This Reincarnation Requires a Subscription Fee

‘Rather, the problem was that they forced things on me that I didn’t even need.’  

But now, it wasn’t enough to give me gifts—now they wanted to hand over a portion of the estate too?  

Unlike my bewildered self, Lily and the other three maids clapped their hands excitedly.  

“Now you’re being recognized as a proper adult!”  

“That’s right. You’re not truly an adult until you manage the dowry.”  

“From now on, you can use what you need without having to report it to the Duke’s household.”  

Those were the words of Rose, Daisy, and Lily in turn.  

‘Lily had been struggling with applying for funds whenever necessary, so this will ease her burden.’  

I was still in a daze, but seeing the three people who took care of me so closely being so happy, I felt that was enough.  

“But…”  

Lily cautiously asked Logan,  

“Just how much is the dowry? Of course, since the young lady is still quite young, it won’t be that large, right?”  

At Lily’s question, Logan handed her a stiff document with a curious smile.  

I peeked over to see a long list, with the Duke’s seal stamped at the bottom.  

It was an official document containing the Duke’s orders.  

Lily carefully took the document and looked over the contents, her eyes quickly widening.  

“All of this is being given to the young lady?”  

“Yes.”  

As Logan smiled brightly, Lily, in disbelief, looked over the list again.  

“Is the amount really this large?”  

“On the young lady’s fifth birthday, His Grace gave her a mine as a gift, remember?”  

“Yes.”  

“Since the young lady was so young, His Grace has been managing it until now, and the profits accumulated over the years have been added to the dowry.”  

“Oh my goodness…”  

Lily was so shocked that I also became curious.  

‘What exactly is on that list?’  

The list was as follows:  

– Dowry: 30 billion  

– Monthly maintenance fee: 100 million  

– Full ownership transfer of the diamond mine  

– The Andel estate, along with its attached house and villa  

In addition, various artworks and jewelry were included.  

If those were converted to cash, they would be worth several more billions.  

“All of this is being given to me?”  

I looked at Logan in surprise.  

Even though the Elpinard family was wealthy, wouldn’t giving away this much have an impact?  

But Logan shrugged nonchalantly.  

“This is just a tiny fraction of the assets held by the Elpinard family. His Grace seemed concerned, so he only included the ‘Andel’ estate for now.”  

“You mean he usually gives away multiple estates…?”  

“Usually, several estates are combined to form an autonomous territory.”  

Logan stroked his chin as if calculating the exact details.  

“Master Axel has four, and Master Noah has two, each forming their own autonomous territories. The Duke doesn’t interfere in their management.”  

“……”  

“In the past, even the young duke had an autonomous territory consisting of four estates… but that has now been confiscated.”

“……”  

I was at a loss for words as I stared at the list.  

No wonder the people of the Elpinard family seemed to have an excessively skewed sense of money!  

Thinking that the items on this list are only a tiny portion of the family’s assets makes it understandable.  

‘A reasonable amount of money would be nice.’  

But once it surpasses that reasonable limit, instead of thinking, ‘Hehe, it’s money!’…  

‘I must be going crazy…’  

That was the only thought that came to mind.  

“Oh, and various salon memberships and regular seats at theaters aren’t included in this list. I’ll organize those separately and give them to you.”  

“……”  

I really must be going crazy…

* * *

I became rich.  

Not just rich—tremendously rich.  

Of course, there are probably even greater riches in the world, but I’m only twelve years old.  

I’m probably one of the wealthiest among my peers.  

When I asked Logan what most nobles do with their dowries, he told me about three types of people:  

Those who work hard to grow their wealth  

Those who work hard to squander their wealth  

Those who do nothing at all  

The worst, he said, was the third type.  

He said it’s important to try something, even if it means losing money.  

‘But I’m only twelve, you know?’  

So what if I’m the worst, number three?  

I was confident.  

Not long ago, I was boasting that I wasn’t a child anymore because I was (almost) an adult, but that was that, and this is this.  

‘Hmm-hmm.’  

Embarrassed by my own shamelessness, I cleared my throat and quickly moved my feet.  

I was on my way to thank the Duke for giving me such a tremendous dowry.  

‘Thank you notes are important.’  

It was a principle I’d held dear ever since I was a little four-year-old.  

As I approached the Duke’s study,  

“Reshia.”  

A kind woman’s voice stopped me in my tracks.  

It was Veronica, Noah’s mother.  

“Are you on your way to see the Duke?”  

“Yes, I’m going to thank him for the debutante gift.”  

“Oh my.”  

Veronica’s eyes widened in surprise.  

“You’re not planning to just accept it, are you? It’s customary to refuse at least twice to be polite.”  

“That’s polite?”  

I had never heard of such a thing.  

At my reaction, Veronica seemed genuinely shocked, as if I had no idea. She tightly held both of my hands.  

“Reshia, since you come from a common background and weren’t taught by your parents, there must be a lot you don’t know. It’s not something to be ashamed of, so if you’re unsure about something, come to me. I’ll teach you in detail.”  

Her tone was gentle, but…  

There was something pointed about the way she mentioned being from a common background and not being taught by parents.  

‘Is she picking a fight with me?’

Up until now, there hadn’t been any particular reason for Veronica and me to clash. She was always busy doting on Noah and managing the estate, so I just thought that was the kind of person she was.  

‘Why is she trying to keep me in check?’  

Could it be because I’m receiving the dowry?  

But that’s the Duke’s asset, and the decision on how to handle it is entirely up to him.  

I tilted my head to the side skeptically.  

“I have parents, you know? And I was taught well by them.”  

“Everyone knows you were abandoned at the temple, so what are you…”  

“The Duke. The Duke is my parent, isn’t he? You’re not denying that, are you?”  

“!”  

Veronica’s eyes widened at my words. It seemed she didn’t expect me to retaliate like this.  

‘Well, maybe an ordinary 12-year-old wouldn’t know this.’  

This was a sophisticated way of throwing shade, something typical of adults in social circles!  

‘But I’m not an ordinary 12-year-old.’  

If she was going to subtly insult me, I was confident I could do the same.  

“Oh, now that I think about it.”  

I clapped my hands as if I had just realized something and opened my eyes wide.  

“When you say I wasn’t taught by my parents, are you implying that I didn’t learn properly from my father?”  

“W-What are you talking about!”  

Veronica looked around nervously as if afraid someone might overhear.  

When she realized that there was no one around to hear our conversation, her expression relaxed a bit.  

“I only said that because I was worried about you, Reshia. I hope you didn’t misunderstand.”  

“Then I’ll go tell Father that Veronica suggested I refuse the dowry. That won’t be a problem, right?”  

At the mention of running off to report her words to the Duke, Veronica’s lips trembled.  

I blinked innocently and tilted my head.  

“If it’s not something that should reach Father’s ears, maybe you shouldn’t be saying it to me either, don’t you think?”  

“……!”  

Veronica pressed her lips together and trembled with anger.  

I guess she had underestimated me because I always walked around with a smile on my face.  

‘How do you like the taste of this quiet lamb now!’  

“If you don’t have anything else to say, I’ll be on my way. Goodbye.”  

I chuckled to myself as I confidently headed towards the Duke’s study.