VITE 05

CHAPTER 05 —

  “The Villainess Will Take Everything”

It seemed my attempt at acting cute wasn’t very well received.

Dayton’s faintly furrowed brow showed no sign of easing.

As written in the documents he had handed me, Melissa practically had no assets to her name.

Well, what could you expect when even the Emperor can’t remember his own daughter’s name.

Still, I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.

Money attracts money. Starting with nothing would take forever.

Even if I knew the future, so what?

So what if I knew which mega-corporation would rise to become the dominant global conglomerate?

I didn’t have the capital to invest.

Without starting funds, all that information was just trash.

Starting from the ground up is admirable and all…

But I didn’t have the time for that.

I wasn’t trying to become just a merchant.

I intended to take everything I possibly could.

Enough that no one could threaten me or look down on me—enough that I could control those who once tried to control me.

If it was something Melissa’s brothers could have, then there was no reason I couldn’t take it too.

Even the empire, if necessary.

And for that, I needed strong financial ammunition first.

“It’s not like I’m trying to steal your money or anything.”

I shouted lightly toward Dayton, who was still frozen stiff.

“So you don’t have any money?”

“……”

“You called me broke, but what is this? You’re broke already?”

Dayton let out a dry laugh and shook his head.

“I do have enough to buy whatever you might need.”

He sounded like someone who had already given up trying to understand me.

Well, that’s fine. Much better than endless questioning.

A reasonable duke. I approved.

I smiled brightly—rarely so.

After thinking all night about what business would be best, I had concluded:

Real estate was the answer.

During my sleepless night, I’d combed through maps while rediscovering a universal truth.

“Have you heard of Ineh?”

“Ineh? The cursed land at the far eastern edge of the empire?”

The eastern region, buried in snow year-round.

The coldest part of the empire.

And among them, Ineh was special.

“It’s a place where no one lives.”

“Not anymore. But that will change once a mine is discovered.”

“A mine? I’ve never heard of one there…”

To the people of the empire, Ineh was a cursed land.

Its brutal climate and strange phenomena were the reason.

Lights that fluttered across the night sky like flowing fabric.

The aurora, shimmering in strange colors before vanishing again and again.

The people feared its beauty.

They believed it was something seductive—like a devil’s garment meant to lure people in.

That if you saw the “devil’s cloth,” you would go mad.

That was how deeply they feared it.

There were also dangerous wild beasts roaming the land.

Among them, the “Golden-Beaked Raven,” a species unique to Ineh, was infamous for its aggression and was even called a servant of demons.

They were attracted to shiny objects and sensitive to loud sounds.

The Second Prince had even used their nesting behavior to locate blue diamond mines.

Once you found the ravens, you practically found the mine.

“Ineh isn’t cursed. It’s not a place humans can’t live in.”

To a medieval mindset, it might look like superstition or supernatural phenomena.

But to a modern scientific mind, it was just natural environmental behavior.

And of course polar-region animals are aggressive—what did people expect?

If humans were starving in that environment, they’d go insane too.

“Forget your prejudices. There won’t be a more beautiful land than that.”

Controlling Ineh would be equivalent to monopolizing blue diamonds.

As far as I remembered, it was the only blue diamond source in the empire.

Overseas, they appeared rarely—and tiny stones sold at absurd premium prices.

There simply wasn’t enough supply.

In the original story, the Second Prince would later seize it and use it as his financial backbone.

My lips curled up at the thought of the gold mine ahead.

Dayton, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

“Are you certain there’s even a mine there?”

“It’s waiting for us.”

“Source of this information?”

“If you’re really curious, ask ‘Rabbit.’”

“Rabbit? How do you even know that—never mind.”

Dayton sighed and fell into thought.

“Acquiring Ineh itself won’t be a problem.”

Of course not.

Finding the current owner would be easy, and they’d likely sell it cheaply.

“If what Your Highness says is true…”

“Then?”

“No one will willingly go there. You’ll need workers, supplies, housing…”

His voice became more analytical as he calculated costs.

“There’s no infrastructure there. You’d be responsible for everything.”

“And mining development would require an enormous amount of capital.”

“…You don’t want to do it, do you?”

His expression flickered slightly.

That sharp, intimidating look of his was clearly his trademark.

He knew it too—and used it well.

It was an effective pressure tactic, especially on weaker people.

You still think I’m just one of those weaklings.

Annoying, but understandable.

People don’t change their impressions instantly.

I nodded like a generous ruler.

Dayton exhaled.

“You’re relying on unverified information to invest a huge amount of money. Is Ineh even worth it?”

“See it for yourself, and you’ll be convinced.”

“Do you have samples?”

I clapped my hands.

Dayton glanced around suspiciously.

“No. You’ll go get them.”

“Who—”

I smiled at him.

—

Dayton trudged through knee-deep snow, brushing ice from his hair as he climbed the mountain.

“Haa…”

Each breath burned in his lungs.

The route to Ineh hadn’t been as difficult as expected—thanks to teleportation to a nearby eastern mage tower.

The last remaining trace of ancient magic.

What kind of situation is this…

Everything had gone off course the moment he met Princess Melissa.

Ever since she dropped the “foolish princess” mask.

Even the Second Prince’s words echoed in his mind.

“I thought you were someone of my kind. I was mistaken.”

“Since when did you grow so fond of my foolish sister?”

The Second Prince hadn’t been angry.

If anything, he seemed amused.

As if Melissa was nothing more than dust to be brushed away.

And yet…

Dayton couldn’t ignore it.

The moment he followed her command and killed the assassin.

The moment he saw her true self.

Something had shifted.

Even coming to Ineh—it felt the same.

Logic screamed it was madness, yet he couldn’t refuse her orders.

Like that “devil’s garment” from the legends.

“…Damn it.”

He stopped and stared upward.

The aurora shimmered above him—brilliant, flowing colors across the sky.

It was almost hypnotic.

Maybe that’s what “being enchanted” meant.

He quickly looked away and unfolded the map.

The one Melissa had given him.

There was an X mark, and her strangely cute handwriting contained instructions for using the warp and finding the mine.

It should be around here…

He had already circled the area several times.

Everything was white. Hard to tell direction.

“There’s supposed to be a triangular rock at the entrance, sir.”

“But the snow’s too thick to see anything.”

The guide shook his head, shielding his face from the wind.

And then there was the note:

“If you can’t find the entrance, shout loudly.
You’ll be able to locate the mine :)”

Dayton frowned.

Shout?

As if the mine would respond?

“…Ha.”

He crumpled the note and cleared his throat.

“Aa—Ah! Aaaah!”

Not very loud.

“Sir, you absolutely must not shout here!”

The guide panicked.

Ignoring him—

“AAAAAAH!”

Dayton shouted again, louder this time.

His voice echoed across the snowy mountains.

“Are you insane?! This is dangerous—!”

The guide stumbled back, half crying.

And Dayton, taking a deep breath—

“AAAAAAAAAAH!”