I Became The Villain’s Master - Chapter 2.2

When I casually slipped in Cream’s name too, the little one, who was already watching cautiously, turned pale.

Sugar and Cream knelt before me, holding both my hands, and denied my words with expressions that looked like they might burst into tears at any moment.

Every time I spoke, they anxiously bit their lips and shook their heads vigorously.

“Merchen, calm down and listen to me, okay? I did everything for you…”

“Brothers are liars. You actually wanted to prick me with cactus spines, didn’t you? Just like you did to Rory.”

“Ah, no. No, Merchen. That’s not it. We like you. And whether we like you or not has nothing to do with tormenting the slave.”

“Why isn’t there a connection? Sugar dislikes me. That’s why you torment Rory.”

“That’s not true. Because…”

Although the rather persistent Sugar tried to explain several times, I stubbornly repeated the same words.

Cream was now looking back and forth between Sugar and me, tears streaming down his face.

“Sob… Do something, brother! Merchen doesn’t believe us!”

“My brothers hate me. Merchen will be abandoned. I’ll die alone on the streets.”

I threw the final bomb.

With the most pitiful and sad expression, I clenched my small fists and rubbed my eyes.

As if trying to wipe away tears.

The shocked ruffians’ faces were suddenly overshadowed.

“A-Abandoned? What are you saying? That can’t be!”

“Waaaaaah! No! Merchen!”

Sugar and Cream hugged me tightly.

Sugar cried out in a desperate voice.

“I won’t bully you!”

“What?”

Ack.

My breath was a bit stifled, so I patted their backs and they loosened their grip slightly, but they were still holding me tight.

And they shouted so loudly it hurt my ears.

“I was just jealous! I won’t touch your slave anymore! Please believe me, Merchen. We like you!”

“Waaah! Me too! I won’t do it either!”

Did I win…?

“You’re my precious little sister. Please don’t say such terrible things about abandoning you or us disliking you.”

“That’s right! Abandon me instead!”

“Why are you like this now? I won’t abandon you either! Idiot!”

“I’m not an idiot! You’re the idiot, brother!”

“What? You snot-nosed ignoramus.”

Wait, why are they fighting each other?

Well…

Anyway, I breathed a sigh of relief.

I finally got the answer I wanted.

Fluttering my moistened eyelashes, I proceeded with the remaining act.

“Really? Can you pwomise?”

“Yes. I promise. No, I swear.”

Sugar, who had pulled back a little, drew a star on my palm with his finger.

It was our own sign meaning a promise.

“Me too! Me too! I swear on NoNo!”

Cream, who was sniffling, quickly took my other hand and drew a star.

“NoNo?”

“My pet snake. The yellow snake I always carry around.”

“…”

Why would you swear on that?

***

To be honest, I don’t believe their oath.

They’ve already broken a promise once.

But no matter how vicious and cunning they are, they’re still children, so I can only hope there’s room for improvement.

And to improve a child’s problematic behavior, you need to fix the parents first.

I headed to Count Hauser’s office.

Didn’t he even slap Sugar and Cream’s cheeks?

It was clearly child abuse.

I couldn’t leave his twisted ideology and violent tendencies as they were.

At this rate, it was obvious that the two children would grow up to be good-for-nothings just like the Count.

Knock knock.

I knocked on the door, but it was quiet inside.

I stood on tiptoe and stretched out my arm to grab the doorknob and turn it.

Inside the easily opened door, I saw the Count sleeping soundly on the sofa.

He seemed tired.

His hair, which he always kept neatly styled with hair cream to show his forehead, was disheveled today.

“Cream…”

Cream?

Is he dreaming about eating dessert?

The Count, who had been mumbling in his sleep, gradually smiled.

I shook the Count’s shoulder.

“Father!”

I patted his cheeks and shook his arms, calling him repeatedly, but the Count didn’t wake up.

As if he absolutely didn’t want to wake from his dream.

It seemed he was having a happy dream.

With no other choice, I decided to leave a note.

I approached the desk and climbed onto the chair with some effort.

I picked up a quill pen and searched for a blank piece of paper to write on in my scrawling handwriting.

My small and weak hand lacked strength, producing large and ugly letters, but it was still somewhat legible.

<Father. It’s Merchen. Let’s have a talk.>

Count Hauser doesn’t know that I can write, so he’ll probably be surprised.

Since there was no aide present to relay the message, I had no choice.

It might be better to be discovered quickly rather than trying to hide it, as it was quite frustrating.

“Huh?”

As I was wondering where to put the paper, I noticed some documents spread out.

It was a ledger detailing plans to lower the wages of workers in the mines and the craftsmen who turned the mined gems and minerals into jewelry.

“What a scoundrel of a Count.”

I dipped the tip of the quill pen in ink.

Then I added a zero to the end of each wage amount before leaving the office.

***

“No. Absolutely not.”

Faced with my firm attitude, Rory hesitated and repeatedly pleaded.

“Miss. Please. I want to play with the young masters.”

I looked into Rory’s pink eyes with mixed feelings.

Just a moment ago, Sugar had sent a proposal through a servant to play hide-and-seek together.

He wanted Rory to join in too.

I naturally expressed my refusal, but Rory grabbed the hem of my dress.

“Let’s go play hide-and-seek. Please?”

“How do you know what might happen? I’m sure they’re up to something.”

“It’ll be fine. They promised you yesterday, didn’t they?”

“If you want to play hide-and-seek, let’s do it just the two of us, Rory. I don’t know why you’re suddenly acting like this, but if it’s because of me, please don’t.”

As if I had hit the nail on the head, Rory’s shoulders flinched.

I waited for him to speak honestly, but he just looked down at me pitifully like a drenched puppy.

How can I refuse when he looks at me like that…

Swallowing a sigh, I asked one last time.

“Rory. Are you really sure it’ll be alright?”

“Yes!”

Rory smiled brightly like sunshine, as if there had never been a shadow on his face.

Annoyed that he was carelessly overusing his pure and pitiful beauty without realizing what a powerful weapon it was, I poked his innocent dimple with my finger.

Since I had decided to go out anyway, I tried to think positively.

Ann and Sir Peanut would be coming along too, and if by some chance we all became friends through hide-and-seek, I couldn’t ask for more.

Although Sugar and Cream look like big kids when they’re next to Rory and me because we’re so young, in reality, Sugar is only 10 years old and Cream is 8.

Elementary school kids. In other words, they’re at the age where they should be running around and playing excitedly.