CHAPTER 14………………………………………………..
What Riena brought up was my past.
“Like how a piece of pottery bought at a flea market turned out to be a master craftsman’s work, or how I invested in a trading guild just because I liked the name, and later that guild ended up securing popular goods exclusively—things like that.”
A soft pfft escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
“I know. It’s hard to believe, right? Even my family thought it was just a child’s prank at first.”
I hadn’t laughed because I didn’t believe her—I laughed because it was absurd.
As if it’s intuition. You only knew because you regressed.
From the perspective of a transmigrator who knew the whole situation, a bitter smile crept up on my face.
Even in the novel, whenever Riena provided information that benefited the family and people questioned it—How could a child know this?—this was her go-to line.
“My intuition’s always been pretty good!”
Her second older brother, Lehaim, believed that flimsy excuse straight through to the very end of the story.
Simple-minded doesn’t even begin to cover it.
While I was doubting Lehaim’s intelligence, Riena kept chattering away energetically.
“And then one day, we went on a trip to the Andala region, and we passed near my sister-in-law’s family mine…”
Ah. So that was why she’d suddenly brought this up.
“I just had this feeling. Like—ah, even if this mine isn’t worth much now, it’s going to be a huge hit in the future.”
After that, Riena returned home and told Liandro about it.
Liandro came to ask whether Count Wallis might be willing to sell the mine—for his sister’s sake—and—
“He fell for my sister-in-law at first sight! He even told me she seemed like a good person!”
My feelings turned complicated.
Hmm.
Riena was kind by nature, but when it came to her own interests, she could show a surprisingly shrewd and ruthless side.
When necessary, she lied without batting an eye, and her acting skills rivaled those of a stage actress.
When I was reading, I liked that the protagonist wasn’t just a complete pushover…
But now that she was trying to deceive me, it was downright infuriating.
She probably thought of it as a benevolent lie for everyone’s sake.
Cassius would profit by getting the mine. I would profit by reconciling with Liandro through her mediation and avoiding a divorce. A happy ending for all.
However—
Don’t make me laugh.
I had no intention of meekly accepting Riena’s self-serving “goodwill.”
I wasn’t about to become a puppet dancing to her tune—not even a little.
“Do you remember the day my brother first brought you home?” Riena continued shyly, unaware of my thoughts. “I was so surprised because my first impression of you was amazing.”
“After we became family and saw each other often, I came to genuinely like you as a person.”
Then she smiled—Riena’s killer angel smile, the one that had conquered countless people.
“Yes. I really like you, sister-in-law.”
To be honest, setting aside all ulterior motives and looking at it objectively—
She really was cute.
Cute enough that I could almost understand why people would make a fuss and offer up everything they had with just one smile.
If this were two years ago, I’d probably have been flustered by how adorable she was too…
“Do you really like me, as I am?”
The angel’s eyes sparkled.
“Of course!”
“Then we don’t need the mine, right?”
“…What?”
“I can go back without the mine, can’t I?”
“W-wait a moment, sister-in-law!”
Riena hurriedly opened her mouth.
The rest of her face froze, while only her eyelids fluttered rapidly.
But I just rattled off everything I wanted to say.
“Wow, what a relief. Honestly, I’d been feeling uneasy about the mine this whole time. But knowing it was just your intuition puts my mind at ease.”
“…Your mind at ease?”
“If it’s only based on intuition, then the mine isn’t absolutely necessary, is it? We can just return that abandoned mine to my parents.”
“But it’s officially the dowry Cassius agreed to receive—”
“You said you like me. Do you only like me if there’s a mine?”
“No! Of course not.”
Riena smiled vaguely, but the confusion she failed to hide was obvious.
Her claim that she liked me probably wasn’t a lie. Unless someone was outright villainous, she treated most people with goodwill.
Especially those who benefited her.
But she didn’t mean she liked me as family.
Among the people of Cassius, there was a solid, exclusive affection they shared—one I could never be part of.
Like a fool, I’d once tucked away a small hope that maybe someday I could join them.
“Uh, well, um…”
Riena hesitated for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”
“Oh dear, look at me! I had a gift for you, sister-in-law, and I completely forgot! Mattis, could you bring it?”
Mattis stepped outside and returned carrying an armful of ornate boxes.
The coachman who followed him in was the same.
Boxes wrapped in ribbons of every color were stacked neatly on the floor.
Riena lowered her gaze with a troubled expression.
“I’ll think about the mine. I’m fine with it, but I’m not sure Father will agree. There’s family honor and customs to consider, and returning a dowry we’ve already received is a bit…”
“Since when has Cassius cared that much about those things…”
“More importantly, look at the gifts!”
Without blinking, she smoothly changed the subject.
So there’s absolutely no intention of taking just me without the mine.
