My older sister is a villainous rich girl

With a slightly disappointed feeling, he started walking back.

Since he happened to be on a street not far from Tasia's house, Wayne made a point of going to check on her before returning home.

Having lost all interest in reporting the results to Gavin, he simply sent a servant to inform him, thus officially putting an end to the matter.

Sitting alone in his study, Wayne pulled out a stack of blank paper and unconsciously began to write a story.

—A story about a poor young man who finds love, but loses it because he pursues fame and fortune.

After writing several pages in one go, Wayne suddenly came to his senses.

'...Wait, why am I writing this?'

Out of personal interest, Wayne had also studied screenwriting techniques. But as a half-baked amateur, he only knew the basics and soon lost interest in writing stories.

In terms of expertise in this area, perhaps I am not as knowledgeable as Chris.

Wayne found his impulsive decision somewhat amusing, but after reviewing the entire story, which revolved around the theme of love, he felt even more ashamed. He crumpled the drafts into a ball and tossed them into a nearly full wastebasket.

Such stories are not uncommon, so it's best not to embarrass yourself by sharing them.

“Wayne—”

Chris called to him from outside the door, "Come quick, I need your help!"

"Oh, here it comes!" After tidying up the desk and restoring it to its original state, Wayne quickly left the study.

Chapter 500 Is that really the life you want?

After a period of chaos, the capital city seemed to have returned to a state of apparent calm.

"...As for the statement from the Kingdom of Stuart, it is that Lord Simon planned this assassination out of personal grudges, and they are very sorry about it."

Goli sat at the bedroom table and relayed the information she knew to Wayne.

Upon hearing this, Wayne, who had taken her seat, looked thoughtful. "Does that mean they're not going to take any responsibility for this?"

This inevitably made the queen's situation even more awkward.

“That’s not surprising,” Goethe sighed. “Although the Queen was once a favored princess of Stuart, that was many years ago. The throne now rests on her brother’s head, and she has been married off to Lorne for so long. How much respect can she still have in her homeland?”

At this point, Ge Li paused.

"Also... thank you for telling me that Simon has a problem."

She deliberately looked away, speaking reluctantly and in a very low voice.

Glancing at her face, Wayne couldn't help but smile. "If you're thanking me so earnestly, you're being too formal."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pretending to be generous when he clearly wanted to take credit, and Ge Li felt slightly annoyed.

He's both awful and... kind of cute.

"Oh. In that case, I'll take back my thanks." She said in a deliberately cold tone.

"Huh?"

Wayne was stunned for a moment, then noticed the mocking look in her eyes, and realized that he had been tricked.

—Miss Ge Li, why are you not playing by the rules?

He smiled helplessly and sighed, "Am I destined to never escape your grasp?"

During this meeting, Wayne shared some intelligence with her.

Although not explicitly stated, the Wincher family, having successfully reached a consensus with Richard, can be said to have confirmed which side they were on.

Once the status quo between the King and his son can no longer be maintained, the Winchester family will become a force Richard can rely on for a counterattack.

This radical choice does indeed carry risks.

However, simply staying put won't yield good results if you want to gain the upper hand in the situation. Moreover, Richard actually has a very high chance of winning on both sides of the scale.

Another purpose of Wien's trip was to find out what Minister Franz was thinking.

Based on past performance, this finance minister would undoubtedly be more inclined to side with the king.

And indeed, things turned out exactly as Wayne had predicted.

"If I said yes, would you immediately betray us and join the Edgeworth family's camp?" Goethe asked nonchalantly.

“Uh…” Wien said hesitantly, “I’m afraid that won’t work.”

Knowing full well that he would get this answer, Ge Li wasn't surprised. He just snorted dismissively, turned around, and walked back to sit down on the bedside.

“My father originally thought that your family would continue to stand by and not get involved in this mess.”

Her hand swept across the outside of her thigh, smoothing and pressing down the hem of her soft nightgown.

To be honest, Wayne was also a little surprised by Duke Elliott's unusually positive reaction this time.

However, the reasons for doing so are actually quite valid.

"...After all, Prince Richard is the most suitable successor. Giving him support at this crucial moment will make it easier for us to deal with each other in the future."

At this point, if one insists on maintaining a high-minded attitude and refuses to curry favor, it will be too late to add to the glory once everything has settled down.

“But Minister Franz, didn’t he want you to marry Richard? How can he be so heartless to his chosen son-in-law?” The restless Wayne also stood up and sat down close to Goethe.

Hearing the sarcastic words beside him, Ge Li frowned and glared at him.

“No matter how outstanding Richard is, he is still just a prince, not a king,” she said calmly.

"The affairs of the kingdom must ultimately be decided by His Majesty the King."

So, is this a consideration from a realistic perspective?

Indeed, if the king hadn't directly forced the emperor to abdicate, he could have maintained his power for many more years.

"By the way, has His Excellency Franz mentioned your marriage recently?" Wayne asked in a low voice.

The fear that Ge Li might one day be arranged to marry someone else weighed heavily on his mind, and he felt uncomfortable whenever he heard the topic of arranged marriages.

It's like knowing there's a bomb under the chair, and knowing it will blow you to pieces sooner or later, but not knowing how much time is left on the countdown.

Speaking of this, Ge Li was clearly not in a good mood either.

She shook her head. "Not yet."

"In his heart... the perfect outcome was still to become the Queen of Lornes, but he seemed to have lost interest in that title and hadn't mentioned it for a long time."

Wayne clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Marriages without affection never end well. What happened in the royal family should have made him realize that to some extent."

