This Three Year Old Is a Villainess-Chapter 264

Daymond Jurisdiction.

In just two days, I’d root out every worm that had been gnawing at my fief in my family’s absence.

I gathered the worms in the grand council hall and asked, “Have your guts spilled outside your stomachs, or are you begging me to kill you?”

“.......”

“.......”

“One more word about embezzlement done so half-heartedly!”

I pointed to the ledger. “If you’re going to keep double books, at least make the entries match. Right?”

The figures were a joke.

“Why did the expansion cost include clothing expenses? Were you fitting dresses on the laborers? Maybe they’ll work harder if you dress them up?”

“Then will you fire us all?”

That was Anos’s question. Not worth the beating he got.

He lifted one corner of his mouth and looked at me and my brothers. “Can you really expel all twenty-nine regional administrators?”

“If not?”

“There are dozens more involved. Punish them all and the administration grinds to a halt.”

Conrad scowled. “You dare threaten the lady?”

“Not at all. Merely stating reality.”

“You...!”

“There are hundreds more entangled in this.”

I laughed hollowly. “Is it your pride to stuff your pockets together and call it an achievement?”

“We do not deny our guilt. If our mistress cannot forgive us, then we must leave. What choice do we have?”

“And?”

“If you make this a bigger matter, you’ll suffer damage as well.”

Relatives were already eyeing my fief. If I expelled all the worms and the administration collapsed, they’d pounce.

Anos sneered. “I see you understand. Then we shall—”

“You think I’m an idiot?”

“...Y-yes?”

“I knew from the start it wasn’t just one or two. Of course the fief fell into this state.”

“Wh-what....”

“I have no pity for worms. Now get out.”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

I rose from my seat and left the hall without a backward glance.

Inside the hall, the remaining retainers were at a loss.

“H-he left!”

One embezzling retainer yelled at Anos. The others panicked.

“Can we just leave it like this? If we’re really driven out...!”

They were all nobles of ruined kingdoms. If abandoned here, they’d have nowhere to go.

Anos ground his teeth. “Quiet. Return to your regions.”

“B-but...!”

“With only our current retainers and administrators, we can never fill our posts.”

“That may be true....”

“If replacements existed, why didn’t they come before the fief fell to ruin?”

“Th-then....”

“This brat just must be throwing a tantrum over pride.”

“Perhaps...?”

“Of course.”

Neither the girl nor I wished administrative neglect to become an issue.

“If we do nothing, she’ll tire herself out and come to her senses.”

He smirked.

“—and come to her senses.”

He smirked. I snorted.

“How utterly absurd.”

“Did you view the hall with <Reading>?”

Han Jiho whispered. “Yes.”

“Do you really think this is acceptable?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“There’s no one left. The remaining retainers can barely manage their own lands.”

“Then we’ll recruit new ones.”

“Are people like grain you can buy anywhere? If you could, you’d have done so already.”

“You can’t buy them, but you can harvest them.”

“...What?”

I smiled and climbed into the arriving carriage. Han Jiho and Conrad, puzzled, followed me in.

I told the driver, “Take us to the Twelfth Tower!”

“The Twelfth Tower... what?!”

“No doubt.”

I grinned. It was time to reap the talents I’d coveted since birth.

The carriage sped off.

...very swiftly.

Stepping down at the Twelfth Tower, I blinked at the carriage. “It’s improved remarkably.”

Han Jiho nodded. “But after Kansis, carriages feel awkward.”

“Over there, anyone with money teleports by magic. Let’s go in.”

Having sent no word ahead, no one came to greet us. Han Jiho showed my identity badge to the guard.

“This is Lady Erilot of the main house.”

The guard’s eyes nearly popped out. “Y-your nourishment of the main house... I will inform Baron Manshel immediately.”

“Take your time inspecting inside.”

“Y-yes...!”

The guard sprinted off, and we entered the tower.

“Conrad, why are those two still teaching at the Twelfth Tower?”

“About ten years ago they took administrative posts in Valderic’s fief but were scapegoated and demoted.”

“I’d told them of many investment opportunities. Their earnings weren’t enough to build a power base, then.”

“Financial ties are always precarious.”

I retraced my memory and turned into the south corridor. ‘The teachers’ office should be here... right, found it.’ Through the window I saw Simoric and Enward.

