I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me

33 – 15. A New Way to Make Money (1)

In response to the message asking him to come as soon as possible, Ian headed to the family’s estate the next day.

As per the plan, he was going to visit briefly on Sunday, but once he received Oliver’s message, there was no choice.

“He wouldn’t contact me for no reason.”

If Oliver, who was practically the lord of the marquis’s family, personally contacted Ian, it had to be something out of the ordinary.

So, Ian immediately went to the family estate.

Of course, he wasn’t alone.

“You’re coming again….”

“Why are you so surprised? You’ll get attached if you keep seeing me, you know?”

As always, Igor and Eri also got on the carriage with him.

And there was another person.

“Um, sorry for following you… I thought it was okay to accompany you…”

A woman with pink hair, cowering like a condemned criminal.

Lia also rode in the carriage with them. Ian looked at her, her sulking expression, lost in thought.

“At first, I was taken aback.”

She suddenly appeared, somehow found him, and said she’d work hard if he’d allow her. At that moment, Ian realized his mistake.

‘He told me to follow Cheryl, but I assumed he meant for me to follow him.’

At that time, Ian had said to Lia that it didn’t matter to him, and Lia had followed his words as they were.

A situation where his own mistake was clear. In the end, Ian decided to take Lia with him.

“Yeah, if I had spoken clearly from the beginning, that would have been better. It’s my mistake, so I should take responsibility. Besides, Lia isn’t bad either.”

Ian remembered what Eri had said about Lia Hirst before.

“Lia Hirst Sangdo is quite a decent person, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make friends with her on this occasion. The Hirst family is a viscount family, and her position in the family is not bad either.”

Good personality and a viscount family. Even within the family, she was loved. Why distance oneself from such a person?

But that wasn’t the only reason.

Ian recalled the future of the original work that he remembered.

‘Lia was not a heroine, so she only appeared briefly. But she had a decent future. She became a wealthy upper class in the Empire with excellent business skills, didn’t she?’

Her original family, the Hirst family, specialized in leather goods.

Lia, the youngest daughter, was the one who added various things to the family’s business, giving it wings.

Of course, the current Lia still had a lot to learn due to her clumsy side… But there was Eri.

Ian looked at Eri, who was maintaining her dignified posture beside him.

Lia, who had excellent business skills but made small mistakes due to her clumsiness, and Eri, with a meticulous personality. What if they teamed up?

“Just looking at it makes me feel secure. I feel like our family, which is nothing but busybodies, will become rich.”

There was no reason to stop the birth of the best combination.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t apologize. I’m fine anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Since I’m an experienced person, you can learn from me if you’re okay with it. So, don’t worry about it anymore and just relax.”

Perhaps because Ian said so, Lia regained her lively smile.

While looking at her smile, which made you feel at ease just by looking at it, they had already arrived at their destination.

“Young Master! We’ve arrived.”

Ian got off the carriage, greeting the groom with a faint smile.

Then something caught his eye.

“Oh, Young Master is here!”

Oliver, who saw Ian from a distance and rushed towards him. However, Ian’s gaze did not go there.

‘What is this?’

“Ian, is it true? I heard the Volkanoft family isn’t doing well… Was I misinformed? Their farming facilities seem better than our Hirst family’s.”

Rows of potatoes covered the field. Ian was taken aback as he looked at the state-of-the-art warehouse-like structures.

“What’s going on? When did they make such progress?”

***

Whooosh!

The sharp wind made a subtle howling sound in the room.

Frowning as she looked at the trembling window frame, Letitia sighed.

“Hmm.”

Finally, her gaze shifted to her husband, who lay still.

Kilaine, suddenly cursed and unconscious.

Despite the priests’ expectations that he would wake up soon after being hit by a curse, it had been several days, and there were no signs of improvement.

In her heart, Letitia wanted to go to the Imperial Dojo and continue his treatment, but unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed by Letitia.

“Kilaine has fallen. The Outsiders must not find out.”

Letitia knew exactly what Kilaine meant to the Empire.

One of only five Masters in the Empire, and a Changepoint.

