A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 11

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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 11
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Who was that young man I had encountered back then? That boy who desperately refused to meet even my gaze, insisting we could not become entangled with one another….
Not long after, I heard news that the Empire’s Crown Prince had gone hunting with close acquaintances and fallen off a cliff, disappearing without a trace. The accident occurred in a place that coincidentally overlapped with my route heading toward the Riloni Principality.
‘Could it possibly be that chubby boy who spoke informally to just anyone? The Crown Prince?’
Surprisingly, despite being a noblewoman, I knew very little about the Crown Prince.
During my childhood, my mother’s circumstances prevented both my brother and me from attending social gatherings frequently. My taciturn Grandfather also saw no reason to bring us to official events. After age thirteen, I spent nearly all my time locked away in my room, supposedly studying magical engineering.
I may have exchanged greetings at events where all nobles gathered, but I retained no particular memories of him. Only that he possessed shimmering silver hair that gleamed beautifully and the blue eyes that symbolized the Imperial Family?
The Crown Prince, who was kind to everyone, often spoke to me as well.
“Ah, Lady Kiana! How wonderful to see you. Where are you headed?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’m not feeling well, so I was returning to Prelai Manor.”
“You certainly look frail… I noticed you barely touched your meal earlier, and you shouldn’t do that during your growth years. Would you like to eat some meat pie with me?”
“No, thank you. I’ll take my leave.”
Every conversation proceeded in this manner, and we parted quickly without properly meeting each other’s eyes. Oh, and he had been quite rotund in build. So plump he seemed ready to roll, yet supposedly destined to become a Sword Master soon—that impression had been the most memorable.
“Ah, Lady Kiana? Would you care to try this? They’re ginger cookies from the Sola Kingdom, and they have a wonderful flavor.”
“No, thank you. I’ll take my leave.”
His blue eyes, buried within chubby cheeks, shone with kindness, and he was a boy with a baby bear-like round face who always wore a cheerful smile.
Wait, let me correct that more precisely. He resembled a rather considerably portly baby bear.
‘And he seemed… like someone living in a completely different world from me.’
I instinctively disliked people who were warm and bright as sunshine. It was likely because I myself was gloomy and dark. And since Melissa possessed exactly that sort of personality, I avoided him all the more.
Yet that Crown Prince I had glimpsed also possessed exactly such a temperament. As the sole legitimate heir of the Imperial Family and on the verge of becoming the Empire’s youngest Sword Master, how many people must have surrounded him? He seemed too busy simply being surrounded by those who loved him and enjoying their company.
“My lady, it’s been a while. Do you happen to like soda? I received some as a gift and it tastes so delicious that I wanted to share it with everyone.”
“No, thank you. I’ll take my leave.”
Because of my such attitude, people sometimes evaluated me as ‘arrogant’ or ‘impolite.’
But back then, I possessed something like an obsession with not drawing people’s attention. My appearance, which seemed nothing like a member of the Prelai Family, might evoke memories of our mother in everyone’s minds. Yet simultaneously, I harbored a small envy for that rotund boy who was always surrounded by people. His world seemed so warm, so pure, and so solid.
“My lady, my lady? This really is delicious….”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince! Come here! Princess Niat wishes to offer her greetings to Your Highness!”
“Your Highness! Count Bias here would very much like to discuss swords with Your Highness!”
There were too many people seeking the Crown Prince, and he would be summoned elsewhere the moment I distanced myself.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince truly resembles the incarnation of Emperor Tailize the First! Such beautiful silver hair and such vivid blue eyes!”
“If only the baby fat would disappear, Your Highness would look exactly like His Majesty the Emperor!”
Many people gazed upon the Crown Prince and marveled at what a ‘true Tailize’ he was. Indeed, he had been born with all the symbols of the Imperial Family. The Emperor, loving him dearly as his legitimate heir and stable direct descendant, openly favored him.
I deliberately turned away, refusing to look at that sight. Yet inwardly, I knew the truth. I envied his certainty and recognition of that bloodline far too much.
‘That’s why I didn’t pay him any attention at all. It seemed obvious we could never become close.’
In any case, it was not impossible that the boy was the injured Crown Prince, and that we had failed to recognize each other.
‘From the silhouette alone, he did seem rather plump.’
He was at an age where his voice would be changing, so that was also confusing. But there were too many things left unexplained for that to be the case.
‘If it were truly him, wouldn’t he immediately ask to be taken to the Imperial Palace so they could bestow a great reward upon me?’
Why would he have been so desperate to hide himself?
‘Either there’s some circumstance I’m unaware of… or he wasn’t the Crown Prince at all.’
