THTE 63

Chapter 63
That Evening

News spread that the business plans of the two had been approved, and congratulations came from all around.

“Nini, congratulations.”

Soles presented a gift to Nibelia in celebration of her new business.

“Wow!”

Nibelia was pleasantly surprised when she saw the gift.

Inside the box lay a pristine white fountain pen adorned with a blue sapphire, accompanied by a small ink bottle.

“Th-This is for adults! Real working adults use something like this! Nini… you got this for me?”

“A great boss signs their name with a fountain pen. Let’s do our best this time too, alright?”

“Okay!”

With determination, Nibelia vowed to start practicing signing with a fountain pen from today.

Next was Areph’s turn.

“Milady, this…”

Having received advice from Kaleo and Ardores, Areph presented Nibelia with a beautiful bouquet.

Red and white flowers were mixed together, creating a vibrant display.

Nibelia stamped her feet in excitement when she received it.

“It’s so pretty! Thank you!”

“Ah, milady, you’re even prettier…”

“Hehe!”

“And…”

But the flowers were only the beginning.

Areph then revealed his true gift.

“Ah, I want to invest in your business!”

Areph’s real gift was the money he had been saving, which he decided to invest in Nibelia’s new venture—a whopping 53 million Uba.

“Wow!”

Armipera could not help but marvel at the amount displayed in the account.

‘You’re amazing…!’

What a noble and pure-hearted boy! Is he really eight years old? He’s got a clever wolf hidden inside him.

While Armipera admired Areph, Nibelia was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Kyaaa!”

She dashed into Areph’s arms and hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his body and burying her face in his shoulder.

“Really? Really?”

“Yes!”

Areph, slightly staggering, answered firmly, even more confidently than before.

“But Areph…”

Soles, who had been supporting Areph to prevent him from falling, asked cautiously,

“You saved that money for when you become a knight. Are you sure it’s okay to use it? You don’t have to do everything for Nini.”

This was money he had been carefully saving in a deposit account.

Upon hearing this, Nibelia’s expression darkened instantly.

She slowly let go of Areph and fidgeted with her fingers.

Areph felt a pang of sadness as the comforting weight disappeared.

“You’re right… Nini remembers too…”

Nibelia recalled how Areph had repeatedly expressed his dream of becoming a fine knight.

“Can I accept it for Nini?”

“You’re not giving it to me. It’s an investment.”

“But what if I fail again?”

Memories of past failures resurfaced. Even the recent cookie business she had been confident in ended in debt.

Money invested in the pharmaceutical company was still tied up.

And until now, she had only used her own money, so borrowing someone else’s funds for her business was entirely new.

‘Nini is the leader…’

She needed to earn enough to support her subordinates.

‘What if I fail?’

She feared failing while using Areph’s money, unable to repay him properly.

And what if they were disappointed in her?

‘I’m scared.’

For the first time, Nibelia truly realized how frightening it could be to earn money.

“Milady.”

Seeing Nibelia unable to speak out of fear, Areph spoke in a firm voice,

“It’s okay. Even if you fail.”

“……”

“Because this investment is my choice. Not yours.”

“……”

“I believe you’ll succeed.”

“But what if I fail…? Then Areph can’t get his money back.”

“Then that will be my fault.”

Areph said firmly,

“Because I don’t think you’ll fail.”

In the boy’s red eyes was unwavering trust.

Nibelia did not want to betray that trust.

But she also knew she couldn’t decide this alone. This business wasn’t hers alone—Armipera was involved too.

“The boss is Nini.”

Armipera gave a small smile.

“Your aunt will follow the boss’s decision.”

Nibelia then turned to Soles.

Soles was not entirely pleased with Areph’s investment. To be precise, he worried about investing such a large sum at once.

He knew it was for Nibelia’s sake, but still hoped some emergency funds would remain.

Areph was also a precious younger brother to him.

“…Hmm.”

So, there was no other choice.

“Areph, are you really sure you won’t regret it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

Soles said,

“Nini, I’ll invest too.”

Suddenly, they had a total of 103 million Uba in funding.

But Nibelia didn’t accept the generous money casually.

“We need a contract for this. And it needs to be notarized.”

Just as she had before, Nibelia called Monatos to prepare the investment contract and notarization.

“Another business?”

A few days later, Monatos, visiting the Deiamor mansion, was somewhat taken aback by the news of Nibelia’s new venture.

He looked at Nibelia with a face that seemed to ask, How much are you planning to mess up this time?

