Chapter 47

This might be the worst one yet.

Since I started living as a lord, there has been a constant stream of visitors to the mansion. They are either neighboring lords, influential people, or even suspicious merchants seeking an audience with me.

I try to meet with them directly as much as possible, but especially the latter often waste my time. So, I sometimes have them chased away.

It’s still better when they try to sell me expensive furnishings or paintings; there are also quite a few who bring suspiciously profitable deals that are sure to succeed.

"Do such suspicious people come to everyone?"

"It seems that when a new lord takes over, such people increase. They are looking for nobles who can be easily deceived."

Patrick explained the reason why they come in such numbers.

If they think I can be easily deceived, that’s quite insulting. Besides, I don’t buy expensive things, so I think I’m one of the worst clients.

"Do I really seem so easy to deceive? I try to be thorough."

"…Thorough?"

"I don’t let them sell me expensive things, right?"

"Staff."

I couldn’t say anything in response. The staff had been useful in filling a large hole, but I was the one who created the hole in the first place.

Today, another such merchant has come. He claims to have brought something I will definitely like, but everyone says that. In the past, he even offered me perfume.

I don’t understand why I should pay for scented water. I have friends who send me their favorite perfumes, too.

When I occasionally smell nice, it’s because I don’t want to waste the gifts. It’s not because I want him to notice or because it was sent by a girl.

When I told Patrick I would go see the merchant, he said a bit grumpily,

"Should I just chase him away? There’s no need for Yumiera to see him."

"It’s fine… Oh, right! Patrick, you can watch from the side while I firmly turn him down."

He’s just trying to sell me something I don’t need. I’ll listen to him for a bit and then firmly refuse.

When I entered the room where the merchant was waiting, there was one suspicious man. He stood up with a grin, his distinctive beard prominent, and bowed.

"Thank you for your continued support. I’m from the Aley Trading Company."

He said this while looking at Patrick.

There are quite a few people like this. It’s rare to hear of a female baron, let alone a female head of a noble family. So, when they see a noble couple, they tend to treat the male as the head.

When selling clothing, they talk to me, but for the initial greeting or political discussions, they often only address Patrick. I’m the head, though.

I pointed this out sharply.

"I’m Yumiera, the head of the Dorkness family. It’s our first meeting, so isn’t it strange to say 'thank you for your continued support'?"

"Recently, Lord Patrick visited the capital’s trading company. Thank you for that."

He answered me without hesitation and bowed to Patrick.

Ah, he really was talking to Patrick. I was just being paranoid, and it’s quite embarrassing.

By "recently," he must mean when we were staying in the capital. Patrick, where were you wandering around? You had business at a trading company with such a suspicious person. I wanted to go with you; it sounds interesting.

Anyway, I apologized for my somewhat confrontational entry.

"Sorry, did you have business with Patrick?"

"No, no, I believe the items I brought today will please both of you. Our company deals with rare items produced in dungeons."

My heart strings were plucked. I’ve never had such an attractive merchant visit before. It’s a bad time to have a boycott.

However, I was curious about what Patrick bought from such a store.

"Hey, Patrick, what did you buy?"

"…In the end, I didn’t buy anything. Right?"

"Yes, unfortunately, no transaction was made with Lord Patrick."

When Patrick agreed with a prickly tone, the man nodded.

It sounds like a lie; he must have bought some dungeon-produced magic item in secret. The merchant’s grin is proof… No, he’s always been grinning like that.

The man deepened his smile and whispered softly.

"Have you not given it to her yet?"

He must have thought I couldn’t hear, but my enhanced hearing from leveling up picked it up.

Give it? Could it be a surprise gift for me? I want a mace.

No, no, wait. My guesses are often wrong, so it’s dangerous to get excited for nothing. There’s nothing to celebrate, and I have no plans for the future.

But I’ll pretend not to notice.

The man started explaining the items he laid out on the table between us.

First, a bottle of white powder. This is getting interesting; it must be something dangerous.

"This is sugar that doesn’t get absorbed by the body."

"Sugar, huh?"

"It’s as sweet as regular sugar but has no nutritional value."

"…What’s the point?"

The benefit of glucose is that it provides quick energy, so zero-calorie sugar is pointless. It’s a rare item, but no one would want it, and I don’t need it.

For some reason, Patrick is interested.

"Hmm, that must sell well."

"The price is quite high… but it’s used by noble ladies and wives. Of course, the sales are kept secret."

Why would zero-calorie sugar sell? Is it trendy to starve while eating sweets?

I’m not interested in such a twisted trend, so I told him I don’t need it.

"I don’t need it."

"Yumiera doesn’t need it."

Patrick said this while looking at my small frame.

Ah, I get it, it’s diet sugar. In my previous life, there were sweet products made with amino acids.

I don’t need diet sugar. Being light is my weakness, so I’d rather be heavier. If I could weigh a ton while keeping my current figure, my physical attacks would be more powerful, and I wouldn’t be blown away.

The man quickly gave up on the sugar and moved on to the next item.

"This is a youth potion."

He showed me a bottle of green liquid. This is getting interesting; it must be something dangerous.

