This Three-Year-Old Is A Villainess - Chapter 150
The next day.
I rode in the carriage that Uncle Grimier had provided to a salon here at the capital.
Outside the window, I saw Madam Gonalon standing to greet me.
As I elegantly alighted with the footman’s escort, Madam Gonalon widened her eyes and placed a hand to her mouth.
“My goodness, they said a rose had turned into a person, and it’s true!”
Ugh.
Although the compliment made me cringe, I smiled as if I was used to it.
“You flatter me.”
“There are so many people in the imperial capital who praise your beauty that it’s almost deafening.”
“Could it be more than your elegance, Madam Gonalon?”
Ha ha, ho ho.
We looked at each other with big smiles.
People around us looked at us very fondly.
We walked gracefully, smiling warmly at each other.
And as soon as we turned a corner out of sight,
“How long do you plan to exploit me? I’m a human too, you know. This is hard!”
Madam Gonalon frowned deeply.
I smiled brightly.
“Exploit you? We get along so well, such a word doesn’t suit our amicable relationship, Madam.”
“You’re too much! How could you exploit me for seven whole years?”
When it looked like I was ignoring her words, she began to tear up.
For seven years, Madam Gonalon had been my highly effective rumor gatherer.
‘I do need to oil her periodically, but she’s quite useful.’
I clapped my hands as if I had just remembered something.
“Oh, right! I have a gift for you.”
Madam Gonalon’s eyes sparkled as if she had never cried.
Rustle, rustle.
I took out a small note.
Madam Gonalon, who knew me well, wasn’t disappointed by the note.
She asked with barely concealed excitement.
“What is it?”
“This is a truly fantastic tip. If you buy it, I guarantee a three hundred percent profit.”
T-Three hundred percent!
Madam Gonalon forgot about her dignity and gaped.
Though she quickly covered her mouth, I had already seen it all.
‘This is why Madam Gonalon has lasted so long.’
“It seems we do get along well. Ho ho ho!”
Madam Gonalon laughed loudly and linked arms with me affectionately.
Ah, this adorable little greedy person.
‘That’s why we’ve been mutually benefiting each other for seven years.’
Indeed, a relationship where we both have something to gain and exploit is the best.
‘It’s very comfortable.’
As I smiled, the well-oiled information gatherer began to spill the details.
Madam Gonalon lowered her voice and whispered in my ear.
“The Empress Dowager plans to visit the art gallery. She says she’s going to see her nephew’s painting.”
“Is that so?”
She’s certainly worth the investment.
‘Finally, I’ll meet her. That expensive face.’
I laughed villainously, befitting my role.
***
A few days later.
I quietly visited the art gallery on the day the Empress Dowager was supposed to come.
I hid the carriage nearby and waited, observing the people coming and going.
Han Ji-hyuk, who had followed me, asked,
“What does the Empress Dowager look like?”
“I don’t know either.”
“What?”
Han Ji-hyuk looked at me with a confused face.
“Since the previous emperor’s death, she’s always covered her face with mourning veils.”
“How do you plan to approach the Empress Dowager if you don’t even know what she looks like?”
“It’s not like I have no information at all.”
“…You should have mentioned that sooner.”
I chuckled at his disgruntled tone.
“I heard she looks a lot like the emperor. You’ll recognize her when you see her.”
“The emperor? The emperor looks as sharp as a bandit leader. So, I should look for a noblewoman who resembles a bandit leader?”
“Yep. Since the Empress Dowager is here to see her nephew’s artwork, many high society ladies will be here too. It’ll be easy to spot her.”
The numerous people followed a single schedule to see her nephew’s artwork.
Such is the Empress Dowager’s presence.
“Hmm, it should be easy to find her. A bandit leader surrounded by other noblewomen.”
Han Ji-hyuk grinned as if the job was already done.
But shortly after,
Han Ji-hyuk grumbled with a frustrated face.
“When the hell is she coming?”
We had already been waiting for several hours.
No matter how long we waited, there was no sign of the Empress Dowager’s carriage.
Neither the bandit leader nor anyone trailing a line of noblewomen was in sight.
‘Could it be that today isn’t the day?’
Did Madam Gonalon get it wrong?
I tilted my head in confusion.
That’s strange.
Madam Gonalon usually gathers rumors with pinpoint accuracy…
She’s also good at spreading them herself.
‘If the information isn’t wrong…’
Still, we couldn’t just keep waiting endlessly.
‘I should go and find out when the Empress Dowager’s nephew will arrive.’
Han Ji-hyuk and I discreetly got out of the carriage, making sure no one saw us.
Since it was an art gallery exhibiting the Empress Dowager’s nephew’s work, the entrance was quite grand.
The large trees meticulously nurtured by gardeners.
Benches placed here and there were sculpted like pieces of art.
At the end of the path stood the art gallery building.
‘Wow…’
The gallery looked like a temple.
It was so beautiful and elegant that it inspired reverence.
Is this what the Palace of Versailles would look like?
Han Ji-hyuk looked around and remarked,
“There are a lot of elderly people.”
Sure enough, there were many elderly gentlemen and ladies, just as he said.
“Maybe it’s because the exhibition theme is ‘Old Streets.’ I heard there are many paintings of old scenes.”
It was a perfect theme for elderly people to reminisce.
That’s probably why the Empress Dowager decided to come, besides it being her nephew’s exhibition.
Inside the art gallery, there were even more signs of effort put into comfort.
There were an unusually large number of benches, and the elderly sitting on them looked full of nostalgia.
Just then,
“Hey.”
Han Ji-hyuk lightly tugged at my sleeve as if to point something out.
At the center of his gaze, a noblewoman walked in with her maid.
Her outfit was as dazzling as the grand gallery itself.
I could only see part of her lower face, but she wore a wide-brimmed hat that obscured her features.
Even so, it was clear at a glance that she had been quite the imposing figure in her younger days.
