episode_0455

“It’s dangerous for kids to carry around expensive items. But if they try to sell them at a proper price, they might attract unwanted attention. Plus, the items we acquired…”

Danya suddenly stops talking and looks at me.

It wouldn’t be easy to casually mention that the items were stolen.

“Anyway, that’s why we used to break into stores that didn’t charge us and sell them there.”

Stolen goods brought in by the kids.

It was obvious how they had been taken advantage of.

“For now, I’ll consider that black loot as legitimate. But from now on, I hope you won’t steal other people’s belongings. If you need something, just let me know. I’ll help you get it. I’ll also give you pocket money from now on.”

Since the topic came up, I thought I should give the kids their pocket money right away.

“We know stealing is wrong.”

“Yes. We won’t do it again.”

It was a relief that they knew stealing was wrong.

It could have been justified as a necessary action to survive, but admitting their mistake willingly showed that they could change.

“Alright. Thank you. Shall we go out?”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

The kids quickly disappeared, offering to help Nae-gi close the shop.

I went upstairs to prepare money pouches for the kids to buy what they wanted.

After a discreet operation, washing off the smell of blood, I came back downstairs.

Nae-gi and the kids had closed the shop and gone to the adjacent building to get ready to leave.

Knowing that women took a long time to go out, I waited patiently.

“Let’s go, mister!”

A little while later.

Ruya came running energetically with a bright expression.

I thought she was usually calm, but seeing her like this made me realize she was just a kid.

“Here, this is for Ruya. And this is for Danya.”

I handed each twin a money pouch.

“T-thank you.”

“Eek!”

Ruya was surprised by the weight of the money pouch, thanking me with wide eyes.

Danya, curious about how much was inside, opened the pouch and gasped.

“This is too much! We only need this much, mister.”

Shrrrk-

Danya took out a handful of money from the pouch, saying it was too much.

If Ruya and Danya were commoners, that amount would have been enough to live on.

But once they entered the academy, the basic unit of currency they needed would increase significantly.

They would soon find it insufficient even after a week, so I couldn’t raise them like that.

Isn’t managing finances something I excel at?

“If you can’t handle that, I’ll give it to you little by little. But I believe you can handle it well, considering you managed to knock down an adult man. That’s why I gave you a month’s worth of pocket money, so spend it wisely.”

“That’s ridiculous! You call this a month’s worth of pocket money?”

“Danya’s right. We don’t need this much money. We can eat less and be cost-effective.”

Oh my.

Instead of focusing on cost-effectiveness, they should think about eating well to grow taller in the future. I didn’t plan on raising them to be cost-effective. I wanted them to indulge themselves.

Thinking that cost-effectiveness meant good value for money, I couldn’t just let them talk about it as if it referred to themselves.

“Let’s go for now. You’ll get used to it slowly.”

I can’t fix it by talking like that right now.

From now on, if you treat me cute and pretty, I’ll change on my own.

I vowed to make myself into a pretty little one who is loved and grown up in preparation for entering the academy.

“Let’s go.”

Naygi, the twins, and I headed to the store together.

Of course, the place we were going was where the noble shops were located.

I thought the twins would have been to the noble district if they had lived in the academy for a long time, but surprisingly, the twins seemed awkward in the noble district.

“We shouldn’t linger around here because it could be dangerous.”

“There were many ominous rumors. There are a few things that we should never do as kids, and one of them is lingering near the noble district.”

Even without hearing why such rumors were circulating, I could tell.

“Because you could die if you get caught?”

“Yes.”

“It’s said that meeting nobles is a loss for us.”

If it looks good in the eyes of the nobles, it could be a great opportunity for commoners, but what are the chances of that happening?

It would have been better to avoid nobles like avoiding poop.

“You can become nobles anytime now. Your status work will soon pay off.”

“Our status will change?”

“We finally have a status!”

“Study hard from now on. You know you have to enter the academy in a year, right?”

“Of course.”

Ruya and Danya smiled brightly as they imagined the future.

We went into a children’s clothing store in the noble district and bought lots of clothes for the kids.

