The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 42

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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 42

“Ah, Princess Aristina….”

Just as expected from someone who harasses employees twenty years younger than himself. The weasel-faced store manager’s face turned ashen.

“W…welcome… Your…Highness.”

You never expected me to show up, did you?

According to my memories, there were several places that even Aristina, who loved shopping so much, stubbornly avoided.

This was one of them. Aristina hated Liliebes Oeclaire, the Viscountess who owned this luxury goods store.

Well, she hated everyone except the Crown Prince… Anyway, she absolutely refused to come here because she didn’t want to give them a single penny.

So you thought she’d never come here, right?

‘Prejudices exist to be broken.’

I confidently entered as if it were my own store and looked around.

“Why is the manager’s reaction so lukewarm? I came here today to spend some serious money.”

This was absolutely true.

It’s just that the purpose wasn’t shopping.

“Is that so? I understand. What are you all doing? Hurry up and attend to Princess Aristina!”

The manager turned around with a face that clearly showed he didn’t want to get involved with this crazy lunatic.

“….”

Among the confused store clerks, I noticed a brown-haired young lady whose face was red with humiliation and shame.

She was the first to step forward and ask.

“Yes, Your Highness. Is there perhaps something specific you’re looking for?”

“What would you like us to show you?”

The other clerks followed suit. They all seemed unfit to work, but since a customer—and a terrifying one at that—had arrived, they nervously stumbled forward….

“Freeze.”

A menacing command burst from my lips.

Iris and the store clerks were startled.

“Excuse me?”

“I heard this place has everything organized by color and excellent service, so I came to see how well you do. But this is completely chaotic!”

“We apologize, Your Highness. What has displeased you?”

“Stop! I’m Aristina. Where do mere clerks get the audacity to interrupt?”

I shouted loudly.

“Is this the level of service here? I’ll receive service from the manager. Clerks, sit right there and don’t move a muscle.”

The clerks were startled and sat down on the plush sofa.

‘You ladies rest comfortably there.’

With a picky expression, I looked around at the merchandise sold here. True to its name as a luxury goods store, the collection was quite splendid.

“Fall coats are already out? The sleeves look a bit short though.”

With an extremely arrogant attitude, I gestured with my fingers.

“Manager, bring me that purple satin coat.”

“….”

The manager walked over sluggishly with a face full of irritation. Watching him remove the coat from the mannequin, I snapped at him.

“No. Bring the whole mannequin.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you take it off, it’ll get wrinkled. Bring it as is.”

“….”

The manager had no choice but to put the satin coat back on the mannequin and lift it up.

“Hmm? Looking at it up close, it’s just so-so? Would brown be better? Manager, put this back and bring the brown one.”

“….”

“Ah, the brown one is also quite mediocre. Why did they choose such dull colors? Bring the yellow one. No, put this back and bring the black one. No, the white one.”

Following the typical pattern of a difficult customer, I thoroughly worked the manager before saying.

“The brown one I saw first was the best. Put all these back and bring the original one again.”

“….”

“Can’t you hear me, manager?”

The manager’s face turned bright red. He looked like a red balloon.

“What are you doing? I need to try it on to know if it’s right for me.”

“…Ah, yes. I’ll help you put it on.”

The manager spread the satin coat wide behind me.

I put my arms through the sleeves one by one, put on the coat, and looked in the mirror. I tried buttoning the silver buttons, folding and unfolding the collar, rolling up the sleeves….

Suddenly I shouted angrily.

“My bracelet! The bracelet I bought yesterday is ruined!”

The clerks sitting on the sofa flinched. As if her trauma was triggered, Iris’s complexion immediately turned pale.

The manager asked with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”

I showed him my bracelet. The bracelet I had struck with a stone earlier, with gems dangling loose and the clasp disgustingly dented.

“Look at this! It was perfectly fine until I tried on the coat! What are you going to do about this?”

“I don’t know anything about this.”

“You don’t know? You’re the one who attended to me! What kind of outrageous incident is this! Damaging a customer’s 500 million won accessory and then making excuses!”

Customers who were about to enter through the door stopped in surprise. Beyond them, other passersby on the street also looked over.

The manager was flabbergasted and didn’t know what to do.

“Your Highness, why are you being so unreasonable?”

“Unreasonable? Didn’t you previously make a clerk who never even touched a customer pay compensation for damaging a bracelet? Then this case is the same! The manager should compensate!”

The manager’s face turned red and blue alternately.

“I really don’t know anything about this. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but please stop making a scene and leave.”

“Are you kicking out a customer now? Are you throwing out Aristina herself!”

A crowd of onlookers gathered. Everyone was murmuring “What’s this? What’s this?” when.

“Excuse me, let me through.”

A gentleman with a mustache strode into the store.

“…?”

The manager, who had been arguing with me, saw him and exclaimed in panic.

“Hey, you! Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t come to my workplace?”

“I didn’t come to see you, you know? Phew, I barely agreed to lend it after you begged to use it for just 6 months! You never paid interest once and even cut off contact?”

The gentleman walked steadily toward me and handed me a piece of paper.

