The Villainess turns the Hourglass
chapter-116

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

“No, I didn’t get them back. I didn’t have to get those cheap gems back, to be.”

The baroness replied in a confident voice. It meant that she didn’t have to pay attention to a few pennies of old jewelry, as she recovered her wealth in just a few months.

“That’s very fortunate.”

“And now is not the time to pay attention to those little things. I’m going to do my best to help him until his business stabilizes.”

A spark seemed to come from her eyes to help her husband’s business. It was a passion not found in the nobles who were already born with everything.

Mielle asked her with a curled head, “Is that so? But wouldn’t your husband be okay with it? That’s what he’s been doing. I think it would be better to hire an expert.”

As for Mielle, it seemed incomprehensible that she was actively helping her husband’s business. She asked, “Don’t you know it’s enough if you are giving him a few words of advice to keep the mood in order? What is the need for you to do your best?”

“No, we’ve been working together so far. The expert may still be a bit far off.”

The answer was as firm as the glare of her eyes. There was as much difference between wealth and power as there was heaven and earth, but there was no difficulty in expressing her opinion.

“It’s interesting that you worked together. What kind of work are you helping?”

The baron’s wife made an impassioned speech about her role as if she had been waiting for Aria’s question.

“He’s too busy with outside work to manage the internal affairs in detail. So I’m usually in charge of internal management. I’m handling the management and accounting of imported materials. It’s not difficult yet. It’s possible by myself.”

She seemed proud of what she was doing. It must have been a great deal if she was really dealing with those things alone.

Aria replied with pure admiration, who realized they had not succeeded simply by her investing. “You’re in charge of a lot of work. Since you are dealing with an uneasy task for others, your husband may be able to put himself at ease.”

When Aria answered that question, recalling a book that had emphasized that people should be careful when assigning people to areas where the money would flow, the baroness slipped her cheeks.

“… thank you. Of course, as Lady Mielle said, if the business is more prosperous, then we’ll have to hire.”

“Yes, it’d better. Even if you can’t help it now, you’ll have to pay attention to your family. It would be efficient to leave the job to an expert then.”

When her name was mentioned in Mrs. Baron’s mouth, Mielle smiled with great joy. She was a woman who thought that aristocratic women should work hard to protect her family, so she didn’t back down.

“No. That’s not what I think, Mielle. I think it’s a good idea for her to play a role in monitoring them even if they hire people later. She doesn’t have to abandon her ability, does she?” But the same was true of Aria, who remained steadfast in the argument.

“Your argument makes sense, but… who takes care of the family then? Mrs. baroness should take care of it so that the baron can concentrate on his work outside in peace.”

“The family business is of course important. So I’m not saying she should stay in business. I’m just asking her to take the watch. She has enough power to do it.”

“Oh, that’s what you’re talking about, isn’t it? But from now on, the baroness will have to spend a lot of time caring for her family and building her position. She’ll have to meet a lot of people like today. So she doesn’t have time to help with the business, does she?”

“Do you need to be so sure? She’s already doing well enough, so I’m sure she will.”

Mielle and Aria kept their ground. The biggest reason was that they could never accept each other’s opinions. Of course, the tone was soft and the expression was gentle, so it was seen as just exchanging opinions for those who were not familiar with the relationship.

“Oh, thank you both. So far, I’d like to help out with my husband’s business. It’s rewarding. Of course, my job will be gone in time, so I’ll have to work hard to revive the family.”

In the end, the wise baroness ended up accepting both Aria and Mielle. But Mielle added the unnecessary words as she didn’t like the conclusion.

“Good idea, ma’am. You have a lot of work to do to lead the family. It’s also important. But I’ll let you know slowly from now on, so don’t worry. Why don’t you join me at my meeting next week?”

Mielle folded her eyes and said affectionately. She looked very reliable, perhaps because she was a young lady who would later become a Duchess.

She reached out her hand and if she held her, she would have a smooth future. Count Roscent’s support would be much greater than that of investor A. In addition, if she built a friendship with Mielle, no one would despise the baroness. But the baroness shook her head quietly.

“Thank you for your saying, but that’s a little difficult because it’s just beginning to water in. He still needs me. I barely spared time today. Please call me back next time and I’ll try to attend.”

“… yeah? Then I can’t help it. How about the others?”

Holding Mielle’s hand here must have been a choice for their well-being. They might have got something more than their husbands’ success.

However, no one offered to do so, only to be aware of it. It was partly because everyone was so busy that they had to share tea parties over a few days, not long after the business began to rise.

“It’s a little early, isn’t it? It’s enough to be treated like this by Lady Mielle.”

“It’s also a burden for a commoner like me to attend.”

“Why don’t we figure out who we are?” said a young lady with a smile. She was from the common people, so she didn’t hesitate to speak. Perhaps they had already established a strong rapport among themselves. They didn’t feel any difficulty to talk to Mielle freely, but they were just having a conversation with a big smile.

They had been invited by the high nobility, so they only participated out of curiosity, and did not seem to have any intention of continuing ties or flattery. Mielle’s mouth was shaking so fine that no one could notice it.

‘Oh, my God, you’ve become a loner at a gathering that you’ve created to attract new powers.’

At the sight of Mielle, Aria smiled softly as she took the cup of tea to her mouth.

‘That’s why you should have recognized people well and picked one.’ Although some wives looked interested and talked to Mielle, the majority of the wives were only enthusiastic about business stories.

And Mielle, who only knew about them on the surface, was naturally left out.

‘How foolish of you not to have prepared information about those you are trying to attract.’ Aria, who thought of it, put down the teacup and said, “So, I hear Baron Clean recently imported a new spice?”

Unlike Mielle, Aria was able to melt naturally because she knew all the business of their husband’s.

Perhaps she didn’t know Aria would know that, but the baroness opened her eyes wide and said yes. “Did you get the word out of the mouth? It’s not on the market yet, but…”

“I was personally interested, so I found out while I was looking. I’ve heard that it’s cheap and rich in the taste of. I’m sure you’ll succeed.”

“I’m just glad you could see it like that. It’s still a question of whether it will sell well.”

“You don’t have to ask questions. No other country is more enthusiastic about spices than the empire. Moreover, there is no reason to fail, as you can provide spices that were almost exclusive to the nobility.”

“… you say the same thing as the investor. Investor A also wrote us a letter to cheer on.”

“I’m sure it’ll be everyone’s favorite spice.”

The future was set, so Aria gave advice to other wives, saying the business would be successful. The advice was appropriate because she was well-informed, and there was considerable overlap with what the investor had said, so the wives all listened to her.

Before they knew it, the tide of the meeting was leaning from Mielle to Aria. It was not Mielle who would sit still and watch the main body of the meeting flow to Aria. ‘Why are all the invitees so bewildered by the vulgar, wicked woman’s words?’