Our Villainess Has Changed

Chapter 30

“Hmm… Ah! But this isn’t a job for the servants at our temple…”

“What is it?”

Anette asked as she eagerly chewed her bread. The thought of earning money made even the dry bread taste better.

“Asil’s father runs a small clock workshop in the city. He’s very skilled, but since nobles only buy from the best craftsmen, his business hasn’t been doing well.

Then, he got lucky—Count Tirel recognized his talent and ordered a luxury clock from him.”

“Ohh.”

“Getting an order from the Tirel family is a big deal.

It was such great news that Asil was happy, and I celebrated with him.”

“That’s good.”

Clocks were a luxury Anette couldn’t even dream of affording. The only “clock” she had was her stomach telling her when she was hungry.

She kept munching on her bread and answered absentmindedly.

“Yeah. So, he put in a lot of effort and delivered the clock. The materials were expensive, but the payment from Count Tirel was supposed to be much higher, so it was worth it.”

“I see.”

“But… the Tirel family still hasn’t paid him, no matter how much time passes.”

“What? They didn’t pay him? What a bunch of scumbags.”

Not getting paid for work? That was just trash behavior.

Anette had also struggled with late wages before. She had managed to get paid sometimes, but there were plenty of jobs where she never received a single coin.

This felt too familiar.

“The Tirel family even got angry, saying that just delivering to their family should be considered an honor and that he shouldn’t expect money.”

“Wow, they’re shameless.”

“Right? Yesterday, Asil’s father went to their mansion to ask about it, and they even beat him up. He wasn’t seriously hurt, but still…”

“What? They hit him too?”

“Yeah. And they threatened him. They said that since he insulted the noble family, he must make another clock and deliver it within two months, or else.

But he doesn’t even have the money for materials, and two months is way too short…”

“Are they insane? Isn’t there a law against this?”

“Of course, there’s a law…”

“Then why?”

“Because Count Tirel is the judge.”

Lucy answered bitterly.

Count Tirel was a noble who had earned his title through the king’s favor.

In the Aureolus Kingdom, most of the power was held by the ancient noble families, but not all nobles came from prestigious bloodlines.

Some people became nobles because of their intelligence or skills—these were called judicial nobles.

They handled administrative and legal matters on behalf of the king and high-ranking nobles.

Even though they were nobles, they were always wary of the old noble families.

But when it came to commoners, they acted ruthlessly.

Judicial nobles formed a strong network among themselves. With the king’s favor backing them, their arrogance only grew.

The only way they could prove their superiority was by oppressing commoners.

Count Tirel was one of them.

And since he was also a judge, commoners had nowhere to appeal for help.

“A judge, and he does this?”

“Yeah… But no one dares to oppose him. We commoners have no power, and the high nobles don’t care about things like this.”

“I see…”

Anette suddenly lost her appetite.

Corrupt people ran wild in this world, just like in her previous life.

Ugh, disgusting.

“…This is probably too difficult for even you to solve, right?”

“…”

Lucy looked at Anette with desperate eyes.

Her gaze was so full of sincerity that Anette didn’t know how to respond.

Wow, she loves Asil.

I want to experience love like that too…

Then, a perfect proposal line popped into her head:

“Enoch, I would do anything for you. Even if the king of this country stole your money, I would find a way to take it back and give it to you.”

Wow, that sounded so cool!

She needed to write that down later.

For the sake of her own future love life, Anette decided to help Lucy.

“I’m sorry, Anette. I shouldn’t have told you this… I guess I was just too worried about Asil. You don’t have to do anything.”

She had already decided to help, but the reward was what mattered.

“How much can I get?”

“Huh?”

Lucy’s eyes widened.

“Well, the clock is worth 30,000 Rauds… so maybe 10%? About 3,000 Rauds?”

“Wait, 3,000 Rauds?“

That was more than her monthly salary!

She had to do this.

No matter what, she had to get that money.

“I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll take care of it. Tell Asil that I’ll get the full amount for him—in cash.”

All 30,000 Rauds, in cash.

Anette made the promise first and figured she’d think about the details later.

Count Tirel was a high-ranking noble, but she had a plan.

This was the perfect time to use her infamous reputation as the “Villainess of the Century.”

After lunch, Lucy left excitedly to tell Asil the news.

Anette waved her goodbye and headed to Lucas’s office.

She still had some cleaning left to do.

Thinking about all the money she’d soon have, Anette felt lighthearted.

Just this morning, she had been drowning in misery. But now? She could practically dance from excitement.

This week’s wages, the jewelry in her room at the Royce mansion, and now this reward—her future was looking bright.

Of course, she hadn’t gotten all the money yet, but it was only a matter of time.

As she walked, she planned how to deal with Asil’s problem.

Even with her villainous reputation, she wasn’t royalty anymore.

She needed someone to back her up—someone who could make her threats even scarier.

Who should I ask?

There were plenty of people she could use, but not all of them would cooperate easily.

But Anette had sharp instincts.

She had worked countless part-time jobs and learned to read people well.

She was a natural negotiator.

She had raised her wages bit by bit by proving her value—she was a master of part-time work.

Without worry, she hummed a tune and pushed open Lucas’s office door.

No one was inside.

Lucas must not have returned yet.

Feeling relaxed, Anette quickly finished cleaning.

As she left, she saw a familiar face.

“Julie!”

Julie was practically her savior—a kind woman with a young daughter.

Oh, I wanted to buy a gift for Julie…

She had planned to give both Julie and her daughter a great present, but then her mood soured as she remembered this morning’s misfortune.

Still, she needed to stay positive.

There was even more money to be made!

Julie, however, didn’t look happy.

“Anette…”

“Julie, what’s wrong?”

Julie sighed deeply.

She glanced toward a large door nearby.

Anette followed her gaze.

“Ah…”

It was the office of the Second Knight Order’s commander.

Charles’ office.

Ugh.

Anette scowled at the innocent door.

“Did Charles do something to you?”

“No, but… he refuses to let me clean his office anymore.”

“What?”

That neat freak refused cleaning services?

“He said he only wants you to clean it from now on.”

Anette groaned.

So much for money—this was just trouble.

Julie looked truly apologetic.

“…I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure? Then tomorrow, I’ll take over all your other cleaning duties.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just help me out when I want a day off.”

“Anette…”

Julie looked touched and held Anette’s hands.

Anette smiled and sent her off.

Then she turned to the door.

“…I don’t want to go in there.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Inside, the office was as spotless as ever.

Sunlight streamed through the uncovered windows.

At his desk, Charles looked up as soon as the door opened.

He immediately stood up, looking overjoyed.

“Master!”

Anette quickly shut the door behind her.

They needed to talk.

Last time, she had been too shocked to respond properly.

Now, she had to deal with this lunatic.

Charles beamed at her, his golden eyes sparkling.

“Master, you’ve come to see me!”

Anette squeezed her eyes shut.

“Alright. Let’s talk.”

…Though she wasn’t sure if this conversation would even be possible.