A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 104
“Ah, no, um, how, I, I accidentally drew my blade….”
“Should I have aimed a bit higher?”
If so, what had just flown away wouldn’t have been her hair, but her neck. His voice was leisurely, yet it suggested that the dagger was anything but an ‘accident’. It was an astonishingly precise technique.
“Ah, if that were the case, our Princess would have grieved. It would mean losing one chess piece.”
In other words, he had spared her life for Kiana’s sake.
The Countess of Alcyone’s complexion turned deathly pale. The Sezare Levin she faced alone in the dead of night was like a completely different person. The atmosphere was entirely different from when he had been beside Kiana earlier.
‘What, back then he seemed like some careless servant attending to his master….’
The current Sezare Levin emanated an oppressive aura that was beyond approach. Somehow hazy and languid, yet all the more dangerous and precarious.
“I won’t waste words. I came to warn you not to overthink things.”
It was an utterly natural form of address. The Countess of Alcyone couldn’t even bring herself to call it rude.
“I, I’m not, not overthinking….”
“Lest you dare trouble my Princess.”
It was too accurate an insight to deny. Until just moments ago, she had been scheming how to be persistently annoying and extract something more.
“I don’t actually like people like you. In fact, I despise them. But….”
Sezare Levin continued in a desolate voice.
“Since I can just treat them similarly, it’s become somewhat easier now.”
The Countess of Alcyone’s legs trembled so badly that she eventually collapsed to the ground.
“Don’t trouble my lover. Don’t even attempt something as pathetic as negotiation.”
“That… that… that is….”
“Your second son’s room is at the end of the third floor, isn’t it?”
Sezare Levin spoke with a sinister smile, his tone mischievous.
“Even if you increased your guards tenfold, entering the House of Alcyone would be far too easy for me. You should understand well enough from just this much.”
Of course, the Countess of Alcyone immediately grasped Sezare Levin’s meaning. At the threat to her son’s life, her face turned ashen.
“Why… why would you go this far….”
“Because I cherish the Princess dearly.”
Sezare Levin answered briefly.
“So keep absolutely silent about what happened tonight.”
And then he melted into the darkness at a speed her eyes couldn’t follow.
* * *
That night.
Ben, an attendant at the Crown Prince’s Palace, was ambushed inside a carriage after visiting a magic item shop near the Imperial Palace.
Ben trembled in all his limbs, repeating only things like “The Crown Prince… has finally….” Like Orca and Nix before him, he suffered injuries severe enough to render his entire body useless. His eyes in particular were badly damaged, and it was said he would never be able to see things properly for the rest of his life.
From early the next morning, “Lorelei” began publishing articles one after another proclaiming “The Crown Prince has truly returned!”
Now people openly spoke of “What about Lord Rodrigo or King Enoch next?” Some believed, according to “Lorelei’s” columns, that the Crown Prince had truly returned, while others insisted that a phantom was wandering about.
‘The media certainly knows how to listen.’
I unfolded “Lorelei” from morning and chuckled quietly within my laboratory.
‘This time, I got to freeload off my own work.’
Until now, to harm Orca and Nix, the Crown Prince had to frequent crowded places. But by providing precise information, this ambush would have been extremely convenient for him. From the start, when I gave Ben the mana shock device, I had set it to discharge at that exact date and time.
Ben, who would have anxiously checked the mana shock device every hour, would soon come to the item shop I had informed him of… And so the Crown Prince eliminated Ben, who had been holed up in the Crown Prince’s Palace, without even visiting the Imperial Palace.
“…Princess?”
Sezare called out to me softly while I was lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about so intently?”
“Oh.”
I quickly gathered my wits and answered.
“The Crown Prince, Your Highness.”
“Ah… Is it because of that attendant attack incident?”
Rather than respond to Sezare’s words, I examined the magical artifact I was holding once more.
A magical artifact that changes eye color.
That morning, I had perfectly completed the magical artifact Sezare had commissioned. The basic principle remained the same as before, but I had significantly reduced the pain compared to my earlier version. In truth, I had devoted all my time to minimizing that pain.
“Would you like to try it?”
I abruptly held out the ball-shaped magical artifact to Sezare.
“It will hurt quite a bit, though.”
“Oh, no.”
Sezare immediately refused.
“There’s no need to change it right now.”
Sezare smiled softly and continued.
“Someone might actually like my appearance as it is. It would be foolish to change it carelessly.”
There is indeed such a person. Me, that is.
“It’s not because it hurts that you’re refusing, is it?”
