Chapter 90 - The Flower of Evil

Tilda, who had entered the Dandolo family as a prospective daughter-in-law, was dissatisfied with everything.

The reason was simple.

It was because the mansion was not hers.

Unable to act like the master of a house that wasn't even hers, Tilda found the place nothing but annoying.

"Mm-hm~."

Yet today, she was sitting on the sofa, humming merrily.

There was only one reason she looked as happy as could be.

It was because of the ring slipped on her finger.

A ring with a band made of glossy silver and a large diamond set in the center.

It was no ordinary diamond.

A red diamond that could only be mined by miners who descended below the boundary of hell in the God's Tomb in the western part of the continent.

Called a Blood Diamond because it had claimed tens of thousands of lives, it was the rarest of rare items that couldn't be obtained simply by having money.

Tilda was absolutely delighted that a rare item others couldn't get their hands on was on her finger.

However, that pleasant smile only lasted for a moment.

"My love, did something good happen?"

As soon as she heard the voice, Tilda's happy time vanished in an instant.

The one who threw cold water on her mood was the young master of the Dandolo mansion, Henri Dandolo.

Her fiancé and the very person who had gifted her this ring.

Tilda turned her head.

A theatrical smile hung on her face.

"I was thinking about you."

"What a coincidence. I was thinking about you too."

Henri laughed joyfully with a clueless expression and kissed Tilda's hand.

He forced his way in and sat right next to Tilda.

Annoyed even by the touch of his clothes against her skin, Tilda subtly pulled away and asked.

"How is business going these days?"

"Business? It's doing great! I heard the dwarves in the West recently discovered a rare earth vein used for magic ingredients. Money will literally pour down from the sky like rain."

Henri clapped his hands and swayed his body as if he were having a great time.

However, what popped out of Tilda's mouth was a sigh.

Henri's smiling face was dyed with bewilderment.

"What's wrong? It's good news, isn't it?"

"It is good. It's obviously good right now. But why can't I see a future for us?"

"You can't see a future? To me, it seems like we're already set to keep succeeding..."

"That's because you're optimistic. I don't see it that way. I feel lost about how we're going to live from now on. Those beasts are still rushing in to snatch away what's mine, aren't they?"

"Are you talking about your brothers?"

Tilda nodded.

"Those two are more vicious than you can imagine. Do you know how much I suffered because of those two men when I was young?"

A surge of emotion welled up within her.

Tilda continued speaking in a voice gripped by passion.

"Those beasts think the reason I came to this family is to use you. They want to turn me into the greatest villainess in the world and then make me into a powerless fool who can't do anything anywhere!"

Tears trickled down from Tilda's eyes.

At that single drop, Henri's heart sank.

"Tilda, my love. Do not be anxious. My love is directed only toward you."

Henri gently held up Tilda's hand.

"Here, look. This diamond. Isn't it your favorite jewel?"

"..."

"I swore when I slipped this onto your finger. That I would make you happier than anyone else in this world. So, there will be no more reason for you to feel so anxious."

"... Really?"

"Of course it's real."

Henri kissed the back of her hand again and spoke softly.

"My love, I would pluck the stars from the sky for you."

Tilda, who had been shedding large tears, finally smiled.

'This idiot is so easy.'

They say all men become simpletons around women, but Henri was especially bad.

Henri as a person was just like that.

Unlike his father, who had expanded through aggressive investments and methods, he was docile and pursued a laid-back approach.

A man with no meticulousness and an impulsive nature.

'But he does have ability.'

Pioneering the western region was also made possible thanks to his impulsive ability.

He was ugly and old, but that one ability alone made him tolerable.

She had to use him at least until he resolved all her headaches.

Just then, a servant walked over and whispered in Tilda's ear.

"The fire-setting was successful."

It was good news.

"Faster than I thought. Understood."

"What's fast?"

Henri asked.

"It's a secret."

"Do we have to keep secrets between fiancés?"

"It has to be a secret. Because I prepared a gift for you."

"Oh, for, for me?"

A smile spread across Henri Dandolo's mouth.

He lightly placed his hand on Tilda's shoulder and said.

"Could you just give me a tiiiny peek... at what that gift for me is?"

