I'm a Villainess, Can I Die?-Chapter 56

I told a small white lie to spare Jacob’s dignity. I even found myself quietly admiring my own good deed for considering the dignity of the scammer who had tried to deceive me. I finished off the rest of the cake, feeling somewhat pleased.

The problem, however, was that Jacob had abandoned the contract on the table. The crumpled contract had made its way into Lukas's hands.

Standing beside me, Lukas read the paper in silence before flashing a grin.

I had expected him to be irritated by the contract I had given, but to my surprise, he seemed satisfied with it.

"Did he run off after seeing this?"

"Well, I guess so."

It seemed like he had figured it out, but I stuck to my word until the end. Watch and learn, Jacob.

Lukas gave a bemused smile before looking at the door, where Jacob had rushed out. Turning his neck sharply, Lukas spoke.

"I’ll be right back."

"Do as you please."

As soon as I spoke, Lukas tapped Aiden on the arm before heading out. It was as if he was passing the baton.

Aiden, who had been watching Lukas, glanced down at the contract again. He seemed to want to read it, but his status made it difficult to do so openly. If only he had just told me he wanted to be a guard mage, we wouldn’t be facing this dilemma.

"Aiden, did you eat the extra cake I got for you?"

I suddenly asked, and Aiden quickly looked up at me and shook his head.

"No, there’s still some left."

"Really? Then let’s bring it over and eat together."

We mustn’t waste food.

Besides, this café is a cake paradise. Honestly, the pastries from the duke’s chef are better, but... I finally understood what my senior at work meant when they said you enjoy the ambiance of the café.

"Wasting food will get you punished."

Aiden, who had been looking at me with confusion, let out a sigh.

A bright smile appeared on his face as he responded.

"Yes, miss."

His voice was cheerful, clearly agreeing with my stance on wasting food.

Aiden soon returned with two half-eaten cakes from the table they had been sitting at. The cakes barely had a bite taken from them. I almost cried earlier.

We both dug into the cakes together. As I chewed, I thought about how absurd this situation was. Here we were, in a café where rich nobles usually gather, sharing half-eaten food between a princess and her servant.

I stared absentmindedly at the whipped cream on my fork before shifting my gaze to Aiden, who was diligently eating his share.

He was eating so happily.

The contract, still on the table, had shifted closer to my plate, but I simply continued watching Aiden eat. When his plate was nearly empty, I subtly pushed the contract towards him with my fingers.

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Aiden noticed the contract now in front of him and gave me a sidelong glance.

"You can look at it."

It wasn’t actually a problem for Aiden to read it. I just delayed letting him see it because I found the way he was sneakily glancing at it amusing.

With wide eyes, Aiden cautiously picked up the contract and began reading it. His expression grew more serious as he read toward the bottom, just like Jacob’s had.

"Miss... What is this?"

"A scarecrow."

A scarecrow is needed to scare off birds.

This contract was something I created to chase away a bird named Jacob, so calling it a scarecrow seemed like a fitting description.

"Huh?"

Aiden didn’t seem to understand the deeper meaning behind it. What a shame... But I had no intention of explaining. I simply shrugged.

Since I had decided to protect Jacob’s dignity, I had to maintain my integrity until the end.

Meanwhile, Lukas had walked toward the carriage storage. Since Jacob had arrived by carriage, it was the only place he could have gone.

It had been a while since Jacob ran off, but considering how concerned he was about appearances, he wouldn't have run through the crowded streets. He must still be nearby.

As Lukas had expected, Jacob was walking toward the carriage storage, his face filled with frustration.

"Dammit! It’s not as easy as they said it would be... I almost got myself into serious trouble with that crazy woman. Didn’t even get paid for it. What the hell is this?"

Jacob muttered while roughly running his hand through his hair. His words were louder than expected, likely because of his excitement.

A few weeks ago, a drunken Jacob had been walking alone through the city streets at night.

He had many complaints about his life.

Born the second son, unable to inherit the title, and still receiving nothing but nagging from his parents.

Just the other day, he had lost all his money gambling, and when he asked his parents for help, all they gave him was a scolding and a slap.

