Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 31

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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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Chapter 31
“What is it?”
Seeing him after so long, the ingrained aversion my body held toward him made my stomach turn.
‘He’s been quiet for a while, and now he’s back to picking fights.’
I pressed my lips together and lifted my gaze toward him with an even sharper glare.
“Deborah. I heard you caused another incident?”
“Hmm? Are you stalking me?”
“Why would I bother following someone like you? Your conduct speaks for itself—the rumors reach my ears naturally.”
“You’re not even the family heir, and whatever a mere lady-in-waiting does hardly matters. Why do you concern yourself with it so much?”
“How dare you, a mere lady-in-waiting, presume to stand equal with me, the heir.”
I turned his own words back on him and continued.
“You seem like someone who times their provocations perfectly whenever I cause trouble. I heard your artifact research has hit a snag—do you really have time to stand here arguing with me?”
At the mention of artifacts, his expression darkened.
“My research is none of your concern.”
“I don’t want to concern myself with it either. So either let me pass, or state your business quickly.”
“Fine, let me tell you what you’re so eager to hear. I’ve noticed you’ve been meeting privately with Father quite frequently lately.”
“Well, Father has been calling for me often.”
“I wonder why.”
He polished his monocle with a handkerchief as he spoke, his silver eyes gleaming like a serpent’s in the darkness.
“Does there need to be a special reason to meet with Father? He calls for me because he enjoys spending time with me. My older brothers are too busy to show their faces. It’s hard to even catch a glimpse of them. Who would believe I have two older brothers?”
Since my possession, considerable time had passed, yet my family had never once gathered for a meal together—a truly barren household.
‘Rozad is conducting a subjugation campaign against the barbarians on the outskirts of the Eastern Territory, after all….’
With my eldest brother away for the war, there was even less reason for the family to gather.
“Ha!”
Beleck let out a derisive snort at my words.
“You’ve even developed the skill to dodge the point like a water snake. Your back talk has increased considerably of late. You’ve been spouting that absurd word ‘unmarried.’ You keep finding new ways to infuriate me.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
There was a time when I couldn’t speak a word of complaint, a complete pushover. Now I could even anger a sadist like Beleck.
That’s quite the progress, isn’t it?
“Fine, whatever. Let’s say Father has simply grown lonely and spends time with you frequently as you claim.”
Beleck stepped closer with a sharp smile playing at his lips. I clenched my fists so hard my palms burned, refusing to back away.
“But that’s where it ends. Don’t presume to poke your nose into things and cause trouble.”
“Poke my nose into things? You’re leaving that scholar Patrick alone, the one you supposedly cherish. Have I ever been as well-behaved as I am now?”
“You fired a member of the Stefan Family!”
He glared at me and suddenly shouted.
Ah. Jamie Stefan.
The name of the library’s Librarian—someone from whom rudeness and narrow-mindedness fell like dust whenever he opened his mouth.
“Father, I would like to discipline the library’s Librarian, Jamie Stefan, for speaking out of turn to me.”
“Speaking out of turn?”
“Yes. When I visited the library, he had the audacity to tell me to leave, saying this place doesn’t carry romance novels. It was a narrow-minded remark that disrespected an entire literary genre.”
“You spouted nonsense. How presumptuous of you.”
It wasn’t something I could simply overlook, so during a meal with Father some time ago, I’d subtly requested the Librarian’s disciplinary action. But I never expected him to be dismissed outright.
Tch! This is precisely why one must choose their allies wisely.
Seeing Beleck Simour’s anger over this matter, it appeared Jamie Stefan had been his retainer.
‘Now the circumstances are starting to make sense.’
That Librarian fellow—no wonder he carried himself so brazenly, as if he were reading some third-rate novel!
When I’d encountered Beleck’s retainers near the Duke’s Office, I recalled how they’d barely acknowledged me. When their master treated me with such disdain, how could his subordinates possibly show me respect?
“The Stefan Family has served Simour as retainers for three generations. Do you understand what that means?”
“I wouldn’t know about that, but I certainly know that man has no business managing the collection.”
Beleck Simour clicked his tongue dismissively at my words.
“How much longer will you spout such foolishness? It’s laughable that someone like you goes around proclaiming yourself Simour. Your impulsive and emotional actions are tarnishing the family’s honor—engrave that into your empty head.”
