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Chapter 01
Across from Mr. Smith’s desk, where he managed the assets of noble families, stood a grand, cushioned chair prepared for visiting aristocrats. Sitting in that chair, I calmly flipped through the documents and asked,
“So… this is the list of the Miller Count family’s assets and the current flow of funds?”
As I quietly turned the pages in front of me, I questioned Mr. Smith. His eyes widened as he stared at Davin standing beside me, then he answered in surprise.
“Y-Yes! That’s correct, Countess. What brings you here so suddenly? Is… is there some kind of problem?”
Seeing Mr. Smith startled by Davin—who stood sharply alert with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, scanning the surroundings—I smiled reassuringly.
“Ah, it’s not that I found fault with your work, Mr. Smith. Actually, I’ve run into a rather urgent situation…”
But my attempt to reassure him was shattered in an instant.
Crash!
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering rang out, followed by the violent clash of metal. In a split second, Davin shielded me and struck something away with his sword. Turning the chair I had been sitting in so its back faced the window, he spoke to me.
“Please stay hidden behind the chair for now.”
“Okay.”
Seeing me naturally crouch behind the chair as a shield, Mr. Smith’s eyes trembled violently.
“What in the world…?”
“Ah… well, something troublesome has been happening lately…”
I answered awkwardly.
“Mr. Smith, you should turn your chair around and hide as well. The enemies may target you instead of our Countess.”
While examining the arrow that had flown through the window, Davin instructed coldly. Mr. Smith hurriedly copied me, turning his own chair around and crouching behind it.
While hiding under the chair, the financial manager asked me in a trembling voice from beyond the desk,
“C-Could it be that someone is trying to kill you, Countess?”
“Ah, yes… well, that’s basically the situation.”
“W-Who on earth…?”
Mr. Smith trembled as he asked, but instead of answering him, I sat on the floor and calmly began reading the documents. After looking through several pages, I asked,
“So if you subtract the yearly expenses from the annual income, this is the amount left over after a year, right?”
Apparently, Mr. Smith hadn’t expected me to still be reading documents while lying on the floor, because he answered a bit late.
“Y-Yes. That’s right…?”
“Wow, then that means there’s a huge surplus every year?”
“Y-Yes… I suppose so. You’ve never been wasteful with money, Countess.”
Rich. Rich! Anise was rich! My eyes sparkled as I looked through the papers.
Still lying down, I broke into a bright smile. Brushing my long pink hair back over my shoulder, I thought about the owner of the body I had possessed.
Anise Miller. The emperor’s fiancée, a countess of the empire, and the young lady served by the protagonists of the original story.
I had heard she was a countess, but I never imagined her wealth was this enormous. Looking at the list of real estate and businesses that steadily brought in money every month, I swallowed my cheer.
But there were also many places receiving donations. Seeing the list of orphanages she sponsored and the costs of providing free meals daily in the slums left me dazed.
‘I was planning to sell everything off and run away.’
Now that I realized so many people depended on Anise’s support, I hesitated slightly. If I sold everything and disappeared, what would happen to these people?
Part of me thought it had nothing to do with me, yet another part wondered whether I should at least give them time to prepare before suddenly cutting off their meals.
‘Well, Davin and Lana were also people who owed Anise a great debt.’
The protagonists of the original story were people who had received lifelong kindness from Anise. And apparently, many others had also been financially supported by her.
“Uh, so… Mr. Smith?”
“Yes, Countess?”
Perhaps he had already adapted to the situation, because Mr. Smith’s voice sounded calm now. I asked him the thing I had been most curious about before coming here.
“You know the Miller family mansion where I live, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“If I put that mansion up for sale, how much do you think I could get for it?”
“Pardon?!”
Mr. Smith’s voice shot upward in shock. Then he asked,
“Surely you aren’t planning to sell that mansion?”
“Yes, I’m thinking of putting it on the market.”
The moment I revealed my intentions, Mr. Smith suddenly began speaking passionately.
“No, Countess! It would be such a waste to sell it now! As you know, the estate grounds are enormous, and its location is close to both the imperial palace and the city center—it’s a perfect golden property! On top of that, real estate prices in the capital keep rising. Everyone is desperate to buy property in the capital right now, so why would you want to sell it?!”
“That’s because…”
Crash!
Clang!
“Eek!”
