I Was Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble and I Want to Be Expelled, but the Yandere Princess Won’t Let It! - Chapter 32-34

Chapter 32: Preparation

I wonder when Rinonara became so horror-like.

Even Rinonara at three years old, and Rinonara at eight, were definitely just cute little angels… Or maybe she was always horror-like, and I just didn’t know.

I absentmindedly reflected on the kiss with Rinonara, which was completely not sensual.

“…Well, let’s put that aside for now. For now, I need to successfully wrap up the negotiations.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Rinonara, who is sitting next to me, responds with a question to my muttering.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I brush it off with a feigned casual shrug and lean back into my chair.

Immediately after finishing the declaration of war with Rinonara, I started preparations for the battle against the rebels and my real father.

There are countless things needed to fight the rebels.

To obtain some of them, I had set up a meeting with Riasten, the head of the Larast Merchant Guild, one of the prominent merchant guilds in the capital.

“…You’re quite late from the promised time.”

“Yes, I am… Well, these things happen.”

However, the person in question had not yet arrived for our meeting, even after the promised time had passed.

“Ah, I’m terribly sorry, Marquis Lastella. The meeting ran long, so I’m late… Oh, and Her Highness Princess Rinonara is also here.”

Finally, five minutes past the agreed time, the head of the merchant guild entered the room where I had been waiting.

“It’s fine.”

Seeing Rinonara, the merchant guild head immediately started to fluster. I responded with a gentle smile.

“…”

I opened my mouth to complain but restrained Rinonara with my hand while maintaining a gentle smile and continued speaking.

“I’m also grateful to have a chance to meet with Larast Merchant Guild, which holds great power in the capital.”

“…”

“Let’s make this a fruitful meeting with benefits for both parties.”

While still seated, I extended my hand towards the merchant guild head and asked for a handshake.

“Indeed, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to discuss with the esteemed Lastella family. I look forward to our meeting.”

The merchant guild head took my hand with a careful bow, making sure his gaze stayed lower than mine. He then slowly sat down in the seat facing me.

—

Chapter 33: Evaluation

The business negotiations went smoothly.

“Phew… this is something.”

The contracts for the continuous supply of weapons and food were concluded without any issues.

“How did it go, Chamberlain?”

After Reno and Rinonara left, a male secretary approached the Chamberlain, who was still sitting in his chair, and asked with curiosity.

“…Unexpected.”

The Chamberlain let out a word as if to throw it away.

“I thought Reno was just a man who was made the head of the family in a slipshod manner, but he’s quite a big deal.”

“…He’s a ten-year-old boy, right?”

“That’s absolutely right, but there’s Princess Rinonara’s case to consider, isn’t there?”

“No, … that person is an exceptional case.”

“I thought so too.”

The Chamberlain recalled the faces of Reno and Rinonara, whom he had just met. Rinonara continued to exude an overwhelming presence that made her seem less than human. In contrast, Reno was calm and unshaken.

“Younger and inexperienced people often seek quick results, but…”

His father had rebelled, sided with the enemy country, and was brought to the royal capital as a criminal. Then, in a slipshod manner, he became the head of the family and soon found himself fighting against the rebel army.

It would not have been strange if Reno had been more disturbed and anxious, but he remained perfectly composed and steady.

“Being late was a mistake.”

Even though it was just a mere commoner being late by five minutes, the Chamberlain had laughed it off.

It would not have been surprising if the negotiations had been thrown into chaos.

“Moreover, he completely subdued Princess Rinonara.”

Although there was a possibility that they were conspiring together, Reno had completely subdued the visibly angry Rinonara, even showing that he was a man worthy of restraining her.

The Chamberlain’s plan to avoid such an obvious landmine and to steer the negotiation away from an angry opponent was completely turned into Reno’s playground.

“…Ensure that our company fully supports Marquis Lastella’s actions. If we do nothing after being late, we will simply be rude.”

“…Yes. Is that really alright?”

“I thought it was a sinking ship, but it turned out to be more impressive than expected. I made a mistake at the start, but it’s not too late. We will use the fact that we exchanged words first to our advantage. Missing the wave of the new era is like throwing away one’s life.”

The Chamberlain, feeling an ominous sense towards the two ten-year-olds who could only be described as irregular, continued to speak.

—

Chapter 34: Mercenary

I had anticipated that people would underestimate me because I became the head of the family at the overwhelming young age of ten.

That’s why I deliberately chose to remain unshaken no matter what happened and to respond with a broad mind.

I accepted being underestimated from the start and acted with the intention of showing that I was not just a child who could only shout.

“…My age actually worked in my favor.”

Although I had been working with this expectation, it seems that others overestimated me on their own, and I managed to gather more money and resources than I imagined.

With this, I should be able to at least participate in the battle.

“…Ugh. I can’t forgive this. Lord Reno is more handsome than anyone and can demonstrate his abilities as the head of the family without any issues. Yet, it’s unacceptable for others to look down on him.”

However, next to me, Rinonara was expressing her dissatisfaction explosively.

“…Well, given that I’m ten years old, the results and the evaluation from others are more than enough. I have no complaints.”

“But, Lord Reno is my Lord! The people around us already know my fearsome nature and never underestimate me… so, Lord Reno should be the same.”

“Try not to think of such scary things, okay? I’m taking things slowly. One step at a time, moving forward on my own path. Evaluations will come later.”

“…Even so, some things remain unsatisfactory.”

“Haha, I’m happy that Rin is getting angry for me. Still, I’m satisfied with this. I’ve obtained what I needed.”

“But, in the end, we couldn’t hire any mercenaries.”

“They risk their lives standing there. It’s natural for them to avoid serving under a young leader. There’s no need to worry. Our territory does not rely on mercenaries for battle. We have trained reserves, conscripted for several years as a form of tax. We can use them without issue.”

Our family’s roots trace back to a mercenary group.

The territory of our family was established by a mercenary group settling down and building a town, and all the original residents were mercenaries.

Because of this history, even when our family submitted to the current royal family, and even in this era, there remains a genetic legacy of mercenaries within us, and everyone is still somewhat accustomed to being in a constant state of readiness.

“Even so, I take pride in being the most skilled warrior among the lords serving the royal family… That’s why the rebel army is also something to fear.”

Father involved about half of our family’s knights in his betrayal… fighting against such people would be quite difficult.

“Well, there’s no use thinking about that right now. For now, we need to keep preparing.”

I said this to Rinonara, who was leaning towards darkness.