The Hero’s Brother Is Bound To Be Depressed - Chapter 238



239 – Opportunity

I summoned Bella with the intention of attacking the Youssef duchy at any moment, but Bella, who was unable to come to her senses after learning that Lily’s true identity was me, earnestly demanded an explanation of the situation, so I had to go into the lab with Kane.

When we arrived at the reception room guided by the doorkeeper Leo, the waiting maid quickly brought out drinks and dessert. She must have been taking a deep breath, but Bella still hadn’t come to the living room.

I picked up a teacup that looked expensive to anyone and took a sip. It has a unique taste. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but it wasn’t the first time. Without realizing it, I brought the teacup closer to the tip of my nose and smelled it.

My sense of smell traces the memories in my head. I definitely remember drinking it. Maybe this is… .

“…lemon balm tea.”

This was the car Delric gave us when we visited the lighthouse with Navier. The maid seemed to have heard me muttering, and said with a grin.

“you’re right. “This tea is known to have a calming effect on the mind.”

At those words, Kane also picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. I guess frowning doesn’t suit my taste. She felt relieved because she was on her way back from a cafe. In the end, I didn’t touch the dessert.

“sorry. “It was so sudden, I had to calm down for a moment.”

While saying that, Bella sat across from me, and the confusion from before was nowhere to be seen anywhere on her face.

Her hand gestures, facial expressions, and voice are soft, with a softness and ease. Hiding your true feelings, which could be your weakness, and showing false emotions to show to others. It was the appearance of a survivor who had survived a fierce battle for succession.

Kane looked very burdened just by being in the same place as the Crown Princess Bella. She lowered her gaze and kept her mouth shut, as if she had committed a crime.

I turned to Bella and hinted.

“Let’s talk about masks separately between the two of us.”

I had no intention of revealing to Kane that I was Lily. Rolling around in the mud is enough for me alone.

Bella, who is quick-witted, understood what I meant at once and nodded slightly, returning the mask to me.

Bella looked at Kane’s face for a moment with an observational gaze, then shifted her gaze to me. And then the corners of her mouth slightly raise.

“Do you think you desperately need my help? “If only it were so easy to reveal such an important card that had been so hidden.”

I twitched one corner of my mouth at Bella, who was smiling like a snake. Is it a snake’s instinct to bite when it sees an opportunity?

I took a small breath. And he spoke in a low voice.

“I’m giving you a chance to help me specifically.”

I felt Kane sitting next to me flinch at my words. Kane turned his head to the side and looked at me with surprised eyes. Even though she is her brother’s girlfriend, it seems that she cannot understand in her own head that I, a commoner of hers, is being arrogant towards her princess.

Ignoring Kane, who was sweating profusely and looking at me, I kept my eyes fixed on Bella.

Bella looked bewildered at what I said and asked if she had heard correctly.

“It’s an opportunity to help…” ?”

Without a long explanation, I put the lily mask in the space storage. Then, he took out an improved portal prototype and placed it on the table.

Bella’s golden eyes widened slightly when she saw the improved portal. Glancing at me, she carefully reached out her hand and pulled the prototype closer. Checking every inch of her improved portal as if she were handling a valuable item sensitive to human touch, Bella moistened her lips with her pink tongue and asked in a voice full of anticipation.

“Is this… ?”

“This is a prototype that will be presented to the meeting. A product that is at least several times more efficient and cost-effective than before. In particular, there are no environmental restrictions, which was the biggest problem, and as long as there are enough magic stones, it can be used for one-way traffic.”

A minimal explanation will suffice. The most profitable business for the imperial family was the portal. Naturally, they would have acted to gain an advantage over their competitors. In fact, we requested information related to the improved portal from Modest.

I said with a cool smile.

“Are you going to turn down the opportunity to have a positive conversation with me?”

Bella swallowed dry saliva without realizing it and later realized her mistake and cleared her throat slightly.

“Of course I’m happy to help. “The parlor will be open at any time.”

In fact, from the beginning, the plan was to sell the improved portal only to Bella. Even if other nobles bid a price several times higher than Bella’s, they could not let it become an obstacle to Bella’s future as emperor. Still, I’m not just a pushover, but I plan on getting as much as I can.

I nodded to Bella with a satisfied face, then turned my attention to Kane, who was still nervous with a stupid expression on his face.

“If you want to get help from Bella, you need to bring up your story, even if it’s just a little bit. She needs to understand the situation to some extent so she can come up with a good solution… Is that okay?”

This is a story about Kane’s complicated family history. Even if you were a friend, it was a sensitive issue to share with others. When I asked for permission, Kane, who hesitated for a moment, reluctantly nodded his head.

After gathering my thoughts for a moment, I briefly explained the situation to Bella. I have summarized the important parts as much as possible, excluding the mention that Kane stole the root of Calicum from the Pension Department warehouse.

