The Perks of Being a Villainess

"I want to buy information about 'Louis Gazelle'."

At my words, he tapped his fingers on the table.

"Louis Gazelle. The eldest son of a local lord who holds territory near the western border. One notable detail is that a large silver mine was discovered there last year, and his family has been rapidly amassing wealth ever since."

What, the west?

I could feel my blood pressure spiking. That bastard Belek gets more ridiculous the more I dig. I couldn't help but curse. The Seymour territory and the capital are in the east.

He planned to isolate me in a distant land with no ties. So I could never step foot in Seymour again.

To be blunt, it wasn't marriage—this was exile.

'Does he really think I'll just let this happen?'

Swallowing back my boiling anger, I continued.

"Not just basic information. I want to know his weakness."

I'd find a way to tear apart the fiancé Belek was pushing on me. At the very least, I'd smear filth on that bastard's smug face.

"So, you're looking for flaws to attack him with."

"Exactly."

He understood my intent and made a coin shape by touching his thumb and index finger together.

'He's asking for a down payment.'

I pulled a pouch from my leather bag and poured out the protected jewels. His eyes widened slightly.

"You didn't actually think that was all, did you?"

With a haughty, confident expression I'd practiced in the mirror, I pulled out another pouch and emptied it. The loud clatter of precious metals colliding made the beast lying lazily beside the Master perk up its ears.

"If you show me your power in information, I'll show you my power in wealth."

First impressions are everything when dealing with people. I wanted him to see me as a bolder and more generous client than the Crown Prince. Since I was spending money anyway, I didn't want to hand it over while grumbling like him.

'I'm better than the Crown Prince, right? You'll want to keep doing business with me, won't you?'

With that meaning, I stared him down.

Sapphire, ruby, opal, obsidian, topaz—visually dazzling.

"Since you've shown such sincerity, I must of course respond in kind."

The wordplay-loving Master picked up a gem from the table and continued.

"Who in this world doesn't have dust when shaken? Louis Gazelle—if you so much as shake him a little, the dirt pours out in piles."

He gave a thin smile. It was the kind of snake-like expression he likely wore when plotting to brand Deborah as a blasphemer and send her off to a convent.

'He looks like someone who could create a weakness even where none exists.'

He's insufferable when he's on the enemy's side—but on my side, he's more dependable than anyone. Glad I came here, I brought up my next request.

"Second request. Is it possible to purchase a noble title?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Of course… noble titles can be bought. You can buy a castle with money—what's a mere title in comparison?"

He toyed with a crimson ruby as he spoke, a remark perfectly fitting for a miser like him.

"What's the price?"

"It varies by title. There's no fixed price. Nobility is just that desirable."

Damn. So I'm not the only one trying to buy a title.

High demand means higher prices, and I began to feel anxious.

"I'd like to know the average price for a Baron title."

My heart tightened, but I forced myself to sound calm.

"There aren't enough transactions to calculate a precise average, but with an amount like this, you could certainly purchase a low-ranking noble title."

The Master dipped the tip of his quill into black ink.

'W-what is this?'

Seeing the endless stream of zeros on the paper, I almost grabbed him by the collar. The price, which had been skyrocketing with terrifying momentum, suddenly came to a halt.

'Why is it this expensive?!'

When I converted the gold coin amount into Korean won, the price felt even more outrageous.

'Ten billion won.'

I had expected maybe one billion at most, so this was way beyond what I imagined. But…

'In my previous life, this would've been impossible. But for me now, it's not entirely out of reach.'

I had once suffered for carelessly offering the Duke forty million—because I used my old life's logic.

'I'm an orichalcum spoon now.'

Deborah and Yoon Dohee were fundamentally different. I can raise that money. No—I must. There's no way I'm marrying that creep Louis Gazelle, who drools over every pretty face like a pervert.

"It's not that much, really."

I said, feigning confidence. The Master shrugged.

"Well, I suppose to a Lady wearing a necklace worth a town house in the capital, this much must seem like pocket change."

A town house in the capital would easily be worth at least one or two billion won.

"Actually, that's a good point. That pink diamond—I want to exchange it for gold coins. That'll be my third request."

I had hesitated to sell it, afraid of the Duke's reaction—but after seeing the price of a noble title, I changed my mind. I have to sell it, even if it's risky.

"Excuse me?"

At my words, the Master furrowed his brow and set down his quill with a light tap, looking at me with a hint of disbelief.

"Why do you suddenly want to resell it? If I recall correctly, you even went on a hunger strike and got punished just to get that gem."

"You know, you keep forgetting your role as an informant. If you're going to keep questioning me, then you better pay me back with a gem this size."

A brief flicker of bewilderment passed through his glass-like eyes. He parted his lips slightly, then relaxed them into a lazy smirk and let out a short laugh.

'Good. He's not offended.'