“I’ll definitely succeed this time.”

But seeing how much Nibelia had changed, he saw potential.

“I’ll succeed and return it to Areph and Onii. Nini will really work hard.”

“You’re confident.”

Monatos asked as he prepared the contract,

“What kind of business?”

“It’s a secret. All of these are kept secret.”

“Huh, something really has changed.”

“Nini has changed.”

“Good. That means you’re growing.”

Proudly, Monatos even patted Nibelia on the head—a rare gesture.

Hehe, Nibelia grinned foolishly.

“Hey, Monatos, do you want to invest too?”

“Should I?”

“Yes! But I might fail.”

“You shouldn’t say that. You’re the boss. You have to say it will succeed no matter what to get investments.”

Hanging like a cicada on Monatos’ broad back, Nibelia asked,

“Then will you invest? You’ll invest, right?”

“You little one, don’t you know what manners are?”

“I know. Saying hello to adults. Nini has been very polite recently—even to the Great Witch.”

“That was good.”

Because she did well, Monatos invested 10 million Uba.

But that wasn’t all.

“Dolbeoseot? It’s been a long time since I heard that name.”

“Oh, that’s delicious. If you can get some, will you share with me?”

Having heard the secret from somewhere, Dela and Magia each invested 10 million Uba into Nibelia’s new business.

But the one that surprised Nibelia the most was…

“Here.”

It was the account Kaleo had given her.

“Dad lost the money he borrowed from Nini in card gambling back then, right?”

“I almost hated Dad for that…”

“Thanks for not hating him.”

The 50,000 Uba Nibelia had earned with her small hands through her first business.

Kaleo had saved it and added the money Nibelia had lost in her failed businesses, even including the recent 1.28 million Uba she had lost.

Through smart management, the sum grew to 2,000 Uba—a substantial amount.

Kaleo returned all of it to Nibelia.

“This time, we’ll definitely succeed.”

“……”

“You can do it, right?”

“…Yes!”

Nibelia hugged Kaleo tightly.

“I love you, Dad!”

“I love our Nini very much too.”

“Hehe!”

And just like that, they secured a staggering 153 million Uba in funding.

“Wow…”

Armipera looked at her niece, who had raised the funds in just a few days, with admiration.

“You’re serious, huh?”

“Nini’s like that. She’s serious.”

“Now that you’ve got such a huge amount, shall we prepare diligently?”

Nibelia met Armipera’s gaze, feeling her determination.

Noticing her stare, Armipera asked, Why?

“Aunt.”

“Yes?”

“Aunt, aren’t you contributing money?”

Nini is also contributing 3 million Uba.

“You’re an adult. You’re just letting Nini handle everything? Isn’t that a bit… embarrassing?”

“….”

The mercenary queen was caught off guard.

“Pfft!”

The Dark Dragon Ather, lounging on a thick cushion on the sofa, laughed.

Today, the dragon’s dress was a vivid green reminiscent of poison.

Ather’s outfits had become increasingly extravagant.

“Nini raised all this money, what are you doing, aunt?”

“I-I’m using my brain instead. I act as a secretary to adjust plans that Nini finds difficult.”

Armipera tried to justify herself.

In truth, she had some grievances.

Even though Nibelia was leading the business, all the planning and organizing fell to Armipera because her business partner was only four years old.

“That’s right! Aunt is Nini’s secretary!”

Fortunately, Nibelia accepted Armipera’s excuse.

‘So that’s why they say not to go into business with family…’

Armipera felt slightly wounded and lost some authority as an aunt.

But she couldn’t take it out on her young niece.

“Argh! Aagh!”

So, she pressed the dragon’s head firmly as payback for the mockery.

The Meow Shop was preparing to reopen with some changes.

“It won’t be the Meow Shop anymore. Let’s rename it the Meow Trading Company.”

“Trading Company?”

“A trading company handles transporting goods.”

To avoid future trouble, Armipera, dressed sharply, prepared the order sheets.

Nibelia worked on a new sign beside her.

“A trading company is bigger than a shop. They transport goods and sell them too. They make more money.”

“Wow!”

Nibelia already liked the name Meow Trading Company. It sounded better than Meow Shop.

“Then here’s a question!”

Armipera asked.

“What’s needed to transport goods?”

“The power to control the world as I wish?”

“Nini, be honest. You’re not in kindergarten, right? You’re living a second life, aren’t you? You remember your past life, don’t you?”