Chapter 10

Chapter 10

~*~

For a long time after Rubette left, Leonard Diollus was silent with a blank expression on his face.

“As you have done so far, don’t pay attention to whether I live or die.”

His daughter’s words, firmly embedded in his mind, made him feel a bit guilty.

This man has been living in such a way that it was difficult to take care of himself for 11 years after his wife died. Of course, he didn’t pay any attention to care about his children.

Strangely enough, the 18-year-old eldest son, Viego, is already leading the duke’s family as the head of the state.

Since Victor, the second son, joined the Imperial Knights Division three years ago due to his talent in swords, he was only home a couple of times a year.

And then his youngest daughter, Rubetria, was less talkative and had a timid appearance that closely resembled his dead wife.

All three of them never said anything about them being weak to their father, and he thought that there was no problem because all the faces he saw were calm…

“…I am tired.”

Leonard, who was holding his drenched hair from the alcohol, stopped as he tried to tilt the heavy liquor bottle.

“Can I have a little drink?”

It was because he remembered his daughter’s voice.

Eventually, Leonard put down the bottle and staggered towards the bed.

He was lying on his back with no strength, and he closed his eyes.

It has been years since he saw her face for so long.

The face of his daughter who had told her father that she was sad… As always, she looked just like his wife.

“…Illusion.”

Leonard quietly summoned his spirit.

Soon, a spirit with a pure white and transparent female body appeared and hovered around the air once gracefully.

“Did you call, contractor?”

A fantasy spirit, Illusion.

It was a spirit belonging to Leonard’s family, with the ability to unleash hallucinations in front of him or to make dreams come true.

“A dream I always dreamed of.”

At the familiar command, Illusion kissed the contractor’s forehead.  Eventually, Leonard fell asleep.

Except for the brief waking hours, he lived almost all of his days in fantasy.

The dream he wanted was always the same. His wife was still alive.  A smiling face, a fluttering gesture, a happy voice…

When he was in the arms of his wife, who was the same as before, Leonard did not suffer.

It has been 11 years already. It was an unstoppable fantasy like a drug.

~*~

On the way back to her room to meet her dad.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Molga Diollus?”

Wishet, who had been watching the situation up to now, next to me asked.

“Hey, Rubetria.”

“…”

“Are you ignoring me now?”

An unbearable spirit stood in front of me. I stopped walking and was startled.

“Looking at his face and talking about it, the Duke seemed to have felt something too. All you had to do was tell the truth, that you’ve been beaten by Molga Diollus up until now, and kick her out just like the old butler.”

“…”

I looked around without answering. I saw some maids passing by.

The spirit was visible only to the eyes of each contractor. The spirit with the face of a prince appeared in the hallway of the mansion out of nowhere, but there was no need to hide it.

When the spirit masters talk to their own spirits, there are times when it seems like they are talking to themselves in the air.

‘But for me, things are a little different…’

After ignoring him a little more, I walked diligently to get to the room, locked the door, and said:

“Please.”

“What?”

“Don’t talk to me in the presence of people.  What if I answer by mistake?  In fact, what if it turns out that I made a contract with the spirit?  What if it even becomes known that it is a wish spirit?”

“……”

“It’s the life that Rubette saved at the best, do you want it to be blown away in vain?”

Wisht realized its mistake and kept its mouth shut.

There are complicated circumstances here, but let’s talk about the core…

I was known as the only person in the Duke of Diollus who did not make a contract with the spirits, and it was best to keep it that way.

That was because Wisht is a spirit classified in the ‘risk group’.

‘If they find out that I am a dangerous elemental contractor, I will die sooner. So Rubette has been hiding it all her life.’

After thinking for a while, I said,

“If you want to talk to me when there is someone next to me, you can send a telegram into my head.”

Even if the contractor and the spirit are separated, communication is possible through telephony.

When summoned next to someone, there was no need to use the full tone, but Rubette had to hide the existence of the wish, so she always communicated with the full tone unless the two of them were alone.

I patted Wisht’s shoulder, whose momentum had been weakened.

“I wonder why you didn’t talk about Molga?”

“Uh.”

I slowly approached the table, sat down, and started talking.

“Molga is the leader of this family, and she is like an angel.  After my mother passed away, she took care of the three children like her own instead of a crazy father. Rubette was abused, and only Victor took great care of her. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“My brother, Viego, who is no different now, is on the side of Molga. And all of the Duke’s employees are being brought from Molga.”

“……”

“What if I suddenly go to my father and cry and tell him to kick her out because Molga is harassing me? Will he kick Molga out because his daughter was having a hard time? Or will he just scold me for being immature?”

“……”

“Anyways, I’m someone who is inferior to anyone else and has no bond. That’s never going to happen. The situation is a little different with the old raccoon butler, who is just an employee.”

“Still, if you say something, won’t he be suspicious of that demonic woman?”

“Right. I didn’t express it openly, but I appealed enough to my dad about this unusual environment I was going through. Dad will slowly get to know this crazy family situation.”

“……”

Wisht didn’t seem to understand my rather passive behavior, but it kept its mouth shut as if it didn’t want to argue further.

Knowing why I was so sensitive, I felt grateful and sad.

“When Molga comes back, are you worried that you will be beaten like Rubette?”

“It will be a different experience once I meet that woman in person. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

Wisht, who was watching me with a grin, asked with a sigh.

“Why did you suddenly ask for money from the Duke?”

