Chapter 12
Duke Wilfred Cromford.
The infamous villain from “Leveling Up Because of the Villain.”
A main antagonist who tormented the protagonist’s party for over a thousand episodes without dying—but his evil deeds usually had reasons behind them.
Though the series hadn’t reached its ending and many mysteries about the protagonist remained unsolved, there was one reason why readers never abandoned the series despite him being the main villain:
He was never the one to pick a fight first.
In that sense, Marquis Gonder was unlucky.
“Marquis Gonder’s nude portrait was hung up along the main street.”
With that one sentence from Rose, peace returned to the Deblanc family.
The Duke’s method of revenge—far more terrifying than pulling out nails or slapping someone—was making a person into a laughingstock.
Stabbing with a knife or punching might be better alternatives. With this kind of humiliation, no one could lift their head and walk around normally again.
“How did such a horror happen…?”
“He painted it himself and gave it to people he flirted with. Who knows what kind of guts it took to do that.”
There were so many recipients that no one could even guess who might have leaked it. But no one knew exactly how the painting ended up on display in the middle of the street.
Marquis Gonder was raging, demanding it be taken down, but unfortunately, it was tied in a place difficult to reach.
On top of that, today was a market day, meaning the main street was packed with people—all of whom witnessed the ghastly sight.
“Wow… Horrible.”
“I heard His Majesty the Emperor was furious after hearing the full story. It’s said to be a disgrace to the nobility’s honor, and even among nobles, no one is reacting favorably.”
Given the circumstances, the chance of tomorrow’s noble council proceeding smoothly was near zero.
Rose, who hadn’t been able to voice her worries to her younger siblings, only explained the situation after everything was settled.
“Thanks to this, the bill trying to strip me of my authority was scrapped too. They’re also starting an investigation into the casino, so Father’s debt problem likely won’t become public either.”
“Who did it? Did you find out?”
“I have suspicions… but no evidence.”
There were only a handful of people capable of pulling off such a clean job without leaving a single trace.
“Don’t tell me it was… Duke Cromford?”
Only fearless Lily could speak his name so casually.
After confirming no one else was around to overhear, Rose gently patted her relieved siblings’ heads.
“If Marquis Gonder’s scheme had worked, his losses would’ve been far worse than mine.”
Even though Rose was smart and capable, she could do nothing but remain silent against the Marquis’s schemes. Seeing her sincerely relieved made their hearts ache.
“Are you really okay, sister?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, and go ahead and order a new dress for yourself, Lily.”
Seeing their elder sister acting as the family’s head at such a young age made them both proud and sad.
While her two younger sisters smiled happily, Rose recalled something suddenly.
“Come to think of it… they say the reason Duke Cromford got angry this time was because of his fiancée.”
Normally, he wouldn’t even enter the palace without being summoned, yet today, he had personally requested an audience with the Emperor early in the morning.
“Rose! Sister Freesia is Cr…!”
“Oh my, what’s our little Lily got on her mouth now?”
Rose quickly covered her sister’s mouth, brushing it off with a forced smile.
Unaware of Freesia’s cold sweat, Rose continued.
“I didn’t know he even had a fiancée. Since there’s someone else involved, the story about this being personal revenge seems more convincing.”
“I see…”
“Apparently, she’s still young and hasn’t even received her family’s approval. I’m really curious who she is, to make the Duke go to the Emperor for help.”
“That’s… Fr— Mmph! Mmph!”
“Our Lily seems to have a sore throat. Let’s get you some water.”
How had the conversation ended up like this?
After throwing Lily a sharp glare to stay quiet, she finally closed her mouth.
Only after Rose left for her bath did Lily begin her interrogation.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Sister should know eventually.”
“That’s not something we can be sure of yet.”
The mysterious fiancée had become the perfect excuse for dealing with Marquis Gonder, pushing him into a corner.
Clever man, truly. Persuading the Emperor and getting himself out of the situation meant he’d done his part perfectly.
As expected. Marriage? Ridiculous.
“Anyway, it’s all settled for now. Don’t you dare breathe a word to Sister. Got it?”
With Lily’s mouth firmly shut, no more rumors would leak.
Relieved, Rose went back to sorting papers. Soon, she returned from her bath.
Drying her long, abundant hair casually, she opened her mouth like nothing had happened.
