“No, Sister!? What is all this about? I came after hearing rumors that the treasures from the Imperial Palace’s vault were being transported to the Vermont estate…!”
Bang! The office door burst open.
Vanessa’s face, which had initially brightened, thinking Aslan Vermont had come to question her, quickly hardened.
Instead, it was Reinhardt, flailing his arms and legs in a desperate attempt to express his shock and confusion.
“…Aren’t you still under house arrest? You shouldn’t even be in the palace.”
“That’s not important right now, sister! Who’s the traitor smuggling out the royal treasures? I’ll track them down, reclaim everything, and ensure the culprit is punished…”
“It was my order.”
“Huh? I must have misheard, sister.”
“I’m saying I approved all of it, and there’s no need for you to interfere.”
“…What!?”
Vanessa answered dismissively, turning her head as if annoyed. Reinhardt’s jaw dropped.
“Why on earth!?”
“It’s nothing for you to concern yourself with. I was simply repaying a personal debt. Don’t worry—I didn’t touch the state treasury; I used my personal funds.”
“You, who ascended to the throne without anyone’s help, surrounded by enemies, consolidating absolute imperial authority through your exceptional rule—what kind of favor could possibly warrant such an extravagant repayment!?”
“Ugh, be quiet! It’s an old matter you don’t need to know about!”
“Sister…”
Vanessa’s face turned slightly red as she avoided his gaze.
This left Reinhardt feeling as if his heart had dropped.
He had never seen his sister make such an expression.
Never before had she handed out wealth so freely in the name of gratitude.
Could it be that his sister, who had never faltered under any emotional turmoil, was now making irrational decisions?
This was completely uncharacteristic of her.
‘Wait. If there’s one emotion my sister has never experienced before…’
Vanessa had faced every intense emotion without being swayed.
If she was now acting irrationally, it must be because she was experiencing an entirely new and overwhelming feeling for the first time.
And there was only one such feeling it could be—love.
Realizing this, Reinhardt felt as though the world was collapsing around him.
“Sister! You need to calm down! You’re not thinking rationally right now!”
“Silence! Do you think I’m recklessly showering Vermont with gifts without a plan!?”
“Frankly, yes, that’s exactly what it looks like!”
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong… but I have my reasons.”
“What!? Really, sister?”
“Yes. Think about it. Vermont has experienced rapid growth over the past few months, but only because they mobilized every resource from their previously underestimated estate. On the surface, it may seem like they’re on par with a ducal family, but that’s just an inflated image. In terms of net assets, they’re no better than a small merchant barony.”
“Ah, that does make sense…”
Reinhardt’s eyes widened.
Vermont’s ventures had grown rapidly, but aggressive reinvestment likely delayed any profitability.
Their actual assets might still be the same—or even smaller.
“Vermont, with no experience managing large assets, cannot possibly handle my gifts properly. They won’t dare sell off imperial gifts at a loss, nor will they have the personnel, space, or capability to store them, leaving them in a bind.”
“So, sister, how do you plan to resolve Vermont’s predicament?”
“There’s nothing to resolve. Vermont will have no choice but to align themselves with the imperial family and offer the gifts as a dowry. Hehehe. That way, everything I gave them will come back to me, and I’ll gain Count Vermont as my loyal subject without any loss!”
“Ah…”
Hearing Vanessa’s confident proclamation, Reinhardt felt utterly dazed. Her ambitious declaration had led him to expect a grand, intricate plan.
Instead, her ultimate goal was… marriage with Vermont?
For the first time in his life, his sister seemed foolish.
People said love blinds, and apparently, that was true.
What could possibly attract her to that brutish-looking man?
Had the endless stream of excellent suitors over the years numbed her standards?
Reinhardt felt like burying his face in a pillow and crying.
“Your Majesty!”
“Ah? Finally…!”
“I bring urgent news, Your Majesty!”
“Oh, it’s not Count Vermont? Speak.”
The door slammed open again, and a messenger knelt on one knee.
Vanessa, who had risen in anticipation, sighed in disappointment and sat back down.
“A new investment corporation, with Aslan Vermont holding a 90% stake, has just been established!”
“An investment corporation?”
“Yes. Details are unclear, but it seems aimed at professionally managing and selling off the imperial gifts Your Majesty bestowed…”
“V-Vermont is handling this on his own…?”
