

Since I had kept a caretaker to manage it even after leaving this place, the condition itself wasn’t bad.

 

However, since I had to offer it to the first guests for business, I was pondering which direction to decorate it in.

 

‘The Northern Region is an unknown world to the women of the capital. I could go completely fantasy-style, dreamlike.’

 

There are two directions for the tourism business.

 

A place that’s warm and comfortable like a nostalgic hometown, making you want to visit again. Or, a place where you can experience surprises that are hard to see in daily life.

 

For the women of the capital, the former would be almost meaningless.

 

After all, they’re coming because they want to imitate ‘Elisia,’ the trendsetter. For them, my image would obviously be closer to the latter.

 

‘Then I should cater to that desire.’

 

I was directing the servants for interior changes when Shubel, who had changed into comfortable clothes, approached.

 

“My lady.”

 

“Ah, perfect timing. Is there anything uncomfortable? Tell me so I can use your opinion as reference.”

 

“That’s not it. However…”

 

He quietly looked down at me.

 

“Will you be alright?”

 

“With what?”

 

“Giving this place to others.”

 

I paused while receiving the blueprint the villa caretaker was handing me.

 

After the caretaker withdrew, only we remained in front of the window where pure white snowy landscape spread out.

 

Perhaps due to the leisure of being away from daily life, I stared at the man who looked unusually calm compared to usual, then opened my mouth.

 

“You remembered.”

 

“How could I forget that.”

 

Shubel slowly reached out his hand.

 

“This is where I received your marriage proposal.”

 

He properly covered my shoulders again with the shawl that had slipped down.

 

I unconsciously flinched and trembled. He smiled and withdrew his hand.

 

I fidgeted with the now slightly crumpled blueprint, then quickly turned my head.

 

“…Do you have to say that in front of the person involved?”

 

“It’s the greatest event of my lifetime.”

 

“Call it a contract proposal, not a marriage proposal.”

 

“Even if it’s a contract, marriage is still marriage.”

 

Why do I feel mischievous at his words filled with laughter?

 

Lately, whenever I see him, I keep wanting to act mean. This isn’t my personality.

 

‘Really, it’s not.’

 

Strange. Really, why am I like this? …Is it because I know he’ll accept?

 

“It’s fine. Though it’s one of my parents’ keepsakes, what’s really important is the merchant guild.”

 

If I had lost the merchant guild like I saw in the White Forest’s illusion, I might have been attached to this place.

 

But my current self had completely inherited Seton. So I could use this much as a stepping stone for Lunein.

 

When I briefly explained this, I heard a quiet murmur.

 

“You’re kind.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

When I asked back because I couldn’t hear his words clearly, he smiled and said it was nothing.

 

I thought it was silly and continued speaking.

 

“Anyway, I’m not going to keep the villa open continuously. I plan to only accept the first batch and later invite only people worth inviting.”

 

The experience of ‘specialness’ intoxicates people with superiority. Naturally, for the value of this place, I had to avoid keeping the villa constantly open.

 

“Then where are you thinking of accepting the second batch of tourists?”

 

“I’m going to put it up for auction.”

 

“Auction…”

 

Perhaps he hadn’t expected this either, as Shubel slowly blinked his eyes.

 

Since he, who was quite an enjoyable conversation partner, showed an unexpected reaction, I felt pleased.

 

I casually revealed the business plan I was conceiving.

 

“It would be good if we could continuously accept tourists. But the Northern Region isn’t in a situation for that right now. The Duchy’s train station is still being built, and other regional lines are just starting to be laid.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“The facilities aren’t ready either. Even if the village residents accept lodgers, there should be at least one facility per hot spring that can control tourists.”

 

“Though the Northern Region is Lunein’s domain, there are territories governed by other families, so cooperation is needed.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“When high nobles visit, we can’t just send them to simple lodgings, so we’d have to invite them to the lord’s castle… Ah.”

 

Being clever as he was, he quickly caught on to my intention.

 

“You mean to auction it to the Northern Region’s lords? In exchange for sharing the business profits, they also share the responsibility and build train lines and hot spring facilities.”

 

Bingo. Correct answer.

 

“Originally, work done by many hands is faster than work done by one hand, isn’t it?”

 

Anyway, Lunein isn’t a place that can be revived by simply restoring one family. Being a giant tree that had taken root for a thousand years, there were too many entangled things.

 

Since it was work that had to be done anyway, I decided to give up some financial profit in exchange for something else. The benefit of Northern Region unity.

 

‘Originally, when you share delicious food together, you become close quickly.’

 

It was time to strengthen again the ties that had gradually weakened as Lunein slowly declined.

 

Of course, first I had to properly receive the first tourists.

 

“Moreover, if the first tourists spread rumors everywhere but then no next recruitment comes out… they’ll be anxious, right? The rarity will increase, so it’s beneficial for us.”

 

“What if interest cools down?”

 

“Then I’ll have to find a way to survive somehow. I have something in mind, but I don’t really want to put it into practice. Anyway, I’m going to make it succeed.”

 

At my confident words, he laughed quietly.

 

“My lady’s insight is at least three moves ahead.”

 

“Flattery won’t get you anything. I just have an impatient personality, so I think about the best and worst cases in advance.”

 

“What if individual visitors who don’t wait for recruitment gather?”

 

“Free promotional guests that Lunein doesn’t need to take responsibility for are coming, so we should rather welcome them. The treatment might be a bit poor. But that will make them anticipate Lunein’s next recruitment more, so it’s fine.”

 

After that, we talked about more things than expected.

 

As I said, Shubel is quite a good conversation partner, so talking wasn’t boring.

 

He usually takes the role of listener and only responds appropriately when necessary, which made it even better.

 

Perhaps… it might have been fine if he talked a little more.

 

His voice is low and pleasant to listen to.

 

“Then I’ll see you at dinner, my lady.”

 

I watched Shubel leave after bringing me to my room and thought.

 

This is just light affection for someone who shares the space next to my bed.

 

The first day of travel came to an end.

 

We parted ways, deciding to rest separately after dinner since we had accumulated fatigue.

 

‘It’s already been three months since I came to Lunein.’

 

During this process, the Lert father and daughter tried to subtly hold onto me again with talk of investment and such, but I escaped using work as a shield.

 

I looked around the room I was using alone for the first time in a while, under the excuse of rest.

 

It was a room I had used last year too, but I frowned briefly at the strange feeling that it seemed bigger.

 

‘It must be my imagination.’

 

Today, I headed to bed with daily newspapers from various news companies and a scrapbook to see what people were talking about.

 

When I lifted the blanket, I saw the baby dragon sleeping soundly without permission in someone else’s spot.

 

[Down with the money-obsessed human… Give this body the freedom of apples…]

 

I was briefly dumbfounded looking at that sight, then grabbed it by the scruff and threw it to the side.

 

Kaiseus, who rolled with a thud, thud, tumble tumble, woke up going “Ugh!”

 

[Hey! What!]

 

“Move. This is my spot.”

 

[The bed is wide anyway! So petty.]

 

Kaiseus grumbled and plopped down against the large pillow on the side.

 

I hesitated for a moment.

 

‘…That’s right. It’s a bed I use alone, so why did I insist on the left side?’

 

I quickly recovered from my brief confusion and sat down in that spot as if I had been shameless from the very beginning.

 

Baby Dragon, who had been grumbling, forgot about it quickly like the 100-year-old he was and showed curiosity about the notebook I was opening.

 

[What’s that?]

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————