My Mom Entered a Contract Marriage - Chapter 40

A few days later, Ludia learned that Lilica was growing sugar radishes.

“Lily!”

“Mother? What…”

Before Lilica could ask, ‘What brings you here all of a sudden,’ Ludia pulled her into her arms.

“You cutie.”

“Heok?”

When she was pulled into her mother’s arms, Lilica was bewildered, but smiled.

“As expected of my daughter, you’re smart. You’re so smart.”

After praising her several times, Ludia smiled and spoke to Lilica.

“I heard you selected the sugar radish from the list that Uva had given you?”

“What? Yes.”

“Won’t you share it with Mom.”

“Huh?”

Ludia spoke with a grin.

“Mom will look for a place to invest in, so let’s share when we make a profit.”

“It’s alright. If Mother needs it, you can have it all.”

“Uh-oh.”

Ludia’s eyes narrowed and she pressed a finger on her daughter’s lips.

“Even if we’re family, things should be laid out clearly.”

Lilica smiled at her mother’s words.

At the sight of her daughter’s adult-like smile, Ludia kept feeling like she had switched positions with her.

That face looked like she was going along with her mother’s stubbornness.

Lilica nodded.

“I see.”

Ludia held Lilica’s hand tightly and said,

“Sugar radishes will grow splendidly in the North. You’ve received territory, didn’t you Lilica? I think we can plant it there.”

“Ah!”

Lilica had only recalled the territory she received then, and nodded her head.

Ludia smiled faintly.

“Then, shall we talk specifics?”

“Yes!”

* * *

It was Lilica’s first time signing a contract, so reading the difficult terms was quite headache-inducing.

It would have been nice to just do it, but her mother made her read the contract, saying that this was also an experience.

“Consensus? Consultation?”

Brynn, who stood next to her, kindly explained.

“Consultation is to seek the other person’s opinion, and consensus is to ensure that both parties have reached an agreed opinion. A consensus is much more advantageous.”

“It seems pretty similar!”

“It’s different.”

Brynn spoke with a grin.

“Also, look here. Phrases such as ‘permanent’ or ‘complete ownership’, ‘all rights’, ‘transfer to a third party or designated person’ should all be removed.”

Lilica looked at her mother indignantly.

Her mother just smiled.

“It’s a relief that Brynn can take care of me, but I think I also need someone that can look through all these.”

“That’s why every family has a lawyer.”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course. But it’s more advantageous to be aware of the basics. It’s because it’s quite common for aristocrats to sign verbal contracts.”

“I think I need a tutor……”

As Lilica mumbled, Ludia said.

“Do you want Mom to attach one to you?”

“Yes.”

Lilica nodded deeply.

She stretched out her two fingers.

“In two years, I’ll also be accepting official greetings, but I think I’ve learned everything I’m supposed to from Madam Gwendolyn.”

“Yes, yes.”

Ludia opened her fan with a captivating smile.

“Let’s call someone from the Inro family.”

At her words, Brynn looked up in surprise, while Lauv blinked.

Lilica was bewildered by the current atmosphere.

“Inro?”

From their response, it seems like they are rather reputable, but it was a family that she’d never heard of.

Brynn explained.

“Barat of Flowers, Inro of Snow. They are one of the ducal families that contributed to the Empire’s founding. But they have completely withdrawn from the center of the political world, and haven’t come down…”

“Yes, it is. But, they’d be perfect as Lily’s teacher.”

Ludia spoke to Lilica confidently.

“Leave it to Mom.”

“Yes.”

Rather than herself, who was completely in the dark about the social world, her mother must know a lot more than she does.

Lilica felt amazed.

She had always, repeatedly thought that she should protect her mother.

‘Now, Mother wants to protect me.’

Her cheeks turned warm and laughter flowered out of her before she knew it.

“Ehehe—”

When she laughed, her mother said, “Oh my, so cute!” and hugged her again tightly.

The thought that, ‘Oh,I guess I’m really cute,’ kept rising in her mind.

“Then I’ll ask them to bring it over after revising the contract. Lilica is 4 and Mom is 6.”

“Yes.”

She had already left the territory to her mother, so four is more than enough.

Rather, she wondered if it was too much.

Mother smiled and said.

“Come to think of it, should I also introduce them to you too?”

“Who?”

