The Perks of Being a Villainess

One week ago, late at night.

My regret over the Duke's bombshell comment—that 40 million was merely pocket change—was short-lived. Instead, I was racking my brain over what to do with the pink diamond he gave me.

'Wearing it around is too risky, but I can't just sell it either. This is tricky.'

Sure, it's meant to be jewelry, but I had no intention of flaunting it everywhere. Walking proudly through the academy and social circles with this necklace on would only provoke the male lead's fish-in-the-pond, Pilaf, who failed to win the auction.

As a minor villain, I had zero desire to draw aggro from the main cast—especially not from the misfortune-magnet heroine of this dark romance novel.

Honestly, I wanted to sell it and use the money as secret capital. But putting the Empire's one-and-only jewel back on the market would definitely reach the Duke's ears.

'And with how prickly the Duke's personality is, that would be suicide.'

Selling it outright might hurt his pride, and he could take it as me disrespecting his sincere gesture.

Plus, I'd just come off a hunger strike and punishment. If I suddenly sold the diamond, people would find my actions suspicious—totally unlike the Deborah they know.

In the end, I concluded that I could only wear it during family events—until I came up with a better plan.

'Guess I'll show it off in front of the Duke a few times, let him bask in his own generosity.'

It was originally meant to highlight the heroine's grand entrance at the academy, but you, poor thing, ended up in the wrong hands.

'Still, better to have it than not. That much is obvious.'

I admired the delicately cut pink jewel, then opened the jewelry case again to put it away. As expected from such a rare and expensive item, the design of the case was luxurious, and even the certificate of authenticity inside felt extraordinary.

I suddenly grew curious about the carat weight of the jewel and reached for the velvet-colored envelope decorated with Art Nouveau-style ornaments.

The envelope was sealed with golden wax, looking as though it had been made by melting real gold. I carefully scraped away the golden seal, not wanting to damage such a beautiful envelope. Then my eyes narrowed as I stared at the emblem stamped on top of it.

"What is this?"

The imprint was faint, so I didn't notice it at first—but upon closer inspection, I saw the shape of a cat with its tail raised.

"Uh…?"

The moment I saw that symbol, I couldn't just brush it off. A strange, unsettling feeling began to nag at me, like a tiny pebble stuck in my shoe.

'Did someone in the novel use a symbol like this?'

In the Asteia Empire, seals were used to express personal taste, beliefs, or to signify a family or guild's unique identity. Just like how the Seymour family used a two-headed snake to show their noble bloodline.

That's why it suddenly occurred to me—this emblem might be tied to someone or some group in the novel.

'A cat? Who used this symbol? Who…?'

Gripping my head in frustration, I suddenly recalled a specific scene from the novel—and shot up to my feet.

"Blansha!"

The realization struck like lightning—my whole body tingled with electric shock.

The cat with its tail raised was the exact symbol used by the Blansha Master whenever he was pleased with a transaction.

Uniquely, unlike other characters in the novel, the Blansha Master used multiple different seals, subtly revealing his mood through them.

That scene appeared in one of the chapters where the crown prince was actively involved—after all, in the story, the Blansha Master was the prince's strategist.

"Deborah keeps bullying Miya. I want to get rid of that wicked woman, but since she's a direct Seymour, it's not easy. If you can find a way to eliminate her, I'll give you what you want."

Eager to earn points with Miya, the crown prince ordered the Blansha Master to find Deborah's weakness.

To fulfill this request, the Blansha Master secretly spread rumors that there was a way to curse someone you hate—thus luring Deborah to contact a shaman.

The reason Deborah ended up making a curse doll shaped like the female lead was because she had fallen straight into the trap set by the Blansha Master.

"Hmm, a cursed doll. How should I make use of something this dreadful?"

Even though the answer was practically handed to him, the crown prince cluelessly asked a question and ended up getting scammed out of a mountain of gold by the master.

"If you charge her with blasphemy, it becomes much simpler."

"You're right! Even the mighty Seymour family are just mere mortals before the sanctity and authority of the Saintess."

For bringing decisive evidence that could lead to Deborah's trial, the Blansha Master received a massive reward from the crown prince—an enormous sum of gold and a deed to land.

The seal with the raised-tail cat was the one Blansha's Master used when he sealed the land deed given by the prince.

