chapter 7
Even though she had a mountain of debt to repay, Nivellia did not give up on her dream of becoming rich.
Today, she helped Kaleo by moving scrap paper into boxes.
At one point, she lost focus and ran off to draw instead—but in the end, she completed her task perfectly.
“Phew.”
Nivellia wiped her clean forehead with the back of her hand, pretending to be exhausted.
“Thanks for helping, Nini.”
Kaleo placed a sticker onto her debt deduction certificate.
“One, two…”
Nivellia counted her remaining debt. Before she knew it, the certificate was filled with purple stickers.
“Wow! I only need 9 more stickers! Then my debt is gone!”
“That’s impressive. Even adults find it hard to pay off debt like this.”
Kaleo praised her, and Nivellia giggled, leaning her head against his arm.
“Dad, when Nini finishes paying off her debt, should I start a business again?”
“Well… I feel like it’ll fail again.”
“No! I’ll do well this time!”
“How about trying another way to make money instead of business?”
Nivellia’s ears perked up.
But Kaleo didn’t explain right away.
“Hmm… though it might be a bit difficult for you, Nini.”
“I’ll study! I’ll study too!”
Nivellia grabbed his collar, begging to be taught.
Moved by his daughter’s enthusiasm, Kaleo choked up.
“Ghk—wait—ugh…!”
“Teach me! Teach me!”
“Okay, okay—just let go of my neck first…!”
Finally freed, Kaleo straightened his disheveled clothes.
Behind him, his secretary let out a loud snort of laughter—but Kaleo pretended not to hear it. He could deal with him later.
“Do you know what investing is?”
“Investing?”
Nivellia tilted her head.
Kaleo explained as simply as possible.
“Someone doesn’t have money, so they can’t start a business. Nini lends them money, and that person becomes very successful.”
“Then Nini would be jealous! I shouldn’t have lent it!”
Kaleo buried his face in his hands for a moment.
The secretary trembled with suppressed laughter, and Deter bit her lip, looking away.
Ahem. Kaleo cleared his throat and continued.
“Anyway, that person succeeded using the money you lent, right?”
“That’s why it’s upsetting…”
“No, listen. Since they made money, they’ll give you some as a thank-you for helping them.”
“Of course they should return what they borrowed!”
“They don’t just return the loan.”
Kaleo finally revealed the key point.
“They give you a portion of the money they earned.”
Nivellia’s eyes widened in shock.
“Not just the loan?”
“Right! If they earned 100 uba, they might give you 10 uba. As thanks for lending the money.”
“T-there’s such an easy way to make money…?!”
“But if the business fails, you won’t get your money back.”
Kaleo asked if she understood.
“Umm… so…”
Nivellia explained it back:
“If they make money using what I lent, they share it with me. That’s separate from paying back the loan!”
“Exactly.”
Having learned something new, Nivellia hurried back to her room.
Sitting at her desk, she seriously revised her plan to become rich.
“Nini will make money through investing now.”
“Where will you invest?”
Deter asked as she brought chocolate cookies and milk.
Nivellia crushed a cookie into the milk, dipping her fingers in as well.
“Mom!”
Selettina Deiamor—the highest earner in the empire.
“Mom always succeeds.”
“That’s right. You need to invest in someone successful to make money.”
But when Selettina returned from work, she rejected her daughter’s proposal.
“Mom already has too, too, way too much money. I don’t need investment—what should we do?”
“Wah…”
Devastated, Nivellia flopped onto the floor.
“Hehe, you can’t give up so quickly.”
Cradling her, Selettina smiled.
“That’s why investing early makes money. Or you can invest in companies that haven’t succeeded yet.”
“But if they fail, I won’t get my money back…”
“You already understand that much?”
Pleased that her daughter grasped the idea of “risk,” Selettina promised to help.
“Should I introduce you to a few good places to invest?”
“Yes! Please!”
“But Nini…”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any money?”
“…That stupid money!!”
“Aaaah!”
Nivellia grabbed her hair and screamed.
“What is money?! Why is everything about money?!”
“Money can be frustrating. But to make money, you need money.”
That was simply how the world worked.
Selettina gently patted her daughter’s bottom, comforting her.
Still fuming, Nivellia soon calmed down.
“Please pat the left side too…”
Selettina obliged.
***
Late at night.
While Soles and Nivellia were fast asleep, the adults enjoyed a light drink.
As their conversation deepened, the food and drinks on the table gradually disappeared.
“Nini is really something…”
Kaleo muttered in admiration.
“She’s my daughter, but I didn’t know she had that much persistence.”
“It’s already been two years, right?”
Selettina counted on her fingers.
Nivellia had been chasing wealth for two years—half her life.
But reality didn’t go easy on a four-year-old noble girl.
She tried everything:
Digging for coins, charging 100 uba per errand…
Whenever she saved money, she bought lottery tickets or bet on adults playing cards.
Naturally, she failed every time—and ended up in debt again.
Her sticker-covered debt certificates had already surpassed twenty.
At least once a month, she fell into debt.
So why was she so determined to become rich?
“You all remember, right?”
Kaleo smiled bitterly.
“When Nini showed up with a live mouse in her mouth.”
“That day turned the whole estate upside down.”
Ardorez remembered it clearly.
They had been eating lunch in the garden pavilion when Nivellia suddenly ran off—and came back with something in her mouth.
A live mouse.
The adults panicked, made her brush her teeth, and checked for injuries.
Instead of scolding her, they asked why she did it.
“Nini is a kitty!”
Because she was a cat, she had to hunt.
That was her reasoning.
Muniel gently explained:
“Nini is human now, so you shouldn’t catch mice with your mouth.”
“But I’m a kitty…”
“You have hands and feet like Grandma. No fur, no tail, right?”
“….”
“Humans don’t hunt mice. They hunt money.”
“Money?”
“With money, you buy food, houses, clothes. So let’s hunt money instead. It’s harder—but can you do it?”
“Yes!”
From that day on, Nivellia began trying to earn money.
“…Thinking back, it’s hilarious.”
Muniel swirled her drink.
“That pure little face holding a mouse…”
“Don’t talk like she’s not your granddaughter.”
“Before that, she’s your daughter.”
“Soles wasn’t like that.”
“Nini takes after you. You and your sibling were troublemakers. Our grandson is calm like his mother.”
Muniel smiled at Selettina, who shyly returned it.
“But I think there was another reason…”
“Maybe the wolves?”
Ardorez spoke up.
“That’s right. Wolves.”
Nivellia loved wolves.
“She still does.”
“Why does she love them so much?”
“Speaking of wolves…”
Tap, tap.
Muniel tapped the table.
“In a few days, we’ll have a guest.”
“Your guest, Mother?”
Selettina asked.
Muniel smiled.
“Not mine… it’s better to say—Nini’s guest.”
***
A few days later.
“I heard the Duke of Daygladis is coming.”
“Really?”
Half-asleep, Nivellia’s ears perked up.
Sitting at her vanity while Deter brushed her hair, she listened to the maids chatting.
“Why do perfect men always belong to someone already?”
“Because they don’t want to marry you.”
“Thanks for proving our terrible friendship.”
“He must have a special organ just for building muscles. His thighs are insane.”
“Does he eat grass? Horses eat grass and still—”
“He moves a lot, that’s why he’s fit!”
Nivellia suddenly cut in confidently.
“Horse don’t get fat because they move a lot!”
The maids froze.
“So Nini moves a lot too, so she won’t get fat!”
She hopped down from her chair—her chubby belly sticking out noticeably.
“….”
She stared silently at them.
“…Do you not move much?”