If news got out that he had fallen, the savages might prepare for an all-out assault.

In the end, all Letitia could do was pray for his recovery.

“Please…”

“Letitia, are you okay?”

“Oh, Jane is here.”

Seeing her friend Jane, who was trying to comfort her, holding onto her shoulder and forcing a weak smile, Letitia mustered up some strength.

Jane, her friend since childhood and now her trusted aide, was always by her side.

With Jane here, Letitia didn’t want to worry too much.

“It’s okay. Just having you here makes me feel a little better.”

“If you have any troubles, tell me. Isn’t that what friends are for?”

Friends, indeed. In the current situation, there was no one she could rely on more than Jane.

In fact, when Kilaine fell, Letitia nearly fell apart countless times. But each time, she managed to hold herself together, thanks to Jane’s support.

“Yes, I might be able to rely on you for my concerns about Kilaine.”

But the problem was that Letitia’s concerns didn’t stop there.

Leticia’s heart was occupied by two things.

First, of course, was the concern for her companion Killian’s illness. Second was…

“Ian.”

When Leticia thought of her son, a shadow crossed her face.

“When did he grow up so much?”

In truth, she had not paid much attention to Ian. She had neglected him to the point of being accused of being a bad person and unworthy of being a parent. She had left her crying child alone, citing postpartum depression as an excuse. Even if people criticized her for being callous, she had nothing to say. But at the time, Leticia found it truly difficult to even look at Ian.

Despite being the offspring of the Empire’s hero Killian and having her own bloodline, she couldn’t fathom how such a devilish child had come into existence. Eventually, Leticia distanced herself from Ian.

She didn’t show love. She cut off support and kept her distance.

However, the fact that Ian continued to stand out didn’t sit well with her, and she had even considered sending him away.

“I thought that if I did that, he’d never rise again.”

However, Ian turned out to be even more resilient than Leticia had anticipated.

Without the love and attention of his parents, Ian had risen on his own and blossomed. Leticia never forgot the sight of Ian, willing to face death to run to Lilith during the war games.

“Why is that…?”

Every time she recalled that image, her heart ached. If it had been in the past, she would have passed it off indifferently. But now, Leticia was so proud of Ian.

She wanted to tell other nobles that the boy was her son and it was a remarkable feat. Why did maternal love suddenly emerge now? Leticia was puzzled.

“Why am I suddenly interested in Ian?”

She had never given that child a second thought before. Why was she now thinking about giving him love?

She had tried to understand, but in the end, she gave up thinking.

“What am I…?”

She knew she had no right to tell that child that she suffered. It was at that moment that she surrendered herself to this mysterious emotion.

“Oh, right! Leticia, have you heard the news? The potato business that child started, it seems to be struggling these days.”

“That child?”

(Note: The translation captures the word choice, phrasing, and atmosphere of the original text.)

“This one? You mean your son Ian. Didn’t you know? He started a potato business.”

“Oh.”

She had heard from the Duke. Ian had been selling potatoes while she was busy nursing.

But was there a problem with that? Letitia asked with a trembling voice.

“Um, what’s happening with that?”

“Well, you see. At first, the profits were good. But lately, they’ve been decreasing gradually, they say. I heard the visitors talking about it. I guess they plan to pressure Ian using that as leverage.”

“Pressure… Why?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious? They’re saying ridiculous things like if the Viscount Balkanov personally raised him, he shouldn’t be going downhill. They can’t just stand by and watch as his use of the Viscount’s reputation for making money fails.”

To exert pressure. Jane’s lips curled up as she spoke, as if she liked the idea of pressuring Ian.

Normally, she would have responded positively to Jane’s words, saying that it’s for the best… But why?

“Isn’t it unnecessary to go that far? Even if Ian’s business goes well, it will help our family prosper.”

For some reason, she wanted to protect Ian.

At Jane’s oddly friendly words, Letitia suddenly stood up. Her eyes, as she grabbed Letitia’s shoulders, trembled.

“Letitia! What on earth are you saying? Do you know what will happen to us if Ian succeeds? Why are you advocating for Ian?”

