A Runaway Villainess, Now Healing In An Enemy Country - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 19】

Indeed, his beauty was exceptional from the very beginning.

In the portrait with colors that hadn’t faded even slightly, an angelic silver-haired boy glared at me with a thoroughly prickly expression and sharp eyes.

‘His personality must have been quite something.’

“Mmm… He’s pretty. More pretty than handsome.”

The boy, who looked to be about ten years old, resembled the Duke frighteningly closely. Well, that would be natural.

“Is this the Duke’s childhood?”

“…I must have made a mistake. I’ll bring another one.”

Had she made an error? Giselle, flustered in a way that didn’t suit her, hurriedly tried to leave the room.

I stopped her.

“It’s fine, don’t bother. Besides, I’m going to work now.”

“What work again? Going to the library?”

The library had long been tainted by these people’s strange antics. They follow me around like goldfish droppings wherever I go anyway.

However, just now, a place came to mind where these people who tire me with their incomprehensible behavior wouldn’t come looking.

I replied with a villainous smile.

“No. I’m going to see an angel in person.”

* * *

“…So you came here?”

“Everyone’s acting strangely, so I can’t concentrate.”

On the desolate castle wall.

Following the traces of magi energy, I had arrived here once again.

The Duke was still sitting at the edge of the castle wall as if time had stopped. Having heard the purpose of my visit, he frowned ever so slightly.

Regardless of his reaction, I settled down at a distance from him and placed the bundle I’d brought on the ground.

Magic stones, materials for creating magical tools, and stacks of papers with formulas drawn on them came out one by one.

“There should be plenty of empty spaces inside the castle.”

“I realized earlier that if I take refuge near you, Duke, they probably won’t come looking for me.”

These days, they’ve become so strange that they’d even try to follow me on trips to the bathroom.

But this place would be different.

‘I’ve never seen him with anyone else.’

From what I’ve observed so far, the Duke lived with an attitude as if he were isolated not only from the world but even from his own castle.

Perhaps because he’d been asleep for so long, he went beyond not interfering with affairs to completely neglecting them.

It’s something the Empire’s Emperor could never imagine doing.

“I’ll do my work, so please continue your contemplation, Duke.”

I felt the Duke’s incredulous gaze following me as I sat down on the ground with my knees up.

Certainly, this wasn’t an appropriate place for working on something.

However, I judged it would be more efficient to concentrate quietly on the ground than to hear nonsensical chatter in a suitable location.

“How completely selfish. I’d believe it if you said this was your castle.”

“You said I could do whatever I wanted here.”

Suddenly a shadow fell, and when I turned around, the Duke was already standing crookedly behind me, looking down at me.

“Why? Do you want to take that back?”

“No. I’m just being suspicious and wary as you requested.”

His tone was somewhat sharp for some reason.

The Duke gestured with his eyes toward the materials scattered on the ground. He seemed to be saying wordlessly that I should do my work while he watched.

“…You’re not going to keep doing that, are you?”

“Who knows.”

The Duke, who replied curtly and unfriendly, leaned his head diagonally against the wall. His hair scattered over his jawline… what’s this.

Why does it seem like the Duke is showing interest in me?

If this continues, wouldn’t being here be just as burdensome as being in the noisy library?

‘I thought he’d just stare blankly at the scenery again.’

Contrary to my expectations, he was looking directly at me. His gaze made me unnecessarily tense.

“I’m having trouble concentrating.”

“Are you trying to say that you have terrible concentration for a mage?”

“Why does it come to that? This is different from that!”

“It sounded like the same thing to me.”

Wow, he really won’t give an inch.

I briefly weighed whether the Duke’s staring attack or Nishe and the children’s interruptions would be more bearable, then sat down with my bottom on the ground.

At least he wouldn’t tire me out by making unnecessary comments about everything.

‘Whether he watches or not, I’ll go my own way.’

The dust cleaner was almost complete, and after that, I became bothered by how I had to frequently use light magic because the castle was so gloomy.

What can I do? The person who’s inconvenienced has to solve it.

So I immediately began developing indoor lighting magical tools. If completed, wouldn’t the castle’s atmosphere improve considerably?

It was nice that when I was absorbed in this project to make the house more livable, complicated distracting thoughts didn’t arise.

I had been writing related formulas on paper for quite a while when a monotone voice dropped from near my head.

“Habit.”

He probably meant why hadn’t I broken that habit yet.

Yes, it’s true that I somewhat compulsively created work because staying still and resting was torture for me.

