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Chapter 54 Part 7 – The second princess of Hydrangea, Margaret, invades.

Margaret smiled sadly.

「I have no other choice. I have to …… become the queen and protect this kingdom. There is no one else who can do it. Or, Scarlet, will you be the queen in my place? I think you can do it better than I can. But …… you want to become a shut-in right? Then, will you at least cooperate with me?」

Her figure as she said so was beautiful and sorrowful.
Even though she was a genius, she was still at an age when children really wanted to be spoiled by their mother. I felt a pang of pain in my heart.
I needed 20 years of age before I could have a resolve of this level like this child had.

「…… I understand, I’ll lend you my name to have a fake engagement.」

I was so moved that I jumped down from my chair and walked over to Margaret’s side, standing on tiptoe and patting her on the head.
I felt like a big sister cheering for her brave younger sister. Besides, if I were in the obvious position of being the fiancé of the next queen, Margaret, I could expect that this would help to loosen the suspicion that I would receive from becoming a shut-in.

Okay, I’ve decided. I would take the side of Margaret, who was understanding of my ‘becoming a shut-in’ plan. I will use the knowledge cheat to strengthen her foundation and make Hydrangea grow into a kingdom that can compete with the four great kingdoms. And let it be a wall to protect the Wilhelm territory, where I will stay as a shut-in!!

Viva!! A shut-in!!
A countermeasure made by shut-in, concerning shut-in, for the sake of becoming a shut-in!

「…… Hang in there!! Margaret!! I absolutely don’t want to be queen, I don’t want to hold an official position, and I don’t want to stand in the front stage, but I’ll cooperate with anything else I can do to help!!」

「Really? Well then, I’ll take your word for it ……」

After smiling sweetly, Margaret’s movements reminded me of a lightning bolt. I could smell the sweet scent floating in the air. Her soft breath brushed my lips and her lush hair fell to my neck. I realized that she had quickly moved into a kissing position and I twisted around in a panic. Margaret’s kiss narrowly missed the mark and landed not on my lips but on my cheek. Margaret pulled away ruefully.

「W-W-What are you ……!?」

To my dismay, Margaret winked mischievously and stuck out her tongue.

「You are so innocent in that area. I am relieved that I was able to finally surprise you. Scarlet, you stared at me with those penetrating eyes as if you had been queen for years. It made me realize that you truly are the successor chosen by the ruby of the True Emperor, I was really scared.」

Margaret was still as outstanding as ever. She had intuitively detected my true nature.

But to me, Margaret is much scarier than I am!! What kind of 10-year-old would say such a thing!! If you asked the 10-year-old me without the memory of the 「108 times」 loop, to be Margaret’s opponent, I think I’d be so freaked out I’d pee myself.

Margaret smiled soothingly at me, who was still stiff and repeatedly opening and closing my mouth.

「How long will you stay stiff? We are going to be engaged. It’s only natural for us to kiss. Now that I’ve kissed the Maiden of the True Emperor’s Ruby, there must be a miraculous blessing for me, too. I’ve been lonely all my life due to being called a genius. But then I met you, who is even more of a genius than I am. I am not alone anymore. Do you know how happy that made me? That’s why I want to be on equal footing psychologically with you. I look forward to working with you, Scarlet.」

No, no, no, no, no!! What’s with that super evaluation!?
I am not a real genius like Margaret.
I’m just an imitation that relies on my experience and knowledge from my 「108 times」 loops of life.

It hurts. Not only my chest, but my stomach is also aching from the pressure.
…… That’s right!! Next time, I’ll introduce Seraphy to Margaret!! I came up with a great idea which made me feel a little better.

I like Margaret, but she overestimates me so much that I always feel nervous so that I don’t disappoint her expectations for me. I’m going to put Seraphy through my pains as well. After all, that guy is my business partner. Then we have to share not only happiness but also misery.

「The genius of the Orange Privateers, that Seraphy!? Are you going to introduce us!?」

Margaret’s face lit up at my suggestion.

Yeahh, she took the bait!! I struck a guts pose inside my heart. Due to being a genius, Margaret is unable to make friends her own age with whom she can talk on equal terms. In a sense, she is a loner. But Seraphy is also a real genius, so he will be a good conversation partner for Margaret.

「A genius huh. Well, I guess that’s true. Seraphy has been steering the world’s fastest sailing ship like a part of his own body since he was much younger than Margaret is now. It was said that the first time he stood up was on the stormy seas in the Blanche. The first letter he ever wrote was a number in the ledger book. He was bold enough to boast that as long as he had numbers, he could move the world from the comfort of his living room. I’m sure Seraphy and Margaret would hit it off!」

Margaret’s eyes twinkled as I blurted out things about Seraphy that were a mix of truth and lies to attract her interest. I thought that with Margaret’s intelligence she would notice that these were just bluffs, but Margaret’s specs were also extremely high that she believed it.

I was pleased to see that Margaret’s interest had shifted considerably from me to Seraphy. That’s a good sign. And I waved my hand to Seraphy inside my heart.

Good luck, Seraphy. Geniuses should talk to geniuses.
I may have raised the bar a little bit, but you should be fine.
After all, now you have the chance to be close to Margaret, the next queen of Hydrangea.
Be patient. High risk, high return.
I look forward to your strenuous efforts.

Three years have passed since the attack of the demon dog Gallam.
I have made full use of my knowledge cheat and accumulated a lot of wealth.
My will to become a shut-in is firm, but as expected, I am not brave enough to become a shut-in without any reserves. The Wilhelm territory is not only poor, but its people also have no loyalty due to the tyranny of the previous Marquis Vygod. To make matters worse, the three old warriors who played a restraining role are already gone. In case you’re wondering, our territory is about eight kilometers in all four directions …… That’s why it’s poor ……

The person who helped me earn money was Seraphy, the leader of the Orange Privateers.
If it was me alone, no matter how many get rich quick schemes I have, I did not have the means to make it happen. And for Seraphy, who was aiming to restore the Orange Privateers, my proposal to cooperate was a godsend. We were like a corrupt deputy and a corrupt merchant, placing our foreheads against each other while laughing 「Ihihihi」 and exchanging heated discussions about money-making day and night.

Like Bradd, he was one of〈the five heroes〉who had slaughtered me in the previous 「108 times」, but since he had helped me so much during the case of the demon dog Gallam, I specially decided to forgive him. Besides, when it comes to making money, Seraphy and I are surprisingly on the same page.

In return, he will have to be grateful and aid me to the best of his ability …… Well, I guess there was no way this guy was going to cut corners in business.

Our starting funds came from the 「Poison Lady’s Kerchief」 that my mother had been collecting for ten agonizing years, unable to give up her desire for revenge after being bullied by the red nobles, but not prepared to carry it out. With the money from the rare poisonous …… or should I say medicinal plants, we set out to redevelop an abandoned silver mine in an enclave of the Wilhelm territory.

I had no idea that I would unintentionally gain money from the result of my mother’s period of being a shut-in, and that I, as her daughter, would utilize that money to strive towards earning more money for the sake of my dream of becoming a shut-in ……