I Became the Master of the Villain

Carolyn, Evan, and Count Selton all turned to me in shock.

“Lady Ashford…?”
Count Selton muttered, visibly flustered. His face said he couldn’t for the life of him understand why I was here.
Then, spotting Kian beside me, he finally seemed to grasp the situation and ground his teeth.

“Sir Kian! What is the meaning of this? Release this damn spell immediately!”
Kian didn’t respond. He looked at me instead.
“Lady Olivia. What would you like me to do?”

I watched Count Selton struggle for a moment longer, then spoke.
“Let him go.”
Truthfully, I wanted to leave him like that, but I had a deal to make with him.

When Kian released the spell, Count Selton’s face flushed red as he panted furiously.
“This is outrageous! How dare you act so rudely!”
“Rude? Weren’t you the one trying to assault Miss Carolyn? I only stepped in to stop it.”

“Hah… assault, you say? I think you’re terribly mistaken.”
Count Selton shamelessly denied it—but he didn’t stop there.
“Carolyn was the one who seduced me first.”

He made the excuse without the slightest change in expression, like someone who had rehearsed this response in advance.
Carolyn turned pale, clearly in shock at his words.
“That’s not true—I swear I never did such a thing!”

“You liar! Don’t you dare insult the Headmistress!”
Even Evan, angry now, raised his voice. Count Selton snapped at him for being insolent and raised his hand.
But of course, Kian wasn’t about to sit and watch.
“Don’t lay a hand on the child. Unless you want to experience something worse than earlier.”

He spoke in a quiet, low voice, but the force behind it made Count Selton shrink back.
With all his guards rendered unconscious by Kian, the Count didn’t dare make a move.
In the end, he ran a hand through his hair, snarling irritably.

“I don’t know what business brought you here, but this is between Miss Carolyn and myself. It’s none of your concern.”
In other words, butt out.
But that wasn’t going to happen.

“Count Selton. I heard a rumor that you plan to sell the orphanage land.”
The rumor had recently been circulating in one of the Empire’s most exclusive private clubs, the kind only the wealthiest elites could enter.
They said Count Selton was pushing for the sale of the orphanage property.

Back then, I assumed he was continuing his predecessor’s charitable work—meaning he would move the orphanage before selling the land.
But now I saw the truth.
“You intend to get rid of the orphanage entirely, don’t you?”

“Oh? What an interesting assumption.”
The Count chuckled. I thought he might try to lie again, but perhaps he’d decided there was no point hiding it anymore—he dropped the act.
With a twisted smile, he looked at Headmistress Carolyn.

“You know what I wanted to do the moment I inherited my title? Tear down that damn orphanage. I’m not wasting my money feeding and housing brats.”
He’d once threatened Carolyn that if she obeyed, he’d leave the orphanage alone.
Even that had been a lie.

“How could you…”
Carolyn looked ghostly pale, overwhelmed by the betrayal. The Count seemed to enjoy the sight before turning to me.
“But surely you didn’t bring this up without a reason, Lady Ashford…”

His eyes narrowed as he tried to gauge my intentions.
I had no interest in dragging this out, so I got straight to the point.
“Sell me the orphanage land.”

His eyes widened slightly at the unexpected request. Then they gleamed with greed.
“How much are you offering?”
“One million gallons per pyeong.”

“That won’t do. You’ll have to offer five million per pyeong.”
He named a price five times the going rate. It was outrageous—pure highway robbery.
When I hesitated, the Count sneered.

“I have another buyer offering five million. You’ll need to match that.”
Whether that was true or just bait, I couldn’t be sure.
But it didn’t matter. Either way, this would still be an insanely profitable deal for me.

I dropped the act and spoke.
“Fine. I’ll pay it.”
The Count beamed, his grin stretching ear to ear. He clapped his hands together.

“Ashford’s daughter, just as generous as the rumors say.”
Afraid I might change my mind, he drafted the contract on the spot. Once I signed it, he stood, thoroughly pleased.
Then he turned to Carolyn.

“Just so you know—if you spread any nonsense about me ‘threatening’ you, it’ll end badly.”
Spewing garbage until the very end, he finally left the room.
I’d love nothing more than to sue him right now.

But it was tricky. If we took this to court, it’d become a battle of conflicting claims. And the Count would surely throw out more filthy lies about Carolyn "seducing" him.
That’s when I heard a low, chilling voice.
“…I won’t just sit back anymore.”

To my surprise, it was Headmistress Carolyn.
I never imagined she, of all people, would say something like that.
Could it be she truly wanted to fight back?

If so—
“If you intend to press charges against Count Selton, I’ll help you.”
Carolyn’s eyes widened. I watched carefully to test her resolve.

“Wouldn’t it be unfair to let Count Selton walk away scot-free?”
“….”
She didn’t deny it. After a long silence, she spoke.

“You’re right. I want to hold him accountable for what he did. But…”
I could guess the rest.
To sue a noble, you needed money—and power.