After hearing the explanation, Bella tapped her fingers on the table and slowly opened her mouth.

“I’ll sort it out. The Youssef family used their rights as guardians to force Kane to withdraw from the academy, and they could also secretly use their hands on members of the Messiah Club, of which Ross is the director, right?”

I nodded along with Kane at Bella’s neat tidying up. Bella, lost in her thoughts for a moment, played with her lips and pondered before looking at Kane.

“Even if Kane is an adult, the guardian’s rights cannot be ignored. Since you attend the academy, you are a student. “It is established by law.”

Hearing Bella’s words, Kane lowered his gaze with a gloomy face and bit his lip. Bella smiled at Kane, who slumped her shoulders.

“But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way. rather… “There are so many ways, it’s hard to know which one is better to choose.”

At those words, Kane looked at Bella with a slightly brighter face. Bella smiled comfortably as she leisurely took a sip of the lemon balm tea placed in front of her. Looks like she figured out a way to help.

“Okay, I’ll do it this way. I will put the resignation letter on hold for approval and then secretly destroy it. Then the problem with the letter of resignation is solved. And I’ll send someone separately to Duke Yusef’s house. You will not ignore my warning and move rashly. “Because he has a lot to lose if he turns against the Crown Princess.”

After Bella finished speaking, Kane nodded vigorously with a happy face.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Kane looked at me with shining eyes, but I ignored his gaze and looked at Bella in silence. Bella looked at me with a puzzled look on her face, as if she had a strange feeling about my attitude not changing despite showing her how to do it.

It’s definitely a good method. But I wasn’t satisfied. Because this wasn’t the best thing Bella could have done. She asked, looking straight into her golden eyes that were looking at me.

“… “Do you still not understand why I revealed the cards I had been hiding?”

Even without revealing that she was a lily, she could have received this much help. Bella owed me a personal debt, and I was Roel’s younger brother.

But I deliberately revealed to Bella that I was Lily. It was not something I did impulsively out of anger. Rather, it was a calmly calculated action with a cold head.

“that… .”

I sighed softly as Bella trailed off and pulled the improved portal on the table towards me. Bella’s greedy gaze followed her fingertips like a snake.

“It meant not wasting time chasing illusions and focusing entirely on the real thing.”

If I had kept the fact that I was a lily a secret, I would have had a huge advantage in future transactions. Because it was I who had the treasure that everyone wanted, an improved portal.

Understanding the intentions of an unknown person is a task that consumes enormous mental power. Even if you just have a conversation, you have to constantly guess whether you will hurt the other person’s feelings, or what answer the other person wants by observing their feelings.

If it was the Bella I knew, she would definitely have tried to win my favor by giving me all kinds of bribes and promising various benefits. Because I was the one who had the final say in the deal.

However, if I acted like that only for the immediate benefit, Bella would either blow up Modest’s building after the whole deal was over or try to kill me in some way, even if it meant using the Imperial Knights.

You can be sure. Because I know her personality and setting better than anyone else.

From Bella’s perspective, Lily is a mysterious person who suddenly appears. He may become Roel’s enemy in the future, and he is the one who knows how to make an improved portal. He is a person who has no reason not to kill.

So I revealed my identity. Bella doesn’t repeat the same mistake. It means that she will not try to kill the younger brother of the man she loves again.

Even after the transaction is over, you cannot kill the other person. It is impossible to use force or make low-level threats using family members or lovers. Because the person on the other side of the transaction was me. Then there is only one thing left for Bella to do. Trying desperately to impress me.

Bella no longer had to be wary of how to treat Lily, whose identity she had never known. All you have to do is focus entirely on the me you see in front of you. Even after the transaction is over, they do not become enemies.

Just by choosing to reveal my identity, I can gain so much. It is close to the divine move commonly referred to in Baduk. It’s exactly the right choice.

I didn’t read the situation. Because I’m not Eunice. However, I just made the board in the direction I wanted from the absolute superior position I gained thanks to the improved portal.

It’s a game that has no choice but to be beneficial to me.

There was silence in the drawing room for a moment. Kane, who had no idea what was going on, kept fiddling with the handle of the teacup.

Bella looked at me without saying a word, her golden eyes shining. She must have finally realized what she meant when she said that she would give him a chance, so she erased the faintly pretentious smile on her lips and returned to her sharp, snake-like appearance.

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Their gazes become entangled in the air. Bella smiled innocently.

“I sincerely apologize. I thought I was stupid. “If I was lucky enough to get a chance, I had to do my best to prove my worth.”

Bella stood up and spoke to Kane, who looked confused.

“Forget about that stupid thing I said earlier. Let me explain again. The resignation letter will be processed cleanly without any trace of it being submitted. And I’m heading to Duke Youssef right now. “I won’t let you move a single finger without my permission.”

Bella declared with a snake smile.