Don’t Ask For Mercy From The Villainess - Chapter 10. The General Store’s Witch And The Real Witch

“I’ve talked to the butler, but I haven’t heard anything from him, miss.”

Jessica casted her eyes slightly down at Anna’s words. Looking quietly at the teacup to calm down her mind and get a hold of herself a bit.

“Let me know if there’s any words from them.”

Jessica spoke to Anna, who was standing quietly behind her, but could not hear an answer from the girl. Thinking suspiciously, she turned around and suddenly made eye contact with Isanna.

‘But I didn’t think she would actually pay an ordinary visit here.’

I didn’t expect she would come into the Marquis of Viterne’s garden, which was called the blade of the Empire, so shamelessly. Isanna’s outfit clearly screamed ‘I’m a suspicious person’ which consisted of tight-fitted black clothes from head to toe in broad daylight.

Realizing her action, Alter then pointed a knife at her neck which made Isanna raise both of her hands up to the air.

“Is this how you treat me when I was literally asked to come here in the first place?”

“It would be fine if you came in through the front door.”

“If I entered through the front door. Do you want me to do an advertisement for information business or what?”

Isanna was saying the right thing. It wasn’t yet known that Moncharto’s General Store was, in fact, an information dealer. It was only known by some of the high-class nobles, but the lady from a lowly Marquis Family, who had little wealth and properties, was able to find out that the general store was an information dealer as well.

This is where the problem started to arise. So where did she get that information? Isanna looked thoroughly to track down the traitor, but she came up with nothing.

She did find out one thing while watching the Marquis of Viterne. It was the fact that the First Prince, Salipe Ert, frequented this family’s house. Only then did Isanna feel relieved. Jessica might have heard about the conversation between the First Prince and the Marquis of Viterne regarding her and decided to pay a visit.

‘It wouldn’t be possible if that’s not the case.’

But Isanna then eventually decided to come here by herself instead of sending her people because they could never understand what this young girl knew regarding the white spinel.

“Please sit down.”

“We can’t talk in a place where everyone can walk by freely. There was also the First Prince a while ago, right?”

“I know he went out after I saw him with Father. So we’ll have some time to talk.”

Jessica’s eyes curved pleasantly while talking with her mouth covered by the fan. Isanna felt strange. The noble girl had never seen her before, but why is she so kind toward her? The reason was unknown to her. Isanna hurriedly opened her mouth in order to dismiss the strange feeling inside.

“I have an informant telling me that the information you have may be true.”

“Hm? Maybe it isn’t.”

Jessica’s gaze was innocent when she denied Isanna’s words. It was no use throwing those kinds of words to find out about that.

“That’s our conclusion anyway and we decided to settle a deal with you.”

There was an incisive glint in Jessica’s eyes. Isanna’s decision to make a deal with Jessica was much appreciated, but she suddenly had some questions because of that. The question was, why Isanna suddenly  wanted to make a deal with her?

“Where did you get that information?”

“I kept an eye on the Marquis from somewhere. You must have heard the conversation between the First Prince and your father, haven’t you?”

As soon as she said those words, Jessica was shocked that she was unable to open her mouth.

‘Father… was already looking for a place to talk with the First Prince?’

Her face turned as cold as a wax statue when something she didn’t know in her last life was suddenly revealed. Jessica’s face changed in a flash and she had a frosty aura around her. The sudden death of the Marquis Viterne. His death wasn’t just a mere accident. Marquis Viterne must have died while carrying out his work along with the First Prince under the containment of different forces.

“You, what’s wrong with you?”

Because she was covering the bottom part of her face with a fan, Isanna didn’t see the cold and stern expression on Jessica’s face. However, she just opened her mouth in surprise at the slightly cold spark in the girl’s eyes that was visible over the fan. What was the reason for the young noble lady with that sort of gaze? Isanna was rather confused.

Soon after.

Noticing the woman’s embarrassment, Jessica smiled with her eyes curved up like a shape of crescent moon. Her whole face was visible again as she folded her fan, leaving only the soft aura on her face as if the warm spring sun was shining over it.

Isanna stroked her arm once the atmosphere changed in an instant. She got goosebumps. Because the young noble lady, who she saw as a mere young girl, wasn’t just a ‘young lady’ but a ‘noblewoman’ who was skilled at doing trickery.

‘I shouldn’t challenge her if I don’t stand the chance.’

Isanna bit her lips hard while thinking it’d be best not to touch such a person. People like Jessica were seen a lot in the Empire she was staying in. Those were witches.

