《The education of the villain is in the hands of her aunt》


 Prologue

    <div>


    ¡ªAunt Grace.


    ¡ªHmm? ¡ªI responded when my sweet niece called me.


    ¡ªWhat are you thinking about now?


    I looked at the beautiful girl in front of me, who couldn''t read my thoughts from the thoughtful expression on her face.


    Ruby invited me to have tea in the gazebo this afternoon, but I couldn''t concentrate because I kept thinking about the upcoming coming-of-age ceremony.


    ?Nothing like that,? I smiled, ?just thinking about how much you''ve grown.?


    Her delicate brows furrowed.


    ¡ªAre you talking about it again? ¡ªthe main villain asked,¡ª Do you still consider me a child?


    I fell into a stupor.


    ¡ªWell, what are you! Of course not,? she immediately hurried to correct herself, ?How can I think like that when you''re about to turn eighteen.


    Ruby calmed down a little, but continued to stare at me intently. Lately, she''s been looking at me very strangely.


    Or maybe I noticed it just now¡­?


    Anyway, it wasn''t that important. I was in a joyful excitement from the realization that very soon, my main goal of being in this world will be fulfilled.


    Rubiella Weinstein will cease to be just my sweet niece, and will be released. Next month, after the coming-of-age ceremony, she will inherit the title of duchess and we will part ways with her.


    After eight years of working as a nanny, I planned to go on a well¡ªdeserved vacation¡ª a trip across the empire and complete freedom of action. While Ruby will have to take care of family affairs, because for such a young age, a heavy burden will fall on her shoulders.


    I thought that I had made every effort to raise a decent person from the main villain in recent years.


    The only thing I regretted was that I couldn''t find a good uncle for Ruby. I wanted the girl to have before her eyes an example of a full-fledged family, on which she could rely in the future. However, for some reason, nothing has grown together.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    All worthy men who showed interest in me disappeared immediately after a few days of acquaintance. And when they reappeared, they avoided and were even afraid to greet me.


    I couldn''t figure out what was going on. Are these aristocrats really so much afraid of a woman with a child¡­?


    I sighed.


    I hope Ruby didn''t blame me too much for looking after her alone, despite her high birth. In the end, I tried to give her the best to give her a happy childhood. It''s possible that I even spoiled her a little.


    ?Auntie, is there something that''s bothering you??


    Noticing my drooping appearance, Ruby touched my cheek. I have long been accustomed to such tactility, and did not pay attention to it. Besides, I used to squeeze her quite often when Ruby was little.


    Meanwhile, I was touched that this child is so worried about me.


    ¡ªJust a little bit. I imagined what I would do when you left this house.


    Perhaps I expressed myself somewhat incorrectly, because the expression on the girl''s face immediately darkened.


    But even with a shadow of sadness, she remained an irresistible beauty. After all, it was the most attractive character of the novel, not inferior even to the main character. I stared into her amethyst eyes.


    ¡ªAunt, do you want me to leave as soon as possible? There was an unbearable sadness in her voice.


    ¡ªIt''s not like that! ¡ªI hastened to declare,¡ª It''s simple¡­ That day was bound to come sometime anyway, right? You are already an adult, and you should start an independent life.


    ?But I don''t want to leave this place.


    My words obviously upset her.


    But what could I do? Ruby was supposed to return to the family estate after the day of the ceremony to inherit the title of duchess. It is from this moment that the main stage of the game begins.


    Even if I wanted to, I couldn''t afford to leave her here. Although it was hard for me to break up, too. After all, I raised Ruby for so many years after her parents abandoned her.


    During this time, we became a real family, and I hoped that I could only leave her with good memories.


    My little niece will be coming out into the adult world very soon!


    I couldn''t help but cry with pride, realizing this moment.


    However, Ruby was still depressed, and I decided to cheer her up.


    I needed to change the subject to something more positive.


    ?Since this is your last birthday in this manor, I will definitely prepare the best gift for you!?¡ª I announced with a smile,¡ª What would you like?


    Her face cleared instantly.


    ¡ªA gift?


