KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 45

It was wise not to confess what Odette did.

Relief washed over her when she heard the news of the resurrection. If she had told the Count the truth two years ago, she would have suffered between them.

Whatever losses the Count suffers now have nothing to do with me.

Of course, she couldn't let him die just yet. He had to live until her son became the official heir of the family.

Vanessa no longer craved his love; she wanted only the status he provided. She needed that status to protect her son and herself. She finally realized the worthlessness of a man's devotion.

It enrages me that our future still depends on that man, but I can endure it.

She had already endured so much. She had survived the insults from the servants and lived like a rat in the shadows of the attic.

Even on the day she barely recovered from childbirth, she had begged Ferdinand for mercy when he came to kill her and her child.

She had stayed patient for the day the Count would acknowledge her son as his own and name him the heir.

She dragged her leg to the sunless attic and pulled her child into her arms.

[Vanessa] "Was my son here all alone? My wonderful boy."

The child gurgled and laughed, patting her cheek with a wet, slapping sound.

[Vanessa] "My angel. You are so lovely."

A lump formed in her throat. This fragile, beautiful child was her first and last. He was the light of her life. She held the warm child tight and whispered with terrifying conviction.

[Vanessa] "Ferdinand will cause another disaster. I will make you the heir of House Albrecht, my sweet son."

---

Count Albrecht stopped the distribution of 'Morel' immediately. However, the situation spiraled out of control. One of the suffering nobles died.

The Count wanted to argue that the death was a coincidence, but he lacked proof. No one understood how that specific weed acted.

The herb guides labeled it a simple weed that caused extreme stomach pain. However, Morel required a delicate blend of countless herbs. The interaction between this unknown weed and the other ingredients was entirely a mystery.

If this happened with a drug for the poor, I could use threats or bribes to fix it. But it had to be Morel......

The move he thought would save House Albrecht had destroyed it instead.

He looked at the letter from the Imperial Palace with bitterness. The writing was formal and elegant, but the message was brutal.

⌈How does a professional pharmaceutical company allow weeds into its medicine? We are suspending all production and distribution of Albrecht Pharmaceutical products immediately.⌋

For a man who had expanded his business so aggressively, even a brief stop in cash flow was fatal. Furthermore, he doubted the "suspension" would be temporary.

House Albrecht held a monopoly on many vital drugs, such as Berserk Suppressants. Using the emergency as an excuse, the Palace would likely seize and release his secret formulas.

If that happened, other companies would quickly copy his work. His company would never recover. Even if he regained the right to sell medicine, his monopoly would be gone. He would have to start over from nothing, branded as a killer.

He finally faced the truth.

I must control a Purifier to recover from this.

[Ulrich] "What do you think, Rolf?"

[Rolf] "My Lord. Adopting Lady Charlotte is your only path to survival now."

Rolf spoke with confidence, his voice suggesting he had been right all along.

[Ulrich] "......Huu."

[Rolf] "Survival is the priority. Even if it feels wrong, adoption will give you leverage with the victims' families."

His father had stolen this family, and the Count had spent his life refining it. Now, that legacy faced destruction.

I can't even afford to wait.

The nobles already treated him like trash because Odette stayed at the Cathedral and refused to contact him.

While Charlotte lacked Odette's fame, she was still an A-rank Purifier. The nobles wouldn't want to stay enemies with the family of a Saintess.

[Ulrich] "But the idea of bringing Paula here bothers me. They clearly have a hidden motive for entering this house."

He still distrusted Charlotte's insistence on bringing Paula. He wondered if Sasha was trying to return, or if Odette and Charlotte had joined forces.

[Rolf] "I have a solution for that, My Lord. What if you do this?"

[Ulrich] "......?"

[Rolf] "Legitimize your bastard son. In the Barzeha Empire, a son inherits everything. A daughter only inherits if no sons exist."

A hollow laugh escaped the Count.

Ferdinand would lose his mind.

The Count was glad the bastard existed, but legitimizing him would trigger a war with Ferdinand. Unless he planned to discard Ferdinand entirely, he couldn't do it.

[Ulrich] "Ferdinand is still the priority. It is out of the question."

He shook his head. Adopting Charlotte was complicated enough; he didn't want to make the family situation even worse.

[Ulrich] "I will consider that later. For now, prepare the adoption papers for her."

He regretted not accepting her offer sooner. Now, less than a month later, he had to beg for her help. He looked more miserable than ever.

---

Madame Sarah's shop had grown into a massive luxury boutique. Since Odette's death, everything she wore—dresses, shoes, ribbons—had sold for astronomical prices. After her resurrection, the prices soared even higher. Sarah had made a fortune.

The shop was now so popular that even nobles had to wait in line. Yet, Sarah closed her doors during the busiest hours of the day. She did it for a single request from Lize.

Odette sat in the most private room on the third floor, wearing a mint satin dress with a bow on the back.

[Odette] "This is unexpected. I never imagined you would ask to meet me."

A woman knelt on the floor before her.

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