The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 19: Fining (1)

Chapter 19: Fining (1)

A sunny morning at the mansion.

When I went out after preparing breakfast, there were letters in the mailbox. Letters in the mailbox that only gathered dust—two of them, no less.

"Oh…"

With excitement, I pulled out the letters, half-expecting love letters.

A pink envelope and a golden one were in my hands. As expected, they were not love letters.

"From Miss Hanna and… a letter from the royal household?"

A letter from the royal household.

Not exactly a welcome one.

Setting aside my disappointment for the absence of love letters, I went upstairs and first tore open the letter from Miss Hanna. Neatly written script. A noble handwriting, as if to prove her noble lineage.

Of course, not as remarkable as our lady's.

But she certainly wrote better than I did.

[It seems the academy matter will be tough. The seniors might be able to handle it, but there's strong backlash from the professors…]

Her letter ended with apologies and a sentence saying she'd try to speak again.

‘I'm already grateful, how much more gratitude should I amass?'

Later on, I'd have to secure a masterstroke to gift to Hanna. A sword should suffice… Maybe I should divert one from Michail.

After all, in the novel, Michail uses a holy sword. Diverting one or two swords probably wouldn't be an issue. And if a problem arises, well, Michail can just take a tumble—it wasn't my concern.

Kill two birds with one stone—Michail gets stronger, and how great that would be.

After composing a letter full of gratitude to Hanna and sealing it with beeswax,

"Bad handwriting."

"What's wrong with my writing?"

"It squiggles so much; it's hard to make out."

"It's not visible from there, is it?"

"It's not visible, but your chicken scratches are pretty obvious."

The lady sitting on the bed peered at me and complained about the handwriting on the letter.

If the lady had poor handwriting, I would have retorted with ‘Pff. Look who's talking,' but in terms of handwriting, our lady was unbeatable in this world.

No computer was needed.

When the lady picked up a pen, it became a keyboard and the stationery turned into A4 paper, so I couldn't argue whatever she said.

I wanted to ask the lady to write instead of me, but due to privacy, I couldn't get her to ghostwrite.

I put in a lot of effort, but was it really so illegible?

With doubt in my tone, I questioned the lady, and she scrunched her brow, yelling at me, claiming it was the first time she was nauseated by writing.

"It's not my fault. It's the handwriting of this world that's wrong. Why does it have to be so curly and…"

"I can write fine."

"You're the strange one, lady. My hand is blameless."

Today, more than ever, I missed Hangul. I longed to see angular letters.

Ignoring the lady's nitpicking, I organized the letter and began to open the other one lying aside.

A golden envelope

And a letter sealed with the royal red wax.

Olivia's eyes went wide.

"A letter from the royal household?"

"It seems so. But we shouldn't be receiving anything from them."

"Isn't it an invitation to a ball?"

The lady snorted.

If she had a tail like a beastman, it would be wagging rapidly at this point as she reached for me.

"Give it to me!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"You'll just tear it up if it's something upsetting."

The lady had no retort.

Apparently, she had been planning to rip it up if it was content she disliked. The lady politely folded her extended hands and waited her turn.

Surely, she could be mistaken.

Until about a year ago, invitations to balls from the royal household were common. They arrived for the empire's founding day, the Crown Prince's birthday, and even for the third princess's birthday—it's no wonder I feel nervous given those memories are still fresh.

What if it were an invitation?

Pondering in my mind,

I started worrying about whether to attend or not, then fretting about what clothes to dress the lady in. Plus, I was planning in my head which foods to pilfer from the royal buffet.

Since we couldn't refuse an invitation from the emperor, if we had to go, we should get our money's worth—a lesson well taken from the lady.

The lady and I, both caught up in imagining drinking the kimchi broth and attending the ball, looked into each other's eyes and slowly unsealed the beeswax.

The letter inside began to glow enchantingly.

The lady and I, swallowing hard, anticipated the content.

As I unfolded it and took the first peek, I pressed my lips tightly together.

"?"

"What's wrong?"

"…"

"You should see this for yourself."

I presented the letter to the lady with a questioning look.

[You have unpaid fines.]

Outstanding Fines: 700,000 gold

If not paid within the designated period (three months from now), properties under the name of Olivia Desmond will be confiscated.

Expected Property for Seizure: Hamel Mountain vicinity grand manor and approximately 73 varieties of precious metals.

"?!"

The lady's response came in the form of looking out the window. ‘Ahem,' she coughed, turning red at the ears and thoroughly avoiding turning back around.

It wasn't a ball invitation, but a demand for payment.

Even a seizure notice threatening to put a red sticker on things. A chilly air swept through the room. Despite it being early fall outside, the atmosphere in the room was colder than a winter breeze.

