Chapter 14
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How to Survive as the Villain's Younger Sister Episode 14 * * * "With that, I conclude this meeting."
Alexis declared.
"Thank you for your efforts, Your Excellency!"
"There are mountains of neglected territorial matters and things requiring repair, but we shall manage them step by step."
"We shall follow only you, Your Excellency!"
The vassals attending the meeting spoke with feigned loyalty. It was so excessive that it seemed like mere acting. There was good reason for it. Until recently, the Conference Hall had been packed with numerous vassals and elders. Now, more than half the seats remained empty, with only a handful in attendance. 'I've purged those who took bribes from Julia and Dreiny, and reduced the elders back to the status of forgotten old men in the back rooms.' The relief of those who remained was short-lived. They would soon be busy competing for loyalty to Alexis. 'This was far too easy.' As I organized my seat, I reflected on this. In my previous life, it took far longer to capture even a single earl. But since he kept his mouth shut and there was no evidence, I only managed to catch a few more. 'No wonder family matters kept getting tangled. It must have been Ginger's doing.' Having missed so many earls, my previous life had been arduous. But this life was different. The earls came tumbling out like pulling sweet potatoes from the ground. When I touched the weakest link among them, they willingly produced evidence. Thus, I expelled all the earls. 'It's far too smooth. It feels as though someone has laid a path of flowers before me.' My previous life and this one. The only difference was Cyrilia. Suddenly, words that Dain had conveyed came to mind. He was monitoring Cyrilia under my orders. He was also the one who brought me the list of earls that Cyrilia had confessed to. A notebook filled with hastily written characters. So much was written that the white notebook had turned pitch black. Faced with such an unbelievable report, I was taken aback and suspicious at first.
"Did I mishear? You discovered the list of earls this quickly?"
"Yes. I believe the youngest lady had been desperately waiting for an opportunity to speak to someone."
"An opportunity to speak?"
Dain answered with a trembling voice.
"The youngest lady was abused by her mother and unloved by her father. But she never told anyone. There was no one to listen. When I offered her a kind word, she was so happy she didn't know what to do with herself, and her lips opened."
Even Alexis, who had been listening without much interest, widened her eyes at his continued words.
"The youngest lady conducted herself as though she could give me the entire world. Dangerously so, even."
"She'd give you the entire world?"
Dain nodded vigorously without noticing Alexis's sudden displeasure, her mood inexplicably souring.
"Yes!"
"...."
"And this may be my misunderstanding, but it seemed the youngest lady wished to give the entire world to His Grace as well."
"To me?"
Alexis perked up her ears while pretending indifference.
"Yes. She said she liked you, Your Grace."
"She can't say everything that comes to her mouth."
"When she was being abused by the late Duchess, she mentioned that you helped her back when you were a young lady."
Alexis flinched. She remembered that? Only once. Only once. For whatever reason the wind blew that day, I had helped Cyrilia. I'd even given her those childish chocolate chip cookies.
"I picked it up off the ground."
"S-so you're giving it to Cyrilia?"
"Eat this and stay away."
The memory that surfaced unbidden made Alexis's ears burn hot. 'Why did I have to act so unpleasantly back then?' It was when my hostility toward Cyrilia had been far stronger than it was now. As I was thinking such thoughts, Dain continued speaking.
"So she said she wished to become closer to you, Your Grace, but seemed sad because it seemed difficult."
"...You speak of useless things."
Alexis spat out the words curtly. Dain flinched. Alexis glanced at Dain and continued speaking.
"From now on, report to me every single trivial detail about such useless matters."
"Yes. From now on, I shall absolutely never report any useless news about the youngest lady...."
Dain, in the midst of answering, realized something was amiss.
"...I shall absolutely report it, Your Grace."
