The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 44

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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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The Villainess Hides Her Identity, and Everyone Misunderstands
Chapter 44

There was no shortage of issues to address, from the smallest detail to the grandest scheme. The fundamental problem was the complete absence of proper administration.
Even with the Imperial Palace and the Noble Family’s involvement, their personnel couldn’t remain stationed in the Refugee Camp permanently, so the distribution of provisions ultimately fell to the existing camp elders and similar figures.
What if I placed people with strong ties to the existing refugees in administrative positions?
Establishing clear criteria and distributing supplies fairly would be the priority, but providing for so many people without any compensation was equally problematic.
Of course, that’s why it’s called relief supplies, but I couldn’t distribute food for free indefinitely.
As I pondered this, word of our conversation spread far and wide, creating murmurs among the people.
“So that’s why we didn’t receive our proper share?”
“We didn’t get anything yesterday either….”
“This is absurd! That family over there received supplies three times in a single day!”
Ugh, how noisy.
Feeling my thoughts grow increasingly tangled, I burst out in frustration.
“Enough! Everyone, please be quiet! I’m trying to think… I’ll speak with the person in charge about this.”
“Just who exactly are you, Miss…?”
The elderly man’s anxious eyes fixed upon me. Only now did he seem worried about his own actions.
‘Well, you should have done things properly from the start.’
I simply ignored the old man and walked forward, lost in thought. But I’d barely taken a few steps before someone grabbed me.
“Wait, if you just leave like this—”
It was the man who had been complaining about the distribution.
“What are you thinking?”
Rakiel interjected abruptly, and the man flinched, stepping back.
Rakiel glanced at him briefly before fixing his gaze back on me. His expression was strangely tense. I couldn’t quite understand why.
“Well, just something a bit… But aren’t you busy?”
“I seem to have some time. Besides, I’m curious about this idea of yours.”
….
As I stared at him for a moment, he continued.
“It doesn’t seem simple, which is why I’m asking. This isn’t an ordinary village but a Refugee Camp. Regardless of refugee status, how were you planning to classify all of them?”
Ah, so that’s what he was asking?
I answered casually, as if he were asking something obvious.
“Isn’t it obvious? We need to implement a tier system for something like this.”

* * *

Rakiel’s question had been tinged with a touch of spite.
Perhaps it was because I found her willingness to help others so earnest that I wanted to establish clear boundaries—or maybe I pitied her just a little.
If she were an ordinary maid, she would never have received the proper education that nobles enjoyed, making it difficult for her to answer such a question.
It would be far better if she simply recognized her limitations and withdrew now.
“Isn’t that obvious? We should implement a grading system for something like this.”
“…A grading system?”
Rakiel blinked.
It was a term I had never heard before. Or rather, it was a combination of characters I had never encountered.
“Yes, dividing households by grade. To make it easier to understand.”
She began explaining while extending her fingers.
“We distribute rations proportionally based on whether there are war-wounded and the number of family members. For example, anywhere from 150% down to 80%.”
“…So the lowest grade only receives 80%?”
“Of course. The lowest grade typically includes the able-bodied population. Since they can work, we can connect them with jobs. It’s not just about receiving rations.”
Eve spoke with a matter-of-fact shrug.
Rakiel’s eyes gradually widened.
It was a method I had never conceived of before. Or rather, it wasn’t so much that I hadn’t thought of it, but that this idea seemed born from experiences entirely different from those of people living here.
It was not the kind of solution an ordinarily raised person would devise.
But as if that still wasn’t enough, Eve opened her mouth again while I remained speechless.
“Oh, and I think a point system would be good too.”
“…What’s that?”
“People earn points by participating in Tent Village cleanups or communal work. They can use those points to receive additional rations.”
“…!”
For a moment, forgetting the situation entirely, Rakiel nodded in admiration.
“Then people would voluntarily….”
“Exactly. If we only give handouts unconditionally, people become dependent. But by giving them hope that they can receive more through effort, we inspire them.”
“….”
Rakiel fell silent for a while.
It felt as though a clear answer had suddenly appeared to the very problem I had been wrestling with.
Yet the person who had just spoken seemed to have no idea of the magnitude of what she had just said.
When Rakiel regarded her with a peculiar expression, she startled and glanced around nervously, as if she feared she had said something she shouldn’t have.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Her voice was filled with anxiety.
“No, it’s just….”
As Rakiel opened my mouth to reassure her, I couldn’t hide a breathless sigh.
“You’re far, far more exceptional than I expected.”
“Me? You’re too kind.”
“No, I mean it. Even noble young ladies—or rather, even the heads of families with generations of experience—couldn’t produce such a clear-cut solution.”
She seemed completely unaware.
Of just how revolutionary an alternative she had just proposed!
Feeling my mind clear as if a thick fog were lifting, Rakiel stepped closer to her, and as if entranced, I opened my mouth to speak.
“Would you be interested in working by my side?”

