The Villainess turns the Hourglass

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

Rather, thanks to the disappearance of the interrupter, they could talk even more freely.

While drinking tea for a while, Chloe explained why he had been kicked out of the Imperial Castle, why he couldn’t have picked up Carin, and why he had later tried to find Carin but hadn’t found her. He included that he had missed her so far. Carin wiped her tears in the pathetic story, and Aria’s heart moved.

“… If you’ve been faced with such a big thing, you wouldn’t have been able to stay sane. I would have had aphasia. I understand.”

“… Thank you for your understanding. I tried to find Carin late, but I couldn’t find her because there were so many similar names. Besides, it’s a little bit… my condition wasn’t good either.”

“I may be like that, if you go to Croa.”

As she said he understood Chloe, Asher intervened in the conversation with a serious tone. She had no intention of going, but he kept on begging not to go. She wanted to make fun of him.

“It’s true. You will absolutely miss me.”

“Lady Aria…!”

But Aria was satisfied with Asher’s frown face, and turned the subject, as he told her not to say such a joke.

“Mother, what are you going to do now? I’m big now and I will respect whatever you do.”

“Me? I’m not sure. Even if we have a child, it’s strange to get married…”

Carin glanced at Chloe as she spoke. It seemed that he should catch the sign of her intention, and that he should try his best effort to get her heart.

Chloe, who had come to the empire in search of Carin, replied that it was natural. “I will try to get your heart. I will come to the empire over and over again. Getting a mansion near you is the first step.”

Chloe answered Aria sincerely, and Carin was drinking tea quietly, but in his very enthusiastic aspect, her cheeks got red and asked what she had been curious about, as some of their conversations were sorted out.

“Well, did you say that you’d help Mielle when you get back to the mansion and that you’d send someone? Then, I’m sending someone. Who is the woman who is going to take Mielle with?”

“Ah, I did. You’ll soon find out because she will bring Mielle. Well, it’s not bad to be a little late. She will be more desperate than that. Wouldn’t that be more fun?” Aria replied imagining Mielle, who was crying uglily.

‘It must be a masterpiece that I want to leave as a picture.’ If I saw it myself, it would be great, but unfortunately, there was someone else to see it.’

They sat down in the parlor and talked about Chloe being her biological father, and arranging the family register would be good after Carin’s decision, and after that, Lohan returned to the lobby and they finished the conversation in no time.

“… Why do you finish the conversation when I come?” Lohan asked with a displeased face.

“It wasn’t because of you. We were trying to end the conversation, but you didn’t come back, and we’ve waited for you to come back.”

Chloe replied casually. It was a bright face that he was no longer upset.

“… Chloe. You stayed in the room crying because you couldn’t find Carin, but now you talk quite a bit.”

Lohan was annoyed, but they did not continue the conversation which had already ended.

After that, Asher left the mansion and Chloe, who suggested a date to Carin for a walk, stayed in the mansion and waited for her to be dressed. Lohan, who had not gained much harvest, left with all kinds of irritation to go back to Croa first, and Aria, who was going up to her room, ordered a passing servant to call her maid to send to Mielle.

“Where is Annie? Please tell her to come up to my room because I have something to say.”

At the instruction of Aria, the servant bowed to her and disappeared to call Annie.

Without waiting too long, Annie quickly came to Aria’s room. There was a lot of curiosity on her face, wondering the conversation they had just had in the parlor, and the identity of the unidentified guests.

“Miss, did you call me?”

Annie squeezed the curiosity into her heart and asked Aria, pretending to be casual. She seemed to think that Aria would tell her when the time came anyway.

It was obviously seen, and Aria smiled softly and gestured her to sit on the other side.

“Sit down.”

“Yes, Miss.”

At Aria’s hand gesture, she ran and sat down at the other side, and Annie’s face was very excited. Instead of having her do something, she told her to sit on the other side as if she was talking about something. And Annie’s prediction was such a hit.

“I have something to tell you. It’s very important.”

Annie shined her eyes and opened her ears. It meant that she was ready to hear anything, without missing any words.

Aria continued to say, “You need to go to jail.”

“… Yeah? Jail, Jail?” But it was not a funny and interesting story, but she was surprised and misinterpreted that Aria would put her in jail, like Mielle and Cain, and asked back,

“You don’t have to be surprised that much. I’m not saying you will be put in jail, but I’m asking you to bring Mielle.”

Then Annie swept away from her heart as if she was relieved and asked why she would visit,

“Why am I going? Weren’t you her guardian?”

“No, you are the guardian of Mielle. You filed the petition, although I called the contents.”

“That’s… that’s what you told me to do? I just did what you told me…”

As Annie said, she had only written as Aria had told her.

But it was definitely Annie who had submitted it, and the person who would be Mielle’s guardian was the one who had filed the petition, so Annie was legally the guardian, though Aria had ordered her to do that.

“So you don’t like it?”

“… Yeah?”

“I mean, do you hate bringing Mielle?”

Aria’s question darkened Annie’s face a little. Annie didn’t say she didn’t like it, but it seemed to be very disgusting. She was foolish indeed. It was a rare opportunity Aria had prepared, and it meant that Mielle, who had no status as a commoner, would belong to her own right.

“Then they said Mielle couldn’t be apart from her guardian, and she would be executed immediately upon departure.”

“… yeah?”

“So she may die if she goes afar from you. I mean, Mielle shouldn’t be apart from you. No matter what happens.”

Annie’s expression became mysterious. It was a face that seemed to grasp something in Aria’s useless explanation, but she was not certain.

And Aria continued, “Besides, she has fallen to the common people for the price of rebellion, and she is in the same status like you. It’s different from the past when she did nothing pretending to be a noble, but a commoner isn’t like that. A commoner works and gets paid for each day.”

“…!”

Mielle was now a commoner and could not be separated from Annie by anything. And Mielle, who was no longer aristocrat, couldn’t live simply by staying. She was not a noble who led an elegant life with the estates she received from the country, but she should work hard every day like the common people.

Annie’s eyes glistened as she understood this. Though she understood Aria’s words, she was looking for a little more confirmation.

“Besides, is it time for you to think of marriage with Baron Burboom? If that happens, you’ll become the Baroness, so you’re better off getting used to having a maid. As you know, I had a hard time at first.”

“…!”

So Annie, who confirmed the hidden meaning of having Mielle like a maid, jumped out of her seat with a smile. She wanted to get Mielle out of jail right now and make her do all the hard work.

But in order to do that, she needed the permission of Aria who had called her. Annie waited for her answer, feeling nervous as if urging her.

“Go and take her.”

“Thank you! Miss! I’ll get back soon!”

Annie went out of the way and soon knocked on the door again. She couldn’t have been there already, so Aria answered with a mysterious voice, and Annie carefully asked Aria with a reddish face.

“Miss… Miss… I’m sorry, but can I dress up a bit? I think I am dressed so simple…”

Annie seemed to be very firmly prepared to master Mielle.

‘It will also hurt Mielle. How would you react if Annie, a maid, appeared beautifully in front of you?’