Chapter : 12
“Emma.”
The maid was standing in front of the door, leaning against the wall beside it.
She was the sharp-eyed maid—Emma.
“Miss, it looks like you’re on your way back from seeing the Duke.”
“…Yeah. That’s right.”
Emma gave a thin smile.
“Then why did you sneak out without telling me? You could’ve at least given me a heads-up.”
“Huh?”
Would you look at that?
She’s boldly extorting me?
My mouth fell open in disbelief.
And it wasn’t just Emma’s brazen attitude that shocked me.
Once again, I found myself questioning Patricia’s supposed role as a villainess.
A noble lady being shaken down by her own maid—especially in a rigid class-based society… that was unthinkable.
What kind of sucker was this? This was the villainess?
‘Other villainesses at least do whatever they want without worrying about others’ opinions.’
Now I even had to worry about the servants’ moods.
“Miss, next time, please tell me first. Just like you always have.”
“…”
“I’ll help you.”
Emma smiled sweetly, as if doing me a favor.
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped me without thinking.
At the sound, Emma turned her head away, then fixed her gaze back on me.
“Emma, I’d like to do that too.”
“……”
“But I don’t have any money anymore.”
Emma’s eyebrows twitched.
“And what’s worse is, I have to go out again next week.”
“You just said you don’t have any money. If you don’t have money, you can’t go out.”
“…Exactly.”
I lowered my gaze helplessly.
“……”
“So I decided—I’ll just tell Father everything!”
I blinked as if pondering, then clapped my hands and looked up as though I’d had a brilliant idea.
“What?”
“Well, think about it! Father’s keeping me locked up here because he’s afraid I’ll go out and cause trouble. But I haven’t caused a single incident all this time, have I? That means he’s been worrying for nothing.”
“……”
“If I tell him how well I’ve behaved, don’t you think he might trust me a little and give me some freedom?”
Emma’s face slowly twisted.
“Of course, you lot might get fired for taking bribes and disobeying your master’s orders.”
“…Miss?”
“Hm, but this line of work is all about trust. Do you think another noble house would hire you? What if nasty rumors spread and you can’t find work at all?”
“……”
“Or maybe the money I gave you was enough to live on without working?”
As if.
If Emma had been set for life, she wouldn’t still be clinging to this estate.
She would’ve saved up and left long ago.
The reason Emma stayed here, despite clearly disliking me, was probably because she’d already spent every coin I’d given her.
Easy money is easily spent.
“Mi—Miss….”
“Oh, and Father might get angry and punish you. Still, what’s a few lashes, really?”
“Wait!”
Emma suddenly grabbed my hand.
Then, as if she herself was startled, she quickly let go.
She looked utterly flustered—so much so that she’d touched my body despite clearly hating to do so.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think you need to tell the Duke. You really don’t have to.”
“Why?”
“Because I can keep helping you.”
“Ha, Emma. I told you—I don’t have any money anymore.”
I frowned and sighed as if frustrated by her inability to understand.
Emma shook her head vigorously.
“It’s—it’s fine! Please do whatever you like, Miss! You don’t have to give me money!”
“…Really?”
“Of course!”
“But why the sudden change of heart?”
“Well…”
Emma’s eyes darted around.
“Helping you is my joy!”
“Because you’ve benefited greatly from me so far?”
“Yes! I’ve benefited a lot thanks to you, so now it’s my turn to repay you.”
Emma wasn’t helping me out of kindness—she was simply taking responsibility for her own actions.
That distinction mattered.
I corrected her so she wouldn’t misunderstand later or spread unnecessary rumors about having “helped” me.
Emma nodded along enthusiastically.
“That’s right. If you’re human, you ought to repay a favor.”
“Of course!”
She nodded again.
“But wasn’t I not the only one who benefited from my generosity?”
“……”
“Bring them all.”
Emma blinked in slight surprise, then answered dutifully.
“Yes, understood!”
“I hate waiting. Hurry.”
For someone who usually loafed around and put on airs, Emma’s footsteps down the corridor were surprisingly quick.
Whether Emma had tipped them off or not, the people gathered in my room looked noticeably cowed, glancing around nervously.
Nervous about whose reaction?
Mine.
‘Yes. This is what a villainess is.’
Not being bullied by servants or worrying about their moods, but grabbing their weaknesses and shaking them mercilessly—that was a true villainess.
I strolled leisurely around the room, savoring their fearful gazes.
“……”
Step. Step.