‘They haven’t aged a bit.’

I knocked firmly and opened the door. They froze.

“Whose voice is— oh?”

They recognized me and their eyes went wide.

“Hello, teachers.”

“My lady!”

“Oh my, my lady—!”

They both jumped up.

“W-we heard you returned, but why the Twelfth Tower—?”

“Please, sit.”

I removed my hat and took a seat. They hurried to prepare tea.

“We’re out of milk!”

“Do you still think I’m three years old? You need only tea leaves.”

Flustered, they held trembling cups of water. The water sloshed, spilling halfway down.

“But placing it down might be easier for you. Here.”

“Y-yes....”

I sipped and looked around, exchanging polite small talk.

“So, studying in Kansis. With the greatest magical nations, prices must be unimaginable.”

“Yes, as expected of the Astra main house’s heir—”

I smiled and replied lightly. Then I shifted the topic. ‘Before harvest, one must test.’

“What do you think of Astra’s fiefs? Is Daymond still dominant with its fertile land?”

“W-well....”

“That....”

They glanced at each other, then shut their eyes and answered.

“If Daymond doesn’t reclaim the manor, the brightest future lies with the Grimei fief.”

“Y-yes!”

“Uncle Grimei was expelled.”

“B-but Grimei is a communication hub. Without communications you can’t even conduct military operations.”

“And now every noble has a communication stone...?”

They trailed off. I smiled.

“Possible eavesdropping? But would Uncle do that? He’s called Astra’s most benevolent.”

“You can never judge a person’s heart....”

“And people change more than anything with circumstances.”

I hummed and asked, “Do you mean feigning to host the central comms facility in one’s domain? But it’s still a fief without a lord.”

“Lord Grimei set up an environment to run his fief even in absence.”

“He’s the only one holding grand exams each year to recruit talent.”

“So he has the most talent. But without wealth or military strength, they’ll be left behind.”

They stared at me solemnly.

“Lady, change always begins with people.”

I chuckled; Conrad and Han Jiho smiled. ‘Worth the long wait.’

Then—bang! The door swung open and a woman with red nails strode in.

“How long do you plan to dawdle?!”

Simoric and Enward flinched and looked back. The woman saw me and sneered.

“And you bring hostesses into the office?”

“She is not a hostess—!”

“Enough. The lesson reports?”

She rifled Simoric’s desk so roughly the papers were a mess. Grabbing a bundle, she peeled off the cover sheet and pasted her own parchment marked [Scarlet Rollevant].

Simoric sighed deeply. This clearly wasn’t the first time. The woman scowled at Simoric and Enward.

“If you’d brought it promptly, I wouldn’t have had to come.”

She turned to leave, hand on the door—then I grabbed her wrist.

“That report was prepared by Simoric, wasn’t it?”

“What is this? A hostess’s filthy hands—!”

She jerked away and raised her hand toward my face. Scarlet swung at the blond hostess’s cheek at 8:30. I tilted my head aside.

“Wh-what is—?!”

The sly hostess dodged. Scarlet struck with her left hand at 3 o’clock—

Then 9 o’clock—and again.

The woman was furious and at a loss.

“Despicable...!”

On Kansis, this strength drove off twenty beggars at once. Just thinking of that time brings tears to my eyes. I thought I’d endured everything—only to find aristocratic pain and welfare-state poverty. Before Kansis I’d never slept under a bridge for two weeks with all my money stolen in a foreign land!

‘Kansis makes me grind my teeth in rage.’

I seized the woman’s throat.

“Eek—!”

“Enough—you’ve read everything.”

“Wh-what are you doing?! Do you want to die?!”

She struggled and lashed out. At that moment, footsteps pounded outside.

Conrad said, “Baron Manshel, the tower’s director, is here.”

The woman looked up tearfully at Manshel.

“M-my lord... this girl—”

“My lady!”

“My lady?”

She stared at me, and I released her wrist.

“Now that that’s settled, shall we stop your nonsense?”

This was my third such incident since returning to Astra.

‘This routine is getting tiresome.’

The woman went pale and collapsed. Enward and Simoric clung to each other, tears of gratitude in their eyes.

The Twelfth Tower’s teachers lay prostrate before me, trembling.

