Father I Beg You Dont Be So Ambitious
"There's one more thing," Blair Vance said, leaning in.
"I heard the Crown Princess's personal maid has a sister she was inseparable from. They were separated a long time ago, and the maid has been searching for her ever since. I believe my cousin even had people looking. The sister is supposedly at the Spring Breeze Tower."
She paused, letting the implication hang in the air. "Perhaps we can start with her."
In her past life, Blair vaguely remembered hearing about this.
The maid's sister was trapped in a brothel, the Spring Breeze Tower, and ended up dead.
To get revenge, the maid had personally killed the scholar who'd tricked her sister, a scandal that had caused the Crown Princess a world of trouble.
At the time, Blair had been too busy just trying to survive to care about the details, remembering only the name of the place.
If they could find the sister first...
Consort De's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Is that so?"
A slow, calculating smile spread across her face.
"Inseparable, you say? Never stopped searching... That tells me she's a person of deep loyalties. And people like that," she said, her eyes glinting with approval as she looked at Blair, "are the easiest to manipulate. I'll have someone look into the Spring Breeze Tower. We'll find that sister,
dead or alive, before anyone else does."
Meanwhile, having just left the Imperial Palace, Cassidy Sterling froze mid-step. She stared at her hands, a jolt running through her as she saw her lifespan had suddenly increased by five days.
*Has the mission been updated?* she wondered.
The System quickly checked the mission panel. *No, it hasn't.*
Cassidy carefully retraced her recent actions, her mind landing on one particular highlight. *Should I go beat up that Vance kid again later?*
This felt too good to be true. If she could add days to her life just by roughing someone up, she'd found the deal of a lifetime.
For once, the System showed a flicker of conscience. *That's probably not a good idea. How about we wait a couple of days for his injuries to heal before we beat him up again?*
After all, you couldn't get much out of a guy if he was dead.
"You're right!"
Buoyed by her newfound five days, Cassidy practically skipped back to the manor. But the second she walked through the gates, she saw her father standing stiffly in the courtyard, looking like he was about to declare war.
Playing the part of the devoted daughter, Cassidy rushed to his side. "Father, what's wrong? Who made you so angry? Just tell me who it is. I'll ruin them for you."
Prince Ashworth pointed a trembling finger at her. "How dare you ask me what's wrong? You tell me! Are you the one spreading those ridiculous rumors all over Argent?" He couldn't think of anyone else shameless enough to pull a stunt like this.
Cassidy scratched her head, putting on her most baffled expression. "Father, what rumors?" Her mind had been completely consumed with her lifespan problem, so she genuinely had no idea what the latest city gossip was.
Seeing her feigned innocence, the prince's temper flared. "I wake up from a nap to find the whole city buzzing with news that I'm dead! Some people are even saying I've already been buried in the Imperial Mausoleum!"
Cassidy's eyes widened. "People are really that crazy?"
"Tell me," he demanded, his voice low and dangerous, "what other outrageous thing have you done behind my back?"
She nervously touched the tip of her nose. "Father, let me explain. For the past few days, people have been spreading rumors that you've been abducting men. I was worried about your reputation, so I..."
Prince Ashworth cut her off. "Wait a minute. Whose fault is it that my reputation is ruined in the first place?"
"Mine, it's mine, I admit it," Cassidy said quickly. "But even if I used your name, can you honestly say you're completely blameless in all this?"
"What blame could I possibly have?"
"Why do people only say *you* abduct men, and not someone else? Father, you need to do some self-reflection. Maybe it's because your reputation was already so bad that these rumors stuck so easily? When it comes to managing a reputation, you could still learn a thing or two from your daughter."
"You insolent girl! Now you're blaming me?"
"What else am I supposed to do?" Cassidy shot back. She didn't have a real point, but she delivered the line with unshakable conviction.
Just as the argument was about to escalate, Steward King hurried over. "Your Highness, Princess, dinner is ready. Perhaps you could continue this after you've eaten?"
At the mention of food, both father and daughter felt their stomachs rumble. They called an immediate truce and stalked off to the dining room. Nothing was more important than a meal.
The peace, however, lasted less than fifteen minutes. The manor's accountant burst into the room, clutching a thick stack of papers. "Your Highness," he panted, "these are the bills for the Princess's renovation of the Spring Breeze Tower. Please, take a look."
Feeling full and content, Prince Ashworth took the bills.
He started off stroking his beard casually, but the further down the page he read, the tighter his grip became until he was practically yanking the hairs from his chin.
When his eyes landed on the astronomical total at the bottom, he slammed the papers on the table.
He glared at Cassidy, who was already trying to sneak out the door.
"You rebellious girl, stop right there!"
he boomed. "I haven't even dealt with you for wasting a fortune on a failing brothel, and now you dare to be this extravagant? What kind of renovation costs this much money? You spendthrift! If you keep this up, our family will be eating dirt!"
Caught, Cassidy turned back with an awkward smile. "Father, calm down. It's an investment! It'll all pay off later, I promise. Once the business takes off, I'll pay you back every penny, with interest. When I'm rich, I'll buy you all the fancy wine you could ever want."
"Investment?" he roared, looking around for something to throw. "There are dozens of brothels in Argent, and you spent a fortune on the one with the worst business and the worst location! You'll bankrupt us before you ever see a profit!"
Cassidy scrambled around the table, nimbly dodging a shoe her father hurled at her. "Father, I'm doing this for the good of the family!"
"Didn't the Emperor say that we do nothing but eat, drink, and party all day? I thought I'd buy a brothel and manage it, to show him I have some ambition!"
Hearing this, Prince Ashworth nearly collapsed.
"My dear daughter, I am begging you, *please* stop being so ambitious. If you keep this up, our family won't even have dirt to eat!"
The family fortune was more than enough for them to live in comfort for the rest of their lives.
But now that his daughter had developed ambition, that money was flowing out like water from a sieve.
At this rate, they'd be lucky to afford food for another month.
Cassidy bristled. "Father, are you looking down on me?"
"I'm not looking down on you! I just don't understand! It's one thing to spend a fortune on a brothel that's been losing money for years, but why are you spending another fortune to renovate it?"
His head was throbbing. Of all the properties in Argent, she'd chosen the one no one had wanted for a decade.
Cassidy's expression turned utterly confident. "Father, believe me. I've been reading a lot of books on commerce lately, and I've discovered I have the potential to become the richest person in Argent."
Prince Ashworth's vision went dark. "Absolutely not! Daughter, let's just be happy being good-for-nothings. Why do you insist on having ambition?" If she continued down this path, his golden years were going to be miserable.
Cassidy patted his shoulder, beginning to paint a grand vision for him. "Don't worry. Once the Spring Breeze Tower is renovated, business will boom. Your daughter is going to be the richest person in Argent. When I'm rolling in cash, I'll buy you any wine you want."
Prince Ashworth clutched his chest, shaking his head. "Get out. From now on, you are not to touch another penny of this family's money. If you want to spend money, go earn it yourself!"