My older sister is a villainous rich girl

"To be precise, I didn't find any effect on the magic itself, I just felt... very comfortable and peaceful," she said.

"And when I withdrew my hand, that strange feeling disappeared."

Upon hearing this, Conley looked disappointed.

"Looks like this won't work either..." he muttered to himself.

Noticing his unusual behavior, Wayne became even more suspicious.

Recently, Professor Conley and Chairman Harold have been acting strangely, as if they are secretly researching something behind everyone's back.

"In other words, it only works when you are in the medicinal bath," Wayne concluded.

Considering the short duration of its effects, this is actually consistent with the inherent limitations of this medicine.

However, when I tested the instrument last time, I didn't think of using magic to explore it. I was probably misled by my previous mindset.

“Then let’s use it to treat your mother, Tasia, and see how effective it is,” Wayne said.

……

Although Wayne told Tasia that the treatment pod was given to her for a free trial, Conley was still unwilling to let go of this rare opportunity to ask for money after Tasia left.

“According to the pre-sale price, each instrument costs two thousand Grand pounds, including one month of maintenance service.” Conley couldn’t help but rub his hands together and chuckle. “And every year thereafter, a service fee of two thousand Grand pounds will be required… Wayne, with your financial resources, you shouldn’t try to renege on my payment, right?”

Looking tenderly at his beloved teacher, Wayne smiled. "Of course not."

Just as Conley's beady eyes began to shine brightly, Wayne plunged him into hell with a single sentence.

"I provided the drug formula, and I covered the research and development costs. Asking for 70% profit shouldn't be unreasonable, right?"

Conley looked up at him in disbelief.

"Why don't you just rob us if you want so much?!" he roared angrily.

"Then I want 60%."

Wayne didn't even raise an eyebrow. "Teacher, think carefully about how much material you've wasted, and how much each piece of equipment will cost in the upcoming production plan."

Upon hearing this, Conley hesitated.

But in the end, he stuck to his bottom line: "No, at most 50%!"

There was a moment of silence.

Seeing Conley's increasingly uneasy expression, Wayne finally agreed to compromise.

"Fifty percent, fifty percent," he said.

"It's all because of you, teacher. Otherwise, my family's money would have appreciated much faster if we had invested it elsewhere."

Conley sadly discovered that he was unable to refute this.

He could only stubbornly say, "Once I've perfected all its hidden features, you definitely won't lose out! At that time, even if I double the price, there will still be a lot of people rushing to buy it... Hmph, this little girl has already made a profit."

"Oh, let's talk about it when that day really comes," Wayne replied dismissively.

After leaving the lab, Wayne recalled Conley's hasty question to Tasia.

"Increased magic power" or "Faster magic flow"...

—There's definitely something fishy going on behind this.

……

The problem on Conley's side wasn't urgent yet, but the situation on Bulwer's side suddenly became clear.

Upon returning home, Duke Elliott summoned Wayne and Chris to his study for a meeting.

As the two of them became increasingly involved in the family business, Elliott became more and more open about bringing these matters back to discuss with them.

"The latest news from the palace is that, in the presence of His Majesty the King, Bulwer has reached a settlement with Earl Chapman."

His very first words startled Wayne.

Based on his own speculation, if Chapman had really let go of this matter so easily, the King wouldn't have been so hesitant in his initial handling of it.

“Wait, that Bulwerk…”

Before Wayne could finish his sentence, Elliott, as if he already knew what Wayne was thinking, continued, "This choice may not necessarily be entirely based on Bulwer's own will."

"Instead, he accurately grasped His Majesty the King's mindset."

After saying that, Elliott turned his head and gazed at the dark night outside the window.

"In essence, this matter is quite simple. His Majesty the King wanted them to reconcile, so they did." He sighed softly. "—On the surface."

Wayne frowned and asked, "So, in what tone did they ultimately decide to describe this incident?"

"His Majesty the King said: Bulwer was controlled by dark magic, and his actions were not his own intention. But he did kill innocent citizens, so he was stripped of his salary and confined to his home for two months." Elliott repeated the King's words verbatim, as if he had witnessed it himself.

Wait a minute, isn't this mild punishment just a slap on the wrist?

Seeing the identical "I don't understand.jpg" expressions on Wayne and Chris's faces, Elliott chuckled in a low voice.

"You should know... the dead have no value in themselves."

Whether a dead person has value depends solely on how the living perceive them.

Chapter 455 Let's have some fun together!

So, did Count Chapman set aside his original dissatisfaction due to practical considerations?

He really is a person who puts profit first.

But that makes sense. Given his current state of being a convicted criminal, what can he do to Bulwer even if he refuses to let go?

The real battlefield was not between Chapman and Bulwer, but in His Majesty the King's heart.