    I grinned. After all, no matter how old she was, Ruby was still a child at heart. She was so happy when I started talking about the gift.


    ¡ªyes. I''ll give you anything.


    ¡ªReally? Everything?


    I nodded and let out a laugh, raising a cup of tea to my lips.


    ¡ªof course.


    Rubiella was my favorite niece, and I''m really ready to do a lot for her. Even if she wants a star from the sky, I will definitely get it for her.


    But the answer wasn''t exactly what I expected.


    Ruby was silent for a while, thinking about my offer for a few seconds. Suddenly, her expression became like that of a hungry predator.


    ¡ª¡­Then I want you, Aunt Grace.


    The cup in my hands trembled.


    At what point did I make such a mistake¡­?!

 Chapter 1. I became the villain’s aunt

    She was looking at me, and I was looking at her.


    The little girl standing in front of me in the doorway was to become the main villain of the game in the future, which I downloaded shortly before my death.


    ?Trembling Hearts 2? was a romantic otome novella, and, as the name implies, was a continuation of the first part. It has become one of the most popular applications of this genre, and I managed to notice it due to the fact that it was constantly highlighted in the top on the main page.


    The plot of the first and second parts unfolded in the same fantasy world of the Middle Ages, with the only difference being that they had different main characters.


    The heroine of the part I played was a young aristocrat Angela Stone. She was the only daughter of the current emperor. However, she didn''t know about it until she was eighteen, because the child was abducted by enemies of the empire in infancy.


    As a result, Angela grew up as an ordinary commoner, who was found and sheltered by a kind village forester. She lived peacefully and was happy until, on the eve of her coming of age, the girl''s foster father was killed by mercenaries.


    Angela had to flee ¡ª after all, the hunt began for her as the sole heir to the throne. Fortunately, the heroine comes across a young and sympathetic aristocrat who recognizes her as his relative and brings her to the palace. This guy turns out to be the nephew of the emperor, who has been looking for her all these years.


    Actually, starting from the moment the heroine got into the palace, the game itself began. Becoming the crown Princess, Angela decides to take revenge on those who committed the abduction many years ago and killed her adoptive father. In the investigation of this case, she is assisted by four love interests.


    The good-natured nephew of the emperor and cousin of the heroine, who brought her to the palace.


    The charming teacher of the heroine, for whom all the girls of the empire went crazy.


    A courageous and noble captain of the guard, whose sympathy had to be won the longest.


    And finally, perhaps the most exotic contender of all is a powerful archmage in the body of a thirteen-year-old boy.


    These four included all those characters with whom it was possible to build relationships in the game. Although they seemed quite diverse, they surprisingly complemented each other on a common poster.


    In general, the mechanics of this game did not differ from the usual otome novel. Depending on in whose favor the player made the choices, the main pair of the heroine was determined at the end.


    The answer options in the dialog and the main actions were both paid and free. In the case of passing the game without any investments, many interesting scenes remained inaccessible, as well as exclusive endings with heroes.


    I''m ashamed to admit, but I still couldn''t resist, and invested a certain amount of personal funds in the game. All in order to see the ending with the captain of the guard, whom I chose as a couple.


    In the secret episode there was an additional portion of pink snot and the wedding of the heroes itself. But more than that, the last plot twist caught my attention. Execution of the main villain Rubiella Weinstein.


    If there was a heroine in the game, then there must be her opposite. Rubiella played the role of just such a character.


    The main villain was the heiress of an authoritative family of villains, the daughter of the current Duchess Magrit Weinstein. Rubiella''s father and the Duchess''s first husband died shortly after the birth of his daughter, leaving his wife alone with a small child.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Becoming a widow at such a young age made it very difficult for a woman to get married again. As a result, she blamed Rubiella for all her problems, because of which her personal life did not work out.


    The daughter became for her mother like an eyesore, the birth of which brought her only troubles.


    Moreover, further problems only became more.


    Soon, the Duchy of Weinstein suffered significant financial difficulties, and the Duchess urgently needed to find a profitable partner to improve the situation. And after a couple of years, Magrit managed to meet an aristocrat who was ready to tie the knot with her.


