The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 52

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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 52

When I went to the study, Duke Carnel was waiting for me. Chief Aide Eunice was with him too.

“I saw in the newspaper that thanks to our family’s treasure that we lent to lure the thief becoming a hot topic, many customers came to the department store.”

The Duke looked at me with an indifferent face and said.

“I did order you not to report anything since I don’t want to hear about the results of all the things you’re doing… But since there’s such a commotion, as the building owner, I’m a bit concerned. So, did you make some sales?”

“We did make some.”

I answered humbly while opening the file folder I had brought.

300 million.

On the deposit statement issued by the bank, such an amount was written in large letters. The date was from opening day until the inquiry date.

“Oh?”

Duke Carnel raised his eyebrows slightly.

“More came out than I thought?”

Eunice stared intently at the documents. Then she muttered unconsciously.

“A copy?”

It was a small sound, but it couldn’t go unheard in this quiet study.

“What about it?”

I asked back with sharp eyes.

“That’s right. This deposit statement is a copy written over carbon paper behind the original. But we’re not submitting it to an institution, just showing it among family, so whether it’s original or copy doesn’t matter, right? We’ve never nitpicked about such things before, so why suddenly now? Don’t tell me you think I manipulated something?”

“…”

Eunice closed her mouth as if troubled.

“I’m sorry, Young Lady. I have a habit of being careful and nitpicking even small details, so I unconsciously committed a discourtesy. Please don’t mind it.”

Duke Carnel looked at her.

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s nothing, Duke.”

“Can’t you speak up right now? Is there some problem with this deposit statement?”

At the frosty command, Eunice reluctantly opened her mouth.

“I just thought something seemed strange, so I unconsciously muttered. The sales amount shown in that copy seems different from the amount I heard…”

“Heard?”

I asked back sharply.

“How could Eunice? This is internal data of our guild that hasn’t been disclosed anywhere? No matter how others might guess the sales amount, it’s all just groundless speculation.”

“I’m sorry. Since it was information from a quite reliable source, I just…”

“You know a sales amount different from this?”

Duke Carnel interjected.

“So how much is it?”

“…I’m sorry to say this, but…”

Eunice trailed off while glancing at me.

The face of a polite and competent chief aide. But it seemed like a thrilling sense of victory flashed through her eyes.

-You got caught manipulating it, didn’t you?

That kind of look, I’d say.

‘You’re the one who got caught.’

I replied inwardly.

It was the moment when my suspicions turned into certainty.

In the newspapers, there was all sorts of speculation about our department store sales, saying it would be ‘all show and no substance’ or ‘surprisingly profitable.’

But no one could know for sure. No one except me, who received comprehensive reports from each store’s sales.

‘Even that report didn’t come by regular mail. Benjamin sent it through his younger brother.’

Eunice has no idea of my actual sales. In that situation, she secretly read my letter requesting amount manipulation and thought ‘Got it!’

So she probably gently persuaded Duke Carnel to arrange this kind of meeting to ask me about sales. The moment I presented the manipulated deposit statement, she was going to point out that fact and humiliate me.

‘Too bad, but you’re the one who fell into the trap.’

I screamed loudly.

“So you’re saying I manipulated the sales amount to inflate my performance? Is that what you’re saying right now!”

Anyone could see it looked like I was caught. That attitude itself was advertising loudly. She lied, it was saying.

Eunice, who had been taking a somewhat cautious attitude, was 100 percent certain of her victory at that moment and went on the offensive.

“I don’t think the Young Lady did it with malicious intent. If you worked hard but the results weren’t satisfactory, you could feel such temptation.”

“What did you say?”

Duke Carnel’s eyes became sharp.

“I don’t have much expectation of you anyway, so I’d rather you honestly reveal if it’s a loss so I won’t even be disappointed! Even though you still do strange things, you seemed to be trying to live earnestly in your own way, so even though I was inwardly displeased, I was patiently watching! You inflated your performance with lies?”

“Ah, Father! No! I’m wronged!”

“Quiet! Bring out the original right now!”

“No!”

I hurriedly hugged the file folder.

“The original is absolutely not allowed! Father! Please!”

“Are you defying my command?”

“Duke, getting excited is not good for your health.”

Eunice stepped forward.

“Young Lady, not producing results is not shameful. But lying to inflate your performance is conduct unbecoming of a duke’s daughter.”

She looked at me and spoke politely yet coldly.

“This business is becoming a hot topic right now, and if it becomes known that you manipulated performance by only clinging to superficial indicators, the Duke’s family will again become the laughingstock of society. Is that what you want?”

“…”

I reluctantly held out the file folder as if I had no choice.

The Duke received it with the expression of an ice man himself and opened it. The moment he discovered the original hidden deep at the bottom of the documents.

“…What?”

Surprise appeared on his face.

“…?”

Eunice was also shocked.

The copy I showed was indeed manipulated. The original from the bank. This number was written there.

‘3,000,000,000.’

3 billion.

“…”

The Duke looked at me with a somewhat dumbfounded face.

“The sales are 3 billion?”

