The Villainess Became The Male Lead's Secretary

Chapter 4

'Something seems off with the accounting book. The numbers aren't adding up correctly. I have a strong suspicion that there's corruption at play,' Vivienne thought to herself, her eyes scanning the pages once again. Since yesterday, she had a nagging feeling that something was amiss, perhaps attributing it to being distracted by Milo's charming appearance. However, after carefully reviewing the book once more today, she was increasingly confident that there was indeed corruption occurring.

"Sir Crestwell, I would like to request your permission to conduct an investigation into potential embezzlement."

"What evidence do you have to support your suspicion of embezzlement?"

"I have noticed some discrepancies in the financial records of Lord Vanderbilt. He has repeatedly requested funds to reconstruct a town in his territory, claiming wild animal attacks near the border heavily damaged it. However, upon reviewing the reports of the town's destruction, the damage seems to be minimal. I suspect that Lord Vanderbilt may have been embezzling a significant portion of the funds for personal gain. Additionally, the frequency of his requests raises suspicion of possible bribery. How else could he justify seeking funds multiple times for a relatively minor incident?" Vivienne explained.

Milo handed her a royal badge, saying, "Here is a badge that grants you authority to investigate further. Present it to Lord Vanderbilt, and he will be unable to impede your search of his residence."

"Furthermore, if my suspicions prove to be true, I would like to request additional investigations into other nobles," Vivienne added.

"You have my permission, but I must caution you that if your accusations turn out to be unfounded, I will have to revoke the badge and take appropriate action for false accusations," Milo warned.

"Do not worry, Sir. As a member of the Ravenswood family, we are well-versed in financial matters. I am confident that something is amiss behind the scenes," Vivienne replied confidently.

Vivienne was granted the privilege of using the VIP carriage, a conveyance typically reserved for individuals deemed necessary by the royal family. Despite the prestigious mode of transportation and the authority it conveyed, Lord Vanderbilt still foolishly attempted to dissuade her from entering his residence. Vivienne, recognizing his utter lack of intelligence, mustered her most intimidating expression, causing Lord Vanderbilt to cower in fear to the point of involuntarily wetting his pants.

After that, Vivienne wasted no time uncovering the evidence against Lord Vanderbilt. It turned out that he had been hiding the embezzled funds in his basement. With this significant breakthrough, Vivienne took it upon herself to deliver justice by bringing the corrupt officials to account. Over the course of a few weeks, she methodically pursued her mission, meticulously targeting the key figures behind the corruption scheme while remaining discerning in her actions.

Despite Vivienne's noble intentions to restore misallocated funds, her actions were met with strong resistance and disdain from the majority of nobles. Many of them were complicit in the corruption and were determined to protect their own interests. False rumors began to circulate, painting Vivienne as a villainess who abused her power, imprisoned nobles, and plundered their wealth. However, these attempts by the nobles to tarnish Vivienne's reputation had little impact, as she enjoyed the unwavering support of her influential family. Nevertheless, the relentless spread of baseless rumors throughout the empire left Vivienne dumbfounded when she learned about her newfound reputation.

'I worked tirelessly to avoid being branded a villainess. I believed that by eliminating corrupt officials, I would be met with joy and applause. I was naively optimistic,' Vivienne thought to herself, feeling disheartened. Recognizing Vivienne's state of mind, Milo, who was working to quell the rumors, decided to lift her spirits as well. He felt it was the least he could do to support her, especially considering that she had successfully recovered the royal funds, which could be used for further developing the country and lightening his own load.