The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Chapter 19

19 – Betting Fines -1-

A sunny morning at the mansion.

When I came out after preparing breakfast, there were letters in the mailbox. Letters in a mailbox that was covered in dust, and not just one, but two.

“Ah….”

With an excited heart, I took out the letter.

Maybe it’s a love letter, I thought.

A pink letter and a golden letter were in my hands. But it wasn’t a love letter after all.

“Hannah, a letter from the palace?”

A letter from the palace.

I wasn’t particularly thrilled.

Setting aside my disappointment of not receiving a love letter, I went up to the second floor and opened Hannah’s letter first. Neatly written handwriting. The style was noble, as if it was written by a well-to-do nobleman.

Of course, not as good as our lady.

But it was definitely better than mine.

[It seems that the Academy exam is going to be tough. The seniors might find a way, but the professors’ opposition is strong…]

Along with an apology, the letter ended with a sentence saying that they would try again.

‘I’m already grateful enough, how much more grateful do you want me to be?’

Later, I should sneakily take one of Jiyeon’s crystals and gift it to Hannah. Maybe one sword would be enough… or should I take Mihail’s?

Anyway, Mihail can use the holy sword in the novel. Taking one or two swords shouldn’t be a problem. If there’s any problem, Mihail can just roll, so it’s not something I need to worry about.

It’s good that Mihail will become stronger too, by the way.

After writing a letter filled with gratitude to Hannah, I sealed it with wax.

“Terrible handwriting.”

“Why are you making a fuss about my handwriting?”

“It’s too messy to read.”

“You can see it from where you are sitting.”

“I can’t see it, but I can clearly see that your handwriting is a mess.”

Sitting on the bed, the lady who had been scrutinizing me made a comment about the handwriting on the letter.

If the lady had bad handwriting, she would’ve said, ‘Hmph. You should improve your handwriting.’ But in terms of handwriting, the lady was the strongest in the world.

We didn’t have a computer.

When the lady held a pen, it became a keyboard.

And the letter paper became A4 paper, so I couldn’t refute whatever the lady said.

I wanted to ask the lady to write it for me, but I couldn’t ask her to do it because of privacy.

I put some effort into it, but is my handwriting really so bad that it can’t be recognized?

I asked the lady with doubt, and she furrowed her brows and exclaimed that she had never seen such nauseating handwriting before.

“This is not my fault. The writing in this world is incorrect. It’s strange and twisted…”

“I write well.”

“The lady is strange. My hand is not at fault.”

Today was a day when I longed for Hangul. I desperately wanted to see the sharp edges of the characters.

After listening to the lady’s nagging, I organized the letters and began tearing open the one that had been placed next to it.

A golden envelope and a letter with the crimson stamp of the palace.

Olivia’s eyes widened.

“A letter from the palace?”

“It seems so…but we shouldn’t have anything from them.”

“Not an invitation to a ball?”

The lady snorted.

With eyes that would have wagged like a tail if she had one, the lady reached out her hand to me.

“Give it to me!”

“No, thank you.”

“Why?”

“Because if it contains something infuriating, I’m sure you’ll tear it up.”

The lady had no reply.

She must have been planning to tear it up if it contained something she didn’t like. The lady politely withdrew her outstretched hand and waited her turn.

Certainly. The lady was not entirely mistaken.

Just a year ago, invitations to balls from the palace used to come frequently. They came during the founding celebration of the empire, the birthday of the crown prince, and even during the birthdays of the third princesses. Although it has stopped now, the memories of those times still remain, so it’s true that I am also nervous.

What if it’s an invitation?

I pondered in my mind.

Starting with worries about whether to attend, and even contemplating what clothes to wear. And in my mind, I even planned on what food to steal from the imperial buffet.

We have no power to refuse the Emperor’s invitation. If we must go, I remembered the lady’s instruction to pick the ripest fruit.

Sipping a bowl of seaweed soup and contemplating, I saw the lady also snorting at the thought of attending the ball.

We slowly peeled off the sealed wax while looking into each other’s eyes.

The sheet of paper revealing itself in a dazzling manner.

Both me and the lady swallowed our saliva and waited for the content.

I unfolded the letter and read the contents first, biting my lip.

“?”

“Why so serious?”

“…”

“I think you should see it for yourself.”

I showed the lady the letter, with a questioning expression.

