Chapter 122
Ailee, Ailee!
If her ability had manifested from the start, none of this would have happened. Then both she and I could have had happy families. Why, why. Why… were you born like that?
Illina recalled her own perfect life, before Ailee was born.
***
The former Baron of Meiri had amassed hundreds of millions in debt from his trade business, kept four mistresses, and fathered over thirteen illegitimate children.
Illina’s mother, the official Baroness, passed away when Illina was three. Illina was the only direct heir to the Meiri barony, but her chances of inheriting the title were remarkably slim. This was because she had inherited her mother’s ability, not the Baron’s. It might have been fine if her ability were strong, but it was hopelessly weak.
Despite being the only direct heir, Illina grew up ostracized by her many half-siblings. She fought them alone, struggling to inherit the barony. But as the years passed, she realized she had no chance of winning this fight.
Her father was indifferent, she had no allies to take her side, and far from having the ability to inherit the title, she was far too weak. It was all she could do just to survive the fight. Day by day, the focused slander and plots against her grew more intense. If she didn’t give up on the succession, she could be assassinated at any time, in any place.
I will not die.
Even if she did inherit the title, it was just an empty shell buried under hundreds of millions in debt.
Forget that damned title. I’ll climb to an even higher position and crush them all.
Amidst the endless competition and sabotage, her desire for what she could not have swelled. In a place where she had to fight tooth and nail just to survive, Illina nurtured an ambition fueled by deprivation.
Before she was completely pushed out of the succession battle, she searched for a spouse who could protect her. Marriage was her only answer. No noble would sponsor the child of a failing barony, and her abilities were far too lacking to become an imperial official. With the Baron’s credit at rock bottom, she was blocked by that wall no matter what she tried to do.
Illina fought to survive as she navigated the marriage market. Someone powerful would be ideal, but a family with too much power wouldn’t have her. She had to find a man from a family that was just high enough.
That was when she found the young Count Lizziana. He had not yet ascended to the title, but as the current Count Lizziana’s only child, his succession was guaranteed.
Illina approached him deliberately.
“I heard you’ve been having difficulties dealing with the merchant guilds recently. I was wondering if I might be of some help?”
It might have seemed laughable for the daughter of a baron, drowning in hundreds of millions in debt, to make such an offer. But Illina was confident. Her father had only ever accumulated more debt, but Illina had grown up watching and understanding exactly what went wrong.
She could have become independent by trading with the guilds herself, but that required capital. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried; every time she attempted a deal, her siblings either blocked it or her reputation as the debtor baron’s daughter made things impossible.
So, all she could do was make subtle suggestions like this.
“I’m not some brazen person trying to leverage this for personal gain; I genuinely want to help. It’s just some casual talk you’re free to ignore, but… what do you say?”
To the young Count, who was just trying to stand on his own, Illina’s proposal was unexpectedly helpful. At a banquet, half-drunk and only mildly interested, he began to listen, and soon found he couldn’t just dismiss her words.
The two of them worked together better than expected, and one way or another, things worked out, leading all the way to marriage.
Illina escaped that fierce succession battle and became the Countess of Lizziana. The Count’s family didn’t dislike her, and as she produced commendable results, they began to accept her as one of their own. After she successfully closed a major deal recently, her position became even more solid.
I’ve made it! I’ve won!
Luxurious days followed, incomparable to her life in the debt-ridden barony. Now, all she had to do was produce a child, and everything would be complete. Nothing could be better. Whether it was a daughter or a son, they just needed to properly inherit the Count’s ability. Illina wasn’t worried about that part.
Of course the child will inherit his ability.
A child always inherited the ability of the stronger parent. Since her own ability was weaker than average, she was certain the child would naturally be born with the Count of Lizziana’s.
Illina enjoyed the golden age of her life, happier than she had ever been. She conceived easily, and the child in her womb grew strong and healthy without any trouble. Illina eagerly awaited the child’s birth. What a lovely child it will be!
I will never raise you the way I was raised.
I’ll just have one, and raise them well, so they never have to fight for scraps. I’ll give them everything, generously. I’ll teach them all the life knowledge and experience I’ve learned, and raise them to be smart and wise.
Illina diligently followed every prenatal regimen said to be good for the child. Her relationship with the Count was so good they rarely fought. She was happy.
Until she heard that her child had been born without an ability-control organ.
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