As expected.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I picked things out on my own.”
Humming, Riena rummaged through the boxes and placed one decorated with a red ribbon on the table.
“Go on, open it!”
I hesitated, then untied the ribbon and lifted the lid of the small box.
Inside was a brooch lavishly set with rubies. Each ruby formed a tiny petal, creating a delicate cluster of flowers.
That must’ve cost a fortune.
Anyone could tell it was the work of a highly skilled jeweler.
“I was browsing at the jeweler’s, and you just kept coming to mind.”
Flattery, followed by a barrage of gifts.
One of Riena’s favorite tactics.
Money couldn’t solve everything—but it solved nine out of ten things.
That was her philosophy.
And in the novel, when Riena’s pre-regression memories combined with Cassius’s immense wealth, there was almost nothing they couldn’t do.
“Try it on. Don’t you think it’d look perfect on you?”
Despite her urging, I set the box with the brooch down.
I decided to become the one exception—however small.
“No, I don’t think it would.”
“That’s right! It’s pret— …What?”
Instead of Riena, I looked at Tara and Mattis behind her.
“We’ll be checking the other boxes too. Please place them on the table one by one.”
Mattis looked like he wanted to object, but—
Thud.
“Here you go,” Tara said, placing a box down first.
Having missed his timing, Mattis awkwardly began to move as well.
And so I inspected each box they presented, one after another.
This one was nice, that one was lovely.
I used a variety of words to politely describe the gifts, but they all led to the same conclusion:
Every single one of them was far too much for me.
‘Without the mine, Idelle Wallis isn’t worth anything, so she can’t receive gifts this expensive!’
Riena’s expression darkened, as if she’d caught the hidden meaning.
“…Haha. I see. You’re much angrier than I thought.”
“Am I? I’m not angry.”
I was. Angry enough to revise my original plan.
Originally, I’d intended to suppress my anger as much as possible until the divorce.
I planned to lull the people of Cassius into thinking they could take ownership of the mine slowly.
But Liandro and Riena—this pair of siblings—had a truly remarkable talent for provoking my anger.
Marrying me while hiding the matter of the mine? Fine. I’d known from the start anyway, thanks to the novel.
If they’d just honestly admitted they wanted the mine and apologized, that would’ve been enough.
But lying about liking me and trying to gloss it over with gifts was unforgivable.
If you liked me so much, why did you treat me like I was invisible? Ugh, forget it.
I’d rather choke on my words than keep holding everything in.
I did want the Andala mine—but I wasn’t obsessed with it.
It belonged to the Wallis family anyway, and I wasn’t even the real Idelle Wallis.
Even if I lose it due to bad luck, I’ll make money some other way.
I had the original story, and plenty of other ways to make money.
“…You really are very angry.”
Fidgeting with her fingers, Riena looked up at me with watery, doe-like eyes.
“Sister-in-law. Could you forgive me—for my sake, at least?”
…That wording was strange.
You’re the one making me angrier. Why should I calm down because of you?
“I know you’re angry at my brother. But that doesn’t mean you have to reject my gifts too.”
“…?”
“For now, could you forget about my brother and treat me kindly—just because you like me?”
I replayed her ridiculous words in my head.
I like Riena?
Me? Liking Riena?
I was so stunned I couldn’t respond, and Riena took that as license to say whatever she wanted.
“I’ll talk to my brother properly. He’s reflecting a lot too. Please trust me and give him just one more chance.”
What… is this situation?
As I retraced how things had gotten to this point, something nagged at me.
Come to think of it, earlier too—
“I’m truly sorry about the Andala mine. I’ll apologize in my eldest brother’s place.”
Riena had apologized for Liandro, but never for herself.
Don’t tell me she really thinks I only hate Liandro, and actually like her?
Why?
If I had to rank them, yes, I disliked Liandro the most—my husband who’d ignored me for two years.
But that didn’t mean I liked the rest of the ducal family.
They’d all excluded me just the same, hadn’t they?
It’s not like I wanted to be pampered and adored in Cassius like Riena was.
If they’d just treated me as one member of the family, those miserable years wouldn’t have happened.
But even after the marriage, the Duke of Cassius kept calling me Idelle Wallis, and no one corrected him. Riena included.
Suddenly curious about the source of Riena’s unfounded confidence, I cautiously asked,
“Um… why do you think I like you?”
The answer came without a second of hesitation.
“Why? Because there’s no way you wouldn’t like me, sister-in-law!”
“……”
Had she always been this overwhelmingly self-confident?
I skimmed through what I remembered of the original novel, without delving too deeply.
Riena’s personality as portrayed in the story, the background that shaped it, her overall growth…
And then, a certain hypothesis flashed through my mind.
What if…?
No. That couldn’t be it. Surely not.
