The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 43

The real cleanup of the storage room had begun.

The kids changed into clothes they could get dirty and tied scarves around their heads to keep the dust off their hair.

They even covered their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs, just to be safe.

“Nini looks like a thief!”

Nivellia was clearly thrilled with her outfit and called out proudly, posing for Soles and Aref to admire her.

“Alright, you kids check down low. Muniel and I will take the upper shelves. Be careful—don’t knock anything over.”

“Let’s race! Whoever finds more stuff wins!”

Nivellia, full of energy, threw out the challenge.

“Let’s take it slow and safe instead. We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“Okay!”

And so, the cleanup began.

Inside the storage room were all kinds of strange and interesting things:

Old books and unrecognizable paintings.

Cracked dishes and tarnished silver candlesticks.

Creepy porcelain dolls that looked like they might walk at night, delicate cloths, and odd chunks of metal.

“Woooow…”

Nivellia couldn’t stop looking around.

The room felt like a museum. She never imagined their house had so many fascinating things.

To her, everything looked like treasure.

Maybe that’s why—

“How much do you think this is worth?”

“Hmm… not sure.”

“Do you think it could buy ten loaves of bread?”

Their conversation took a very money-focused turn.

“I bet this painting is super valuable. Maybe the artist sold his soul to paint a masterpiece like this.”

“Nini wants this! Look, look! It’s a diamond!”

“I think that sword hanging over there looks expensive. I heard some knights’ swords cost more than a house!”

Before long, the cleanup turned into a game: Who can find the most valuable treasure?

Every time one of them talked, their handkerchiefs flapped from their breath.

Muniel and Ardores exchanged a quiet smile.

“As long as they’re having fun, that’s what matters.”

“Yeah. That’s all we really wanted anyway.”

The cleanup had been just an excuse to play with the kids from the start.

Watching them laugh and explore together like this made it feel like it would be a good, peaceful day.

“Huh?”

Something caught Nivellia’s eye.

There, on the floor, was a coin.

“It’s money!”

Not just any coin—a beautiful gold piece, finely engraved.

On one side was a woman’s face. The other side had an inscription.

“This is written in ancient script,” Soles said.

“Ancient script?”

“It’s the language people used a long time ago. But the coin’s too clean to be really old.”

“……”

Aref stared at the woman on the coin for a while, then looked up at Muniel.

“…She looks like the Saint.”

Muniel smiled gently, as if he’d guessed right.

What Nivellia had found was a commemorative coin made about 40 years ago, to honor Saint Muniel, who led the human side to victory in the Krepata War, when the monsters were finally driven out.

“This brings back memories,” Muniel said, turning the coin over in her hand.

“The ones who made this… I should’ve found every last one and—”

“Ahem!”

Ardores cut in with a loud, pointed cough, like a warning roar.

Realizing her slip, Muniel quickly changed her words.

“…I gave them a very stern talking-to.”

“Why?” Aref asked.

In kindergarten, they had learned that having your face on a gold coin meant you’d done something truly great.

So why would she scold the people who made it?

“It’s because so many people were suffering from the war. Spending money on something unnecessary like this was wrong.”

The Krepata War—

Some called it the War of Monsters. Others called it the End of the World.

It was a time when humanity thought it might all be over. They stood their ground and fought the monsters with everything they had.

In the end, after a long and brutal struggle, they won—thanks to the heroes who led them, including Saint Muniel.

But there was no time to enjoy the victory.

Those who survived had to rebuild a broken world.

Money was tight. Every coin mattered.

And then, someone went and made gold coins like this?

“I begged the ones responsible to bury those coins. I asked them—please, never make something like this again.”

Don’t turn me into your political shield. If you want to make me the face of your next war, I’ll gladly oblige.

…On second thought, maybe drowning them would’ve been cleaner than burying them.

In the end, thanks to Muniel’s insistence, the coins were all recalled.

They were melted down and used to build shelters for orphans and the elderly.

“One of those buildings became what is now the Capital’s Central Hospital.”

Today, that hospital—known as the best and biggest in the Dramenor Empire—paid monthly rent to the Deiamor family.

That was the kind of person Muniel Deiamor was.

“Wow!”

The kids clapped and cheered at her story.

“……”

Ardores stood silently, thinking back to that time.

She really gave them a beating…

He remembered how much blood had been spilled by those corrupt men—under a name they tried to use like a shield.

Looking back now, it was clear: that was when Muniel had become truly human.

