Title: 012 Karen's Intuition
In front of Patrick's room, three children and one dog were in the garden.
"Isaac, does it suit me?"
Tiffany, wearing a flower crown made from the flowers Isaac had given her, turned to show Isaac. Adela had carefully crafted the crown for her.
"Yeah, it looks great," Isaac said honestly.
She was delighted to decorate herself with his flowers—there was no reason not to compliment her.
Patrick, curious, placed his front paws on Tiffany's shoulder and sniffed the crown.
The dog had grown quickly. At about one year old, Patrick was now much bigger and heavier than Isaac and the others.
Tiffany felt the weight slightly but did not mind. Patrick had become a good friend and part of the family.
"Shall we show Mother and the others too?" Isaac suggested.
"Yeah!" Tiffany agreed.
Isaac took Tiffany's hand and started walking. Behind them followed Patrick and Adela.
Though only a year old, Patrick's body was fully grown.
He sometimes watched over Isaac and the others, perhaps mimicking Adela, taking on a caretaker role.
Adela observed the little group with a warm smile.
Lisa would have joined too, but she was at home studying.
Nearly ten, she would make her Social Season debut this winter.
Since Isaac was a well-behaved child, she could pause her role as friend and older sister for now. She would have more time for herself.
Seeing Isaac approach, Lucia and Karen stopped their conversation and turned to Tiffany.
"Oh, what a beautiful flower crown. It suits you perfectly."
"Yeah, Adela made it for me," Tiffany said happily.
Karen praised her, and Tiffany beamed.
"Thank you, Adela."
"It's been a while, so I worried if I could do it well... but it worked out."
Adela exhaled in relief, but Karen's gaze shifted slightly, scrutinizing Isaac.
"...Lucia, your son is going to do something remarkable in the future," Karen said.
"Eh?"
Isaac felt a jolt of surprise.
He hadn't known Karen had the ability to read people's intentions—or perhaps even glimpse the future.
The thought of being seen through made his legs tremble.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucia asked, concerned for her son's future.
Karen offered no reassurances.
"At his age, he should enjoy sweets or toys. Yet he deliberately chooses flowers as gifts... clearly, he was born a natural charmer."
Isaac felt no relief from Karen's words.
(I didn't even consider that angle.)
Even though he had given gifts to Tiffany as a token of friendship, they were not meant as romantic gestures.
The answer he derived, driven purely by the desire for influence, had never been intended to be interpreted that way.
"Oh... maybe he's like Randolph. He's always been kind to everyone, often leading to misunderstandings without realizing it," Karen added.
Lucia had no idea Isaac had intentionally given flowers as gifts.
She must have recalled Randolph before his marriage and chuckled.
"What are you laughing at? You used to complain in letters about being jealous," Lucia teased.
Isaac agreed quietly with Karen's remark about jealousy.
Unlike romantic comedies, where others might bless a couple, real life rarely worked that way.
"You think he'll pick me?" people would grumble.
Yet Lucia showed no signs of frustration.
"He chose me. That alone makes me forget all the unpleasantness," she said.
"Ah... that bitter herbal tea just became sweet," Karen added, laughing.
Isaac agreed.
Especially stories about his parents' courtship or sweet romance were difficult to hear.
Tiffany, being a girl, might have been interested in such tales, but she was still too young.
She lay on the grass, using Patrick's back as a pillow, carefully keeping the flower crown off her head.
(Since when!?) Isaac thought in surprise.
Unlike Isaac, Tiffany was at her own pace.
She spoke when bored and slept when sleepy.
Yet Isaac felt she still acted a bit too quickly.
Even so, he could understand her behavior a little—it was because of Patrick.
Six months ago, the puppy had been as cute as a moving stuffed toy, but now he had grown sturdy.
Still adorable, Patrick now also offered a sense of reliability.
Much like children trusting their mothers, Patrick had become someone they could rely on.
Using him as a pillow during adult conversation seemed natural.
(I've never done that myself.)
Isaac felt a twinge of jealousy, and a sense of urgency rose within him.
As he grew, his head would become heavier.
Using a dog as a pillow was only possible as a child.
The thought made him want to try it.
"Adela, you can join in too," Isaac said, resting his head on Patrick's back.
"Huh? You too?" Patrick turned his head toward Isaac.
Though a toddler, supporting both children must have been heavy.
After a moment, he seemed to resign, wearing a face that said, "It can't be helped."
