Chapter 88: The Sacred Day Of Lady Elise (9) |
“This is ridiculous.”
“Oh? What seems to be the problem? Though it’s awkward to say myself, I believe I lack nothing as a woman?”
Helen sincerely believed so.
Though no one was perfect, she considered herself as close to perfection as one could possibly be, to the point where if someone were to choose the most perfect person, they would think of ‘Helen Redrose.’
“Ha… Let’s say, as you mentioned, that Estelle likes me, and you used those feelings to truly become the head student.”
“Indeed.”
“…But why should I help you? Why do I have to help you, even to the point of tormenting Estelle?”
“Ha! Right. I didn’t explain the most important part.”
Flap─
“It’s a check for 200 million Eris. As a down payment.”
“….”
“For the next three years until I graduate. At the start of each semester, 100 million Eris. And an additional 300 million Eris upon graduation. A total of 1 billion Eris. How about that? It’s a groundbreaking offer, isn’t it? There’s only one condition. You officially become my lover.”
“….”
When Helen placed the check on the desk, Ian’s expression changed.
‘Ha, I knew it.’
She wasn’t exactly laughing at Ian.
There was no need to laugh at the obvious.
No matter how much a person talked about friendship and loyalty, when faced with a large sum of money, those insignificant things were quickly forgotten.
“I don’t need it.”
“Oh, you thought it over… What?”
“I said I don’t need it.”
“…Ha…hahaha! You have more nerve than I thought! You think this isn’t enough? You dare to negotiate with Redrose? Fine!”
Scribble!
Helen erased the 2 written on the check, wrote a new 5, and then stamped it.
“The down payment is now 500 million Eris. Of course, other than the down payment, the conditions remain the same as before. But let me tell you, this is the final offer. I absolutely cannot give you more than this.”
“….”
Swoosh─
As Ian picked up the check, the corners of Helen’s mouth lifted.
‘As expected… impossible to refuse.’
The amount was too large to refuse.
Ian had been lightly investigated before coming here, but nothing special was found.
An orphan picked up and raised by the Marigold family. Previous origin unknown.
Became independent about 5 years ago and has been living alone.
Average grades, handsome, and well-built.
‘It seems he managed to seduce notable figures like the runner-up, the mad dog, the saint candidate, and the Second Princess, but… in the end, it’s just a midsummer night’s dream. The moment he graduates, he’ll realize how cold reality is.’
The equality guaranteed by Goddess Elise was only within the confines of the Sacred Academy.
Those foolish girls were blinded by love, believing this moment will last forever, but the moment they graduated and realized the difference in status, Ian would be discarded in an instant.
‘Compared to them, this man, being an orphan, seems to have a sense of reality.’
After graduation, 1.3 billion Eris would be a tremendous help to Ian, who would have nothing left.
‘Well… with that kind of appearance, it’s not bad to keep him as a decoration.’
Of course, there was no intention to spend 1.3 billion just for a simple decoration.
From this moment on, Ian would be used as a tool to tear apart the relationship between the princess and the saint.
Crackle-! Crack-!
“…Eh? You!!…What are you doing right now?!”
“I told you. I don’t need the money.”
“Ha…!! You don’t need money? Then, what do you need? Connections with nobility? A position in the Rose
Commerce? What exactly do you want!!”
Helen shouted.
Even for Helen, there was a limit to how much money she could spend.
Of course, as the heir to the Redrose, she had access to much more money, but this had to end as a ‘romantic affair’.
If it came out that she tried to buy Ian’s love with her own money, she might be seen as a foolish girl attempting to purchase love with money…
However, it would be harder to overlook if she involved funds from the Rose Commerce.
“…I don’t understand. That’s not what I need.”
“Ha!! Don’t make me laugh!! You say you don’t need money or power? Who in this world hates money? In my experience, those who say such things are the ones most obsessed with money.”
Helen, seated in the chair, handed over a newly written check as she spoke.
Scribble─!
“As I said, 500 million Eris was the final condition. This time, I’m offering 400 million as a down payment! If you refuse this time, it will decrease even further!”
“….”
Crackle-! Crack-!
“No! Are you really insane?! It’s 400 million Eris! Do you have any idea how much money that is? Or what? Do you really think you can end up with Estelle? Wake up! Even if the Blackdahlia has fallen, it’s not to the point of being with a commoner who has nothing!”
“…Hey, you’re quite talented.”
Ian, who had been expressionless until now, slightly smiled as he spoke, and Helen twirled her hair around her finger.
‘…Suddenly? A compliment…? Aha~. So, this was your strategy. A bad boy, but warm to his woman. Too bad, your opponent is Helen Redrose.’
Beauty tricks, handsome tricks.
For a merchant, these were the most crucial things to be wary of.
Helen was not a woman to be swayed by mere compliments.
“…Suddenly complimenting doesn’t…”
“You have a talent for making people very angry.”
Startle-!
Helen shivered as she looked at Ian’s face.