    However, he set one condition ¡ª Rubiella had to leave this house, since the man wanted to have only his own children.


    Actually, the Duchess did not hesitate for a long time. At the age of ten, she sent her to live with her younger sister, under the pretext that she would teach her. In fact, it was only the exile of an unwanted child until he came of age.


    After Rubiella came to live with her Aunt Grace, her life turned into a real hell. This woman led an extremely debauched lifestyle and brought lovers home almost every day, forcing the little girl to look at all this.


    She mocked and beat her in every possible way, depriving her of normal maintenance with a cavity. Grace was sorry to spend money on her niece, and as a result, the heiress of an influential family walked in rags for several years or wore her old dresses. The same applied to the place of residence ¡ª Grace allocated her the most miserable room in her estate so that she would not take up extra space for her guests who stayed overnight.


    Eight years of living in such conditions finally broke Rubiella, so despised by her mother, and as a result she became the main villain.


    On the day of the coming-of-age ceremony, she killed her aunt and remained the only member of the Weinstein family. Since the previous Duchess and her new husband died miserably six months before these events.


    Rubiella became the next head of the family and wanted to take revenge on the whole world for her suffering.


    After learning that it was her grandfather who was involved in the abduction of the crown princess as a child, she decided to continue his work. Rubiella hired assassins who were supposed to find Angela and deal with her. So that afterward, she could pretend to be her and deceptively destroy the imperial palace from the inside.


    Rubiella wanted to bring about the collapse of the entire empire.


    But in the end, the heroine and her love interests stop her, sentencing her to the most severe punishment.


    If in the usual ending it remained unclear whether the villain was executed or sentenced to life imprisonment, then in the exclusive scene this moment was revealed very unambiguously.


    Rubiella Weinstein was publicly executed for all her sins.


    I bought a few more secret endings, but in all of them the villain''s ending remained very transparent. One way or another, she always died.


    Quite a sad end for a girl who, in fact, did nothing wrong.


    Unlike the positive main character, who got everything easily and simply, Rubiella was impressed with me much more. To some extent, I even compared her with myself ¡ª our childhood did not work out the same way, and in adulthood we were forced to achieve everything with hard work.


    And we even ended up in a similar way, because I died relatively young.


    This was due to cardiac arrest, which was a consequence of my old illness. Heart disease was an innate feature of my body, and another attack happened just at the moment when I finished playing this game and fell asleep.


    Opening my eyes, I found myself in the body of a young woman living in a large but impoverished estate. She had brown hair and generally pleasant features. A pretty standard set of external data, but I didn''t complain, considering that I was reborn in the body of a background character.


    You could say I was even lucky that I didn''t become some kind of ugly hag, which could have been quite possible. After all, usually, it was the secondary relatives of the main characters who made their childhood so tragic.


    I didn''t have to spend a lot of time researching to realize that I was in a historical fantasy game.


    I became Grace Weinstein-the aunt of the main villain who bullied her as a child and eventually led her to such a terrible future. Needless to say, Grace herself suffered at the hands of Rubiella when she stabbed her at her coming-of-age ceremony.


    Being here now, I didn''t know what to do.


    In the mirror in front of me stood an indecently dressed woman who looked more like a brothel worker than a noble member of the ducal family.


    I sighed. It looks like I really have to try to fix my reputation in this place.


    The first thing I did was put my hair in a bun and put on a more modest dress. Then, I kicked out of my bedroom all the gentlemen who settled on my bed as if on their own.


    From that moment on, Grace Weinstein''s depraved lifestyle came to an end.


    I decided to put this house in order before the main villain appears in it.


    I thought I would have enough time to prepare everything and meet her with dignity.


    But as it turned out, Ruby Weinstein was brought to me a month after I first woke up here.


    On the threshold of the estate there was a little girl who looked at me with big blue eyes.


    So, this is the child that I will have to turn into a villain¡­?

 Chapter 2. Family for the villain

    <div>


    ?So you are my aunt??


