I Became the Master of the Villain

L00610.
A string of cryptic numbers printed on the chocolate wrapper.
That was the clue I had found.
And there was something clearly wrong with it.

But still unaware of the issue, the factory chief asked,
“What sort of clue are you referring to, milady?”
Instead of answering, I handed him one of the problematic chocolates. He examined the wrapper closely.

“Look closely at the manufacturing date.”
At my words, his eyes widened as he finally noticed what was wrong. He stammered,
“This manufacturing date is definitely strange.”

The date printed on the wrapper was an impossible one.
To be precise, it was a date on which chocolate couldn’t have been manufactured.
Because that day was the founding anniversary of the Ashford Group.

I had designated it as a holiday, and the factory staff weren’t required to come in.
In other words, the factory hadn’t been operating on June 10th.
So how could “June 10” be printed on the wrapper?

That’s when the factory chief said,
“It might simply be a mistake made by an employee during the packaging process.”
“That is possible, but…”

Of all the possible mistakes, it just so happened someone mistyped the date, and just so happened the chocolates with the wrong date were the only ones with worms…? Was that really just a coincidence?
“I believe we have to consider all possibilities.”
When I mentioned it might not have been a mistake, the factory chief broke out in a cold sweat.
“Then… milady, are you suggesting that someone did this on purpose…”

“I haven’t made any conclusions. But if that is the case, we need to catch the culprit and make them pay.”
After saying that, I turned to address the employees.
“As you all know, Ashford Chocolates have become embroiled in a disgraceful incident involving worms. Figuring out the cause is our top priority. If any of you know anything about this matter, please speak up.”

A murmur ran through the group of workers. They glanced at one another, clearly hesitant.
Well, considering how serious the situation was, it was understandable they’d be reluctant.
“You don’t have to speak up right now. But if you know anything related to this incident, please come find me.”

I made one final appeal.
“To overcome this crisis, we need your help.”
If I asked Kian, he could probably solve this easily.

But if I relied on him every time something happened, could I really call myself a proper duchess?
‘I have to do what I can on my own.’
I headed to my next destination.

If left unaddressed, there was no doubt our company’s sales would continue to plummet. I had to prepare a countermeasure.
Fortunately, I came from the cutting-edge world of capitalism.
‘I know just the thing for this kind of situation.’

After a long ride, the carriage stopped in front of a grand building in the prime district of the capital.
It was none other than the Ashford Group’s headquarters.
When I entered the conference room, the store managers of Ashford Confectionery—who had gathered at my summons—were already waiting.

They recognized me and greeted me.
“Milady, you’re here.”
I gave them a slight nod and took my seat.

It seemed they had already heard a rough summary of the situation, as one of the managers spoke up.
“It’s a relief that you acted so quickly, milady.”
“Once the compensation is paid out, some of the customer complaints should quiet down.”

They looked visibly less tense now. But then someone said,
“Still, the problem hasn’t been solved yet.”
He pointed out the cold reality.

“The longer this goes on, the faster the rumors will spread, and our sales will nosedive.”
“We need a countermeasure to prevent that from happening.”
I was the one to respond. I tapped the table with my fingers and said,

“Fortunately, I have an idea.”
All eyes turned to me.
“Would you mind sharing what the plan is?”

“First, we’re going to hold a free tasting event to attract consumers.”
“A tasting… event?”
The managers echoed the words as if the combination was unfamiliar.

In the world I came from, tasting events were as common as air—but not here.
Of course, occasionally staff would offer samples to customers, but no one treated it as a formal marketing tool.
After all, marketing hadn’t yet been established as a field of study in this world.

Which meant what I was about to do wasn’t a simple tasting—it was aggressive marketing disguised as one.
“The method is simple. For a limited time, we’ll offer customers a chance to sample our chocolates for free.”
The factory inspection had confirmed there were no hygiene issues. The chocolates made today were just as safe.

But customers wouldn’t be convinced by words alone.
No matter how much someone says something is “clean” or “safe,” they won’t believe it unless they see it for themselves.
“That’s why we need to show them it’s perfectly fine to eat our chocolates.”

After I finished explaining, the managers looked thoughtful.
The one who looked most cautious was the first to speak.
“Getting rid of customer aversion won’t be easy… but I think it’s worth a try.”

The other managers nodded and added their thoughts.
“He’s right. If customers try it and think it’s okay, it might lead to actual purchases.”
“We’ll calm customer anxiety, boost sales… If we do it right, we could kill two birds with one stone.”

