Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 10

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

Chapter 10
* * *
When asked what she wanted, Deborah fell silent for a long moment.
‘Why is she pretending to deliberate?’
Duke Simour felt puzzled. Deborah, who had appeared to be deep in thought, finally opened her mouth slowly.
“Then… would you invest in my business venture?”
“Hmm?”
Duke Simour found himself doubting his ears rather than his eyes this time. He had naturally assumed she would ask him to purchase the pink diamond coming up for auction the day after tomorrow, but instead she was proposing an investment opportunity.
“So you’re saying you wish to engage in commercial activities and are asking me to provide the capital?”
“Yes.”
“How absurd. What suddenly prompted such a notion?”
“While I was in confinement, I came up with what seemed like a promising business idea.”
“…Hmm.”
The Duke did not take Deborah’s words at face value.
The nobility of Asteia tended to look down upon commerce. For nobles without inherited estates of any significance, operating a trading company was merely a last resort to maintain their finances.
That Deborah, steeped in aristocratic sensibilities, would suddenly propose engaging in trade struck the Duke as deeply suspicious.
“So, how much do you need?”
Though doubtful, he had promised with his own words to grant any request. So rather than probe further, he cut straight to the essential question.
Instead of answering, Deborah wrote a number on paper and handed it to the Duke. The moment he saw the amount written on the note, he tilted his head slightly.
‘Could she have forgotten a zero?’
This sum was even less than what he had once spent to clean up the trouble Deborah caused the Magic Tower Elder in her childhood.
‘A business venture with this amount of money?’
…Decidedly suspicious.
Yet seeing that earnest expression, it seemed she had her own intentions, so the Duke refrained from pressing further.
Recently, he had come to realize that his daughter was not beyond redemption and possessed a certain delicate sensibility. For now, he wished simply to observe and see how things unfolded.
“Very well. I shall instruct the Administrator to send you the amount of gold coins you desire.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Deborah’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Now that I thought about it, she had worn that same bright, luminous gaze when she melted the frozen snow on the ground with flame magic. There was something about that gleam that stirred the Duke’s meager paternal affection, making him want to place something more into her hands…
‘This is troublesome.’
Disturbed by this uncharacteristic sentiment, the Duke cleared his throat loudly and rose from his seat.
“I have matters to attend to. Bring your letter another time.”
“Yes.”
“Do not see me out. Continue with your studies.”
Even as he spoke, it felt strange. Deborah studying of her own volition.
‘She seems to have matured…’
As the Duke walked toward his office in an indescribable mood, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Only now did he understand why his daughter had suddenly spoken of business ventures and requested gold coins.
‘I see. She truly has matured.’
If she had fabricated the reasonable pretext of business investment capital to fulfill his request to tell him what she wanted, then everything made sense.
‘To ease my burden of heart through such a refined approach…’
The Duke had publicly declared before his officials multiple times that he would never buy a pink diamond for his daughter. Deborah had deliberately shifted the conversation away from jewelry to business matters, redirecting his attention. She did this to prevent him from going back on his previous statements.
I’ve even bolstered my own authority in the process.
She had even intentionally set the investment amount lower to ease his financial burden.
Now this is truly admirable.
I’d thought she would remain a reckless, irresponsible fool her entire life, yet here was a child showing such unexpected growth at this late stage.
Duke Simour, inflating and exaggerating his daughter’s actions in his mind, called for his Aide with a look of determination. At this point, her efforts seemed so commendable that he felt compelled to place that jewel in her hands.
No—he wanted to place it there.
“The pink diamond. Secure it at auction, no matter what it takes.”
Shouldn’t a father demonstrate that he had greater means than his child?
“Bid higher than the eldest son of Montes House. No matter the cost.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Three days later, the auction house was thrown into chaos by an unexpected outcome.
It wasn’t just the unprecedented final bid price—it was that the jewel, which had stirred society’s gossip, had been claimed not by Montes House, but by Simour.
* * *
I waited for the gold coins the Duke would send, scribbling notes on paper. I had requested investment funds from the Duke under the guise of business for three reasons.
First, since I didn’t need jewelry anyway, requesting money directly would look far less respectable than asking for business investment.
Second, appearing absorbed in business could serve as an excellent excuse to postpone marriage.
Harassment intensifies toward idle freeloaders rather than busy people—that’s universal across all nations.
And finally, having spent twenty-four years as a slave to capitalism, I judged that I would have considerable competitive advantage if I threw myself into business.
With seed capital secured, I was spending time conceptualizing business ideas when the Administrator arrived carrying a large box.
Gold coins! Gold coins! The coins have arrived!
I barely maintained my composure as I opened the box eagerly.
After seeing only jewels, the sight of gold coins felt refreshingly new.
As I gazed at the hefty pouches of gold coins in rapture, I suddenly noticed an elegant velvet case nestled in one corner of the box.
What is this?
I nearly fainted the moment I opened the velvet box in bewilderment. Inside the case, lined with black velvet, lay a heart-shaped diamond necklace radiating a brilliant pink glow.
My breath caught as the necklace—the very one described in the novel as being auctioned at a price rivaling the Capital Town House itself—glimmered before my eyes.
Why is this here?
In the original story, Philaf had secured it at auction, and it was supposed to end up in the heroine’s hands.
Could this be a counterfeit?
Blinking slowly in confusion, I discovered a certificate of authenticity and a letter from the Duke inside the case.
Deborah. I gladly accept your consideration. However, as a token of gratitude for your thoughtful letter, I’ve been troubled by the thought of giving you merely a pittance. I know full well what my daughter desires, and it would be wrong for a father to feign ignorance… (excerpt)
The moment I read the letter, I felt my blood pressure spike.
Forty million won in Korean currency being called “a pittance”?
And what does “consideration” even mean? Surely he didn’t think asking for a mere four thousand when I could have demanded a billion was considerate?
“Being a villainess is comfortable and nice.”
I muttered in disbelief.
When I was Yoon Do-hee, I was always expected to be considerate, and whenever I made even a single mistake, I’d be cursed endlessly. Now I act wickedly, and when I behave reasonably just once, I’m praised for my consideration.
I’ve clearly been living my life all wrong.
Standing before this precious jewel, I felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy—and that day, I would discover an unexpected clue.
Far more valuable than gold coins.
‘This is….’

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