The outcome of the struggle was already decided when the king's preferred answer became clear.

"So, Bulwer will soon be exonerated?" Wayne asked.

In some ways, this may not be a bad thing.

“That’s right, but the investigation into dark magic will likely need to be intensified significantly,” Elliott said.

Upon hearing this, Wayne's lips twitched.

If the world knew that Bulwer was originally a traitor colluding with the controllers of dark magic, I wonder what their reaction would be.

He had absolutely no confidence in these so-called "investigations".

Compared to the intricacies of power struggles, Chris was clearly more interested in the "dark magic" itself.

"Haven't they found a single clue about dark magic all these years?" she couldn't help but complain. "They're so useless. Will Tasia have to handle this herself in the future...?"

Hmm...that's quite possible.

Wayne seemed to be deep in thought.

“The manifestations of dark magic are different from those of conventional magicians,” Elliott said in a deep voice. “In particular, its techniques for concealing one’s whereabouts and manipulating others are extremely bizarre.”

Indeed, I have witnessed Norman using dark magic several times.

But soon, Elliott changed the subject.

"However—because those who possess dark magic are often very powerful, some people envy such individuals."

After saying that, he looked at Chris very seriously.

"But I hope you won't be envious."

"Magic is not everything in a person's life," the old father said earnestly.

"The most precious thing in life is life itself... but the truly terrifying thing about dark magic is that it can make a person completely lose the ability to appreciate the beauty of life."

……

"I have a feeling that Tasia will face a lot of trouble in the future..."

Chris let out a long sigh as she left the study.

"If it's Tasia, she should be able to handle it, right?" Wayne casually replied.

“Yes, that’s true.” Chris nodded in agreement.

Halfway through the conversation, she seemed to suddenly realize something, and turned her head to stare at Wayne with a strange look.

“Wayne, you don’t seem worried about Tasia at all.”

She said it in a rather complicated tone.

"..." If I appear too worried, won't you start getting jealous again?

“Because Tasia is very reliable. And all of us friends will help her, so I think even if she encounters difficulties, she will definitely be able to get through them safely!” Wayne answered with great certainty.

However, upon hearing him say this, Chris showed a sad expression.

"What can we, her friends, do besides cheer her on? We can't even alleviate Tasia's mother's condition..." she said softly, feeling quite sorry for herself.

Wayne gently patted her head. "Don't worry too much. We're not gods, how could we possibly do everything in the world?"

After thinking about it, Wayne revealed a bit about Professor Conley's ongoing research to her.

"If all goes well, we should be able to temporarily halt the deterioration of Tasia's mother's condition," Wayne said.

Chris was both surprised and skeptical of what he told her, and her expression changed several times.

"Is your teacher... really reliable?"

It seems Chris doesn't have a very good impression of him.

"He should be alright, he's really quite skilled in his field," Wayne could only say.

“…That’s good.” She fell silent.

The two walked back to their rooms side by side, but because Wayne's door was on the outside of the hallway, he stopped first.

Beside him, Chris followed his movements and stopped moving forward.

Seeing that Wayne was just staring at her blankly, and then pointing to his own room, Chris didn't know what she was thinking at that moment, but she just walked past his shoulder and into his room so naturally.

As soon as Chris heard Wayne close the door behind her, she realized something was terribly wrong.

Turning around abruptly, I saw his face, which showed a hateful expression but was still quite handsome.

Wayne chuckled inwardly at the barely concealed guilt in Chris's eyes.

However, he didn't actually intend to do anything special.

He approached Chris step by step, watching her retreat little by little under his control until she was pressed against the soft leather sofa... Wayne slowly leaned close to her ear and asked in a deliberately low voice, "Tell me, which is more fun, playing cards or me?"

“Playing cards,” Klee replied without hesitation.

So Wayne kissed her without any hesitation.

"Think about it again?"

"……card."

Wayne kissed him again.

This lasted longer than usual, and by the time he finally let go, Chris was already panting heavily.

"Think about it again? Hmm?" he coaxed gently.

Chris couldn't take his meaningful and threatening gaze anymore.

"It's...it's you." Afraid that Wayne would take advantage of her again, she quickly closed her eyes and turned her face away as soon as she finished speaking.

Wayne chuckled deeply: "Since I'm the more fun one, then let's have some fun together?"

Then, he took Chris's hand.

Something cool was placed in her palm.

After a moment of silence, realizing that she hadn't been tricked by him, Chris slowly opened her eyes.

There, a deck of cards lay quietly in his hand.

Chris: That's it??

Seeing her eyes widen in disbelief, as if she were questioning the meaning of life, Wayne burst into unrestrained laughter. "Hahaha, you're so stupid... Did you expect me to do something that everyone would find amusing?"

He paused for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Wait, it doesn't seem like it's impossible..."