One by one, the managers voiced their agreement.
“If the others are on board, then I support it too.”
They say emotion—be it hope or despair—is contagious.

Soon, the conference room was filled with a renewed sense of energy.
One of the larger managers rolled up his sleeves and stood up.
He shouted in a booming voice,

“Let’s do this! Crises are meant ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) to be overcome anyway!”
…A bit too enthusiastic, this one.
Still, better too much energy than none at all.

After calming him down and getting him seated, I shared the rest of the plan with the managers.
There were more ways to entice customers than just free samples.
In other words, I still had plenty of cards left to play.

I smiled to myself.
‘Time to unleash every last marketing technique from the 21st century.’
***

Inside Kian’s office at the Imperial Palace.
Kian was in a foul mood.
It was because of this morning’s newspaper article.

–Worms Found in Ashford Chocolate… Customers Horrified
The incident at Olivia’s company had happened right after their return from Elsica.
‘She probably hasn’t even recovered from the trip yet.’

Kian thought of her running around trying to contain the situation, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.
She was rational and proactive. Surely, she had already taken action.
Still, the worry didn’t go away.

‘There must be something I can do to help.’
But he hesitated to move without her permission.
Kian figured Olivia must have had a reason for not calling on him yet.

So, he decided to wait just a little longer until she asked.
‘Though I’m not sure how long I can hold out.’
He liked to think he had patience.

But when it came to anything involving Olivia, he always lost it.
Standing beside the visibly irritated Kian, his adjutant had been nervously waiting for a chance to speak and finally did so, cautiously.
“Commander, here is today’s schedule.”

He opened the folder tucked under his arm.
“This morning, there’s a joint training session with the 3rd Magic Division. And in the afternoon—”
Kian cut him off mid-sentence.

“Add something to this afternoon’s schedule.”
“Pardon? What would that be…”
I need to go outside the palace and check on the Ashford Confectionery situation myself.

After a brief pause, Kian came up with a convenient excuse.
“I’ll be doing a patrol of the streets. Lately, the capital’s public safety has become a concern.”
The adjutant was flustered. Concern for public safety? Wasn’t the Imperial Capital one of the safest places on the continent?

And why would the commander himself go do such a thing…?
As the adjutant hesitated, Kian asked,
“Why haven’t you responded?”

“My apologies, I’ll update the schedule immediately!”
When the boss gives an order, you follow it—what choice did he have?
The adjutant swallowed his tears and wrote “Street Patrol” into the schedule.

***
A sweet chocolate aroma drifted through the main streets of the capital.
Its source was a stall set up in front of Ashford Confectionery.

A lively clerk stood by, calling out to passersby.
“Try our sweet chocolate for free!”
Piles of chocolate were stacked in front of her.

Pedestrians, enticed by the word “free,” would often grab a piece and continue on their way.
“What, Ashford Chocolate? I almost ate worms thanks to them.”
Of course, there were also people who openly refused out of disgust.

One customer picked up a piece out of curiosity, then scowled and set it back down.
Watching that, the clerk looked disheartened and murmured,
“It’s not easy to win people back.”

I had come to the Ashford Confectionery to monitor the tasting event myself.
I offered the downcast clerk a few words of encouragement.
“Changing public perception is always hard. But give it time, and it’ll shift little by little.”

“Hearing you say that, milady, gives me strength.”
She smiled softly and went back to calling out to customers with renewed energy.
Just then, a gentleman who had been shuffling by paused, seemingly drawn in by the sweet aroma.

The clerk beamed at him and said brightly,
“This is Ashford Chocolate, voted number one by citizens of the Empire! We’re doing a free tasting event—please try a piece!”
The old man raised an eyebrow.

“You expect me to eat the chocolate that had worms in it?”
“To make sure such an incident never happens again, our confectionery is now following even stricter hygiene protocols.”
The clerk took a big bite of the chocolate on the spot.

The gentleman’s eyes bulged.
“You’re eating the stuff with worms?!”
“There’s no such thing. See?”

She showed him the bitten part.
The gentleman squinted, searching for signs of insects.
But he found nothing.

Even so, he remained firm.
“Well, be that as it may—I’m not putting that in my mouth. It might look fine, but who knows once it’s in your mouth?”
“That’s what I thought too. Looked fine, but now that I’ve tasted it—I can say for sure. No worms.”

The one who spoke was a man who had suddenly appeared behind the old gentleman.
I stared with wide eyes at the man who had casually picked up a chocolate and eaten it without hesitation.