The Villainess turns the Hourglass

Mielle, who had been watching the events unfold quietly and at a distance, sided with the driver, saying, “Isn’t that too much? Well, mother and sister. Isn’t calling the Capital Guards a little too much? He might have forgotten what to do because he is near retirement. No one’s hurt… It’s a little sad to think like that.”

Surely, the driver was about to retire at the age of sixty. He was old enough to be believed that his memory oscillated due to some illness. So, it made sense that he might have confused the place where the wagon was stored.

No one was seriously injured, like Mielle had said, and the carriage returned safely. There was nothing to blame, except that the ride was uncomfortable because it rattled so much and that things had not been reported.

There were only a few parts missing in the first place, and that wasn’t enough to cause an accident. Therefore, it was a matter requiring a minimum of disciplinary action, such as a pay cut, if given a little mercy.

Mielle might have thought she could end it like that. Maybe it had been a little prank on a wicked woman who had been favored by her lover. But, Aria had no intention of doing so. Why? Because if they ever joined Mielle, Aria was going to show her willingness to retaliate beyond Mielle’s control. That way, no one would be willing to stick to that stupid girl in the future.

“… Mielle. I’m sorry. Did you forget I might’ve died in a scary accident?”

“Death? It wasn’t enough for that, was it? The carriage came back safely.”

From Mielle’s way of speaking, Aria asked back in surprise, barely tolerating internal cheering within her at that moment, “Mielle, how do you know that?”

‘How do you know it wasn’t bad?’

All she said was that there were a few parts missing. If major parts were missing, not tiny ones, they could naturally lead to a large-scale accident. She hadn’t explained anything about it, so how did Mielle know?

‘The stupidity to tell them what you did wrong!’

Noticing that she had said too much, Mielle’s complexion darkened immediately. It was sad to see Mielle holding tightly to Emma’s hand. Aria wanted to twist her hand.

“Hmm? Where did you hear that?”

“…”

When Aria urged her, Mielle, who could not answer, bit her lip. Emma whispered in a low voice, so as not to be heard away from the ears of her master, who was trembling like a pathetic baby bird. She seemed to be suggesting a way to avoid the situation. Emma looked very serious.

Aria observed the exchange closely. Sure enough, Mielle soon gave an excuse for what Aria had said, “I-I was talking about the result, sister. It’s not that bad because you weren’t hurt.”

“Yes, Mielle. What you say makes sense.”

Suddenly, Aria took a step back, and her daughter’s words made the countess’ eyes turn to her. They seem to ask what Aria’s intention was.

Aria looked a little gloomy, but then answered the reason why she agreed with Mielle, “But you should bear in mind that I could have been badly hurt. Maybe I was lucky that I wasn’t.”

“That’s… That’s right.”

Mielle gave a reluctant affirmation. If she denied Aria here, she would seem to be strangely defending the offenders, and that wasn’t possible anymore.

“Still, it’s a good thing I’m the one who rode that carriage. Imagine if you had ridden in it with a few parts missing… Just imagining it makes me feel like I’m about to faint.”

‘So, it’s very strange if you stick by the driver here. Do you understand? You have to take my side, the side of your only elder sister. Punish the driver you control with your own hand.’

That was the conclusion that Aria wanted for the incident.

“…”

Aria’s trap kept Mielle from answering. If she answered positively, she would be kicking the driver out, and if she answered negatively, all of their suspicions would fall on her.

‘Now, what do you want to do?’

The driver’s face turned pale, as if he were a living corpse. He waited for the punishment because he dared not make an excuse.

Aria hid her face in her mother’s clothes, pretending to wipe away the tears that had not flowed. She was also trying to hide her smile, which was about to burst forth. Silence fell on the hall, but Mielle still said nothing.

The countess had noticed her daughter, who had been cleverly scheming something for some time, so she quietly watched everything unfold. She didn’t know what it was that Aria was planning, but it was obvious that she bringing everything to an interesting conclusion.

Aria, who hid her joy away in the countess’ hem, asked Mielle with a gloomy face, “Of course, you do as well, right, Mielle?”

“… Of course.”

“Then, let’s ask our loving mother to make a fair and wise judgment, as it seems that the situation is now settled.”

There was no way for her to make a fair and wise judgment. Aria was her only biological daughter. Things were very advantageous for Aria, so it was clear that she would make the judgement Aria wanted.

When Mielle refused to answer, with her eyelashes trembling and her lips serrated, Aria asked for consent, saying, “What do you think?”

‘Come on, kick the driver out by yourself! Fire him, who has been working for you!’

Aria’s sad-looking eyes flashed. They were like the eyes of the snake that had handed the apple to the man at the beginning of human history.

The distraught face hastened Mielle’s response. She had no choice. She just had to bite the apple that the snake was given her.

“… That’s a good idea.”

The driver, whose legs loosened, sank to the floor. Emma, her maid, held Mielle by the arm and shoulder firmly and quickly disappeared into the corner.

Aria wanted to give a round of applause to those who had kept their composure until the very end, but she bore her desire and smiled faintly with a slightly wistful face, expectant of her mother’s just judgment.

* * *

The sentence was postponed to the next day.

That was because the exchange had happened late at night. It was not necessary to delay it, but to appear to be making a prudent ruling, and the countess declared that she would decide the sentence for him after breakfast in the morning. Perhaps, she had already settled on a result.

The next day, Aria, who entered the dining hall for breakfast, saw the empty chairs and asked a servant, “What about Mielle?

“She said she was eating in her room because she was not feeling well.”

“Hmm… Really?”

Mielle had eaten most of her meals in her room, but for today, Aria seemed to be able to understand why she had confined herself to her room for breakfast.

‘You’re going to feel like you have a stomach ache.’

Just looking at Aria’s face would make her sick because it had always been like that for her.

‘Sadly, why did you play such a foolish trick on me and instill distrust within your people? If you want to scheme against me, you should be clever.’

Of course, Mielle would think she was smart at the moment, and it was clear that she considered Aria to be relatively stupid, but things were actually different. No matter how smart she was, she couldn’t have beaten Aria, who had lived for more than twenty years.

Aria finished a neat, clean breakfast with the countess, who showed up a little after mealtime. Perhaps, the menu would have felt bitter for Mielle, but it was a very satisfying one for Aria.

After enjoying the leisurely breakfast, the butler took hold of her as she left the dining hall and headed, along with the countess, to sentence the driver.

“Miss, there’s someone from the jewelry store here. He’s waiting at the front door.”

The butler had a softer-than-usual look, unlike his usual stiff, rigid face when he dealt with Aria. When she saw his face changed, she immediately realized how hard and foolishly she had lived previously.

“Really? Thank you.”

That was why she added words that were not usually necessary. The butler’s eyes were still tender.

“I think the gift I prepared in return for the dress Mr. Oscar gave me has arrived.”

“Oh, my! Go quickly and get it.”

“It won’t take long.”

Aria turned her steps towards the hall and moved to the front door.

The face of the jewelry shop’s servant brightened as soon as he saw her. He had apparently been waiting for Aria to finish her meal.