“Well, it does seem like it would hurt tremendously, so I’d rather not go through with it.”
Sezare spoke while furrowing his brow.
With that settled, silence flowed between us for a moment.
Sezare’s commission was essentially complete. And with Lord Rodrigo imprisoned, I no longer needed to pretend to have a lover. No matter how much Hitten wanted it, he couldn’t involve Lord Rodrigo, who had tried to frame me for theft. Besides, Hitten was now so anxious about the Crown Prince that he wouldn’t have the presence of mind to meddle in my marriage.
I blinked, seized by an odd feeling, and spoke first.
“So… um… does this mean our contract ends here? Since we’ve both obtained what we wanted from each other?”
At my question, Sezare smiled with his eyes narrowed, as if he had already anticipated the question, and answered with composure.
“No, Princess. We still have one more transaction remaining between us, do we not?”
A remaining transaction? The only other transaction we had made was to use the right of imperial audience along with the Pebble ore mine transaction.
Sezare spoke smoothly while rolling the magical artifact in his palm.
“I’ll be using that soon, so until then, we must maintain our lover status.”
That was true. The only pretext for Sezare to accompany me when I used the right of imperial audience was as my escort. One doesn’t ask an ex-lover to serve as an escort, after all.
“Hmm, then when will you use it?”
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll think about it a bit more. First, shouldn’t we resolve the matters at hand?”
The matters at hand.
At those words, I nodded readily. At this upcoming noble assembly, I would be attending as the representative of House of Prelai instead of my Grandfather. Everyone would surely be astonished to see a fake Prelai appear at the assembly. Of course, something far more entertaining was about to unfold.
“Indeed. House of Purbis will be falling soon.”
Now all that remained was to gather everything I had carefully accumulated piece by piece and completely bring down House of Purbis.
Sezare gazed at me intently and spoke.
“I’ll be quite busy with personal matters starting tomorrow. It seems I won’t be able to stay by your side all day like before.”
Besides, my research is finally complete, so there’s no reason for Sezare to remain by my side constantly. He’s had virtually no personal life during all this time, so he must have accumulated matters requiring his attention. After all, he is also the master of the Levin Domain.
“However, if there is anything I can assist you with, please tell me at any time.”
“Ah… As you well know, on that day I’ll be doing nothing but sitting idle and talking, so there’s truly nothing you can help with.”
“Then, whether it’s the noble assembly or any other difficult matter, please tell me. After all, we are still lovers, are we not?”
Sezare had a remarkable talent for making the phrase “the contract has been extended” sound absolutely sweet.
What difficult matters do I currently face? There’s still so much I don’t know about Mother’s death, and I still don’t understand how Piyak was taken from me by Melissa.
I blinked and remained silent for a moment.
But who could possibly tell me any of that? Grandfather and Joshua are both doing their utmost to investigate in their own ways, yet still without results.
While I was lost in thought, Sezare observed my expression and spoke.
“Well, since we are conducting a transaction, it may be difficult for you to make a direct request.”
He seemed to think I was unable to speak because I lacked shame, which was quite a misunderstanding.
“Well then, what if you asked someone who has received a clear favor from the Princess?”
“Pardon?”
“You never know. That person might also be waiting for the Princess’s contact.”
Wait a moment.
Something flashed through my mind at Sezare’s words.
‘Someone who has received my favor, someone who said they would repay it no matter what, and…’
“I’m sorry, Kiana. Joshua and I have been investigating diligently, but I still cannot uncover the secret of your summoned creature. It is related to ancient power after all, so the Taylise royal family might know something, but even His Majesty the Emperor is in such a state…”
Grandfather had once mentioned in passing that the Taylise royal family might know something.
‘If it’s a member of the Taylise royal family who has received my favor…’
I had nothing to say and didn’t know how to respond, so I thought of someone I hadn’t been sending letters to unilaterally—the Crown Prince of Mailbox 1135.
According to the original work, by now it should be about time for the Crown Prince to begin his first revenge, but with everything accelerating, the Crown Prince’s actions had now fallen outside my ability to predict.
‘I even declared to Piyak that there would be no more correspondence to exchange with 1135 anymore, but…’
Still, if it would help, changing my words was nothing at all.
That night, I thought for a while and then wrote a letter.
Worried that Piyak might become troubled if he saw the contents, I deliberately wrote the letter while he was asleep.
I would have to bring Piyak along to the noble assembly coming up soon anyway, since he enjoyed watching such events. So I decided this letter should be delivered after the assembly ended, and I added a postscript.

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