"Are you implying something to me?" Ge Li looked at him irritably.

"No, it's explicit."

He cleared his throat and said very seriously, "I can protect you, believe me."

The two looked at each other very closely, their gazes clear and bright.

“Whatever your father has arranged for you, if you find it hard to refuse, just tell me,” Wayne said. “I can handle it.”

Ge Li gently raised his hand and tenderly stroked his cheek.

"Don't think that I can't live without you in this life." Her voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

"Being with you now is something I'm doing stupid... Maybe one day when I figure things out, this relationship will end."

Wayne looked displeased.

"Why do you always say things like that? I won't let go." He said somewhat recklessly, "What use are the so-called noble titles of queen, duchess, or marquess? They're just empty names without any real power."

He no longer wanted to hide anything. Call him hypocritical or wicked if you want, but he had to achieve the result he wanted.

Ge Li slightly opened her mouth, looking at him with a hint of surprise.

“Do you know what you’re saying?” she said.

“I said, it’s all empty title, no real power,” Wayne repeated clearly.

"Once you get married, no matter how much Minister Franz groomed you, you will have to deal with those straw-brained noblewomen, and diligently sit in the drawing room as a beautiful vase to show that your husband has indeed married a good woman..."

"At that time, you will no longer be Gothel Edgeworth, but will only be known as so-and-so's wife or so-and-so's mother by others."

Wayne took a deep breath. "—Is that really the life you want?"

Because I understand her... I am confident that I can persuade her.

Chapter 501 A Surprising Discovery

The more you realize that you actually have another option, the more likely you are to become dissatisfied with the life you could barely tolerate.

Ge Li is indeed a very outstanding girl.

By any standard, she is the pride of the Edgeworth family.

—If it weren't for such favorable conditions, Franz wouldn't have been so delusional as to want to make her queen.

But fortunately, yet unfortunately, what resides within this body is not a submissive soul.

Ge Li pursed his lips and remained silent.

Wayne noticed every extremely subtle reaction she made.

Seeing that his "persuasion" seemed to have some effect, Wayne quickly stopped while he was ahead and did not force her to make a decision immediately.

As her extremely close partner, gently and gradually changing her mind is often more successful than using forceful methods. Having experienced so much, Wayne, who is also constantly growing, feels that she has mastered the knack of it.

"Don't worry," Wayne said softly, both to comfort her and to comfort himself.

"Now that the idea of ​​a marriage alliance with the royal family has fallen through, Minister Franz will certainly consider your future more carefully."

"As long as... your stance is firm enough."

……

After leaving the Edgeworth family, Wayne's restless emotions calmed down somewhat.

As long as Ascletis is willing to stand on our side, other issues are trivial.

According to the tradition of the Kingdom of Lornes, while daughters can inherit family property and land in the absence of a son, they cannot inherit titles. Upon the father's death, the title is passed to the daughter's husband or simply to her grandson.

This ensures that the Kingdom of Lornes only has titles such as Duchess and Countess, but no Duchess or Countess.

Although it is a tradition, it has not always been this way.

Many years ago, when people's understanding of magic was still unsystematic, if the head of a family died, even the only biological daughter could not inherit any of the family's property. If there were no male heirs in the collateral branches, the nobles' titles and lands would be taken back by the next higher lord, leaving them with only a small portion of their wealth.

However, with the later establishment of various magic academies, the kingdom cultivated generation after generation of powerful magicians, among whom outstanding female magicians emerged in large numbers, greatly enhancing Lornes' overall national strength. The king at the time realized that magical talent existed in both boys and girls, and was not superior or inferior based on gender, so he specifically amended the inheritance law.

As a result, the status of daughters in the family was recognized, and the Kingdom of Lornes, which produced many talented people, gradually developed into one of the most powerful countries on the continent.

Even so, the overall conservative atmosphere of the kingdom remained unchanged, especially within the aristocratic circles where it was even more oppressive.

The rank of nobility is not necessarily linked to personal ability; everyone is simply playing a game of forming cliques. Everyone is trying to play a nominal role, and a set of unspoken rules are manifested in every aspect of their interactions under the guise of so-called "etiquette."

For example, a proper lady should behave in this way... a proper nobleman should behave in this way...

These morally charged judgments can help those who are capable of profiting from them to select sufficiently intelligent and perceptive partners, artificially distinguish between "friends" and "enemies," and thereby gain control of the discourse.

In other words, it was only due to the historical factors of that time that the kingdom took a step forward on the path of equality, but it was only a small step forward.

...At worst, I can just push things forward again and make an issue of amending the inheritance law once more.

Wayne pondered.

Given the current social conditions where aristocratic girls can also enjoy education and property rights, such a call would likely receive a strong response from many.

Especially people like Ge Li, who have accumulated enough strength to some extent and have given some thought to external constraints, but do not have a reasonable way to control their own lives.

At that time, Miss Ge Li, faced with such a generous offer, would have no chance of remaining unmoved.

Once someone can start a business in their own name, who would be willing to be a mere supporting character or appendage to someone else? Based on his understanding of Gothic's personality, Wayne was confident in this regard.

Wayne had planned to find advocates for his interests through bribery and then gradually spread his ideas. However, unexpected events always happen at the most unforeseen times.

On an ordinary afternoon, the famous playwright Mr. Pokland suddenly came to visit.

"Ahem...Young Master Wayne."

He held a bound manuscript in his hand, looking quite surprised. "This is a very good story. If you're willing to let our theater troupe perform it, I can give up 70% of the performance profits."

"Huh?" Wayne didn't quite understand what he meant.