"Oh, I've never seen you use that cat seal before. I thought it was just decorative since you never touch it."

"Fufu. I only use it when I'm extremely satisfied with a deal."

"A special seal for significant occasions, and it's shaped like a cat? You have a surprisingly girlish taste."

"It was modeled after this one. Doesn't it look exactly the same?"

The crown prince looked back and forth between the golden beast beside the master and the cat seal, then let out a disbelieving laugh.

"So you do make jokes. But what's the meaning behind the cat's tail being raised straight like that?"

"Normally it costs 10 gold, but since I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you for 9 gold and 99 silver. It's a special discount just for Your Highness."

"You damn greedy miser. I should've known better than to talk to you."

I even managed to recall their silly banter. Clutching my chest to calm my heart that was pounding so loud it hurt my ears, I took a deep breath.

"Calm down, calm down."

But I was too excited to actually settle down. I'd been racking my brain, reviewing every detail of the novel, just to meet the Blansha master.

I tore the envelope open and, with trembling hands, unfolded the gemstone's certificate of authenticity.

'…It's here.'

Just as I expected, the certificate included the name and address of the jewelry shop that sold the pink diamond. The thought that this address might lead me to the secret organization Blansha made my heart swell with anticipation.

'The crown prince's ultimate cheat key. There's no rule saying I can't use it too.'

Thanks to the Blansha master's exceptional information-gathering skills and strategic planning, the crown prince was able to stand out among all the male leads in the novel and win overwhelming support from readers.

Honestly, all the crown prince ever did was throw money at the master and boss him around, and… well, the only other noteworthy trait he had was that a certain part of him was large. Yet he always ranked first in popularity polls.

'I want to make a deal with the Blansha master too.'

Because of her past abusive and violent behavior, Deborah had lost the trust of others and was unable to properly utilize the talented personnel in the Duke's household. The only things the Duke gave her were a maintenance allowance, a few servants to attend to her, and a knight or two for protection.

For someone like me, who lacks reliable hands and eyes, the Blansha master was like a godsend. A miracle worker who could make anything happen as long as he was paid — and I had money to spare. We'd be a perfect match.

Besides, if even the crown prince uses him all the time, he must be good at keeping secrets too.

'I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to find the store he runs…'

There's a scene in the novel where the crown prince enters a store run by Blansha, meets an informant pretending to be the manager, and says the secret code. Unfortunately, the novel never mentions the shop's name or location.

In this vast empire, there are far too many shops. Wandering around saying the code everywhere would be madness.

But today… I discovered a clue about the location of a Blansha guild member in the gemstone's certificate of authenticity.

'To think the jewelry store that sold the pink diamond was connected to Blansha.'

Luck had finally turned in my favor. It was hard to believe that someone like me — always played for a fool — had finally hit the jackpot.

I hadn't even had any caffeine, but I was trembling all over. That night, I couldn't sleep a wink.

And now, I was standing in front of the Blansha master I had so longed to meet, doing my best to suppress any sign of excitement. If I showed even a hint of desperation, he would surely look down on me.

'This is where I end my pathetic, pushover life.'

Thankfully, Deborah's naturally cold features made me look intimidating even when I stayed expressionless. Putting on the 'icy stare' I had practiced in the mirror, I spoke.

"If you want to know, pay 99 gold. It's originally 100, but since I plan to make a request, I'll give you a 1-gold discount."

"Puhahaha!"

As soon as I mimicked his line from the novel, the master—who had been staring blankly at me—suddenly burst into manic laughter.

His shoulders shook with mirth, and they were shockingly broad. I had expected someone wiry and small, since he dealt in information, but the upper body hidden beneath that black robe looked bulkier than a knight's.

'Has he been working out? He moves objects without touching them, so he probably uses magic too. Just who is this guy, really?'

While I scanned him from head to toe in suspicion, our eyes suddenly met. He looked at me with a smirk and opened his mouth.

"You are the first client who has ever genuinely piqued my curiosity. I momentarily forgot my role as an informant. Please accept my apology."

"..."

"So, Lady Deborah, what kind of request brought you all the way here?"

I slowly recalled the requests I had organized in my mind. Facing him as he narrowed his eyes in curiosity, I finally spoke.

"My first request..."

I swallowed hard before continuing.