* * *

“…Pardon?”
I asked back in bewilderment.
What an absurd thing to say.
‘Working by his side… work? What is this? Am I being scouted right now?’
As I stared at him with an incredulous expression, Rakiel continued to murmur, his excitement still evident.
“Where on earth did you learn such things? That systematic way of thinking is so advanced that it’s difficult to believe you’re someone living in the same era as me.”
“…Ahem!”
Insane.
Only then did I realize that the method I’d used was extremely modern, and I hastily coughed to cover it up.
I hadn’t been aware at all that it was anachronistic.
‘Damn it, no wonder no one does things this way…!’
While I was accustomed to categorizing and organizing information this way, the people of this era couldn’t possibly know about it. They wouldn’t even understand the necessity.
I rolled my eyes and blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.
“Books… I read a lot of books.”
“…Books?”
“Yes, there are many books in the Duke’s Library. Since I read books in my spare time while working, my thinking became more fl-flexible, I suppose? Haha…”
He stroked his chin with an expression of amazement.
“I’m curious what kind of books the Duke’s Family has. I should ask the Duke about it sometime.”
“Yes? Oh, yes…”
“So, what’s your answer?”
“Pardon?”
“Can you only say ‘pardon’?”
“…Pardon?”
What was I supposed to do about being flustered…?
Rakiel looked at me with a serious gaze, then opened his mouth again.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d consider this seriously. The Royal Court needs people like you. Those who can think flexibly without being bound by status.”
“…But I’m a commoner.”
“What does that matter? There are more commoners in the Imperial Palace than you’d think. Starting with servants and maids who help with work, many people participate in directly managing the nation.”
“And I’m a woman.”
“Gender shouldn’t be a barrier when someone utilizes their exceptional abilities.”
“…Also, I’m currently serving Evelyn. Following Your Highness would be the same as betraying her.”
“I’ll speak with Evelyn about it.”
How could such an immovable person exist!
He seemed determined to hire me no matter what, blocking every excuse I made.
“Working by my side would be far more comfortable than serving Evelyn. And I’ll make sure the treatment is satisfactory. What do you think, Hagen?”
Hagen, who had been standing beside me like a transparent person without joining the conversation, turned his gaze toward me. He swept his eyes over me with an indifferent look, then nodded.
“As it happens, there’s an excellent position available in the Ministry of Interior. Someone resigned not long ago, so we’ve been searching for a replacement. It’s not particularly demanding work, and initially, you’d start by assisting from the sidelines, so there shouldn’t be any burden.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect.”
Both of them turned their gaze toward me simultaneously.
“What do you think?”
Faced with the question asked again, I could only blink without answering.
‘Of all things, I’m being scouted by the Royal Court itself….’
The fact that Prince Rakiel was personally stepping forward to gather talent meant he was increasing his own people within the palace.
While I had been moving about busily, he had clearly been laying groundwork for imperial authority as well.
It was a good sign.
‘But that’s not the problem!’
Why would I enter the Royal Court following Prince Rakiel just to enjoy wealth and glory? After all, I am Evelyn Rosenthal!
The proposal was flawed from the premise itself. He truly seemed to believe I was a commoner.
‘Well, isn’t that natural?’
To be surprised that he genuinely believed me to be a commoner after I had deliberately deceived him—was there any greater irony than this?
In any case, faced with his relentless advances, my only choice was to change the subject.
My eyes, glancing around, caught sight of the elderly man waiting awkwardly and the murmuring crowd.
I averted my gaze from Rakiel’s eyes and urgently asked that elderly man from before.
“Now that you’ve heard our conversation, you understand, don’t you? Go fetch the person in charge. No, I’ll go myself! Where is it? Where?”
But once again, I was not to see the face of the person in charge at the scene. There was yet another someone who had been observing the situation.
“Wait, I believe that conversation is something I could address.”
A man with a thick, unkempt beard approached with a friendly smile on his face. It was Walter, the Guild Master I had met not long ago.

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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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