NOVEL WEB Chapter 17: Profit and loss
Nathaniel POV:
The door to the room opened, revealing a neat room with red and gold decorations and a window on the other side of the room overlooking the city. Charlotte rushed in, jumped on her bed, and let out a seemingly tired exhale. The springiness of the mattress caused her to curl up like a cat under the morning grass, purring happily, while Aria, who came in after me, looked at her with a somewhat resigned smile, as she would be the one who had to clean up her mess later.
Despite the fact that Aria was a simple maid who, according to protocol, should have stood outside our room like a statue, waiting for orders, she entered without seeming out of place. In fact, we were the ones who insisted on her joining us. She was scared the first few times she came in and watched everything around her like a scared little animal, but after a few more times, she got used to it and now she comes in without even asking. Although the head maid appeared irritated, she said nothing because Aria is my personal maid and I can order her to do whatever I want; she is essentially my possession because she has no parents or family...
'Am I being too cruel?' I paused my train of thought, that drove ignoring the morality that a person cannot be a possession. 'So... she's... my friend? acquaintance?' I thought about it, but nothing seemed to fit. Finally, I shrugged. 'She'll be mine regardless, titles don't matter.'
I accompanied my little sister, who was sitting on her bed, reading a book and happily humming as she turned the pages. The book was a fairy tale about adventurers and dungeons, so it was, to say the least, intriguing. I had an idea while watching, so I turned to look at the girl waiting in the corner of the room with her back straight, giving me discreet glances, but my senses have improved since I'm a purity level 8, so noticing her wasn't difficult. Even so, I smiled as I watched her.
"Aria, make the tea; we'll be in the backyard. Bring some snacks to eat as well." I ordered.
Aria bowed respectfully and tried to appear dignified, but as if her life depended on it, she opened the door quickly, and her footsteps echoed through the halls, echoing her sprinting at full speed to the kitchen. Aria's enthusiasm was somewhat amusing, as evidenced by a melodious, childish giggle from my little sister. When I gave her instructions, Aria always did the same thing. I tried to keep my serious demeanor by diverting my attention elsewhere.
"(I'll hide the pill in the snacks you'll be eating; don't spit it out.)"
"(Sure)" She nodded.
This wouldn't be so difficult if we didn't have shadow servants watching us almost 24 hours a day, but with Alea and Novem on guard, if they saw their young lady swallowing some kind of medicine, they'd be alarmed; the only way to avoid detection was to conceal it. The one advantage of having shadow servants was that they didn't interfere with their master's life unless their safety was jeopardized; no matter what they saw, the shadow servants remained silent. Unless, of course, they were on an espionage mission.
I could tell them I don't want them in our room, but I'm not a fool. We are a prominent family, and there are many people who want to kidnap us in order to make money. I still don't have the strength to protect both of us.
When I felt my magic, I knew I was on the verge of another breakthrough. 'Perhaps not yet, but I'm on the right path.'
(***)
"(Do you feel any different?)" I inquired, keeping a close eye on my little sister. The snack plates were empty and only the tea cups remained.
Charlotte sipped the cup gracefully, sipping small amounts with finesse. Finally, she closed her eyes, clinked the cup on the table, and her expression changed to one of concentration, as if she was trying to feel changes in her body. The midday breeze ruffled her hair slightly, her figure was silhouetted with her eyes closed, and the floral courtyard around her provided a picturesque backdrop. She inhaled deeply, and I could feel the magic begin to flow a little from her; her power control was clumsy due to her lack of experience, but I concentrated on feeling her changes. Her eyelids fluttered as she opened her eyes; her crimson irises watched me, a faint smile on her childish face.
"(Nothing)." She sighed, her shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"(Perhaps it's because you're still learning to control your magic.)" I speculated while motioning for Aria to pick up the dishes.
Charlotte developed a sly gleam in her eye, as if she'd had a brilliant idea. She moved closer to me, her hands interlocked as she fiddled with her index fingers, giving me upward glances. I already knew what she was going to ask for based on this simple gesture.
"(Will you assist me in feeling my magic? Of course, Novem's method.)" She inquired innocently.
"(No)"
"(You're bad)"
"(Keep in mind that Novem and Alea are always with us.)" I sighed and reclined in my chair.
"(Does that mean you'd do it if no one was there?)" my little sister inquired, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
"(grow up)"
"(Do you prefer milfs?)" She inquired, an amused smirk on her teasing face; she was clearly having fun teasing me.
