SWNOVELXO Chapter 92
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 92
A sunny afternoon.
The Young Lady, dressed warmly, and I strolled through the bustling streets of the capital after a long time away from the estate.
“What should we buy as a gift for Ricardo’s father?”
“It’s not ‘father’; it’s the Head of the Household.”
“Exactly. Father.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Young Lady firmly decided on the title for Darbav.
Nodding her head as she thought about the gift for Darbav, the Young Lady smiled with satisfaction.
“Hehe…”
If the Young Lady were to have a child in the future, she’d probably be called ‘Mother.’ I could vividly imagine her scolding her child.
-Mother, give me food.
-Eeeek! It’s not ‘Mother’; it’s ‘Mom’!
-Exactly, Mother.
-Get out!
It might not be so bad…?
Imagining such a future brought a small smile to my face, and I pinched the Young Lady’s cheek.
“Eeeek! Why?!”
“Just because. I was thinking about the Young Lady’s future as a mother.”
Sitting in Fairy Unit 1, the Young Lady raised her head with a blank expression and looked at me.
“It’ll be pretty, right?”
“Yes. If she takes after you, she’ll be very beautiful. Though her personality might be a bit of a mess.”
“Eeeek! Don’t insult my daughter!”
The Young Lady, determined to protect her imaginary daughter, had awakened her maternal instincts. Watching her puffing and raising her fist, I thought she’d make a good mother.
Laughing and joking around, we were on our way to the newly opened Friends of Forest Tteokbokki Shop by Malik. We also came out to buy a gift for the Head of the Household’s birthday.
Originally, we were supposed to meet Malik and greet him earlier, but our plans were delayed when we ran into Darbav in the capital.
Although we hadn’t specified when we’d visit, I had sent Malik a letter saying we’d come, so he might be waiting for us.
I was a bit nervous about the business venture with the Master of Culinary Arts, but Malik was so skilled in business that I wasn’t worried. Even if I had worried, it wouldn’t have changed anything.
All I did was provide a recipe for tteokbokki, so I didn’t have much right to say anything.
The Young Lady and I headed toward the address written in the letter, planning to get free tteokbokki.
“What will Ricardo give his father as a gift?”
Sitting in her wheelchair, the Young Lady wrapped herself tightly against the cold wind and asked.
Recently, the weather had gotten much colder, and the Young Lady sniffled and shivered.
I fastened the buttons on her fur clothes and replied.
“Hmm… I’m still thinking, but I’m considering gloves or a scarf.”
“Gloves? A scarf?”
“Yes. I thought they’d be safe choices for a gift.”
“Hmm…”
In truth, I had already prepared a different gift, but I pretended to be undecided and asked for the Young Lady’s opinion.
“Well…”
The Young Lady trailed off as she looked around at the shops lining the marketplace.
In fact, I had prepared Darbav’s birthday gift a long time ago.
I had planned to present it to him on this birthday, hoping it might ease some of the accumulated animosity.
It was a slightly burdensome gift I had been preparing for a long time.
A potion that enhances mana.
I intended to give this to Darbav for his birthday. The Sage’s Potion, one of the fortuitous encounters from the Hamel Dungeon, would be the greatest gift for a wizard like Darbav.
Darbav, who possessed the mana of an Archmage, could surpass his limits with this potion, which I had obtained during that fortuitous encounter in the Hamel Dungeon.
Since mana was as essential as salt to a wizard, I believed this gift would mean more to Darbav than millions of gold.
That’s why I told the Young Lady about the most modest gift. If I had been honest, she would have felt disheartened.
I had also considered having the Young Lady present the potion instead of me, but I thought Darbav would expect a gift chosen directly by the Young Lady rather than one chosen by me, so I buried that plan in my heart.
“Hmm…”
The Young Lady furrowed her brows in thought.
Having given various gifts to the Head of the Household over the years, the Young Lady found it difficult to decide on the best one.
Back when Desmond supported her, she had gifted jewels, suits, and even a diamond mine. But now, with limited funds and the inability to give anything as grand as before, her worries grew.
“There’s a gift I want to give, but I don’t have the money.”
Wanting to help the Young Lady, I murmured softly.
“Borrow it from me.”
“Will you lend it interest-free?”
“No, with an annual interest rate of 3%.”
“…You miser.”
“I think it’s a very reasonable offer.”
“Ricardo, you’re bad for even thinking about charging interest to a master as beautiful and lovely as me.”
“Your self-awareness is impressive. Fine, let’s make it 1%. I need to make a living too.”
“Deal!”
The Young Lady smiled pleasantly and rolled the wheels of Fairy Unit 1.
After walking for about ten minutes,
the Young Lady, rolling the wheels of Fairy Unit 1, stopped in front of a tailor shop.
[Royal Boutique]
It was a clothing store the Young Lady used to frequent. Back then, a single dress here cost more than an estate. Now, the Young Lady stopped and swallowed as she gazed at a necktie pin through the glass window.
“That one…”
The Young Lady muttered softly, glancing at me.
“That one would suit Father well.”
The golden necktie pin, as the Young Lady said, seemed like a perfect match for Darbav.
It was adorned with just enough diamonds along the edges, and the transparent diamonds complemented the golden background.
As expected of a former noble, the Young Lady had an excellent eye for such things.
I subtly glanced at the Young Lady and shrugged.
“Shall we go with that one?”
“It looks expensive.”
“Oh, come on~ How expensive could such a small necktie pin be?”
“…Right?”
The Young Lady looked at me with hopeful eyes, and I nodded in response, grabbing the handles of her wheelchair.
