Late in the evening, I sat at my desk, flipping through the thick ledger, clicking a ballpoint pen.
-Click, clack.
Watching the pen tip retract and extend repeatedly, I sighed deeply and pondered.
“What should I do about this?”
All I could do was sigh.
“There’s just too much money.”
A successful sigh, that is.
Noer with a smug smile.
[Total Assets: 1.2 million gold]
This month’s expenditure: 10,000 gold[Detailed breakdown]
Food expenses: 7,000 gold
Taxes: Evaded
Leisure expenses: 1,000 gold
Others: 2,000 gold
“Is this a rich person’s dilemma…? It’s difficult. Really difficult.”
The ledger, once meticulously detailed down to every shilling, now saw the disappearance of the shilling unit.
The high proportion of food expenses was inevitable, but feeling the fullness of a more prosperous wallet made me chuckle to myself.
“If I save well, I might even buy a house in the capital, or maybe it wouldn’t be bad to build a mansion with an ocean view.”
As life became more leisurely, my thinking changed. Previously, I worried about how not to starve, but now I felt pleased to have constructive thoughts about future security.
In the past, I’d write the ledger sighing to death, but now writing it brought joy.
Money truly never fails.
Taxes? The boss said he’d take care of it, and even if problems arose, the young lady, an expert tax evader, was in the mansion. There was no need for concern.
-I’m good at money laundering.
-You don’t wash it in water.
-Really?
-Yes.
-I knew that! Anyway, I’m good at it, so ask me if anything comes up.
She claimed her, I nodded.
“Should I start giving the young lady an allowance from next month?”
Though she had nowhere to spend it, it was necessary to teach her proper financial values. Smiling, I wrote “allowance” under next month’s expenditure.
‘She’ll probably be happy…’
Money didn’t yet hold significant meaning for the young lady.
While money can be nificance for the young lady.
Not because she didn’t need money, but because she never had to worry about it.
That was Darbav and my fault.
The young lady had never earned money herself and didn’t know how. She knew about taxes and business but hadn’t looked into the finer details.
Last time, she took a part-time job sticking eyes on bear dolls without even checking the payment properly.
We had become a warm ATM for her.
-Dad, give me money.
-How much do you need? A million?
-Yeah.
Naturally, she came to look down on money. Even when she got kicked out of the household, I became her financier alongside Darbav, so nothing changed fundamentally.
Hence, I planned to gradually teach her the value of money, and seeing her talent for sneaking platinum coins, I thought it was okay now to give her an allowance.
While pondering how much to give her for her first allowance, hitting my forehead with my palm…
-Ricardo!
A familiar voice echoed from the next room.
The young lady called me loudly. Wondering what it was today, I laughed and closed the ledger spread on my desk.
“I’m coming.”
What’s it this time?
She sometimes called me for various reasons late at night. I usually guessed it was because of nightmares or fear of ghosts as the predominant reasons. Taking a storybook from the shelf, I prepared.
[My Glass Slippers Are Worth 3 Million Gold.]
Not a fairytale from this world, but a provocative one made specifically for the young lady, similar to one from my past life.
With the storybook tucked under my arm, I departed for her room, hoping she’d enjoy the new release.
-Tiptoe.
Moving silently with lifted feet, I soon stood before a door marked by a small sign.
[The Room of the Most Beautiful Villainess in the World.]
A sign placed secretly by me outside her room. I chuckled softly, gently knocking on the door.
-Knock knock.
“Young lady, it’s me.”
No response came.
Had she fallen asleep in just three minutes? Feeling puzzled by the silence, I knocked again.
-Knock knock knock.
Was she ignoring me because it wasn’t entertaining?
Being a gentlemanly butler, I couldn’t open a young lady’s door uninvited, so I cleared my throat and softly called out to her beyond the door.
-Knock knock knock!
“Ahem, young lady? Would you like to make a bath bomb with me?”
“…”
With no response, I drooped my head and shoulders dejectedly.
It seemed she didn’t need a butler today.
“Okay, bye…”
However, leaving without seeing her face felt regretful. I had come all the way up here, and walking away without seeing her face felt almost derelict of duty.
Quickly deciding, I turned back and headed toward her door.
-Creek.
“Young lady!”
Wiold.’
Slowly, the dimly lit room came into view. As usual, the window was wide open, and the chilly air inside made me smile awkwardly and issue a scolding.
“I told you not to sleep with the window open… What?”
On the bed laid a giant dumpling. Not a real dumpling, but the young lady’s silhouette covered with a blanket up to her head, looking like one.
“Hiccup…”
The young lady’s huddled appearance resembled a well-made dumpling so closely that I approached her with a puzzled expression. Gently peeling back the blanket like a dumpling skin, I spoke kindly.
“Why are you like this? Did a bug appear?”
As soon as she saw my face, she started rubbing her teary eyes and rummaging through a drawer.
Shiny coins were visible as she busily searched the drawer. It seemed she had made quite a haul without my knowing. Her talent in the shadows was unparalleled.
Finally, she pulled out a platinum coin with trembling hands and extended it to me.
“This!”
“Yes?”
“Take it.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Just…! Take it!”
What’s this?
The warmth of the allowance she’s giving me, though I didn’t know why, made me smile and accept the coin she handed over.
Money is indeed the best.
Vowing not to spend the first allowance I received from her, I stored the coin in my inner pocket.
“Thank you…”
Without even fixing her clothes, she hugged me tightly. Even as a villainess, it seemed she felt a pang of conscience.
Feeling her trembling breath, I smiled and patted her back.
“It’s alright.”
And Olivia.
‘Thank goodness…’
She looked at the blue window, reddening, and sighed in relief.
-Quest failed.
*****
Hugging Ricardo, Olivia sighed in relief, feeling her pounding heart.
She had been scared that the suddenly appearing blue window would show something terrifying.
Closing her eyes tightly at the blue window over Ricardo’s shoulder, she exhaled a rugged breath.
‘I won’t look this time.’
Really.
-Quest failed.
-As a penalty, you will view a portion (5%) of the 66th Side Story ‘The Weight of Unrepayable Debt.’
*****
10 minutes ago.
Lying on the bed, Olivia noticed the blue window.
Even covering her face with the pillow, hiding her face in it and shaking her head, the persistent blue window didn’t disappear. Clenching her fists, she slowly lifted her head.
[Q. The Weight of Unrepayable Debt.]
You have incurred a debt due to your mistake. A hundred thousand gold, something a commoner couldn’t dare to touch.
Unable to move, you couldn’t repay it, and your debt naturally became your butler’s concern.
Do you remember? One month after using black magic. The paper your butler handed you.
Although he smiled saying ‘Don’t worry, we can repay it,’ his smile hid the concern of it being unrepayable.
Now, although you tore the paper without looking because you hated the butler, if you had casually said ‘Alright, take care of it,’ things would be different now.
Both you and the past you would have repaid the debt.
Of course, with Ricardo’s help.
(!) Discover the efforts Ricardo made unbeknownst to you.
1. Secretly collect three platinum coins without Ricardo knowing. (1/3)
2. Steal a glance at Ricardo’s ledger. (0/1)
Reward: You will obtain access to read a portion of the 66th Side Story ‘The Weight of Unrepayable Debt.’
Failure penalty: You will view only the latter part (5%) of the Side Story.
End of Chapter
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