‘…What..? Am I… scared? By this man?’
It was unbelievable.
The position of heir to the Redrose was not won in a card game.
Pure achievement.
Helen had secured the position of heir after competing with her brothers from a young age, enduring a cycle of deception and being deceived.
Throughout this process, she had encountered numerous merchants and nobles, sometimes startled by the pressure they exerted…
But it was the first time she felt this way about someone her own age.
‘…Don’t make me laugh!’
Though slightly startled, this was the Sacred Academy, and she was ‘Helen Redrose’.
Unexpectedly, Ian was a man who lived up to his appearance, yet the situation remained unilaterally advantageous to her.
“Phew… I admit it. Honestly, I underestimated you a bit. But you underestimated me too. When it dropped from 500 million to 400 million, you must have thought, if you push a little harder, I would raise it again… No, you’re wrong. This time, it’s 350 million.”
“Hey, because you keep talking nonsense, I’ll tell you straight… I want this, not money.”
“What…?”
Swoosh-
Ian extended his finger.
Following the direction of his fingertip, there was a ‘rose brooch’.
“…Are you in your right mind? Do you know what this ‘rose brooch’ means?”
The ‘rose brooch’ Ian pointed to was not just any brooch.
It was the ‘symbol of the heir to Redrose,’ something whose value was incalculable.
“That was a bad joke. And if it wasn’t a joke, then you’re insane. Just a piece of advice, but you should know that greed can ruin a person.”
“Don’t be mistaken. I wasn’t pointing at the brooch. I was pointing at you.”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
“I want a night with you.”
Upon hearing Ian’s words, Helen tilted her head slightly in confusion before frowning again.
“What do you mean…? Are you aiming to become a son-in-law of the Redrose by any chance? Sorry, but not even if I died and came back to life. The only thing you have going for you is your face…”
“No, it’s purely a physical relationship. Just for one night. Isn’t that manageable?”
“…Are you serious?”
It was incomprehensible.
1.3 billion Eris could afford a stay at the top brothels for several months, living like an emperor.
‘To throw away 1.3 billion Eris just for one night with me?’
Helen didn’t place special significance on virginity.
Rather, she had remained a virgin until now because her desire for ‘appetite’ was much stronger than her ‘sexual desire’, and she judged that the value of ‘Helen Redrose’ as a product would be higher as a virgin.
But…
‘…The benefits from dividing the royal family and the church… and 1.3 billion Eris….’
No matter how she thought about it, the price was more than enough to sell her virginity.
‘Well, it would have happened someday anyway… And he’s not a bad choice for a first partner.’
In terms of looks alone, finding a man on par with Ian would be difficult throughout the empire.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“I haven’t finished stating the conditions yet. You don’t think your one night is worth 1.3 billion Eris, do you?”
“Ha! Tsk… Annoying… Then what is it? Spit it out quickly.”
“Let’s make a bet. Whether I can make you submit to pleasure in one night. Of course, using only the body without any tools or drugs.”
“What, what?! Ple… pleasure? Submission…? Pfft… Huh! Hahahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!!”
“….”
Helen burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
“Hahaha!… Ah… Sorry. It was so funny I couldn’t help but laugh loudly. Please forget it.”
She laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes.
To make someone submit to pleasure in just one night…!!
It was an absurd claim.
‘…Must’ve heard some sweet nothings somewhere.’
Helen, while inexperienced, was not ignorant.
Without the use of drugs, making someone submit through pleasure was impossible.
Especially for a first experience, pain was more likely than pleasure, which she was well aware of.
“…So, are you going to do it or not? Just so you know, if you lose, you’ll have to cough up more than what was mentioned before.”
“Ha!!… Fine, let’s make the bet. If I don’t submit… well, how much could I possibly take from you? Instead, I’ll treat you like a dog until graduation. A dog that barks when I say bark.”
“Okay. Then, we have a deal on these terms?”
Swoosh-
Ian extended his hand as if to shake on it.
“I’m fine with that. We have a deal.”
Helen smirked and shook his hand.
“Let’s set a date then. You should feel honored. A commoner like you could never afford the top suite of the Redrose Hotel in your lifetime… Eh?”
At that moment, Ian pulled Helen into the space between bookshelves.
“What, what are you doing? Let go of this!”
“Enough, just come along. We don’t have time.”
“What are you talking about!!”
“We’re doing it right now.”
“…Excuse me??? What??”
“Sex.”
“?????”
What on earth was this man talking about?
This was the library of the Sacred Academy.
Having relations in a place where anyone could come and go, with no atmosphere…
Was he really planning to take Helen Redrose’s first experience here?
“Turn around.”
“No, wait! This place is… a… library!!”
“…I said turn around.”
“…Eek!!…What are… touching!…Stop… right… ah!”
“There’s someone over there. If you don’t want to get caught, keep quiet.”
“Huk!?….People?!…Where…No…Ah….Just a moment!”
“….”
“……Ah!♥”
“….”
“……!!♥♥”
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