The Villain Family Opposes Independence (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
I glanced at Yansi briefly before continuing.
“No matter how powerful the Angelos family may be, buying up all the mana stone mines must have put them under severe financial strain.”
Although the number of mana stone mines wasn’t that large, acquiring nearly every significant mine within the Wilentia Empire was no easy feat.
Even Angelos must have stretched their finances to the absolute limit.
The Ferdia family could withstand Angelos’s monopoly for several more years, but smaller trading houses wouldn’t last long.
It was clear Angelos intended to seize the entire arms supply business for themselves.
No one disagreed with my assessment.
“So?”
At Duke Ferdia’s question, I answered without hesitation.
“Then Ferdia should monopolize it just the same.”
“I already told you, Lily. Angelos has already secured bids for most of the mana stone mines.”
Yansi gently countered, as if trying to reason with me. But the ‘monopoly’ I spoke of wasn’t about mines at all.
“We don’t need the mana stone mines.”
“What?”
“The materials used in manufacturing military supplies aren’t limited to mana stones, right?”
“……!”
“We just need to buy up all the other materials.”
Surprise flickered in the eyes of those looking at me.
Even the First Crown Prince, who had shown indifferent disinterest until now, stared at me with astonishment.
Seeing such a shift in their perception made me question my past reputation once again.
After all, no matter how formidable Angelos might be, their accumulated resources couldn’t compare to Ferdia’s.
Duke Ferdia controlled the underworld so thoroughly he was called the Emperor of the Underworld.
His power even surpassed that of the imperial family.
“Angelos has only recently entered the arms business, so they likely have few established suppliers for other materials. Eventually, they’ll have no choice but to turn to Ferdia—and that’s when we’ll sell those materials at a steep price.”
Once that happened, the game would already be over.
The Duke gave a slight nod, agreeing with my suggestion.
“Indeed. To keep their business running, they’ll have no choice but to buy from us—no matter the cost.”
“But in the end, they’ll suffer such heavy losses they’ll be forced to abandon the arms business altogether.”
If the head of Angelos had any sense at all, he’d acknowledge his defeat. No fool so reckless as to persist in the arms trade despite massive losses could possibly hold the position of family head.
In any case, since Ferdia was continuing its arms business anyway, expanding its supply of materials wouldn’t incur any significant loss.
“Yansi. Investigate Angelos’s financial situation.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Carlot. Assist Yansi as well.”
“Yes. I’ll take charge of bidding on the other materials.”
After giving orders to his two sons, Duke Ferdia smiled faintly.
“Then the discussion is concluded.”
His gaze landed squarely on me.
His expression—calm, expectant, as if he’d anticipated this all along—made me uncomfortable, so I quickly looked away.
As I listened to the Duke and the Crown Prince discussing next steps, I suddenly glanced toward Yansi.
His ever-smiling face gave no hint of what he was truly thinking.
“What’s wrong, Lily?”
“Nothing.”
I felt a twinge of guilt—it was my idea, yet I’d presented it as if it were something Yansi might devise in the future.
“Remarkable, Elodie.”
“Thank you…”
Duchess Ferdia praised me with a gentle smile, but I couldn’t return it.
A sudden pang of regret struck me.
‘Did I overdo it…?’
I’d clearly promised to stay within my bounds and never threaten my brothers’ positions—yet I’d eagerly offered a solution as if waiting for the perfect moment.
But if I hadn’t spoken up, countless smaller trading houses might have been wiped out by Angelos’s tyranny.
Time to slip away.
Praying I hadn’t offended the Duchess, I stood up.
“I don’t feel well—I’ll head upstairs now.”
Before anyone could grant permission, I fled the dining hall like I was escaping.
‘Next time, I’ll hold back a little…!’
I resolved firmly as I left.
[This is the timeline separator]As soon as Elodie hastily left the dining hall, the Duchess spoke with concern.
