KMPEG CH 43

Chapter 43

I didn’t know what to say. From start to finish, he was right.
In this world, I still didn’t know how to survive on my own.

“First, learn how to make money. After that, I’ll teach you how to manage it.”

“Uh… um… thanks.”

“……”

Frederic handed me a stack of books and papers.

“Ah, heavy.”

It felt pretty heavy in my hands, unlike Frederic, who held it easily with one hand.

“Do I need to give you something, Young Master? I don’t have any money though.”

“You don’t need to give me anything. Just learn fast. That’s how you can help.”

“……?”

Frederic spoke in a tired tone.

“You’re right. Charlier doesn’t like you being here. Learn quickly, earn money quickly, and leave this house quickly.”

“Oh… okay.”

‘Wow… hearing it so bluntly feels a little hurtful.’

“I’m going to my room. I’ll study there.”

My voice came out a little deflated.

‘Did I think Frederic was my only ally after I got kicked out of my family? This is more disappointing than I expected.’

I took a few steps toward the door, then turned to look back.

“……?”

Frederic was watching me.

‘Huh? Was he looking at me this whole time? I thought he’d be reading some other book.’

“……”

I quickly turned my head away and looked down at the heavy books in my hands.

‘Alright… I’ll just study quickly and get out of here. No time to feel sad. He’s offering to teach me how to make money, so I’ll learn fast and leave.’

10. Living the Best Life

Thud.

I closed the second book and put it on the right side of the desk. There were still eight books left on the left side.

‘Two books in a whole day isn’t bad.’

I slowly turned my head to stretch my neck. The fireplace was burning, and outside the window, it was already dark, so I lit the lamp on the desk.

‘So peaceful. This kind of atmosphere makes studying easier.’

I stretched my arms wide. My hands felt sore from holding the pen all day. My index finger was stained with ink.

“Wow… I’m studying harder than I did back in my senior year of high school.”

At this point, I started wondering about the original genre of this story.

“Seriously… why am I suddenly studying so hard?”

The world of this novel had completely changed from the original plot.

‘It was supposed to be a romance-fantasy, but now the romance has faded and it’s turned into a survival story.’

But I didn’t hate it. Rather than wasting my emotions crying and arguing between Leo and Charlier, it felt better to focus on succeeding and living well.

‘For my quality of life, and in every other way.’

I picked up the quill pen again. It was a little heavy but wrote beautifully. And above all—it was pretty. Its shimmering glow made me want to write and study just by looking at it.

“……”

But Frederic’s words kept popping into my head—“Study fast, earn money, and leave.”

‘Yeah, from his perspective, he’s actually being considerate. His whole life revolves around Charlier, so the fact that he didn’t immediately throw me out just because she told him to… I guess I should be grateful.’

“……”

Still, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of disappointment.

‘What’s wrong with me… did I start thinking of Frederic as a real friend or something? Of course Charlier matters more to him than I do.’

I dipped the pen into the ink and opened the third book, reading line by line.

“Ugh… I really can’t focus. My head’s starting to hurt.”

Whether it was from not wanting to study or just fatigue, my head throbbed, and I felt dizzy and nauseous.

I couldn’t keep going, so I closed the book and put down the pen.

‘When you don’t want to study, what do you do? Clean your room.’

When I first came to Frederic’s house, I didn’t bring much, but I’d never really organized my things—just took them out when needed.

“Today’s the day!”

I pulled out the small leather travel bag from the closet.

“Let’s see…”

As I remembered, there wasn’t much inside. I put my clothes in the closet and neatly arranged the daily necessities in the drawers.

Cleaning is annoying to start, but once you do it, it’s oddly comforting. Putting everything back in its place helped calm my unsettled mood.

“Huh?”

Almost done packing, I found my wallet inside the bag. I hadn’t gone out in weeks, so I’d completely forgotten about it.

Inside, there were a few lukes and something wrapped in paper.

‘Ah! I forgot about this.’

I carefully unwrapped it—it was the Mermaid’s Tear necklace Tiago had given me.

After getting it, I’d fought with my mom, left home, and completely forgotten about it.

The cold metal felt heavy in my hand. The gem was as big as my thumbnail.

Suddenly, it glimmered red.

“Huh?”

I turned it toward the light, but the red glow didn’t appear again.

‘Maybe I imagined it… or maybe it was the lamp’s reflection.’

I thought about putting it back, but then changed my mind.

‘It’s a gift… I should at least try it on once.’

I stood in front of the mirror, took off the pearl necklace Frederic had given me, and put on the Mermaid’s Tear instead.

“Oh!”

The gem glowed red again—bright and molten like lava.

“Wow… so pretty. It’s like there’s another gem inside it.”

I finished organizing while wearing it.

‘Hmm… maybe it’s just my imagination, but I feel like I can focus better now. My head feels clearer.’

I touched the necklace thoughtfully.

‘Does this really have some kind of mysterious power?’

“Yaaawn!”

I stretched after putting down my quill. Finally, I’d read the last book.

My eyes were tired, my shoulders sore. Stars were twinkling outside the window.

‘Still, it feels good to have finished it all.’

I gathered the books and papers into a stack and carried them in both hands.

‘I’ll take these to Frederic.’

Even though it was late, the light was still on in his study. When I went in, he was writing something intently at his desk.

“Young Master, what are you doing?”

“Organizing your study material.”

“I see…”

I put the books and notes on his desk.

‘Huh?’

Up close, he looked worse than usual. His already pale face was even more bloodless, and he looked exhausted.

‘Is he okay…?’

“Here. I finished it all. But are you feeling alright? You look tired.”

Frederic glanced up at me.

“You were quick. Three days is a tight deadline. Give me the papers.”

Without answering my question, he snatched the papers and leaned back, reading through them carefully, his eyes sharp as if searching for any mistake.

“…Not bad. I’ll make a note of extra things you should learn. Study that too.”

“……”

“And those books in front of you,” he said, nodding toward another pile.

“Read all of them. Same deadline—three days.”

‘He looks like he needs rest more than I do… Maybe I should make him take a break.’

“Ah… by the way, Young Master.”

“……?”

He stopped writing and looked at me.

“Don’t you do market research? Like going to the port, or to Brunic, to see what people like? All this is just theory from books. Knowing the market atmosphere is important too, isn’t it?”

“……”

“Wouldn’t it be good to get some fresh air for once?”

“You.”

He got up and walked toward me slowly.

“Do you just not want to study?”

He always had this sharp tone… But still, part of me was saying it for his sake—he looked so unwell.

I kept a straight face.

“No, I’m just saying… I haven’t gone out in weeks. If we went out for market research, I think it’d help me think better and apply the theory.”

“……”

He sat on the edge of the desk, thinking for a moment.

“Not bad. There are goods arriving at Brunic Port in a few days. If we leave tomorrow morning, we could make it in time.”

“Really? Then we’re leaving tomorrow?”

He nodded.

“Have breakfast, pack your things, and be ready to go.”

“Alright! Sounds great!”

‘I’d better go pack now.’

I turned to leave.

“Hey.”

“……?”

“Take some books with you. Read a bit tonight before bed.”

“…Ah… okay…”

He went back to his desk and picked up his quill. The pile of books for me looked even bigger than before.

‘Wow… he’s relentless. I guess that’s how he built his wealth. But seriously… is this novel turning into an ambitious self-improvement story now?!’