Chapter 29: The Great Western Albion Continent is Peaceful Today As Well! (4)

“If I hadn’t known from the start…”

Since my allowance was confiscated, I couldn’t stop thinking about junk food.

The whirlwind of intense, violent flavors refused to fade from my memory.

“It wouldn’t hurt so much….”

If only I hadn’t known from the beginning.

If I had remained in this little paradise without ever tasting the forbidden fruit.

I wouldn’t have to feel this pain, sadness, longing, or anything else…

Oh, Father.

Please forgive this innocent lamb.

Forgive this young girl who abandoned paradise, lured by the sweetness of that fruit.

But our great father remained silent.

Nietzsche was right.

God did not exist.

At least, not for me.

“Money… I need money.”

Money to buy a mountain of junk food…!

Even though I was the treasured daughter of one of the richest families in the empire,

Without cash, all of that was meaningless.

The one who held the family’s financial power was Father, not me.

As a mere child, I had no choice but to live off the allowance given to me by my parents.

Of course, they didn’t give me cash, but anything I needed was provided.

Thanks to that, I led a truly paradise-like life, except for one thing—

I had no pocket money to secretly buy junk food.

You might say I’m just whining, living such a luxurious life and still complaining, but…

People always have their own big or small worries, don’t they?

In fact, having pocket money is a major issue.

There are countless philosophies in the world, but I believe humans live for happiness.

Whether it’s family, friends, or even pets, the joy from relationships is crucial.

And eating delicious food is also a big part of life.

Therefore, junk food and snacks that bring the most joy…!

They naturally take up a large part of the grand scheme of life…!

And tea, too!

“What do you think? These beautiful earrings—they make you want to wear them, right? I can give you a discount if…”

“I-I’m sorry, young lady… They’re very beautiful, but I can’t afford something like that….”

“…I see.”

I thought about selling a few of the numerous accessories that Father had swapped for my allowance to the maids.

But no matter how low I set the price, they all made awkward faces.

Well, it made sense.

Most of the housemaids were commoners working to make ends meet,

So they couldn’t afford such luxuries.

Next, I tried offering it to the senior maids—

Those noble-born lady’s maids who dressed me every morning and helped with my necklaces.

But even they refused.

“As a maid serving the young lady, I can’t engage in such transactions.”

She was so firm.

I had always thought that noble young ladies and their closest maids would have a cozy, friendly relationship, exchanging gifts and laughing together.

Why were all the maids around me so rigid?

Maybe it was just my imagination.

The head maid was strict too.

It felt like all the maids around me were overly serious.

In any case,

My plan to turn accessories back into pocket money had completely failed.

Not to mention, the massive pile of clothes couldn’t be sold because of the size issue.

Now that Father had revoked my allowance, I needed to find something in demand to create a new source of pocket money.

“…Ah!”

A sudden idea hit me—something familiar, something useful, and always in demand.

It wasn’t just in demand; my alchemy room had it stocked in abundance.

Yes.

Potions.

The equivalent of ‘medicine’ in this world!

They would be the loving, dutiful product that would secure my pocket money from now on.

Clink!

“Huh?”

Suddenly, I heard something break in the hallway.

I rushed out in surprise and saw a housemaid kneeling on the floor,

Surrounded by shards of a porcelain vase imported from the distant East.

She must have accidentally dropped it.

More importantly—

“Are you okay!?”

“Y-Yes… I’m… fine… …Ow!”

While dropping the vase, the maid had cut the front of her ankle and was bleeding slightly.

At least it wasn’t the heel, which was a relief.

But it looked painful, so I quickly opened the lid of the potion I was holding.

For reference, its price was three silver coins.

Unlike accessories, this price should be reasonable enough.

“Th-That…?”

“Hehe, don’t worry. This is a high-performance recovery potion I made myself. It might sting a bit, but the effect is guaranteed, so don’t worry.”

When I bent down to pour the potion, the maid’s ankle started subtly pulling away.

…

Wait…?

Don’t tell me… she doesn’t trust me?

It was a feeling I had never experienced before, as if someone had struck me on the head.

When I looked up at the maid’s face, I saw her looking anxious, as if she didn’t want to complain but clearly didn’t feel safe either.

“What’s going on?”

“Are you alright?”

Just then, a few other maids came rushing over.

While one maid reassured the injured one, another quickly ran to fetch a recovery potion.

Upon seeing the new potion, the injured maid finally looked relieved.

…Was my homemade potion really that untrustworthy?

“Ow…!”

“Just bear with it for a moment.”

The potion the maid brought was a salve-like gel, unlike my liquid version.

As it spread over the wound, it formed a thin film, gradually healing the injury.