“The head of the merchant group that’ll sell the things Uva brought back.”

Ludia smiled lightly.

“He may be from the desert, but his skills are trustworthy enough.”

“He’s from the desert?”

No one had ever come back after going beyond the desert.

As such, the desert was completely different from the Sea of Trees in terms of reclaimed land.

It was common for the empire’s criminals to flee to the desert, and as such, there are rumours that all the people that lived in the desert were crooks or swindlers.

The people of the desert, with a mix of dark gold coloured skin like they were sunburnt, were looked down upon.

People gossiped about the origin of Emperor Altheos, who had a similar skin tone, due to a similar reason.

“I want to meet him.”

At Lilica’s words, her mother smiled and said, “Alright.”

After finishing the matter regarding the contract, her mother kissed both of Lilica’s cheeks and left the room to attend to her busy schedule.

“Don’t you think that Mother is too busy?”

“As far as I know, there are three or four new businesses that Her Majesty the Empress is setting up. Of course she’d be busy.”

“Business?!”

“Yes.”

The words that Bryan spoke with a smile caused Lilica to worry.

‘Business, of all things?’

There were also quite a number of people that failed in their businesses and ended up in the slums.

But her mother was actually opening a business?

‘Even if Mother becomes bankrupt, I’ll have to work hard so that she doesn’t have to worry about living expenses.’

She didn’t have any intention of putting money into businesses that could go bankrupt.

But she has to have something that will make a living after it goes bankrupt.

Let’s look for a safer place to invest in.

[T/N: lol Lilica has zero trust in Ludia XDD]

* * *

The full moon was bigger than usual.

As various scents intertwined in the air of the summer night, it became suffocating.

Lauv hid in the shade and breathed heavily.

Even when he tried his best not to look at the moon, his gaze kept gravitating towards it.

The blood within his body boiled and it felt like he was about to explode.

It was his duty to guard.

He knows that he shouldn’t leave his position. He was well aware of it, but he couldn’t stand it.

He thought that it would be better if instead of the castle that was wrapped with stone walls, he came out to an open garden, but it didn’t get better at all.

Sitting on a cold marble chair wasn’t of much help either.

Rustle.

He raised his head at the slightest sound of footsteps. He could tell who it was without raising his head, but he could only lift it.

With a lamp in hand, a crow stood in the middle of the night.

The lamp that had a flickering purple flame must be an artifact that’s passed down through the Sol family.

As that thought ran through his mind, Lauv looked at Brynn.

Brynn came over unhesitatingly and pushed the lamp before him.

Instead of being hot, the fire was cold.

“You’re an Ineligible, aren’t you?”

The words that appeared from Brynn’s mouth were as cold as the fire.

Lauv was unable to say anything.

His silence was an affirmation, but the crow wanted an answer.

The wolf looked away from the flame and nodded slightly.

“Tan Wolfe, that b*stard!”

Brynn spoke sharply through gritted teeth.

The empress must also have been aware.

And yet, to think that she’d given permission!

“What are you doing, remaining here shamelessly?”

“The princess—”

“Don’t you ever dream of using the princess’s ignorance.”

Lauv turned his head and looked at Brynn.

A blank look specific to wild animals appeared on his face.

Brynn snorted.

“If you intend to kill me and bury me deep underground, give up.”

“……Such thoughts—”

“You would have had them for quite a while.”

“…….”

Yeah, he did have them for a short moment.

However, he couldn’t hurt her, as she was a close confidant that the princess cared for.

“That’s why an Ineligible is…”

Brynn’s eyes narrowed.

Lauv looked at the crow that was standing there brazenly and going on without pause.

What would she know?

She, who was born as a normal human being.

Such words rose up his throat.

He desperately tried his best to suppress the barbarism that flowed in his blood, the beast’s howling, the desire for brutality, and it took everything in him.

Do you know that feeling of helplessness?

No matter what he does, he was an Ineligible.

There’s a label on him.

There was nothing he could do.

He knew that.

But it was painful to hear the words, “You shouldn’t be here,” despite trying desperately.

As such, when the young princess offered him a place, he felt like those hands were extended from the edge of the cliff, and he had no choice but to hold onto them.

“I said that I won’t endanger the princess.”

He knew that his excuse-like words were too shallow, so he also found it amusing.

