The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 99

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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 99

As soon as I heard Sion’s words, a memory came flooding back.

Aristina had one very chronic habit. Whenever her nerves became sensitive, she would bite her index fingernail.

Ever since she was young, Aristina would bite and destroy her nails whenever she had the chance. No matter how much she was scolded, she couldn’t break that habit.

Everyone used to say that even after she died and became a skeleton in her grave, she’d still be biting her nails.

But…

Over the past few months, she hadn’t bitten her nails even once. So her nails had grown beautifully smooth and glossy.

‘Even though I imitated everything else about her, I never thought to imitate that.’

My spine went cold, but if I showed any sign of that, it would be disastrous.

I couldn’t avoid his gaze. Absolutely not.

I looked straight into Sion’s eyes and opened my mouth without showing any emotion.

“I’m a bit surprised you noticed that. You really are perceptive. While reflecting on my past, I thought I’d try correcting my bad habits too, so I applied a bitter-tasting liquid and finally succeeded in breaking it.”

“Young Lady, it’s time to apply your medicine.”

Just then, Sophie, who had been hovering nearby, quickly approached and applied a transparent liquid to my nails.

“Thank you, Sophie.”

I smiled at Sophie and then started walking again.

“They say people don’t change easily, but as you can see, I’m doing my best to make an effort. It’s quite fortunate that you can see the results.”

Saying that, I looked at Sion with a still-smiling face.

“By the way, you seem to have changed a lot too. In the past, when we were alone together, you used to whisper quite impressive words in my ear.”

“You remember.”

Sion replied nonchalantly.

“I was too young back then. You won’t keep the thoughtless words of a child in your heart for too long, will you?”

“Of course not. I was young too. Everyone has their young and immature days, right? But not anymore.”

I smiled brightly and took Sion’s hand, shaking it.

“Let’s do well together.”

Sion also smiled brightly.

“Yes, sister.”

And so we shook hands and parted, hiding our mutual disgust for each other.

After Sion disappeared to his quarters, I immediately turned around.

“Sophie! How did you read the situation so well and play along earlier?”

“I don’t know either. It just felt like the right atmosphere for it.”

Sophie answered with a bewildered expression.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but anyway, that was also related to the succession competition, right?”

“Yes. That’s exactly it!”

My advisors, who were already quick-witted, were showing even more developed skills since the succession competition began.

“Excellent. You’re the best. You’re going to go far.”

While praising Sophie endlessly, I glared in the direction where Sion had disappeared.

What? It feels like someone else has entered sister’s body and is acting?

‘How perceptive.’

Thinking about how Sion had just interrogated me, my spine went cold again.

He couldn’t have figured out my secret, could he?

There wasn’t enough evidence for him to suspect that yet. But since he was someone who used evil magic, I needed to be on guard against that possibility too.

‘I need to stay sharp and move carefully.’

I bit my lips tightly and went up to my quarters.

But there was one fortunate thing. Before Sion returned, I had cut out all the rotten parts of this ducal mansion and created quite a few of my own people.

My loyal advisors watched the internal movements of the ducal mansion with hawk-like sharp eyes, reporting Sion’s every move to me.

“Young Lady, the young master went to the Imperial Palace early again today.”

“What?”

At the report that came from early dawn, I widened my eyes.

Really? So he has solid connections?

‘Then how should I move?’

It wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to go to the Imperial Palace and gather information too. But if I do exactly the same as others, I’ll only be following at best.

Shouldn’t I try something new to get ahead?

That’s what I think.

So I chose a completely different direction.

When I came out ready to go out, the Head Butler held an umbrella for me and asked.

“It’s raining quite heavily. Are you going to the Imperial Palace?”

“No.”

I waved my hand and instructed the coachman.

“To the guild office.”

The rain that day happened to be a downpour.

When I arrived at the dim office and looked out the window, water was overflowing on the streets.

People who were about to come outside also gasped in surprise and went back inside.

Unless you had a waterproof private carriage like mine to drop you off right at the front, it was impossible weather to commute in.

‘What timing is this? I came here at dawn, but it was a wasted trip.’

Just as I was about to turn away from the window in disappointment.

“…?”

I saw a young man walking across the street, clearing obstacles with a long pole.

His pants were rolled up above his knees, and he had a briefcase on top of his head.

I shouted in surprise.

“Benjamin!”

Amazing, hamster.

Rain or shine, or even if zombies invaded, like a modern office worker under a spell who goes to work first no matter what.

That office worker mentality was ingrained in his very bones.

“Guild Leader!”

Benjamin brightened up when he saw me. His hands and feet moved even faster, creating white waves around him.

“What brings you to the office so suddenly? Ah, what a foolish question. Of course you came because you have business here.”

He answered himself while brightly lighting the office lamps.

A large frame hanging on the front wall caught my eye.

It was my image from the successor qualification exam, standing on the platform wearing the founding lord’s necklace and launching the ship. They had taken that sketch, enlarged it, newly colored it, and hung it up.

On the huge blackboard below it, the activities of our Black Rose Trading Company expanding into various fields were drawn as charts.

‘No matter how I look at it, it feels like a world conquest headquarters.’

With that thought, I sat in the large leather chair that Benjamin had prepared for the guild leader.

“Right. You’re correct, Benjamin. Of course I came to the office because I have business here. This is quite an emergency. You know that the succession competition has started in our family?”

“Of course. The rumors have already spread everywhere.”

Benjamin, who had changed his clothes, answered.

