I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree-Chapter 13 - Celineina

Antica City, Silver Moon Trading Company.

A red-haired, golden-eyed girl sat in a private box on the second floor, slowly sipping tea from her cup.

Her long, slender legs, wrapped in black stockings, were casually crossed beneath her brown short skirt.

As she gazed out through the window of the private box, a faint sigh escaped her lips.

At that moment, a knock came from the door.

“Come in.”

At the red-haired girl’s words, a middle-aged man entered the room.

“Young Miss, the gift you prepared was delivered to Duke Lucius’s estate yesterday. The Duke appeared to like it very much, and today, he plans to send his son to thank you.”

“Oh? Will it be Young Master Orson or the newly arrived Young Master Litte?” the girl asked, leaning against the back of her chair.

“It will be Young Master Orson,” the man replied. “It’s said that Young Master Litte’s initial performance upon returning to the family wasn’t great, so the Duke isn’t ready to let him meet outsiders just yet.”

“I see.” The girl nodded and then set down her coffee.

“Lorenzo,” she asked, “if it were you, and you were to make an investment, would you choose a high-risk, high-reward product, or a low-risk, low-reward one?”

“Young Miss, I think this question depends on one’s circumstances,” the man replied after a moment of thought. “If I were starting with nothing, I’d naturally invest in high-risk, high-reward products.”

“But if I already had significant wealth, I’d choose the safer option.”

“For a large trading company like Silver Moon, even if we do absolutely nothing, we can still rake in profits effortlessly.”

“You’re right—what else could I expect from someone who’s worked alongside my father for so many years?” The girl smiled and continued, “However, Silver Moon only grew strong during my grandfather’s generation.”

“Before that, the largest trading company in the Empire was the Red Dragon Trading Company.”

“The Red Dragon Trading Company made similarly cautious choices. So why was it eventually overtaken by Silver Moon?”

“Uh...” Lorenzo froze, not understanding the reason behind her question. “I don’t know...”

“This is my father’s first investment in me,” the girl said.

“In the Bonaventura family, every heir is given an equal opportunity. The one who demonstrates the best management skills and can lead a branch of the company to success will inherit the leadership of the entire trading company. That’s the rule set by my grandfather.”

“But surely you’ve noticed, Lorenzo. Both of my brothers were assigned to regions of economic prosperity—one to the Duchy of Prussia, and the other to the Duchy of Aragon.”

“In those places, they’re like the wealthy investors you mentioned. As long as they tread cautiously, they won’t encounter significant obstacles.”

“Meanwhile, I was sent to the economically underdeveloped Duchy of Antica. I have no choice but to take risks.”

“It’s clear that my father favors my brothers over me.”

“Young Miss Celineina,” Lorenzo said, his tone turning serious as the girl began to complain about her father. “Lord Louis treats all his children fairly—”

“I know,” Celineina said, cutting him off with a wry smile at his formal response. “Alright, Uncle Lorenzo, you can go now. When the guest arrives, bring him to me.”

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“Understood.” Lorenzo nodded and left the room.

Celineina stared at the coffee cup on the table, her mind drifting back to her family.

As the Empire’s largest trading company and the owner of Silver Moon Trading, the Bonaventura family had long been esteemed guests among the nobility, ever since the days of her grandfather.

After all, in these times, the people who truly provided the nobility with vast sums of wealth weren’t the farmers laboring in the countryside but the merchants in the cities.

Merchants conducted business across regions, following the principles of buying low and selling high.

The profits they earned were split between their own coffers and taxes paid to the lords who protected them.

Additionally, to gain the favor of lords, trading companies would regularly pay a sum of “tribute money.”

However, despite their wealth, merchants were tightly constrained by the lords in one critical area: authority.

The number of guards a trading company could hire was strictly limited, preventing them from challenging the lords. Furthermore, judicial authority in each region rested with the local lords. Should a merchant offend a lord, they often had no choice but to swallow their losses.

It was for this reason that her father, Louis Bonaventura, wanted to use his only daughter as a pawn for a political marriage with a noble.

If Celineina married into a ducal family, the Bonaventura family would gain a powerful backer, ensuring the safety of their business ventures across regions.

After all, no matter how arrogant a local noble might be, they would still have to show respect to a duke.

A year ago, at a family banquet, Louis had tried to introduce Celineina to Donny Florence, the son of Giovanni Florence, Duke of Napoli and the most powerful lord in their homeland.

The moment Celineina saw the man—a scowling, brutish figure feigning refinement—she didn’t need to guess; she knew he had been arranged by her father.

Celineina wasn’t foolish. She understood her father’s intentions, and after the banquet, she confronted him late that night.

“I know your ambitions, Celineina,” her father, Louis, said as he sat in his study that night, looking at her.

“If you know, then why go against my wishes...?” Celineina asked, visibly upset.

“Duke Giovanni is a good man. His son, Donny, may have a poor temperament, average looks, and a reputation for being a philanderer, but he is, after all, the future heir to a dukedom.”

“Marrying him would bring benefits to the family far greater than what you could achieve through business.”

“Your two brothers are already skilled at managing their branches. They’ve kept them running smoothly. What the family needs now is political support.”

“Do this for the family, Celineina. Make one final contribution.”

“Contribution?” Celineina’s eyes reddened as she stared at Louis. “So, in your eyes, your daughter’s happiness is less important than your business? Am I just a commodity to you?”

“Celineina!” Louis’s tone turned stern. “I raised you with the best education not so you could stand here and talk back to me!”

“Father...” Celineina lowered her head, deep in thought. After a long pause, she finally steeled herself, raised her head, and spoke resolutely.

“Grandfather once said that every child in the family deserves an equal chance at inheritance. Whoever proves most capable of leading the trading company should inherit it.”

“That rule is enshrined in the family charter, isn’t it?”

“You?” Louis stared at her in disbelief. “You want to defy me?”

“I’m not defying you, Father. You’ve left me no choice.”

“Fine, fine, fine.” Louis’s anger turned to laughter. “Alright, I’ll give you two years. If, within two years, you can’t make the Antica branch the most profitable, you’ll give up your ambitions for inheritance and obediently marry Donny Florence!”

And so, six months ago, Celineina arrived in Antica City, armed with Louis’s letter of appointment, and took charge of the Silver Moon Trading Company’s Antica branch.