“Grandma,” Nivellia asked, holding the coin up again, “Can I keep this?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe! It’s Mommy’s face!”

Nivellia held the coin tightly in both hands.

“That’s not Mom—it’s Grandma,” Soles corrected her, thinking she’d mixed them up again.

“…….”

But Nivellia didn’t respond. Instead, she glanced at Muniel out of the corner of her eye.

When their eyes met, Muniel winked and raised a finger to her lips.

Nivellia closed both eyes tightly in reply. She still wasn’t used to winking with just one.

The storage room cleanup continued.

This time, they didn’t play around. The kids worked seriously, checking where things were and helping move them.

Nivellia worked hard too—sorting and wiping down items.

Eventually, they uncovered a tent for outdoor use, folding chairs, and tools for grilling meat.

They carried everything out to the garden, dusted them off, and washed them clean with water.

To avoid getting wet, Nivellia hid behind Ardores’ broad back and just watched.

“Phew…”

With her forehead dotted with sweat, Nivellia wiped it off dramatically with the back of her hand.

Then, she stretched out her arms and legs like a cat.

“We’re done!”

“…….”

“We’re done! Say it!”

“D-done…!”

Aref copied her, stretching his arms up high.

“That was fun! Can we clean the storage room again sometime?”

Soles had clearly enjoyed exploring and asked Ardores if they could do it again later.

Ardores agreed without hesitation.

His grandson’s interest in learning about the family’s history filled him with pride. He wrapped Soles in a strong, affectionate hug.

“Me too! Hug me too!”

Nivellia, who had run over without missing a beat, hopped up and demanded her turn.

Ardores lifted her into the air and hugged her tight. Her joyful squeal rang out high and clear.

Finally, Aref, who’d been quietly waiting nearby, got a warm hug too.

Muniel watched her husband, who had become a true “grandpa” to the children, with fondness in her eyes.

But a thought quietly crossed her mind.

…I put the rest of the gold coins in a box.

She had gathered every commemorative coin with her face on it.

No way I was going to leave something that embarrassing lying around.

Most of the coins had been melted down and turned into regular currency, but Ardores had insisted on keeping a few “for memory’s sake” and stored them in a box in the storage room.

And yet… one had gotten out.

“…….”

Muniel’s sharp blue eyes turned toward the house.

Eyes sharpened by years of experience narrowed as she traced the path of a certain something hidden in the shadows.

That lizard…

How should I deal with her?

“…So, as you instructed, I informed Count Petra’s heir about the mining investment opportunity in the Kingdom of Phroc.”

“…….”

Della quietly listened to the concise report and carefully reviewed the details on the document in front of her.

“Well done.”

She took off her glasses and gave the agent a small nod of praise.

“Continue as planned. If there are any further requests—”

“…….”

“Delrac?”

The agent, currently working under the name Delrac as the head of the information guild, looked uneasy.

Della waited patiently.

“It’s just… honestly, I’m a little scared.”

Her brows tightened slightly.

“Is it about that girl?”

He didn’t deny it.

He took a slow, shaky breath.

“Ma’am… what I’m about to say might be inappropriate, considering my position in the information trade.”

A bead of sweat trickled down the face of the man widely regarded as the most handsome member of the guild.

“…They say fear comes from ignorance. That’s the motto carved into the heart of every information broker.”

“Yes. And it’s with that belief I built this guild.”

In her younger years, Della had deeply regretted the lack of education she’d received. Now, she held nearly every secret in the Dramenor Empire in the palm of her hand.

The agent hesitated again.

“But that girl… Rima…”

Della knew exactly what he was about to say.

In this business, they had seen it all.

Clients came for all sorts of reasons—digging into political rivals, uncovering marital affairs, tracking hidden family scandals.

They accepted every job, and with each one, they collected not just information—but people’s secrets.

There were no exceptions.

And that included their newest client, who had recently entered the guild’s network.

But the more they looked into her, the more unsettled the agent became.

“Rima knows too much.”

The girl Della had brought in herself.

Small, delicate, with that vivid pink hair that stood out.

She spoke of confidential information that even seasoned brokers had risked everything to uncover—yet she recited it casually, as if talking about the neighbors’ marital issues.

The Phroc Kingdom’s mining project, the Petra family’s succession secrets, even the location of the black dragon Ather’s egg.

“But…”

The agent shivered slightly, unable to hide it.

“When you look at her background—what she’s done, where she’s been…”

“She knows things she has no way of knowing?”

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