This Three-Year-Old Is A Villainess - Chapter 198
The Noarizen before me was completely different from the one I knew.
He’s a man who laughed heartily with an overly easygoing and kind demeanor.
As Noarizen walked down the hall with a deep frown on his face, he suddenly noticed me and looked surprised.
“Erylotte?”
“Hello, Uncle.”
I curtsied gracefully as I greeted him.
“What brings you here?”
I was about to say I came to see Blitzen, but then paused.
‘Let’s throw out some bait.’
I wanted to see just how much he was tempted by money.
After all, there could be another reason he had been selling off Aunt Aisa’s belongings at the pawnshop.
I smiled sweetly and replied,
“I had something important to ask Brother Blitzen, so I took the liberty of requesting an invitation!”
“…Something to ask?”
“I recently received the Platinum Medal for ranking first among the third generation, and, well, I’ve come into quite a bit of money.”
A flicker of irritation passed through Noarizen’s eyes for a moment.
‘Of course he’s upset, considering I knocked his son out of the top spot…’
But was it because of his son, or the money?
With an innocent expression, I continued,
“So I thought I might try investing it somewhere… and since Brother Blitzen has won the Platinum Medal so many times, I figured he’d know of a good place to invest.”
At this, Noarizen’s eyebrows shot up, and he narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought.
After a moment, he let out a loud, hearty laugh, returning to his usual self.
“Well, that’s certainly not a conversation for the main castle. You’d attract jealousy from all the second and third generations.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“But you’ve come to the wrong person. Blitzen has no talent for that sort of thing, so I handle all of the management.”
Gotcha!
“Ah, I see…”
“If you’d like my advice, I’d be happy to give it.”
“Really? Thank you, Uncle!”
I feigned joy, and Noarizen smirked, clearly pleased with himself.
The irritation from earlier had vanished, replaced by a content look.
“I’ll go wash up first. It’s bad manners to talk business with a sleepy face.”
“Yes!”
As Noarizen hurriedly turned away, my brow furrowed slightly.
He had taken the bait so easily.
‘He must be really desperate for money.’
The fact that he was eager for his niece’s money was telling.
I’d never seen such greed in his eyes before—it was startling.
What on earth was he up to?
As I watched him leave, a butler approached me cautiously.
“Shall I escort you to the drawing room, Miss?”
“Yes.”
Following the butler, I entered the drawing room.
Everything appeared peaceful on the surface, but there were subtle signs that something was off.
The walls, with peeling paint, had frames hastily nailed into place to cover the damage.
The table had cracks and worn spots, roughly patched over with mismatched paint.
A tablecloth covered in wax stains had been clumsily draped to hide the mess.
‘What is this? How badly are they struggling for money?’
Even though Aunt Aisa had passed, the Aisa estate was part of Astra, meaning they should have been receiving their allotted budget regularly.
Even if they didn’t receive as much as some of the other territories, things shouldn’t have been in such a poor state.
Which could only mean…
‘Embezzlement.’
Just then, I heard footsteps outside the room.
The door opened, and Blitzen entered.
“Erylotte?”
He furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled, and I responded with a cheerful grin.
“Hello.”
“It hasn’t even been an hour since you sent the letter.”
“Yup!”
Blitzen gave me an exasperated look as I beamed back at him.
His outfit was simple—he must have been in his room.
Normally, Blitzen was always impeccably dressed, even in summer.
Seeing him in such casual attire was unfamiliar.
With a resigned sigh, Blitzen sat down across from me.
“So why were you so eager to come to our jurisdiction?”
“There were a few things I wanted to ask, and besides, I’ve never really visited other jurisdictions, so I was curious.”
I glanced around the drawing room as I spoke, and Blitzen nodded in understanding.
“It’s true, we don’t invite each other often. There’s always the concern that jurisdiction secrets might get out.”
“Exactly.”
During our conversation, the butler brought in tea.
One cup for Blitzen.
One cup for me.
The fragrant scent of the tea filled the drawing room, creating a calm atmosphere.
Everything was peaceful.
And before getting to the point, I started with some small talk to make him feel more at ease.
