I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 9

It wasn’t long before the maid came back, her face streaked with tears.
Her hands were completely empty.
She spoke before I could say a word.
“Madam, Master Leo has taken all the sweets and tea! Every last bit!”
“So, we’ve got bandits living in the manor, have we?”
I said, letting out a heavy sigh.
I could instantly picture the boy, who looked exactly like Kevin, grinning smugly. Leo’s ridiculous behavior made me sigh internally.
(Is ten really this young?)
I thought about it briefly, but I settled on the unhelpful conclusion that it just depends on the child. Even though I had some experience raising kids in my past life, that was ages ago. Plus, the environment and personalities here are completely different. Leo’s younger brother, Ron, is eight, but he would never dream of stealing someone else’s treats.
“So, tell me, how exactly did you handle him?”
“N-nothing, Madam. I mean, a new maid like me can’t possibly protest against the future Duke!”
“…I see. Was he accompanied by staff?”
“Yes, Master Leo has several personal attendants, you see.”
And this is the result of that many adults looking after him? I do remember from the comic that whenever Erica went to Leo’s room, there was a whole line of maids standing there. Still, after he grew fond of Erica, he mostly came to see her alone, so my impression of his attendants was very vague.
(The favoritism is truly blatant, isn’t it?)
As for me, the Duchess, I’m stuck with a single new maid who is, politely put, utterly useless. And Ron, the second son of the House of Abenius, only has one maid, a former wet nurse, if I recall correctly. So, there is a clear distinction being made between Leo and the rest of the family.
Based on this alone, it would seem Leo is entirely doted on by Kevin as the eldest son. However, and I apologize to Leo for thinking this, I don’t believe Kevin is actually that invested in him. There’s something else that bothers me, too.
(Her name was Martha, I think.)
I remember the name of Ron’s maid. She is a sensible and reliable woman. She had quite a few appearances in the comic. The eldest son, spoiled rotten by a legion of maids, versus the second son, who is looked after by only one capable maid, a former wet nurse. Which one of them is actually happy or better off?
While I was having this little thought, my stomach rumbled.
“Bring me anything edible—bread, fruit, a boiled potato, I don’t care what it is.”
“B-but Master Leo will just interfere again!”
“Then why don’t you tell him you’ll report him to the Duke?”
“I can’t possibly do that, ma’am!”
The maid shook her head violently, utterly unwilling. So, she can’t argue with Leo when he steals food, but she can flat-out refuse my direct order? I let out yet another sigh and stood up.
“The Duke is still in the manor, isn’t he? Is he in the master’s study?”
“Er… I think so, yes.”
“Good.”
The maid answered vaguely without even offering to check.
“Then show me to the study room. I’m going to speak to His Grace about Master Leo’s behavior.”
“Oh, I honestly don’t think it’ll do any good, though…”
“I think that’s for the Duke to decide, not you. Unless you suddenly have authority over his son’s education?”
“Oh! No, certainly not!”
While I’m there to report Leo, I’ll also ask if I can possibly get a maid who is slightly more competent. I thought this while looking at the young, new maid, who offered a nervous, evasive smile.
In the original story, Erica and she were similar in age and gradually became friends. Because Erica was naturally naive and sheltered, the maid would sometimes even tell her off.
(But I don’t need her.)
I hadn’t even asked her name, as I knew from the start that she wouldn’t suit me. She hadn’t introduced herself either. If Kevin agreed to change the maid, that would probably be the end of it. I felt completely detached, as if I was watching the story just drift further and further from the original plot.
Still hungry, I walked down the corridor for a while and was led to a door with heavy ornamentation.
“Oh, um, I…”
“You may return to your other duties now.”
She probably didn’t want to be present while Kevin and I spoke. Most of the staff here are terrified of the tyrant that is Kevin. I replied curtly to the maid, who looked relieved and scurried back the way we came.
I knocked on the door a few times.
“Who is it?”
“It is Erica Abenius, my Lord. I wish to speak to you about your son.”
An intimidating voice came from behind the door. I stated the purpose of my visit succinctly.
“Which one?”
“Master Leo Abenius. He is currently ambushing the maids in the corridor and carrying out acts of plunder, taking the food they are carrying—”
“Aaaaagh!!”
While I was speaking to Kevin through the door, I was interrupted by a loud shriek. I covered my ears and turned towards the source of the noise.
Leo, his face burning red with rage, was pointing at me and yelling. Well, that saved me the trouble of calling him, I thought.
“You! You! You can’t seriously report me to Father over something this tiny!”
I smiled at the child, who was desperately complaining. I, on the other hand, was currently starving. This was definitely not ‘something tiny’.
“If you don’t want to be reported to your Father, then you simply shouldn’t do it in the first place.”
‘Be careful next time,’ I advised him.
When I offered that advice, Leo, his eyes welling up with tears, shrieked, “You villainess!”
I might need to give him a lesson on the definition of a ‘villainess’ while I’m at it.