Had I not been the Crown Prince, I likely would have become a member of a criminal organization. Judging by how someone spouted talk of betrayal and revenge at that age, it made sense. So I understood why he’d say things like I shouldn’t get entangled with him.
‘Crown Prince or criminal… that’s too extreme. Either way, both types are people who speak in casual tones without a shred of respect.’
After arriving at the Academy, I secretly had someone from the Academy purchase two post boxes for me, just in case.
“Buy two for me. I want to choose whichever number looks prettier.”
The person running my errand looked at me as if I were indulging in the most pointless extravagance. They brought back post boxes numbered 1597 and 3125.
“I’ll take 1597 for myself. I like it because it’s prime—a number with no divisors except one and itself. I’ll have to cancel the unremarkable 3125 later.”
Of course, I never canceled 3125. Fortunately, the person running the errand wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about numbers. 3125 was actually quite elegant—it was five to the fifth power.
Time passed after that, and I felt no particular need to make contact. Whether he was the Crown Prince or a criminal, what did it matter to me? I had planned to spend my entire life at Riloni Academy without returning to the Empire unless something extraordinary happened. So in my previous life before regression, I never contacted the post box that young man had mentioned.
But after regression, things were different. Confined to Riloni as I was, I hadn’t known, but in the ‘original story,’ the Crown Prince’s strange revenge was already beginning to unfold. Without revealing himself, the Crown Prince methodically and brutally eliminated each member of that picnic party one by one.
“Since I survived, I’ll take my revenge.”
I didn’t know why he wouldn’t reveal himself, but it was certainly fitting for him. And my guess was that Hitten, sensing the danger, had eliminated Prelai. After all, the House of Prellay had been the Imperial Family’s right hand for generations, so they would stand by the Crown Prince more reliably than anyone.
In any case, if that young man I encountered was the Crown Prince, I needed to accelerate that revenge drama that had only just begun in the original story. Currently, Hitten held complete control over the Imperial Family as the first in line for succession. But once the Crown Prince returned, that would all end.
‘And if I render Prince Hitten powerless, the House of Prellay won’t face annihilation for treason either.’
So the moment I arrived in the Capital, I ordered Piyak to secretly place a letter in post box 1135.
‘He said it would take a week, so I’ll have to wait a bit for Piyak to arrive.’
I hadn’t told anyone yet that Piyak had become mine. There was something about the fact that Melissa had handed Piyak over to me that made me feel guilty. After all, Piyak had insisted from childhood that he dreamed of me every day, claiming he was originally mine.
Because of that, I treated Piyak more coldly. Seeing Piyak come to me felt like I’d fulfilled some childish, thoughtless greed from my younger days. The reason I sent Piyak away as soon as I arrived in the Capital was partly to deliver the letter, but half of it was to buy myself time. No matter who I was, it felt awkward to brazenly appear with Piyak in front of everyone.
‘I insisted so openly that he was mine without rhyme or reason, and now he really has become mine…’
Honestly, it was obvious that everyone would think I’d finally forcibly taken Piyak from Melissa.
‘When Piyak returns…’
Still, I should tell my family. I wonder what their reactions will be.
As I was lost in thought, the carriage came to a stop. We had arrived at the General Store.
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Sezare Levin, a young man with black hair, leisurely began preparing for his outing. Yet unlike usual, he carried a subtle tension about him.
His subordinates could only helplessly watch as their master, ordinarily fastidious and sensitive, spent an unusually long time choosing his clothes with meticulous care.
“My lord, you’ve always emphasized regarding the young lady as ‘a relationship of mutual use, nothing more.’ So why must you choose your clothes so carefully…?”
“Well…”
Sezare slowly lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I’m afraid that my rational charm might be lacking, and before I can even properly speak to her, she’ll say something like ‘No, then I’ll be going.'”
At those words, Ranaq, the closest aide among his subordinates, tilted his head and asked.
“Ah… Is ‘No, then I’ll be going’ something one says to a member of the opposite sex they have no interest in?”
Ranaq hailed from a nomadic people of the western desert regions, and his pronunciation was slightly off. Moreover, with little experience in social interactions, he lacked intuition about human affairs. Yet he was more loyal and capable than anyone else.
“Generally speaking, yes.”
So Sezare answered with his own version of kindness whenever Ranaq asked about ‘general situations.’
“I asked someone about it before, and they said it usually means ‘Stop hitting on me and get lost!'”
“I see. I didn’t know. But if you’re worried about your rational charm, how are other men supposed to live?”
At those words, Sezare unconsciously gazed into the mirror.
A sculptural face reflected back. He already knew from experience that it was an appearance many people would find attractive. Having put effort into grooming himself as well, he looked even better than usual today.
“Then let us depart.”
Sezare finished his preparations by pulling on his gloves and smiled darkly.

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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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