Normally lively enough to trouble Isaac, Patrick showed his caring side.
"Oh, taking a nap? Then go to the bed—"
"It's fine. It's nice to do this sometimes," Karen said.
Lucia agreed.
Watching children nap under the sun while enjoying tea was not a bad way to spend time.
"Adela, join our chat," Karen added.
"Yes. I'd like to hear what she'll be like when my daughter grows a little more," Lucia said.
"Yes... just a little," Adela replied.
The children seemed ready to nap.
Adela, nearby, joined the girls' conversation.
They discussed flowers and Randolph rather than childcare, the sweet talk reaching Isaac's ears.
Isaac closed his eyes, sensing a vague familiarity.
(Right. This was like when Masami tried to fall asleep during a game. Well, that had a sweet male voice, so this is better.)
He thought it was better to have a woman's voice as a lullaby than a man's whisper.
Isaac pondered Karen's earlier words.
(Flowers can be misinterpreted by women... Well, if there's a reason like a birthday, it's fine... But giving them just because I want to, like today... is that wrong?)
Isaac didn't realize Karen had been joking.
He took her words seriously and worried genuinely.
(Ah, and I need money. If I had money, I wouldn't need to give flowers to prepare for the future.)
Of course, he meant money—not just gold coins, but resources.
With money, there would be no need for gifts that could be misunderstood.
Isaac planned to remove Nathan when he turned ten.
The New Year's gathering on January 1st also served as a debut for children turning ten.
――"The child has grown safely to ten. They may now participate in social events."
Many people would gather.
That was the perfect occasion to reveal who the true heir was and to oust Nathan.
Isaac had several strategies already planned.
Even at this stage, Isaac could roughly estimate how to remove Melinda and Nathan.
But there were problems.
For now, the only justification to oust Nathan was Isaac's legitimate claim to succession.
Relying solely on legitimacy to convince the Vassal Nobles after Nathan's removal would be risky.
――Isaac planned a gekokujo (T/N: "overthrow from below")—a rebellion without legitimacy or moral right.
If he eliminated Nathan under the banner of righteousness, any rebellion could be dismissed as lacking legitimacy.
To ensure obedience, he would need both fear and profit.
Fear was impossible to instill while still a child.
Profit—money—was the only solution.
――He needed to prove that those who followed him would benefit.
If he could do that, people would support him when he staged the overthrow.
"Following Isaac brings more benefit than staying loyal to the current royal family."
That thought would naturally increase his allies.
As a child, he had no way of knowing what would please Nobles, nor whether he could provide it.
No matter the situation, he wanted the universal power of money.
(Ah... if only Sato were here now, he'd probably come up with a clever idea...)
Isaac recalled a friend from his previous life.
At first impression, Sato seemed mysterious and unsettling, but once they became friends, he was surprisingly kind.
When Isaac asked, "Do you know any good jobs? I need money for a car," Sato used his family connections to find high-paying work.
One job involved retrieving discarded boxes from incoming cargo ships.
At night, he dove into the dark sea without lights to collect them.
It was dangerous, but the pay was high.
It prevented pollution and earned money—a very good job.
Another task was retrieving forgotten luggage from coin lockers for people who had no time.
The contents were often just bags of flour or starch, but delivering them brought immense gratitude—and surprisingly high pay.
Even if the recipient looked intimidating, like a yakuza, they were generous.
(People who know how to leverage connections are amazing.)
In his previous life, Isaac could only reply, "Nothing I know of," when friends asked for work.
Even with parental connections, someone like Sato, who could bring good opportunities, was a rare talent.
If Sato could sniff out money here, he would have been invaluable.
But longing for what he didn't have would get him nowhere.
He couldn't reveal his inner thoughts to anyone; he had to solve problems himself.
(I've saved pocket money, but child-level allowance isn't enough. I need a way to earn money or provide benefits to Nobles myself.)
Relying only on the Marquis family's wealth would eventually fail.
He couldn't simply exhaust what predecessors had stored.
――He needed to tap into money elsewhere.
――Or find another way to provide benefits.
If he was staging a coup, this was unavoidable.
He couldn't seize the country alone.
He needed the support of many.
And to gain their support, he had to find some effective method.
(It's fine. I chose a different life from my previous one. I'll make it work.)
With resolve in his heart, Isaac let the warm sunlight lull him to sleep, planning for the future.
Notes:
• Ran - She is a gentle orphan, appeared as Mobu's close friend, surviving the demon attack in their secret hideout.