However, Ruya and Danya, who had been wearing pants, felt awkward wearing skirts.

Moreover, after confirming the price of going out in just clothes, they seemed quite dissatisfied and even joked that they felt like they had been scammed.

To the kids, the price seemed like a scam, but once they became nobles, this price level was something they had to pay naturally.

The clothes bought today to dress the kids were not of an exceptionally high price.

“When you have to buy a dress later, why are you so surprised by just this price?”

“We paid so much money, and the result is just a few clothes…”

“I still can’t believe it.”

Listening to the twins’ conversation, I couldn’t help but laugh.

It was even more amusing to see them having a serious conversation about something that seemed very serious to them.

“Isn’t that right? There may come a time when you have to spend more money on a single dress than you did on these clothes.”

In retrospect, Naygi had also experienced a shocking difference in spending habits from the kids, and now he was gradually adapting.

He was a senior who could empathize and understand the kids’ shock.

“Ugh! Dresses are that expensive?”

“Yeah. They’re covered in jewels. That’s why they’re so expensive. When you wear a dress like that, it’s like… you feel like you’ve become a clothes hanger. All your attention is focused on the clothes.”

Honestly, the dress Naygi wore wasn’t to the extent of a dress that needed to be cherished that much.

It seemed that the price of the clothes he wore when he went to meet the viscount was still memorable, and thanks to that, the kids were developing a trauma about the price of clothes.

“Alright, let’s stop there. Let’s move on to the next topic.”

“Where to next?”

I answered briefly to Ruya’s question.

“We need to buy shoes, textbooks for your studies, a desk and chair since you don’t have a study desk, and we can’t keep sleeping together in the same bed forever, so we need to buy another one.”

There were more things to buy than just one or two items.

The list of places to go was overflowing.

***

“Why are you acting like this these days?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you keep pressuring me? Is there something fishy going on?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Even though she shrugged it off, she was quite surprised inside.

“How did this person notice?”

Is it because it’s related to her own safety?

Her usually dull sense was on point this time.

She usually showed such shameless and clueless behavior that one would wonder how a person could be like that.

“If you keep coming at me like this, I won’t just sit still.”

“You won’t sit still? Honey, is that what you said to me just now?”

“‘Honey’ is a word I haven’t heard in a long time. Do I look that stupid to you? Did you think I would just let it go because of that one word?”

“Why are you speaking so aggressively? I don’t understand. Do you have the confidence to act like this and take responsibility?”

“I do!! I will take full responsibility. This territory is the land I inherited from my father, and all the taxes that come from this land are mine! Just because you manage the finances doesn’t mean you have the right to spend it as you please!!”

“Okay, I admit it.”

Seeing her so worked up, it seemed like letting it slide wouldn’t be enough.

“I did buy the jewelry a bit recklessly this time. But it’s all because you upset me with your behavior, so it was to make myself feel better! If you look at the fundamental reason for spending a lot of money, it’s your responsibility!”

Not only did the woman he thought was dead turn out to be alive, but she also had a well-grown daughter.

When he mentioned that his mood wouldn’t be good knowing about their existence, the defiant breathing finally settled down calmly.

Thinking it was over, I sneakily checked his face….

“Stop lying. Did you think I wouldn’t check properly?”

“You checked it yourself?”

“Yes. If the head of the family wants to check the finances, is there a problem?”

“….”

I had slightly meddled with the territory’s finances to hit the marquis in the back of the head.

I had taken a bit too much and used it privately, but I didn’t think it would be a big deal once my son received the marquisate.

But surprisingly, the marquis pointed it out.

He even said he checked it himself.

If he had checked it so thoroughly, he would have known it was a suspicious move that couldn’t be overlooked.

The amount taken was quite substantial.

“Why all of a sudden?”

Had the marquis ever shown interest in financial management?

He was a person who was busy every day playing with his lovers, so it was unlikely.

He had never paid attention to the finances he entrusted to himself.

Every year, he would report on financial matters with paperwork, but he would just glance at it and move on.

The only time he showed interest in finances was when he was being cautious about spending a large sum of money to give to his lovers as gifts.