“Oh dear. She left in such a rush—could she really be that unwell? Carlot, would you go after her?”
“M-me? Why would I!”
“Hmm?”
“She’ll manage on her own. I’m not going!”
Since Carlot shouted so vehemently, the Duchess didn’t insist further.
“He’s my son, yet truly hopeless.”
She merely clicked her tongue lightly.
“I apologize for showing such an unbecoming side to Your Highness.”
At the Duchess’s words, Adenmir smiled and shook his head.
“There’s nothing unbecoming about it. On the contrary, I’m astonished. I never imagined my fiancée would be the one to resolve this situation.”
“Lately, our Lily has grown far more thoughtful. With her coming-of-age ceremony soon, she must be trying her best to act like a proper adult.”
“I see.”
Adenmir quietly rolled the small vial in his hand.
‘More thoughtful, is she.’
It was one of the vials he’d spotted earlier on Elodie’s desk.
He hadn’t missed how Elodie subtly shifted her body to block his view the moment he glanced at it.
‘What exactly is she hiding?’
It couldn’t be explained away by mere maturity or newfound wisdom.
Her attitude had flipped completely—as if she were an entirely different person.
Her delicate position within the Ferdia household.
Today’s unexpected display of acumen.
If he could discover what was inside this vial, he might uncover a piece of what Elodie was concealing.
It felt less like deduction and more like instinct.
[This is the timeline separator]Rodrigo Angelos.
As head of House Angelos, he was a man brimming with ambition.
Born into one of the Four Great Houses, he was the heir apparent and possessed sharp instincts.
Rodrigo Angelos had only one goal:
To crush every other house and raise Angelos to supremacy.
And the greatest obstacle to that plan was indisputably Sylvester Ferdia.
‘Damn that bastard.’
Duke Angelos loathed Duke Ferdia intensely.
His reasons were many.
First, he detested Ferdia’s arrogance—acting as if he were above everyone else.
Second, having been constantly compared to Ferdia throughout his life simply because they were from the same tier of nobility and the same age made his teeth grind.
Third, despite being the same age, Ferdia maintained a youthful, strikingly handsome appearance that drew endless admiration—something Rodrigo found utterly repulsive.
Fourth, Yansi Ferdia, that man’s son, was another thorn in his side.
Fifth, Ferdia’s control over the underworld continually sabotaged his business ventures.
In fact, if asked to list all the reasons he despised Duke Ferdia, Rodrigo could deliver a speech lasting days without sleep.
Thus, he had devised an ambitious plan to force Ferdia out of one of their major enterprises.
“For someone to conceive such a strategy—truly, he’s no ordinary man.”
Thinking of the advisor who’d suggested this approach, Duke Angelos leisurely savored his favorite wine.
He’d bought every mana stone mine; Ferdia couldn’t possibly endure this pressure.
Even self-sufficiency had its limits—buried resources would eventually run out.
Producing magical armor required vast quantities of mana stones, far beyond what Ferdia’s own mines could supply.
To fulfill their royal quota, they needed a steady flow of materials—and that was now physically impossible.
He couldn’t rule out the possibility of opening foreign trade routes, but factoring in the tariffs on imported goods, it would ultimately be unprofitable.
Just then, his advisor entered the study to deliver a report.
“Your Grace. The auctions are complete. It was close, but we’ve issued promissory notes and paid the full amount.”
“Hmm. Then all that remains is to wait.”
This was merely the beginning.
The arms supply contract was Ferdia’s largest publicly known enterprise—their dominance in the underworld notwithstanding.
Forcing them out of just one business wouldn’t topple them. But Rodrigo’s plan looked far beyond the immediate future.
His ambition was clear:
The downfall of House Ferdia.
Piece by piece, he would dismantle them—until Angelos devoured Ferdia whole.
[This is the timeline separator]Duke Ferdia’s study.
The Duke sat at his desk, facing his two sons, who stood ready to report.
