Since It's My First Time Being a Lady, I'll Cause Some Trouble - Chapter 20

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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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A Lady Does Mischief for the First Time — Episode 20
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“Well, that’s one unnecessary person taken care of.”
After sending Tatio out of the Safe Room, I stepped into the corridor.
From here on, I had to move carefully and alone.
To be honest, I hadn’t expected Tatio to retrieve the key.
‘As long as my identity stays hidden, that’s good enough.’
If Penri had the key, he would certainly be carrying it on him. How good could a Court pickpocket’s skills really be?
Calderon had told me that the Master Key for the rental safes at the Omerta Club was kept in the Key Storage Room—not carried by the Manager. When I asked if the Manager might have it, he’d given me a flat no.
‘That makes sense. If a renter lost their key, the Manager would need to be able to open the safe on the spot. He can’t do that if he’s not carrying the master key.’
Then he’d added in a measured tone:
‘The really interesting thing is in the Manager’s Office safe.’
He’d mentioned a bonus if I brought that back too, but I had no intention of doing so. I wouldn’t risk additional danger and botch the main commission over extra coin.
Two guards stood watch over the Key Storage Room—one at the corridor corner, the other at the door.
Since I needed to handle this quietly, I drew the Blowgun instead of the Revolver. It lacked lethality, but it was perfect for shooting darts coated in Anesthetic.
I loaded a dart tipped with the potent Anesthetic I’d bought from the Resolution Guild and fired at the man standing at the corner first.
Whoosh!
“Nngh……”
The mercenary struck by the dart let out a strange groan and crumpled weakly to the floor.
“Worth every coin, at least.”
The high-grade Anesthetic sold by the Resolution Guild cost more than gold. Specialists who made instant-acting sedatives were scarce.
Calderon had pitched it very enthusiastically, saying this Anesthetic would be essential for the commission.
Bastard. He’s the one who hired me, yet he sells me the supplies I need for a profit.
‘I’m getting the full commission fee. And I’m asking for hazard pay on top of it.’
I hurried around the corner and fired the Blowgun at the mercenary guarding the Key Storage Room door.
Before the enormous man could fall forward, I rushed over and caught him with my entire body.
A crash like that would make a loud noise, and if others heard it and came running, things would get complicated.
“Goodness, he’s heavy.”
Once I’d carefully lowered him to the floor, I quickly unlocked the door and cracked it open to check if anyone was inside.
‘Thank goodness—no one here.’
The Master Key was hidden among the other safe keys, but I spotted it immediately.
‘Opening a safe key turned out to be this easy.’
The weighty Copper Key hanging on the wall made a soft click as it settled into my hand.
Now the hardest part remained: hiding the unconscious mercenaries.
I decided to stash them in the Key Storage Room.
I had no idea who might be in the other rooms, and I didn’t want to wander around unnecessarily. Besides, once I’d opened the safe and left, the job was done—there was no point finding a clever hiding spot.
‘And given the nature of a key storage room, I doubt anyone visits it frequently.’
I dragged the mercenaries into the Key Storage Room. When they woke up, I made sure to gag them and bind their hands and feet.
I also confiscated the weapons they’d been carrying. I’d sell them to the guild fence.
‘Ugh… I’m exhausted.’
A lady’s body was far too delicate. I’d just dragged two burly men here and tied them up, and already I was this drained.
Even after training hard to become a pirate, a lady’s frame remained frail.
Thinking I’d need to build more strength, I crouched down beside them to catch my breath—when voices drifted from beyond the door.
“You’re certain the Count Nomen wasn’t let inside?”
“Yes, sir. Staff at the Reception said they heard him leave in a rage.”
From the conversation, these seemed to be the Manager and his subordinate.
Their footsteps and voices drew closer. I quickly locked the door and held my breath.
“But where did the guards go?”
The man I presumed to be the Manager turned the doorknob as he spoke.
Fortunately, the door didn’t open. He seemed only to be checking that it was properly locked, and he made no further attempt to open it.
“They probably went out for a smoke, sir.”
“Mercenaries, always slacking off.”
There was a moment of quiet, then the smell of cigarette smoke seeped in through the gap at the door.