But so what? I haven’t even had nosebleeds lately.

“I know, I’m being careful. I have to protect you, Duke.”

“…”

Soon, welcome silence returned.

It was precisely when I was writing the third line of the formula that hair as cold as snow touched my left cheek.

“Here. It would suit you better to reduce the range value by half. Switch the order of these two formulas.”

A pale hand with prominent bone structure gracefully traced over the characters I had written.

When I just glanced sideways, I could see the languid profile of the well-sculpted man’s face up close.

His silver-gray eyes slowly turned toward me.

“That way there’ll be less burden on your circuits.”

“…”

“Do you understand? Irene.”

The same cold expression without a trace of smile as always. A tone that was concise rather than stiff.

Nothing that comprised him had changed, yet just because the distance was close, my breath stopped for a moment.

“Did you learn this kind of formula from your family?”

The face-genius, who acted as if it was nothing unlike me, asked.

“The basics… yes? The formulas I use have been modified to suit me, so they’re quite different from the originals…”

“It’s a rather meticulously calculated formula. And more complex than that.”

“The more complex it is, the less mana consumption. I… but wait. What did you just call me?”

I felt like I had heard something quite shocking.

The Duke, who turned his head slightly to look at me directly, pronounced clearly in an even tone, as if savoring each syllable.

“Irene.”

He was looking at me.

It wasn’t a gaze that projected someone else onto me, but a gaze that was looking at me myself. The moment I realized this, my entire body froze stiff.

‘Why suddenly?’

Is this what change would be like—like ripples created by raindrops falling on a calm lake surface?

The Duke, whose attitude had changed subtly but definitely, took the pen away from me.

“Ah.”

Was it because I unconsciously put strength in my hand? The ink had spread excessively on the paper. My right hand was also a mess with ink.

Jet-black magi rose like smoke from the Duke’s fingertips.

The magi that moved through the air as if dancing lightly touched me.

“Didn’t you ask me to call you by name?”

“But… it feels too sudden, or maybe like you’re being too considerate…”

The magi cleanly erased the ink that had spread from my hand and the paper before scattering and disappearing. More precisely, it seemed to have absorbed it rather than erased it.

To manipulate magi like magical power.

Half wondering if this was even allowed, half amazed by this unprecedented miracle I’d never heard or seen before.

He made an incredible statement as if it were nothing.

“I cherish everything that belongs in my castle.”

‘…You said you were suspicious and wary? Where?’

I suddenly realized that coming to find the Duke had been a terribly wrong choice.

I stood up abruptly, feeling like I wanted to scream. And then.

Bang!

With perfect timing, the castle wall door opened and red hair came pouring out. Uncharacteristically, as if she had been running, her appearance was disheveled.

“Giselle? If it’s about the portrait, I can see the real thing so it’s fine—”

“A knight from Hilbarsia is causing a disturbance in the border region.”

Giselle kept her gaze fixed on the Duke and reported in a faster tone than usual.

“He’s one tainted by magi, my lord.”

* * *

Belmayer, called a natural fortress, is surrounded on all sides touching the Empire by the Mamut Mountain Range.

Therefore, the mountain range itself became the border.

However, there were also very low sections in the middle of the high mountain range that could be seen as hills, and the places called border regions were usually here.

Eastern Belmayer, Drens, which borders the Empire’s northernmost point.

“Bring… bring the demon Duke!”

The young man wearing the uniform of a knight belonging to the Imperial Court shouted fiercely even while his limbs were restrained in enemy territory.

His black eyes, devoid of light, glittered with madness, and the scent of demons wafted strongly from his entire body.

Nishe stepped on the kneeling knight’s back with one foot and irritably scratched his ear.

“Really noisy.”

Though he looked like a thug, arriving before his lord and subduing the uninvited guest in advance was truly exemplary of a knight.

“I will cut off the demon’s head!”

“Ah, seriously.”

“Saint! Grant me the great divine blessing!”

As if he had been knighted by his vocal cords, the man’s voice echoed loudly through the desolate border region.

He looked just like a zealot, only missing the priest’s robes.

‘Is he crazy, disgracing the nation like this.’

Standing about three steps away from that scene of chaos, I glanced sideways at the Duke beside me.

Due to his robe, I could only see his sharp nose bridge, not even his expression. I couldn’t tell if he was displeased or not.

Just then, Nishe, who had silenced the long-tongued zealot by shoving a sword sheath (someone else’s) into his mouth, made a snide remark.

“Looks like the villainess came instead of the saint?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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