“Oh. No, it’s not that…”

“No, Letitia, think about what we did to Ian. Do you know what will happen if Ian’s business does well in that situation, and he rises to the head of the family? We’re done. The butler, and everyone, will all be out on the street!”

Looking at Letitia, who was gazing at her with Jane’s incredibly stern eyes, Letitia lowered her head deeply.

She thought that she should protect Ian as a duty, but looking at Jane’s eyes made her feel faint.

Letitia had no choice but to nod in agreement in the end.

***

“Did you intentionally sell less?”

When Ian asked, Oliver nodded lightly.

“That’s correct. It was an unavoidable choice to sell potatoes as steadily as possible. Selling the entire stock at once could be risky.”

Oliver spoke with a flushed expression. His previous poverty-stricken appearance was nowhere to be seen.

Now he had the appearance of a convincing lord.

Ian asked again, looking at Oliver’s neat appearance.

“What’s the reason? Do you think we won’t be able to sell all the stock?”

“That’s not it! Even if we release all the stock we have, I’m confident it will sell. There are quite a few people these days who want to buy our potatoes.”

There were even times when some nobles sent people to their territory and told them not to come back until they found the potatoes.

With such popularity, there’s no way they won’t sell.

Oliver chuckled and sighed before speaking again.

“There is a separate reason why I didn’t release the stock.”

“A reason… What is it?”

“If we release a large amount of stock all at once, the interest of the nobles will quickly fade.”

“It will fade?”

Ian asked. Oliver smiled wryly.

“As you may already know, nobles are very sensitive to trends. Shall I give you an example? Five months ago, there was a social gathering where the Duchess of Wignoran came wearing a green dress. And do you know what happened at the social gathering three months ago? All the ladies and noblewomen came wearing green dresses.”

In the world of nobles, when a high-ranking person starts a trend, it immediately becomes popular. Oliver knew that well.

“But here’s the thing. No one wore a green dress at the recent social gathering. That’s nobles for you. They are more sensitive to trends than anyone else and once they wear something once, they quickly move on to something else.”

That’s why he knew that the trend among nobles would quickly fade.

Oliver didn’t take it lightly.

He had released fewer potatoes to the market.

If they were all released at once, the trend could die down quickly.

“Of course, there are still many people who want to buy, so it shouldn’t be a problem. But it’s better to be prepared in advance. That’s why I renovated the warehouse and stored the potatoes for sale.”

“Not a bad plan. I didn’t know we had someone like you in our Volkanov territory.”

“Oh, you flatter me. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about the low sales of potatoes. Just before the trend starts to fade, we will release all the stock and sell them out completely.”

Oliver giggled and took a bite of the steamed potato on the table.

By the time Oliver swallowed the potato, Ian spoke up.

“So, now I should start thinking about another business idea, right?”

“Yes. That’s why I contacted you. It seems like it would be a good idea for you to prepare for a new venture to replace the potato business.”

“Indeed, that’s true. Selling potatoes alone will only last a few months.”

After all, one must know when to cash in and move on. Investing all manpower into growing potatoes, only to fail and possibly end up with nothing.

One can’t just stand and watch, right?

“Yeah. I need to think about a new business. What should I do?”

Generally, farming and hunting were the most common ways to make money in the empire.

But Balcanov territory wasn’t suitable for either of these. So, if we put that aside, there’s only one option left.

Tourism…

Sights. It was necessary to attract people here and make them spend money.

“What is there to see in Volcanov? Snowy mountains? Or frozen lakes?”

Despite the breathtaking scenery, there didn’t seem to be any merit in it that could attract people.

Isn’t that so? Who would come to see such a landscape enduring the freezing weather of the north?

Thinking of natural surroundings as a business idea seemed somewhat impractical.

“Then, something new is needed. Something unique that can only be done in the territory of Volcanov.”

Ian bit his lip in deep thought.

Countless thoughts crossed his mind for a moment, but Ian decided not to overthink it.

Tourism. Isn’t it just about people coming to see things easily?

The person who creates the most interesting sights would surely rise to the top in this business.

“Interesting sights?”

In an instant, a single image formed in Ian’s mind.