The Villainess’s Smile

“Well… His Excellency asked me to sell him wheat and grain.”

“Wheat!? Grain!?”

Marguerite cried out in astonishment at Ottmar’s unexpected words.

Jonah, listening beside her, instinctively covered his mouth.

On the journey here, Ottmar himself had told him that Zwerg was a granary region, and Jonah had seen with his own eyes the endless fields of ripening wheat.

That was precisely why he could not fathom why the count would be buying grain that should already be plentiful.

“I-Is Zwerg… suffering from a food shortage right now?”

“…! Of course not! We’ve had bountiful harvests every year, and Hans said this year will be the same as always!”

From the books he had seen in her room, Marguerite clearly kept herself well-informed about the territory’s situation through her studies.

She instantly shot down Jonah’s question.

“That’s exactly what puzzled me too. When I asked His Excellency, he only smiled thinly and said nothing. I wondered if he was stockpiling to sell high later, but the market is stable now, and there’s no sign of a crash coming…”

Ottmar’s explanation only left Jonah and Marguerite more confused.

The only conceivable reasons the count would buy grain were a current food shortage or stockpiling for a future price surge—both of which the three of them had already mentioned.

Yet neither explanation fit the current situation in Zwerg or the grain market, so there was no reason for the count to raise taxes just to do this.

“…Lady Marguerite, either way, we need to investigate further.”

“Yes…”

“I’ll look into it through the Company too. Let me know if you find anything, kid. This whole deal smells fishy.”

“Understood.”

Jonah nodded, said goodbye to Ottmar, and left the inn with Marguerite.

“J-Jonah… what do we do next…?”

Marguerite asked timidly.

Her face clouded with anxiety.

“We still don’t know what the Count is thinking with just this information. For now, let’s do what we originally planned and ask around town. We might learn something—and at the very least, we need to know how deep the people’s resentment runs.”

“Y-you’re right…”

Perhaps because Jonah answered cheerfully, or because having a clear next step eased her mind, Marguerite seemed to regain a little spirit.

She must be filled with worry right now.

Even though she believed in her father, being confronted with such incomprehensible facts would leave anyone lost.

Jonah wanted to help the suffering Marguerite.

With that feeling in his heart, he squeezed her hand tightly.

“Um, excuse me, could we talk-”

“…………………………”

They tried speaking to people on the streets of Zwerg, but no one would meet their eyes; everyone hurried away looking annoyed.

They had already approached more than ten people, yet not a single one would listen.

Thinking the townspeople were avoiding them because the Lord’s daughter was present, they tried having Marguerite hide while Jonah approached alone—but the result was the same.

It seemed his face had also become known after yesterday’s incident.

“Jonah… what do we do…”

“Of course we keep trying. There might be at least one person willing to talk… wait—”

At that moment, a small boy entered Jonah’s field of vision.

It was the very boy who had thrown a stone at Marguerite.

“Hey, you.”

“…!?”

When Jonah called out, the boy froze.

“I just want to ask you something…”

“Uh… um… u-uh…”

The boy’s face turned pale as he backed away, trembling.

Neither Jonah nor Marguerite could understand why a boy who had done something like that was now so terrified; they exchanged confused glances.

“…!? I-I’m so sorry! My little brother doesn’t know anything! Please forgive him!”

“E-eh…”

Just like yesterday, the boy’s older sister appeared and threw herself to the ground before them.

Even Jonah could only let out a bewildered sound.

But then—

“Huhu… I see. You want me to forgive him, don’t you?”

Saying that, Marguerite curled the corner of her mouth into a wicked smile.

It was the complete opposite of every expression Jonah had seen from her until now—she looked exactly like a villainess from a story.

Knowing the real Marguerite, Jonah thought, “What impressive acting,” while almost laughing at how different it was from the kind girl he knew.

“…What is it?”

“…!? N-no, nothing!”

When she glared at him, Jonah hurriedly covered his mouth.

“Haa… very well. If you want forgiveness, then answer everything I wish to know—everything I ask. Will you do that?”

“…!? I-if I answer… will you forgive my brother… Kurt…?”

“That depends entirely on you, doesn’t it?”

The moment Marguerite gave a low, wicked chuckle, the girl’s face twisted in fear—

“Ask me anything! I—Rita—will answer everything!”