The Villainess in the Childcare Story Doesn’t Hide Her Personality - 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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After nearly pulling an all-nighter, I dragged myself into the office late, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“…Hans Noark was arrested?”
“Yeah. According to him, he just fell asleep after visiting the Imperial Palace because he was so exhausted… though it does seem suspicious.”
Who would believe that.
Sleep should be done at home, not at work.
‘Was he trying to stop me from coming in and lodge a complaint?’
How foolish.
As if that would make me bat an eye.
“Since it went to summary judgment, he’ll avoid detention but the fine will be astronomical. I’d appreciate it if he’d stay far away from this area and get his act together.”
“Don’t you think he will?”
I laughed out loud, a hollow sound.
Someone like Hans Noark would probably think a few months in prison was preferable to paying a massive fine.
By now, his insides must be churning with regret.
Of course, I felt no sympathy whatsoever.
‘By now, the second report should have reached the Ministry of Finance… and I’ll squeeze every last penny from whatever remains.’
But then.
[The submitted materials have been reviewed; however, they are deemed outside the scope of our jurisdiction and are being returned. Similar matters should be handled according to the judgment of the relevant department.]
…?
I stared blankly at the official document the Audit Department had delivered.
The underlying message was clear enough.
Outside the scope of jurisdiction: too much trouble
Judgment of the relevant department: figure it out yourself
Too much trouble, so figure it out yourself.
Ha ha ha.
A bitter laugh escaped me involuntarily.
‘They’re rejecting this?’
I’d already meticulously organized all the materials and submitted them according to the Ministry of Finance’s format.
All they had to do was take credit without lifting a finger, yet they were rejecting it…
‘So they really do have connections.’
And in the Ministry of Finance, no less.
My lips twisted into a smile.
‘Did they think I’d back down over this?’
I picked up my pen.
* * *
The day after sending my reply.
“Senior, how have you been?”
It was a face I hadn’t seen in three months.
Isobel Mira, my junior from the Ministry of Finance who’d taken over my desk.
Her hair was neatly pinned up without a strand out of place, and she wore small diamond earrings that were clearly quite expensive.
I’d heard she came from a wealthy scholarly family, but she seemed to have grown even more prosperous in the time I hadn’t seen her.
“You’ve been well.”
I replied matter-of-factly.
“Would you like some tea? I just received something excellent.”
It was a gift from Duke Montina.
It felt wasteful to give it to Isobel Mira, but considering she’d come all this way in person, I’d intended to pour her a cup.
“No, thank you.”
She refused?
Well, it’s her loss, not mine.
“I won’t be staying long anyway.”
Isobel Mira got straight to the point.
“I received your reply to my senior’s message. But I thought it would be better to discuss this in person. Written correspondence can lead to misunderstandings, don’t you think?”
“Misunderstandings aside… it creates an official record.”
“You haven’t changed, senior.”
Isobel Mira laughed brightly at something she found amusing.
“The report you sent this time had a rather outdated format. Things have changed quite a bit in our department lately.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. The Child Protection Bureau tends to be slow with news, so you might not be aware of these changes. I understand.”
I raised one eyebrow.
“Let me see this new format.”
“You can check it yourself later, senior. I didn’t think to bring a copy.”
“I see.”
Seeing my lack of reaction, Isobel Mira looked disappointed.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but in this day and age, being too rigid about principles will only make things harder for you. If you’re just a little more flexible, we can help you out.”
…This girl took over my desk and now she’s parroting exactly what my previous superior used to say?
“You’ve grown a lot in three months, Isobel Mira.”
“Yes, I have grown quite a bit.”
Isobel Mira answered shamelessly.
“People say I do better work than you now.”
Now I understand.
If she were going to refuse, she could simply send an official document back. So why did Isobel Mira come in person?
I smiled gently at Isobel Mira.
“You’ve been reading through the materials that were in my desk drawer, haven’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
“Or not? When I checked recently, everyone—including you—was still using the standard format I created. Everyone.”
Isobel Mira’s body stiffened instantly, her face going completely rigid.
‘Could it be… she didn’t know?’
It was possible she didn’t.
Isobel Mira had joined after the ‘standard format’ was already established.
“So I’m not sure what you mean by ‘outdated format.’ The format I created is still the standard, so it couldn’t possibly be outdated.”
“…”
Silence fell.
I decided to rescue Isobel Mira from this awkward situation.
By pushing her into an even more awkward one, naturally.
“And about this Hans Noark matter… you do realize it’s a good opportunity to boost your performance metrics, don’t you, Team Lead?”
Isobel Mira’s brow furrowed. It was the moment she abandoned her bright, sociable mask.
“What are you talking about? How does misuse of donations count as a performance metric?”
“I filed it under money laundering investigation. It’s one of the most prioritized cases in the Audit Department anyway.”
“M-money laundering…?”
I rolled my eyes.
Now that I thought about it, Isobel Mira clearly hadn’t even read the report properly.
“Who made the rejection decision anyway? You? The Team Lead?”
“I… I did…”
A soft scoff escaped me.
I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.
“So the Team Lead thought this was just simple donation misuse and stamped it for rejection.”
Isobel Mira stared at me with eyes that seemed to ask what the problem was.
‘Is she really that foolish?’
I decided to explain it kindly.
“Think about it—if the Team Lead knew this was a money laundering case, they’d definitely want to take it on. Sure, things aren’t great between us, but you know as well as I do how the Team Lead stops at nothing when it comes to performance metrics.”
Not to mention bribes, but regardless.
Isobel Mira’s face went pale.
If the Team Lead discovered that she’d skimmed through the report and mistakenly filed a money laundering case as donation misuse, they certainly wouldn’t let it slide.
“I… I’ll try to explain it to them again.”
“That sounds good.”
I made a dismissive waving gesture, as if shooing away a bothersome insect.
It was actually more convenient for me too if I didn’t have to talk to the Team Lead directly, so letting Isobel Mira handle it seemed like the better option.
“Now go. I have plenty of work to do.”
Isobel Mira scrambled to her feet.
Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief that one annoying matter had been resolved…
“…W-wait.”
Isobel Mira opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
Her rigid expression seemed to betray an unwillingness to back down.
“Being Vice Director of the Child Protection Bureau is ultimately a powerless position, isn’t it?”
My mind went blank for a moment.
Was she really this lacking in judgment?
To say such things right in front of me and even Director McGarvin, while gossiping about the Finance Ministry?
‘This isn’t just poor judgment—this is stupidity.’
As I remained silent, Isobel Mira regained some confidence and continued with self-satisfied pride.
“I’m only mentioning it out of concern. You’ve only been Vice Director for three months, and if you make things too big, it could put your senior in danger. You should be careful, shouldn’t you?”
Look at her.
I was going to wrap this up quickly, but she just keeps digging her own grave.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Isobel Mira.”
I spoke calmly.
“But I’m the one who gave you a matter that would become an achievement. The fact that you don’t even know how to be grateful and instead resort to threats makes me curious about something.”
“Threats? I would never….”
I dismissed Isobel Mira’s protest lightly.
“Did you get something out of Hans Noark?”

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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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