Chapter 80

Edward found the house we would be living in at Sierra.

He happened to need to go on a long-term business trip to Sierra for a company transfer, so he found the house and sent us the address, and we decided to move there immediately.

“Wow… it’s really beautiful.”

The house Edward found was a two-story house with a lovely garden.

It had six rooms and four bathrooms, so there was no need to fight over the bathroom every morning.

Leo and I decided to use the second-floor room. The first-floor rooms became the study and Daniel’s room due to the weight of the books.

“Wow, look at this dining table. It looks better than the one we used at the Sierra mansion before. Edward must be earning more than we thought.”

“Big brother is rich, I told you. He even made an investment agreement with the Magic Tower this time.”

“I didn’t know the wine business was such a successful industry.”

As I expressed my admiration, Daniel smiled enigmatically and began organizing the dishes.

I unfolded the newspaper we had used to wrap the dishes, intending to stack them neatly, when I saw an article.

‘Edgar Rivera, sent to the execution platform, escapes with the help of an unknown force.’

“Hmm….”

Edgar Rivera was a noble-born soldier who led the slave liberation movement.

Recently, he had shown political ambitions, and for undermining the imperial family, he had been sentenced to death for shaking the regime.

Although I had lived in the Empire for a long time, as someone from Sierra, the Empire was a country I could never understand.

It was strange that, in this day and age, there was still a class system, and I couldn’t accept that the ruler of the country wasn’t the citizens but the Emperor.

In that sense, it was quite surprising that a noble from the Empire, who wasn’t even a Sierra native, took such a stand.

“But who on earth helped him?”

“What?”

“I mean Edgar Rivera. Someone helped him escape.”

“Yeah, who could it be?”

Daniel shrugged his shoulders and pulled something out of his pocket.

“Oh right, this came just before we moved. It’s addressed to you.”

“Huh? Looking at the envelope, it’s from that investment I made last time… Could it be that the investment turned to worthless paper?”

“No way. Our brother wouldn’t have recommended something weird.”

With trembling hands, I opened the envelope. Please, at least let the principal amount be preserved… I felt my heart racing from the tension as I slowly began to read the documents.

“The profits from the Paphia flowers you invested in from Aterdam are as follows. Hmm… so the amount is… 1 million Berks? Wow, the profit is 1 million Berks? That’s definitely a great investment recommendation!”

Daniel tilted his head at my words and snatched the documents from me.

“Sis, it’s not 1 million Berks.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not 1 million Berks, it’s 1 billion Berks.”

“…Huh?”

“The return is 200 times.”

“What?”

“Look again.”

Daniel counted the zeros one by one and showed them to me.

“It’s definitely 1 billion Berks, right?”

“Gasp!”

I was so shocked that I couldn’t breathe. Was I dreaming? Or was someone playing a cruel joke on me?

I rubbed my eyes and checked the numbers again. No matter how many times I looked, it was still 1 billion Berks, and the name was indeed Elizabeth Harrington.

Wow, what on earth is going on here?

“Oh my god….”

“Sis, with this much money, you won’t need to work anymore. Wow! Our brother never tells me things like this… Sis? Sis!”

My legs gave out, and I collapsed. My heart pounded so hard that I started hiccupping.

With a billion, as long as I spend wisely, I can live without working. Is this a dream or reality?

I was so shocked I couldn’t get up, and in the end, Daniel had to carry me to my room.

***

If you ask me whether being unemployed feels this good, I can firmly say:

It’s a very good thing.

It’s even more wonderful than you’d imagine, beyond anything you can think of.

Normally, at this hour, I’d be working, but now I can chat with old friends from home.

“Elizabeth, you have no idea how shocked we were when you left. We cried so much.”

“Exactly. Even when we offered to help, your parents just kept it quiet… How have you been? Was it hard?”

My friends were just the same as ever. Aside from their more mature appearance, they felt as familiar as if I’d seen them yesterday.

Watching Sylvie and Olivia wipe their tears, I held back my own. I didn’t want to cry on such a happy day.

“Well… I’ve been managing somehow.”

“You’ve come back to Sierra for good, right?”

“Yeah, I’m settling down here. But Sylvie, I can’t believe you dated Brooks, and now you’re married with a kid? How old is the baby?”

“She’s one year old now.”

“A son?”

“A daughter.”

“Wow! She must be so cute.”

“She’s adorable. But… it’s really tough. Listen, you two.”

Sylvie began speaking carefully, as if revealing a great secret of the world.

“Being single is better, so don’t get married. Just have fun.”

“Huh?”

“Especially you, Elizabeth. You always sang about wanting to get married early. But once you’re married, you lose your freedom, and it’s hard.”

“Really?”

“You can’t even go out drinking late anymore, and the baby depends on me all day long… Ah, sorry. It feels wrong to talk like this when we haven’t seen each other in so long.”

Sylvie quickly changed the subject.

Olivia was curious about how different the Empire was from Sierra, so I shared my experiences, and we continued talking.

Partway through, Sylvie left, saying her baby was waiting for her at home.

“You’ve had it tough. But still, you must be proud that your siblings have done so well.”