[Unpaid Fine]

Outstanding fine: 700,000 gold

If not paid within the specified period (3 months later), the property under the name of Desmont Olivia will be seized.

Property scheduled for seizure: Mansion near the Hamel Mountains and 73 types of precious metals

“?!”

The lady responded by looking out the window. With a slight “hmm,” her ears turned red, and she didn’t turn her head.

Not a ball, but a demand letter.

And it was a seizure notice with a red stamp. A cold air swept through the room. It was clearly early autumn, but the air in the room was colder than a winter breeze.

“Oh… I didn’t think about this.”

“…Me neither.”

“I did pay 300,000 gold. I didn’t think there would be so much left…”

“…How much is left?”

“700,000 gold.”

“Gasp…!”

The lady gasped.

She quietly pushed away the chocolate plate that was on the bed. It seemed she was starting to fast.

I moved the lady’s chocolate to the side without hesitation.

If you don’t want to live in poverty, you have to be really frugal.

700,000 gold.

If 10,000 gold is about 100 million won, then 700,000 gold would be about 7 billion won.

“…We’re in big trouble.”

How are we supposed to make 7 billion won in 3 months?

We can’t even get a loan because we have bad credit.

I looked at the lady to find the answer, but she was staring at the window like a broken nutcracker.

“Wow, the weather is nice!”

It was raining outside.

***

Come to think of it, it’s a simple task.

Earning 700,000 gold is nothing.

I’ve complained about being broke every time, but as a reincarnator, it doesn’t make sense to struggle because of money.

I’ve earned a sum of 300,000 gold before. So earning 700,000 gold should be easy.

With unwavering determination, I stood in front of the mansion’s wall. Today, the warning sign was still boldly written.

“Exile the wicked villainess from the village.”

Last time, they wanted to exile me to a convent, but this time, the warm-hearted words of the villagers demanding my exile from the village warmed my heart.

“I should overthrow the guards soon.”

Thanks to those who ignite the soul of art on other people’s walls, I gave up on the appearance of the mansion.

They would just vandalize it again.

Thanks to them, my workload decreased and I received abuse.

Killing two birds with one stone.

I feel relieved now that I’ve given up.

So, this time, I decided to actively utilize the mansion’s walls.

With a brush in my hand and fluorescent paint, I started painting the walls. In an instant, a teddy bear doll flew overhead and landed with a thud.

“Hey, you! Don’t graffiti!”

I smiled at the young lady and put on earplugs.

If you have complaints, why don’t you become a debtor?

-Swoosh…. hmph.

Earning 700,000 gold in just three months with only adventures is realistically impossible.

Especially when taking care of a young lady, earning money itself is tough.

Most adventurers take on high-paying quests for one or two nights, but that’s impossible for me.

I had to go for quantity over quality.

Being a grade B adventurer, Hannah, going to the academy and receiving high-level quests was also impossible.

So, this was the alternative I came up with.

“A detective who captured the notorious ‘adventurer hunter’ is looking for work. ★Anonymous guarantee★”

1. I’ll do anything.

2. I’ll accept any amount of money.

3. I’ll find a lost dog for you.

4. I’ll take on wanted fugitives.

– Please write down the request below.

If there’s no high-paying job guaranteed, then create one with a guaranteed high income.

It was the best job I could think of.

From Noble mtl dot com

I thought there was no other way to get quick money.

Our mansion is located behind a busy commercial area.

Security guards pass by our mansion, and the townspeople pass by the mansion’s walls.

It takes 30 minutes to get to the commercial area via the normal route, but if you pass through the mansion’s alleyways, you’ll arrive in just 10 minutes.

Many people passed by the mansion.

That’s why, perhaps unintentionally, the mansion’s walls became a dating spot for couples and a community place for the townspeople.

– Let’s love each other forever. Lia ♥ Geof.

└ We cheated on each other for two years.

└ What are you talking about? You cheated first.

└ Heh, lucky you~!

└ Where do you live?

└ You mad? Angry? Can’t stand it anymore? But I don’t know where you live, do I?

Olivia’s wall, which turned into a communication space in the medieval era without a cell phone.

It played the role of a billboard.

With this, I can earn quite a bit, right? I also have an impressive career, you know.

So, I tried to find work through the wall. I’d make a living as an adventurer and get big jobs through the wall.