Episode 43

Episode 43. Is It Even Possible for a Villainess to Live Without Being Wronged

Mary’s older brother’s name was Emel.

He worked as an accountant for a famous trading company.

Smart and resourceful, he was in demand all over.

But he explained that things had gotten very bad recently because of the ongoing drought.

“Is the situation really that serious?”

“Yes.”

Emel, who was kneeling respectfully the entire time since he knew I was the Empress, nodded vigorously.

“We’ve never seen a drought this severe. There were even stretches of an entire month without a single drop of rain.”

He spoke in a calm voice.

“Even the small streams have dried up, and the big rivers are starting to show their beds. It’s no longer just about food; people are starting to worry about drinking water.”

“That’s truly serious.”

To think they had to worry not just about food but drinking water itself. I could immediately grasp how dire it was.

“If we don’t get heavy rain to refill the rivers within a month or two, people in the provinces will start dying. We might even have to fear an outbreak of disease.”

Whenever lots of people died at once, plague would often follow.

It had happened in the original novel too.

‘How did they solve it in the book again…?’

If I recalled correctly, the heroine Fay resolved the problem.

Fay, moved by the suffering of the people, began fasting and praying to God.

Jerome tried to stop her, but it was no use.

Fay wouldn’t stop praying.

Perhaps Heaven was moved by her devotion.

On the 14th day of her prayer, it miraculously rained.

That rain ended a drought that had lasted five full years.

‘We’re in the third year now, right…?’

Meaning this terrible drought would go on for another two years.

I looked at the children at the table, shoveling pie into their mouths.

They were so thin and gaunt, clearly underfed.

‘They’re supposed to wait two more years in this condition?’

Seeing it in person was so much worse than reading about it in the book.

And it wasn’t just Mary’s family. There must be many worse off than them.

‘Mary’s debt is handled thanks to Leonard, so that’s fine… but what about the drought?’

Waiting two more years for the heroine to fix it? They’d all starve to death first.

I shook my head.

‘I can’t let that happen. I’ll have to do something.’

So be it. If it’s come to this, I’d rely on the original novel itself.

No reason to wait two years.

I’d just do what the heroine was supposed to do.

Originally, solving the drought was a big turning point for the heroine to strengthen her standing.

But.

‘Is that really important right now?’

The top priority was ending the drought as soon as possible.

All right. Let’s do this.

I boldly began my fast and prayer.

Of course, the ladies-in-waiting protested as soon as they heard.

“Your Majesty! You can’t fast!”

“You’ll ruin your health!”

“I’ll be fine.”

Don’t worry, everyone.

If Fay did it, I can too.

About a week passed.

At first it was manageable, but then the real hardship set in.

I didn’t even really feel hunger anymore.

Sometimes my vision blurred and I felt faint.

“Your Majesty, you’ll collapse at this rate!”

Their worry grew with each passing day.

Not just the maids, either.

The gardeners, guards, painters, cooks…

Even Leonard and Cedric eventually showed up to plead with me.

Ah. Not that everyone was worried.

“This is absurd.”

Jerome just looked at me like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Excuse me? When Fay did it, you supposedly tried very hard to stop her with concern in your voice.

Why do you always look at me like I’m something to scrape off your boot?

Honestly. I’m not even cold rice—I’m raw rice to you.

But weirdly enough, his cold reaction actually strengthened my resolve.

So I pressed on.

On exactly the 14th day of my fast and prayer.

According to the novel, that was when it should have rained.

I looked up at the sky.

“…What the hell.”

It didn’t rain at all.

The sky was ridiculously clear.

What? Heaven is moved by “sincere prayer” and answers it?

Are you saying my devotion didn’t count?

“Hahaha.”

I let out a hollow laugh.

Damn this stupid novel.

So it really was just the heroine’s special buff.

What—am I not allowed to fix it because I’m the villainess?

Honestly.

It’s enough to make a villainess want to lie down and cry.

Ah. I got too worked up. My head was spinning again.

The world went black in front of me.

When I opened my eyes, Cedric was there.

“You nearly died.”

He spoke with a dark expression.

“Why are you here?”

“I heard you collapsed.”

Apparently he’d treated me.

They told me I’d been unconscious for three whole days.

Well, I had been praying and drinking only water for two weeks.

Thanks to Cedric’s healing magic, I recovered quickly.

When I finally got to eat real food again, I was overjoyed.

Truly, the sense of taste is a beautiful thing.

After that blissful meal, I returned to my office.

I gathered up the drought reports again.

My fasting-and-prayer plan had failed.

But that only made me more determined to solve this drought no matter what.

I firmed my resolve.

Just wait. I’ll break the original plot line that tried to ruin all my effort.

We’ll see who wins in the end.

“Your Majesty.”

Countess Chloe approached carefully with the tea tray.

“Is that the drought file you’re looking at?”

“Yes.”

“Um… would it be worth asking His Excellency the Wizard?”

Chloe sounded hesitant but concerned.

Of course. She’d been worried ever since I spent over two weeks fasting.

“I actually did ask Cedric… but he said making it rain in a small area for a short time is possible. Solving a continent-wide drought is impossible.”

“Even Lord Cedric, who is called a Sage, says so…”

Chloe’s face fell with disappointment.

Not just disappointment over the drought itself.

“Is there another problem?”

She hesitated.

“It’s all right. Tell me.”

When I pressed, she spoke carefully.

“Lately… there have been some troubling rumors going around among the people.”

“Rumors?”

“They’re saying… the drought is Your Majesty’s fault.”

“Me?”

I was so shocked I nearly choked.

Me, not the imperial consort?

In the novel, the heroine Fay had become the target of the people’s resentment.

“It seems Your Majesty’s act of praying for the people got twisted. They’re saying the drought isn’t ending because of your prayers.”

“Good grief.”

What kind of maniac would fast and pray just to make a drought last longer?

When times are tough, people look for someone to blame, but this was going too far.

“Who the hell is spreading such idiotic nonsense?”

“We don’t know. By the time it reached me, too many people already believed it.”

This was a consequence I hadn’t even considered.

Was it because I’d deviated from the original?

I hadn’t expected praise, but I didn’t think I’d get blamed for the drought itself.

“Whoever’s behind this is going to pay. If I catch them, I’ll never forgive them.”

Mary was listening nearby and got even angrier than I did.

Thanks to her outburst, I managed to calm down a little.

“People are scared and want someone to blame. Let’s not worry too much. I’ll find a way. I promise I’ll fix this.”

At this point, solving the drought wasn’t just about pride anymore.

While recovering, I’d thought about it constantly.

And I’d finally come up with one possible plan.

I’d even discussed it separately with Cedric.

But first, there’s something I need to take care of.

To execute my idea, I’d have to travel quite far.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t go by carriage this time. I’d have to ride a horse.

Which led to a new problem:

‘I don’t know how to ride.’

Reading a book about etiquette hadn’t magically taught me that.

I needed a real teacher.

‘Obviously there’s only one man for the job.’

I turned to Countess Chloe.

“Where is Sir Leonard right now?”