“Since it’s cold, let’s buy it quickly and head back.”
2 p.m.
Considering the cold weather, it seemed better for us to decide quickly rather than wander around.
I exhaled white breath as I pushed the wheelchair.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay…!”
The Young Lady smiled brightly and shyly.
*
“What?!”
Inside the Royal Boutique.
I exclaimed in surprise at the clerk. I knew it was inappropriate to make a scene in public, but I never imagined that a necktie pin the size of a finger would cost more than the repair costs of an estate.
“Haha…”
The clerk looked at me with an awkward smile, seemingly accustomed to such reactions, and began introducing other products.
“This is a new release, so it’s a bit pricey. How about this handkerchief instead? It’s made of the finest cotton, feels great to the touch, and folds beautifully.”
I appreciated the clerk’s consideration in suggesting a more affordable option, but the Young Lady’s sullen expression made me hesitate.
“Uh… um…”
The Young Lady looked at the necktie pin displayed in the case and gave a bitter smile.
“It seemed like it would suit Father so well.”
Feeling disappointed that she couldn’t buy the gift she had chosen, the Young Lady’s expression made me glance at her and nervously ask the clerk.
“Um… is there any chance for a discount?”
The clerk smiled brightly and answered me.
“This is already the discounted price.”
Thirty thousand gold as a discounted price.
It was clear the world was rejecting us. It seemed determined to test us with money.
Feeling indignant, I sighed, silently cursing the god who was probably laughing somewhere while clutching their stomach.
“Young Lady.”
“Yes…”
“Could you wait for just a moment?”
“Huh?”
With a determined gaze, I looked out the window. Thinking about how much was left in my bank account and the maximum loan limit I could pull, I spoke with a stern expression. The Young Lady, puzzled by my demeanor, asked me with a confused look.
“No, let’s just buy something else.”
“No. I must buy this.”
“It’s too expensive…”
“It’s been a while since we gave the Head of the Household a gift. We should make it count.”
The master’s face is also the butler’s face.
Unable to bear seeing the Young Lady’s disappointed expression, I clenched my fist and looked toward the bank.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Ah… no! Then I’ll come with you…!”
“It’s cold outside. Please stay here.”
Not wanting the Young Lady to witness me taking out a loan, I asked the clerk to ensure no one else bought the item and dashed outside.
Money.
A skill I had been trying not to resort to for a while.
I ground my teeth as I looked at the small, glittering casino next to the bank.
‘Forgive me, Father.’
Bowing my head to the future of gambling addicts who would end up with empty wallets, I prepared to clean them out.
*
The store Ricardo had left.
Left alone, Olivia sat in a corner of the store, sipping hot black tea.
“Ah… hot.”
Feeling sad that she couldn’t buy a gift suitable for her father due to her circumstances, Olivia stared blankly at her reflection in the teacup with a gloomy expression.
“Money…”
Even though she had no money, why was she indulging in such luxuries? Olivia thought herself immature, but this time, she couldn’t suppress her desire to buy her father a decent gift.
Olivia grimaced bitterly at the thought of her father still wearing the uniform tailored two years ago.
Because of her, the household had faltered.
The guilt of the family’s poverty weighed heavier on her with each passing day at the estate.
The number of servants who used to fill the estate had dwindled, and her father’s uniforms, which had been tailored anew every year, were no exception.
Olivia sipped the bitter black tea with a bitter heart.
“Ugh… bitter…”
The wind blew outside.
Ricardo had not returned.
When the feeling of loneliness suddenly crept in.
-Ding.
The door to the store opened, and Olivia noticed a new guest entering.
“Kyaah! Did you see the new release? It’s so pretty.”
“Yeah, yeah. I managed to get a few things from Olivia back then, but now we can’t even get anything for free. Such a shame!”
“What are you talking about? You were popping champagne when Olivia got expelled.”
“That was then!”
A group of young female students entered the store.
The students, wearing the Academy’s school uniforms, were the same ones who used to stick close to Olivia and flatter her during her Academy days.
Olivia lowered her head upon seeing them.
“Ricardo… when will you come back?”
Lowering her head and hiding her body to avoid being noticed by them, Olivia began to shrink as she thought of Ricardo, who had yet to return.
About ten minutes passed.
When the laughter of the students, who had been looking around the store, suddenly stopped.
Olivia slowly lifted her head.
“Are they gone…?”
Thinking she no longer needed to be cautious, she raised her head.
“It’s Olivia, isn’t it?”
A plump female student was looking down at Olivia.
“You’re still alive, huh?”
When Olivia saw the student smirking as if she’d found an amusing toy, her eyes trembled violently.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Malicious words began to target Olivia.
“How have you been? I heard you were dead, but you’re alive and well, huh?”
“No, she’s crippled, isn’t she?”
The student muttered as she looked at Olivia’s leg.
Olivia lowered her head.
“Oh, right. Buy us some bags too.”
“Puhaha. What are you saying? Where would she get the money? I heard her family disowned her.”
“…”
“Puhaha, is that true, Olivia?”
The students, who couldn’t even meet her gaze back at the Academy, now mocked her. Olivia could only lower her head in silence.
And then.
“Haa…”
She let out a deep sigh.
Olivia slowly raised her head.
After glancing around to confirm no one was nearby, not even Ricardo or the clerk, Olivia muttered softly.
‘Ricardo told me not to get angry…’
As the mocking voices grew louder.
A cold voice flowed from Olivia’s lips. It was not her usual dazed tone but a voice as cold as ice.
“Shut up, you f*cking b*tches.”
Olivia was a villainess.
“Before I kill you.”