This Three-Year-Old Is A Villainess - Chapter 65
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Thwee miwwon gowd. Tha’s thwe monies yew can get fwom jwust a measwy ten pewcent.” (Three million gold. That’s the money you can get from just a measly ten percent.)
“L, Lies… How can I believe the words of a snot-nosed kid like you!”
“Ewen if I’m a kwid, I not wying.” (Even if I’m a kid, I’m not lying.)
“…”
“Thing abow it cawefuwwy an get in tush wiz me.” (Think about it carefully and get in touch with me.)
“I don’t even know who you are, let alone how to contact you.”
“I am Ewiwott fwom thwe Astwa famiwy.”
“…!”
Upon hearing my name, Han Ji-hyuk stiffened.
There’s only one class of people who can use the name ‘Astra’.
The direct descendants of the Astra Dukedom.
And among the direct descendants, there’s only one so young.
“Daymond Astra’s daughter….”
I smiled brightly and jumped down from my seat.
“Some escaped from under the violent lumberjack father, some suffered as a servant and escaped, but who’s the noble’s darling….”
Looking at the grumbling Han Ji-hyuk, I crawled back through the hole.
But.
“…Miss?”
Betty and Heidi, seeing me come out of the hole, stopped in surprise.
The two of them asked me with tilted heads.
“Why are you there….”
‘I messed up.’
I looked away in resignation.
“Uh, is jwust, I mwean─”
“….?”
Unable to come up with any excuse no matter how hard I thought, I mumbled with a resigned expression.
“Ewiwott, puppy.” (Erylotte is a puppy.)
As I pretended to be cute, I soon heard a burst of laughter from Han Ji-hyuk’s room.
‘Looks like he heard everything.’
I was so cool during our conversation until now….
Darn it.
***
I boarded the carriage with the maids and Mosco.
To go back to Daymond’s jurisdiction, we entered the inspection post in the shopping district.
But even after a while, the carriage didn’t move.
I tilted my head and asked.
“Why awen’t we moofing?” (Why aren’t we moving?)
Heidi replied.
“There are a lot of people being inspected today, so it seems to be taking some time.”
“Why’s’ewe so many peepow tewday?” (Why is there so many people today?)
“Oh, right. You probably don’t know, Young Miss. It’s soon to be the ‘Evaluation Day.'”
“Evayuwashun Day…?”
As I pondered Betty’s words, it struck me.
‘That’s right, Evaluation Day!’
In ‘Grandvill’, there was such a setting.
On Evaluation Day, officials are sent from the Duchy to each jurisdiction to conduct evaluations.
It’s a day to check if the jurisdiction is being properly managed.
And through this evaluation, rankings are determined, influencing the budget for the second half of the year.
‘So that’s why Father didn’t come with me today.’
Because he’s incredibly busy.
Come to think of it, even when he returned to the jurisdiction, he was holding onto documents all the time.
He received reports from Enzo even during meals.
‘I forgot about the importance of the Evaluation Day while I was staying at the Twelfth Tower…’
I asked Heidi,
“How many days weft unti’ Evayuwashun Day?”
“Hold on… It will be on the 23rd, so there are ten days left.”
‘Oh no.’
How do I prepare in just ten days?
The first thing the evaluators look at is, of course, the jurisdiction itself.
If the jurisdiction is in disarray, the impression will be bad.
Our budget was already cut in the first half, and if it continues into the second half…
‘Our jurisdiction will fall to ruin.’
If the jurisdiction fails, our relatives will mock us. Then the cycle of harassment will just continue on.
The carriage finally started moving.
Throughout the journey back, I was lost in thought.
‘Let’s inspect the jurisdiction. With Heidi and Betty’s help, we should be able to treat the evaluators decently… Ugh, probably not.’
I rubbed my face with my small hands.
Heidi and Betty are quick and meticulous, but they lack the charisma for this kind of job.
And they didn’t have that much experience under their belts either.
Managing the servants will be difficult for them.
Above all, the number of servants is too small. It’s impossible to run the castle with such little staff.
‘Then…’
As I pondered, the carriage arrived at Father’s jurisdiction.
It was already night, and the lights in the jurisdiction were brightly lit.
I sighed inwardly.
But.
‘Huh?’
As I entered the courtyard, I blinked.
Heidi, Betty, and Mosco, who came with me, also widened their eyes and looked around the courtyard.
Someone walked toward the center on the long carpet.
Then, that person deeply bowed toward me.
“Welcome back, Young Miss.”
Michelan, the icon of loyalty and capability, greeted me in a ceremonial uniform.
On his chest was the emblem of the Father’s jurisdiction – an eagle and rose badge.
Michelan said, “I am Michelan Locke, the chief butler of the jurisdiction of Lord Daymond.”
“Ah…”
“It is an honor to serve you.”
“Ah!”
My face brightened, and I jumped up and down, grabbing Michelan.
Knowing he would become our castle butler because he helped bring back the remains of the late imperial consort, I expected him to join us.
‘But I thought it would take quite some time.’
The land that the imperial consort left on her will would need to have her tomb built, and the surroundings needed to be organized.
“Why’a yew so eawly?”
“After all, there are things to do posthaste in this castle.”
He must have found out about the Evaluation Day.
‘Niiiiiice.’
As expected of Michelan.
The castle was very clean.
“Eeeewywon ewen got a tie. An they all diffewent cowos?” (Eeeeveryone even got a tie. And they’re all different colors?)
As I spoke, Michelan whispered mischievously.
“We’ve categorized them. We’ll also pay different salaries based on the category. That way, even for the same category, people will strive harder to move up.”
It was a way to get the maximum effect with limited manpower.
The courtyard was perfect. Not a speck of dust, and even the unpleasant decorations were removed, replaced by beautiful paintings. This drew attention away from the worn-out parts of the castle.
“Mikewan, thwe bwest!”
I jumped into Michelan’s arms. He accepted me with an “Oh my!” and then looked at Heidi and Betty behind me.
“Are you Heidi and Betty?”
“Yes? Yes!”
“T-That’s right.”
“Answer only once, and don’t stutter. Follow me. I will tell you everything you need to know to be the Young Miss’s dedicated maids.”
After sending me to the room, Michelan took the maids with him.
‘With Michelan, I don’t have to worry about entertaining the evaluators.’
I grinned.
Conrad in the Duchy.
Michelan in the Jurisdiction.
I successfully placed competent aides.
‘Now, all that’s left is…’
The only one left to assign externally is Han Ji-hyuk.
