Chapter 11
Actually, even if I didn’t sell the dresses, I had a budget allocated to me. Every month, I received a budget of almost 3 million gold. I was getting an astronomical amount of money as an allowance without doing anything.
But I knew that whatever I spent, it would have to be reported to Cassius. What I needed was cash that I could manage without oversight. In this situation, selling luxury items was the best way to get that. After all, when I was kicked out of the duchy, I couldn’t exactly take the budget with me.
I could sell the items one by one, convert them into cash, and put the money into my personal account at the bank.
Sure, this was all bought with the duchy’s money, but would they really go as far as tracking down and seizing all of it?
I’d manage whatever budget was given to me, but there was so much more I could do with money that wasn’t reported.
Once Luna brought the money back, I’d go shopping. I’d buy a dress I could wear casually, get some snacks, and just enjoy myself. It was fun to just think about it.
To survive, I needed to save every penny and either start a business or find another way to make money. This cash would serve as the seed money for a business, too.
Ah, it had been so long since I felt the fresh air outside. I’d been locked in the mansion all this time because of Charlotte’s actions, and those days flashed before me like a parade of memories.
Ugh, seriously. Tears almost welled up in my eyes.
Cassius was sitting in his office, receiving reports about Charlotte.
He had been busy with scouting recently, so his reports were a bit delayed, but he still couldn’t let his guard down when it came to Charlotte.
Luna continued in a nonchalant tone.
“Her nanny?”
“Yes, sir. The nanny issued an order to expel the Duchess from the room and took actions that were beyond her station.”
Cassius’ eyebrows twitched.
He had never permitted the nanny to have that much authority. In fact, he had instructed her to fully cooperate with Charlotte, telling her that if Charlotte ever showed up, she had to vacate from her position immediately.
He’d also warned Theo to keep quiet about Charlotte’s powers and the fact that she had healed him.
Everything had been planned out, so for the nanny to step in and drive Charlotte out… that was unexpected.
Cassius narrowed his eyes.
“… From now on, when Charlotte meets Theo, the nanny should wait outside.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If she oversteps again, feel free to deal with her accordingly.”
Luna’s eyes subtly widened.
“Thank you, sir.”
Cassius nodded tiredly.
“Any other developments?”
“The Duchess… plans to sell her dresses.”
Cassius raised an eyebrow.
“Is she asking for a new dressing room?”
“No, sir. She told me to sell the dresses, and she has given me a portion from proceeds.”
Cassius pursed his lips.
Charlotte is selling her dresses? Why?
This didn’t sound like something she would ever do. He pressed his forehead in confusion.
“… What should we do?”
“Let her do whatever she wants. Whatever it is.”
Cassius added coldly, “I’ll figure out the truth. A knight’s eyes can catch even what the criminal tries to hide.”
He might be able to discern Charlotte’s true intentions.
The first sale went smoothly. Luna really knew her stuff. If I wanted to live this “wise reincarnation” life to its fullest, I definitely needed someone like her by my side.
At this rate, I’d be able to accumulate a lot of money.
But life isn’t as simple as I imagine. Whether it was because of the news of me selling the dresses, Cassius stormed in, looking furious.
“What in the world are you thinking? I heard you sold some dresses.”
“Huh? Yes, I just got rid of a few dresses I wasn’t wearing.”
Luna, you… I trusted you, but now you’re stabbing me in the back! After I promised you so much money! I awkwardly smiled and looked at Cassius.
Is selling a dress really such a big deal?
His gaze was cold.
“What’s the problem?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t give me that look. Speak your mind.”
Cassius spoke wearily.
A problem? A protest? That wasn’t my intention at all.
Why is he reacting like this just because I sold one dress? I was genuinely curious about what kind of life Charlotte must’ve lived.
I nervously smiled and said,
“… There’s nothing wrong. What do you mean, protest?”
“Then why did you sell the dress?”
“I thought I really wasn’t going to wear it anymore, so I sold it.”
Could it be that he thinks I pocketed all the money from selling the dress? I had no idea what Cassius was thinking.
“Is it wrong for me to keep all the money? I thought maybe I should give half…”
“What are you saying? The money doesn’t matter. Just tell me, why did you sell it?”
“It’s as simple as I said, Cassius. The dresses were just taking up space, so I decided to get rid of them. Really.”
Cassius still seemed confused.
“… Is that all? Do you not remember when you whippied the 5 maids just because one dress went missing?”
I was left speechless, dumbfounded by the original owner’s personality. Doesn’t she know the saying, “Don’t even strike a flower”?
Whipping? She needs to experience it herself to understand how painful it is.
I didn’t say anything, and Cassius bit his lip before speaking again.
“So what kind of mess are you trying to make this time? Don’t make things difficult, just tell me what you want, Charlotte.”
Cassius ran his hand through his hair roughly. As expected, men really do have a certain charm. His tousled hair and muscular neck… everything about him was captivating.
It turns out, an angry man can be sexy. Charlotte, did you do this on purpose to provoke Cassius?
I stared blankly at Cassius when he urgently called my name.
“Charlotte!”
I quickly snapped out of it. I wasn’t supposed to be admiring Cassius right now. I needed to clear up the growing misunderstanding.
“It’s really nothing, Cassius. I sold the dresses because I wasn’t going to wear them, and I won’t be punishing the maids over the missing dresses.”
Cassius stared at me with an expression of disbelief.
Really… Charlotte, what kind of life have you been living? To make him understand the situation, I made a story.
“I’m planning to buy a new dress. My taste has changed a bit lately. I just want to fill my wardrobe with new clothes.”
“…A new dress?”
“Yeah. The budget isn’t enough for what I want to buy.”
Of course, that was a lie. I had more than enough money in the budget. In fact, with how much money I had, it was hard to imagine running out of it. It would be impressive if I could actually spend all of it. But Cassius accepted that ridiculous excuse without question.
“…I see.”
“…?”
What do you mean “I see”? How can you believe that? Do you really think I’m lacking 3 million gold for the month? It’s absurd. But he looked somewhat relieved. With a deep sigh, Cassius ran a hand through his hair.
“Well then, go ahead and do what you planned. If you ask the butler for more money, he’ll give it to you. Just don’t do anything strange and make people worried.”
I awkwardly smiled.
Am I the strange one? Or is the economic sense of this world just completely off? To think that if I ask for more, they’ll give me more. Cassius must have spoiled Charlotte terribly.
“…I’ll try my best.”
Cassius looked relieved at my response. But I felt bad for him, because that was not going to be the end of it. How could I give up on all that money?
Huh, with that much, I could probably buy a mansion.
If I saved a bit more, I might be able to live comfortably for the rest of my life, too.
It was an opportunity to invest. Instead of just selling the dresses, I could buy a mansion in my name first.
I didn’t know exactly how much wealth I had, but after I got married, Charlotte’s family went bankrupt.
If they came asking for help, they could beg all they wanted, but they wouldn’t be able to count on me. I had to pave my own way to survive.
As someone who came from the reincarnation world, I knew which area I should buy land in.
The more money, the better. Alright, then. I’ll sell them secretly.
