Chapter 93
Phew.
Once I uncovered the correct answer hidden behind the mistake, the cold dread brushing the back of my neck vanished.
How shocked must Lucas have been by the deficit to make such a mistake?
Even a brilliant genius must waver when faced with something truly shocking.
“Lucas.”
I lifted my head and looked at Lucas with a sympathetic gaze.
“It seems like there’s an error in the documents.”
“An error? That’s impossible. I checked them several times.”
“Here—this minus sign is missing.”
“Minus?”
Instead of panicking, Lucas smiled at my point.
“It’s not wrong. That’s the exact financial state of Devon.”
“But it’s not negative? I spent a considerable amount last year…”
“Mm. That’s why, when His Grace the Grand Duke came on the first, we settled it.”
“…What?”
What settlement? And why was a decision made without me?
“The truth is, Devon’s finances were worse than expected. So I asked His Grace to let the profits you earned from the Sub–Grand Duke exam revert to Devon.”
What…?
“Since it’s profit you earned through your own ability, it wasn’t an unreasonable request.”
The profits from the Sub–Grand Duke exam meant the money earned from salvaging the treasure ship and discovering the ancient ruins.
The treasure ship salvage alone had earned 140 billion.
Even excluding the 1 billion in investment funds the family provided for the exam, that still left 139 billion.
The income from the ancient ruin excavation was still growing and couldn’t even be calculated yet.
And now…
All of that money is transferred to Devon?
What kind of lightning strike was this!?
I thought I’d get to peacefully run the territory into ruin, but—money suddenly fell out of the sky.
Lucas looked at my gaping mouth and smiled brightly…
As if saying, “Didn’t I do great?”
Why is he so pointlessly competent and full of initiative!
Holding back tears, I asked Lucas:
“If I don’t work and only focus on spending money, how long could we last with our current finances?”
“Well, it depends on how much you spend, but… at least five years.”
Five years.
To do nothing and only spend, yet last five whole years?
Just imagining it made my head spin.
No. Get a grip, Danae. You can do this.
Lucas’s calculation assumed normal spending.
Which meant—if I spent money abnormally, we could collapse faster.
Five years? Absolutely not.
My goal was three years!
Before becoming an adult, I would destroy this territory and advance to the next stage!
* * *
Every day, I visited the study and collected examples.
History had many leaders—and far more failures than successes.
That’s why the successful ones are praised as wise rulers.
Failed leaders of history made excellent role models. Their biographies were perfect textbooks.
And as I collected examples, I discovered a method I could use immediately.
Art.
Art was the amusement of wealthy rulers.
They invested in art to flaunt their wealth and power.
The problem was, creating artwork that looked respectable required enormous amounts of money.
That was poison to rulers of the past—but to me, who had chosen to ruin everything, it was a godsend.
It was partly why I brought Velloys here in the first place.
I had only planned to buy him expensive paint and canvas…
But real money-burning rulers of the past wasted their funds in far more creative ways.
For example, like this—
“Hello, Mr. Velloys.”
When I greeted him and entered the studio, Velloys dropped his brush and jumped to his feet.
“Angel!”
That ridiculous nickname… nothing to be done, I suppose.
But today, I was here to make a request. I sighed to myself and smiled.
“Have you been well? I feel like I haven’t had time to check on you since you came to the mansion.”
“It’s fine. I’ve seen you all over the place.”
“…Seen me?”
Seen what?
I tilted my head, and Velloys proudly held up a finished painting.
It was a painting of me sitting in the garden reading a book.
“This place is heaven. Because the Angel is here. That alone is enough for me.”
He smiled radiantly, utterly carefree.
Of course. I’m funding his entire livelihood.
Not only the cost of his artistic work, but all his living expenses were covered by Devon’s treasury.
Who wouldn’t be happy to get paid to do what they love?
“So what brings you today, Angel?”
“I came to commission a piece from you.”
“A commission!”
Velloys exclaimed gleefully.
“What kind of painting? A portrait of you? Or perhaps a landscape piece for your room?”
“No.”
“Then…?”
“A mural.”
“…A mural?”
“Yes. You’ve seen the small shrine in the garden below, right? The shrine for Lady Rosiante. I want you to paint a mural for it.”
The Asinov family valued the star goddess Rosiante deeply.
After receiving her oracle, Pamela Asinov slew the demon king, and every mansion built a small shrine for the goddess in their gardens.
Of course—“small” by Asinov standards.
Velloys’s smile vanished, as if he had never imagined I’d ask for a mural.
“Angel, forgive me, but I’ve never painted a mural before.”
“I know.”
“Mural work is different from normal painting. There are many professional muralists—perhaps you should hire them instead.”
Time spent working was money.
If I hired professionals, the work would finish quickly—and the time available to waste money would shrink.
What I needed was an amateur who would take a long time and burn through a mountain of money.
That person was Velloys.
“I don’t want just any mural. I want your mural.”
“Angel…”
“If needed, you may hire assistants. Muralists usually work in teams, right? No matter how much it costs, please complete the mural. That is my request.”
“To think you wish for my art that much…”
Moved, Velloys grabbed my hands with teary eyes.
“Angel, I will do my utmost. I shall create the greatest masterpiece!”
A masterpiece isn’t necessary…
But I didn’t stop his enthusiasm.
“I can’t bear to see my artist using cheap materials. Use only the best. Understood?”
“Angel…”
His shimmering eyes nodded with emotion.
Now, with Velloys’s artistic passion, the finances of this territory will burn too.
And I would move one step closer to ruin!
“Please give it your all, Mr. Velloys.”
* * *
After commissioning the mural, I returned to my room where Ska was waiting.
“How did you get in?”
I charmed your maid. She clutched her heart and opened the door immediately.
This guy… he’s mastered the way of living as an adorable cat.
Feeling my stare, Ska meowed and rubbed against my leg.
He even uses it on me…
Still, he was cute.
Even knowing his real identity, I couldn’t help but lift him into my arms.
“Anyway, good job.”
Think nothing of it.
Ska had been busier than anyone during the New Year holiday.
He’d been searching for a place with good mana flow—somewhere ideal for Blanche’s recovery.
His appearance now meant he had found the spot.
“Where is it?”
Ska slipped from my arms and hopped lightly onto the windowsill.
There.
I went to the window and looked—only the open sea stretched beyond.
“The sea?”
Yes. That sea.
He couldn’t possibly mean—
“You’re not planning to drown Blanche, are you?”
Mm. I already put her in the sea.
“…Excuse me?”
Wouldn’t that… kill her?
Ska sighed with exasperation at my horrified stare.
She won’t die. I made sure she can breathe underwater.
“…Who said anything?”
Your eyes did. They said, ‘What kind of murderer are you?’
Ah.
My eyes had been too honest again.
As I pretended nothing happened, Ska shook his head.
All that’s left now is to wait.
“How long?”
According to Rien, it’ll take years. The more she checked, the more she became convinced it wasn’t an ordinary injury.
“Years…”
No matter how many times I repeated it, the length felt overwhelming.
I stared at the sea, imagining how those years would pass.
I can’t imagine it at all…
