This Three Year Old Is a Villainess-Chapter 235

The coachman wiped sweat from his brow and said,

“I’ll clear the way quickly, Miss.”

“All right.”

He hurriedly closed the window and got down from the coach.

But something was strange.

‘Hmm?’

Even after quite some time, the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} coachman hadn’t returned.

Han Ji-hyuk seemed to find it odd too and opened the window.

“It’s common sense that the side that entered first should move out of the way!”

Our coachman was shouting.

“I can’t move now! You need to turn around!”

“Hey, don’t you know whose coach this is?! The Second Viscount Astra’s...!”

“I don’t care if it’s the Second or Third Viscount’s! You turn around!”

Apparently, the delay was caused by this quarrel.

Because of this fuss, the road was blocked, and other coachmen joined the fight.

Han Ji-hyuk frowned.

“What’s going on? Usually when riding this coach, no other coach would even step in our shadow.”

Our coach bore the large Astra family crest.

Also, the black coach made of black dogwood was reserved only for direct Astra lineage.

Han Ji-hyuk said,

“I should go out and check.”

I shook my head and stood up.

“I’ll go.”

He nodded, got down first, and opened the door for me.

Then I took Han Ji-hyuk’s hand and stepped down from the coach.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path ahead.

Our coachman, still arguing with the other coachman, saw me and broke into a cold sweat.

“Ah, Miss......”

“What’s the matter?”

“When coaches meet in an alley, the side that entered first should yield, but he keeps insisting he won’t move......!”

Our coachman huffed angrily.

I looked at the opposing coachman wearing a red hat.

“Our coachman is right. Your coach should yield.”

Since I was a direct Astra, the opposing coachman couldn’t shout back like before.

He hesitated, looking back.

Then......

“I’m sorry, but the coach that must yield is the lady’s coach.”

A girl with her hair tied up high in two buns like rolls spoke to me.

I stared at her.

“Are you the owner of that coachman?”

“Yes. I am Blossom of the Rochefen Viscount family.”

Blossom?

Han Ji-hyuk and I exchanged glances.

‘She’s the leader of that group who tried to deceive Masa to meet me.’

Blossom told our coachman,

“You shouldn’t block other coaches. Move your coach now.”

“Well, but—!”

Our coachman looked flustered and glanced at me.

I blocked our coachman and looked at Blossom.

“As I told you several times, since we entered first, the Rochefen coach must yield.”

“Isn’t loyalty to the imperial family more important than petty rules?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to the imperial palace under His Majesty the Emperor’s command. So, Lady, you should yield.”

She didn’t seem like someone who would eagerly throw money at a commoner like Masa just to meet me.

Her gaze and expression were arrogant.

As if to belittle me......

‘Ah.’

I snorted quietly.

‘She already heard how furious the emperor is with me.’

Since the emperor had marked me, she thought our family would fall soon.

It had only been an hour, but she already knew — she must have strong connections at the imperial palace.

Typical networker.

Blossom frowned.

“What’s that sneer supposed to mean?”

“Nothing special. Colson (our coachman), we should step back.”

“Hah, but Miss......”

“You’re going to the imperial palace under the emperor’s order, right? We should let the one with more urgent business pass first.”

Our coachman stepped back with a gloomy face.

“......Yes.”

Blossom raised her eyebrows arrogantly.

“Thanks?”

“Hurry to the imperial palace.”

“Yes, then.”

Blossom crossed her arms and turned away.

She wasn’t alone — other young ladies peered out from her coach.

I recognized them from the cafe where Masa took me.

“Oh, they really yielded.”

One young lady whispered, and Blossom glanced at me and said,

“I told you. The emperor’s wrath was fierce.”

Laughter followed her as shadows stuck to my coach while walking away.

Han Ji-hyuk narrowed his brows and whispered to me,

“Are you going to leave it like this?”

“If rumors spread that I quarreled not with some minor noble but with a great noble of the imperial capital, everyone will think, ‘Ah, Erilot Astra is truly falling.’”

“But......”

“Well, if it were a great noble, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

They wouldn’t consider my position so terribly fallen just because the emperor turned his back on me.

No matter how much the emperor turns away, I’m the granddaughter of Chronos Astra.

The great nobles know what happens if grandfather appears in this game.

‘Besides, I have Lagon too.’

So they’d stay quiet and wait for the results.

“It’s more fun to let her keep acting up.”

I have no intention to forgive what happened with Masa either.

A cruel smile appeared on my lips, reflected in the coach window.

A few days later, Ishiron Ducal Mansion.

Masa had recovered and finally returned to work.

Holding a broom in the outer yard, she heard whispering behind her.

‘They’ve been at it all morning.......’

Masa gripped the broom tightly and glanced at them.

“W-what do you want?!”

The whispering stopped when they saw Masa.

Masa swallowed dryly and said,

“If you have something to say, say it directly...... whispering behind someone’s back is cowardly......”

“Cowardly? What?”

One servant twisted his mouth.

Masa flinched and looked at him.

“What did you say?”

“A debt collection notice came to your name from the Kurong family, did you know?”

“......!”

‘Ku-Kurong?’

That must be Finesa Kurong.

A young lady who was Blossom’s right-hand.

‘So Blossom must have ordered this.......’

Masa bit her lips tightly.

The servant said,

“The head maid was furious!”

“......Why? It’s not like you borrowed from the head maid.”

Then the servants chuckled bitterly and looked at Masa.

“They know you got into debt while mingling with the young ladies. Contact with other families is strictly forbidden!”

“......”

Actually, they were just jealous.

They wanted to socialize but couldn’t, so they got angry......

A servant approached Masa, who bowed deeply.

“You act so high and mighty, but in the end, you borrowed money?”

