The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 50

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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 50

It was nearly a disaster where the marquis family’s only son and heir could have gone missing. Antoine was lucky to be found quickly, but would other children be so fortunate?

The image of Hippolyte from two years ago flickered before my eyes—wandering the streets with a terrified face, not knowing a single soul.

I must ensure this never happens again. I gently tugged at Father’s sleeve.

“Sniff… Hm? Adele?”

“How about we establish rules for the entire gallery to cooperate in finding lost children when this happens?”

“Rules…?”

“I realized this while searching for Antoine—this place is a street between buildings, so there are only four main entrances you could call gates: north, south, east, and west, right?”

In reality, there were small side paths everywhere, including staff entrances, but if a child walked straight ahead without thinking, they would most likely end up at one of those four gates.

Father still looked like he didn’t understand what I was trying to say.

“So if we just close those gates, we can prevent lost children from leaving the street, and it would reduce the search area, making things a little less overwhelming, don’t you think?”

When children go missing in crowded places like department stores, baseball stadiums, or amusement parks, they issue a Code Adam. I remembered this from participating in mock drills.

The first thing they do there is also close the entrances. Since we can’t make missing child announcements here and our manpower is limited, we must at least prevent children from leaving the street.

Finally, Father let out an impressed “Oh!” and the way he looked at me changed instantly.

However, instead of immediately agreeing or objecting to my suggestion, Father fell into deep thought for a while.

There must be various issues to consider before implementing this right away. And there are more urgent matters too. So I waited for Father to think it through properly.

“That’s a good idea. Could you remind me about this later?”

“Yes. Right now, scolding Antoine properly comes first.”

Discipline is important. Of course it is!

* * *

After exhausted Antoine and Mother went upstairs to rest, only Father, Monsieur Laurent, and I remained on the first floor. And Bastian, who looked like he was dying of awkwardness.

“So… Adelaide. Who is this young boy?”

“Someone I want to introduce to you, Father.”

“…Introduce?”

Introduce, introduce. Father muttered the word to himself several times, then his face became extremely serious as he spoke to me in a solemn tone.

“Adelaide. I already know you’re more mature than other children, but… Father is… Father is saying… Father has… Ah, still… still… too early… *sob*…!”

Despite his solemn beginning, Father kept sniffling and finally covered his mouth with his hand.

I could tell what kind of misunderstanding Father was having. But I could guarantee with certainty that it was nothing like that and never would be.

Even in my previous life, Bastian only thought of me as the family member of a favored subordinate. Without Antoine as a connection, he wouldn’t have given me a second glance, just like any other woman.

Well, Bastian already had someone else he was interested in anyway.

“This is Bastian.”

“…Hello?”

Bastian awkwardly bowed his head. He seemed quite shocked to see a grown man break down crying after trying to maintain his dignity.

“*Ahem* Yes. I am Marquis de Charmeuze. By the way, what is your relationship with our daughter…?”

“Bastian helped me find Antoine.”

“Antoine?”

Father’s voice rose about three octaves when he repeated the question. Somehow, his gaze toward Bastian seemed much softer too…

“Thank you.”

Father extended his hand to Bastian with a smile. Bastian started to take it, then flinched and hurriedly wiped his palm on his clothes.

Father’s smile deepened at this sight.

“You did a good deed, so there should be a reward. What would be good to give you?”

After a light handshake with Bastian, Father muttered to himself while looking around the interior, then brightened as if he’d found something.

“Young Bastian. Would you come here?”

Father gestured from in front of a large sack. The sack was filled with blue glass beads imported from the Eastern Lands.

These were about to be discarded as having no commercial value due to their small size and irregular shapes for processing into marbles, but Father had displayed them on the most visible stand, saying they made decent souvenirs when packed in glass bottles.

“Take a handful!”

The glass beads from the Eastern Lands were popular due to their unique blue color. They were smaller and lighter than gold coins, yet could be sold for even more, making this a much more valuable reward than giving cash directly.

But Father wasn’t someone who would be stingy with cash.

Monsieur Laurent is here, and this could be done by asking others, so why use this particular method?

Bastian reached toward the sack but stopped mid-motion. His clever red eyes sparkled as he turned to Monsieur Laurent and shrugged.

“I hurt my hand earlier, so could you grab a handful for me instead?”

Monsieur Laurent’s shoulders twitched at the unexpected response. Father also widened his eyes and let out an impressed “Ohhh.”

“You didn’t specifically say I had to take it with my own hands, did you?”

Bastian winked with his characteristic mischievous smile. I had to bite down hard to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out.

Ah, Bastian. You really make my whole body tingle when you do things like this.

A child’s handful versus an adult’s handful was like comparing a teacup to a bucket. And Laurent wasn’t someone who would deliberately grab more or fewer beads based on personal feelings.

Father burst into continuous chuckles, seemingly amused by Bastian’s ability to secure what he could while maintaining his honesty.

“Ha, haha! What an interesting boy. But you said you hurt your hand? Oh my, how did that happen?”

“Ah! Father, is there a hospital nearby? He said people stepped on his hand when he was trying to pick up Antoine’s handkerchief earlier.”

“Oh dear… That must have hurt terribly. It would be serious if any bones were damaged. Don’t worry about medical expenses. You saved my son—how could such money be a problem!”

Despite receiving generous compensation and even medical expenses, Bastian showed no sign of joy, only quietly bowing his head.

Perhaps because he was surrounded by the luxurious interior and luxury goods he could never afford in his lifetime, Bastian seemed rather intimidated, as if invisible hands were weighing down on his shoulders.

What he truly wanted was something else entirely. And that was the same for me as well. So now, I suppose I should step forward.

“Father, could Bastian possibly work here?”

“Hm?”

Bastian, who had been looking down at the marble floor with downcast eyes, suddenly lifted his head.

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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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