HSDTVM| Chapter 4

Episode 4

Second, Ilia needed to find a way to make money. The Duke’s family had a lot of resources, mines, and people, but everything had stopped since the Duke and Duchess died. She needed to quickly assess everything and get things back to normal…

‘I need to find that around here.’

In the future, the female lead would discover something in the Duke’s family, something called “Rutina.” Rutina was the source of enormous wealth for the Duke’s family.

Ilia felt bad for Lizienne, but it looked like she would have to snatch it up first.

And the third thing she needed to do…

Get close to the female lead.

Whatever Lizienne had asked Ilia to do, Lizienne would be the one to save Riheel. So, Ilia thought it would be a good idea to get close to Lizienne, help her connect with Riheel, and make it easier for them to bond. Once Ilia did Lizienne’s job for her, Lizienne would have fewer opportunities to grow close to Riheel.

Since it would be about two years before the female lead and Riheel meet…

Ilia decided to approach Lizienne first, give her a chance to get closer to Riheel, and then make it clear that Ilia didn’t intend to continue her marriage with Riheel.

‘Ah! From that point, I’ll need to keep my distance from Riheel.’

Ilia nodded to herself.

In the original story, Riheel was portrayed as a tyrant, but in Ilia’s eyes, he was a very kind person who lived with the guilt of his younger sibling’s death.

Ilia didn’t want to make Riheel carry the same guilt.

Also…

It was kind of fun to see the main character from a novel she enjoyed right in front of her.

‘Ugh, she was really beautiful. How does her hair sparkle like that?’

It would be nice to see Riheel and the female lead happy from a distance.

Ilia… well, she had no attachment to life anyway.

She wanted to live an ordinary life and die painlessly on the sunniest day.

‘…Do-yoon…’

Even now, thinking of his name, Ilia’s throat tightened, and her face twisted. The last face of her younger brother, who wanted to live but died, burned like a scar in her heart.

‘I want to see you too.’

She couldn’t break the promise her brother made to live a long life. She couldn’t end her life herself, but if her life was taken away and she met Do-yoon again, she would definitely hug him and tell him everything that happened.

Ilia used to finish her days next to her brother, telling him the stories she had read. And this novel, right now, was the last story she had told him.

So, Do-yoon would probably enjoy it.

Ilia fell asleep, imagining the miraculous events that happened to her.

Ilia had come to her senses before the decision to invest in the Sprout Research Institute had been made. She was still only 12…

The Sprout Research Institute didn’t get noticed by the butler until a small article about it appeared in the newspaper.

‘That’s a bit late…’

Now, Ilia needed to donate money to the Sprout Research Institute and speed up their research.

In the novel, the location of the Sprout Research Institute was described in detail because important episodes were going to take place there.

Two years later, the female lead and Riheel would meet there because Lizienne’s mother, exposed to excessive magic, would fall ill and visit the institute.

During a routine check-up, Riheel would dramatically meet Lizienne at the Sprout Research Institute.

So, what Ilia, who had earned the Duke’s family’s favor, needed to do first was already decided.

“Jenna. I… I want to meet the butler.”

Ilia folded the paper with the location of the Sprout Research Institute and called for the head maid. Since they had exchanged names at the welcome party the day before, she could now tell who was who.

“The butler? If you call him, he’ll come right away. Just a moment.”

“I can go myself! You must be busy.”

“No, you are the lady of the house.”

The head maid shook her head.

Ilia was scribbling something on the paper with great focus. Despite being raised in the royal family, she was small for a 12-year-old…

‘She looks like a squirrel.’

The head maid smiled faintly and had a maid call for the butler.

As expected, the butler rushed over as soon as he was called. After yesterday’s welcome party, he had become quite fond of the young lady. Her chubby cheeks, gentle tone, big round eyes, and her mature and pretty nature made her impossible to dislike.

“Did you call for me, Lady?”

“Ah… Actually, can I use the Duke’s family assets?”

Ilia carefully asked with wide, clear eyes.

Her lips were tightly pressed together, giving her a determined expression.

The butler nodded with a pleased smile.

“Of course, Lady.”

Ilia, who had expected to hear a more complicated explanation, widened her eyes in surprise. Was it really this easy?

“Really? Can I use the Duke’s assets?”

“Of course, Lady.”

These people are really kind.

This was the same Ilia who had almost lost everything in the original story when the original Ilia had run away with the money.

“Is it really okay to let me use them so easily?”

Ilia asked cautiously.

“You are the proper lady of the Duke’s family. Of course, I should give you the keys to the storage.”

The butler answered as if it was obvious.

Ilia let out a deep sigh inside. The guilt of deceiving such kind people was overwhelming. After all, she wasn’t really Ilia…

Of course, the bad Ilia didn’t deserve this affection, but all this affection should have gone to Lizienne, the real female lead. It felt like she was stealing it from her.

‘It’s okay to enjoy it first, right?’

For Ilia, who had always been lonely, and wasn’t used to being cared for, even though she was used to taking care of others, this felt like a sweet dream.

And when she thought about her appearance, it wasn’t hard to understand why they reacted this way. Ilia Avery naturally had an adorable appearance. Was it her looks that made their hostility and caution melt away? Chubby cheeks, puppy-like eyes, heart-shaped lips, and a kind expression. According to the author, her appearance reminded people of a squirrel.

‘I’ll just accept it.’

Ilia smiled gently, then took out the folded paper as if pulling out a hidden acorn.

“If I can manage the family assets, I’d like to invest in this.”

“The Sprout Research Institute… Do you have any connections there?”

“I heard about it secretly when I was in the royal palace.”

Ilia made a troubled face and mumbled. She didn’t know exactly what excuse to make, but the head maid and butler misunderstood her reaction.

‘She’s talking about a secret she overheard!’

In that case, they decided to go along with it.

“Aha. In that case, I’ll keep it a secret, Lady.”

“I’ll do the same, Lady.”

It wasn’t really necessary to keep it a secret, but Ilia nodded slightly. They probably wouldn’t ask too many questions about the source of the story.

“I heard that the Sprout Research Institute is researching the ‘Kerrita’ disease. Since it’s spreading all over the empire, it seems the royal family is interested in it.”

The Kerrita disease was the exact name of the illness that Riheel and Luel were suffering from.

The butler and the head maid’s eyes widened.

“Luel and Riheel really seemed to be suffering a lot yesterday… I heard it was the Kerrita disease. I hope they get better soon.”

Normally, a 12-year-old girl would be asking for dresses and shoes, but Ilia wasn’t asking for luxury items. Instead, she said she wanted to help cure Luel and Riheel’s illness. How could such a wonderful girl exist?

In truth, when Ilia first talked about managing the Duke’s family assets, they didn’t expect much. They thought she would want to redecorate a room or buy jewelry. That wouldn’t really affect the Duke’s wealth, so they were fine with it. But Ilia’s intentions were deeper.

Despite being raised under the royal family’s oppression, she had grown up impressively mature. She thought about others so deeply, even a stranger like Lizienne!

‘Thank you, God…’

Ilia wasn’t Ilia at all, but she was receiving affection meant for Lizienne.

“I’ll have to tell Lord Norman about this and ask him to investigate. Oh, you should meet Lord Norman too.”

“Lord Norman…?”

“Ah, Lord Norman was the one who assisted the late Duke and Duchess. You can just call him Lord Norman.”