The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 42

“Mother asked us, remember? Not to show it—no matter what.”

Caleo gently wiped away the tear forming in the corner of Celletina’s eye with his thumb.

But he understood. Deeply.

Before Aref had come to live at the Deiamor estate, Muniel had told them what that boy had done—what he had sacrificed to save Nivellia.

“It’s because of him that Nini is alive today.”

“……”

“There’s not much we can do for Aref right now… but even so, he seems genuinely happy.”

The kind of affection and attention most kids receive naturally.

To Aref, even those small things brought joy.

Every time he smiled at such simple warmth, both Caleo and Celletina felt a pang of guilt.

Compared to what you gave up for us… what we’ve done is nothing.

And yet, he’s still so thankful.

“That’s why we have to keep loving and cherishing him—just like we are now. So that he can truly be happy.”

“I will. Always.”

Celletina nodded, her voice steady but full of emotion.

A few days later—

The news hit the papers: the pharmaceutical company jointly founded by the Deiamor family and Rubeo Group was set to launch as early as late autumn.

“The guiding philosophy of our company is ‘Wellness Through Health,’” Celletina said, standing before the gathered reporters.

“Our goal—between Rubeo and the Deiamor family—is to improve access to treatment and continue developing more effective medicine.”

She also announced the company’s commitment to worker safety and well-being through innovative work environments.

“Excuse me, Ma’am!”

One of the reporters raised his hand.

“There was a recent article where Count Petra’s heir mentioned you. Is there any connection between him and this pharmaceutical company—perhaps an investment?”

“No,” Celletina answered clearly, shaking her head.

“Many of us, myself included, are working for the good of the Dramenon Empire and its royal family. Count Petra’s heir is one of those people.”

We are not close.

“Currently, both the Rubeo Group and Deiamor family are focused on the success of this pharmaceutical company. That said, we won’t be neglecting our other business ventures either.”

We don’t have the time—or the interest—to invest elsewhere.

Celletina’s graceful smile and composed tone shut down the speculation with perfect elegance.

The sound of pens scribbling across notebooks filled the room in a frenzy.

Thanks to her precise response, the rumors about the Deiamor and Rubeo families being involved in the Petra succession conflict died down quickly.

“Well, that’s typical of Deiamor. They don’t get tangled in things like that.”

“They never really cared for power in the first place.”

“Which is probably why they ended up with such an amazing daughter-in-law.”

“Deiamor—‘Beloved of God’—has finally received God’s love in return!”

The family’s long-standing history of humility helped, of course.

But much of the praise now circled back to Celletina, who had built up Deiamor’s wealth in such a dignified way.

“She really is my wife,” Caleo grinned, beaming as he looked through a paper full of articles praising her.

“Oh, stop it,” Celletina said, her cheeks turning pink.

“You’re making me blush—first thing in the morning, no less.”

“What’s wrong with that? If anything, it’s something to be proud of.”

Right, kids?

Caleo turned to the children with a bright smile, as if expecting support.

“Father’s right. Mother is incredible.”

“Mom’s the coolest!”

“She’s amazing. Really impressive!”

The children burst into praise as if they’d been waiting for their cue.

Even Ardores joined in with a satisfied chuckle.

“Of course my daughter-in-law’s remarkable. No need to even say it.”

“Father…”

“But I suppose we should stop. At this rate, Sillec’s face will turn redder than a tomato.”

“Poke her cheek, and I bet it’ll sink in,” he added with a teasing grin.

Finally breaking free from the avalanche of compliments, Celletina pressed her flushed cheeks with both hands to cool them down.

Meanwhile, Nivellia, still chewing on her pancake, spotted something red and glossy on the table.

“Grandma, what’s that?”

“This?” Muniel pointed to the jam she was spreading on a piece of sliced bread.

“It’s made from the red berries inside honey clusters, remember?”

“Like Aref’s eyes?”

Aref, who’d been quietly chewing on a carrot, widened his eyes in surprise.

“Haha, yes, that’s right. The jam’s made from those berries.”

“Give me some too!”

“And what do we say to adults when we want something?”

“Pleaseee!”

“There you go.”

Muniel gave her a bite-sized piece of bread with the jam.

Nivellia opened her mouth wide like a baby bird and took the bite.

She started chewing eagerly… then slower… and slower…

Gulp.

“…It tastes bad.”

Her blue eyes shot a betrayed look at Muniel.

“It’s really bad!”

“Yeah, I figured,” Muniel nodded calmly.

Truth was, she hadn’t tasted the jam herself yet.

