A Guide to Raising a Villainess Chapter 117: New problem

I froze for a mont, trying to comprehend what I had heard.

"Mines?" I asked, feeling a wave of anxiety rise within . "What about her?"

I chanically picked up the docunt. My eyes scanned the first few lines, and with each new line, my expression beca more and more tense.

"There’s been a problem with the ownership." Edison’s voice sounded cautious, as if he were choosing his words carefully. "The heir to the Earl of Trevern has claid that the land on which the mine is located belongs to his family. He claims that the deal you made to purchase it several years ago was illegal."

I slowly sat up straight in my chair and looked up from the paper.

"Illegal?" I asked.

The butler nodded.

"Yes," Edison continued after a short pause. "According to him, the deal was made at a ti when the forr count’s ntal state was already... um... unstable. He claims that the count was suffering from dentia and was not aware that he was signing docunts transferring the land."

I closed my eyes for a second, struggling to suppress my irritation.

"Really...?" I said with a smirk. "How funny. When this land was a useless rocky hill, no one thought to dispute it. But as soon as money appeared, everyone suddenly rembered their ’family rights.’"

"Exactly, ma’am."

Finally, I slowly got up from my seat and walked over to the window.

Beyond the glass was a quiet garden shrouded in a light morning mist. Everything seed peaceful, but inside , indignation began to rise.

The mine in Esterville had been my main source of inco for the past few years.

It was also one of my first achievents after arriving in this world — my first real success, achieved entirely by my own efforts.

Of course, after I first found myself here, in the body of Grace Weinstein, things didn’t look so bright. The family was on the verge of bankruptcy, the accounts were almost empty, and their position in society was shaky and unstable.

I had to literally rebuild everything from scratch.

And to be honest, at that ti, I had neither the ti nor the right to make mistakes.

Since I couldn’t count on the support of my older sister, the only way out was to rely solely on myself.

And, fortunately, I really managed to do it.

All thanks to my good mory — or, more precisely, the knowledge that remained with after I ca to this world.

I rembered how, in the original ga, it was in Estervood, several years later, that fierce rivalry between the nobles over new deposits began.

This episode was one of the side quests — not particularly important to the main plot, but quite remarkable.

At that ti, the heroine, traveling with one of her love interests, could accidentally stumble upon a hidden sapphire deposit, which subsequently beca the cause of many conflicts between the aristocrats.

For the player, it was just one of the possible plot developnts, nothing more.

But for , it was a real once-in-a-lifeti chance.

I still rembered exactly where that place was in the story. And as my family’s financial situation grew worse with each passing day, I decided to take a chance.

At that ti, not long after I had arrived in this world, this land was still a wasteland — a rocky, gray hill. No one could have imagined that beneath this barren soil lay what would later beco one of the largest sapphire deposits in the entire empire.

So I simply seized the opportunity.

Since the plot was located on the territory of Count Trevern and was formally listed as his property, I had to act cautiously. I understood that openly showing interest in such a useless piece of land could arouse unnecessary suspicion. Therefore, the deal was conducted quietly and discreetly.

Of course, Edison was extrely unhappy with my decision at the ti. He said that I was wasting my last money on a useless piece of land where even grass struggled to grow.

But I knew what I was doing.

I knew that beneath this rocky plain lay sothing that could change my destiny. All I had to do was wait for the right mont.

I spent almost all of my last money on this purchase. But at that mont, I had no doubts and did not regret my decision in the slightest. After all, if I didn’t take this chance, there would simply be no second one.

Fortunately, since it was of little interest to the count, I was able to purchase it relatively inexpensively. You could say that I got this plot of land almost for free.

I offered the count a symbolic amount for this piece of land, and he, not attaching any importance to the deal, agreed. The rest was a matter of ti — the mine was found, developed, and has now been bringing huge profits for several years.

Thanks to this, I was able not only to pay off all my previous debts, but also to gradually restore the reputation of my house, which was once considered irretrievably lost. Everything I have now, I have earned through my own labor, without outside support or anyone’s patronage.

Therefore, of course, I felt great pride in this.

And yet...

I certainly could not have expected sothing like this to happen almost five years after I bought this mine.

The old Earl of Trevern, from whom I once bought the land, died a few months ago — and, as is often the case, with his death, the struggle for inheritance, familiar to the aristocracy, began in the house.

His son, the new head of the family, apparently inherited not only the title, but also the desire to reclaim everything that had ever belonged to their family — even things that had long since lost any connection to it.

And now this man, who had appeared out of nowhere, had decided to assert his "rights" and cause problems.

Of course, I wasn’t going to just ignore it. When soone tried to claim that all this was the result of an illegal deal, I felt irritation rising inside .

I wasn’t going to let anyone take away what I had earned with my own hands.

"And what else does this ’heir’ say?" I asked, still looking out the window.

"He demands that the mine be returned to the county’s ownership and that all the inco received over the years be reimbursed," Edison replied after a short pause. "In addition, he has already filed a formal complaint with the magistrate."

I just snorted when I heard that.

"Madam... what do you intend to do now?" Edison asked cautiously, watching my reaction closely.

I slowly turned to look at him.

"This land has been mine for five years," I said firmly, almost coldly. "And I will not allow anyone to challenge my rights."

Nevertheless, the butler hesitated, as if gathering his courage before speaking again.

"If this petition is accepted, you will most likely have to go to the capital and confirm your rights in person," he said cautiously, choosing his words carefully. "I’m worried... that if the imperial chancellery really takes up this case, you may have problems because of it."

I smiled slightly.

"I know," I replied calmly. "Of course, I’m not going to sit idly by."

Edison bowed his head slightly.

"Then...?"

I was silent for a few seconds, thinking about what he had said. The silence in the office seed almost palpable.

"Prepare all the docunts related to the purchase," I said. "I want to make sure we don’t have a single loophole. We will not allow this case to go to court."

The butler bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, ma’am."

"I will personally go to Estervood to et with the new count," I added after a short pause.

"What?" The old man looked up, and for the first ti in a long ti, his face showed genuine surprise. "But ma’am...!"

He wanted to object, but I raised my hand to stop him.

"You’re right," I said calmly. "If the imperial chancellery really takes up this case, we could have problems. And that’s exactly why I don’t want to draw attention to it. I’m going to deal with it personally."

Edison hesitated a little before deciding to speak.

"It’s risky, madam," he said cautiously. "The south is unstable right now. There are still disputes between small landowners in the area, and the intervention of the aristocracy could cause discontent."

"Then I must go all the more," I replied calmly. "Let them see that I’m not going to hide behind the walls of my mansion."

Edison was silent for a few seconds, as if checking to see if I would change my mind. But, apparently realizing that it was useless to argue with , he nodded.

"Yes, madam," he said quietly, with a hint of humility in his voice. "In that case, I will prepare everything for your departure."

I nodded in response, and before dismissing Edison with this task, I also wanted to discuss the details of the upcoming trip with him.

But before I could open my mouth, suddenly —

Knock. Knock.

The sound was particularly distinct in the silence of the office. I frowned slightly and turned my head in that direction.

"Yes?" I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

After that, the door slowly opened, and a familiar figure appeared in the doorway.

It was Rubiella.