The Villainess Builds a Department Store - Chapter 67

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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 67

The Hedebeau Company Warehouse we finally arrived at was so massive in scale that it left our mouths agape.

Though I had seen it from afar while passing by, this was my first time actually coming here directly. So now where should we go? As I looked around, I heard a familiar voice.

“Long time no see, little one!”

Guillaume, who had been waiting for Bastian and me outside the warehouse, recognized Bastian and patted his back.

“Have you been well, Guillaume Hedebeau?”

“Guillaume Hedebeau! If you’re going to call me by such a stiff name, you might as well call me Company President instead.”

Guillaume frowned and rattled off his response. Bastian gave him an awkward smile, then kept glancing at the warehouse. He seemed quite concerned about what was inside.

“So. What exactly was Bastian so curious about in our warehouse that he even asked Adele to request a tour?”

Despite his cheerful spinning smile, Guillaume’s eyes were sharper than ever. I quietly hid Bastian behind my back.

Even before departing for the warehouse, I had made Bastian promise me firmly. No matter what conditions Guillaume proposed, he would remain at the ‘House of Dreams’.

And when I threatened him to swear immediately, Bastian ignored me with that characteristic look of his that said he was looking at a madman. I was seriously considering salary negotiations!

Guillaume, who opened the warehouse door, first distributed lanterns to us.

“It would be troublesome if anything got discolored by sunlight, so I deliberately made it so light doesn’t enter. For something like that, the air circulation is quite good though.”

“Now that you mention it, we’re near the seaside but there’s no salt or humidity at all.”

I sniffed around, but couldn’t detect any of Port Nantes’ characteristic sweet and fishy smell at all.

“That’s all trade secrets! Know-how! Isn’t that right. Haha. Even if it’s you, Adele, it’s a secret so don’t think about prying.”

“…Did you use charcoal?”

“Huh?”

Bastian, who had been silently busy looking around since entering the warehouse, spoke for the first time.

And at that answer, Guillaume’s eyes flashed brighter than the lantern.

I’m not giving you our boy, you know?

“Correct, Bastian. If a fire broke out in this warehouse, there’s enough charcoal placed here to heat up the entire area.”

“But you just said it was a secret.”

“Since he figured it out with his own ability, shouldn’t I give him a proper reward? Uhaha!”

I was dumbfounded, but Guillaume just laughed heartily.

The warehouse shelves were filled with familiar yet strange objects everywhere I looked. Feeling somehow nostalgic and lonely, I silently caressed the Eastern Lands’ treasures with my eyes.

After walking along the passage for quite a while, Guillaume finally stopped.

“All the scrolls over here are paintings. They’re ones that haven’t been revealed to the world yet. If there’s anything you like, I’ll sell it to you cheap.”

“Please collect the payment from Father. I’m buying it because of Father anyway.”

“That Philip raised his daughter to be quite shrewd! Uhaha!”

The truly shrewd one isn’t me but Bastian. I smiled inwardly and began taking out and unrolling the scrolls one by one.

“Hmm… I can’t reach…”

After checking all the scrolls at eye level, I stood on my tiptoes with all my might to get the scrolls from higher up.

I stretched my arms and jumped in place, but just when it seemed within reach but wasn’t, making only my shoulders ache painfully.

“I reached…”

“What are you keeping your mouth for? You could just call me or the Company President…”

A thick-knuckled hand suddenly popped out from the darkness and easily snatched the scroll my hand couldn’t reach.

“Ah!”

You’re the one who should speak up before popping out!

…Those words were buried under the loud clattering noise and screams and didn’t come out.

Startled, I lost my balance and fell right there.

“You’re the one who should speak up before popping out!”

I shouted belatedly and bolted upright, but everything around me was pitch black. It seemed the lantern light had gone out due to that commotion earlier.

“Are you kids alright? Guillaume will come to you, so stay right there! If you move around carelessly and something collapses, it’ll really be a disaster!”

Guillaume’s voice came from far away along with flickering light. I decided to stay put as Guillaume said. I didn’t want to end my life crushed under scrolls and shelves here.

And it seemed Bastian felt the same way, as he hadn’t said anything since earlier.

“You…”

“Bastian? Are you okay?”

“I’m… No… Never mind. Just stay as you are.”

It was an ambiguous answer, but since I didn’t hear any sounds of him dying in pain, he seemed to be safe. I felt relieved and began groping the floor looking for the lantern. Since it was an oil lantern, it would be a disaster if oil spilled on the floor.

But why is the floor so bumpy?

It was like a thick scroll-shaped pillar with cloth draped over it. With something like this on the floor, no wonder I tripped!

…That thought didn’t occur to me.

I could tell what it was as soon as I touched it. Because startled Bastian nearly struck my ribs with his knee.

It was Bastian’s leg. Thinking about what happened, it seemed I had almost sat on top of Bastian.

Though I barely avoided an unseemly incident, the embarrassment still remained. Good heavens! Even if I’m a child, how could I grope someone else’s leg like this!

It was something I had never done even in my previous life. As such, I was grateful for the absence of light. My face was burning with embarrassment.

“There you are! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Guillaume!”

Fortunately, Guillaume found us quickly. After confirming that no oil had spilled on the floor and relighting the lantern, I could finally see Bastian’s face.

Good heavens. Red blood was dripping from Bastian’s nose. Could he have gotten hurt because of me?

“Bastian! You have a nosebleed.”

“I know. I must have been hit by a scroll earlier.”

“…Sorry. Use this to stop the bleeding for now.”

When I offered my handkerchief, Bastian obediently took it. I found the problematic scroll that had fallen on the floor and unrolled it. What kind of painting could it be to have been placed so high up…

“Huh!”

“Adele?”

Why is this painting here!

As soon as I saw the painting, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

And for good reason, as this was a painting I could never not recognize.

“Oh! So this painting was here. No wonder I couldn’t find it when I tried to look for it…”

“Guillaume! This painting! Are you going to sell this painting? No, have other people already seen it?”

“Huh? Huh? I haven’t shown it to anyone… What should I do? This is a painting I received as a gift, so it’s a bit difficult to sell.”

“Then please lend it to me! This painting, this painting is perfect!”

Oops. Bastian, who didn’t know what Guillaume and I were plotting, looked at me with bewildered eyes.

Let’s go out to a bright place first. The moonlight in the painting wasn’t enough to illuminate the lovers’ faces.

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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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