"Oh… This one caught me off guard."

"… Me too."

"I paid 300,000 gold, but to have this much left…"

"…How much is remaining?"

"700,000 gold."

"Hiccup…!"

The lady had hiccups.

She quietly pushed away the plate of chocolates that was on the bed. It seemed she was preparing to fast from now on.

I, unhesitantly, swept the lady's chocolates aside.

After all, if you don't want to live, you must truly conserve.

700,000 gold.

If 10,000 gold is about 10 million won, then 700,000 gold would be about 7 billion, right?

‘…This is a big problem.'

How to make 7 billion won in three months.

We couldn't even take out loans as we were blacklisted for credit.

Seeking an answer, I looked at the lady, but she stood still, gazing out the window like a broken nutcracker doll.

"The weather is great!"

Outside, it was raining.

***

When you think about it, it's a simple task.

Making 700,000 gold.

Despite constantly whining about being broke, as a possessor of a possessed body, it isn't right to struggle for money.

Since I've already managed to earn the hefty sum of 300,000 gold before, I’m certain I can easily make 700,000 gold.

With an unyielding spirit, I stood in front of the mansion’s wall, which still displayed a huge warning sign, just as it had before.

[Expel the wicked villainess from our village.]

Last time, it had demanded her exile to a convent, but now the villagers' heartwarming message was upgraded to calling for her expulsion from the village. A part of my heart warmed at their ‘kindness'.

"Soon, it might be time to upturn the guards."

I had given up on the mansion's exterior thanks to those who express their artistic souls on someone else's wall.

It’s no use erasing it; they just scribble again.

Thanks to them, my workload has decreased while the insults have increased—a two-for-one deal.

I've surrendered, and strangely, it's quite liberating.

So, I decided to exploit our mansion's wall actively for once.

Brush in hand and busy splashing fluorescent paint on the wall, I was suddenly intercepted by a teddy bear flung from above.

Thud. As the teddy bear met its end with a sound, I locked eyes with it, and the lady of the house bellowed from above.

"Hey, you rascal! Don't deface the wall!"

I offered the lady a wry smile and put in earplugs.

If she has complaints, then don't end up in debt in the first place.

-Swish… Whisk.

Realistically, making 700,000 gold solely through adventurer work in just three months is an impossible task.

Especially while taking care of the lady, earning money itself is a difficult job.

Most adventurers set a 1-2 day period for lucrative quests, but that’s impossible for me.

I had to focus on quantity over quality.

With Hanna, a B-ranked adventurer, away at the academy, it was also impossible to take on higher-ranked quests.

That's why I came up with this alternative.

[Wanted: Work for the Swordsman who Captured the Infamous ‘Adventurer Hunter.' ?Anonymity Guaranteed?]

1. I will do any job.

2. I will take any sum of money.

3. I will even find your lost puppy.

4. I am open to bounty hunting requests.

-Please write your request below.

If there weren't jobs with guaranteed high income, then it was just about creating them.

It was the best job prospect I could think of.

The only option I saw for a quick cash influx.

Our mansion is located behind the bustling town area.

The guard patrols pass by our mansion, so do the town's merchants.

While the normal route to the bustling area takes 30 minutes, cutting through the alleys beside our mansion gets you there in just 10 minutes.

Many people pass by the mansion.

Perhaps that's why it has become a favorite date spot for couples and unwittingly transformed into a community space for the townspeople.

-Let's love forever. Lia?Gorf

?She cheated on me.

?What are you saying? You cheated first.

?Pfft. Sweet!

?Where do you live?

?Are you mad? Annoyed? Can't stand it because you're so angry, huh? But you don't know where I live, do you?

In this medieval world without cellphones, Olivia’s wall had become a space for communication.

It functioned like a bulletin board.

Maybe this could turn a decent profit, especially with my impressive résumé.

So I decided to seek work through the wall. I'd earn livelihood money through adventurer work, and take on big jobs through requests posted on the wall.

Wouldn't that quickly settle the debt?

Feeling a sense of fulfillment while looking at the wall, I realized something was missing.

"Ah…"

I forgot to write the minimum fee for the requests.

Even delivery services have a minimum order amount, and I couldn’t neglect to set one for myself.

[Minimum request fee.]

Hmm…

[10,000 gold.]

Perfect.

***

Day passed.

When I stood before the wall again,

"What's this?"

I couldn't help but be startled.

Someone had taken seriously what I started as a half-joke.

-Request submitted.

?I commission you to track down a criminal who escaped during transport.

Request fee: 300,000 gold.

#If captured alive, an additional 300,000 gold will be paid. If the task is completed within a week, an extra bonus of 400,000 gold will be granted.

For a fleeting moment, the image of a philanthropist resembling an insect flashed through my mind.