Tilda laughed innocently in response.

"No. I'll tell you later, so try to hold back a little for now."

"Aw, you can't even give your fiancé a little peek?"

"I like surprises. If you figure it out, I think I'll be sad because it would feel like my efforts were in vain."

She drooped the corners of her mouth and puffed out her cheeks.

Henri smiled brightly as he looked at that face.

"Alright. I'll pretend not to notice even if I see it, like a blind man with open eyes."

"Pretending not to know means you already know."

"I might not look it, but I'm good at acting."

"What are you saying, hohoho!"

Tilda giggled.

Seeing her fully cheered up, Henri put on a relieved face.

"I'll get going now. It's time for my father-in-law to eat, isn't it?"

"You could just leave it to the maids; isn't it bothersome?"

"I did neglect him while sightseeing in Halim, and he's not just anyone, he's your father, isn't he?"

"Haha, my word. Both my father and I are too undeserving to have a daughter-in-law like you!"

Henri scratched his head and smiled foolishly.

He hummed about what a happy man he was, and Tilda watched him with a soft laugh.

That laughter lasted exactly until she stepped outside and the door closed.

Tilda's face immediately turned ice-cold.

She walked along the red carpet toward the master's room.

As she walked, a maid subtly attached herself to her side.

"His condition?"

"The same as usual."

"Really? Understood. The preparations are complete, right?"

"Yes."

"Give it here."

Tilda took the tray, and the door opened.

"Father, it's Tilda. I'll be coming in."

Tilda entered the master's room.

Inside the master's room, wallpaper detailing the history of the Dandolo family and a rooted family tree stood out.

As a lineage that had been maintained for over 200 years, their pride was equally strong.

The person who expressed that pride the most was Henri's father, Rico Dandolo.

Rico Dandolo was the most aggressive merchant in the history of the Dandolo family.

He jumped into high-risk, high-return businesses to keep Herman Pascal, who was continuing his aggressive expansion, in check.

However, as heavenly luck accompanied his skills, Rico Dandolo's business grew ever larger, allowing him to build his current reputation.

But no matter how much one earned, there was no merchant free from the passage of time.

Rico had become an old man with little of that time left.

He was an old man on the verge of death, lacking the strength to even lift a spoon and merely capable of breathing.

"Hello, Father. How is your body feeling today?"

Tilda asked him.

She knew no answer would return.

Tilda continued talking to herself.

"The weather is sunny today. Taking a brief outing outside might be a nice choice."

"..."

"Of course, with your condition like this, even sitting somewhere is difficult. It's a shame."

"..."

"Still, doesn't it give you strength that your daughter-in-law is talking to you?"

Tilda shoved porridge into Rico's mouth.

"They say a rare earth vein was recently discovered at a place Henri contracted with. The mana resonance is good, so they say we'll be sitting on a pile of money."

"..."

"Isn't it truly amazing? That son you cursed as pathetic trash just a few years ago, lamenting that the Dandolo trading company would fall into ruin if such a guy became the chairman, is now about to bring another renaissance to the Dandolo trading company."

"..."

"Who do you think made your pathetic son that way?"

"..."

"It's none other than me. It's my achievement."

Tilda fell into narcissism and flashed a deep smile.

"I am such an incredible woman."

She pushed the wooden spoon into his mouth.

"I'm not a woman you should treat like a demon who will ruin this trading company."

She stirred the inside of his mouth.

"Everything is mine. The Pascal trading company, the Dandolo trading company, this mansion..."

A bit roughly.

She shoved the wooden spoon deeper into his mouth.

So deep that one would wonder if it should go in this far.

"And even your life, which is no different from a plant's."

Ghk, ghk—.

Rico's complexion grew increasingly pale as he choked.

Tilda wore an amused expression.

Right before he suffocated, Tilda pulled the spoon out.

His blocked breath returned.

"Still, you have to live. It's more beneficial for me if you live a little longer rather than dying right now."

"..."

"They say you need to be alive for me to revise that will you've hidden away. Why did you have to needlessly make secrets and put me through this trouble?"

Tilda stroked the old man's jaw with her finger.

The joy of domination was fleeting.