“Of course. And the best part is, I can now live as a ‘freeloader’ without any problems!”

Edward, Daniel, and I decided to split the living expenses among the three of us, but with our investment’s success, there’s no need to work to cover it anymore.

Edward took care of the house, and Daniel, who’s been successful with his research at the Magic Tower, said he’d handle Leo’s allowance, so the only expense left is my own pocket money.

“Now I’ll live my life having fun! And as for me… Sylvie may have said that, but I want to fall in love and get married soon. The happiest woman I’ve ever known is my mom.”

Marriage might bring unhappiness, but when I think of my parents, I feel like marriage would make me even happier.

And the moment when the family lay side by side in the attic of the villa, watching the stars and falling asleep, was a happy memory I could never forget.

When I have a husband and children, wouldn’t I be able to fully feel the happiness that comes from a harmonious family?

“I knew it. Your parents were so in love, after all.”

“And if you want to have a child before you turn twenty-five, you’ll need to get married by twenty-four at the latest. You’re twenty-one now, so if you think about the time for dating, you’ll need to meet someone soon.”

I don’t want a big age gap between me and my child.

Just as my parents were like friends to me, I want to be that kind of parent to my own child.

“Shall I introduce you to a good guy, then?”

I was momentarily tempted by Olivia’s suggestion and answered.

“I’d love that!”

At that time, I just thought the man Olivia knew would probably work in the same arts field, and I had no idea how difficult my love life would become afterward.

***

It was about a month after I met Ravi, introduced by Olivia.

“Sis, who was that guy yesterday?”

“A guy? What guy?”

Before I could respond to Leo’s question, Daniel, who was dozing off at the dining table, snapped his head around.

“The guy you were reading books with at the café yesterday. He was wearing a tacky shirt and had red hair.”

“Oh, Ravi? He’s just a friend, a friend.”

“His name’s Ravi? You have a male friend? As far as I know, you don’t.”

“I was introduced to him recently.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed. Daniel, who had been drowsy until just now, gulped down some cold water.

“The vibe didn’t seem like ‘just friends.’”

He noticed that, even though we hadn’t held hands… Ever since he was young, he’d always gotten girls’ attention, and now he’s become sharp at noticing things like this.

“Well, uh… I think it’s going well.”

Ravi had a handsome appearance and a kind personality. Do I like him? Not really, but he’s likable enough, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see where it goes.

Daniel grabbed Leo’s hand as he looked like he was about to lose it.

“It’s about time for you to date, sis. Yeah, it’s that time… What’s his name again?”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed with a sly smile. As I piled cranberries and almond pieces into my yogurt, I answered.

“Ravi Moot.”

“Ah, I see. Leo, just stay out of it.”

“Huh? Stay out of what?”

At my question, Daniel grinned as he responded.

“He keeps nudging my arm during meals.”

“Seriously, Leo… Oh, Daniel, I saw you in the newspaper. ‘Top 1st-Class Mage, Daniel Harrington. His paper on the mystery of ancient holy magic, published last year, has been cited over 2,000 times in just one year.’”

Daniel wasn’t the only one in the news.

There was also an article about Edward, the emerging rich man from the wine business, and how much economic value would be created by relocating his company’s headquarters to Sierra.

There was also an article about how the Imperial family announced they would grant a title to the youngest-ever Sword Master from the magic school.

“Leo, if the Imperial family offers you a title, will you accept it?”

“No. What does a title from the Empire matter to someone from Sierra? Accepting it would just tie me down to the Empire. Anyway, sis, I’m running for student body president this time. Joel and Nick said they’d help with the campaign.”

Leo, who only had a bit of shyness at first, soon made plenty of friends at his new school, thanks to his exceptional social skills.

“By the way, sis, our brother wants to hire a housekeeper for the house. What do you think? Since he and I are both busy, it would be nice to have someone else take care of the chores.”

“A housekeeper? I can take care of it.”

“How can you handle all the housework for four people by yourself? If we leave it all to you, it would make our brother and me uncomfortable, so please understand.”

The tone suggested that Edward had already discussed it and was simply informing me of the decision.

I had only thought Edward earned a bit more than the average office worker, but I hadn’t realized he had become so wealthy that his name was now in the papers as a young entrepreneur.

Likewise, Daniel seemed to be more highly regarded at the Magic Tower than I had imagined.

So I thought there was no need to feel any financial burden or guilt about hiring a housekeeper.

“Hmm. Then go ahead. It’s fine by me if I don’t have to do the housework.”

“Great. I’ll talk to our brother about it later.”

“Got it. I have an appointment, so I’ll be heading out first.”

“What appointment? Are you meeting Ravi Moot?”

“I’m seeing him on the weekend. I’m going to visit Sylvie’s baby, and I want to buy a gift on the way, so I’m heading out early. See you in the evening.”

After saying goodbye to my brothers, I hurriedly got ready to leave.

Feeling a bit dazed by the sudden freedom from housework, I didn’t think much when I saw Leo and Daniel exchange glances.

Two days later, Ravi drew the line, saying he wanted to focus on work for the time being.