A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 

‘Somehow. I said I had a thing for tea leaves and herbs.’

 

The thought of Duke Fay standing by and watching only made Morgana more determined to get out of the house.

 

But thanks to Morgause, Morgana changed her plans a bit.

 

‘Perhaps I should just give the tea leaves and herbs to those who need them.’

 

It was only a small amount of money anyway. I gave up on that and decided that I could make a lot more money dealing with nobles.

 

It all depends on how you make a connection, but this was Fay Family.

 

While selling tea leaves, a lot of information could be obtained through casual conversations with servants.

 

Especially in Fay’s case, the servants tended to bond with each other because their employer was a bastard.

 

They were almost comrades-in-arms.

 

‘They said the Duke’s aide bought the tea leaves, didn’t he?’

 

Morgana remembered Barton, a rather plain-looking man.

 

Judging by the lack of comment after the tea was bought, it wasn’t a big enough deal to warrant any sanction.

 

As one of the Duke of Fay’s closest confidants, he could have gotten word to Morgana in some way if he wanted to.

 

‘Fine, I’ll give him a little time to think.’

 

Morgana spoke to the servants, who looked to her for permission to leave.

 “In the future, if you need any herbs or tea leaves, you can just take them.” 

Some of them snapped their heads up as if surprised by her words.

 

Morgana smiled brightly, brimming with assurance.

 

Hopefully, she didn’t look like a politician making promises right before an election.

 “If this happens again, I’m afraid it’ll be hard for me, so if you need anything, feel free to ask.” 

Then she dismissively waved her hand.

 

The servants bowed their heads in stunned silence and stumbled out the door.

 Wow—

, they left in unison, and as soon as the door closed behind them, they let out a scream.

 “That, did you just hear that?” “I heard she was born and grew up on the street, so she must be a little different.” 

Another voice spat out the comment, a little excited.

 

Neither a maid nor a maidservant was in a position to be pampered, much less taken care of.

 

The only possibility was to become a nanny to a young noble and earn a title for her services, but that was not an option for the Duke of Fay, who had few children of his own.

 

And now, in the presence of the fearsome Morgause, she dared to take the maid’s side!

 

Perhaps she could at least be treated like a human being if she became Morgana’s maid.

 

Already, a subtle jealousy had begun among the maids.

 

At this point, one of the maids threw cold water on the conversation.

 “I’m a little scared. She used to yell at us before.” 

Although she wasn’t mean to everyone, she seemed uneasy because she had been mistreated.

 

The servant, who had been listening, spoke up, “

Well… Maybe she didn’t know how to treat people?” “Yes, I’m sure she did, but she’s been studying etiquette by reading books lately.” “Wow, she’s very smart, she picked it up in no time.” “From what I hear, she’s a faster learner than Lady Morgause.” 

Wow, the voices of admiration echoed through the walls.

 

Morgana ran her fingers through her hair, feeling a little embarrassed.

  

The next day, Morgana realized that rumors were quick to spread in the mansion.

 

People had been lining up to get tea leaves from her since the lazy hours of the afternoon.

 

Even then, they seemed to have agreed on their hours, not wanting to interrupt Morgana’s daytime sleep and rest.

 

At some point, the number of servants dwindled to a trickle, and the missing ones were desperately searched for.

 

As a result, the maids often came to Morgana’s room.

 

Like a parent chasing down a child who has run away to a café instead of a cram school, the maids would find Morgans in her room with determined faces.

 “Miss, I’m sorry. I have some urgent work to attend to…” “No. Would you like a drink?” 

Unable to refuse, the maids accepted the cups and gulped down the tea in one mouthful, as if they’d rather drink it quickly and then be taken away.

 

A few minutes later, despite appearing defiant.

 

The maid’s face visibly brightened,

“Huh…?” “How’s that? Feeling better?” 

It was the tea that soothed sore muscles. It was the number one bestseller in the shop, bought by the hardworking servants.

