Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

Prologue

They say that landlords are above even the Creator, but honestly, this was too much.

"What is this?! They copied my mom's recipe exactly!"

Ashley, a maid at the Rosen Duke's Mansion, had come to help her mom during her day off and couldn't help but be shocked.

The landlord had evicted their bakery and opened an identical knockoff shop in its place.

It was the very 'Honey Lemon Cupcake' bakery that had gained fame through her mom and sister's handmade touch.

"They said they were kicking us out to open a clothing store? They planned this from the start! They stole our recipe because our shop was doing well!"

"Stealing? What are you talking about? Did your mom invent 'Honey Lemon Cupcake' first? It's just honey, lemon, and cupcake combined! Are you claiming your family invented honey, lemons, or cakes too?"

The landlord and his son shamelessly raised their voices in response.

Ashley was known in the Rosen Duke's Mansion for being quite capable. But seeing her mom suffer such injustice, her body trembled and tears welled up.

"Stop with the nonsense! Our shop is the only one people line up for at dawn! Mom spent 10 years researching how to make it refreshingly tangy without any sourness, even using whole lemon juice! And they just stole it all?"

"We researched for 10 years too! Get out before we call the guards!"

The landlord and his son roughly chased out Ashley and her mother and sister.

"Don't buy from that shop! They're thieves who stole our recipe!"

She appealed to the people, but no one cared. They were too busy lining up, saying, "Is this the famous cupcake?"

"What are we going to do now?"

Mom looked like her soul had left her body.

They had barely managed to get a loan and move the shop after the sudden notice, but now they were about to lose everything and end up on the streets.

"This is too much. Mom and sis worked so hard, sleeping only 4 hours a day to get here..."

Ashley finally burst into the tears she had been holding back. But then.

A loud bang! echoed from behind, shaking the ground.

"What? Did war break out or something...?"

The people who turned around were stunned.

In the middle of the street, fireworks exploded. As the curtains were pulled back, a magnificent three-story building revealed itself right next to the landlord's knockoff bakery.

<Authentic Honey Lemon Cupcake>.

Under the dazzlingly shiny sign, dozens of clerks in pristine white suits lined up on both sides.

Clack, clack.

With the clear sound of heels on the stone pavement, a stunning blonde noble lady appeared.

A dress adorned with jet-black lace meticulously embroidered by artisans. Her otherworldly beauty was surrounded by the rainbow reflections of top-grade diamonds.

Her slightly upturned eyes and rose-colored irises looked down on everyone with haughty indifference.

Ashley was aghast.

"M-Miss?"

That's right. This noble lady was the young mistress of the Rosen Duke's Mansion where Ashley worked.

Everyone watched the scene in awe.

Duchess Aristina Bianca Rosen!

She was so famous that just "Duchess Aristina" was enough for everyone to know who she was.

The nation's punching bag. A regular in the society pages of newspapers. The destroyer of every party. She was the empire's one and only villainess, called a "mangnani" wastrel.

But she was the only daughter of a great tycoon duke with more money than she could spend.

The infamous duchess appearing here... could it be...?

'Is that happening again?'

The people who ignored the trio's pleas now paid attention since a celebrity had arrived.

As everyone stared without blinking, the landlord trembled and shouted.

"Hey, Duchess! Opening the same shop next to ours and hanging an <Authentic> sign?! Is this how nobles steal other people's businesses?"

"Steal?"

Aristina replied, fanning herself with a fan.

"Did you invent Honey Lemon Cupcake first? It's just honey, lemon, and cupcake combined! Are you claiming you invented honey, lemons, or cakes too?"

She threw his exact words back at him.

Then the duchess turned her cold gaze to her own maid, Ashley.

Ashley gasped and dropped to her knees.

"I was wrong! Miss! Please forgive me!"

"Do you even know what you did wrong? You've committed a grave sin!"

"Gasp! Spare me!"

"...You should have introduced such a great business idea to me. Your mother is a genius!"

"Pardon?"

"Still not getting it? Brace yourself. As punishment for neglecting your maid duties, sign this document right now. Butler!"

"Yes, Miss."

The Rosen Duke's butler stepped forward and presented a paper.

It wasn't a slave contract or organ trade deed as Ashley imagined.

It was a contract.

I, Aristina Bianca Rosen, will purchase all inventory including the accumulated stock from Ashley's family bakery and all future Honey Lemon Cupcakes produced there at more than twice the current market price, with exclusive sales rights. All costs for sales, distribution, and promotion will be fully borne by the duchess's merchant guild...

In essence, it meant:

You just make them. I'll buy them all at twice the highest price, promote and sell them lavishly, and raise the purchase price to 3x, 4x, infinitely as they sell better.

Ashley's eyes shook like an earthquake.

"M-Miss...?"

"What? Dissatisfied?"

"N-No, it's not that... This contract is hugely profitable for us, but... buying at multiples of the highest price, operating stores, distribution, promotion—if you think about it, it seems like a huge loss for you, Miss. Are you really okay with this?"

At that moment, the jeweled fountain pen in Aristina's hand crack! shattered. The butler hurriedly signaled with his eyes.

"Ahem, Ashley! The miss is tired of buying luxury goods and jewels, so she just wants to splurge her money somewhere new. How can you not know this after serving by her side?"

