The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 23

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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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Chapter 23

Aristina had started guild management early on, just like other children from great noble families.

Back then, Duke Carnel still had a glimmer of expectation.

‘Even a slug has some rolling skills, so maybe…’ With that thought, he had set up his daughter’s guild quite lavishly.

Thanks to that, the ‘Black Rose Trading Company’ was situated right in the prime location. It was within walking distance from the Imperial Palace.

I stopped by the notary office right next to the guild office, then headed to the guild with the bundle of documents I received there.

As I burst through the door, everyone jumped to their feet.

“Guild Master, you’ve arrived!”

“We heard you attended the general assembly – how was it?”

Their attitude was as smooth as a tongue in one’s mouth. But I knew what was hidden beneath that flattery.

Annoyance. Contempt. Thoughts of just casually handling the empty-headed young lady and getting by easily.

I replied bluntly.

“Just mediocre…”

“The assembly was mediocre?”

“No. You guys are mediocre.”

After that reply, I walked to the desk and turned an employee’s cup upside down, pouring it out. Strong liquor spilled completely onto the floor.

“Uh…”

Before the flustered breathing could even fade, I ransacked all the employees’ desks.

Adult magazines stacked between documents.

Work logs that had been completely blank since last year.

Traces of card games they’d been playing right until I entered.

Love letters they’d been practicing, using up tons of office paper…

All of this was completely exposed.

These people had surely been talented individuals selected by the family initially. But while slacking off here, they had all degenerated into pathetic trash.

What a waste of salary.

“Ah, Young Lady…”

As their misconduct was exposed and the employees panicked, I handed out papers from the document bundle one by one.

“…!”

The employees were shocked when they saw the papers.

They were dismissal notices I had drafted after consulting with the notary next door.

“Ah, Young Lady! This is too much!”

As if I had caused them tremendous harm, the employees suddenly became victims and started whining.

“If you fire us so suddenly, what about our livelihoods! This is too harsh a treatment!”

“You’ve been receiving higher salaries than others all this time, haven’t you? Where did all that salary go?”

I replied coldly.

“I know too. That our guild’s businesses failed one after another and there was no work. But because of that, you had plenty of time to study, and it was perfectly possible to work other jobs on the side, wasn’t it?”

“…”

“You’ve been fooling around while steadily taking other people’s money! After cunningly deceiving your employer all this time, what more do you want? Should I make you realize how generous this treatment is?”

Faced with my murderous glare, the employees immediately became terrified.

‘Gasp, damn…’

They all had that expression as they hurriedly grabbed whatever they could and fled.

The place where the salary thieves had disappeared.

There was one person who uniquely wasn’t kicked out.

Brown hair and brown eyes. The youngest employee with an ordinary appearance.

“He was constantly ostracized for not joining in when the higher-ups were fooling around. While being dumped with all the menial tasks.”

That’s what the notary office next door had told me.

“Then, well…”

The youngest employee broke into a cold sweat as he swept the books on his desk into his arms. They were self-help books like 【Eleven Habits of Successful People】.

“Then I’ll be going now as well.”

“No.”

I called out to stop him as he tried to escape.

“What’s your name?”

“Benjamin Edwards.”

“Good, Benjamin. You show promise. Just keep working. I’ll give you all those guys’ salaries combined.”

“Gasp.”

Benjamin’s mouth fell wide open.

“Ah, understood, Guild Master!”

He immediately sat down at his seat.

With that, the situation was concluded.

To my guild’s sole employee, normalized in just 15 minutes, I took out 1 million perel.

“I don’t have time right now, so take this money and go around the timber merchants in order of proximity from here, collecting samples. Maple walnut wood samples for music box production. I’m going to select the best one among them and make a contract.”

“Yes, Guild Master!”

My sole employee shot out at a speed that would put a track athlete to shame.

‘Worth giving him all those salaries combined.’

In the quiet office, I was reading through the ledgers from the past when…

There was a crashing sound and Benjamin came running in.

“Did you bring them already?”

“That’s not it! This is terrible, Guild Master!”

“Why? What is it?”

“The maple walnut wood is completely sold out! Someone bought up all the timber in the market! No matter how many places I visited, that’s all they talked about!”

“What?”

I was shocked.

According to the guidebook’s explanation, maple walnut wood is timber used for making high-end furniture.

While the quantity isn’t large since it can’t grow in the capital, demand is steady so it tends to maintain consistent stock levels. And that’s sold out?

‘No, to this extent?’

This is a conspiracy.

