The Female Lead Takes Care of Everything - Chapter 67

“I—I heard about it a few times too. The young lady talked about it,” Aref said, backing her up.

Only then did Leticia breathe a small sigh of relief and smile.

“I only have older sisters, so I really like Nini. She’s my little sister now. Thanks to her, I get to be an unnie. She’s so cute.”

“Nini’s always cute,” Nivellia replied, chewing a cookie soaked in milk.

Leticia laughed out loud.

“I like that confidence too!”

After their snacks, the children exchanged the gifts they had brought.

“This one’s a lucky charm shaped like a horse. They say it brings good fortune.”

“But Nini’s already happy. Can I get even happier?”

“Of course! You totally can!”

“Waaah…!”

Nivellia, thrilled by the gift, threw her arms around Leticia.

“Thank you! I love it!”

Leticia had brought something for Aref as well.

Aref hadn’t expected anything, so he hesitated for a moment before softly saying, “Thank you.”

Then Soles gave Leticia her gift on behalf of all of them.

It was a white headband decorated with a small yellow gem.

As soon as she saw it, Leticia took off her current headband and, with Deter’s help, put the new one on.

“H-how do I look?” she asked, her voice full of anticipation.

“It’s pretty!” Nivellia said immediately.

“It really suits you,” Aref added.

“…You look like a flower,” Soles said in a quieter tone than usual.

“It’s like a flower is blooming right on your head, Leti. I think whenever I see daisies at night, I’ll think of you.”

Deter, who was clearing the gift boxes in the background, quietly admired the moment.

‘Our young master sure knows how to talk…’

Leticia seemed more than pleased with the compliment. She swayed gently in place, beaming with joy.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Leticia said, suddenly remembering something.

“On the way here, I saw the Pelea Trading Company.”

Nivellia’s eyes sparkled.

“The Pelea Trading Company is yours, right, Nini? I was so surprised when I heard!”

“Yup! It’s mine!”

“That’s amazing. You’re only four, and you’re already the leader of a whole company?”

“Hehe!”

“I’m the older one, but now I feel like I should show you something cool too…”

“You’re already cool, Leti.”

Nivellia really liked Leticia. Her kindness was different from Soles’s—it was soft, warm, and comforting.

“Thanks,” Leticia said, blushing slightly.

“Did you happen to see my aunt? She has short red hair,” Soles asked.

Armiphera had said she would escort the trading company to the gates of the capital—but it had been a week, and she still hadn’t returned. In reality, she had just left with them.

She’d tied a small note to the ribbon of the dragon Ather. It said:

[Since I came all this way, I’ll just go to Latro with them.]

That one sentence was her farewell message.

The family’s reaction? As expected: “Of course she did.”

Only Nivellia felt a little sad. She hadn’t even had the chance to say goodbye to her aunt.

Still, Armiphera had said she’d come back, so Nivellia waited patiently.

As for Ather, the so-called “wicked dragon,” he was still staying at the Deiamor estate.

“I couldn’t ignore the request to keep an eye on a certain troublemaker. Besides, I have a lot to discuss with the saint. By the way, that new dress you showed me last time—do you have it in purple?”

Truthfully, it seemed Armiphera had grown very fond of the clothes and accessories at the estate and had no real intention of leaving anytime soon.

“You mean Lady Armiphera?” Leticia nodded.

“She said I don’t look anything like my father—and that was a compliment. My father didn’t look too happy about it, though.”

In fact, Leticia resembled her mother more than her father.

“Oh, and she gave me this weird dark honey thing to eat.”

“Was it good?” Nivellia asked.

“It was bitter at first, but then it started to taste really good.”

Leticia shared one more thing.

“They say this winter is going to be really cold.”

That was what Baron Pretto had told his wife after he returned from meeting the Pelea Trading Company.

“The western winds are oddly calm this year. When that happens, the winters are usually much harsher. That’s what Lady Deiamor said.”

“That’s serious… We might face problems with food and firewood again…”

“We should notify the estate and make preparations—check the storage, stock up supplies…”

News that this winter would be colder than usual began to spread quickly.

To prepare for the harsh winter, many people were already moving busily.

Rubeo was no exception.

“This year, we’ll need to start selling heating products earlier than usual. We should secure enough stock and also limit the number of items per person.”

As Celletina gave her instructions, Rubeo’s staff quickly jotted them down.

“What’s the status on the duck-feather coats?”

“They were successfully delivered two days ago. But we’ve been told no additional orders can be fulfilled.”

“There are reports of intruders in the Northern Sea preservation area. The palace will be issuing an official statement and launching an investigation soon…”

“We should also schedule additional safety checks for our buildings. If heavy snow hits, we need to be prepared—especially the roofs…”

After the meeting ended, Celletina remained alone in the conference room.