“Report.”
“Yes. Just as Lily said—Angelos has pooled all their funds to purchase the mana stone mines.”
As soon as Yansi finished, Carlot spoke up.
“We’ve acquired all the mines in the Bruman region and secured every supplier of other materials.”
“Those are precisely the materials Angelos lacks reliable sources for—exactly as Lily predicted.”
Hearing this, the Duke gave a calm nod.
“Begin.”
It was time for Angelos to pay the price for daring to challenge Ferdia.
.
.
.
Several days later, at the Angelos manor in the capital.
The advisor burst into the Duke’s study, breathless and panicked.
“Your Grace, Ferdia has—!”
“Oh! Ferdia! Have they finally withdrawn from the arms business?”
Duke Angelos, who had been eagerly awaiting news of Ferdia’s failure, leapt to his feet with a broad grin.
But the advisor’s expression was anything but triumphant.
“N-no, Your Grace.”
“Then what?”
“Ferdia has bought every mine in the Bruman region—and cut off all our other material suppliers! Now, we have nowhere else to turn but to them!”
“……!”
Duke Angelos’s eyes widened in shock.
Damn it.
‘I’ve been outmaneuvered.’
The realization flooded his mind instantly.
Duke Ferdia had turned his own tactic against him—perfectly, ruthlessly.
He hadn’t seen it coming at all. He’d thought his plan was flawless.
His mind raced.
Delaying would only deepen his losses.
If Ferdia monopolized the other materials, they’d surely sell them back at exorbitant prices.
Withdrawing from the business before losses grew further was clearly the wisest choice.
Yet fury surged uncontrollably within him.
As Duke Angelos struggled to suppress his rage,
knock knock—
someone rapped lightly on the already-open study door.
“You’ve come at just the right moment.”
“Sylvester…”
The visit had been so silent no one in the manor could have noticed.
After all, no one here possessed the skill to detect Sylvester Ferdia’s presence.
Duke Ferdia asked coolly,
“How do you like my gift?”
“Hah. Utterly petty. I never expected you’d stoop to this.”
“I hardly thought you’d demand justice from Ferdia. But ‘petty’ coming from Rodrigo? Is that your new self-introduction?”
“……I merely sought fair competition in business.”
“Fairness. A word I find rather distant from myself, I’m afraid.”
Duke Angelos barely contained his anger at Ferdia’s deliberately provoking words.
He could now guess how things had unfolded.
He knew Yansi, Ferdia’s eldest son, was clever—but he hadn’t expected him to devise a countermeasure so swiftly.
“It must’ve been that wretched Yansi Ferdia who came up with this scheme…”
“You’re mistaken, Rodrigo.”
“What? If not Yansi Ferdia, then—”
“Who knows.”
Not him?
Then who?
‘I’ll have to find out.’
This wasn’t something he could dismiss lightly. It meant a new talent capable of challenging House Ferdia had emerged.
Duke Ferdia turned and left without caring whether Angelos looked puzzled or not.
It felt rather satisfying to watch that usually composed face crumple in frustration.
“I’ll have to give my daughter a proper reward.”
Regardless of what anyone said, the true hero of this affair was his youngest daughter, Elodie Ferdia.
The Duke quickened his pace slightly.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (54)
I felt that the duke didn’t hate her, but that doesn’t mean he was right. Poor Lily, everyone ignored her and she was banished to the annex, even though she thought they were her family and hoped to receive love and praise from them.
But all she got was indifference and hurtful looks, even if they didn’t mean it, and her brother’s complaints and insults. I wish she would be loved and receive love and praise; she deserves it, Lily 🥺💗
Lily is so kind-hearted, she’s truly sweet. Why are the Duke and Duchess doing this? Don’t they know he doesn’t have good control over his powers?
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Miioo
Yes, yes, you should reward her well. Lily is very smart. I hope Yancy doesn’t try to kill her.