The World Mistakes Me for a Terminally Ill Patient – Chapter 003
“Didn’t you say you were the financial officer? Then why are you here…?”
“We don’t have the money to hire a specialist like that.”
Ah, damn it—money again!
“Besides, the estate isn’t complex enough to require one. After the previous financial officer resigned, my mother has been managing things herself.”
I buried my face in my hands.
“…Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Unfortunately, it’s the truth, my lady.”
As if urging me to accept reality, Shuvel gently patted my shoulder with a sympathetic expression.
I brushed his hand away coldly and lifted my head.
“Then it can’t be helped.”
“You’re going back?”
“No? If I’m going to invest, I need to meet the financial officer.”
Shuvel blinked.
“Investment…?”
“Yes, investment. This is all bribery, by the way. Think of it as a gift meant to build goodwill.”
“Do people openly call it bribery these days?”
“You didn’t know? It’s the age of self-promotion. If you don’t say it, who will?”
It was then, as we were chatting idly—
“Her Ladyship requests your presence.”
Click—the door opened.
I glanced at the stern-looking maid, then quietly turned to Shuvel.
He smiled innocently.
“We couldn’t afford soundproofing.”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘Father, Mother… I never thought I’d resent money like this in my life…’
Haah.
I had a long way to go.
“So. Would you prefer to be called ‘Investor,’ or ‘Daughter-in-law’?”
I looked at the noblewoman seated upright behind the desk in her office.
She had an elegant and dignified appearance, though her attire was simple—clearly, the household was not well-off.
In fact, she still wore winter clothing, as though spring had yet to reach her.
“I’d prefer if you called me Elysia.”
After a brief assessment, I smiled brightly and took a seat on the guest sofa. Shuvel sat across from me.
The Grand Duchess, who had been reviewing documents, finally turned her gaze toward us.
As if she found the situation absurd.
“Or how about Risha?”
“I’ve never met someone like you before.”
“I’m a bit special.”
“And shameless, too.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
At the boldness of her unyielding daughter-in-law, the Grand Duchess of Runein, Bella Runein, shook her head.
“Let’s hear it, then.”
She sat down on the sofa.
Seeing that I had successfully passed the first step of negotiation—getting the other party to sit at the table—I smiled.
“I’m thinking of building a new train station.”
“Why?”
“Because the North is isolated. The current station is so outdated that modern trains can’t even enter. Even the Grand Ducal Castle, which should be the most prosperous, doesn’t have a direct train from the capital.”
“….”
“It’s quite different from a hundred years ago, when the Thousand-Year War ended and the station—an essential facility—was built right after the capital.”
“…That’s true.”
The noblewoman’s eyes deepened with something like lingering regret.
But the one managing the North’s finances was not easily persuaded.
“I won’t deny there’s no direct train. But do you think that’s simply because the station is outdated?”
“I think there’s a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I said the North is isolated—I never said I would personally establish a direct train connecting it to the capital.”
“But you clearly said there’s no direct train—”
“Ah, right. It’s inconvenient not having one. There are sooo many things I need brought from the Seton estate, but at this rate, it feels like it would take three years.”
“So you’re saying this is purely for your own convenience, unrelated to the territory?”
Bingo.
“Well, not entirely unrelated. It is a public facility. Once the new station is built, everyone can use it.”
“…Why go in circles like that?”
In the end, wasn’t this just about expanding transportation infrastructure and increasing population flow?
“Mother.”
“Who are you calling ‘Mother’?”
“Oh, come on, just hear me out. As you said, the disconnection from the capital probably isn’t just a facility issue.”
There were likely political factors involved—something tied to the North’s current decline.
“So even if we build a new station, people won’t immediately start flooding in. Someone jealous of the North’s revival might interfere.”
“…Yes, you understand well.”
“But what if it’s for my personal use? What if it’s simply the whim of a ridiculously wealthy, bored heiress?”
“What?”
“There’s a saying in the capital. That the heiress of Seton has plenty of money but nothing in her head, so she’s perfect for stirring up trouble.”
As I tapped my head, Bella looked genuinely taken aback for the first time.
“I have quite the reputation. Let’s see… they say I redecorate my entire house every season, never use the same item twice, and change dresses five times a day…”
I deliberately smiled like a mischievous villain.
“So I’m going to make those rumors come true.”
“I’ve never heard of someone fulfilling rumors instead of wishes.”
“I’m just that amazing. Anyway, merchants from the capital will have to come daily to meet this extravagant heiress’s demands. And then—oh my?”
I clapped my hands dramatically.
“A brand-new station just happens to exist? With a direct line to the capital?”
Would they really not use it?
Logistics lives and dies by distribution—and distribution depends on infrastructure.
The fewer stops, the lower the cost. There was no way merchants obsessed with money and efficiency would ignore that.
‘I’d know—I ran a merchant guild.’
Looking straight at Bella, I said:
“The new station will prosper.”
Without fail.
At my certainty, Bella’s gaze wavered slightly.
Shuvel narrowed his eyes as if dazzled.
When I looked at him again, his expression had already returned to its usual languid calm as he spoke.
“It’s an opportunity, Mother.”
“…Shuvel.”
“Mother’s daughter-in-law is offering Runein an opportunity. Don’t you think I married well?”
Our eyes met.
“Isn’t that right, my lady?”
Opportunity.
As Shuvel said, what I intended wasn’t just building a station.
Transportation hubs inevitably attract people—and where people gather, markets thrive.
As markets grow and population density rises, the territory prospers, and the lord’s power strengthens.
And the beginning of it all—
That opportunity lies in the station.
“But… will it really go as planned?”
The woman who had watched the North quietly sink without even a ripple could not help but feel both hope and fear at change.
“There may be some temporary change. But in the end, isn’t this just a stone you’ve thrown into a pond? How long will the ripples last?”
Faced with her anxious hope, I smiled confidently.
“I’m Elysia, Mother.”
Both mother and son looked at me.
“I’m the empire’s top celebrity. Everyone admires me, wonders about my private life, and follows me.”
What I threw wasn’t just a stone.
It was a storm.
Just as Runein had become an indelible mark on me, Elysia would become the name that turned this place into the eye of that storm.
The North would soon suffer from an overwhelming influx of people—whether for better or worse.
Staring blankly at me, Bella asked:
“…Why are you going this far?”
A question anyone would ask.
This time, I didn’t smile.
“Because I’m Runein now.”
Yes, I was struggling to survive—but somewhere in my heart, I also thought this:
Perhaps this was repayment for the kindness you showed me.
‘Let’s get married.’
‘Shall we?’
I looked at Shuvel.
We began with a contract.
Seton had been on the verge of being torn apart, and you protected it under the name of Runein.
You could have taken advantage of the situation—but you didn’t. You returned Seton to me intact.
‘So this time, I’ll help you. I’ll make sure your Runein remains whole.’
A small stream can be blocked by pebbles, but the sea cannot be stopped even by rocky islands.
No matter who tries to interfere, once the number of passengers on the direct line increases, it becomes an inevitable flow that cannot be artificially controlled.
To stir waves in the stagnant sea called the North—
And bring what lies sunken beneath it to the surface.
That was the first gift I would give to Runein.