Not a fake witch like her, but the real one. The woman who mercilessly gave a hard blow to the people who intercepted her path. A person who wasn’t called a witch by others, but a person who walked along the bloody path on her own.

“Nothing.”

Her fingertips trembled at Jessica’s soft voice, however Isanna didn’t show it. She also thought that she became quite bold because she had gone through the world’s dispute. But today, she dropped the idea in front of Jessica. Because there was someone who went through worse things than her.

In her previous life, Jessica didn’t know that the First Prince frequented the Marquis Viterne’ house. After returning back to the past, only then did she find out that the First Prince often stopped by the Marquis’ residence and even bumped into him after accidentally listening to the words of the maids.

‘But I can’t believe I had missed this one.’

It was a mistake that she would never make if she was back in her past life.

“I was so shaken up because I came back to the past.”

Jessica closed her eyes and opened them again slowly while blaming herself for being so relieved that the people who had become her fence were all alive. The blue eyes that resemble sapphire shone brightly, and she could feel Isanna flinched when she stared at those eyes.

Jessica casually picked up a teacup in front of her. Isanna looked as if she had enough of it when she watched the teacup being moved up without making any sound. Jessica also saw her expression, but she said nothing in response.

Because it was not important for now.

“Hmm, about our condition…”

“I’m the one who settled the conditions. Telling you the location of the white spinel is more favorable than the information I need from you, right?”

Isanna hit the table so hard that it let out a ‘baam’ sound as if she couldn’t stand Jessica anymore, who was talking with a smirk visible on her face.

“What sort of thing do you need to ask from me?”

“I want to know what a Baron is scheming and who is behind him.”

“Baron?”

She thought the girl would ask for something grand, but when Jessica asked her for an information of a baron, Isanna’s eyes shifted slightly.

‘It’s different from what I had expected…’

Isanna’s prediction, where she thought the girl would ask for information that would make a worthy amount of money or she would use the Vonzarto general store several times in the future in exchange for information, turned out to be wrong. Jessica folded her fan and tapped the table with the tip of it toward Isanna, who had a puzzled expression on her face.

“My neck hurts so you should sit down.”

Looking up at her, Isanna’s face turned red at Jessica’s remark. She sat down with an awkward look as she felt like losing over a young lady who was much younger than her.

“My father is coming out soon, so I have to hear your answer.”

“But which baron is it?”

“I’ll send someone else to let you know about him.”

“Sending someone else?”

“But there may be ears of others who can hear about the matter, isn’t there?”

Isanna shut her mouth hearing Jessica’s dark laugh.

‘Then why did I come here?’

Did she have to face such a sly young lady? Isanna wanted to turn back in time with continuous regret building inside her. Jessica obviously didn’t intend to wait as the woman was just gawking at her.

“Your answer?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll send this girl.”

The tip of Jessica’s fan pointed to Anna. When she, who was pointed out as the person to convey the letter, opened her eyes wide, Isanna stood up after examining Anna’s face when the girl widened her eyes after she was appointed as the person in charge of delivering the letter. She just wanted to return quickly.

“Then I will expect it.”

“It won’t take long.”

“The white spinel?”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I receive the baron’s information.”

“I believe you.”

Jessica hated Isanna’s remark earlier. Isanna suffered after trusting her until the end. She died in the hands of Jessica, the person she had put her trust in. When the last image of Isanna flashed in her mind, Jessica shut her eyes tight as if she couldn’t bear to recall it.

She fell down right before her eyes as the red blood flowed out of her lips. As if she understood Jessica’s choice, Isanna said she wanted to rest with a kind gaze directed at her. The memory of holding on to her collapsing body and crying endlessly flooded her mind.

‘That won’t happen again.’

Her fan was broken off in her white hand. Jessica’s fan was made of non-hard birchwood. The fan that noblewomen avoid using because of the light material and only used often by young noble ladies, but it would break off easily if they put too much force on it.

The Marquis Viterne, who had spent a lot of money for the care of his late wife, the Marchioness who was already deceased, bought it with the maximum amount he could spend when he was still in debt, but the fan’s fate was to break off in her hands.

“Young Lady, are you alright?”

Isanna was nowhere to be found when she opened my eyes again, and she only spotted Anna who stood restlessly with a worried look. Jessica got up from her seat and reached out her hand to Anna.

“Throw this away.”

Anna quickly moved and took the broken fan from her hand when Anna’s cold voice ordered her to do so. The broken fan seemed to be beyond repair. Like her pure heart that had been shattered into pieces as it became worn out and gradually perished into dust.