A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 107

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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 107
Piyak slowly lifted his head to gaze at me. My expression remained stubbornly impassive and indifferent, yet somehow this made my resolve appear all the more unshakeable.
“The House of Prelai would never abandon our summoned creature, not for all the riches in the world. I will walk beside Piyak for the rest of my life, no matter what circumstances arise.”
Piyak’s heart thundered wildly in his chest.
Kiana had never spoken to me with such tenderness before. Rather, she had only barked commands—work harder, keep moving, nothing more. And yet….
“But I’ve always been the villainess coveting you from Melissa’s side, haven’t I? My conscience wouldn’t allow me to do such a thing.”
【What does that even mean…?】
“It means I don’t know how to treat you properly, so I’ve just been driving you with work until you drop.”
Yet she had never completely hidden her sincerity either. That’s how I could tell—those words now were Kiana’s true heart. So I lifted my head high and looked directly at Hiton.
【I am Kiana’s summoned creature, not Melissa’s.】
Now that I thought about it, I had never stated such a thing directly before. Yet here I was, declaring it before so many witnesses.
【The Tailyze Empire has no say in this matter.】
The moment the word “Tailyze” left my lips, Hiton’s mouth snapped shut. Strictly speaking, a summoned creature was not human, and therefore bore no obligation of loyalty to the Tailyze Imperial House.
“Then I trust you will cease this burning curiosity regarding my summoned creature and myself.”
In the decidedly tense atmosphere, I rose to my feet without expression.
“How convenient to receive such attention.”
My face betrayed no comfort whatsoever as I continued.
“As the representative of House Prelai and a current student of Riloni Duchy Academy, I hereby lodge a formal accusation.”
The topic shift was seamless. By now, every eye had fixed upon me. My voice carried such authority that everyone held their breath, blinking in stunned silence.
“House Purbis has embezzled military supplies from Riloni Duchy. I present the warehouse receipts from Riloni Duchy Academy as evidence.”
“…Ha, what nonsense.”
Duke Purbis chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
“Unrefined Pebble ore is not classified as military supplies… it seems the Princess is uninformed.”
“It is classified.”
I spoke with glacial precision.
“Do verify for yourselves.”
In that instant, the smile vanished from Duke Purbis’s lips.
Everyone hastily shuffled through the documents. Upon inspection, they confirmed that Pebble ore had indeed been classified as military supplies recently. A method to generate heat from Pebble ore had been developed, and it operated on the same principle as thermal stones, which were already designated military supplies.
“And regarding the impoverished Duke Purbis’s statement—there was an error. We of House Prelai thoroughly inspected all items brought by the delegation, and there was no Tyron Pool among them.”
“…What?”
“It appears the documentation brought by the financially strapped Duke Purbis contains a discrepancy… perhaps the Guards should conduct a thorough reinvestigation.”
My perpetually expressionless face broke into a small smile. The truth was this:
This entire affair had been orchestrated by Third Empress Dolores. Hiton had far too many other matters demanding his attention.
The Empress’s removal held little political necessity. After all, the Empress did nothing of consequence anyway. So Dolores, who had always been mindful of the Empress, had orchestrated this affair, while Hiton merely played along. The House of Purbis was no different—they had simply attended the conference reading from a script without thought, doing exactly as Dolores commanded.
However, in truth, two reports had never reached Third Empress Dolores. One concerned Pebble ore being designated as military supplies, and the other involved Tyron Pool being struck from the final inventory list.
The person who had intercepted these reports was naturally the Countess of Alcyone. She, famous for her swift hands, could pilfer documents without a soul knowing.
‘My lady used her quick hands to frame me… so now she receives the same treatment.’
I, who had orchestrated everything from the shadows, gazed about with indifference.
‘She falls victim to her own methods. How fitting.’
The Countess of Alcyone had already submitted her resignation. Dolores would eventually discern the full truth, but House Alcyone had agreed to become vassals of House Prelai and receive our protection.
‘It’s a bit surprising that the Countess of Alcyone has become so perfectly my ally… but regardless, I’m grateful for it.’
I had expected more trouble, but the Countess of Alcyone was oddly cooperative. Well, sometimes life works out easily like this, I thought lightly, brushing it aside.
“Didn’t we all agree to follow the rules? You said all those involved must be punished too. Even the slightest connection—since this is the first enforcement of this law, we must set an example.”
And everyone found that appearance unsettling.
“Ah.”
I even clapped my hands once.
“The poor Duke Purbis, you didn’t make excuses like ‘anyone can see this isn’t war preparations’ or ‘it happened because I didn’t know,’ right?”
And beside me, Piyak flew up and chimed in.
【Yes! We also agreed not to make excuses like ‘the dates were confusing’! He said it himself! Piyak remembers clearly!】
His face looked more at ease and delighted than ever.
“Prelai would never abandon his summoned creature even for a fortune. I will be with Piyak for life, no matter the circumstances.”