    This question was asked to me by a little girl who looked like a doll. She had dark brown hair and big blue eyes. A cute face and plump cheeks that I wanted to cuddle.


    Actually, I could hardly resist the last impulse.


    The future villain and the person accompanying her, fell on me this morning like a snowball. The ?kind? Duchess did not even bother to send me a warning letter, but simply sent the girl with all her belongings. Of which she did not have so many.


    Rubiella was dressed in a worn blue dress, and was obviously freezing in her thin jacket. From the first seconds I felt sorry for her: poor child.


    The man who brought her looked extremely annoyed: he had to drag himself so far to get rid of the unwanted daughter of the Duchess. But this was not surprising. How could servants be nice to someone who even their mistress didn''t care about?


    ¡ª My name is Grace, ¡ª despite the tense atmosphere, I tried to smile warmly, ¡ª But you can just call me Aunt.


    Ruby nodded, and despite my attempt to make a good first impression, she looked extremely drooping.


    Obviously, I guessed for what reason.


    Despite her young age, she understood everything perfectly. Her own mother sent her away so that the girl would not interfere with their joint family life with her new husband. It is likely that she spent it with far from good words.


    And now, she felt unwanted and abandoned by no one.


    Before that, I didn''t have much experience in dealing with children, so I had little idea what I could do to calm her down.


    As a result, I had to act within my own strength.


    ?There''s nothing to stand on the threshold, let''s go inside,? I suggested, enthusiastically escorting the girl to the living room of my estate.


    My older sister''s butler left Ruby''s few luggage in the hallway, with an obvious desire to leave as soon as possible.


    ¡ª The lady asked me to tell you not to write to her about trifles, ¡ª he informed dryly, ¡ª If something happens to the child, deal with it yourself.


    ¡ª I understand you.


    As soon as Ruby was in an area where she couldn''t hear us, my tone immediately changed to unfriendly.


    ¡ª The mistress promised to send a monthly salary for her maintenance, ¡ª the butler did not even bother to call Ruby by name, ¡ª If this is not enough, make up from your personal funds.


    I chuckled.


    ?Salary¡­?? I wonder how much it will be? Given that the Duchess had found a decent match for herself, their family''s income should have increased. But it is unlikely that she will send at least a quarter to the needs of her own daughter.


    ?Tell your sister that I am very grateful for the generosity shown to her,? I replied skeptically.


    The butler pretended to ignore my contemptuous intonation.


    ¡ª As you say, Lady Weinstein.


    The man made a farewell bow before leaving my estate.


    I sighed. It seems that the most crucial stage of my life as a character in the game has begun right now.


    The next eight years are going to be quite difficult for me.


    I returned to the living room, where Ruby was sitting modestly on the edge of the sofa. The first time she was in someone else''s house, she obviously felt excited.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I didn''t expect her to be brought to me so soon, so I didn''t have time to properly prepare the house properly.


    Grace Weinstein''s estate was huge, but no one had restored it for a long time, so it looked more like an abandoned one. In many places, the paint peeled off the walls, a large amount of furniture was broken and hidden in the attic, and the floorboards on the ground floor creaked throughout the house.


    To such a state, the estate was brought by Grace herself, who did not care about household chores. She spent all the money on clothes and jewelry, as well as her lovers. As a result, this led to the fact that she was almost completely ruined.


    I got a huge dressing room with a wild number of expensive dresses, but at the same time there was no money even to hire a master to fix the house.


    The number of servants also did not appeal to the variety.


    All the servants ran away from Grace when she became unable to pay her salary. In the end, I was left with only one old butler, who was of little use.


    But not to say that I immediately dropped my hands and fell into despair. There is a way out of any situation, at least I hoped for it.


    ?Madam, you haven''t paid me for six months,? the butler complained on the very day I first came here, ?I don''t have anything else to cook you dinner from.


    ¡ª I understand! ¡ª I waved him off, although I understood that it was a big problem, ¡ª I will get the money soon.


    The man sighed humbly.


