The Villainess Turns the Hourglass

Chapter 5

With an excellent teacher like Sarah, it didn’t take very long for Aria to embroider a small family insignia on the corner of the handkerchief. The tutor had even fixed her mistakes. The black silken handkerchief was now adorned with a lily, the symbol of House Roscent, embroidered in silver thread. It looked good enough to fetch a high price in a store.

Aria folded up the finished handkerchief and put it away in a drawer before asking Sarah for help on one more project.

“What do you want to embroider this time?” Sarah asked.

“A rose.”

“A… rose?”

Roses were the symbol of House Frederick. Founded long ago by a member of the imperial family, the house’s symbol was a rose with gold petals.

Aria brought out red silk and golden thread and handed some to Sarah with a bright smile. The tutor looked a little worried as she asked, “Do you know what a golden rose stands for?”

“Of course I do. It’s the seal of House Frederick.”

Duke Frederick’s son was the object of Mielle’s one-sided infatuation. Did they get together in my past life? Aria wondered. She tried to remember, but couldn’t come up with a clear answer. She remembered them getting engaged, but couldn’t recall whether or not they had actually gotten married.

Aria intended to give the young man a handkerchief before Mielle had a chance—a handkerchief with his family’s seal embroidered onto it, at that. There was no need to worry about whether or not he wanted to accept it. She would give it to him when he had no choice but to accept, just as Mielle had in the past.

Aria knew very well that the duke’s son wouldn’t suddenly fall in love with her over an embroidered handkerchief. Nevertheless, it would be an excuse for her to start a conversation with him. Aria had an ability much greater than her embroidery skills, and this handkerchief would simply lay the groundwork for her to show it off.

Sarah hesitated when she heard Aria’s cheerful and carefree answer. The golden rose of House Frederick was a motif used quite often in embroidery, as it symbolized beauty and power, but it was different for an unmarried young noblewoman to select it, especially if it came to adorning a handkerchief. On top of that, it seemed as though the girl’s sister was set to be engaged to the son of Duke Frederick in the future.

Given the situation, Aria needed to be especially careful, so Sarah intended to gently stop her if she was doing this out of admiration. Even if she wasn’t, she could easily become the subject of yet more unsavory rumors, which she was already unjustly embroiled in. Sarah imagined that if Aria were to present the young man with a rose-embroidered handkerchief, there would be so many terrible rumors about her that she would find it difficult to ever leave the manor again.

She is far too pretty and kind for that… Sarah thought. She figured she wouldn’t be too consumed by pity to be able to sleep again if that were to happen to this cheerful and adorable young girl. When Sarah first met Aria, she had imagined her growing into a charismatic young lady at the center of high society, but she had now changed her mind. She couldn’t imagine this naive, sweet girl surviving in that frightening den of gossip and criticism.

Sarah took Aria by the hand, and the girl’s shining green eyes looked up at her. Those bright, pure eyes didn’t suit the dirty and underhanded side of high society at all. The tutor took a few moments to think of the best way to comment without hurting Aria’s feelings, and then carefully began, “Do you intend to give it to His Grace?”

“No.”

“Then… Is it for Lord Oscar?”

Aria could feel Sarah’s hand tremble ever so slightly in hers. She could see what the young noblewoman was thinking. Sarah was most likely concerned for a young girl who seemed so pure and innocent, and how she might be hurt among the countless ruthless competitors.

She doesn’t know just how horrible I am. Though Aria was manipulated in the past, it was true that she had done all kinds of terrible things of her own accord. If she were truly kind, she never would have done anything so wrong, even if others goaded her into it. Even now, when she was given a second chance at life, she was consumed with plans to get revenge against Mielle. She had never once thought about being a good person. Still, she had no choice but to keep hiding her dark intentions and smile brightly. She would never get caught in a trap by foolishly confiding in others ever again.

She shook her head. “I just think the seal is really pretty, so I’ve always wanted to embroider it. I am not even entirely sure who the people you mentioned are, Miss Sarah.” She knew exactly who they were, of course. She had even attempted to seduce Oscar in her past life. His gaze had been so cold and harsh that she had quickly given up, but she had seen him quite often.

Sarah seemed relieved by Aria’s answer. Her stiff smile softened into her usual gentle and benevolent one. It was true that House Frederick’s seal was very beautiful, so she seemed to believe that Aria really was just eager to recreate it for that reason.

Dismissing her doubts, Sarah began to explain the details of House Frederick’s golden rose. She must have embroidered it before because she had many tips for Aria. “A rose is actually quite difficult to embroider. The smallest mistake can make the shape look completely wrong, you see. You must get the center just right and surround it with petals.”

Just as Sarah said, embroidering a rose turned out to be exhausting and difficult. One wrong stitch was enough to ruin the whole thing. As they had already spent half a day on House Roscent’s lily, they decided to continue with the rose during the next session.