As she reviewed the meeting notes, checking for any overlooked issues, the door quietly opened.

“Director.”

Her secretary had returned.

She looked up with a silent question in her eyes.

“There’s a visitor,” the secretary said.

“Not someone on the appointment list, but…”

“Then why didn’t you turn them away?”

“They left a message: they said they can secure a supply of Perennial Snow Duck feathers.”

Celletina’s eyes narrowed slightly.

When she arrived at the reception room, she found a man pacing restlessly and peeking around the space.

The moment he saw her, he broke into a flashy smile and extended his hand.

“Ah, what a pleasure! Just as I’d heard—such a beautiful—”

“What brings you here?” Celletina asked coldly, completely ignoring his hand as she took the head seat.

The man’s expression twisted for a second, clearly offended, but he quickly covered it with another polite smile.

“This is something important. I promise you, once you hear me out, you won’t regret it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Celletina replied flatly.

She glanced at her secretary, who moved to stand just behind her.

The man’s eyes flicked to the tall, broad-shouldered figure behind Celletina, and he nervously swallowed.

“I have another appointment, so let’s get to the point. Why did you come to see me?”

“R-right. Of course,” the man said, now sounding slightly deflated.

“It’s about coats made from Perennial Snow Duck feathers.”

He opened the case he had brought, revealing a coat.

Celletina reached out and ran her fingers over the fabric. Then, with careful attention, she inspected it thoroughly.

After a moment, she spoke.

“Feathers from the Perennial Snow Duck are restricted goods.”

Currently, the only estate authorized to handle them was the Frigus territory.

That land, too cold even for farming, had little economic activity—coats made from these feathers were one of the few ways locals could make a living.

Which meant…

“You’ve brought me a counterfeit?”

Celletina wasn’t even angry—just speechless.

It wasn’t just the fake product that stunned her. It was the man’s clueless confidence, as if he truly believed he was doing nothing wrong.

“Rubeo doesn’t deal in counterfeit goods.”

“There’s a difference between how things are said and how they’re meant,” the man said smugly.

“You just told me it was made from Perennial Snow Duck feathers,” she reminded him.

“Yes, but we’ve developed a technology that replicates those feathers. This coat is filled with synthetically duplicated feathers.”

The man looked proud, convinced he had delivered a winning proposal.

But Celletina’s expression only darkened.

‘He keeps changing his story.’

First, he said he could secure a supply of Perennial Snow Duck feathers.

Then, he suddenly pulled out a coat made from them.

And now, he’s casually admitting it’s a fake.

“It’s made using magic-assisted technology. That alone guarantees its safety and performance. Now, even commoners can wear warm coats at a much lower cost.”

As if he were offering some great, noble opportunity.

“If there’s even a single feather from a Perennial Snow Duck in it, then it’s still technically a Perennial Snow Duck feather coat. I’m not lying.”

“……”

“You can’t make money by being too honest. With that kind of naïveté, how are you planning to run a business?”

“……”

Celletina glanced sideways at her secretary.

Her secretary, who had been watching the whole time, clearly shared her thoughts.

That idiot is standing here lecturing the most successful business leader in the Empire about how to run a company.

“I see.”

Celletina cut the man off mid-sentence, her smile cool and composed.

“Well then—good luck with that.”

On your own.

Celletina firmly rejected his offer.

The man left the Rubeo building and threw a bitter glare back at it.

‘Damn it… She’s just lucky, and now she thinks she’s untouchable!’

He gritted his teeth in frustration and, unable to hold it in, leaned forward as if to spit on the ground in front of the building. But when he saw the sharp eyes of Rubeo’s security team watching him closely, he chickened out and quickly slipped into a nearby alley.

Still fuming, he stormed down the alley, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Huh? What—?”

He turned around angrily, only for his eyes to go wide in shock.

Standing there was his client.

A tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low and a white mask covering his eyes.

It was Pelsone.

“Lord Pelsone! What are you doing here?”

“Looks like your entry pitch failed,” Pelsone said calmly.

The color drained from the man’s face.

But Pelsone didn’t scold him.

“Actually, this might be for the best.”

“Huh?”

“We couldn’t possibly hand something this valuable over to them. That coat you’re holding is far too precious for the likes of them.”

“Y-you’re absolutely right!” the man agreed instantly, flashing a wide grin.

Then, with a smug expression, he threw the coat over his shoulders.

“Ahh… Just putting it on and I can already feel the heat. A coat this warm, and they had the nerve to talk about ‘quality’ and ‘authenticity’? Honestly, I don’t think Rubeo’s going to last much longer.”

“Is that so?”

Pelsone simply smiled.

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