Tom, a newspaper boy, hesitated to approach the townhouse of the Duke of Lancester.

He didn’t feel that way before.

Upon reaching that mansion, he had to obtain permission from the gatekeeper to enter the premises and deliver the newspaper to the back door.

He thought he was pretty brave. That massive mansion had nothing to do with him, yet he felt proud for never resisting or even feeling nervous about stepping into it. Until today.

“I heard a woman has come to be married, and according to rumors, she’s terribly wicked…”

Tom muttered and then sighed deeply.

Previously, Tom had been bedridden with a cold for about a week. During that time, a colleague of his had supposedly delivered the newspaper to that mansion in his stead. But on the first day, his colleague met the “villainess, Avril Allingham” who was rumored to be there for marriage the other day.

It turned out that upon seeing the “villainess, Avril Allingham,” his colleague was so scared that he ran away.

Since then, not a single newspaper had been delivered to the mansion.

“I asked what he went through, and he said he was chased by a ‘pitch-black villainess’ when he tried introducing himself to the people of the mansion… what does that mean? If it’s true, that’s too scary… Maybe I should just go home.”

However, in the midst of racking his brain, the gatekeeper kindly guided him inside. With no way out, Tom swallowed the words, “there’s no need,” and walked aimlessly around the premises.

In reality, he didn’t have time to meander along. Still, who was that pitch-black villain? What on earth was she chasing?

What kind of person is the villainess Avril Allingham? What do I do if I accidentally run into her…!

With a gloomy mood, he clutched the seven days’ worth of newspapers that his colleague had entrusted to him and reluctantly headed for the back door.

There, he found a girl sweeping with a broom. Her pink blonde hair fluttered in the wind. She hummed as she swept away the dust with a look of enjoyment.

She was very efficient. For an ordinary housemaid, she was working twice as fast.

As he was captivated by her magnificent broom technique, she apparently spotted him. She spoke to him with sparkling eyes.

“They’ve finally arrived! A week’s worth of newspapers!”

“Y-yes, uh… My, apologies.”

Thank goodness. It seems that I’ve avoided running into the pitch-black villainess.

He would just leave the newspaper in the care of that gentle pink-haired girl and head home. But did a girl like that even work in this mansion? Well, it didn’t matter. Anyway, he was delighted at having been able to make a safe delivery.

With apparent relief, Tom handed over the newspapers, and the pink-haired girl, who seemed to be a servant, smiled innocently at him.

“I recognize you. You delivered the newspaper the day after I came to this palace. But the other day, someone else came to deliver them. When I called out to him…”

“Huh?”

The palace. Someone else delivered it.

Tom’s face twitched at her suspicious choice of words. But she went on happily.

“That day, I had just fixed the boiler. I was a bit dirty, and I think I scared him. I was a bit worried he might be feeling unwell, so I wanted to talk to him. However, he ran away.”

“What?”

A bit dirty? Ran away???

…Also, is repairing the boiler one of a housemaid’s duties?

Could it be… this woman is the wicked woman, Avril Allingham!?

A massive disparity existed between what he imagined and the reality, his mind couldn’t keep up. As Tom started to back away, the woman who seemed to be Avril handed him a paper bag.

“Here’s some honey. I hope you never miss a delivery again. At the very least, please come on sunny days!”

“!?”

She was the woman infamous for “captivating any man she saw and bleeding him dry.” His colleague ran away fearing she might fabricate an excuse to extort him. Tom, who took it at face value, could no longer comprehend the meaning.

However, the “villainess, Avril Allingham” puffed out her cheeks and pushed the paper bag towards him.

“Please receive it! I recommend adding it to your tea with lots of lemon!”

“Uhm, honey… honey?”

“Yes, honey is good for colds. Get proper nutrition and rest, and always make deliveries on sunny days! If you have prior arrangements, it can’t be helped… but please come when you can. Uhm, don’t push yourself, but do everything you can!”

“…”

Normally, he was made to deliver newspapers even on snowy or stormy days. He had even received complaints when it was raining heavily and he couldn’t deliver them on time.

In spite of that, she said, “Deliver the newspaper on sunny days, get proper rest, and if you have prior arrangements, it can’t be helped, but please come as often as you can.”

Isn’t this girl a really nice girl, the opposite of what the rumors say…?

Just as Tom tilted his head at the stark contrast between her incoherent statement and what was said in the rumors, another unusual person appeared at the back door.

“Avril, what are you doing in a place like this?”

“Lord Dylan!”

…!? It’s the Duke…

There stood the owner of the mansion, Dylan Lancester. About one year had passed since Tom started delivering newspapers to the Duke of Lancester’s house, but this was his first time seeing him up close. After all, the duke was completely unapproachable—so far above the clouds.

However, unlike his handsome yet cold appearance suggested, when he spoke to Avril, his tone was unbelievably gentle.

“Avril, Grace was looking for you. She said you disappeared suddenly.”

“! I ended up bothering you.”

“You really need to stop being such a villainess.”

Rather than being excited about meeting the master of the vast mansion, he was more concerned about his loving gaze and sweet tone of voice.

—And no matter how he looked at it, their conversation was strange.

Wait, I have to thank her for the honey!

He was so stunned that he forgot to thank her.

Just as he was about to hurriedly say, “thank you,” Dylan Lancester turned to Tom, put his index finger to his lips, and signed, “shh.” Naturally, Avril didn’t notice.

…Maybe I shouldn’t thank her? Is it because she thinks she hasn’t done anything deserving of a thank you?

Tom nodded vigorously, guessing Dylan’s intention from the strange conversation, and the duke smiled softly. Then, the two of them disappeared behind the door. It all happened in a flash.

After the back door closed with a thud, Tom’s jaw dropped open.

“This is so different from the rumors…!”

She was a very innocent and kind villainess, and the duke was watching over her. Tom wanted to tell his friends what he just witnessed. However, he hesitated when he thought of Dylan Lancester, who smiled kindly and told him to keep it a secret.

Wow… they make a great couple.

Tom left the Duke of Lancester mansion in a daze.

Still basking in the afterglow, when he returned to the newsagent, his colleague expressed his concern. “Your face is red. Are you still unwell?”

—It is still nearly two years away when Tom will be congratulating the happy wedding couple from outside the church grounds.

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