[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-divorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world":3,"chapter-divorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world-divorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world-chapter-28":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Divorcing the Duke to Buy the World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1728127,2208,"Chapter 28: MISSION COMPLETE: Survival of the Fittest","divorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>The young maid appeared instantly, her face flushed and her eyes glowing with a fervor that bordered on worship. She looked as if she wanted to burst into song or fall to her knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What has happened to the staff, Marta?\" Evelina asked, pausing at the door to her private chambers, \"They look as if they’ve seen a ghost.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, no, Your Grace! They are just excited...\" Marta squeaked, her voice trembling with excitement, \"The news from the Rose Pavilion traveled like a wildfire. The carriage drivers, the guards, even the palace messengers... everyone is talking about how the Duchess Alvarez won the Empress’s favor effortlessly.’’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina blinked.The Alvarez information network is indeed efficient,she thought. It had taken less than an hour for her social massacre to become household legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are gushing, My Lady,\" Marta whispered, leaning in, \"They used to fear the Duke’s anger. Now, they also talk about you the same way.n It’s... it’s wonderful!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina offered a small, \"Go and rest, Marta. You’ve done well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She entered her study and locked the door. The room was bathed in moonlight, reflecting off the glass of her desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time in two lives, this room felt like her own fortress rather than a prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat down and closed her eyes, summoning the interface that had come to be her most trusted advisor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>System, show me the current status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blue screen flickered to life, the notifications scrolling so fast they were a blur of golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Notification: ’The Midsummer Massacre’ sequence complete!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Current Balance: 4900 Heart-Wrecker Points]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina leaned back as a hint of satisfaction rose in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was no longer poor, at least.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could even begin to browse the high-tier shop, a chime echoed in her mind. It was a sound different from the usual pings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[DING! MISSION COMPLETE: Survival of the Fittest]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Objective: Establish a power base in the Alvarez Estate; SUCCESSFUL]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Status: The servants no longer look to the Duke for permission to serve you. You have usurped the domestic throne.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>REWARDS GRANTED:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Gold: 5000]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Current Gold: 6450]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Skill Unlocked: ’Merchant’s Eye’ ;The ability to see the true value and hidden flaws of any asset or person.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina felt a sharp tingle in her pupils. When she looked around the room again, the world seemed different than how it had been some time ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mahogany desk now had a hovering tag:[Aged Wood, 400 Gold, Structurally Sound].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She then looked toward the door where Ace was likely pacing in the hall:[Duke Ace Alvarez, Current Value: High (Military), Hidden Flaw: Emotional Illiteracy].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"_\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina barely managed to stifle a laugh. But the System wasn’t done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[CRITICAL MILESTONE REACHED]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Host has surpassed ’Local Influence’]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED: The World Market]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The World Market?\" Evelina whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The System remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina frowned, \"Explain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The System’s voice rang again this time, and it felt almost proud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Host, you have conquered the manor well and impressed the Empress. But the Empire is a small pond. The World Market allows you to influence beyond the borders of this Kingdom. You are no longer restricted to just local politics.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the blue screen expanded, stretching across the walls of her study until it encompassed the entire room. A massive, holographic globe shimmered into existence, slowly rotating in the center of the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a world map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina stood up, walking toward the glowing orb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She saw flickering icons over distant Kingdoms she had only heard of in legends and read in poetries in her previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the East, a massive hub labeled [The Jade Dynasty] pulsated with gold light, indicating a surplus of exotic silk. To the West, the [Iron Republic] glowed red, showing a need for the very flax and coal Evelina was currently monopolizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The World Market interface was surprisingly simple and Evelina came to understand it better than she had expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like a cosmic stock exchange. She could see the trade hubs where she could send her future steam engines, information brokerages in foreign capitals, and there was even a shadow market for more... secretive and aggressive maneuvers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She reached out and touched a glowing node over a neighboring kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Target Hub: Greystone Duchy]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Status: Economic Crisis (Grain Shortage)]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Opportunity: High. Use ’Alvarez Influence’ to export surplus and gain political leverage]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina’s heart hammered against her ribs. She had spent her first life begging for a seat at her father’s table. She had spent the last month fighting for a seat at the Empress’s table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as she looked at the holographic globe reflecting in her eyes, she realized the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t need a seat at anyone’s table at all since she owned the map herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She saw a trade route light up between the capital and a distant port she hadn’t even discovered yet. The System’s notification blinked again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Welcome to the Big Leagues, Host. Would you like to place your first global bet?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina smiled; a brilliant expression of pure ambition crossing her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelina’s fingers hovered over the shimmering node of the Greystone Duchy, the golden light reflected in her eyes like the light of a new beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a long moment, she simply breathed in the silence of the room, feeling the weight of the map she now held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her previous life, she had been a pawn moved across a board by men who didn’t even bother to learn her name. Now, she had shattered that board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she whispered in a steady voice, \"Let’s place the bet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a decisive tap, she initiated the link.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Initial Connection Established: Trade Route ’Alvarez-Greystone’ marked for development.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Status: Preparing for long-term influence.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the globe slowly faded into a pulsing blue dot on her interface, Evelina felt the adrenaline begin to cool, replaced by clarity of a strategist as she began to calculate a certain things she had avoided for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time, unlike the System, was a slow and grinding gears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A month had passed since the Midsummer Tea; a month that should have been the most triumphant period of Evelina’s life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the eyes of the public, she was a miracle. She had successfully navigated the Empress’s temper, shattered the Snow family’s reputation so thoroughly that Selene had been sent to a convent for reflection, and secured her position as the undisputed mistress of the Alvarez estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, as Evelina stood on the balcony of her study, looking out over the sprawling lands of the North, she could barely taste the victory.\u003C\u002Fp>",1092,"2026-06-06T15:57:21.893Z",1,"novelbin.me","2e668aba5582b99865da286b6e99c67f38493317635a33121736120635550e79","divorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world-chapter-29","divorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world-chapter-27",46,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdivorcing-the-duke-to-buy-the-world-cover.jpg"]