“Oh, that? I need some business funds.”

“What? Out of the blue?”

“I’m going to make money and move out of this beggar’s corner of the house. I promised to live Rubette’s life happily. And the life of unemployment is not happy either.”

“Who calls a noble lady unemployed?”

“Well, at least that’s what I think. It’s not a job to be like the daughter of the Duke of Diollus.”

I gazed at the clothing magazines that were piled up on the table. To find out the fashion trend here, I asked Rebecca to bring it.

“Do you know what my job was in that world?”

“An actor?”

“Not that one.”

Wisht who was still blinking and thinking said.

“The owner of a clothing store?”

“…….”

We faced each other and remained silent for a while.

That’s true, but…

“Don’t you think that was too trivial? How about the CEO of a luxury brand? I made 1.2 trillion won in annual sales last year being ‘the owner of a clothing store’ you just said.”

“Well, okay. I don’t understand everything…”

Wisht, who was picking at his ears, then asked.

“So the conclusion is, you’re going to open a clothing store here too?”

“Right. I’ve already decided on the brand name. It’s ‘Blanc De Ruby’.”

I sat at the table, held my chin in both hands, and began to worry seriously.

“But there’s a problem.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Just because I’m determined doesn’t mean I can launch a brand. I need some supplies.”

“What do you need?”

“Money. Initial investment.”

“You borrowed money from the duke.”

“That’s right. And a sensible designer.”

I immediately added my finger in front of Wisht.

“I’ll do that, so don’t worry.”

“And what else?”

“A tailor to make the clothes.”

“Are you going to ask the tailor who’s coming to see you in the evening?”

“Right! You’re quick-witted. I asked him to make me sportswear too.”

“Then it’s done. What else is left?”

“Yes. There’s nothing more important than…”

I covered my face and swallowed a sigh.

“A model”.

“Model?”

“Isn’t this system already full of well-known tailors’ shops? I, who belatedly jumped into a plate overflowing with stagnant water, will need a very famous subdue to close the gap at once.”

Do you know why celebrities sponsor clothes? Of course, it is to promote clothes.

‘I was the living witness.’

As a celebrity, ‘fashion’ soon began with all the clothes I wore, all the cosmetics I used, and all the accessories I wore, and after I reflected on my face in public the next day, all the products used from my head to toe were sold out.

In other words, I intend to launch a public relations strategy using the model’s fame.

“Rescuing people wouldn’t be your job, would it?”

“Of course, you can hire someone who is pretty, cool and has a good body. But that’s not a consideration.  All I need is the fame of the model.”

“Aren’t you famous?”

“You need a celebrity whom people envy. Those people are commonly referred to as celebrities in the world out there. At least one female model and one male model would be the best way to start a business…”

As I said, it got complicated again.

“Fortunately, I have an idea for a female model.  But the problem is.”

“A male model?”

“Right.”

I nodded and looked at Wisht.

‘The Crown Prince…’

When I saw his face turned into a handsome prince, saliva came to my lips.

‘The Crown Prince is the most popular man in the Empire at the moment. It’s perfect for a model.’

As if reading my eyes, Wisht burst out laughing.

“…The Prince?”

“Isn’t it hard?”

“I’m sure he’ll be a model for publicity.”

“Nope. I’m confident in convincing, but it’s hard to meet him. No contact…”

It was an unrealistic wish for me, who was not popular, had no connections, was shy, and was close to an ordinary person who was part of the family, to be alone with a well-known popular person 24 hours a day.

If I had to compare it, would it be similar to the probability of a successful one-on-one fan meeting with a top celebrity?

‘It’s the other way around, so it’s a very different feeling.’

With a sigh of bitterness, Wisht shrugged and said.

“There is no contact. The Crown Prince won’t grant a request to use him as a model, but it wouldn’t be difficult to meet him, right?”

“In what way?”

“Your second brother. I know that he stays with the Crown Prince 24 hours a day.”

“Ah!”

Right. Come to think of it…

Victor Diollus. Didn’t I have a second brother?

~*~

Emperor of the Cartesian Empire.

An outdoor training ground for the Imperial Knights.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Two well-edged swords were fired several times in the air.

In the training ground, as usual, there were two men who were engaged in a splendid match while receiving the admiring glances of other knights.

“No matter how you look at it, even the way the Crown Prince is fighting is an art. Doesn’t the completion of the swordsmanship match his face?”

Crown Prince, Lark van Raschmach Descartes.

“I heard from Valet, and in the popularity poll for <Knight of the Month>, the vice-commander came in 2nd place by only two votes. His Majesty’s votes have always been overwhelming.”

It was the imperial deputy commander-in-chief, Victor Diollus.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Indeed, the two men boasted incredible beauty, the swordsmanship battle was more like a beautiful sword dance at first glance.

Immediately after dividing the sum a few more times, Lark’s sword, which had dug a hole, sharply pointed at Victor’s neck. A few strands of Victor’s red hair were cut and fluttered in the air.

“…..”

A cleanly decided match.

Tang!

Victor threw the sword he was holding in his hand to the floor without any regrets.

“Win.”

In the unofficial regular voting <Knight of the Month> by the nobility of the system, it has been proud of its undisputed first place for 42 months…

Crown Prince Lark van Raschmach Descartes, the most popular man in the Empire at the moment, said with a smile.

“With this, 53 matches, 26 wins, 2 draws, and 25 losses.”