Alexis nodded, satisfied with that response. 'No matter how useless it may seem, no matter how trivial the words, there will be information in what Cyrilia says. She was always beside Julia and Dreiny, after all.' I rationalized my own decision. Thus, I had already weeded out most of the spies within the Dukedom. Only one person remained to be cast out. The late Duke's closest confidant. A person who had even taken on the Duke's authority. 'Roel Parkision.' Alexis's blue eyes sharpened. Roel leaves no evidence behind. While the minor nobles were being plucked away one by one, he remained unscathed. 'He's still pretending to be the Duke's hands and feet.' But Alexis knew the truth. 'Roel is the true villain coveting this house.' Compared to Roel, Dreiny Volgo was almost endearing. 'In my second life, I only discovered Roel's true nature near the very end.' But this life is different. I must deal with him quickly before it becomes irreversible.
"Your Grace."
Lost in thought, Alexis startled in a way unbecoming of her. It was Roel. Outwardly unmoved, Alexis lifted her languid blue eyes like a predator.
"Everyone has left the Conference Hall, yet I grew concerned that you alone had not emerged."
"I'm fine."
"There is a private matter I wished to discuss."
"There should be a separate time scheduled for meetings with the key administrators."
At Alexis's words, Roel's brow twitched. The Parkision Dukedom had four key administrators. The head maid, the Butler, the administrator, and the Knight Order commander. Roel was the administrator. Yet for years, he had reigned as the Duke in all but name. But everything changed when Alexis became Duke. He was now confined strictly within the duties of an 'administrator.' All his concurrent positions—treasurer, finance minister, judge, diplomat—had been stripped away. 'Alexis took my authority. I've contributed far more to this house than she has!' Roel's insides churned with resentment. And now even his subordinates were being severed from him. Employees dismissed for being minor nobles. They had been quite useful to Roel as well. Roel felt the crisis closing in. 'Alexis, if you're going to play it this way, I have no choice.' Roel spoke with an affectionate, wistful expression.
"Please allow Dreiny Volgo to visit again. He cannot sleep or eat for worry over Miss Cyrilia."
"I shall provide him with tea for restful sleep and nutritious meals. If he refuses, I shall punish him for disloyalty to the Parkision house."
"But Miss Cyrilia must surely long for her uncle as well. The newly assigned maids are quite unfamiliar to her, and without her uncle nearby...."
"No. My thoughts differ on this matter."
Alexis spoke with absolute certainty.
"There's someone else she wants to grow close to."
Her words carried an unmistakable note of smugness. 'What... what is this tone?' At the unfamiliar inflection, Roel's expression froze for a moment. 'Wait. Someone else she wants to grow close to?' Was there such a person? I couldn't fathom what Alexis was talking about. Though bewildered, Roel soon returned to his usual humble demeanor and spoke with a melancholic tone.
"Have you examined the family's financial situation carefully?"
"Roel is no longer the treasurer, so there's no need to concern yourself with it."
Alexis spoke coldly. Roel bowed his head.
"I completely agree. However, I thought it only proper to deliver this with my own hands."
Roel respectfully extended a small book. Though compact in size, its thickness was considerable. Moreover, it bore the fingerprints of frequent use. I had never seen such a ledger in the second playthrough. And given that Roel was presenting it when cornered... 'This is ominous.' As Alexis opened the book, her eyebrows furrowed. 【Godparent Transaction Contract】 "Father asked me to deliver this to the Duke."
A bitter smile played at the corners of Roel's mouth. Alexis turned through the pages one by one. 'Every sheet bound like a book is a contract.' The creditor was Jenin. The debtors were Julia and the deceased Duke, Kanan. The accumulated debt over several years totaled— '750,000 grands.' Money borrowed for indulgence, luxury, and bribes. Enough to purchase the most prestigious mansion in the heart of the Capital with surplus remaining. Perhaps even enough to buy the Emperor's most cherished secondary palace. A sum of such magnitude. 'For an ordinary dukedom, 750,000 grands would be manageable.' But Parkision was different now. The late Duke, Kanan, had neglected the family. Moreover, the interest rate was 100% annually. 'A mad contract.' Likely it was merely a formality—they had coaxed him into thinking he needn't repay it. But things have changed now that we've reached this point. 'To repay this debt, I would need to sell off the family's assets.' The contract contained such a special clause. 'Should the debtor fail to settle the obligation in cash, payment shall be made in kind as designated by the creditor.'
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