Brynn also had the same thought,

“Don’t say things like, ‘My dog doesn’t bite.’ It’s truly ridiculous.”

With a single movement, Brynn took out a magic gun and aimed it at Lauv’s forehead.

Lauv glanced up at the gun, before looking at Brynn.

A magic gun.

It was an artifact that could be described as common, but it could also be described as uncommon.

Its weakness lay in the fact that the number of times it can be fired is fixed.

In other words, after the number of times it can be fired has been exhausted, it can only be used after a day.

In other words, it exists as a defence-type artifact that blocks magic attacks.

Due to these problems, it hasn’t been frequently used as a weapon in the military.

It was occasionally used for self-defence though.

Lauv asked.

“Are you going to shoot?”

“Isn’t it better to bury you instead of leaving a disqualified person next to the princess?”

Lauv laughed.

“I wonder, between me disarming you and snapping your neck or you pulling the trigger, which would be faster?”

“……”

“You’re well aware of how strong the family head—-Tan—-is, aren’t you? He can even bend steel bars. In that case, what of me, who lies beyond the standards?”

He had always been suppressing everything.

The monster within his blood cackled merrily.

Would you like to give it a try?

He noted the finger on the trigger curling tightly.

Just as it seemed like all sounds and colours were sucked into the tense atmosphere, a voice rang out.

“What are you two doing out there?”

Startled, the crow and the wolf both turned their heads.

With a pendulum in her hand, Lilica stood there.

A faint light emitted from the pendulum.

It reflected Lilica into their eyes brilliantly.

The both of them were unable to say anything as she appeared too suddenly, and Lilica sighed after looking at them.

At the sight of their master’s sighing appearance, the both of them were at a loss and lowered their gazes one after another.

“Princess, what brings you to such a place by yourself at night?”

Brynn spoke while stealthily replacing her gun.

Lilica’s cheeks puffed up as she frowned.

“His Majesty.”

At that, she paused.

— Observe Lauv today carefully, since the full moon is larger than normal.

If His Majesty hadn’t told her this during class, she wouldn’t have known that they were being like this.

Lilica asked.

“The both of you have something to tell me, don’t you?”

She glanced at Brynn and Lauv alternately, before saying.

“I want to listen to Brynn’s side of the story first. Then I’ll listen to Lauv’s side of the story.”

Brynn glanced at Lauv.

At the sight of that ashen face, she moved closer to Lilica with a “Hmph.”

With a slight frown, Lilica spoke to Brynn.

“Let’s talk over there.”

“Yes, my princess.”

Lilica sat on a stone table that was hidden by a tree.

Lilica took off the ring that she was wearing on her pinky and placed it on the table, and the surroundings became quiet instantly.

Brynn looked at the ring in surprise.

Lilica said.

“This was a gift from His Majesty today. This prevents sound from travelling out.”

Actually, she was the one that made it.

Did His Majesty tell her to make it because he knew that this would happen?

After staring at the ring, Lilica looked up.

“So what?”

“First of all, please forgive me for leaving my position arbitrarily.”

“Yes, and?”

At Lilica’s question, Brynn sighed quietly and placed the lamp on the table.

The purple light has already extinguished.

“Before, I’d mentioned the origins of each family, right?”

“Yes, you said that they were mixed with monsters?”

“Yes, and as though it was evidence of this fact, ferocious people appeared. We call them the Ineligible.”

“Ineligible?”

“Yes, it means that they’re ineligible to get along with humans.”

Lilica folded her arms.

The appearance of the small princess with crossed arms was very cute, but Brynn lowered her gaze slightly.

In any case, she was her master.

Brynn explained like she didn’t know that he was unhappy.

“It’s impossible for such a person to be the princess’s escort. I don’t even know what Sir Tan was thinking of at that time.”

“Hm.”

As Lilica looked at Brynn, she wondered if this was what prickled her intuition then.

She spoke to Brynn.

“So what did you intend to do, Brynn? What was that thing directed towards Sir Lauv’s head earlier?”

“It’s an artifact called a magic gun. Of course, I didn’t intend to pull the trigger. I was just trying to make him inform the princess of the truth tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Ultimately, he’s an escort that was personally chosen by you, so what else could I have done?”

After listening to Brynn’s words, Lilica nodded and asked.

* * *