Chapter Three

I found something comfortable to wear before leaving the room. Vespera loved to dress glamorously every time, like the queen she believed herself to be, but I wasn't about to do that since I wasn't her. 

I opened the bedroom door and stepped into the corridor. And immediately spotted Rhydian.

He stood near one of the tall windows, dressed in black trousers and a dark shirt. His hair fell carelessly over his forehead, and his expression was as cold as ever.

I'd taken just one step toward him when I started to hear his thoughts again, and it made me want to turn around. 

*Wonderful. Here comes the headache.*

Seriously? I hadn't even spoken to him!

I kept walking toward him, putting up a warm smile on my face. 

"Is there something you need, my lady?" He asked in a polite voice when I got close enough. 

*Please don't ask me to do anything.* He groaned internally. 

The thought almost made me smile, because I did need something from him. But first, I wanted to know why he looked so exhausted.

His shoulders were stiff, and there was a faint crease between his brows. He seemed to be in pain, though he was doing an excellent job of hiding it. Then his thoughts reached me again. 

*The auction is tomorrow. If I can't obtain the Lunar-Core Suppression Crystal, I don't know how much longer I can endure this.*

The what?

He continued to think, and my brain heard everything, *It's the only one available. The bidding will be ridiculous, and I don't have nearly enough money.*

The Lunar-Core Suppression Crystal.

I remembered that item!

It was a rare shifter artifact being sold at an exclusive auction. It could suppress dangerous surges of lunar energy and relieve the strain they caused on a werewolf's body.

In the novel, Rhydian had desperately wanted it but couldn't afford it, and of course, the original Vespera had refused to help him.

In fact, she'd laughed at him for even asking. At the end, Rhydian had fallen deeply ill and when a healer finally attended to him, he'd already suffered permanent damages.

But then again, the lunar crystal was so expensive that the original Vespera wouldn't have been able to afford it with all her fortune. But with her father's fortune, it was very possible. I could buy it and still have more than enough to prepare for the apocalypse.

I looked at him again and sighed. He was still thinking to himself. 

*I can't ask her. I'd rather suffer than beg that woman for anything.*

I felt my heart clench, and I almost reached out to cup his face and tell him he had nothing to worry about this time. 

If buying the crystal could help Rhydian, then I was doing it. Besides, I wanted to see the look on his face when I handed it to him.

"Rhydian, I have a question." I said. 

*Here we go.* He groaned again. 

"I heard there's an auction tomorrow." I began, and his eyes flickered, "Are you planning to attend?"

*Why is she asking?* He asked himself. 

Finally, he answered, "I don't believe I'll be able to."

"Oh?"

"No, my lady."

"That's unfortunate." I said, and smiled at him, "Because I was thinking of going myself."

His gaze sharpened, just before another wave of confusion washed over his face. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"Would you like to come with me?" I asked. 

*Why? Why should I come with you? Why are you going to the auction? What are you scheming?!* 

Of course. What was I expecting? That he would easily agree? 

And so, I reached up to his forehead and placed the back of my palm on it. I knew his temperature was high, but damn, the man was burning! He was in desperate need of that crystal. 

The moment I touched him, he flinched away. 

*What the hell is she doing?!*

But I smiled and said, *Just come with me tomorrow, Rhydian. I promise I won't make you regret coming with me. I will never make you regret anything again,*

*******

One would think thirty days was more than enough to prepare for the apocalypse since I already knew what would happen, and I was going to try and see that it was, but I also deserved compensation for all this stress.

I'd barely slept for four days in my previous life, and now I had to worry about zombies? What exactly had I done to deserve this?

I sighed and picked up my phone. The first thing I needed was information. Apart from the money her father had left the heiress, more things were attached to her name that she didn't know of. 

That included a private estate outside the city, several warehouses, multiple businesses and investments, pieces of land, including one with access to a reliable water source, a fleet of vehicles, and an interest in a pharmaceutical company.

There was even an underground storage facility her father had commissioned years ago for reasons nobody seemed to understand. Or rather, for reasons I'd never gotten to the part where the author had explained why. 

For now, I had more urgent problems.

I contacted the lawyers responsible for managing the estate and requested copies of every document concerning my inheritance. Then I instructed them to change the security arrangements, update access permissions, and ensure that nobody could sell, transfer, or withdraw anything without my authorisation

After that, I contacted the estate manager and informed him that I wanted to begin renovating the property immediately.

"What kind of renovations, Miss Veyne?" He asked.

"Structural reinforcements, improved security, and an upgrade to the water and power systems."

"May I ask why?" He questioned after a brief silence. 

"Because I want to." I answered flatly. 

He didn't ask another question.

Smart man.

Within the next hour, I'd also contacted suppliers for generators, water filtration systems, solar panels, medical supplies, canned food, grains, and building materials.

I wasn't going to purchase everything at once. I needed to know what was available, how quickly it could be delivered, and what I could store safely.

I also needed engineers to inspect the estates and determine how many people each could accommodate. 

Years and years of supplies was what I was going for, to be on the safe side, because I definitely interested in becoming one of those transmigrated heroines who spent the entire apocalypse running around with an empty stomach because they'd forgotten that people needed to eat.

No, thank you.

I had suffered enough in my previous life, and I plan to enjoy this one.

By midday, I'd barely made a dent in my plans. Apparently, securing an enormous inheritance and preparing for the end of the world required more paperwork than I'd anticipated. Who would have thought?

I was sitting in the estate's private study, reviewing a list of available warehouses when the door opened.

I looked up and Draven walked in. 

He stopped when he saw me sitting behind the desk, and bowed, "My lady."

"Draven," I called gingerly, "Come in, come in,"

He looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else.

*Why did she summon me?*

"Because I don't want you starving anymore," I replied before I could help myself.