The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 36

“Wait, is that… the inheritance dispute? The one from the newspaper?”

Rubens remembered a recent headline. Al gave a knowing smile.

“Yeah. Count Petra’s been bedridden lately, right? So, the fight for succession is getting more intense. The bank’s at the center of it all.”

As Al explained, Nivellia and Aref both nodded.

“So…,” Aref began, trying to confirm he’d understood,
“There’s someone named Count Petra, and his children are fighting over who gets the bank?”

“That’s right. You got it,” Al said, impressed.

“Why are they fighting?”

“What do you think?” Al asked.

Aref paused to think again.

“…Because the bank controls money, and they’re greedy for it?”

“Not wrong. A bank is pretty much money itself.”

“And if they get the Petra Bank, that means… they become the next heir?”

“Exactly.”

Al stared at Aref with mild surprise.

He’s smarter than I thought.

For a child who likely didn’t receive proper education at the orphanage, being able to follow their conversation and draw that conclusion was impressive.

“Nini too! Me too!”

Nivellia raised her hand high.

“If you get the bank, you become the boss! That’s why they’re fighting!”

“Haha! Nini’s explanation is the most accurate!”

Nivellia puffed up proudly at Al’s praise.

The Petra family had run banks for generations. Their wealth, honor, and even their noble title had all come from that business.

So Petra Bank wasn’t just a business.

Whoever inherited the bank became the next Count Petra.

But just before the date the heir was supposed to be announced, Count Petra suddenly became bedridden.

The leading rumor blamed old age, but no one knew for sure.

“The Petra family has a daughter and a son. They’re both adults and have their own families,” Rubens added.

“So now they’re trying to win support from other nobles to claim the bank.”

“Oh, is that like a… an alliance?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“They shouldn’t fight…” Nivellia sighed heavily.

She had learned in kindergarten that when people fight, they stop saying what they truly want, and in the end, they don’t even know what they were trying to say. They only end up hurting.

And if someone else got hurt in the process, things could escalate into a lawsuit.

If it got really bad, it could even ruin their whole family.

“Aren’t they scared of the law?”

“Nini, you’ve gotten so smart in such a short time,” Al said, impressed by her insight.

“I go to kindergarten. All children should study, right?”

“Hahaha! Nini, you’re a fantastic kid.”

“Say more nice things about me.”

“Pfft—!”

Al finally burst out laughing and rolled onto the floor.

That brought their discussion about Petra Bank to an end.

Just as they were about to switch to a different toy, Deter returned with a tray of chocolate cookies and warm milk.

“The cookies are ready!”

“Deter, is the milk cold?”

“It’s lukewarm.”

“Hmph…”

It was a hot day, and Nivellia had secretly hoped for something chilled.

“Well… actually, warm milk is better for cookies. Makes them soft and gooey!”

Nivellia broke a cookie in half and offered the bigger piece to Aref.

“Here!”

Aref broke his cookie too and gave the biggest piece to Nivellia.

Rubens, watching the exchange, asked curiously,

“What was that about?”

“We’re sharing! Isn’t it cool?”

“You two are really close now, huh? Soles is going to be jealous.”

“You should share with us too.”

Nivellia dunked her cookie into her milk, letting it soak.

As she did, something popped into her head.

“Hey, uh… that… um…”

The boys watched her dunk the cookie, heads tilted in confusion.

“Nino, Nima… Imma?”

“‘Imma?’” Rubens repeated her strange pronunciation.

“Do you mean Lima?”

“Yeah! That’s it!”

Nivellia nodded enthusiastically.

“Where is she? Did she die?”

“No, she’s not dead. Lima’s grounded. She’s not allowed to leave her room.”

“Did she hit someone?” Aref asked, catching Nivellia’s soggy cookie before it fell apart.

Rubens shook his head.

“No, not that. A while ago, she ran errands and then wandered off by herself. When she got caught, she blamed it on a maid and lied about it.”

“But Aref,” Al chimed in, turning to him with a question.

“Why did you think Rima hit someone?”

“……”

Aref didn’t answer. He just took a big bite out of his cookie.

Al didn’t ask again.

As Nivellia slowly chewed her damp cookie, she kept her eyes fixed on Aref.

“……”

Rima sighed deeply, staring at her closed bedroom door.

