I Became the Master of the Villain

The boy stared blankly at the check like someone who had lost his soul, then looked at me, then at the check again.

Meanwhile, the guards wore expressions as if they couldn’t make sense of the situation that had just unfolded. One of them finally spoke.
“Um, excuse me… Do you know this child, My Lady?”
“No.”

“Then, why…?”
His tone made it clear he couldn't understand why I had helped a boy I didn’t even know.
It was understandable. It wasn’t just pocket change—it was quite a large sum.

But that’s by normal people’s standards.
There’s a reason why the Ashford Duchy is called the wealthiest family in the Empire.
Our company’s profit growth outpaces my spending speed.

Besides, even now, Anna’s dresses are flying off the shelves like hotcakes.
I addressed the guards, who were still standing there dumbfounded.
“You can go now. This boy’s business is done for the day.”

“But…”
“What? Are you going to say that even just being here is illegal now?”
“N-No, of course not.”

When I shot back sternly, the guards could no longer protest and shut their mouths. They slowly backed off, glancing nervously around.
I clicked my tongue as I watched them slink away, searching the street for their next target.
As soon as I looked away from them, the boy from earlier approached me and bowed his head deeply.

“Thank you. Thank you so much…”
I hadn’t done it to be thanked. It was just one of those things—I ended up meddling without meaning to.
Because I couldn’t just ignore it after hearing his situation.
I gently patted the boy on the shoulder and said,

“Shouldn’t you hurry and go see your mother?”
At that, the boy nodded with a composed look. Maybe he thought of his sick mother, because he quickened his steps.
I was watching his retreating figure when Alexis came up beside me.

“My Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for helping earlier.”

Then he added,
“I only had the desire to help, but I wasn’t able to actually do much.”
“It’s alright. What matters is the desire to help in the first place.”

He smiled faintly instead of replying.
“The capital has changed a lot. And I suppose I’ve been away for far too long.”
It wasn’t Alexis’s fault that the street vendor ban had been enacted. He seemed to be blaming himself too much, so I offered sincere reassurance.

“Your Highness can still start changing things now.”
“You really think so?”
“Of course.”

Fortunately, Alexis seemed encouraged by my words, his expression noticeably lighter than before.
He picked up one of the wooden carvings lying near his feet. As he brushed the dirt off the sculpture, he said,
“By the way, My Lady. What do you plan to do with these carvings?”

“Hmm… That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
The number of carvings I’d bought from the boy was quite large.
If it had been just one or two, fine—but displaying all of them in my room would be a bit much.

Just then, as he was examining a soldier-shaped carving, Alexis spoke as if a good idea had come to him.
“How about donating them to an orphanage?”
“An orphanage?”

It was such an unexpected suggestion that I asked back reflexively.
“Yes. I thought they’d make good toys for the children.”
He handed me the soldier figurines. I examined them closely.

There were soldiers in uniform with rifles at their sides, musicians playing cymbals and drums—
All sorts of soldier types, a little rough around the edges, but fairly well made.
These would work perfectly for playing soldier games.

They were quaint and just the right size for kids to play with.
They were probably meant as decorative items, but using them for a good cause… I figured the boy who made them wouldn’t object either, so I agreed with Alexis’s idea.
When he heard my response, Alexis looked delighted and said,

“Then how about donating them to the Selton Orphanage nearby?”
“Sounds good, let’s do that.”
While we finalized our decision, Sir Philip hoisted a box of carvings onto his shoulder and spoke.

“My Lady, everything is ready.”
“Thanks. Good work.”
Once we were ready, we immediately flagged down a carriage. Since Sir Philip had to load the sculptures, he took a separate carriage and followed behind us.

Once we were ready, we immediately flagged down a carriage. Since Sir Philip had to load the sculptures, he took a separate carriage and followed behind us.
“My Lord, where to?”
“To the Selton Orphanage—”

“Your Highness, one moment.”
Alexis told the coachman to wait and then looked at me.
“Did we forget something?”

“I think we should stop by the bakery first.”
Toys were great and all, but it felt like something was missing if that’s all we brought. It was already past 3 p.m.—a time when kids would probably be getting hungry. The idea struck me out of the blue: we should bring snacks too.
“That’s a good idea. But… are you sure?”

“About what?”
“You already spent quite a bit helping that boy earlier. Are you okay with spending even more?”
Ah… I thought he was going to say something serious.

He sounded so concerned that I briefly wondered if something was bothering him.
“Do you know the one thing I’ve never once had to worry about in my life?”
Alexis tilted his head, looking puzzled. I smiled slightly as I answered.

“Money.”
Alexis parted his lips slightly, as if suddenly recalling something he’d forgotten. Then he burst into soft laughter.
“I asked a foolish question, didn’t I?”