Tilda's finger stopped.

"Oh my?"

Her smiling expression grew cold.

Rico Dandolo, who shouldn't have been able to move a single finger, had moved.

His eyes turned to look at Tilda.

Both his eyes were trembling violently.

They were not just trembling, but had become so bloodshot that he looked like a vengeful ghost.

Killing intent.

A hatred hard to believe could come from a mute old man was directed at Tilda.

Tilda looked down at those pupils and muttered coldly.

"I suppose the medicine was a bit lacking..."

Tilda quietly took out a small medicine vial from her bosom and dripped one more drop into the porridge.

Without even mixing it, she scooped it up and put it in Rico Dandolo's mouth.

The strength drained from Rico Dandolo's eyes again.

Once more, he became a frail old man capable only of breathing.

"Rest, Father. You don't have much time left anyway."

Tilda smiled brightly again and whispered into the ear of the vegetative Rico Dandolo.

"When you pass away, I will send your son along with you so you won't be lonely."

With that, Tilda picked up the empty porridge bowl and stepped outside.

The mansion's servants were standing in front of her.

"Are you sure the blame has been properly pinned on Muchit's mercenary company?"

Tilda asked as she handed over the porridge tray.

"Yes. Muchit went to Valdrova Castle late at night to talk with Stephan, but he returned after just two hours."

"Sending him back late at night... It seems their talk definitely didn't go well."

Tilda smiled in amusement.

"Now we just have to blow them up one by one. One by one."

"That is correct."

"Proceed with it. Let's make everything ours."

"Yes."

The servants moved busily.

The plan had begun.

'Now everything will fall into my hands.'

Muchit Pascal and Stephan Pascal.

They were blood relatives, but to Tilda, who wanted to possess the Pascal trading company, they were nothing more and nothing less than obstacles.

Tilda raised her hand and held it up to the light.

The elegantly cut Blood Diamond shone beautifully.

"It would be truly perfect if not for the fact that it's an engagement ring."

Even as she voiced such a regret, she was joyful.

Because the title of engagement was fleeting, but the beauty of a diamond would last forever.

* * *

Muchit returned that very day.

It was late at night, but not offering him a place to stay was no different from being turned away at the door.

From that, the public could guess that the discord between Muchit and Stephan had deepened.

Afterward, Muchit showed signs of separating and becoming independent.

Muchit prepared to transfer all the businesses he had run under the mercenary company and separate them.

It was a deliberate move to force him to act openly, and he fell for it exactly as intended.

Herman Pascal had made his move.

Knowing that power must not be divided, he attempted to thwart Muchit's bid for independence, and at the same time, he tried to be reappointed as a director to drive Stephan out.

'This was in Stephan's expected scenarios.'

Herman didn't know what was happening.

He only knew that the two brothers had fought, and that a split was occurring as a result.

The best actor is one who barges in knowing absolutely nothing.

Herman became a crucial role in erasing everyone's suspicions.

The father, Herman Pascal.

The older brother, Muchit Pascal.

And himself, Stephan Pascal.

A three-way struggle between the three men had begun under the name of the Pascal trading company.

They made her believe that everything was moving according to Tilda's plan.

It was while he was thinking that.

"Regent."

Isabella entered Ferda's office.

In her hand was not the usual mountain of paperwork, but a single thin handkerchief.

"One of the carpenters reportedly found it while organizing construction materials. Since he doesn't know how to read, he brought it to me..."

What Isabella handed over was a neatly folded black scarf.

When she unfolded it, writing was scrawled inside in frighteningly red blood.

'No, it's not blood, but dye.'

If it were blood, it wouldn't stay this bright red.

It didn't matter whether it was blood or dye.

There was only one group Ferda knew of that wrote with red dye on a black scarf.

'Black Bandana.'

A secret organization whose reach extended across the entire Serdes Continent.

It was an underground organization that operated under the provocative slogan, 'There is nothing that cannot be found, and nothing that cannot be obtained.'

Befitting such an intelligence organization, the written contents were also provocative.

-To Lord Ferda Valdrova.

-We are aware of the recent events occurring within the Pascal trading company.

-We will come to see you soon.