“Thank you so much, miss. Now this document belongs to you.”

It was an IOU showing that the manager had borrowed 100 million from that gentleman. My guild’s only employee had successfully negotiated as he had promised.

‘Well done, hamster.’

I spread the IOU wide.

“Let’s see, Manager Cain O’Clery. You now owe our Black Rose Trading Company 150 million?”

“150 million? I definitely only borrowed 100 million…”

The manager stopped mid-sentence. Being dim-witted as well, he had admitted to the debt with his own mouth.

“…?”

Iris and the clerks immediately caught on.

‘That money wasn’t even his own?’ They were all bewildered and didn’t know what to do.

To the pale-faced manager, I said.

“It might have been 100 million when you borrowed it, but interest has accumulated since then. I’m not as merciful as that gentleman, so I need to collect that 160 million right now.”

“Why is it 160 million again?”

“Because I feel like it. So will you give me 170 million right now or not?”

“Guild Leader!”

Just then, Benjamin, who had rushed through the crowd, reported.

“Unfortunately, the debtor has absolutely no ability to pay.”

“Why? He’s the manager of such a successful luxury goods store.”

“Actually, this luxury goods store is just a shell. The manager took out loans to the maximum limit using the building as collateral. After paying back all the loans, there won’t even be 100 million left.”

“Then what about the remaining 80 thousand? I guess I’ll have to take merchandise instead!”

I took out our guild’s portable seal and stamped it loudly all around the luxury goods store.

Just then.

“What exactly are you doing?”

A sharp voice rang out.

Pushing through the crowd, a noble lady in an elegant navy blue dress appeared.

It was Liliebes Oeclaire, the Viscountess who owned this luxury goods store, rushing over.

Seeing her uneven complexion, it seemed she had already heard everything from outside. Well, with my voice being so loud, it would be hard not to hear.

I raised my voice even higher and retorted.

“What am I doing? I need funds for the imperial business I’ve been assigned, so I’m working hard to collect existing debts, but?”

“I never knew you’d stoop to loan sharking now. The Duke would be so proud if he knew.”

“Right? I’m sure the Viscount would also be very proud to learn that his son secretly used his daughter’s business as collateral to max out loans and even borrowed money by begging acquaintances.”

As the family’s dirty laundry poured from my mouth, the Viscountess’s face turned red. Trembling with anger and shame, she said coldly.

“Anyway, this is our family’s business. I’ll repay the 100 million written on the promissory note right here and now, so please take that amount and leave, Young Lady.”

“Look at this. Voluntarily walking into the sucker’s path again.”

I chuckled and said loudly.

“Miss Liliebes. You didn’t want to place your uncle in this position either, right? You had no choice due to pressure from family elders. But what’s the result? A perfectly good business has gone up in smoke?”

People’s gazes focused on the store manager. He trembled violently but couldn’t say a word.

“Miss Liliebes certainly has the ability to pay off both the loans and private debts. But what happens next? The family elders will obviously say ‘Still, he’s of Viscount blood, and we’re not a family lacking money’ and subtly suggest letting it slide again, right? Since I’m also dealing with one of those good-for-nothing relatives that every family has, I’m very familiar with this pattern.”

“…”

“If you investigate, you’ll see this luxury store was a ticking time bomb anyway. So until it’s normalized, why don’t you transfer the collection you’ve assembled here to me? If you entrust it to the department store I’m opening in partnership with the Imperial Court for consignment sales with a commission, I can sell it very well.”

The Viscountess’s face contorted. She twisted her lips and sneered coldly.

“Ah. That imperial business, you mean? It seems Young Lady is walking around even more stiffly because you believe in that one thing. How naive. Do you really think the Imperial Court sincerely proposed that business?”

At words that felt like cold water splashed in my face, people began murmuring.

Oh, coming on strong because your pride is hurt?

Then that’s actually good for me.

I smiled and replied.

“If it’s not sincere, then?”

“Everyone knows except you, Young Lady. Common sense—who would entrust imperial business to a destruction king who ruins everything?”

“Oh my, are you saying His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince lack common sense? Oh my, oh my!”

“Don’t twist my words!”

Yes. Escalate the situation. The reporters are coming too. The more controversial it becomes, the more advantageous it is for me.

I cheered inwardly, and the Viscountess shouted excitedly.

“Acting all high and mighty as if you earned it through your own abilities. Everyone except you knows, okay? That contract was only forced upon them to save face for the Duke’s family caught up in poisoning accusations, and they’ll soon find some excuse to terminate the contract anyway!”

She looked me up and down and twisted her lips upward.

“I’m so looking forward to tomorrow’s newspaper! When His Highness the Crown Prince learns that you caused such a commotion using the imperial contract as an excuse, he’ll terminate the contract immediately!”

That’s when it happened.

“That won’t happen.”

A gentle but firm voice rang out from behind the crowd. Everyone turned around in surprise.

Through the hastily parting crowd, an absolutely perfect blonde handsome man was walking toward us.

It was Aldensis.

‘…What?’

I was completely dumbfounded.

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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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