Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Ha! Haha.”

Along with a mysterious laugh, the man was counting his money excitedly.

With navy blue hair and striking blue eyes, he looked exactly like a bunch of handsome villains from movies combined.

If you watched him in a movie, he would have the role of a villain and act like an as*hole, but you would still hope that he wouldn’t die because he’s handsome.

Oh, my dear, you can do whatever you want. Do bad things as well. Do you want to conquer the world? Then I will give you my bankbook. Use it as your funding.

A face that gives you no choice but to be like this…

My heart, which was fluttering when I saw Cassion a few days ago, started going crazy again.

Iris must have done wonderful things in her past life for her to be surrounded by so many good-looking men!

I’m jealous! I’m so jealous! He’s pretty competent as well, right? Master of Information Guild and Assassination Guild…

“Why were you looking for me?”

He asked, looking at me with a satisfied look after he counted all the money.

He was still grinning from ear to ear.

Ah! His face is shining. Don’t smile! Don’t- don’t sparkle your eyes like that!

“I just wanted to see the face of the petty blackmailer who went crazy over a woman and even stole.”

His face stiffened for a moment, and then he stared at me without saying anything.

I stood from my seat, my purpose had been fulfilled. I was here to give him an implicit warning.

I knew you helped in humiliating me. Now that I see you freeze like this, you just proved me right.

Hmm, I’ve always wanted to try throwing money on the ground. It wasn’t really my money, so it wasn’t a waste. Aah, it’s fun!

“What?”

“What do you mean, what? That’s all.”

No matter how handsome he is, he’s someone else’s man. What’s the point of drooling?

That’s why they say that if a man is handsome, he either has a woman, is married or has a child, and if it is neither of those, then he has a boyfriend.

“…That’s it? You just spent money like that and you’re done?”

He asked as I turned my back, heading towards the door.

Hmm. Is there anything else I want to say to him?

“You’ve earned a lot of money today, so make sure you pay Rosemary for the dress.”

I turned my back and walked out of the door, leaving only those words.

Rosemary’s dress is quite expensive. How wary will they be of me?

No matter how crazy you are about women, you can’t hurt anyone. Nope. I shouldn’t meet a man like that, he’s a bad guy. So, goodbye.

…Damn, I envy you. Iris!

***

“Lucas, did that woman go?”

The next room’s door opened, and a man of similar age with the man called Lucas entered the room.

“Even if the Duke of Kandmion is rich, she just threw 2 billion jennies in just a few minutes and left.”

The man named Lucas had his hands folded and rested his chin on it without saying a word.

“What on earth was her request? How much did you get in advance? I wonder how much more she spent, because she spent that much only to meet you.”

“It’s exactly 1.89 jennies. And she didn’t even ask for a request.”

“What?”

Looking at his friend’s astonished face, Lucas recalled the woman he saw earlier.

A woman with black hair and jewel-like, violet eyes, Raylene.

She was very different from how Iris described her to be. She didn’t say anything directly, but it seemed to him that she was an arrogant woman who didn’t take anybody seriously.

Iris always described her as annoying, full of insults, and deliberately made fun of her.

But the Raylene he met today, though she threw 1.9 billion jennies and showed off, she didn’t do or say anything to insult him.

And she wanted him to pay for that dress. He paid for it, even though he threatened Rosemary to give it to someone she didn’t want to sell to.

If what Iris had said was right, then would a person like Raylene who purposely insults others think of other people’s situations?

‘There’s no way that’s right.’

He remained silent with his chin propped on his hands for a while.

The man who opened the door and entered the room respected his silence.

“Levan, I think I’ll buy you an aristocratic title.”

The designer said the dress he gave to Iris had already been reserved by a princess. That’s why he chose it.

It was clear that Iris and the princess would meet at the party and confront each other over the dress. And the princess came here to find out who put her to shame.

***

Iris, according to her words, an arrogant woman such as Raylene, who doesn’t see anyone but herself wouldn’t have come all the way here just for this.