I ignored her and focused on our garden; she pouted, but I didn't mind. I inhaled the pleasant scent of trimmed grass and unusually shaped and colored flowers in our garden. It was peaceful, with birds singing happily as they flew or rested in a nearby tree, but I knew this peace it wouldn't last long.
'System, buy information on the whereabouts of the heroine Lena.' I said, looking off into the distance.
[Would you like to purchase information on this heroine for 10,000 affection points?]
'Is the discount already applied?'
[Yes, host 1]
'Purchase' Sigh resignedly.
[Lena, of the cat breed is currently being transported to the black market].
'That's it?' I asked, somewhat angrily.
[More affection points are required for more precise information.]
I clicked my tongue because we had only purchased information from the system once due to its high cost. I did it a year ago to find out the age at which Lena would be kidnapped; Charlotte was opposed, but in the end, she caved. My little sister dismissed this heroine as a waste of time and effort after considering how difficult it would be to find the black market since we would meet her at the academy anyway, and she had conquered it in the game, so she knew what to do. But it was different for me because Lena would have a phobia of men, especially humans, and I didn't want her to suffer. I bought information once more; I felt a little guilty for not informing my little sister, as I had promised to include her in all my plans, but she would agreed after a couple of conversations, so I guess it was okay.
'I should look for some artifact to change our age.' I reasoned, and quickly began searching the system store. 'I'm spending too many points...' I grumbled as I browsed the expensive items in the store.
[Store:
[Artifact for disguise:
Description: Allows the host to change their appearance, be it skin color, hair color, and eye color. Also allows the host's age to be increased by up to 10 years.
Rarity: B+
Price: 10,000 affection points 9,000 fate points].
'I have to buy them, or Charlotte will play a card against me when she sees the price.' Sigh. 'Well, that's something for later.'
As Aria ran in and out of the mansion, taking the plates and leftover snacks with her, I got up from my seat, yawning and stretching. Charlotte looked at me, perhaps perplexed as to why I was suddenly standing up.
"Novem, come with me, we'll look for some artifacts in the treasury."
"(Huh? What do we need artifacts for, big brother?)"
"(This is just a front; I'll buy some necessary artifacts at the store, but I want Novem to think I found them in the treasury. If I suddenly found myself in possession of some artifacts of dubious provenance, it would raise some eyebrows.)"
"(However, why do we need them? We must save points for later.)" Charlotte asked, a frown on her pretty face, perhaps thinking of events to come.
"(I purchased information on Lena's whereabouts; she is on her way to the black market. We can save her if we look for information in the red light district; I recall someone there having connections to the black market.)"
"(Did you purchase information? Big brother, I thought we decided not to buy any more because of the high price?)" Charlotte's voice was tinged with rebuke.
"(Trust me, it's necessary. Don't you realize how much she'll suffer?)" Standing my ground, I waited for the reaction I desired, whether it was a little panic or just empathy.
Charlotte, on the other hand, frowned, as if she only saw losses and not gains. "(How will you persuade our mother? I don't think they'll be okay with us going to places like that.)" She inquired, hoping to persuade me to reconsider.
"(You take care of our mother; tell her you want to go for a night walk or whatever.)"
"(I'm not convinced, it seems like too much work. We should meet her at the academy)" She said.
"(We need to save her)" I insisted, surprised even by my uncompromising stance, but deep down I hoped Charlotte would react differently, maybe even support me.
"(I'm not sure why you're so obsessed with rescuing that heroine; you could conquer her even after she escapes.)" Charlotte shook her head.
I had a complicated expression on my face as I looked at my little sister. 'Did she forget again?' I was a little sad because I thought she'd gotten over everything because she hadn't had any panic attacks, but I was wrong. But I quickly gathered myself and pretended nothing had happened.
"(In any case, we could observe at a casino or brothel. With our skills, I'm confident we can find the black market quickly.)" I encouraged, hoping to improve the mood.
Charlotte shook her head, clearly irritated, and declined to answer my question. I felt bad, too. Was it a waste of points? Maybe. Why was I being so obstinate? I had some ideas, but I wasn't certain. But I couldn't back out because everything I do is for our good and our good alone. We would regret missing out on this opportunity, and someone who regrets missed opportunities is doubly unhappy.