The room was deathly silent. The only sounds were soft breathing and my footsteps.
“Is this everyone?”
“Yes!”
“Yes, it’s all of us!”
“Yes, Miss!”
They answered briskly, unlike their usual selves.
I nearly smiled in satisfaction, but bit the inside of my cheek to maintain my noble composure.
Twenty.
There were about twenty people gathered in my room.
Maids, valets, servants, even the coachmen.
‘No wonder Patricia ran out of money.’
“You’ve heard the gist from Emma, haven’t you?”
Some nodded hastily; others still looked uneasy.
“I’ve been thinking. You’ve all filled your bellies thanks to my generosity.”
“…”
“So shouldn’t you repay that kindness? Don’t you think?”
They nodded quickly.
“And yet, instead of repaying me, you ran straight to Father and tattled on me.”
“…”
“I’m disappointed.”
I shook my head slowly.
“Because of you, Father scolded me terribly. He even cut off my allowance. But I won’t suffer alone. You were clearly at fault too, so shouldn’t you be punished together with me?”
The servants’ faces turned ashen.
Fools.
They really must have spent all the money.
Every last one of them.
“But I’ll generously give you one final chance.”
The money Patricia had already spent was regrettable, but there was nothing to be done.
Firing the servants wouldn’t bring the money back.
So instead, I decided to make good use of the leverage I had over them.
“It’s not that hard.”
Despite trying to hold back, the corners of my lips curved upward.
A villainess.
“All you have to do is casually praise me to Father once a day. While you’re at it, spread it among your coworkers too.”
Wasn’t that rather entertaining?
“You have exactly one month.”
I was no longer a pariah in this estate.
Didn’t I already have twenty allies—well, maybe not friends, but people favorably disposed toward me?
“Change Father’s mind within that time so I can receive my allowance again.”
“…But, Miss. How…?”
“Ha! Do I really have to spell that out for you?”
I was about to get irritated at their cluelessness, but since I was already being generous, I decided to go a little further.
“For example: ‘The young lady learned of my difficult circumstances and supported me!’”
“…”
“Or, ‘Being able to serve someone as kind and gentle as the young lady is the honor of a lifetime.’”
One of the valets I locked eyes with gulped.
Then he nodded vigorously, as if he’d understood.
“Or, ‘I’m so happy to be working at the Herarilla Ducal Estate!’ There are plenty of options, aren’t there?”
They still looked uneasy, but nodded as though they had no choice.
“Put some real thought into it. If you’re repaying a favor, that level of effort and enthusiasm is only fair, don’t you think?”
The Duke always said every problem was my fault. The servants hated me.
And whenever they had the chance, they reported my misdeeds to him, reinforcing his belief that I was a lost cause.
But what if the servants constantly praised me?
Improving my reputation would be only a matter of time.
“One more thing—you’re not allowed to quit this place for the next year.”
They were my people, acquired at a steep price.
They couldn’t leave before I did.
“If there are no meaningful results within a month, I’ll have no choice but to report your wrongdoing.”
With no savings, getting fired from here—
Having it become known that they took bribes and disobeyed orders—
Losing their honor would be the least of their problems. They’d never work for another noble house again.
“Now, I’m tired. You may all leave.”
They bowed even deeper than usual.
“We’ll take our leave.”
“Please rest well, Miss.”
“Thank you.”
Their faces as they exited were uniformly resolute.
They understood now.
How to survive.
Click.
The door closed, and the once-crowded room became empty.
“Pfft—hahaha!”
The laughter I’d barely contained burst out the moment I was alone.
‘Very satisfying.’
Living in the Herarilla estate itself had been a punishment for me.
Unable to speak freely with anyone, I’d been bored to the point of madness, teetering on the edge of loneliness-induced insanity.
But now I had twenty companions.
Even if I’d lost a large sum of money, which still stung.
After all, I had to endure another year in this wretched place to save up again.
Still, life here would be far more comfortable now.
And if things went well, perhaps Patricia’s infamous reputation would fade a little too.
All things considered, it wasn’t a completely unsatisfying expense.
“Ahahaha!”
Since arriving here, today had been the most enjoyable day of all.
Now all I had to do was wait.
Wait for the servants’ words to pile up, one by one.
‘Wasn’t it said that when three people gather, they can even invent a tiger?’
My grin showed no sign of fading.
Just imagining how many tigers I could create was enough to make me feel full.
“Heh heh.”
My laughter sounded rather wicked.
Yes—this was a villainess.