I wanted to say “no,” but honestly, it was true.
What could be more pointless than worrying about the wallet of someone who’s rich?
As the carriage started moving, he sat across from me on the sofa and said, looking at me with a half-laughing gaze,

“For a moment, I forgot who you were, Lady Ashford.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I walk around with ‘rich girl’ written on my forehead.”
Flaunting wealth too openly tends to bring trouble. That’s why, unless it’s an important occasion, I don’t go out of my way to dress up. Today was no exception.

“In fact, I prefer when people don’t know I’m the Lady of House Ashford.”
“And why is that?”
“There were just too many people who approached me for my money.”

Before I transmigrated—looking back at Olivia Ashford’s life, it wasn’t exactly filled with happiness.
She had never known financial hardship, even as a child, but her relationships were a mess.
Because of her family’s overwhelming wealth, far too many people approached her with calculated intentions.

There were hardly any who genuinely wanted to be her friend.
But young Olivia hadn’t been clever enough to tell the difference. So she got hurt. Betrayed. A lot.
Alexis, who had been listening quietly across from me, finally spoke.

“I didn’t know that was your situation.”
I gave him a wry smile and said,
“Well, I’ve never told anyone.”

Most people assume Olivia’s lived a life without a single worry. People rarely care about others’ misfortunes.
Did I just make things awkward for no reason?
I was starting to regret saying anything when Alexis suddenly spoke.

“It must’ve been hard.”
His tone was casual, but I wasn’t dense enough to miss the sincerity behind it.
So I deliberately responded playfully.

“Are you pitying me?”
Alexis grinned.
“Well… a little?”

That answer made me laugh out loud.
While we talked, the carriage arrived at our destination—Ashford Bakery. As I opened the shop door, a clerk arranging freshly baked bread recognized me.
“Welcome, My Lady! Are you here to try our new items?”

“No, I’m here for something else today.”
I explained the situation to the clerks. When I said it was for a donation, they were all happy to be part of something good.
Soon, they were busy loading the bread onto the carriage under my instructions. While that was going on, Alexis tasted a piece of bread I had offered.

“How is it?”
He chewed for a moment, then took another bite. After swallowing, he said,
“Hmm. Definitely something worth bragging about.”

Just as I was feeling proud of his compliment—
Ding!
The bell [N O V E L I G H T] rang.

I thought it was just another customer, but then I heard a familiar voice.
“Lady Olivia, there you are.”
***

Kian was in a very foul mood.
It wasn’t because of the gloomy weather, nor because something had gone wrong.
He wondered if it was due to the commander of the 3rd Magic Division constantly pestering him for duels—but that wasn’t it either.

He just felt irritated, for no reason.
Ever since the monster suppression mission in the Barony of Raindorf, he had been enjoying relatively peaceful days.
The subordinates who used to look down on him now treated him with the utmost respect as their commander.

The other commanders had even thrown him a private welcome party (despite his firm refusals), and some openly expressed their desire to get closer to him.
But to be honest, Kian found all this attention bothersome.
So rather than getting close to people, he chose to maintain a polite distance.

However, the commander of the 3rd Magic Division was either completely oblivious or simply thick-skinned—he never tired of pestering Kian.
Even though he lost every duel, he kept requesting more, earning the spot as Kian’s most avoided individual.
Fortunately, that man had been sent off on a mission, so things had been quiet and peaceful.

In other words, there was absolutely no reason for Kian to be in a bad mood.
Kian rested his chin on his hand at his office desk and reasoned with himself.
Has it been 23 hours and 11 minutes since I last saw Lady Olivia?

In truth, he was holding himself back every day.
He wanted to see her daily, but worried he’d be a nuisance.
And so he spent each day in painful compromise with himself.

Even as he signed documents, he imagined Olivia’s face.
He thought picturing her would lift his mood.
But even after drawing her face in his mind ten times, he felt no better.

In fact, he felt worse.
This won’t do.
It was now 3 p.m., and all the important documents had been reviewed.

Kian threw a coat over his uniform.
Then he walked straight out of the Imperial Palace and headed to the Ashford mansion. Butler Albert greeted him.
“Oh dear. I’m afraid the young lady isn’t home at the moment.”

“Do you know where she went?”
“She said she was going to the boutique at 127 Lisbell Street to meet Miss Anna.”
Kian went to the boutique Albert had mentioned. There, he found Anna busy assisting other customers.

“She came by two hours ago.”
“Do you know where she went afterward?”
“That, I’m afraid I don’t.”

In the end, Kian began visiting all the places he thought Olivia might have stopped by.
He couldn’t explain why, but he felt like something unpleasant would happen if he didn’t see her right now.
Trusting his instincts, he stopped by the Ashford Bakery.

And there, he witnessed an upsetting scene.
Olivia… was with another man.