I Just Raised Men for Revenge (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

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The Marquis, who had been beaming at Elzer, instantly furrowed his brow.

“A favor? Of course, Sesenia. You never do anything that puts you at a loss.”

“I have something small I’d like to do myself.”

“Small? What, are you planning to compete with your sister or something?”

“No. I have absolutely no intention of inheriting the Marquisate.”

“Then what do you want?”

It was an extreme reaction.

‘He’d probably be kinder to a stray child than to me.’

Having resolved never to play the obedient daughter again, Sesenia looked at him with a cold expression.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to run my own small business. Please let me do that. In return, I swear I’ll never make any claim to the Marquisate.”

“Even if you did, do you truly believe you could inherit the Marquisate?”

Sesenia almost replied “Yes,” but silently closed her mouth instead. Without her, the Marquisate would surely collapse.

It had been that way in the past, and likely wouldn’t be much different now. But she didn’t want to argue here—after all, she currently needed the Marquis’s help.

The corners of her mouth, normally flat and expressionless, twisted slightly.

‘Groveling before you ends right here.’

Once she obtained what she needed, she’d never again wag her tail like a dog seeking affection.

With that day in mind, Sesenia nodded.

“I understand. I know full well it’s not a position I should ever aspire to. I only spoke that way because… it felt awkward to make a request. Father.”

“Hmph.”

Perhaps her gentle approach worked better than a forceful one—the Marquis awkwardly nodded.

“I almost feel as if I’ve done something wrong.”

If you feel that way, at least you’re not completely oblivious.

“Of course not. You’re always right, Father.”

Sesenia had never been good at flattery. In that respect, she was starkly different from Elzer. Because of this, she was often misunderstood or even disliked by others without meaning to.

‘But for my future—and to ensure that woman doesn’t get everything—I can at least do this much.’

“Hm. Well… Fine. If that’s what you truly want… then what exactly do you wish to do?”

“I’d like to open a small shop. It was Mother’s dream—to run a little store in the Imperial capital.”

Sesenia’s mother had been a modest woman who passed away when Sesenia was only five due to poor health. Coming from commoner stock, she held deep skepticism toward noble life and often told her five-year-old daughter:

“Once you’re all grown up, I want to open a small shop and live as myself—not as a noble.”

But the Marquis, who had loved his wife dearly and feared anyone might steal her away, always dismissed those words.

“…That’s right.”

“That’s what I want to do. If you could just give me modest support… I want to live like Mother did. I’ll open a shop named after her.”

Knowing full well that his late wife was the Marquis’s greatest vulnerability, Sesenia put on a sorrowful expression.

“W-what? Name a shop after your mother? That’s absurd…”

Elzer immediately objected, as if she couldn’t possibly comprehend such a notion. But the Marquis slowly nodded and stopped her.

“So be it. If you honor your mother’s wishes… I’d be grateful.”

“Father!”

“Why are you shouting, Elzer?”

“I… I just… Sesenia wants to run her own business separately? Doesn’t that seem unreasonable? And you promised the Marquisate to me—you’re making decisions without even consulting me…”

For a moment, the Marquis snapped.

“Elzer! Do you already think you’re the Marquis?”

“Father, are you angry with me? I’m surprised…”

“Be quiet. You are not Marquis yet. I’m still deciding which of you would make a better successor. If you displease me, I can easily disown you!”

Elzer clearly didn’t understand her own father at all. Thinking he’d overlook it this time too—as he always had when she acted spoiled—she failed to grasp that the Marquis never tolerated challenges to his authority.

In the end, overwhelmed by his presence, Elzer pouted like a petulant child.

“…I’m sorry.”

“That’s enough. Anyway, your sister isn’t being greedy—she’s simply fulfilling your mother’s wish. Help her.”

“Yes.”

Could a person really change so drastically? The Marquis smiled gently as he looked at Sesenia.

“So, have you decided what kind of business you’ll run?”

Trending

“Not yet.”

“That’s fine. Take your time. Since it’s in your mother’s name… don’t burden yourself too much. I’ll provide some funds. My steward will deliver the money—use it as you see fit. Starting from scratch may be tough, but since it’ll be entirely yours, you’ll enjoy it all the more.”

“Yes.”

Though he said so, he still had no intention whatsoever of passing the Marquisate to Sesenia.

She knew this well—after all, he’d never intended to give it to her in the first place—so she felt nothing at all. She simply bowed her head slightly and rose from her seat.

“I’ll take my leave, then.”

“Go ahead.”