They’d expected me to be furious. I said, “It’s fine. I didn’t reveal my identity, either.”

“Th-thank you—”

She flinched. “Though most of the blame is yours for raising a hand immediately.”

“I-I apologize....”

Baron Manshel broke into a cold sweat. “It’s my fault for failing to manage the teachers properly.”

“Indeed. You managed so carelessly that someone could just swap names on the reports.”

“...Y-yes?”

I held up the torn original cover and the one Scarlet pasted on. Manshel glared at Scarlet.

“You....”

Scarlet went deathly pale and bowed her head.

I said, “The children of the Twelfth Tower are Astra’s future. If the school has problems, I cannot stand idly by.”

“M-my lady—!”

They bowed deeply. I set the papers down and addressed Manshel.

“But if you ensure this never happens again, I may show flexibility.”

“Th-that....”

“From today, I wish to bring Teachers Simoric and Enward to Daymond Jurisdiction.”

Simoric and Enward gasped. The other teachers stared in shock. Manshel looked stunned.

“B-but as you know, the Twelfth Tower is under the main house’s jurisdiction—”

Transfers require a tedious process. Even if they resign, finding and handing over to replacements takes time.

“If it’s truly difficult, I understand.”

“I’m grateful for your understanding—”

“I’m heading to the main house. I must see Grandfather.”

“Y-yes, my lady.”

Manshel leaped. “N-no! It’s possible! Of course it’s possible!”

“Is that so? I’m glad it didn’t escalate.”

I smiled and rose. I looked at Sir Simoric and Sir Enward.

“I’ll send a carriage tonight—be ready to move.”

“Ah, un-understod....”

“Y-yes....”

They exchanged bewildered glances. As Han Jiho, Conrad, and I stepped outside and closed the door—

“Yahoo—!!”

“Hyah—!!”

We heard roars of joy as if the tower might lift off. Peering through the window, we saw the two punching the air and then embracing, weeping.

“At this age, all our efforts at the Twelfth Tower... sob—!”

“Y-yes, it was not in vain...!”

I chuckled, then noticed Scarlet’s hollow expression. My goodness—she’d idolized Erilot Astra from the Casselium Academy onward, sacrificed countless positions just to become a Twelfth Tower teacher.

‘Damn it!’

I heard she’d studied on the Kansis Continent, so I put everything on hold to look ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) into it, even becoming a mere clerk in Gustav’s jurisdiction. All that effort wasted.

“My lady?”

Conrad asked gently. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t shut off <Reading> once it’s started.”

“It’s a remarkable blessing, but it has its limits.”

“But a VIP from Kansis is coming?”

“Eh? I haven’t heard that....”

A VIP unknown even to Conrad, with his high connections—?

I shuddered and reactivated <Reading>.

<The Rogue Second Son Overthrows the World>

The title was no longer <The Little Commander of the Knights>. After I left the Sacred Knight Corps, the story changed, ultimately making my father the protagonist. I could only read if the subject was within twenty meters, or involved my father directly—but...

Raon passed through Valderic’s jurisdiction gate.

“Why did Lil long to return to this place?”

‘He’s entangled with Father, too.’

The VIP arriving in Astra was him!

“My goodness....”

I paled and murmured. Han Jiho and Conrad looked at me.

“What is it?”

“He’s come....”

“He’s seeking someone: a woman from Astra who served as a palace maid in my court. Her name is Lil. Bring her before me.”

“A name alone is hard to track. Any other clues?”

“None.”

“...Y-yes?”

“Absolutely none.”

“If it’s him—”

“Raon! That madman!”

“Eh?!”

“What?!”

When I resigned to return home, Raon drew his sword with a gentle smile.

“It’s fine, Lil. Losing an ankle or two isn’t a big deal.”

“Y-you’re mad, Your Highness?”

“Don’t be so frightened. I’ll forge you a replacement of the most brilliant gem, my Lil.”

Then—

My communication stone flickered. I connected and heard Loreina’s curt voice:

[The Crown Prince of the Baran Kingdom on the Kansis Continent has arrived. Grandfather invites you to the banquet at the main house.]

“...I plan to fall ill.”

[What?]

“No—I’ll be ill.”

[What are you talking about? Stop joking and come to the main house.]

Help me!