“They say whoever scores high in the guild competition at the Founding Festival will be favored as the next family head, right? And the task is to find the Windfearer that disappeared 10 years ago and revive the related commerce that has declined since then.”

“You know exactly.”

I nodded.

“This isn’t simply about deciding the family successor, it’s a matter of my own survival. To do this properly, I need to gather information first… But given the nature of the incident, everyone will probably be cautious and keep their mouths shut.”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

Benjamin nodded with gleaming eyes.

“Let’s start with reliable information first.”

“Reliable information?”

“Right here.”

He pointed to himself.

“If it’s about that incident from 10 years ago… actually 11 years ago, I remember it quite well. I was a newspaper boy back then. Everyone was looking for newspapers covering that major incident that happened at the Imperial Palace, but no one published that article. Actually, they couldn’t publish it.”

“That makes sense. The fact that the Empress lost a national treasure while keeping it would be an unsavory incident from the Imperial Court’s perspective.”

“Yes. As a child, I couldn’t understand that much, and I was so frustrated. Thinking ‘If I could just get a newspaper that covered that incident, I’d be sitting on a pile of money!’ I searched everywhere with my siblings with fire in our eyes. Then we finally discovered a certain newspaper company. It was 【Justice Daily】.”

“【Justice Daily】?”

“Yes, Guild Leader. Among all the newspapers, it was the only one with real journalists who weren’t afraid of pressure from those in power and only dug up and reported the truth.”

Impressive.

In a world where dragons and the World Tree actually existed, this sounded more like a legendary heroic tale to my ears.

I asked in amazement.

“So you’re saying that 【Justice Daily】 was the only one that covered the Windfearer loss incident?”

“Yes. I remember they covered that incident in quite detail. It was a very good newspaper. Though because they only pursued the truth like that, they earned the ire of those in power, and now they’re practically ruined.”

Benjamin went to his desk and found one of his scrapbook materials to show me.

“Look at this. Currently, 【Justice Daily】 is in crisis due to severe financial difficulties. Unable to withstand external pressure, the president has changed several times while barely maintaining the editorial department, and even the last president has already lost heart in management.”

Then he hurriedly grabbed his coat.

“We need to quickly extract their internal materials before they collapse. Given their great pride in the history the newspaper has built up, the editor-in-chief and journalists probably won’t easily show us those materials. Still, if we somehow negotiate…”

“Benjamin.”

I shook my head.

“Why bother with persuasion? How troublesome.”

Then I extended my finger and activated my account ring.

Even while I was too busy struggling to survive to pay attention to business, my account balance had been steadily accumulating.

The department store was doing well as always. The insurance business was something I made up on the spot just to naturally help Iris, but the publicity went so well that many people were looking for it, which was troublesome…

I happened to find an honest shipping insurance company that had compensated for all storm damage and gone bankrupt, so I entrusted the operation to them, and it was making quite a bit of money.

The orphanage I started by accident was operating quite soundly and improving our guild’s image, which had a good impact on business.

One way or another, excluding the investment funds planted everywhere, over 20 billion had accumulated before I knew it.

I pointed to those brightly glowing numbers in the air and said.

“How about it, Benjamin? Isn’t it about time for our Black Rose Trading Company to enter the media business?”

“Ah!”

Benjamin’s eyes widened.

“That’s right! There’s no need to negotiate. We can just buy it. My thinking was too narrow. I’ll go meet the president right away!”

As he was about to rush out, I shouted loudly.

“Wait!”

“Why, why? Did I make another mistake…?”

“It’s raining. Take my carriage.”

“…”

Benjamin paused for a moment, then smiled and answered.

“Thank you!”

Shortly after, the carriage raced through the rain.

And quickly brought back results.

It turned out that 【Justice Daily】 had been on the verge of being acquired somewhere just a few days ago, but it fell through.

“Some benefactor tried to acquire 9 small and medium-sized news agencies in severe financial difficulty for 13 billion, but 【Justice Daily】 was excluded because they had exposed that benefactor’s corruption in the past and were disliked. It’s fallen through several times like that, so now they have no choice but to close down even at a loss.”

“Oh my…”

Hearing about the ups and downs that righteous newspaper had gone through, it now began to look like an abandoned animal desperately seeking adoption.

To think there were still journalists who ran around on foot for the truth. Weren’t they the endangered unicorns?

They needed some warm protection and generous support now, didn’t they?

“Tell them we’ll acquire them immediately.”

“Yes, Guild Leader!”

The president of 【Justice Daily】, who had been prepared for huge losses, came running frantically after receiving my contact.

With both parties’ active will, the contract was concluded very quickly.

I casually said to Benjamin.

“Just in case, tell the editorial department this: an anonymous wealthy person who supports press freedom has acquired 【Justice Daily】.”

“Yes, Guild Leader!”

And right at noon that day.

Glass windows roughly stuck with glue. Buckets for catching rainwater scattered everywhere. Desks about to collapse…

The journalists working in the editorial office with roughly this kind of scenery raised their heads at the sudden clicking sound.

A noble lady wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a coat over a splendid red dress was just entering the editorial office. Accompanied by a secretary who looked exactly like a hamster.

That noble lady—that is, me—sat down casually in an empty leather chair and said.

“Could I take a look at your internal materials?”

The journalists stood up abruptly with incredulous faces.

“What’s with this woman? Drag her out right now! Who are you?”

“Your new boss.”

I replied like that while taking off my hat.

The journalists were shocked.

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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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