    ¡ª You always say that¡­


    ¡ª Always, but this time for sure! ¡ª I promised, although I was somewhat doubtful about my words.


    Andrew, the butler, had been working at Grace''s estate for more than a decade, ever since it had been inherited from her late father. He was a very old man, who by appearance should have been in the grave for a long time. But despite his age, Andrew was very lively and remained the only one who did not abandon his mistress in a crisis situation.


    All this is due to the fact that he was very loyal to the Weinstein family, and served it since the time of the last master.


    For centuries, the Weinsteins have been associated as an authoritative family of villains that the entire empire feared. They controlled the country from the inside and even the emperor did not dare to come into conflict with them once again.


    Harris Weinstein turned out to be the most influential head of this house in history. Not only did he increase the duchy''s fortune to the size of the imperial treasury, he also subjugated a good half of the aristocrats. Few people dared to contradict him in anything.


    However, all these achievements have sunk into oblivion with the death of Harris.


    All the awe and fear surrounding this family disappeared as soon as the power and title passed to his daughters. Magrit became the next duchess after her father, but she did not lead the Weinsteins to even greater greatness, but on the contrary destroyed them.


    She turned out to be completely incapable of managing such a large house, and eventually lost a huge fortune in less than a few years. Because of this, she had to marry several times in order to maintain at least a minimal status of an influential duchy.


    Grace''s youngest daughter was not much different from her. She squandered the inheritance left to her by the Duke on useless entertainment. And as a result, she didn''t have enough money for even the most basic things.


    In order to somehow improve the situation, I mercilessly dealt with Grace''s box, where she kept all the most valuable trinkets.


    I hired craftsmen to carry out the first renovation of the house. After that, I started looking for servants.


    I hoped that thanks to the big name of the Weinstein family, there would be many applicants for the position of a servant. However, on the day of the interview, only one girl came.


    It seems that the rumors that I''m broke have spread much further than I thought.


    As a result, she became the only maid in my estate.


    An ordinary village girl of about sixteen, who came to me only because she had nowhere to live. Two red pigtails and a freckled face were the first thing that caught attention when looking at her appearance.


    ¡ª Madam, do you know about the rumors that are going around about you? Nura asked me during the first interview.


    ¡ª Mm¡­ yes¡­


    ¡ªI want to make sure that you won''t dump me if I start working on your estate,? she said, ?so please pay me an advance.?


    She was the only one who came to me, so I was ready to accept her even without having any skills. Everything is better than one old butler.


    I took off a ring with a huge ruby of several carats from my finger. By the standards of the current course, it should have cost decently.


    I gave it to the maid, who bulged her eyes at me.


    ¡ª Is this enough as an advance for six months?


    Nura was speechless at first from such generosity, but then she quickly caught herself, and even learned to address me politely.


    ?Of course, mistress! ¡ª the girl exclaimed in a hurry, ¡ª Everything will be done in the best possible way!


    ?I hope so,? I chuckled.


    Thus, I increased my fortune to three servants and a more or less decent house to live in. But of course, this was not enough, and I was going to improve living conditions during the year.


    I wanted Rubiella to be able to feel comfortable in this estate.


    However, in the end, I had to limit myself to just this modest set.


    The maid I hired a month ago and the butler have one foot in the grave. I think we will be able to become a ?great? family for the main villain.


    I turned with a smile to Rubiella, who was sitting modestly in the living room, and did not know where to go next.


    ¡ª Maybe you want to see your room?

 Chapter 3. The system

    <div>


    Despite the fact that there was little time, I tried to prepare a nice room for Ruby.


    In total, there were about five bedrooms in the estate, but most of them were unsuitable for a child to live in. Grace used these rooms for entertainment with her lovers, and from their current appearance, it can be judged that the marriage games were far from being a joke.


    The whole house needed major cleaning and repairs, which will take a decent amount of time.


    So before that happens, I decided to put Ruby in my own quarters, where I lived until recently. Somehow I''ll get by myself in a room with a dubious past.


    Overall, the bedroom was spacious and cozy enough. A large four-poster bed, a dressing table and several wardrobes with clothes, as well as a balcony overlooking the garden.