Beleck Simour lashed out at my pride without mercy. To speak so unfiltered to his only sister. Now I understood why Deborah Simour had shown such disdain whenever she looked at him, her inferiority complex laid bare.
‘Not only is he tactless, but he’s narrow-minded too.’
Ultimately, the reason Beleck Simour appeared so suddenly and hurled abuse was because I’d wielded my authority through Father. A younger sister so lacking by his standards, so incompetent, yet daring to curry favor with the household’s supreme authority—how grating that must be to him.
‘Honestly, where in this world could you find a figurehead noblewoman as powerless as me?’
In the novel, the noblewoman of the Serig Duke Family who had sponsored Miya possessed retainers with diverse talents and even private soldiers at her command. I didn’t even have a single maidservant I could take with me without worry.
‘It’s self-inflicted, but why must I bear the consequences of karma?’
“As Simour’s librarian, I simply dismissed someone who lacked competence and qualification. I acted neither impulsively nor emotionally.”
I suppressed the irritation rising in my throat and spoke slowly, careful not to appear emotional.
“Lacked qualification?”
“Yes.”
“That man served as an Imperial Palace librarian and was particularly well-versed in magical studies. The one lacking competence as Simour is you.”
“Then how could an Imperial Palace librarian fail to answer even my simple, straightforward question?”
“What absurd question did you even ask?”
“Is ‘Imperial Politics and Economics’ a political field or an economic field?”
Beleck Simour hesitated for a moment. With this system that only duplicated books by the same subject, there was no way to handle certain exceptional cases.
I continued speaking as I watched Beleck Simour fall silent, caught off guard.
“I don’t even frequent the Library often, yet the blind spot in the classification system was immediately apparent to me. Meanwhile, he spends every day surrounded by books but left such an obvious problem unaddressed. Isn’t that a failure of qualification as a librarian?”
As I smirked, Beleck Simour furrowed his brow and made excuses.
“You asked such a spiteful question just to antagonize the librarian….”
“Spiteful? I was pointing out a flawed practice. Isn’t it you who’s viewing me purely through emotion? Come to think of it, you’re the emotional one here. As they say, we only see what we wish to see.”
Stung by my words, he clenched his teeth before releasing them.
“Deborah. The Imperial Palace also uses subject-based book classification. It’s the most effective method.”
“What’s effective about it? What if you only know the author’s name but not the book’s title? How would you find the book then?”
“Isn’t a librarian’s job to find the books the employer wants as quickly as possible? That’s why I recruited Jamie Stefan, who is deeply knowledgeable in magical studies. But you foolishly dismissed him out of spite, with no alternative plan whatsoever.”
Hmm, so librarians here are evaluated on ability in that manner. That’s precisely why the classification methods haven’t advanced.
“I’ll find a surprising alternative soon enough.”
“An alternative?”
At my words, Beleck Simour crossed his arms and let out a derisive laugh.
“I didn’t know you’d picked up boasting as well. Stop muddying the waters like a loach, manage your own conduct properly, and give up on Philaf.”
“Philaf isn’t my type. Honestly, I’m not really into that macho type who doesn’t listen to reason.”
I muttered this with a slightly weary tone.
“Sure, sure, whatever you say. Get some rest.”
Beleck Simour, clearly unconvinced, gave my shoulder a light tap and walked slowly into the darkness beyond the corridor.
“What will you do if I prove I’m not lying?”
I called out loudly after his retreating figure.
“Ha! I’ll have Deborah call me ‘sister’ with her own mouth.”
‘Got that on record, you bastard.’
I fingered the magical stone with recording capabilities while watching Beleck Simour’s diminishing silhouette. I’d purchased one because I was terrified that if another misunderstanding arose because of Philaf, I wouldn’t live out this lifetime either.
‘I rushed to Maison D yesterday and bought it in a hurry.’
I figured an information broker would have artifacts with recording functions, so I sought one out, and my assumption was correct.
‘But it was so expensive.’
A measly ten minutes of recording capacity for roughly three million won in Korean currency? Was this a joke?
‘At least it’s not disposable, which is some consolation.’
Honestly, gathering ten billion is so grueling it brings tears to my eyes. With all these jewels and money around, yet I have to worry about my finances and keep a household ledger every single time.
This is why the mindset of a great noble doesn’t settle in easily.
Sighing heavily, I flopped down onto my bed. And I lay awake with open eyes for a long time.

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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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