The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Villainess Establishes a Department Store

Chapter 15

The automaton repair that was supposed to take a week was finished in just two days. I had expected it, but I couldn’t help but sigh at the fact that my guess was really correct.

Instead of going straight to the workshop as soon as I heard the news, I went to find Father.

Right now, I had no connections to introduce Emily to, no money to enroll her in the academy, and not even an empty building to set up a workshop for her.

But I had Father, who possessed all of those things.

My father would surely recognize at a glance just how amazing Emily was.

“Father, may I come in?”

“Adelaide? What’s the matter?”

As if announcing that there wasn’t much time left until Father’s next business trip, the large desk was scattered with ink-stained maps and records of foreign lands.

“Where are you going this time?”

His thick finger pointed to the far right edge of the map.

“I hear there are medicinal herbs here that can even bring the dead back to life. With something like that, your mother might regain her strength too.”

“…That’s really far east. It’ll take a long time, won’t it?”

“I promise I’ll be back after sleeping just ten nights.”

I was no longer at an age to be fooled by such lies, but I pulled Father’s finger over and hooked it around my pinky, shaking it lightly.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“The automaton repair I mentioned before is finished, so I’m going to pick it up. Can you come with me?”

“With me? If you need someone to carry things, any of the estate’s servants…”

“There’s someone I want to introduce to you, Father.”

“To me?”

You’ll definitely like her. I was certain of it.

He had shown reluctance, saying he was busy, but once we actually arrived at the workshop, Father became completely entranced like a child by the fascinating mechanical devices that filled the space.

“Oh my! There are twice as many amazing machines as before. What principle do they work on?”

“Shall I explain it to you?”

“You will?”

Emily nodded confidently.

“Amazing. I never would have thought a receptionist would be so knowledgeable about the operating principles of machines. Anyone would think you made them yourself.”

“…Thank you, Baron.”

“I’m not just being polite, I mean it. Do you happen to have any automatons you made yourself? I’d like to buy one if you do.”

“Pardon?”

Father left things to Emily while I went to check on the automaton Emil had brought.

“Wow! I didn’t know you could fix it this quickly. As expected of Tonel Workshop.”

“Haha. Skills passed down through generations don’t just disappear.”

Emil placed both hands on his hips and puffed up with pride.

“What caused it to break?”

“Ahem. Even if I told you, Miss, you wouldn’t understand. The principle is too difficult and complex for that little head of yours to grasp. If I tried to explain, your head would go pop! and explode.”

Emil wasn’t completely incompetent. He had the ability to turn correct statements into statements that deserved a beating.

“Hmm… Oh right, I forgot to mention this last time… did you also change the ink when you repaired it?”

“…Pardon? In…k…?”

At my casual remark as if I’d just remembered, Emil’s smug expression instantly froze.

He barely maintained an awkward smile as he asked back, his lips stiffly frozen and trembling.

“Yeah. The red ink.”

“Ah… aha! The ink, you mean. Yes, of course I refilled that too.”

Haha, hahaha. Despite his exaggerated laughter, Emil kept glancing toward where Emily was.

However, Emily was busy explaining the workshop’s—or more precisely, her own—creations to Father and didn’t notice Emil’s gaze.

“Then can I test it here?”

“He… here…?”

“Yeah! To check if the repair was done properly.”

I didn’t give Emil a chance to stop me and quickly wound the spring.

The newly repaired automaton’s spring turned smoothly.

With each turn of the spring, Emil’s face grew more anxious.

As if it were his heart being wound tight, not the machine.

Finally, when I released the spring, the mechanical heart inside the automaton’s belly began to beat.

Instead of blood and muscle, oil and gears lifted the porcelain arm, moved the pen, and finally the ink-laden nib touched the paper.

“Gasp.”

With a single cry, Emil hastily held his breath.

The ink that appeared on the paper was ordinary black ink, not red.

“…You said it was red ink?”

“Ah… I… that is… well, there must have been some mistake. Ah! Come to think of it, I left the final inspection to Emily, not myself…”

“A craftsman left the final inspection—not some other task, but the final inspection—to someone else, and not even an apprentice but a receptionist?”

“Well… that is…”

Emil’s face darkened like black grease stains.

No matter what pathetic excuse he came up with, there was no way out of this situation.

If he had repaired it himself, he naturally would have noticed the ink shortage that caused the malfunction, and then he should have known that the ink was black from the beginning.

Did he switch the ink at the end? This too was impossible.

Touching another person’s work, especially a job entrusted to the workshop’s master craftsman, would be tantamount to unthinkable insubordination.

But to meekly admit his mistake would mean sullying the reputation and honor built up over generations with his own mouth.

“What’s going on?”

Seeing Emil’s pale appearance, Father rushed over.

When I explained the situation, Father’s expression also became serious.

“Hmm. Perhaps Miss Emily might know? I noticed earlier that her knowledge of machines is remarkable.”

“Baron! What could a mere receptionist possibly know?”

“She’d know better than I would, wouldn’t she? Miss Emily, if you have any idea, please speak honestly.”

When pointed out by me, Emily’s shoulders flinched greatly.

After hesitating for a long while, Emily finally confessed in a trembling voice.

“…It was simply… ink shortage. There was nothing wrong with the spring or gears, so all I did was apply some oil.”

“It seems the promised payment should go to Emily, not Emil.”

Emil couldn’t say anything.

“Wait, hold on. Did I understand correctly? Emily was the one who repaired this automaton?”

Father stammered as if he couldn’t believe it.

“At this point, wasn’t Emily also the one who made the automaton from the beginning?”

At my casual remark, Emil reacted as if struck right on target.

Well, since that statement was true, such a reaction was natural.

“Miss Emily. Is what Adele said true?”

“I… I am…”

“No! Everything over there was made by me, by me as the craftsman! Do, do you have proof? Miss Adel. You shouldn’t say such things carelessly. This workshop! The works here! Were all made by me as the craftsman!”

That’s when it happened.

“…There is.”

“What?”

“Pro… proof that I made them. I, I have it!”

With tears welling up in her eyes, Emily shouted.

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