Immortality and eternal youth were things that rulers of the past sought after. Wars could break out over such items.

When I leaned in to look at the bottle, he explained quickly.

"It’s actually a detox potion, but when applied to the skin, it rejuvenates it. All wrinkles and sagging disappear. Ah, the effects vary from person to person, so please understand that."

It turned out to be a suspicious cosmetic, and my excitement dropped.

I was hoping for something valuable from the dungeon, but this is a disappointment. The sugar isn’t even from the dungeon, and detox potions aren’t rare.

"I don’t need it; I’m not interested in such things. That’s all for today—"

"Please wait, I also have some weapons."

"I’ll buy a dark-attribute sword or an all-attribute staff."

The merchant put the dagger he took out back into his bag. Of course, I don’t need a dagger for self-defense. I’m stronger with my bare hands.

Even if something attractive comes up, I’m in a boycott, so it’s a problem, but this is disappointing.

"That’s not what I expected. I was thinking of accessories with combat benefits."

"Ah, there’s a certain reason for the accessories."

The man glanced at Patrick.

I don’t know why the accessories don’t sell, but it’s time to ask him to leave.

However, something caught my eye. A conch-like object was sticking out of his case.

"What’s this?"

"Excuse me, this is something I brought by mistake. Do you know a monster-summoning flute?"

"I used to rely on it a lot."

A monster-summoning flute, as the name suggests, is a magic item that summons nearby monsters. I used it frequently when leveling up.

Could it be that the one he just took out is…?

"Rely on it? …Excuse me, this is a larger version of a monster-summoning flute. I bought it because it’s rare, but there’s no use for it. It requires a huge magic stone to operate, so I can’t even try it out."

"I’ll buy it at your asking price!"

This is fate, sheer luck, I must buy it even if it means selling all my assets.

My resolve is unshakable, but it’s interrupted.

"Yumiera, no."

"But! If it’s bigger, the sound must be louder!"

"…So what? I can assure you, you absolutely don’t need it."

I don’t want to break my promise. I promised not to buy anything today… today? Is it okay if I buy it tomorrow?

My plan is to maintain the stance of not buying today and then go to the store later to make the purchase. Perfect.

"…Alright. I don’t need the flute. Please leave today."

"If we get any good weapons, I’ll visit first. Please look forward to it."

The merchant left the room with a slightly disappointed look but secured a future visit.

As soon as the door closed, Patrick said,

"You can’t go buy it later either."

What a bummer, my perfect plan is exposed.

Hiding and sneaking around won’t work. I need to confront him head-on and convince him.

How can I get Patrick to allow me to buy the large flute? I’ll think from his perspective.

Ryu, who is staring at a shiny gem with great interest, won’t leave the spot. Even if I tell him it’s unnecessary, he looks up at me with teary eyes… Ah, I’ll buy it for him.

I get it, the key is the teary-eyed look. I held back my tears and looked up at Patrick with all my might.

"Really no?"

"Glaring won’t help."

It didn’t work. I’m not even glaring, and I’m using a cute teary-eyed look.

Ryu is a well-behaved child, so he’s not a good reference. But by using him as an example, the situation became clearer. It’s a perfect picture of a child wanting candy and a parent refusing.

Then, I should act like a spoiled child.

I stood up and moved the sofa and table to the corner of the room.

"Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?"

Patrick said this while still sitting. Fine, let him sit in the front row and fall into my trap.

In the center of the room, I lay down on the floor and flailed my limbs.

"No, no, no! Buy it, buy it, buy it!"

While flailing, I observed Patrick’s expression, which was frozen. His eyes were lifeless, and he was completely taken aback.

"You…"

"No, no, no!"

This is good; I understand this is a disgraceful act.

If my partner sees me acting so disgracefully, he might allow me to buy the flute. If I can make him think that, I win.

The intense battle of wills continued for a few minutes. Patrick, who had been silent, finally spoke. Has he finally given in?

"…Yumiera, are you okay with being watched?"

"Buy it, buy it, buy it!"

"Everyone is probably already here."

Being watched is fine, but everyone?

He pointed to the door, which was open. The mansion’s staff, including Rita and Sara, Damon and the officials, and even the cook, were peering into the room from the hallway. They must have heard my commotion and come to see what was happening. I don’t know how to describe their expressions.

I stopped flailing and stood up as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you for your hard work. I’ll take care of this, so everyone please return to your posts."

I said this unilaterally and closed the door.

"…I want to die."

"Ah, maybe it’s okay to buy it this time. It’s your money, after all…"

"I don’t need the flute."

Patrick put his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

I don’t need the large monster-summoning flute. Instead, I want a time machine or a memory eraser.

From that day on, the attitude of the staff, who had been somewhat distant, changed.

They looked at me with pity and disappointment. The days of being treated like a pitiful and regrettable person continued. The day I fight to return to the past might be near.

The Villainess Level 99 book version is on sale today!

No, no! Buy it, buy it! (flailing limbs)… This was the reason for the daily posts.

I’ll return to a weekly posting schedule.

I’m happy if you buy it, but I’m also grateful if you read the Narou version. We’ve passed the halfway point of Chapter 2, but I hope you’ll continue to enjoy it!