She was under punishment — no going outside.

Tracking down the information broker had gone well.

Though she hadn’t had any money, she managed to trade valuable intel — that the egg of the evil dragon Ather was in the hands of the Mercenary King — in exchange for a request.

The trouble started after that.

When she came back outside, the De Gladius estate staff were already out searching for her.

Once home, Rima was scolded severely by the head maid.

“I told you countless times to stay with the adults! You can’t just wander off on your own!”

“B-but…”

The head maid, who had always looked at her kindly, raised her voice for the first time. Feeling wronged, Rima blamed everything on the maid who had accompanied her.

“I was being good! It was the maid who suddenly disappeared…”

“Yeah, and I got scared…”

But Rima’s lie didn’t last long.

The servants searching the plaza had already heard from shopkeepers and customers.

They all said the same thing: that Rima had been causing trouble, throwing a tantrum, and then storming off by herself.

So much for “being well-behaved.”

In the end, Duke Kallaroff De Gladius placed Rima under strict punishment: grounding and no outings.

Later, Rima cried and apologized, but Kallaroff had only responded more firmly:

“The first person you owe an apology to isn’t me. It’s Comen — the one who worried about you the most.”

“C-Comen…?”

“I thought you were close to the maids, yet you don’t even remember the name of the one who went out with you?”

“B-but I’m only seven…!”

“……”

Rima would never forget the look on Kallaroff’s face.

The deep disappointment in his eyes.

His lips pressed into a thin, grim line.

“…This isn’t fair.”

Rima bit down on her thumbnail.

“In stories, when a kid disappears, people always say ‘it’s okay, it’s not your fault.’ So why am I the only one being scolded? Getting lost at the plaza is practically a classic plot point!”

Her anger spilled out in bitter muttering.

“And that maid — she was selfish. She could’ve just taken the blame. It wasn’t a big deal…”

She thought about how the maid had just stood there, crying silently. That only annoyed her more.

“She didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to get in trouble. An adult hiding behind a kid to dodge punishment? That’s just pathetic.”

That’s why she was just a maid — Rima decided.

“Once they find out I’m the Duke’s daughter, I’ll have her thrown out without hesitation.”

Just then—

Kyaa~!

A child’s laughter echoed brightly down the hall.

Rima quietly opened her door.

Though she was grounded, her door wasn’t locked.

The punishment was meant to encourage self-reflection — it relied on her conscience.

She was free to move if she really wanted to.

Peeking out, Rima’s eyes widened.

Someone stood at the end of the hallway.

She first noticed the black hair — Al and Rubens.

And between them, a shining head of golden hair.

“Le■ came to see me!”

Rima couldn’t help but smile widely.

Since Le■ had gone to the Deiamor estate, she hadn’t heard anything.

Even when she asked Al and Rubens, they only said, “He’s doing well.”

He’s taller now… maybe gained a little weight? Still has those killer eyes, but that touch of childishness — that’s the charm…

Grinning, Rima peeked through the narrow opening in the door.

But her smile slowly faded.

“……”

Because what she saw was a head full of silver hair.

Soft and fluffy like cotton candy, swaying gently with laughter.

It was the same laughter she’d just heard from her room.

“Do it again! Bounce it again!”

“Okay! This time I’ll bounce it off my knees, then hit it with my forehead!”

Rubens bounced the ball off his knees, then gently popped it up and bounced it off his forehead.

The children clapped and cheered.

“I wanna try!”

The silver-haired girl reached for the ball.

She caught it and looked around, then pointed outside.

“Let’s go play outside!”

“Great! Let’s make it a game! Teams — whoever kicks it farthest wins!”

“I want to be on Aref’s team!”

“Miss, please hold my hand while we go down the stairs—”

“Step by step, nice and slow~!”

“Haha! What song is that?”

“I learned it at kindergarten! Didn’t you go, Al?”

The kids quickly disappeared from sight.

Moments later, creak — a door opened gently.

“……”

Rima stood still in the now-silent hallway.

“Miss Rima.”

Startled, she turned around.

Shhh.

A maid she didn’t recognize held a finger to her lips.

“I bring a letter from Lord Delrac.”

She held out a black envelope.

It was the result of the request Rima had made.

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