    ¡ª Ruby, do you like it? ¡ª I turned to the girl, who froze on the threshold with her eyes wide open.


    ¡ªI¡­ can I really live here?? ?What is it?? she asked incredulously.


    ¡ª Of course! ¡ª I exclaimed, ¡ª Maybe this room is not the limit of dreams, but it will do until you grow up. If you want, we can do additional repairs here.


    Rubiella was still batting her eyelashes, after which she nodded uncertainly:


    ¡ª No, you don''t need to, Aunt¡­ I like everything.


    The girl walked into the room, looking into every corner, and for a while an expression of delight remained on her face. After which, she drooped again, and sat down on the bed with a sad look.


    I didn''t understand what was going on.


    ¡ª Ruby, what''s wrong? ¡ª I came closer and squatted down in front of her, ¡ª Is something bothering you?


    Rubiella shook her head. Her amethyst eyes seemed clouded.


    ?I know that Mom made you accept me,? she confessed, ?that''s why¡­ You don''t have to be nice to me. I promise I''ll be quiet, just don''t throw me out on the street!


    I was taken aback by her words.


    Does she really think I''m just pretending right now¡­?


    Although, to some extent, it could be called that. After all, I''m not stupid enough to dig my own grave, am I?


    I''d rather be a good aunt for all these eight years than then die by her hand according to the plot of the game. Besides, even without this knowledge, I still wouldn''t treat her badly.


    Even though our relationship is forced, but how can I hate this cute child?


    Rubiella was still too young to deserve something like this.


    ¡ª I don''t hate you at all, ¡ª smiling, I took her small hands in mine, ¡ª And your stay here is not a burden to me at all.


    Ruby looked up at me in surprise.


    ¡ª Really?


    ¡ª of course. You''re my sweet niece.


    The girl''s cheeks turned pink when I called her that. Mentally, I''ve already given Ruby the nickname ?hamster?. All because of the children''s cheeks, which made her face look like the muzzle of this animal.


    ?W¡ªso you won''t send me away¡­??


    ¡ª What nonsense, ¡ª I objected, ¡ª Now we are a family, and we will stick together. I will do everything in my power to take care of you.


    At the word ?family?, Ruby was even more amazed. No one had ever said such words to her before. And her mother''s sister, who considered the birth of her daughter her biggest mistake, welcomed her so warmly. It seemed to the girl that all this was just too good a dream that would disappear when she returned to the nightmarish reality.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    That''s why she didn''t want to wake up.


    ¡ª Will you really, really always be with me? Ruby looked at me with great hope in her eyes.


    ¡ª Really, really, ¡ª I let out a laugh, running my hand through her hair.


    ¡ª Then I believe you.


    I hugged my new niece to my chest, thinking that raising a child is not so difficult. All you need to do is pay attention and take timely care. If everything goes right, Rubiella will no longer need to become the main villain.


    At this moment, our little family idyll was interrupted by Nura.


    The maid leaned out from behind the door and cleared her throat.


    ¡ª What happened? I turned to her with a frown, mentally remembering that I would need to instruct her on behavior in this estate again.


    Despite the fact that the girl had been working for me for a month, she never learned to knock and always broke in without permission. Not to mention the other little nuances. All this was an echo of her past, because until recently, Nura practically lived on the street.


    ¡ª Madam, well, I am¡­ I wanted to inform you that Count Crick has sent a man to you again. He''s been waiting outside the door for five minutes.


    ?Count Crick?? Him again?


    ¡ª yes¡­ What should I tell him?


    I sighed.


    ¡ª Nothing. I''ll meet him myself.


    The red-haired girl scratched her head, awkwardly bowed and left.


    Meanwhile, my mood turned out to be somewhat clouded by the news that appeared. And what the hell brought it today¡­?


    Earl Creek was an old acquaintance of the real Grace, who at first tried to get close to her, because of the influential name of her family. That''s just, after the Weinsteins began to suffer a financial collapse, the count tried to retreat unnoticed. But I didn''t manage to do it in time.