Whose doing could it be? Zikren? His passionate fans? Business competitors? Ruellian?

There are too many candidates to even guess.

“Really not even one left? Really?”

“I’ll look into it again, but…”

Benjamin said with a troubled expression.

“Actually, there is one place. A large comprehensive timber shop on Bronte Street not far from here. Everyone recommended it saying it rarely runs out of stock, so I went there, but the door was completely closed. The owner was just summoned to the Imperial Palace. To the Main Palace, no less.”

The Imperial Palace?

Why the Imperial Palace of all places? It hasn’t even been an hour since I was happy about safely avoiding landmines and escaping.

“Benjamin, do you happen to have qualifications to enter the Main Palace… Right, of course not.”

“Yes. I’m just a commoner.”

“Right. I’ll go and find out. Benjamin, keep investigating other options.”

“Understood!”

I had to hurry. Other guild masters would have obtained this information too. With their nasty temperaments, they’d have more than enough reason to create shortages so competitors couldn’t buy anything.

‘I have to meet them first!’

Arriving at the Main Palace, I grabbed the guards and asked.

“Haven’t you seen a timber merchant?”

“Well. We did see merchants being summoned and coming.”

After answering me, they murmured among themselves.

“Why is everyone looking for timber merchants today?”

Ah, did the S-rank and A-rank already make their move?

Since I couldn’t tell where was where, I ran toward the familiar direction for now.

Since the ball had ended, the Imperial Palace corridors were unusually quiet. Only the guards were standing watch.

“Haven’t you seen a timber merchant?”

After searching earnestly, I finally spotted a merchant wearing a hat walking ahead in the corridor.

“Hey, lumber merchant!”

The merchant turned around in surprise. But it wasn’t a lumber merchant—it was a jeweler holding a silk box in his hands.

“Well, if it isn’t Your Ladyship! Why have your orders been so sparse lately? Did I perhaps make some mistake…?”

I cut off his words and asked.

“Haven’t you seen the lumber merchant?”

“No. Why the lumber merchant? Are you planning to commission some new furniture? If so, I could also provide jewels to decorate the furniture…”

Leaving the talkative jeweler behind, I escaped from that place. I looked around ahead, but there wasn’t a trace of the merchant to be seen.

‘Should I have gone the other way?’

Just then.

I heard the sound of footsteps walking steadily from behind. They echoed particularly clearly, somehow seeming extraordinary.

‘Could it be Ruellian?’

Perhaps he had been tailing me. He wasn’t the type to just let things end after being struck from behind.

Just as I was looking around to hide somewhere just in case.

“…Right. Tell them I’ll reply to everything by tomorrow.”

At the voice that came from the other end of the corridor, all my movements froze.

‘Aldensis.’

My mind went blank.

What on earth was he doing here at this hour?

…Oh right, this was his home.

The Main Palace within the Imperial Palace was practically like his living room. Rather, I was the intruder here.

‘No wonder it looked familiar. It’s because I’ve been stalking him so much all this time.’

Good heavens. I had only been wary of Ruellian, but now I’d encountered an unexpected ambush.

And of all times, it was the perfect situation to be misunderstood as stalking again.

All my efforts to show that my one-sided love had ended were about to turn to nothing.

While I could neither do this nor that, the footsteps grew closer.

‘I don’t know anymore.’

The door to a large room right in front of me was wide open. I hurriedly entered and hid myself inside a wardrobe.

But then…

The Crown Prince and his advisors entered that very room.

I covered my mouth and held my breath.

They talked with their backs to the wardrobe.

“With the Second Prince absent today, Your Highness must have been busy doing the work of two people alone. Still, you were absolutely perfect. You’ve worked hard, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“You all worked hard.”

“By the way, what should we do with the flowers sent by Serene Hyperion?”

“Have the maids decorate my private hall with them, and tell everyone to divide the remaining flowers among themselves.”

Ah. They were cleaning up after the ball until this hour. This room with the open door must be something like a ballroom preparation room.

I watched Aldensis and the advisors through the gap in the wardrobe while shrinking my body as much as possible.

They finished various cleanup tasks and dusted off their hands.

“Then we’ll see each other at tomorrow morning’s meeting.”

“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

The advisors withdrew.

Aldensis looked at the spot where they had disappeared for a moment.

Then… he suddenly turned his head sharply.

His eyes, blazing like fire and completely transformed 180 degrees from just moments before, were directed this way.

Precisely at this wardrobe where I was hiding.

“Come out.”

An ice-cold voice echoed through the room.

I felt like my heart had plummeted all the way to the ocean floor.

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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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