Vanessa felt a sharp headache.
Wait, this wasn’t right. By now, Aslan was supposed to come crawling to her for help.
Why was this happening?
“How…? Vermont can’t possibly handle all of this!”
“Sister, I told you. You’re not thinking rationally…”
As Vanessa began to mutter incoherently, struggling to grasp reality, Reinhardt sighed deeply and smacked his forehead.
The Iron-Blooded Empress of the Empire, who had overcome countless adversities with ease, now found herself on the verge of collapse—all because of love.
.
.
.
“Phew, that’s one problem solved.”
Golden treasures and various valuables were being moved without rest, all neatly stored in an enormous warehouse.
Watching the process, I felt a wave of relief.
When I first received these gifts, I had no idea what to do.
I had nowhere appropriate to store them, no skilled personnel to maintain them from rust or damage…
Failure to manage these imperial gifts would instantly mark Vermont as a traitor.
It was a perfect trap.
But thanks to a savior, I managed to resolve everything.
Just then, a carriage screeched to a halt right in front of me.
The door swung open, revealing a familiar pair of red heels.
Delighted, I moved to greet the visitor warmly—
“Hey! Aslan!!!”
“Sister! You’re he—ack!?”
“You little punk, what do you think you’re doing without a word!? What’s all this stuff going in and out of my warehouse? And how do you even know where my warehouse is!?”
“Si-sister… Let go of my neck so I can talk…”
Before I could react, something flew at me.
In the blink of an eye, I was on the ground, Irene Vermont’s hands around my throat.
Her solid knee pressed against my groin, making me fear for my life.
“Speak! Now!”
“It’s just… the imperial family gave me a lot of gifts, but our estate couldn’t store or manage them…”
“And you thought you’d just dump them on me? Do you even know how much it costs to store stuff like this? Especially rare treasures like these!”
“Not dumping, sis! I’m setting up an investment corporation for joint management. I’ll even give you a 10% stake.”
“Wh-what…? A tenth of all this… is mine?”
At my bold offer, Irene’s sharp gaze softened, replaced by an expression of disbelief.
Irene, who had spent the last decade thriving in the shadows, was a seasoned expert at dealing with stolen goods.
Unlike me, she could accurately assess the value of expensive artifacts and ensure they sold for their worth.
She also had multiple storage facilities across the country, thanks to her network of shadowy operations—a necessity for someone in her field.
‘I have no idea how to manage all this wealth, but Irene will.’
While I may hold the title of a count, my grasp of this world’s economy was as naive as a child’s.
Irene, however, was different. Despite leaving the main house with nothing, she now owned businesses like the Tales Trading Company and several other underworld enterprises.
Her ability to grow wealth through aggressive investment was far beyond my reach.
She was the perfect manager for this investment corporation.
“Hah… It’s infuriating that you acted without consulting me, but since the treasures might corrode in the rain, I’ll let it slide. But how did you even know where my warehouse was?”
“I, uh, asked Miss Emersy, and she told me…”
“Ah. So Emilia spilled the beans, huh? That damn woman…”
Irene let go of my neck and seemed to calm down, but soon she clenched her fists, biting her lip.
Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned Emersy…
Whatever happens between them isn’t my problem.
“From now on, you’re free to sell off these treasures, Sister, and manage the proceeds however you see fit. You’re officially the professional manager now.”
“Is that really it? Just leave it all to me? What if I lose everything?”
“If you lose it, you lose it. If I managed it, I’d lose even more. I’m entrusting this to a reliable expert.”
“A reliable expert… You still trust me that much…”
Irene lowered her head, sniffling softly.
In a family like Vermont’s, filled with villains, if I couldn’t trust Irene, who else could I trust?
I’d even given her a 10% stake, so she’d have every incentive to grow the assets responsibly.
“Well then, I’ll be off now. I’m counting on you, Sister.”
“Wait. Hold on a second.”
“…?”
Just as I was about to leave after the ‘handoff’—no, delegation—was complete, Irene’s lowered voice stopped me.
I felt a chill run down my spine, and my body froze.
“Every time I see you, I get this strange sense of déjà vu…”
“T-that’s only natural, isn’t it? I’m your brother, after all.”
“No. You… You keep appearing in my dreams. I’m sure it’s a memory from my childhood, but in it, you’re already grown up.”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ trembles in fear!]
Ah. Did I get caught?