It seemed they’d gotten the urge from the mention of cigarettes and were now smoking right outside the door.
I found myself mentally clicking my tongue at people who had no qualms about indoor smoking. The subordinate—or so he seemed—then spoke up.
“But why was the Count Nomen forbidden entry? He’s such a valuable customer—if you turn away someone like that, the revenue―”
“There will be losses, yes. But if things work out, there’s something that’ll more than make up for it.”
The Manager let out a soft chuckle.
“If it succeeds, we’ll all get a piece.”
“So something interesting has gone into that Special Safe in your office, then, sir?”
“That’s right—this one’s enormous. Pull it off, and we might just reshape Rodinia’s entire political landscape.”
“Isn’t there already plenty of leverage out there that could shift the balance of power?”
Both men burst into loud, stupid laughter.
But I stood there in shock, my mind reeling.
‘So this was the truly interesting thing Calderon had been talking about.’
I didn’t know how deep it went, but the manager clearly knew about Penri’s schemes and was turning a blind eye to them.
At minimum, he was aware of crimes committed by other nobles—not quite treason, but deeds that could shake the empire itself.
He’d made the aristocrats’ crimes his own assets, keeping them locked away in his safe.
Calderon had given me the safe’s combination and said I had three attempts.
‘He reckoned the manager won’t change it anytime soon, so it probably won’t come to that—but he mentioned there’s a device rigged to blow if all three tries fail, so be careful.’
I hesitated for a moment, then simply waited until the men vanished.
I’d learned what was in the manager’s safe, but extracting it was still far too dangerous.
‘It’s also the most heavily guarded place here.’
It stung to miss the chance for an additional commission, but there was nothing for it—I had to focus on my current job.
Besides, my anesthetic supply had run dry anyway.
All I could do was finish my own commission cleanly, and hope that when Calderon reported the results to his employer, he’d pass along what he knew about the Omerta Club manager’s safe.
* * *
When I returned to the Safe Room, Tatio was waiting for me.
The state of him was something to behold. His hair stuck up like a husband caught in an affair, and he reeked of cigar smoke.
Finding Penri must have been quite the ordeal.
“The key?”
“…You look at me like that and still…?”
“Want me to spit on your wounds to heal them? Did you get the key or not?”
Tatio shook his head.
‘I had a feeling.’
“You didn’t get caught, did you?”
I asked while checking beyond him to see if anyone else had followed.
“Didn’t get caught. Everyone thought I was a real steward.”
“Then why do you look like you’ve been through hell?”
“A lot happened.”
Clearly.
“But I got some decent intel. I’m certain now—several nobles are plotting treason centered around Penri. They’re all people I know. And I found out there’s crucial evidence in his safe.”
So he came back with information. The boy’s sharp, I’ll grant him that—not that it’s my concern anyway. Still.
“The problem is, the evidence is definitely in Penri’s safe, but he never lets the key out of his grip, so there’s no way to get it…”
“There is.”
“…What?”
Tatio’s eyes went wide as he gnawed on his lip in frustration. I twirled a Master Key on my finger, making sure he could see it.
“How? Where did you—?”
“These things just happen.”
His expression clearly demanded to know why I’d sent him to Penri in the first place if I could do this. I simply shrugged.
At least now we knew who the conspirators were.
“Since I can open the safe, you can go back.”
“No.”
Tatio refused outright.
He’s not even my ward, and now he’s having a teenage rebellion? What is this?
He spoke in a stern, unyielding tone that made his resolve crystal clear.
“I need to know what’s inside Penri’s safe.”
“Fine.”
“Wh—what?”
Tatio let out a confused sound.
He’d braced himself for resistance, and my easy agreement had caught him off guard.
I’m no fool. A pointless argument would only waste time with nothing to show for it.
And if a passing steward or mercenary caught us at it, we’d both end up getting a one-way trip to some remote hillside to dig our own graves.
I inserted the Master Key into the safe.
Click.
As the lock disengaged, we turned to face each other simultaneously.
Tension crackled between us. We both instinctively understood that the moment the safe opened, we’d both lunge for whatever was inside.
Tatio studied me for a beat, then reached out as he pulled the door open.
But.
“Too slow.”

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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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