Suddenly, curiosity and displeasure dominated him.

Why did he judge someone by only listening to other people’s words? Information is objective, but he had been biased.

‘Raylene loves to wear Rosemary’s dress the most. Wearing such an expensive dress makes my clothes look like pajamas. I don’t really have a choice.’

Did Iris intend to make him choose this dress then?

‘I’ll have to find out the truth with my own eyes.’

“What happened to the person who couldn’t even spend 1 jennie without shaking?”

Lucas laughed as he swept up his navy blue hair when Levan asked him a teasing question.

As his messy bangs were swept up, his blue eyes that resembled the sky were clearly seen and were shaped into a crescent moon.

His smiling face looked like a villain who found something interesting. As if he’s planning to do something bad.

“…Who knows.”

Lucas smiled as he thought of something. He liked money.

Money will never betray you. Having a huge sum of money can make him live a happier life than anybody else.

“I may have fallen for her.”

Levan was shocked at what his friend had just said.

Didn’t his friend love money more than anything in this world?

“Did you fall for that woman or her possessions?”

“Maybe both?”

Iris. The woman I coincidentally ran into. Though an aristocrat, she lives a tough life. A woman who tries to put on a bright persona, but cries in secret when nobody is watching.

It felt like he was seeing his miserable past in her, so he kept wanting to help her.

Was what she showed him true? Or was he biasedly just looking at her?

He couldn’t get rid of his discomfort. He started to suspect that Iris’s coaxing had driven him to make bad judgments and choices.

He felt ashamed for innocently accepting everything she said without being suspicious or doubtful.

“I’ve never seen a woman who’s pompous enough with money.”

However, he couldn’t bring himself to confide in his friend and business partner. After all, Lucas had an enormous pride.

‘Let’s change the topic.’

“…You’re an oddball too.”

“Why? A woman with that kind of ability is cool, no?”

“What you find as cool is her ability to spend that money you love so much…”

Looking at his friend, Lucas smiled. It’s true that he was curious about that woman.

***

I got out of the store and climbed into the carriage with the help of the escort.

Today, for the sake of secrecy, I came in a simpler and smaller carriage, only pulled by two horses.

…They would all recognize me, right?

“Have you finished your business here?”

Becky, who was waiting for me outside the carriage, followed me.

She was so nonchalant as though she didn’t worry about me when I said I’d go in without taking a knight or maid with me.

Then again, in this Empire, nobody in their right mind would want to cross paths with this villainess that I’m possessing.

“Yes.”

“What about the commission?”

“I’ve helped out my underprivileged neighbor?”

Becky looked at me as though she had no idea what I was talking about.

“Shush, you don’t need to know. If you do, you might get hurt.”

The horseman announced that we’d be departing, and soon the carriage took off.

“Becky, I’m thinking of starting a carriage business.”

“Busi…ness?”

Why does she look so nervous? Ah. Villainess Eonni already screwed up twice, didn’t she? I really don’t understand how one could fail with such a huge funding capacity.

Based on Raylene’s memory that is.

The first business she opened was the perfume business. However, Iris’s unique bottle design included adding the name of each customer on the bottle like a brand, which was welcomed greatly among the nobles.

Raylene, on the other hand, who opened a regular perfume business without any tactics, could not keep up with the fancy and luxurious strategy and failed.

The second one was the textile business.

Raylene set out Chiffon Velvet, while Iris put up Muslin. Raylene was defeated at last year’s fashion trend.

When the crown prince gave a pair of Muslin gloves to the empress and princess, causing Muslin to become a fashion trend.

While reading the novel, I’m sure that Raylene was described to be very smart, but it looks like she isn’t smart enough when it comes to business.

Also, Raylene was described to be the flower of society, so why can’t she keep up with the trends?

As expected, the novel is always on the heroine’s side. I finally understood Becky’s expression.

I’m not a businesswoman, nor have I even opened a business, so will I be able to pull it off? I lived my life working for an IT company, but it’s not like I can use that skill here…