And I had both.
“Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll cover it.”
“I can’t ask you for more help, Lady Olivia…”

“No need to feel guilty. I mean, it sounds a bit arrogant, but—I’m an Ashford.”
Meaning: I could afford to help.
Carolyn said nothing for a while. She seemed to need time to think.

I gently took her hand.
“I know it’ll be a difficult fight. But unless we take that first step, nothing will ever change.”
Carolyn’s eyes wavered, conflicted.

Truthfully, no matter what she chose, I planned to respect her decision. This wasn’t something I could force her into.
And then—
“…I’ll do it.”

Carolyn looked at me with determination and spoke firmly.
“I’m going to sue Count Selton.”
Honestly, I was a little surprised. It couldn’t have been an easy decision for her.

I squeezed her hand tightly.
“I’ll make sure you never regret this choice.”
Her hand trembled, but her eyes were steady.

We agreed to prepare thoroughly before beginning legal proceedings, and just as we finished talking—
Evan came running up, clearly waiting for us to be done.
The boy shyly opened his little hand.

“This is yours, right?”
Inside his palm was a single earring I’d lost. I took it from him and patted his head.
“Thank you for finding it.”

“Hehe!”
Evan puffed out his chest proudly. Carolyn looked at him with tender eyes and spoke.
“Thank you for protecting the orphanage.”

“Oh, I just did what I wanted to do.”
“But you spent so much money… It weighs on my heart.”
“Do you think I made a bad deal?”

Carolyn hesitated, then nodded.
No doubt Count Selton thought the same—that I’d overpaid for the land.
But he couldn’t be more wrong.

I couldn’t recall the exact timeline, but I remembered that a train station would be built near Selton Orphanage in the future. The land value would soar tenfold.
I read about it in the original novel.
The land that cost one million gallons per pyeong would eventually sell for ten million.

When that happened, Count Selton would gnash his teeth in regret.
Right now, he thought he’d won. But he’d just thrown away a fortune with his own two hands.
Watching his figure disappear in the distance, I smiled.

Just imagining that greedy bastard stewing over it made me grin.
***
The capital’s main street bustled with weekend crowds.

The uniform rows of buildings—designed according to city planning—made for a beautiful view.
I walked along the sidewalk, watching the carriages arrive and depart without pause.
I got here way too early.

There was still plenty of time before the play Kian and I were going to see.
I’d invited him right after resolving the orphanage matter, wanting to show my gratitude.
Without Kian, Count Selton wouldn’t have backed down so easily.

It was also thanks to him that the Count’s guards had been dealt with.
When I told him I wanted to repay his help, Kian had made a surprising request.
—Then… could I ask you to spare some time this weekend?

—This weekend?
—Yes. There’s a play I’d like to see. If you don’t mind… would you go with me?
I was free that weekend, so I happily agreed.

Since I still had time to kill, I headed to a nearby café near the theater.
But…
What’s with those looks?

People on the street kept glancing at me and murmuring.
“Look over there—it’s Lady Ashford!”
“Oh wow, that’s her?”

“She’s really different from the other nobles.”
I couldn’t make out what exactly they were talking about.
Frowning in confusion, I pushed open the café door—and felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

What the…?
Everyone inside the café turned to look at me.
In that odd silence, one man suddenly stood and spoke in a loud voice.

“Lady Ashford! It’s an honor to meet you!”
As if that were some sort of signal, the rest began rising one by one.
By the time I snapped out of it, I was surrounded.

“I read your article, my lady! What an incredible thing you did!”
“I was so moved by your good deed!”
Voices rang out from all directions. I was stunned.

“Um… article?”
“Oh—you haven’t seen it yet?”
One man handed me a folded newspaper he had tucked under his arm.

I took it and opened it.
Splashed across the front page was a large photo of Selton Orphanage.
Lady Ashford Acquires Orphanage on Brink of Closure

“(…) According to testimony from Headmistress Carolyn, who is suing Count Selton for sexual harassment, the Count had planned to demolish the orphanage entirely. As a result, nearly 300 children were about to be cast out into the streets—”
I remembered then—when I last saw Carolyn, she’d said she intended to expose everything.
I kept reading.

“(…) With funds from the Ashford Charity Foundation, the once-doomed Selton Orphanage will now remain open. Lady Ashford, who boldly paid the price to save it, has become a symbol of noble obligation—true nobility in action.”
Just then, someone reached out a hand.
“I became a fan after reading the article. May I shake your hand, my lady?”

“Me too, please!”
One after another, hands extended toward me.
Flustered by the barrage of requests, I froze.

At that moment, a broad-shouldered man stepped forward.
“Everyone! Lady Ashford looks uncomfortable.”
Thanks to him stepping in, I was finally able to breathe.

Good—he seemed to be trying to calm things down.
But then he did something completely unexpected.
“Now, now, let’s not crowd all at once…”

Then, raising his booming voice, he shouted:
“Let’s give ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a big round of applause for Lady Ashford, for her incredible good deed!”