“Yes.”

“Then you didn’t inflate it, but reduced it…?”

“Yes…”

That was right.

I said it was a huge hit, didn’t I.

Our department store’s sales were 3 billion.

“Ah, really!”

I stamped my foot and shouted as if upset.

“Look at Father’s complexion! You were startled seeing the sales! I knew this would happen! I almost had a heart attack when I saw this number too!”

Then I looked at Duke Carnel with a dejected face.

“I’m sorry, Father. I was too worried. 3 billion may be nothing to you, Father, but it’s still enough to be covered in newspapers once. When you see your daughter who always disappointed you suddenly achieve such results… I was so worried you might be startled and have a heart attack…”

“…”

“So to avoid straining Father’s heart, I reported it as 300 million, reduced to one-tenth. Of course, I wasn’t planning to lie. How could I dare think of deceiving Father? I was going to divide it into ten 300 million pieces and report it ten times like this.”

I took out nine crumpled 300 million deposit statements from my pocket and said glumly.

“Right. As Eunice said, manipulation is manipulation. It’s shameful as a duke’s daughter. But I… am Father’s daughter before being a duke’s daughter!”

A pitiful puppy with drooping ears standing sadly in front of the door after getting soaked in rain. It felt like such an image was overlapping translucently over me.

“…”

The Duke’s face turned pale.

“I, I… such…”

He even started stammering, then suddenly turned his head to look at Eunice.

“….”

Her face was like a blank sheet of paper. Unable to say anything, she froze, then bowed her head until it nearly touched the floor.

“I’m sorry. I truly judged it to be reliable information, but due to my misjudgment, I have committed a great discourtesy to the Young Lady.”

Well, she shouldn’t have been sneakily stealing glances at other people’s letters.

That letter I had written with a made-up address, pretending to entrust it to an illegal operator, would probably be wandering endlessly as a ghost in the post office by now.

Of course, I had left the actual manipulation to Sophie’s team. This time it was fine to make it somewhat obviously fake, so they finished it quickly.

As a result, Eunice took the bait beautifully.

She had been doing her work so meticulously and well that the Duke believed her words without question, but this must have dealt at least some blow to that trust, right?

“Discourtesy? Not at all.”

I shook my head.

“Even I can hardly believe the results I’ve achieved. So how would other people feel? It’s natural to receive such suspicion.”

Then I gathered up the documents again and bowed my head to Duke Carnel.

“Well then, since I’ve finished my report, I’ll take my leave now. Since the revenue reduction manipulation is still manipulation, I’ll reflect on it. I apologize for causing a disturbance.”

After finishing perfectly until the very end, I left the Duke’s study. As I came out into the corridor, the corners of my mouth that I had been suppressing slightly lifted.

‘How about that? Who got utterly humiliated?’

But enjoying the satisfaction was only momentary. Now that I had clearly confirmed that Eunice harbored malice toward me, an entirely new dimension of wariness began to set in.

What could possibly be the reason?

No matter how much I searched through the memories in my head, there was no reason for Eunice to hold a grudge against the Young Lady.

‘Then is it a matter of interests? Does my unstable position somehow benefit her?’

Even in the newly updated suspect list after removing the top three, Eunice didn’t rank particularly high.

She had no particular entanglements with Aristina, and she had been in a meeting with Duke Carnel at the time of the incident.

But given this situation, I also began to suspect the possibility that she was deeply involved in the crime.

‘I need to do some background investigation.’

I immediately gave Benjamin a secret order.

“Look into whether there are any rumors circulating secretly about a person named Eunice Gillian, the Duke’s Family’s chief aide.”

Stories about owing someone money would be good. Stories about being spotted somewhere strange would be good too. I told him to find out anything and everything…

A few days later, Benjamin returned with an unexpected answer.

“I’m sorry, Merchant Guild Leader. I tried to find out at least her regular shops… but I really couldn’t discover anything.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Yes. This won’t be easy work. When one of my errand boys did a little digging around, some strangers followed him and asked why he was doing that.”

“What?”

“Oh, don’t worry. He said he covered it up naturally.”

“That’s not the point…”

I felt my heart sink as I asked.

“That errand boy isn’t your young brother, is he?”

“Hm? How did you know? My brothers like that kind of work, so I use them often. They’re quite good at it.”

“Even ‘brothers’ plural? Good heavens! Benjamin. Let’s just forget about this request. I’ll handle it myself.”

Eunice is no ordinary opponent. I can’t put Benjamin or his young brothers in danger.

‘I need a different method.’

At that moment, the image of a small key floated before my eyes.

“Whether we can make a deal or not, you’ll know when you come find me. We’ll talk in detail then.”

Ruellian’s proposal too.

If I could learn about Eunice through an information trade, there would be no better method than that.

Even though that man living a secretive double life had moved far from the suspect list, meeting him alone was somewhat burdensome.

If I prepared some means of self-defense and went to find him…

‘Perhaps a safe transaction would be possible?’

I took out the key he had given me and examined it. This name was engraved on the metal surface.

【Two-Faced Serpentas】.

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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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