“It’s actually a kind of medicine. The Grand Witch gave it to me—it’s good for your joints if you take a spoonful now and then.”

“If medicine tastes good, is it even medicine?”

Ardores dipped a spoon into the red jam and spread it on a piece of bread, biting into it without hesitation.

After chewing a few times, Ardores reached for his water and gulped it down.

“…That’s a bitterness that even sugar couldn’t survive.”

Starting with Ardores, the whole family, driven by curiosity, took a spoonful of the jam.

And one by one, they all reached for their glasses of water.

“When I had it in the honey cluster, cough, it didn’t taste this bitter…”

Soles looked like he’d been hit by something.

Back when he’d eaten the red berry raw from the honey cluster the Grand Witch gave them, it had been sweet and tangy—almost addictive.

“Nini just wants the honey cluster… not this,” Nivellia mumbled, quickly stuffing more pancake into her mouth to avoid being offered more jam.

Aref followed suit, filling his cheeks with water again, just in case.

“Don’t worry,” Muniel said gently. “Grandpa and I will take care of the rest.”

Ardores’ eyes went wide.

“…Dear, my joints are just fine.”

“Perfect. All the more reason to keep them that way,” Muniel replied with a cheerful smile. “Better to prevent than to treat later, right?”

Ardores narrowed his eyes at the jam, clearly annoyed.

But no matter how much he hated the taste, he couldn’t bring himself to glare at the woman he loved.

The lively breakfast brought a cheerful energy to the household.

“I’m heading to work,” Celletina said, leaving for Rubeo.

“I’ve got a full day too. See you all at lunch,” Caleo added, heading to his study.

Soles had tutoring in the afternoon, and with the Mage Tower’s kindergarten on summer break, Nivellia and Aref were also staying home.

“Now it’s just the three of us!”

“Actually, it’s five,” Aref corrected.

“Huh?” Nivellia blinked and looked at Muniel and Ardores.

“Neither of you are working? Are you just being lazy today?”

“Lazy?” Muniel smiled and kissed Nivellia’s forehead with a soft smooch.

Nivellia giggled.

“Today, we’ve got work planned for you three.”

“We’re getting ready to go camping!” Ardores announced.

The grandparents led the kids to the storage room.

Inside a tucked-away room on the first floor, they opened the door to reveal stacks of old, unfamiliar items.

“There should be tents and outdoor chairs in here somewhere,” Ardores said as he looked around.

Thanks to the house staff keeping things clean, the room wasn’t dusty or dirty.

But since everything unused had been shoved in here over the years, it was nearly impossible to tell where anything was.

“So today,” Muniel said, “the five of us will search through the storage room and write down what we find.”

“It’s like a treasure hunt!” Nivellia bounced excitedly.

“We did this in kindergarten once—finding hidden treasure!”

“You might actually find something valuable,” Ardores muttered, recalling his own childhood.

“Back when Deiamor was… embarrassingly poor…”

“Dear?” Muniel warned gently.

“Ahem. Anyway, Deiamor wasn’t always like it is now. There were hard times.”

In the Kingdom of Dramenor, there had always been one curious mystery:

How did House Deiamor, with no wealth or power, manage to survive?

They had no real political sway and barely held on through their historical reputation as a founding noble family.

In the records, Deiamor was described as painfully poor—so much so that people joked the name “Deiamor” (meaning “God’s love”) must’ve been ironic.

Today, of course, they were doing well, thanks to Ardores and Muniel’s legacy as war heroes—and Celletina, who built the Rubeo Group on top of that foundation.

But just fifty years ago, when Ardores was a child, the family was so poor they could barely afford a sack of flour.

“…Back then, the adults would dig through the estate’s storage room and find old jewelry or treasures to sell. That’s how they kept the family afloat.”

“So we were poor,” Nivellia said bluntly.

“…Well, what matters is—” Ardores quickly continued, flustered.

“It means there might still be hidden treasures buried around the house.”

Since becoming marquis and marrying Muniel, no new treasures had been discovered—but who knew what was still lying around?

“It sounds like a story from a fairytale!” Soles said, unable to hide his excitement.

“Like a god or fairy left treasure behind to help the good-hearted family!”

“Yeah! It’s a really cool story!” Aref agreed, eyes sparkling.

But Nivellia didn’t look too thrilled.

“What kind of stingy god only leaves one or two treasures?”

Why not just make us rich from the beginning?

“I love that greedy little part of you,” Ardores said warmly, patting her head with a smile.

Just grow up happy and healthy. That’s enough for me.

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