Another intact window shattered, and the metallic sound of Davin knocking away an arrow rang sharply through the room. Mr. Smith, apparently not expecting another attack, screamed in shock.
Davin pulled the long sofa behind my chair toward me to shield my body and warned me,
“Be careful. The enemies have moved positions and are firing from another direction.”
“…It’s because of situations like this. I’m thinking of settling everything and leaving the capital for a while.”
“I-I see…”
Mr. Smith answered in a flustered voice and then fell silent for a while. Meanwhile, I continued flipping through the documents, searching for other assets that could immediately be liquidated. Besides the large mansion I currently lived in, there were several other houses in the capital.
“Can the other mansions in the capital be sold immediately?”
“A couple are vacant, and people are currently living in the others.”
“The occupied ones—are they rented out?”
I asked instinctively, then realized it might seem strange that I didn’t know. But fortunately, Mr. Smith didn’t suspect me. Apparently, nobles forgetting parts of their own wealth was common.
“…I can’t remember the exact reason right now, but as far as I know, you weren’t charging those people rent.”
I see. Then what assets could be liquidated right away?
Clink.
From beyond the desk came the sound of Mr. Smith pulling down a teacup that had been sitting on top of it. Looking through the documents, I suddenly realized something and hurriedly stopped him.
“Ah! Mr. Smith, don’t drink that!”
“W-What?!”
Startled by my shout, Mr. Smith dropped the teacup. A moment later, something sizzled as it melted.
“Aaagh!”
I couldn’t see what had melted, but Mr. Smith leapt up from behind the desk. I apologized to him.
“I should have warned you earlier. I’m sorry. The enemies probably snuck in and poisoned it.”
“……”
“……I’ll compensate you for all the damages today.”
“……Y-Yes. Thank you.”
Mr. Smith answered weakly, on the verge of tears.
I asked him to investigate who was living in the rent-free properties and requested that any assets that could be sold immediately be put on the market. While lying flat on the floor and diligently taking notes on my requests, Mr. Smith asked,
“Th-Then next time, after I’ve handled everything you asked for, should I visit the Miller estate?”
His voice clearly implied that he did not want to experience this chaos in his own office again. At that moment, Davin—who had remained silent the whole time—suddenly warned urgently,
“…The enemies are coming!”
At his words, I quickly gathered the documents and hugged them to my chest.
Crash! Smash!
Clang! Clang!
People dressed in black leapt in through the window, and Davin’s sword sliced through the air. Mr. Smith’s scream echoed through the office.
“Aaaaaaah!”
But the battle ended swiftly. Davin subdued the enemies in a single strike, knocking them unconscious before binding their arms behind their backs. Then he said to Mr. Smith,
“Please call the guards, Mr. Smith.”
“Y-Yes? Is it over?”
Mr. Smith, his face covered in tears and mucus, peeked over the desk. Davin answered,
“For now. Ah, and don’t touch the arrowheads with your bare hands. They’re poisoned.”
“Ah…”
Sniffling blankly, Mr. Smith stared dazedly while Davin turned to me and asked,
“Have you finished discussing everything?”
“Ah, yes, I’m done. Mr. Smith?”
“Yes, Countess.”
Still looking miserable, Mr. Smith looked at me. I spoke sincerely.
“You must have been terribly frightened today, and I truly apologize for that. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to visit the mansion where I live. Your life might genuinely be in danger then… so next time, I’ll come here instead. Please bill me for the repair costs and any other damages, and I’ll compensate you.”
“Ah…”
Looking at the dazed Mr. Smith, I smiled apologetically before asking Davin,
“Is it safe now? Can we leave?”
“Yes. There are no more enemies nearby.”
At his words, I rose from my crouched position, and Davin helped support me so I could stand properly. While he gathered the documents I had been holding, I walked toward the mirror mounted on the office wall and fixed my disheveled hair. The moment I saw my reflection, a smile naturally spread across my lips.
My silky pink hair flowed all the way down to my waist, and my blue eyes sparkled like glass jewels. I didn’t possess the overwhelming beauty of the story’s protagonists, but I quite liked Anise’s cute and pretty appearance.
It was the perfect transmigration.
The protagonists of the original story loved me, I possessed abundant wealth, I had an appearance I liked, and I was admired by people.
There was only one problem.
Anise was destined to be assassinated soon.
