Christine stood in the fading glow of the sunset, her golden hair blazing like fire, her entire being radiating an aura that brooked no dissent.
“I want to invest everything in you.”
Her words landed like a hammer, leaving Leo’s mind ringing.
[Big Sis, what are you up to? Venture capital has turned into an angel round, and now you want to go straight for Series A?]
[Invest everything in me? You want to be my majority shareholder, push me out, and become the chairman yourself?]
[This isn’t right. In the game, you didn’t have this domineering CEO vibe!]
Leo looked at the duke’s daughter before him, who was exuding an overwhelming aura, and for a moment he was completely at a loss.
He’d thought that with a bit of smooth talking and a display of strength, he could intimidate her and have her obediently act as a trade partner.
Who could’ve guessed that not only was she not scared off, she actually seemed even more excited.
What is this?
The harder you hit, the deeper she falls?
“Um… Miss Christine,” Leo coughed, trying to bring the atmosphere back to normal.
“You may not have understood what I meant. I’m not ambitious—I just want to live peacefully in my little corner of the world. Your investment is too much. I’m afraid my humble temple can’t hold a great Buddha like you.”
“No, you were a small temple before, but not anymore.”
Christine’s gaze was sharp as an eagle’s.
“Leo, stop trying to fool me with your dead-fish routine.”
“You can instantly summon an Earth Guardian and Thunder Lizard, command battles without batting an eye, and then tell me you’re just a worthless layabout waiting to die? Do you really think I’d believe that?”
She paused, her tone softening a little.
“I admit, I underestimated you before. I thought you were just a fallen prince with a bit of potential, worth a little ‘venture capital.'”
“But now I see, you’re not just a stock with potential—you’re a blue-chip that’s quietly gone public. I missed the best time to invest, so now I’ll have to pay a higher price for a shareholder’s seat.”
Leo was stunned.
[Wow, she’s got all the business lingo down better than me.]
[No wonder she’s a duke’s heiress—she’s been steeped in this since childhood. Her vision really is different.]
While Leo was still considering how to respond, Irina quietly tugged his sleeve and pulled him aside.
“Hey, Leo,” Irina lowered her voice, speaking in modern language only the two of them understood, “What’s up with this rich lady? Is she latching onto us or what?”
“How would I know?”
Leo was just as confused.
“I was just normally fighting a monster, and she started imagining some over-the-top ‘The Son-in-Law Returns: I’m Actually the Dragon King’ drama. Now she insists on investing money in me, and I can’t stop her.”
“So… are we taking it?”
Irina blinked her amber eyes and asked softly, “Serious question—In the original game, did this Christine ever do anything bad? Like betraying allies or joining up with your brothers or something?”
This was crucial.
A powerful ally was great, but if she was a backstabber, they’d be better off without her.
Leo thought carefully.
Christine didn’t have a lot of storylines in the game.
Most of the time, she appeared as the protagonist’s ‘rival,’ always competing and causing minor trouble.
But it was all small-scale stuff, more like the usual antics of a proud noble lady.
In the mid-to-late game, when the kingdom was thrown into civil war and the princes fought for the throne, the Raphael Ducal House always stayed neutral and never got involved.
He remembered that when the protagonist’s group fought against the corrupted Leo, Christine and her family only provided logistical and material support—they never got directly involved.
“No,” Leo shook his head, replying with certainty.
“She’s arrogant and loves to show off her wealth, but at heart, she’s not bad. In the main storyline, her family is one of the few top noble houses that stayed neutral from start to finish, never getting their hands dirty. She… should be trustworthy.”
“Then that’s perfect!” Irina clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up with little gold coins.
“What are we hesitating for? She’s offering money, people, and help with our troubles. Where else could you find a deal like this? If this rich lady wants to get involved, she’ll really put her all in!”
She counted on her fingers as she spoke.
“Think about it—what do we need most right now? Money! People! Connections in the Royal Capital! She can provide all of that! With her support, Blackwood Town’s development will speed up by at least three times! Your salted-fish plan can come true ahead of schedule!”
Leo was a bit tempted by Irina’s words.
True, no matter how capable he was, there were limits to what he could do alone.
Infrastructure, trade, recruiting talent, intelligence gathering… all of these needed a huge system for support.
If he could get Christine and the Raphael Ducal House on his side, many problems would be solved.
What he wanted was simply a sturdy fortress for a peaceful life.
Who helped build it didn’t really matter.
“Alright then,” Leo nodded.
“Since the ‘first wife’ has spoken, I’ll take on this ‘investor.’”
After their whispered discussion, the two returned to Christine.
Leo looked at her, his smile becoming much more genuine.
“Miss Christine, I have to admit, you have excellent judgment. Since you’re so sincere, our partnership can move to the next stage.”
He didn’t mention “trade cooperation” again, but accepted her investment proposal—just phrased differently.
“I prefer to call it a ‘deep strategic partnership.'”
Leo extended his hand.
“From today, you’re Blackwood Town’s most important ally.”
A smile finally appeared on Christine’s face—the satisfied, triumphant smile of someone who had gotten her way.
She offered her pale hand and shook his.
“Happy cooperation, Leo… partner.”
“Now, to let our future partner better appreciate our ‘project potential,’” Leo continued, “I sincerely invite you to my territory—Blackwood Town—for a personal inspection. After all, seeing is believing.”
He’d decided to give this newly-joined rich lady a little shock, so she’d understand just how worthwhile her investment truly was.
“Your territory?”
Christine was briefly taken aback, then nodded.
“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted.”
She thought Leo would call for a carriage, but instead, he just gave a whistle.
The next moment, with a piercing eagle’s cry, a majestic gray-feathered griffin descended from the sky and landed steadily before the three of them, kicking up a wild gust of wind.
Christine’s pupils shrank, and she froze completely.
As the daughter of the Empire’s top duke, she certainly recognized a griffin.
Her family raised a few, used as their highest-grade mounts.
But the griffin before her was larger and more magnificent than any she’d ever seen, its feathers glossier and brighter.
Even more importantly…
“You… did you summon this too?”
Her voice trembled.
A summoner who could call Earth Guardians and Thunder Lizards, and now owned a rare flying mount like a griffin?
Was this even reasonable?
No, it wasn’t!
“Just a means of transportation, you’ll get used to it,” Leo said lightly, then leapt onto the griffin’s back and reached a hand out to her.
Irina, looking completely unfazed as if this was just another routine, nimbly climbed up and hugged Leo tightly around the waist.
Christine stared at the scene before her, feeling her mind crash once again.
The shocks she’d experienced today were more than in her previous eighteen years combined.
She took a deep breath, forced down the storm within her, and grasped Leo’s hand.
As she was pulled up onto the griffin, settling behind Irina and feeling the warmth and powerful heartbeat beneath her, a flood of strange, mixed feelings surged up—nervousness, excitement, and a trace of unwillingness.
The griffin soared into the sky, wind howling past their ears.
Christine watched the forest shrink rapidly below, then glanced at Leo and Irina embracing in front of her, her emotions a tangled mess.
It seemed… she’d boarded an incredible pirate ship.