“......”

“You think you’re a noble?”

“......”

“Do you know how hard we servants in the outer yard had it because of you?!”

He shouted angrily, but an elderly female servant waved her hand.

“Oh dear, stop it. People doing the same work should help each other.”

Only after she intervened did the servants click their tongues and disperse.

Masa clenched the broom tightly and tears fell.

The elderly servant, Poppy, patted Masa’s back.

“Just apologize to the others and work sincerely, dear.”

“......Until when? How long do I have to work?”

Poppy sighed deeply looking at Masa.

“Masa......”

“You young ladies were just born to noble parents...... it’s no different from me, but why do I have to work my whole life, and they......”

“There are so many unfair things......”

“I hate nobles.”

“Dear, if you compare yourself to others, you’ll just suffer more. So─”

At that moment,

“That kind of advice won’t help her, Aunt Poppy.”

It was Mari’s voice.

Masa flinched and looked at Mari.

Mari ignored Masa and approached Poppy.

“I checked the documents. There shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Really? Oh, thank you. Someone like me, who can’t read, needs this.”

“The lady was looking for this.”

“Thank you.”

After Poppy left, Masa ran to Mari.

“What documents are you talking about? Did the lady give Aunt Poppy a house like the other servants said?”

“......You’re still curious about that?”

“Well, it’s natural to be curious...... everyone’s curious......”

Mari sighed deeply.

She hates rumors about herself but loves other people’s rumors.

Masa said, “Ah!”

“Sis, are you okay?”

“No.”

“Then rest more. The head maid likes you, so even if I don’t, she’ll make you rest......”

“You, stop saying that......”

“Hmm?”

“No, never mind.”

Masa opened her eyes wide.

“Why aren’t you nagging today?”

“You need love even for nagging.”

“......What?”

“Good thing we met.”

Mari handed Masa something wrapped in a pouch.

“What’s that?”

“Savings. Something mother left behind. I put it in the bank.”

“Oh, Mother left something like this?! But why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you after I’m gone.”

“Sis......”

“And all the money I earned from copying and paperwork, I put it in too. Use it to pay off debts.”

“Sis!”

Masa’s face brightened.

She hugged Mari joyfully.

“Good, good. I wondered where you’d find that much money......”

“I won’t be able to pay it all off. You sell the things you got from the young ladies to cover the rest, and if that’s not enough...... keep it as debt and pay it off little by little.”

“If we work together, we can pay it off quickly!”

Mari looked at the happy Masa intently.

“You do it alone.”

“What? Are you still mad? That’s unfair! How could I pay off such a large amount alone?” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“Still, you do it alone.”

“I had to do laundry on the frozen river in winter because of my sick sister.”

“......”

“So you could help me too......”

“So I’m giving you all the money I saved plus mother’s money.”

“......What?”

“Consider it gone.”

Masa looked at Mari with trembling eyes.

“What? What?”

“I won’t count everything you did for me as nothing. Whatever the reason, you took care of me.”

“Y-yeah! I did it for you......”

“But now I hate it.”

Mari looked Masa straight in the eyes.

“I hate that others know about my illness.”

“You, because I talked about your illness? But it’s true......”

“You saying ‘I had a hard time because of my sick sister’ makes others treat me like baggage. I hate that now.”

“I-I didn’t mean that......”

“I hate cleaning up the mess you cause.”

“Sis!”

“And I’m tired of always being the villain.”

Masa glared at Mari.

“You were mean to me.”

“Yes, the more mean you were in front of others, the more love you got. But now I don’t want that role anymore.”

“......Is it because you want to look good to Brother Aquila?”

“I hate that you think that.”

“......!”

Tears filled Masa’s big eyes.

“That’s too cruel......”

Masa shouted, and passing servants came over.

While whispering what was happening, Mari said,

“You always said you had a hard time because of me.”

“Why, why say that in front of others?”

“You always said that in front of others, but you don’t want me to do the same?”

“Sis─!”

“Don’t call me that anymore.”

“What......?”

“I decided not to be your sister anymore.”

“Fine! Do that! I don’t need a sister like you!”

“......Fine.”

Masa shouted angrily.

“I didn’t suffer because of you? Mom died and I worked alone! Paying for your medicine!”

“I didn’t tell you, but I earned and saved money too. More than you.”

“Money, money, money! That damn money! Is money more important than my suffering?!”

“You always say you struggled because of my medicine, but you hate it when I talk about money.”

“Enough! I’m going to live thinking you don’t exist! You think I can live alone?! I’m here!”

“I’m quitting this week.”

“......What?”

“I’m going to the Second Viscount Astra’s mansion.”

“The lady is taking you in? What about me?”

“That’s your business.”

“W-what...!”

“Let’s not see each other again.”

Saying that, Mari turned her back.

Masa flinched and looked at Mari.

‘Wait, only sister is going to the mansion?’

People said the Second Viscount Astra’s mansion had good treatment and salary.

Why only sister?

Masa hurried to Mari.

“What about me?”

“......”

“Is this really happening? I’m struggling here too. Can’t you tell her?”

“......”

“Sis, I was wrong. I was too harsh. I-I’m sorry. Okay?”

“......”

But Mari stayed silent until she quit.

Masa screamed watching Mari get into the Astra coach.

“That’s too much! That’s unfair!”

Blossom giggled while reading a gossip magazine.

“They say Erilot Astra isn’t getting any invitations. Could it be because she earned the emperor’s wrath?”

Finesa Kurong clicked her tongue.

“If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have kept a girl like Masa around.”

“......Shall we invite her ourselves?”

“Huh?”

“She’d like that. She wouldn’t have anywhere else to go.”

Blossom smirked.