    Finding herself in a crisis situation, Grace borrowed a large sum of money from him, with a promise to return it in the near future. The count believed her, because he hoped that the Weinstein heiress would not be able to deceive him. And, of course, he was wrong. Grace never returned anything to him.


    A month ago, he continuously sent his people to me, demanding to repay the debt. After selling off some jewelry, I managed to get some of the amount back, but it was still not enough. As a result, Earl Creek still continued to harass me, sending servants to my estate every week.


    With all my desire, I couldn''t pay off the debt right now, and I told him about it. The money I had left was needed to repair the estate and purchase the most basic things. Especially after I got Ruby. I have to feed her something.


    Despite the fact that I explained my situation to him very clearly, Count Crick apparently did not understand it.


    Well, then. I wasn''t going to give up on this nasty moneybags myself.


    Noticing the change in my expression, Ruby asked worriedly:


    ¡ª Auntie, is something wrong with you?


    When I came to my senses, I looked at my sweet niece and smiled.


    ¡ªNothing, Ruby. It''s okay,? I patted her on the head, ?it''s just that some guests have appeared, and I need to meet them.


    ¡ª Mind¡­ I see.


    I left the girl to deal with her new room, and I went down to the lower floor. Count Crick''s man was actually waiting for me on the doorstep.


    ¡ªYou''ve been thinking for a long time,? the man muttered discontentedly when I opened the door for him, ?You think you''re such an important person, since you can keep my master waiting¡­


    ?To the point,? I interrupted him, ?I don''t have time to deal with you. Just tell me what the count wants this time.


    The man grimaced.


    ¡ª The gentleman ordered you to give him the money this week. Otherwise, he will go to court.


    ¡ª The court? ¡ª I grinned, ¡ª And how will he do it? We didn''t even sign an IOU.


    ?Don''t be so cocky, Lady Weinstein,? he said contemptuously, ?my master has people all over the empire. And in the authorities, too. It will not be difficult for him to prove your crime.


    I folded my arms on my chest and was even touched by how this man tried in vain to intimidate me.


    However, I should have done it a long time ago. Especially when Ruby lives with me now. I didn''t want her to get involved in all these things.


    Today is the most appropriate day to finally end this lingering debt.


    And at that moment, a window popped up above my head, which only I could see.


    System: Quest ?Punishment of the Scream Count?


    The reward is forty crystals of game currency. Would you like to participate?


    And at the bottom there is a fast-running strip with a time limit.


    ?Yes,? I said out loud.


    System: Accepted! The quest has begun!


    The window disappeared, and the man in front of me came to life again, continuing to stare at me with displeasure. At the moments of the system''s manifestation in the game, time in this world stopped until I made a choice. Or, when the strip with the limiter expired.


    A ?mission? window appeared in the corner of my field of vision. It will continue to be there until I complete the quest with Count Creek. It''s like a computer game, where a column with tasks also hangs on the side of the screen.


    Despite the fact that I haven''t said anything yet, the count''s servant himself went to wait for me at the carriage. This happened every time the system automatically hammered the necessary information into the head of the background characters. Those whose importance in the game was higher had more of their own will.


    I took my hat from the shelf and put on my raincoat, getting ready to leave. But before that, she called Nura.


    ¡ªTake care of Ruby while I''m gone,? I ordered, ?feed her, and provide her with everything she needs.? Understand?


    ¡ª And what should I feed her? The maid asked, puzzled.


    ¡ª You''ll think of something! ¡ª I snapped, ¡ª What am I paying you for if you can''t do anything?


    Nura muttered resentfully.


    ?I understand, mistress¡­


    At that moment, Ruby herself came down into the hallway. The girl looked at me excitedly, seeing that I was going somewhere.


    ¡ª Aunt, are you leaving?


    Looking into her sad eyes, I could not remain indifferent.


    ?I won''t be long,? I promised, putting my hand on her shoulder.


    ?For a while?? Exactly?


    ¡ª Yes, ¡ª I grinned, ¡ª My aunt has some things to do.