Villainesses Have More Fun

Chapter 9

The man gave a small, almost fiendish chuckle as he continued to count the money. His eyes were a deep blue that matched the hue of his hair.

He resembles a movie villain. The criminal mastermind you secretly root for, thinking, “No, you’re too hot to die!” He has that face that makes you want to pat his cheeks and go, “Whatever you want, it’s yours. Your goal is world dominance? Go ahead, take all of my money. Consider me your first investor.”

My heart was pounding, just like it had when I saw Cassion a few days before. Jeez, was Iris a saint in her past life to have all this good karma? How fortunate she is to have all these handsome men wrapped around her little finger.

This man is the master of both the Intelligence Guild and the Assassins’ Guild. That means he’s not only drop-dead gorgeous, but could also probably drop you dead to the floor with one move. I’m jealous, Iris. I want what you have.

After counting the last few coins, the man crossed his arms, satisfied. “So, why did you want to see me?” he asked. His grin didn’t fade.

Oh my, your face is radiant. S-stop smiling at me. Don’t look at me with that twinkle in your eye!

“I wanted to see the face of the idiot blackmailer who resorted to thievery just to impress a viscount’s daughter,” I said.

The smile finally dropped from his face. He said nothing and stared at me blankly.

I got up from my seat. I had accomplished my goal of giving him a tacit warning. I know you were Iris’ little accomplice. Now that I’ve confirmed your identity, you’d better watch your back. I glared at him. I’ve always wanted to know how it felt to waste money on something impractical but to be honest, this was money well spent, especially considering it wasn’t mine. I’m having a blast!

“What?” The man frowned.

“Did I stutter?”

He may be attractive, but he’s hung up on someone else. There’s no point in drooling over someone else’s plaything. I guess it’s true what they say. All the good-looking men are either married, have kids, or are already taken.

I took a step toward the door.

“Is that it? You paid all of this money just to see my face?” he asked from behind me.

But what a face it is. Wait, is there anything else I should say to him before I leave? I turned around to face him. “Now that you’ve come into quite the windfall, I hope you pay Rosemary back for the dress you stole.”

I pivoted on my heels and walked out the door. Rosemary is probably on pins and needles because the dress I’d reserved was stolen. And it had to be expensive. You should never harm others to help a girl, no matter how crazy you are about her. Tsk, tsk. This is why bad boys are no good. Nobody should date a man like that. Right. Right?

Damn it, Iris. I really do envy you.

* * *

“Did the girl leave, Lucas?” A man of similar age to Lucas entered through the door of the adjacent room. “Well, well, well. I knew House Candmion was filthy rich, but I can’t believe she threw away two billion gennies so casually.”

Lucas clasped his hands beneath his chin and remained silent.

“What did she want?” the other man persisted. “How much did she pay you in advance for the assignment? I’m guessing not less than the money she paid to see you.”

“She spent exactly one billion, eight hundred and nine million gennies,” Lucas finally said. “And she made no other request.”

“What?” The man frowned.

Lucas looked at his surprised friend. Then he thought about the girl who had just left. Reilynn, with her long black hair and amethyst eyes. She was nothing like Iris had described her.

Iris never explicitly stated it, but reading the subtext of her words, he had presumed Reilynn to be arrogant and to enjoy disparaging others. She made it sound as if she had been bullied, humiliated, and deliberately made an object of ridicule.

But the Reilynn he met today was different. She did flaunt her wealth and tease him with gennies, but she never insulted him. She even asked him to pay for the dress. He paid for it, of course, but only after threatening the seller, who insisted it wasn’t for sale.

Yet Reilynn, who allegedly looks down on others, asked me to pay for the dress out of respect for a commoner? There’s no way. Lucas sat silently, chin in hand. His friend respected his silence and waited for him to speak.

“Levan, I think I might have to buy a title of nobility,” Lucas said.

The modiste had informed him that the gown he had given to Iris had already been spoken for by a duke’s daughter, which was why he had chosen it. He was certain that Iris and the duke’s daughter had a quarrel at the party over the dress. And the daughter had traveled all the way to the Intelligence Guild to find out who had humiliated her.

