My name is Eliza IJzerhart, the only child of the wealthy and successful businessman, Sander IJzerhart.
My parents faced significant challenges in conceiving, but after many years of trying, they turned to science. They sent their DNA samples to a laboratory where genetic engineering created me. I was born a homunculus—an artificial life formed from their genes. Alongside me in the artificial womb were six other homunculi girls, who I've come to regard as my sisters.
Despite this engineered beginning, something went awry in our creation. Each of us was born embodying one of the Seven Deadly Sins. I was born with the Sin of Greed—Avaritia. This, combined with my upbringing as the only child of a wealthy man, only magnified my avaricious tendencies. I never shared anything and firmly believed that money could buy anything, even people's loyalty.
I came to feel as though I owned everything and everyone around me. The comparisons to my sister, Princess Maeve, only intensified my belief in my superiority. I relished the fact that I could buy whatever I desired, whenever I wanted.
One day, in the fourth year of high school, I found myself in homeroom with Maeve. We were classmates, though our lives couldn't have been more different. Our homeroom teacher was Zipporah Mazzi, a woman known for her unflappable wisdom and poise.
Our school was a private all-girls institution, one reserved for the wealthiest and most elite families in the Netherlands.
Mrs. Mazzi stood before the class, asking a thought-provoking question.
"What do you think is the most valuable thing to a human being?" she inquired.
Without hesitation, I raised my hand.
"Yes, Eliza?" she called.
"Money," I answered, my voice confident.
"Why do you believe that, Eliza?"
"Because money gives us power," I said. "It ensures survival, grants comfort, and allows us to dominate the world around us. There's nothing money can't buy."
Mrs. Mazzi's gaze remained steady, but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Oh, Eliza, there are things money can't buy."
"Like what?" I asked, a slight challenge in my tone, certain she would struggle to come up with an answer that could sway me.
"Money can only buy tangible things," Mrs. Mazzi said. "Like a car or a house. But it can't buy intangible things like happiness or love."
"Money can definitely buy happiness and love," I replied without hesitation.
"How so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I feel happy because of my wealth," I answered confidently.
"But that's not the same as buying happiness," she countered. "There's a difference between being happy because of wealth and buying happiness with wealth."
"Huh?" I was caught off guard by the distinction.
"How much does happiness cost?" she pressed. "And how do you even measure it?"
"Well," I sighed, "everyone here is wealthy, so I can't really demonstrate what I'm trying to say. But let's imagine a different situation. Suppose there's a girl in this classroom who's poor. Her mother has cancer and is in the hospital, and her father barely scrapes by with a low-paying full-time job. If I gave this girl one million euros to cover her mother's treatment, don't you think she'd be happier?"
Mrs. Mazzi shook her head slightly. "You misunderstand what I'm saying. The girl wouldn't be happy because of the money itself. What would make her happy is knowing her mother can receive proper treatment. If that outcome could be achieved without money, she would still be happy."
"True..." I muttered, conceding her point.
"Money can certainly be a means to happiness," she continued. "But it cannot buy happiness itself. Let's say I'm a happy person, but you're depressed. You're wealthy, and I'm not. If you tried to buy my happiness, how much would that cost? And why would I exchange my happiness for money? Besides, how would you even transfer my happiness to you? It doesn't work that way. Happiness isn't something tangible."
"I'll prove you wrong, Zipporah," I said defiantly.
"Again, Eliza," she corrected me, "call me Mrs. Mazzi. We're in class right now."
"My bad," I muttered.
"So, how are you going to prove me wrong?" she asked with a hint of amusement.
"I'll buy a man's heart. I'll buy his love."
Mrs. Mazzi placed her fingers on her forehead and shook her head slowly, as though disapproving of my challenge. "What man are you going to victimize?"
"Anyone you want. Just give me a name," I replied with confidence.
"Hmm..." she pondered for a moment. "I can't think of anyone right now. I'll get back to you later."
I felt a growing frustration as she lectured me about life. We were at an impasse. Zipporah clung to her ideals about "money can't buy happiness" and "sharing is caring," but I couldn't disagree more. To me, money is everything. There's nothing it can't do, no obstacle it can't overcome. Whether people want to admit it or not, wealth is power.
I am Avaritia, the embodiment of Greed. The accumulation of wealth and property is written into my very DNA. I wasn't just born to be wealthy—I was created to be rich.