The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 39
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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 39
When I stuck my head out the window, Bastian was threateningly swinging his fists at thin air.
Why is he here? Wasn’t he supposed to be working at Port Nantes?
“Adele?”
Bastian, who recognized Adelaide, hesitated and then frowned. Taking advantage of this gap, the young boy who had been rolling on the ground and making a fuss hurriedly fled to the opposite alley.
“If I catch you next time, I’ll pull out your tongue and use it as shoelaces!”
Bastian hurled a menacing warning at the back of his fleeing opponent.
“It’s that child from before.”
Camille, who looked Bastian up and down, narrowed her brow at his grimy appearance.
“What?”
As soon as Adelaide got out of the carriage, Bastian immediately snapped at her in an accusatory tone.
“That’s what I should be saying. Weren’t you supposed to be working in Nantes?”
“That’s my workplace, and this is home.”
Bastian retorted while wiggling his finger. For a moment, Adelaide had an ominous premonition.
“Home? Are you telling me you walk back and forth from Nantes to here every day?”
From Rue de Liers where Emily’s workshop was located to Nantes was an hour’s distance by carriage.
Even by adult standards, it would take several hours of walking, and he’s been doing this daily with those thin legs?
Instead of answering the question, Bastian only tilted the corner of his mouth sideways.
It was as if to say, so what are you going to do about it?
“It doesn’t take that long. About… two hours? If I’m lucky enough not to get caught and hang onto a shared carriage, it takes less than that.”
Though if I get caught, I get beaten from morning on. Bastian added with a giggling laugh.
It wasn’t a funny joke at all.
“…Should I buy you some shoes?”
My gaze naturally went to Bastian’s feet.
The kid, noticing my stare, quickly tucked his toes that had been sticking out through the holes in his shoes back in.
“So they can get stolen again?”
“Then I’ll give you money. Buy some new ones that are just worn enough not to get stolen.”
“Hah.”
Bastian let out a deflated laugh.
Even so, when I waved coins in front of him, he pretended to think for just a moment before instantly snatching them.
“Don’t ask for them back.”
“I won’t.”
When we first met, he was wary as if I was giving him poison instead of money. Now he’s exactly like a stray cat that’s gotten used to food from humans.
“Why were you hitting that kid earlier?”
“Mind your own business. He took my money and ran.”
“Oh my. Should I give you another coin?”
“Why don’t you just pay the interest for him too? By the way, it’s one rib hit for each day late.”
Ahem! At the menacing statement, Camille cleared her throat loudly as if to be heard. Displeased that the conversation was dragging on, Camille kept looking at her pocket watch.
“…It’s a joke.”
Bastian, overwhelmed by Camille’s presence, added quietly. Maybe it was my imagination, but the kid seemed to have shrunk by about a span instantly.
“Are you still working in Nantes these days?”
Bastian’s head moved up and down lightly.
“Recently I also started a lunch delivery job.”
“Lunch delivery?”
“Yeah. I collect orders in the morning and deliver them to the Passage Construction Site at lunch. Since I work on restaurant street anyway, it’s killing two birds with one stone. Pretty profitable.”
As expected, people destined for success are different from the start. Suddenly, goosebumps rose all over my body and exclamations naturally spilled from my mouth.
“Bastian, you’re really smart. Amazing!”
“What’s so amazing about that…”
Bastian just bounced the coin in the air and caught it while avoiding eye contact.
But the tip of his lips, which had white skin peeling from forcibly holding down the corners of his mouth that kept trying to rise, was twitching.
“No. It’s really amazing. You’ll definitely succeed.”
“Hmph. What kind of grand success could there be in an alley like this?”
“How much do you want to succeed?”
“…If I tell you, will you make it happen?”
“Who knows. Maybe a pretty young lady from a rich family passing by might make it happen.”
“Did you just call yourself pretty with your own mouth?”
Bastian asked back with disgust as if he’d received a marriage proposal from a toad.
“Aren’t I?”
“…Hmph.”
When I stepped forward and brought my face closer, Bastian completely turned his head away to avoid my gaze.
Huh? Young Sebastien Bellueur, why aren’t you answering?
“Aren’t I? Hm? Hm? Really?”
“Stop bothering me and get lost!”
Finally, Bastian got irritated and raised his voice.
To think that Bastian, a predator among predators who never gets swayed by others, had such a soft childhood period.
It’s so unfamiliar it’s almost fascinating.
Should I tease him a little more? Since he jumps every time I poke him, I keep wanting to mess with him.
My goodness. Thinking like this, I really must be a villainess!
“…I want to open a store.”
A serious voice with all the laughter drained from it reached my ears as I was giggling.
“A store?”
“A store with my name on it.”
“What kind of store would you sell?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far. Anyway, I’ll open a store that sells something that’s never existed before.”
Though his tone was blunt, Bastian’s red eyes were glowing hot like freshly melted metal.
Perhaps Bastian had dreamed of creating a department store from now on. I even had that thought for a moment.
“Ridiculous, right?”
“What is?”
The next moment, Bastian, who had returned to his prickly self as if nothing had happened, snorted self-deprecatingly.
“A guy who’s busy worrying about making ends meet talking about dreams. How leisurely of me.”
His tone was almost self-deprecating, and I felt upset for no reason.
“No, it’s not ridiculous at all.”
“…”
“Because you can do it. So it’s not ridiculous.”
Bastian couldn’t say anything and just moved his lips with a completely dazed expression. Even if someone had poured cold water on him, he wouldn’t have reacted like this.
After just blinking his eyes, he finally managed to open his mouth.
“…You’re really a strange kid. You know? Usually, young ladies from noble families don’t even glance at someone like me.”
“You don’t bow and scrape to me calling me ‘Miss, Miss’ either. I guess similar kids recognize each other.”
Bastian was silent again for a while, then began looking me up and down with a very serious expression.
“Do you owe me a debt or something?”
“What?”
“Or do you have too much time and money? Do you even know me? Why do you care about me this much?”
His reluctant tone gradually gained heat and finally he got angry again.
Why is he acting like this again?
…Though from Bastian’s perspective, it was understandable that he’d be concerned.
From our first meeting, I protected him, and every time we met again, I approached him first in a friendly, informal way, and now I’m showing unlimited goodwill saying ‘You can do it!’
I would have been suspicious and wary too. No, this was the natural reaction.
But to think the best he could come up with was debt.
In a way, it was also a guess that pierced through to the essence.
Bastian.
You don’t know this, but I owe you a debt so great I can never repay it.
Since I’ve returned to the past, it’s a debt I could never repay to ‘you from that day’ even if I died and came back to life.
Instead, I’ll repay that debt to ‘you of now’ as well.
“Yeah. I owe you a huge debt. I have plenty of time and money to spare. As you know, I’m the eldest daughter of the Charmeuze Family. So taking care of you is nothing to me.”
Though for something that’s supposedly nothing, it’s quite a necessary process for my peaceful later years.
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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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