But if she were as arrogant as Iris claimed, she wouldn’t have left without making a bigger scene. Lucas was overcome with both curiosity and displeasure. He thought, How could I have judged someone based only on hearsay? His job as an informant demanded objectivity. But, all because of a dress, he had lost sight of that very quality.

“Reilynn always wears dresses from Rosemary’s boutique. Given that she only wears expensive clothing, it’s only natural that she thought my dress looked like a nightgown.”

Was Iris hoping I would choose that dress? If that’s the case, I’ll have to root out the truth myself.

“What in the world would possess Lucas the penny-pincher to consider buying a title?” Levan asked in a teasing tone. Lucas laughed as he ran his fingers through his messy blue hair.

As he smiled, his deep blue eyes, which resembled the sky, transformed into crescent moons. He looked like a mischievous child who had stumbled upon an intriguing mystery and was up to no good.

“Who knows?” Lucas said. He laughed again. He adored money. Unlike people, money would never betray him. He knew in his heart that money really could buy happiness. “I think I’ve fallen in love.”

Levan raised his brow and looked at his friend. He thought, Wasn’t money Lucas’ true love? “Did you fall for the girl or for her wealth?” Levan asked.

“Probably both.”

Lucas had met Iris through happenstance. She was a noble, but she’d grown up struggling to make ends meet. She cried when no one was looking and did her best to appear bright and cheerful. She reminded him of his own desperate past. That was why he wished to help her in any way he could.

Was that her true self? Or had my sympathy clouded my objectivity? His discomfort wouldn’t go away. He began to doubt Iris, wondering if she had swayed his judgment and decisions. He was ashamed of himself and of his blind faith.

“I’ve never been so captivated by a woman flaunting her wealth,” Lucas mumbled quietly to himself, but he didn’t dare admit it to his friend and business partner. He wanted his pride to remain intact. I’ll just skirt around the issue.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” Levan said.

“Oh, come on. Aren’t capable women quite charming?”

“I think you were simply enchanted by the way she threw your much-loved money around.”

Lucas looked at Levan and smiled. His interest in the duke’s spendthrift daughter grew within him.

* * *

My escort helped me into the carriage once I left the shop. I had traveled in a more conspicuous coach to conceal my identity. It’s drawn by two horses instead of four!

Wait. Everyone will still recognize me, won’t they?

“How did it go, Lady Reilynn?” Becky asked once we had both boarded the carriage.

I had entered the shop confidently, without a knight or maid, to be discreet, but Becky’s tone was casual as if she hadn’t been concerned about me at all.

Well, I guess no one in this empire would dare to mess with Duke Candmion’s daughter.

“Splendid,” I said.

“Were you able to make your request?”

“Yes, I did a very good deed today.”

Becky looked puzzled as if she wanted to ask more.

“Remember, Becky,” I said. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

Outside, the coachman snapped the reins and the horses broke into a trot.

“Do you think I should start a carriage business?” I asked.

Becky hesitated. “A-a business?”

Why the sour face, Becky? Oh, right. Reilynn had already squandered two such ventures before, hadn’t she? I’ll never understand how she managed to screw up with the bankroll of a duke backing her up.

I explored Reilynn’s memories. Her first business had been a perfumery. Yet it could not hold a candle to Iris’ perfume bottles, which were truly unique. Each one was delicately engraved with the customer’s name. Reilynn’s perfume shop had been unremarkable. She had been unable to compete with the unique draw of Iris’ perfumes, and her venture had gone bankrupt with little fanfare.

She had then gone into textiles. She had specialized in chiffon velvet, while Iris specialized in muslin. A year before, she had predicted that that fabric would rise in popularity for high society gowns. Unfortunately, Reilynn had been wrong.

The crown prince had given muslin gloves to the imperial princess and Empress. As a result, muslin had become all the rage. I remember reading that Reilynn had the brains, but what had happened to the part of her brain that handled business? And why couldn’t she, the jewel of high society, foresee the next year’s fashion trend?

The female lead always outwits the villainess, huh? I understood Becky’s hesitation.

But could I succeed? Probably not. I have no business acumen myself. I’m just a suit who worked at a tech firm. Great. I’m glad that everything I’ve worked so hard to learn will be completely useless in this world.