* * *

That evening, the count arrived back at the manor early, and the whole family was able to gather for dinner. Mielle chattered incessantly about how hard she had been studying while her father was away, and Cain mentioned that his vacation was almost over and that he would be returning to the academy’s boarding school soon.

“Is it that time already?” the count asked.

“Yes, Father. I will be heading out this weekend.”

How convenient, Aria thought with a smile, though no one noticed, as they weren’t paying attention to her. She watched quietly as the other members of her family acted as though they all got along perfectly. They laughed and chatted happily, even including Aria’s mother more than they did her. Mielle steered the conversation in a way that seemed to purposefully cut out Aria completely, as she only brought up subjects Aria knew nothing about.

And she’s just thirteen now… Mielle was discussing the count’s business. Aria was so grateful that she now knew the business just as well. She felt on the verge of tears.

“So, how about you invest in leathers too, Father?” Mielle said. “The most fashionable young ladies are already adding leather embellishments to their dresses. They add it to their waistlines like a corset, you see.”

Count Roscent went along with her suggestion with a pleased smile. “There was already talk the year before last about leather becoming popular. It does seem a little late to look into it, but perhaps it would be best to acquire some high-quality leather even now, just as you say.”

It was adorable to watch the young girl confidently present her opinions, but contrary to their expectations, leather wasn’t going to become more fashionable in the foreseeable future—or ever again, for that matter. It was heavy and stiff, making it difficult to make it into thick layers, and it was uncomfortable to wear. It would only fall more and more out of fashion. On top of that, there wasn’t a wide range of colors or textures when it came to leather, and its peculiar smell made it the opposite of what young noblewomen who drove fashion trends preferred.

Aria, who had been quietly listening to her stepfather and stepsister, wiped her mouth with a napkin and spoke up. It was time for her to reveal the first thing she knew about the future. “Father, may I say something as well?”

“Aria? All right, go ahead.”

Everyone’s attention focused on Aria, who had been quiet during the whole meal. The gazes fixed on her were equally surprised and mocking. Her mother looked worried, but Aria paid her no mind as she confidently said, “Leather is indeed popular among a certain number of young noblewomen, and has always been used as material for young noblemen’s clothes. I agree that having a certain amount of stock is necessary. But do you really think it will ever be more popular than that?”

Aria, who had always just screamed and whined to get her way, was now speaking calmly and clearly. The count’s eyes sparkled with interest. She sounded incredibly mature for her age, and her gaze was full of confidence. Her ability to speak so logically despite only having started taking lessons was enough to gain everyone’s interest.

Just as Mielle had mentioned, a few of the young noblewomen had taken up wearing leather, but it had yet to become any sort of large-scale trend. The count was aware of the downsides of the material, which was why he hadn’t acquired more of it and didn’t intend to do so anytime soon. He had simply played along with his cute daughter’s suggestion without intending to act upon it. He assumed she was still too young to understand everything.

But Aria seemed different. She was inexplicably confident. Putting aside her age and background, the count looked forward to what she would say next, strictly from a businessman’s perspective.

“Leather has many limitations,” Aria said. “Even if you dye it, the color fades quickly and doesn’t take very well to begin with. That is why it hasn’t become any more fashionable, despite trends rising and fading so quickly among the upper classes.”

“Hmm, you are certainly correct,” said the count, rubbing his chin.

“And as far as I have heard…” Aria turned her gaze from the count to Mielle and gave her the brightest smile she could muster. Although she had yet to present her main point, Mielle was already biting down on her lip in frustration. Her opinion had already been cast aside.

According to Aria’s own experience, something other than leather would start to become popular after a certain person began to wear it—an amazing figure whose wardrobe was at the forefront of fashion trends. Whatever that woman wore became popular, so she avoided exposing any of her future outfits before she was ready to wear them to official events. But Aria, having experienced the future once already, knew everything ahead of time. If that woman had worn leather, it would have become popular, but she thankfully hadn’t.

Aria continued, “They say the princess, who went on holiday to the northern region recently, bought up a large amount of furs.”

“Furs?”

“Yes, there are rumors going around about how several carriages full of furs recently returned to the palace. Unlike leather, fur can be dyed any color. Not only is it soft, but it also does not smell as long as it is washed.”

There were no such rumors, of course, but it was all true. The princess had indeed bought up a lot of furs after returning from the north, and after appearing at every subsequent party in a different fur shawl or coat, she quickly gave rise to a new trend.

Acquiring and processing furs took a long time, so it was too late to try and jump on the bandwagon once the trend had already started. As high-quality furs were limited, whoever bought them up first would undoubtedly monopolize their sales. And if the princess wore them, the trend was sure to spread across the whole empire. If Aria was telling the truth, any businessman in his right mind needed to acquire as much high-quality fur as possible at once—and even if she was lying, he needed to look into it.

The count seemed to believe Aria, as he called for an attendant and tasked him with finding out whether the rumors were true. If the princess really had bought up a large number of furs, he needed to make his move immediately.

What a wonderful merchant for believing the words of a commoner child, Aria thought as she beamed happily.