 

Likewise, it could have been a better herb, but it was enough for those who didn’t move too much in their daily routine.

 

The maid was amazed when she tasted it for the first time.

 

The following day, around the same time, they would see her again in the line outside Morgana’s room waiting to receive her tea.

 

Because of this, work in the afternoons became paralyzed at the Duke of Fay.

 “Are you giving away free tea this time?”

said Duke Fay.

 

Morgause had made a fuss over the fact that she had been moved to a larger room. She was displeased, although it was in a much more remote corner than her room.

 

Furthermore, I was worried that she was bringing in things whose names I didn’t recognize.

 

‘What kind of nonsense are they doing this time?’

 

When I heard that they were exchanging money, I realized that perhaps she had gotten her act together, but not her greed.

 

Therefore, we provided a modest expense to maintain our dignity.

 

Now she’s giving it away for free. For free!

 

If she’s going to use her powers, why not give them to the nobles?

 

Make herbs of such potency that aristocrats would even take them, and curry favor with the Fay family, instead of giving the servants a bunch of crappy tea that has no use for them?

 “Barton. Go and collect all the tea leaves and send the servants back to their work.” 

At this point, Barton wondered if Morgana was going to make a deal with the Duke of Fay to take all of them away, disrupt things, and then take her to the succession ceremony.

 

At the Duke of Fay’s words, Barton bowed his head in annoyance.

 “Alright.”  

Barton, who would normally have resisted, walked obediently to Morgana’s room.

 

The Duke of Fay thought nothing of it, but after drinking the tea, he thought otherwise.

 

‘It was quite good.’

 

His body, which had been stiff for days, felt light after drinking the tea.

 

The cursing that had accompanied his waking up each morning, along with his vertigo, was much less frequent.

 

I could see why the servants were flocking to Morgana’s room.

 

‘The Fay must have a bit of a temper.’

 

In terms of personality, Morgana was a Fay.

 

Legend had it that the fairy of the lake cared so deeply for the continent.

 

Given how their personalities have remained the same from generation to generation, I wonder if the fairy of the lake actually forged the sword out of anger at the demons.

 

The personalities were inexplicable unless that anger had been passed down from generation to generation.

 

He lightly snapped his fingers at the servants who stood casually in front of Morgana’s chambers.

 “Come, let us all move aside.” 

At the sound of Barton’s voice, the servants cleared a path like a parted sea.

 

Announcing his presence with a cough, he tried to be courteous.

 “Miss Morgana. This is Barton. I have a message from the Duke to…” “Come in!” 

Before he could finish speaking, a welcoming voice called out.

 

Morgana bristled at the visit from Barton, an unlikely visitor to the South Wing.

 

Barton was one of the few people in the Duke of Fay’s household who could leave the manor freely.

 

The maids usually stayed within the Duke’s grounds, even if they had titles, but he was different, traveling to and from work.

 

Being practically confined to the mansion, Morgana was grateful for the interaction with the outside world.

 

Barton simply rolls his gaze at the open door. He’s not used to Morgana’s unexpectedly gentle hospitality.

 

Morgana smiled kindly at him as he entered, a beat late.

 “The Duke sent you, I see. What brings you here?”

asked Morgana.

 “Much. As you can see, the servants have been swarming your chambers, and there has been a disruption,”

explained Barton.

 “Did they?” 

Morgana glanced at the line of servants, and they quickly dispersed.

 

Even the maids who had been collecting tea leaves at the side awkwardly backed away, calling out.

 “Oh dear, I forgot to leave the light on in the kitchen!” “I think I hear someone calling me from out there…!” 

With that, they turned and walked out the door as if the tide had receded.

 

Soon, the room was empty except for Barton.

 

Morgana looked up at Barton, smiling brightly once more.

 “I suspect that the Duke’s message was not simply the absence of the maids.” “Yes. What… Though he did add that all the tea leaves are to be collected and disposed of.”