"I-I know!"

"Then hurry and flatter her!"

The butler turned away after saying that.

"Now, everyone! To celebrate the contract signing, a performance by the Royal Opera Troupe! And today, everyone purchasing the 'Ashley's Family Authentic Honey Lemon Cupcake Set' will receive lottery tickets! 1st prize: 1 person, 50 million! 2nd: 2 people, 10 million each! 3rd: 3 people, 5 million each...!"

The onlookers couldn't believe their ears.

"She's insane! What bakery lottery is this huge? I'll take all the cupcakes!"

"Here too! Take my wallet!"

Ashley's family was just dumbfounded.

No matter how the thieves struggled, they couldn't match the authentic taste honed over 10 years.

With ultra-luxury marketing giving it wings, the landlord's knockoff shop was left with nothing but flies in an instant.

Forced to close immediately after opening with massive losses.

Seeing the distraught landlord and son, Ashley's family felt the refreshing thrill of carbonated water down their throats.

But still... Ashley's mom quickly tapped her calculator, and her face turned pale.

"How much did your miss spend? Building purchase, interior, event costs... Even roughly, it's tens of billions, right? Ashley, what on earth happened?"

"Uh, well..."

Ashley didn't know how to answer.

Mom and sis had been too busy baking day and night to notice, but lately, the miss had been acting strange. Her hobby of 'burning money' was heading in an odd direction, perhaps?

She had saved several people suffering under tyranny by splurging her vast wealth, earning her the nickname 'Millionaire Fixer.'

"Your miss wasn't always like that. Did she decide to turn over a new leaf and live kindly from now on?"

"No! Not at all! She's still cruel and violent."

Aristina's profile as she inspected the new shop was dazzlingly beautiful, but also as dangerous as a cat ready to claw if touched.

Still, Ashley couldn't hold back her curiosity and cautiously approached.

"Um, Miss. You didn't do this out of pity for our family, did you?"

At that instant, Aristina's eyes glinted murderously.

"Are you accusing me of doing charity?"

Ashley's legs gave out.

"I'm sorry! How dare I insult you like that...! Forgive me! I-I really just asked because I didn't know. Why on earth did you invest so much in our family?"

"Hmph, questioning it now is pointless. You're bound by this unbreakable, villainous financial contract with me..."

Behind the fan, Aristina's face twisted into a wicked smile like the embodiment of evil.

"You can't think of killing me anymore."

"...?"

Ashley blinked in confusion.

"Pardon?"

* * *

"K-Kill?! Haha, Miss! What kind of scary joke is that...!"

"Right. It was just a joke."

I fanned myself lightly as I replied.

But of course it wasn't a joke. The reason I'm doing all this is truly to avoid my fate of being murdered.

Am I delusional? Far from it. When I opened my eyes, this body's original owner was already dead—murdered.

'Not even a live villainess to take over, why this...?'

No point lamenting my situation. What can I do? I just have to work hard to survive.

No clues on the killer, murder flags everywhere like landmines.

All I had was money. So I'm using that money as a weapon to diligently clear the mines.

The strategy seems to be working, fortunately.

"A-Anyway, thank you!"

Ashley bowed her head repeatedly, face flushed.

Heh heh heh... It was hard to find her weakness, but who knew she was in such a bind. Now tied by business, killing me would hurt her too.

Ashley, you've fallen completely.

I crossed out 'Suspect 71: Ashley Bales' on my mental blacklist.

'One step closer to survival today!'

Amid the shower of attention, I returned home gloriously.

Thinking the killer might be watching from somewhere even now, I can't relax.

But even so, everyone needs a breather.

One job done today, so a short rest, then back to the fierce game.

Back at the Rosen Duke's Mansion, I tossed my coat and said,

"Roses today."

"Yes, Miss."

The grand door at the end of the hall swung open.

A space with one of the empire's eight wonders, a beautiful night view at my feet.

One of Duchess Aristina's seven bathhouses. In the center among masterpieces and sculptures stood a marble tub the size of a swimming pool.

The bathwater, scattered with fragrant rose petals, was perfectly warm, melting my tension from my toes up as I slipped in.

"Here you are, Miss."

A harp performance infused with the holy power of saints, said to smooth skin just by listening.

Tuning into the melody, I flipped through the catalog my maid brought.

"This one. And this. One of each color."

"Yes, Miss."

It might look like luxury shopping, but actually hunting new survival items essential for becoming the survival king.

Shopping does relieve stress when done right.

"Oh my, your fingers are stiff from all that shopping."

My maid, with the empire's top massage skills, gently loosened my fingers.

Feeling refreshed from head to toe, I downed the golden fruit wine in the dewy glass.

The tipsy haze brought back a numbers game after a while.

'This fruit wine costs what my old monthly salary was. The roses floating in the bath combined equal a compact car. That pure white luxury bathrobe over there is my old studio deposit...'

As you can see, I was a total commoner before.

Then suddenly, I became the duke's only daughter: immense status, vast wealth, heavenly beauty, worst personality—a quadruple crown.

"Life is so unpredictable."

Leaning my head back in the tub, I slowly closed my eyes.

As for how my life turned out like this...