Even though a true summoning hadn’t occurred, I had heard that Kiana would stay with Piyak to the end. Now I even thought, what’s the big deal about that summoning experience anyway? If I can’t transfer memories, I can simply tell him everything one by one.
Piyak confidently circled the conference hall once. He was in better spirits than ever since being summoned.
* * *
In the noble assembly, Hiton publicly declared that ‘everything must follow the law.’ Therefore, there was no way to exempt anyone. After all, it was true that House Purbis had exported military supplies to the foreign Riloni Duchy. Moreover, Duke Purbis himself had just shouted moments before that there could be no exceptions—only principles must be followed.
“I’ll demote his title for now.”
After the meeting ended, Hiton sighed and spoke secretly to Duke Purbis.
“My situation isn’t good right now. The Crown Prince faction is subtly raising their heads.”
As the disappeared Crown Prince began harming the picnic members, “Lorelai” constantly buzzed with talk of the ‘Crown Prince’s return.’ When hope emerged, people began to move. So the Crown Prince faction nobles, who had already disliked Hiton, began quietly forming alliances.
“If they find fault, they’ll tear me apart. So… I’ll demote you now and give you a chance to rebuild your merit later.”
It was an extraordinarily powerful law that could even demote the Empress’s position. In the end, House Purbis’s ducal rank was demoted to a count’s rank. According to the law they themselves had proposed.
“Just endure it for a few years. Mother and I won’t forget Purbis.”
When Hiton made that promise, Duke Purbis could no longer reveal that Dolores was behind this affair.
“You know. In the end, there’s nothing that power can’t accomplish.”
Paradoxically, only Dolores and Hiton could restore their status.
Of course, Hiton and Dolores, who had thus appeased the Purbis family, weren’t in a good situation either. They gathered in the Third Empress’s palace, looked at each other’s faces, and sighed deeply.
“My situation has become very poor. For House Purbis to end up like that… And the Pebble ore investment completely failed, so I just lost money.”
The information Ben had provided was completely false. House Prelai had signed an exclusive contract with Count Levin’s house for Pebble ore, so it didn’t particularly impact the Pebble ore market.
Hiton also spoke irritably, running his hand through his hair.
“The same goes for my side. Because Alin Keirif was captured, we can’t draw more money from the club house, and because Loyte has returned, the organizations are being cautious.”
Hiton looked at Dolores with resentful eyes.
“You should have prevented Loyte’s return. How could you lose control of the guards you had in hand?”
It was a voice reproaching her for allowing Loyte’s return at the Kodiak Charity.
Dolores waved her hand and spoke as if wronged.
“There was no way to stop it in that situation. The atmosphere was too heated because of Lady Kiana.”
“Again, again, again Kiana Prelai!”
Hiton shouted in a hysterical voice.
“Nothing goes right because of that woman.”
That was certainly true. Ever since returning to the empire after so long, she had been obstructing everything I did. Moreover, the Countess of Alcyone, Dolores’s maid who had clearly stolen the documents, was being protected by House Prelai. That alone made it clear that all these schemes were coming from Prelai.
“Prelai has always been so irritating. I wanted to ruin them long ago…”
After the Crown Prince fell from the cliff, Scari met with the Emperor in private. Following that meeting, the Emperor declared he would never grant the throne to Hiton.
Moreover, Scari’s summoned creature had not been seen since. I couldn’t help but suspect that Scari’s Black Hawk had become entangled in that incident somehow. So I wanted to methodically bring him down out of anxiety.
“And to make matters worse, those picnic members are being attacked one after another….”
Hiton nervously bit at his fingernails. Dolores gently soothed her son by taking his hand.
“It must be an imposter. It has to be an imposter. We definitely succeeded in poisoning him.”
“But….”
“Even if by some chance that bastard really is Edmund, it’s not as though we have no way to oppose him.”
At Dolores’s words, Hiton spoke anxiously, his voice trembling.
“But Mother, somehow it feels like God is not on my side. The way he keeps sending ominous messages through notes….”
Hearing those words, Dolores looked at her son as if he were mad.
“…Why would God send you messages through notes?”
“No, I mean… it really seems like I’m being hated by God….”
“You… your nerves have truly weakened. Your condition is worse than I thought.”
Dolores spoke with genuine concern.
“This won’t do. At the upcoming hunting tournament, we must not spare that cursed Prelai. I didn’t realize you were being pushed into such psychological distress.”
Her eyes gleamed coldly. At those words, Hiton also clenched his teeth and nodded firmly.
“I never intended to spare Prelai anyway. Especially now that House Purbis cannot serve as our strength, we must be even more vigilant against House Prelai.”
Hiton added in a low voice, regaining his resolve at the thought of bringing down Prelai.
“And we absolutely must bind Alex Prelai’s hands in this opportunity. Sadly, there is no one within the Imperial Knights who can match that madman.”

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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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