I quietly sighed in relief. The only reason I was acting this brash was because I was confident that he couldn't lay a finger on the daughter of Duke Seymour.

In short, I was bluffing with Daddy's name behind me. If he figured out what a coward I actually was, this clever man would probably strip my soul bare.

"Ah, I've forgotten my place again. I sincerely apologize."

He apologized playfully, a smile tugging at the corners of his eyes. For a moment, he looked surprisingly young, which caught me off guard.

'Come to think of it… how old is the Master, anyway? The more I look at him, the less I can tell.'

"My Lady."

As I was tracing his features in silence, I snapped back to reality at the sound of his quiet call.

"That pink diamond—you plan to sell it without Duke Seymour knowing, correct?"

The Master immediately grasped the true intent behind my third request.

"Yes, that's right."

"But the gem is already quite famous in high society. Selling it discreetly is impossible. If it shows up again at an auction house or jewelry store, rumors are bound to spread."

I thought he was like a genie in a lamp who could fulfill any request flawlessly—but unexpectedly, he flatly refused.

"However, there is a way to convert the gem into gold coins without offending Duke Seymour."

The Master promptly offered a decent alternative.

"What is it?"

In response to my question, his eyes narrowed like a sly fox.

"Fifty-fifty."

"Don't tell me… you want half of the resale price for the pink diamond?"

"I'm glad we understand each other so well, My Lady."

What the hell? What kind of thug is this guy?

"Nonsense. That cut is too big. I'm willing to pay a reasonable commission for your help, not charity."

"My Lady, more pink diamonds are scheduled to be released soon."

My cold expression softened a bit at his words. As the owner of the jewelry store that distributed the gem, he seemed to know how many pink diamonds had been mined.

"Selling it before the supply increases and it loses its rarity will benefit you in the long run. Though I take a higher cut, I'll sell it for more than twice the price Duke Seymour paid."

He tossed a stack of gold coins into the air, caught them with the back of his hand, then proudly showed me the front side—engraved with the face of the first emperor—as he spoke confidently.

"Since I'll be taking the bigger share, of course I'll be working toward maximizing the profits."

I fell deep into thought. The key to the diamond's value was its rarity, and since that would decline soon, selling it quickly was clearly the better move. And if he could sell it for much more than the winning bid price, even a fifty-fifty split wouldn't be a bad deal.

I was also quite curious to see what kind of scheme this man would come up with.

"Even so, fifty-fifty is too much. How about seventy-thirty?"

"If you tell me why Cookie keeps drooling while staring at you, I'll accept seventy-thirty."

I hesitated, then met Cookie's big, twinkling eyes.

The reason why Master's pet liked me so much wasn't anything special. I had five pouches of catnip tied to my waist.

From his earlier comment—that the cat-tail-shaped seal represented a golden feline beast—I had guessed his pet was of the feline family. And my guess had been correct.

For reference, pet culture in this world wasn't very developed, so catnip was only used for medicinal purposes. No one here would ever suspect I was basically feeding Cookie a feline drug.

"...Let's keep it fifty-fifty. I'm not a broker like you."

To me, it was a trivial piece of information. But for Master, who seemed like a cat lover, it could've been priceless.

'Keeping Master intrigued and invested in the deal is just as important.'

It would've been a waste to reveal the secret just to gain a higher cut.

"You're a tough negotiator."

He grumbled, clearly displeased, and I brought up my final request.

"Final request. How can I efficiently manage a secret stash of funds?"

I had countless jewels and accessories, but hardly any gold coins on hand—which were the equivalent of cash here.

Normally, I could buy things with a check, and the Duke's financial manager would pay the gold coins later. So I never really needed to hold onto actual gold.

But the downside of using checks was obvious: every purchase, including item names and prices, would be reported to the Duke—just like a credit card statement.

'That's basically tracking my every move.'

Even if I wanted to hoard gold by selling my gems, an unmarried young lady who hadn't debuted yet wasn't allowed to have personal assets, making it impossible to open a bank account.

Having grown up with the convenience of 21st-century electronic banking, I had no idea how to store and manage such bulky, heavy gold coins.

"A secret fund, huh…"

Master rested his chin on his hand and replied lazily.

"Most people bury their gold on private land or hide it in secret vaults in their basement."

'Looks like rich people here aren't much different either.'

"Both of those are too much of a hassle for me. Isn't there any other way?"

I frowned slightly, doing my best to hide my frustration, and Master slowly rubbed his white chin with a black-gloved hand.

"Issues like this call for creativity more than intelligence, don't you think?"

"…"

"If I show you my creativity, what will you show me in return, Milady?"

Like a sly serpent, Master threw my own words back at me, testing me and demanding something beyond just money.

'He's really living up to the hidden villain character. The lower-level types would've been trembling with just a slight scowl from me.'

But I had something more than just wealth.