Emblazoned with the symbol of a lion and rose—the Rosegarden family crest—it was an advanced potion I hadn’t managed to replicate yet.

That’s right.

Our Rosegarden family held a dominant position in the empire’s potion industry, being a traditional alchemy house.

It made sense that I inherited some talent for brewing herbs; it was clearly thanks to my Rosegarden lineage.

The wisdom of our ancestors, spanning generations, was encapsulated in that potion, which was provided as basic welfare.

In such an environment, would my homemade recovery potion ever sell?

Not a chance.

Now I finally understood the maid’s earlier reaction.

Why take a gamble with a random potion made by a kid when you could wait a little and get a guaranteed, better-quality potion for free?

Clothes couldn’t be sold.

Accessories didn’t sell.

And my last hope—the potion—was crushed by the overwhelming power of a corporate monopoly.

‘…I really didn’t want to resort to this.’

Now, only one option remained.

“…Daaad~.”

I put aside my pride and acted as pathetically as possible.

“Could you give me just one gold coin? Please? Pretty please?”

My strategy was to pour on the cuteness and somehow squeeze another allowance out of him.

“No.”

“But… but… Lin just wants to buy something yummy with the allowance you gave her….”

Right now, I was just a ten-year-old girl.

Using cute antics to get what I wanted was a privilege that only children my age possessed!

In other words…!

I was merely using my best weapon appropriately…!!

“…No.”

But my opponent was none other than Edwin Rosegarden, the original villain boss.

He didn’t budge an inch, even against his ten-year-old daughter’s adorable barrage.

…Fine.

I didn’t want to use this forbidden technique, but…

“How about this?”

“……….”

“Still not gonna give it to me?”

I stood right in front of him, blocking his path, then hugged his waist tightly.

With my cheeks puffed up, I looked up at his face.

The difference in height between a grown man and a small girl made it the perfect angle for the ultimate killer move.

No father in the world could resist this level of cuteness.

And as expected,

Unlike earlier, Dad froze in place, captivated by his youngest daughter’s charm.

“Hehe.”

For the final finishing move, I flashed a little devilish smile that seemed to say,

“I know you’re going to give me my allowance anyway.”

“……….”

Dad still didn’t move.

But I knew.

Soon, he would pretend to give in and hand over my allowance, along with permission to go out.

“Ack!”

Suddenly, Dad scooped me up, lifting me into his arms.

He placed me on his forearm, effortlessly carrying me back to my room.

Setting me down on my bed, he ruffled my hair once and said,

“If you want anything, just say so. I’ll buy it for you. Anything but allowance.”

Then, he turned away, leaving no room for negotiation.

“Grrr…!!”

As soon as the door closed, I threw myself on the bed and flailed my limbs in frustration.

I went all out with my cuteness, and he didn’t even give me a single coin?

How could he be so heartless!!

“Master….”

“Pant… pant….”

Kiriel and the other two, along with the wolves, gathered around to comfort me in my sulking state.

Right.

You guys are the only ones on my side.

But that’s not the point!

What I need right now isn’t comfort or sympathy—it’s cash!

Whether it’s gold or silver, I just need money to buy junk food!

An outing ban?

Strengthened security?

None of that matters!

As long as Dinavel is with me, I’ll find a way out eventually!

What matters is having money to buy food…!

Unfortunately,

Clothes, accessories, and recovery potions had no market demand.

Among the things I owned, the only items I could potentially sell were explosion potions or the car.

But…

“Who would even buy explosion potions or a car….”

Explosion potions had no use in the safety of the mansion.

The car was ridiculously expensive and, technically, it belonged to Dad, so selling it was out of the question.

…Wait a minute.

A car… and bombs…?

“……..”

…
…

BOOOOOOOM!!!!

The outer wall of the Rose Pavilion collapsed with a massive explosion.

Startled by the sudden blast, the guards rushed over, thinking it was a terrorist attack.

Just then, from inside the wall, the sound of a magical engine roaring and emitting pale blue steam echoed loudly.

Vroooom!!!

“If you don’t give me back my allowance!! I’ll blow up all the outer walls!!!”

Lin, riding in her car, started scattering bombs along the mansion’s outer walls one after another.

A large flag attached to the car fluttered in the wind.

On the flag, which Lin had proudly displayed, were the angry words:

“Dad must guarantee allowance, freedom, and two puddings per day!!”

“…….”

“I told you this might happen… Though even I didn’t expect the young lady to go this far….”

Edwin, watching Lin’s rampage from the window, remained silent.

His precious mansion was being blown to bits by his rampaging daughter.

To prevent any further destruction…

“If you don’t give me my allowance, I’ll blow up everything and run away for good!!!”

In the end,

He had no choice but to actively negotiate with her.