With those words, Sesenia stepped outside. But Elzer followed right behind and clung to her side.

“Sesenia, you’re acting strange.”

“How so?”

“You’re using words you’d never normally say to charm Father?”

“Charm Father? Does your mind assume every man must be charmed?”

Struck right at the core, Elzer’s face flushed red.

“H-how exactly do you see me?”

“How else could I see you?”

A woman who flirts with every man around—including her own sister’s husband—and shamelessly caused her own flesh and blood to die for her sake. The lowest sort of human being.

‘There’s simply no other way to describe you, sister. You’re just trash.’

Sesenia gave a soft laugh and patted Elzer’s shoulder.

“Well, good luck. The Marquisate is yours now.”

“Are you provoking me?”

“Yes.”

“You think I’ll be scared? You’ll come begging to me for more money later—don’t even think about it.”

“Sure.”

Sesenia gave a terse reply and turned away. Though Elzer’s huffing voice followed from behind, she paid it no mind—and even smiled. Only after returning to her room did Lizbet finally speak to Sesenia.

“My lady, you really are acting strangely.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It’s like… you’ve become someone else.”

“I guess now that I’m an adult, my thinking suddenly changed. I always felt I never truly owned anything of my own. So I decided to be a little greedy for once.”

“Wonderful! Then I’ll help you wholeheartedly. I can do that. So, what will you do first?”

Sesenia simply smiled at Lizbet without answering.

‘I’ll go into the food, clothing, and shelter business.’

In the past, after her coming-of-age ceremony, Sesenia received the Marquis’s permission and launched a new venture. Food, clothing, and shelter—the absolute necessities of life. She resolved to tackle these. Everyone thought about it, yet no one dared act—her first target would be “clothing.”

It wasn’t anything grandiose. The foundation lay in the Empire’s weather. The Empire had always enjoyed stable weather year-round.

But this year, an abrupt shift occurred in the Empire, where seasonal changes had previously been imperceptible. Heat arrived—intense, debilitating heat that could knock a person unconscious.

Not long after, autumn came. The weather cooled so rapidly that it seemed impossible summer had even existed. People rejoiced, believing the familiar climate had returned—but Sesenia sensed something was deeply wrong with the seasons.

Then, Sesenia launched a business no one had anticipated.

It was all thanks to her diligent studies that she knew this fact:

This winter would be colder than any in memory. Feeling the sudden heat and the swift arrival of autumn, she was certain winter would be severe.

Thus, she resolved to buy Hephria cotton.

Normally, Hephria cotton was a low-demand commodity. Since the Empire’s weather barely changed throughout the year, there was virtually no market for garments containing Hephria cotton.

Hephria cotton was an extremely fine, fluffy material used only in cushions, pillows, quilts, or layered inside winter garments.

It had no other uses—and because cultivating Hephria required intensive labor, even farmers avoided growing it.

Since winters weren’t cold, there was no need for it; without need, demand was low; with low demand, fewer and fewer people bothered cultivating Hephria. In fact, winters had become so mild that wearing Hephria cotton would feel uncomfortably warm.

The fortunate part was that, precisely because demand was so low, Hephria was extremely cheap. Sesenia told the Marquis about it—but he couldn’t understand why she’d buy Hephria cotton.

He called it foolishness, a waste of money. Even if winter came, he insisted, there’d be no use for Hephria cotton. Items incorporating it were mostly long-lasting goods anyway, so storing it would only be troublesome.

Yet Sesenia begged him to trust her just once—and secured funds to buy Hephria cotton and firewood, specifically dry logs gathered before winter.

That year, brutal cold struck—and her prediction proved spectacularly accurate.

Sesenia had already bought up all available Hephria cotton across the Empire and neighboring nations at rock-bottom prices. As the sudden cold began claiming lives, demand for Hephria cotton skyrocketed overnight.

‘But I’d already purchased every last bit of Hephria cotton—and I didn’t release it to market.’

Only after prices surged twentyfold did Sesenia finally release her stock. The fierce cold hit early winter—yet some dismissed it as typical winter chill and refused to buy Hephria cotton, causing firewood demand to spike as well. She’d withheld the cotton partly to drive up the price of her own firewood.

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If cotton reached the market late, firewood demand would rise—those who skipped buying cotton would rely on firewood to survive. In the end, she triumphed brilliantly in her first business venture. It was Sesenia’s perfect victory.

Thanks to this, the Marquisate gained immense wealth, elevated its family prestige—and word even reached the Imperial Palace.

‘And… Elzer, sister, your life changed too.’

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