Chapter 26
Fortunately, the retainers didn’t raise much objection to Dad’s temporary appointment as Duke.
It helped that Grandpa strongly supported it.
‘It’s kind of strange how my uncle is so supportive…’
Honestly, even if this was a dream, I was still just a seven-year-old child.
It was a bit unsettling that they were so willing to agree to something so significant just because I asked.
Part of it must have been because Dad was a much more famous mercenary than I had imagined.
And probably because they had started to blindly believe in the “Lady Evelyn” of the dream, who revived our declining household.
‘Now I understand why cults are so terrifying.’
My stepbrother… Aiden, entered last and sat across from me, and the meal began to be served.
“……”
Stare. Stare.
Aiden was glaring sharply at me.
Hmm, why? I should get on his good side too.
“Still, I never thought a day like this would come.”
“Every morning, I wake up thinking I’m still dreaming.”
“Yes, I pinched myself so hard I bruised.”
It looked that way.
Everyone had bluish bruises on their cheeks and the backs of their hands.
If anyone else saw this, they’d think Dad was abusive.
“Come to think of it, Your Grace, Young Lord. As of yesterday, most of the debts have been cleared. Out of the total 83,258,412,566 Rads, we’ve paid off 66,606,730,052 Rads, leaving 16,651,682,513 Rads. So, rounding up, about 1.67 billion Rads remain.”
The moment the retainer—now reinstated as treasurer—finished speaking, someone burst into tears.
“Bwaaah, feels like just yesterday we were betting on when we’d hit a trillion in debt…!”
“Waaah!”
“……”
The room turned into a sob fest again.
This happened every morning.
“As for the remaining debt…”
“Yes?”
“Out of the 1.67 billion Rads, about 1.3 billion is owed to Count Rudeng… The interest rate is the highest, so we planned to pay them off first, but…”
The retainer trailed off.
‘Dad must’ve told them not to.’
More precisely, Dad told them not to after hearing it from me.
I glanced at Dad, prompting him to speak, but instead, he swapped our steak plates—putting the cut one in front of me and taking mine.
No, that’s not what I meant!
“You don’t need to pay that one.”
After cutting a new steak and swapping plates with Aiden again, Dad finally looked up.
“I’m planning to take Count Rudeng’s territory.”
Dad pressed down on the steak with a fork, and red juices seeped out.
The retainers stirred.
“Those fat pigs swindled my daughter and father-in-law… or so I heard.”
Silence.
The dining hall went dead quiet.
I turned pale.
Wait—wasn’t that supposed to be a secret?!
Even as I gaped at him, Dad shrugged nonchalantly.
“Swindle? What do you mean by swindle…?”
“According to my daughter, the medicine given by Count Rudeng was fake… or so it seems.”
Dad carefully adjusted his speech, clearly trying to use more proper language.
Uncle’s strict education was finally paying off.
“Wait… Are you saying the medicine prescribed by Count Rudeng’s physician was fake? The interest alone on those medication-related debts is in the tens of billions!”
“What?! Those crazy bast— I mean, those lunatics dare…!”
Dad shouted, enraged by the amount.
It was so exaggerated, it felt like watching a play. I nearly burst into laughter.
Even his tone had completely missed the mark.
“Then, are you considering launching a territorial war?”
Cherban Weatherby’s aide, Lemanti, asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re serious? That’s hard to believe. Isn’t Count Rudeng’s territory a leader in the pharmaceutical industry?”
“That bastard?!”
Smack!
Before I knew it, I’d slammed the table with my little hands and stood up. Then, noticing all the eyes on me, I quickly looked away.
“Uh, no… I don’t know much…”
I fidgeted with my fingers.
“I’m sorry… Grandpa said bad words are still bad even if Dad says them…”
“…It’s best to mind your language in front of the young lord, Your Grace,” Lemanti said, frowning.
Dad looked bewildered but let it go.
‘I was so startled, I forgot I’m supposed to be seven.’
I had to remember—I’m just a seven-year-old child.
“Anyway, is this Count Rudeng guy really that amazing…?”
“Well, even us who were holed up in the countryside had heard of him.”
One of the younger-looking retainers said.
If I don’t remember him, he must’ve been born after I died.
Still, I was grateful they didn’t abandon Altard despite its ruin.
‘That’s why I want to help them regain those lost years, glory, and honor.’
“Wow! Really? What makes him so famous?”
“Well, let’s see… I heard the pharmaceutical industry is booming there. They say it’s one of the few livable places in the north. Apparently, every renowned doctor has passed through Rudeng at least once…”
“But I’ve never liked those Rudeng bastards. I heard they do a lot of charity work, but if you check the alleys behind the manor, it’s a mess. All show, no substance.”
“……”
As people started voicing their opinions, mixing in thick northern dialects, Cherban stayed quiet.
“There were a bunch of famous medicines developed there, right? Like for frostbite and pulmonary fever. I think they even co-developed them with Altard… That Count Rudeng is supposedly a genius pharmacist.”
Freeze.
All of those were drugs I had created.
Every medicine they listed had been recipes I had planned to release in sequence.
‘So they ransacked my lab after I died.’
To help myself remember, I used to jot down the story contents in a notebook.
Of course, I burned them after reviewing them once, but I had kept the pharmaceutical notes to coordinate release dates.
‘So he’s been pretending to be the creator of those drugs?’
That wretched man.
‘Ah! That’s why they’re so much more famous than in the original story!’
I’d always wondered how he went from baron to count—but this explained it.
I knew he was trash, but this was next-level garbage.
“Wrong. All of that was created by Lady Evelyn.”
Cherban finally spoke, unable to hold back.
“What are you saying?”
“All the famous drugs that brought fame to the Rudeng family were actually created by Lady Evelyn.”
He didn’t bother to hide his irritation.
He had met me when I was young, so he knew the truth.
“You mean they stole that too?”
“They have no morals!”
Clatter.
Dad put down his utensils, drawing everyone’s attention. I glanced over—he’d finished eating while the rest of us were talking.
Seeing my still-full plate, Dad stabbed a piece of meat and put it in my mouth.
I chewed clumsily, and Dad lifted his head again.
“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you in advance so you won’t be surprised when I declare a territorial war. And don’t tell Grandpa or the head steward—they might be too shocked.”
Wait, was that not what he originally meant?
Muttering to himself, Dad spoke again.
“Don’t tell them.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Looking at Dad and the disciplined retainers, I couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
