I Bought the Villains With Money - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 15.
‘What are you doing, miss?’
I shrugged at Jennis, whose lips were moving silently as she asked the question.
Had I been too rough? But just now he really did look like a great big dog. Look, even now he’s nudging his head against me so docilely. So he can’t actually be upset, can he?
I glanced back at Lebert. The tips of his ears were flushed red.
Was the room warm?
“Stop that and let’s go now, miss. You need to visit Prince Cassion, don’t you?”
I was about to ask Jennis to open a window when she hurried me along. She caught my hand as it stroked Lebert and gently pulled it down.
A wistful expression lingered on Lebert’s bowed face.
“Master…”
Lebert called out to me in a voice heavy with reluctance.
It was entirely different from his demeanor when he negotiated with me or recommended medicine.
His obedience—so docile that I couldn’t believe he was sixteen—stirred something protective in me, and my hand rose again.
After stroking him a couple more times, he seemed satisfied at last and straightened his posture.
“Wait just a little longer on the dissection. In exchange, I’ll have you gather whatever medicinal materials you need as payment for today. If you need anything else, tell the steward.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Lebert’s shoulders sagged with disappointment at not being able to begin the dissection immediately. His already thin frame curled inward, making him look even smaller.
“Accept it anyway. I don’t want to just give you materials—I want to build you a magnificent dissection laboratory. I’ll prepare one as quickly as I can.”
I said something meant to encourage him, but Lebert still seemed dispirited.
‘Why are both Cassion and Lebert so gaunt?’
Watching Lebert, I thought of Cassion. Though their temperaments differed, they shared something in common—both were children wounded by adults.
‘Though their appetites are completely opposite.’
Unlike Lebert, who ate anything put in front of him, that temperamental, two-faced prince was finicky about food.
‘I should hire a proper cook.’
“Master, I…”
Lebert called to me while I was thinking about Cassion.
“Oh, you were still there?”
Since there was nothing more to do, he should have left. Seeing him stand there as if awaiting punishment made me feel sorry for him.
“From now on, if you want to sit, sit. If you want to leave, leave. Just do it after we’re finished with business.”
I explained this kindly.
“Master.”
“That word ‘master’ sounds strange to my ears. Just call me miss like you did before.”
I suppose once I become Household Master I’ll have to get used to that title, but not yet.
“If that is your wish, I shall call you miss.”
Lebert adapted to me quickly.
I liked how he accepted my proposals without question, as long as they wouldn’t harm him. I smiled with satisfaction.
“But miss, when you leave, what should I do?”
Why would he ask something like that? I tilted my head in confusion and answered anyway.
“Do what you want. Rest if you’re tired, and meanwhile make that medicine I mentioned—the really effective Pain Reliever.”
I made it clear what Lebert’s tasks should be.
“Do you truly believe the medicine I make helps you, miss?”
Lebert found it difficult to trust that what he made could truly be useful to me. Since it was my responsibility to reassure him and make him believe it, I answered without any sign of annoyance.
‘If he needs to hear it, I’ll say it ten times, a hundred times. Because if Lebert just keeps making proper medicine…’
“Of course. Whatever you make will certainly help me. And help you too.”
I’ll sell your medicines brilliantly and set you up with a fortune.
Lebert’s eyes sparkled as if he’d seen through my true intentions. As expected, there was no one in this world who hated money.
“And since you’re my person now, carry yourself with pride. Oh, and I’ll get your siblings out from under the black market dealer soon. Can you wait a bit?”
Once Lebert’s worries disappeared, he’d throw himself into his research. Then that miraculous Pain Reliever could be developed even faster.
“Miss…”
Lebert’s voice grew choked with tears.
He cries so easily. But why the tears?
I started to look for a handkerchief, then stopped. If I gave him mine every time he cried, I’d have none left for myself.
Now it was really time to go.
“Lebert, I need to change my clothes. Are you planning to stay there?”
“N-no, I’m not!”
Lebert’s face flushed crimson as he rushed out frantically.
***
“Move quickly, Jennis.”
Jennis was unloading a Food Basket that the household cook had prepared into the carriage.
“There’s so much luggage. I told you we should bring more people along.”
“To avoid drawing attention, it’s better if just you and I come and go. The back entrance is narrow anyway.”
I slipped through the rear gate that connected to the 3rd Prince’s Palace. The Royal Palace servants and attendants used this door for secret trysts.
My past wanderings through every corner of the palace when I had nothing to do were proving useful now.
I reached for one of the baskets Jennis had set down, but she spoke first.
“How much longer do we have to hide your visits to our palace, miss?”
“As long as possible.”
“Why?”
It was obvious how the news that the heir of Irenber House was secretly allied with the Third Prince would spiral out of control.
‘If Dayson or Count Kolkos got wind of this…’
Ugh. The thought made my skin crawl.
My body trembled. Dayson would try to kill Cassion. I still didn’t have the strength to protect him. And I had no right to openly take his side.
At minimum, I couldn’t be discovered until Cassion resolved to marry me.
“I’ll explain why later. We have a lot to carry, so let’s move the luggage first.”
Jennis had many good qualities, but right now simplicity was what I appreciated most. She didn’t even notice that I’d deliberately changed the subject—she just started gathering the supplies.
Jennis grumbled as she followed me. The palace was nearly within reach.
