Chapter 10
“It’s really fine, Theo. This is our first time meeting, isn’t it?”
Truthfully, I couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.
This was a life I had saved—a child who would grow up to become my strongest lifeline. In the original story, Theo was only briefly mentioned, so I had been curious about what kind of child he might be.
Theo peeked out from behind the nanny’s skirt. I crouched down to his eye level. Theo glared at me with a sassy expression.
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Charlotte. I’m currently living with your brother after we got married.”
Of course, it’s not like we’ve ever shared the same bed.
Theo muttered with a face full of dissatisfaction, “I never gave my permission.”
His voice was laced with hostility.
“Sorry?”
I thought I had misheard him, but Theo made sure I understood as he shouted:
“I never gave permission for you to marry my brother! This marriage is a mess! I’m going to tell my brother to kick you out!”
He yelled at me so forcefully that his pale face turned bright red. The nanny, startled, quickly hugged him tightly. She looked at me as if she fully believed I might harm Theo.
Seriously, what did I even do to deserve this…?
“Young master isn’t at fault! It’s my fault for raising him this way… Please forgive him, Duchess.”
“No, it’s alright. Really.”
Honestly, if Theo’s request led Cassius to kick me out, that would be a relief in the current situation.
Actually, no, that wouldn’t work. I hadn’t fully saved Theo yet, so I wouldn’t be able to claim my promised reward.
Still, it was clear this little boy was seriously upset.
Was he mad because his brother got married without telling him? Or was it simply that he didn’t like me?
“Nanny, would you try to calm Theo down?”
Regardless, I still needed to treat him.
I had hoped to get closer to Theo today, but it seemed like that I would have to wait. A bit disappointing washed over me, but I couldn’t neglect what I needed to do. The nanny shook her head firmly.
“I don’t think that will be possible today, Duchess. I’m sorry, but could I trouble you to leave? The young master clearly doesn’t want you here.”
The nanny effectively asked me to leave. Theo, hiding behind her, didn’t even peek out.
“Well, I guess there’s no helping it. Let me know when Theo feels a bit better.”
For now, it seemed best to take a step back for the sake of the child’s stability.
After all, the most important thing here was Theo, not me.
“Yes, Duchess.”
Feeling a bit of regret, I turned and left the room. As soon as I stepped out, Luna approached me with a serious expression.
“It seems the nanny has overstepped her bounds…”
“Don’t you think Theo feels like I’ve stolen his brother from him?”
“…Pardon?”
“He’s upset that we got married without telling him. Isn’t that why he’s sulking and hiding behind the nanny? Or is it just me? Am I reading too much into it? Hah, maybe I’m just too sharp for my own good.”
Luna stared at me with a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
What? Did I say something wrong?
My first meeting with Theo might not have gone as planned, but at least my divine power seemed to be working.
When I asked Luna about it, she mentioned that the physician had said Theo might even make a full recovery if he continued receiving my help.
It was fantastic news. Theo’s smooth recovery was a crucial step toward securing my comfortable future.
The fact that Theo seemed to hate me did bother me, but I decided it was something that would improve with time.
That’s why I went straight to the dressing room—to move on to my second plan.
My first plan was to save Theo. While that plan was tied to my basic survival, the second plan was all about living a luxurious life.
In the original story, Charlotte had been known for her excessive spending. It was said that she spent the entire duchess’s budget on dresses and jewelry.
Which meant…
Hehehe.
Money is never too much. That was one of the most important lessons my previous life had taught me.
With money, you can eat well, dress well, make friends, and even fall in love.
In my previous life, I was too swamped with part-time jobs and work to enjoy proper social activities. I didn’t want this life to be like that.
Recently, secondhand markets have been trendy. Let’s go there.
In my eyes, all these dresses looked like piles of cash.
“Pardon?”
Luna, who was helping me pull out dresses, tilted her head quizzically.
“Nothing. Keep going. Sort them by the most expensive first.”
“Yes, Duchess.”
Luna looked curious about what I was up to but didn’t question me. Instead, she diligently carried out my instructions.
Every single dress was adorned with jewels. Just looking at them, I couldn’t even begin to estimate how much they were worth.
“How much did this dress cost?”
I pointed at what looked to be the most expensive one. It was covered in so many gems and glittering decorations that it practically looked impressive.
Honestly, I was amazed Charlotte had ever thought to wear something like this. Was she an attention seeker or what?
Well, considering Charlotte’s personality, she probably would have danced naked in public if it meant earning Cassius’s attention. She’d believed that becoming even more beautiful was the key to capturing his interest, which had led to her excessive spending.
Lucky for me, I was about to reap the benefits from her.
Luna inspected the dress carefully before replying.
“This dress was custom-made at Madame Chu’s atelier. If I recall correctly, it cost around 300,000 gold to have it tailored.”
Let me think…
1 gold was roughly equal to a 1,000 won.
Which meant… Oh my god.
I couldn’t even calculate the exact amount on my fingers. My jaw dropped as I stared at the dress.
Swallowing hard, I asked Luna, “If I were to sell this dress, could I get back what it’s worth?”
“There would naturally be some depreciation due to it being secondhand. That’s why most noblewomen typically choose to sell their dresses at auctions to retain as much value as possible.”
Our Luna truly knows everything, doesn’t she?
I suppose working in a ducal household means being knowledgeable about this sort of thing.
I mulled over the information Luna had given me. An auction, huh? But who in their right mind would buy dresses worn by the villainess? Such items had a history, and their value was driven by the popularity of their previous owner. It would be a miracle if I could even sell these dresses at a decent price.
“Do you think it’s better to sell the dresses as they are, or should I remove the jewels and sell them separately?” I asked, tapping my chin thoughtfully.
Luna stared at me with a confused expression.
“… Are you planning to get rid of the dresses?”
“Yeah. I’m not wearing them anyway. They’re just taking up the space. I thought it might be better to get rid of them.”
Luna looked at me with bewildered expression.
“… Is this because you want to buy new dresses? If space is the problem, I could arrange to build another wardrobe.”
“No, nothing like that. I’m serious about selling them. Why? What’s with that look?”
“I thought you once said you’d never part with a dress you’d bought… Ah, never mind, Duchess.” Luna quickly lowered her head.
I understood her reaction. From Luna’s perspective, this was a sudden change in character.
Charlotte wasn’t the one who could only enjoy luxury; she was a collector. She had a habit of possessing every luxury item to feel fulfilled. There was no way someone like her would ever sell a dress once it was in her hands. But I couldn’t understand the point of keeping clothes I would never wear.
I pointed at the ten dresses Luna had brought out.
“It’s fine, Luna. I just changed my mind. I want to sell all of these dresses. Can you get the best possible price for them?”
“All of them?” Luna’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
Ah, looks like this will require a bit of extra incentive.
I was good with calculations. This task wasn’t originally part of Luna’s duties, so I would have to pay her for the extra work.
“I’ll give you 5% of the sale price.”
That should be more than enough to compensate her for her efforts.
“… I’ll do my best, Duchess.”
Ah, money. The easiest way to communicate.