"Just do well outside! Keep up the nobility, what do they expect... it’s suffocating, damn it..."

He muttered curse words and hiccupped uncontrollably, resembling a street drunk more than a noble.

Jacob figured he’d have to extort some money from the wealthy women he frequented.

His parents wouldn’t give him any, after all... What else could he do?

Despite all his complaints, he had an inflated sense of self-worth.

He thought of himself as someone great, someone whose environment just couldn’t catch up.

There was no room for guilt in Jacob's world.

As he walked, the faces of women passed through his mind, but soon, he stopped in his tracks. A figure stood tall in his path. Drunk and dizzy, Jacob’s judgment was clouded far more than usual.

He had no thought of avoiding this suspicious figure in the night.

"Hey, who are you?"

Instead of walking away, Jacob chose to provoke. As he shouted, a person dressed in a black robe slowly turned to face him.

Hiccup.

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A strange sense of fear overcame him, though the person in the robe was still walking toward him.

"What... what is this... who... are you..."

Jacob stammered in fear, but the figure didn’t respond. Instead, it moved toward him slowly, as though the silence was its answer.

Jacob stood frozen, staring at the figure. Normally, he would’ve run by now, but the alcohol had made his legs unsteady, and standing still or staggering was the best he could do.

For the first time, Jacob thought he should cut back on his drinking.

As he thought this, the figure kept walking toward him. Only when the distance between them was just a few steps did the figure stop.

"Are you Jacob Cooper?"

Jacob blinked, startled that the stranger knew his name. It seemed this person had been waiting for him here all along.

How did they know I’d be passing through here?

Jacob nodded in response.

He briefly considered denying it, but faced with the person who already knew his name, he realized no lie would work.

"Jacob Cooper. I have a request."

"A request?"

"Yes, a very simple one. It won’t harm you in any way."

The next day, Jacob woke up in an unfamiliar place. His head pounded from the hangover as he slowly surveyed his surroundings.

He found himself in one of the city’s best hotels.

A hotel only the wealthiest nobles could afford. What was he doing here?

But he couldn’t think about it for long. The headache was so intense he had to drink water straight from a glass, chugging it down in desperation.

Having drained an entire pitcher of water, Jacob felt bloated and sluggish as he stood up.

He looked around the room and soon spotted something familiar on the tea table.

"This is definitely..."

A square, rigid bag made of durable material. It had been the strange man from last night who had handed it to him.

Jacob slowly opened the bag. A click sounded as the fastening loop opened, and the bag revealed its contents.

"Hah."

Jacob gasped. The bag was full of gold coins. It looked like there were at least 5,000 gold coins. The golden shine reflected off the chandelier, and Jacob grinned widely.

On top of the gold coins was a piece of paper.

Jacob, still admiring the gold coins, reached for the paper.

The paper read:

[Contract - Jacob Cooper will seduce the princess into marriage. If successful, an additional sum will be paid—twice the amount of gold coins provided as an advance. Should this contract be leaked to anyone, appropriate penalties will be enforced.]

At the bottom of the contract were two signatures, one of which was clearly Jacob’s.

Jacob vaguely remembered signing it, though his memory of it was hazy.

This contract had been created in the magic tower. It was a high-end item meant to ensure that conditions would be met, no matter what.

Jacob whistled briefly and folded the contract back into the bag. Rather than feeling despair over the ridiculous contract, he accepted the situation with enjoyment.

He had heard the rumors about the princess.

She was greedy, had a bad temper, and was foolish. Surely he could seduce such a woman.

He was someone important, after all.

And the man had clearly said it was an easy request.

Jacob gripped the gold coins in his hands, smiling with delight. All he could see were those lovely coins.

He was certain he would succeed quickly, claim ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ his reward, and marry into the duke’s family.

But... instead of fulfilling the conditions, he had been chased out after receiving a terrifying threat from the princess.

"Damn!"

Jacob cursed, his anger boiling over as he kicked a stone on the ground. He was so angry that he had to kick something to keep from losing control.

But the street was busy, and there were people walking past. As expected, someone was in front of him.