Yet something felt wrong.
The closer we drew to the 3rd Prince’s Palace, the worse my foreboding became. The grand residence felt eerily still in a way I couldn’t quite name.
The palace was normally quiet with only Flac and Cassion living in it, but today the silence was suffocating.
My instincts screamed that something had happened to Cassion.
“Miss! Miss!”
As if on cue, Flac came rushing out, gasping for breath.
Once I managed to calm Flac, who was sobbing with tears and snot streaming down his face, the words that poured from his mouth were unthinkable.
“His Majesty… His Majesty came…”
But Flac was too breathless to speak properly.
I had to piece together what happened from his fragmented words.
The King had visited. And Cassion had collapsed. He’d been unconscious for over a full day.
Cassion had always been frail, but he rarely slept deeply or for long. He knew the palace wasn’t safe.
Before the Regression, there was evidence that Dayson had sent assassins. His caution wasn’t mere paranoia.
‘Sleeping soundly would be fine, but not waking up even when roused—that’s dangerous.’
I took the stairs two and three at a time.
I burst through the door, and heat hit me like a wall. The brazier was out, which meant the fever was coming from Cassion’s body alone.
I rushed to him. Cassion looked like a bleached linen sheet—stiff, bloodless, on the verge of crumbling to dust.
“Your Highness!”
I grabbed him and shook. His body was an inferno. His bedding was soaked through—evidence of Flac’s desperate efforts to bring down the fever.
“You should have sent word!”
“Th-there was… no w-way…”
Flac had been living like a ghost at Cassion’s side, scarcely able to move, barely breathing to avoid being discovered.
I sighed. In my panic, I’d blamed Flac for something that wasn’t his fault.
“I’m sorry, Flac. This isn’t on you.”
I apologized and turned my attention back to Cassion.
“We need to call a physician.”
This fever couldn’t be treated with home remedies.
“Should I fetch Dayson?”
Jennis asked carefully. I shook my head.
“Lebert.”
“Miss?”
“Go to the estate and bring Lebert back. Now!”
***
Lebert, summoned so abruptly, proved to be a physician of exceptional caliber from the start. He examined Cassion without unnecessary questions.
Then he poured medicinal herbs into the mortar he’d brought and began grinding. Watching the endless bottles and vials emerge from his large bag, my jaw fell open.
“Brew it.”
Jennis took the mortar Lebert offered and ran off.
While the medicine steeped, I wrung out cold compresses for Cassion. Flac hurried about beside me, doing what he could to help.
‘Four people are working their hardest for His Highness. So please, come to your senses.’
I thought this as I dipped the heated cloth into a basin of cool water.
I hoped for a miracle—that he’d hear my unspoken plea and open his eyes. But Cassion remained motionless, his eyes squeezed shut.
Soon Jennis returned carrying a tray with the brewed medicine, its bitter scent filling the room.
“What medicine is this?”
I took the medicine and asked Lebert.
“A Fever-Reducing and Organ-Protection Medicine, miss.”
I trusted Lebert, but when it came to actually giving the medicine to Cassion instead of myself, fear seized me.
“Could I try it first?”
“No. If someone without a high fever drinks this, their temperature could drop dangerously fast and cause them to collapse.”
Lebert shook his head. I stood holding the bowl of medicine, hesitating.
What if there was even the slightest problem with the medicine? What if Cassion never woke up again?
Revenge aside—wasn’t it a terrible thing for a child to suddenly lose his life like this?
I pressed my lips together firmly.
“Nngh…….”
As I wavered, Cassion’s groan reached my ears. I looked down at him in pain—his face pale and cold, sweat beading on his skin. The medicine suddenly seemed desperately necessary.
‘Lebert is a genius. I have to trust him.’
I shut my eyes tight.
“Flac, help Cassion sit up.”
Flac hurried over and slipped his hands under Cassion’s armpits. Cassion’s limp body moved with him.
Flac sat beside him, cradling him so he wouldn’t fall.
Cassion continued to groan throughout.
“I trust you, Lebert.”
This trust was for Lebert as much as it was for myself. I took a deep breath and poured the medicine into Cassion’s mouth.
As I handed the empty cup to Jennis, I caught sight of Lebert’s ears—they were flushed red.
***
“Nngh…… nngh…….”
The sound of him scratching his throat snapped me awake.
“Cassion?”
I opened my eyes and examined him. His long lashes trembled, and his eyelids fluttered open and closed. I waved my hand frantically in front of his face.
“Your Highness, are you awake? Your Highness?”
Click.
Before his eyes were even fully open, Cassion grabbed my wrist. Though his grip was weak, the fact that he could lift his arm meant some strength had returned—and I felt relief wash over me.
“Stop fluttering…… around. It’s distracting.”
His mind seemed perfectly intact. Biting sarcasm the moment he opened his eyes.
‘Is there no medicine for a sweeter tongue?’
I glared at him, but truthfully, I couldn’t dislike him at all.
I was simply grateful he had opened his eyes.
Villains Are Bought with Money (Serialized)
Author | Lee In-hye
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyung
Published by | J Plus Media Co., Ltd. – Tiramisu
Marketing | Han Jae-hyuk
Address | 11th Floor, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, 1101)
Email | [email protected]
Website | http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1
© Lee In-hye 2021
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder,
and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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