“By the way, Freesia… I heard the most ridiculous rumor today.”
* * *
To block Gonder’s debt collectors, Rose went to the office early in the morning to sort through collateral.
Using her experience from the knight order, her business of supplying goods to various knight orders was steadily growing. But still, it was nowhere near enough to cover the one million gallons Gonder demanded.
“Maybe I should take a loan instead.”
If she used her title as collateral, she might barely manage to repay the debt.
“Lady Rose, your guest will arrive soon.”
“Ah… right. I almost forgot.”
Contacting an investor had given her another option: selling her entire business rights.
She could always start over, but she wouldn’t let her younger sisters suffer harm.
If only they’d had decent parents, none of this would’ve happened—but that wasn’t an excuse to act spoiled.
Freesia, the apple of her eye, and Lily, a bit cheeky but still dearly loved.
Rose willingly took on the role of head of the family, hoping her sisters would never taste such bitterness.
She quickly tidied up her desk and opened the window for some fresh air.
And then… something hideous fluttered into her line of sight.
“What… is that?”
A massive nude portrait of Marquis Gonder, too grotesque to even look at directly.
She instinctively looked away.
“This way, please.”
She drew the curtains to hide the unsightly scene from her incoming guest.
“My name is Jade.”
The visitor, representing a high-ranking noble family in the capital, immediately offered a large investment.
The conditions were so good that she first suspected Gonder had sent him, but the guest got straight to the point without even glancing outside.
“My master holds the future of Deblanc’s business in high regard. Please review the profit-sharing ratio.”
“These terms… they’re incredible. And two hundred million gallons? That’s enough to buy the whole market and then some.”
“To be precise, one hundred million is investment, and the other hundred is a management fee for you, Rose Deblanc.”
Literally a personal salary. Told she could use it freely, she doubted her ears.
“Such an enormous amount… I can’t accept such excessive compensation.”
“Perhaps Deblanc’s name may seem insignificant now, but if your younger sister becomes the future Duchess of Cromford, things will change.”
“Another silly rumor, I see.”
While Lily could aim for the Crown Princess position someday, Cromford was far too old for her.
“She’s still too young. She can’t be the Duchess.”
“As I understand it, the second young lady isn’t that young anymore.”
“Second lady? Are you talking about Freesia?”
“That’s correct. I heard Duke Cromford even requested official marriage approval from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“You must be confusing her with another young lady of a similar name. Our Freesia would never….”
Despite Rose’s firm denial, Jade merely shrugged, sticking to his story.
Though she politely declined several times, she suddenly found herself with one hundred million gallons in hand.
She took it straight to Marquis Gonder.
“I… I don’t need it! Get out immediately!”
“Are you serious?”
Marquis Gonder vehemently declared he’d never bother her again and avoided Rose’s gaze like the plague.
Now that the Gonder problem was over, Rose, feeling relieved, casually mentioned the day’s story to Freesia.
She expected her sister to laugh it off, but Freesia strangely avoided eye contact and stared off into the distance, silent.
“Isn’t it ridiculous?”
“Y-yeah… totally…”
“Just in case, let me say this clearly. There’s no way I’m sending my sister to a brute like Duke Cromford.”
“R-right… yeah…”
Freesia tried hard to act indifferent, but to her sister—who knew her so well—it was obvious she was being evasive, just like Lily earlier.
“Of course! Our Freesia is way too good for someone like him! Besides, I just secured a huge contract today! With this big investment, I’m going to grow the business even more!”
What could Freesia say, seeing her sister so happy? The timely helping hand that had come at such a perfect moment—it felt too convenient to be pure luck.
“Who would invest that kind of money?”
“He said his name was Jade. Didn’t want to reveal his master’s identity, but he’s a noble.”
That name sounded familiar. Wasn’t Jade the head butler of Duke Cromford’s mansion?
“Does he have blue hair by any chance?”
“Yes! It’s a rare color in the capital. Fascinating, right?”
Rose proudly declared she’d even buy Lily a new dress soon.
Watching her joyful sister, Freesia couldn’t help but feel like crying, despite smiling.
So that’s how it was. That’s what had happened.
But if her sister was this happy… there was no point bringing it up now.
“By the way, tomorrow, I’m supposed to meet the investor personally to express thanks, but suddenly an important meeting came up.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. So… could you go in my place and deliver my thanks?”
