A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 160

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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 160
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Though there had been considerable commotion, the trial itself concluded swiftly. After all, it was an unambiguous case that left no room for debate.
The sentences for Hitten and Dolores were equally concise.
“They shall be sent to the Prelai Duchy in shackles.”
The Emperor pronounced his judgment with piercing authority.
“Let them become the lowest of the low in the place where the greatest crime was committed, and suffer through their remaining days.”
The Prelai Duchy lay in the Northern Region—a place so bitterly cold that one trembled merely standing still, perpetually short-handed. Consequently, criminals bound in shackles were frequently dispatched there for various forms of labor.
To be dragged to the Prelai Duchy itself—where so many had cherished Enes—to toil in degrading work for a lifetime was a punishment far harsher than execution.
After the trial concluded, Edmund summoned me to his palace.
“Please, sit here.”
The Crown Prince’s palace, which had stood vacant for so long, had finally found its master.
I gazed around the space while sipping tea with the pastries he offered, and I found myself struck by an almost irresistible urge to disorder everything. Every corner of his quarters was meticulously arranged to match his temperament, exuding an antiquated elegance.
After dismissing all his attendants, he spoke with an unhurried smile.
“You’ve endured much hardship all this while, Kiana.”
“It was an opponent I’d already defeated anyway.”
I answered with a shrug.
Since returning to the Capital, I had moved with every contingency in mind, essentially orchestrating circumstances so that victory was inevitable. Thus, I had never felt particularly alarmed or tense facing my adversary.
“Still… it only now feels like something has truly ended.”
I smiled faintly while cradling the teacup in both hands. Even though everything had unfolded according to plan, it wasn’t until Hitten and Dolores’s fates were officially sealed that I felt something had genuinely concluded.
“In any case, I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do upon returning to the Capital immediately after my regression.”
“Indeed.”
Edmund smiled back at me while tidying my hair with his long fingers.
His hand, having swept aside my long locks, brushed against the diamond brooch fastened to my dress. That jewel, once a symbol of young Edmund’s first love, now rested with me. Clearly pleased by this fact, he wore a satisfied expression.
“What will you do now? Is there perhaps anything else you wish to accomplish in the Capital?”
“Hmm.”
I blinked. Various social invitations and business proposals that had been arriving for me recently flashed through my mind.
Though I had cut a somewhat awkward figure in the courtroom, the House of Prelai had nonetheless secured another great achievement for the Imperial family, solidifying our position as the Empire’s foremost ducal house. And there was no one in this Empire who didn’t know of the bond between Edmund and me. So naturally, everyone wished to cultivate my favor.
My magical devices were being used extensively by the Guards, generating considerable interest. My father had even subtly asked whether “perhaps my next successor should be… Kiana after all?”
Among my siblings and me, there was no succession struggle whatsoever. Alex, Joshua, and I all lacked interest in such a position, and frankly, none of us possessed the qualities to lead a great house. So my father had offered me the successor’s seat purely out of favoritism.
When Edmund asked “what will you do going forward?” he was also asking “which of all these romantic overtures will you accept?”
“Well… the only thing I truly love is research…”
I answered somewhat sheepishly.
“I was certainly overworked at the Academy, but thinking about it differently, the fact that I endured it means research was worthwhile enough for me.”
“I suspected as much.”
Edmund smiled knowingly and rose abruptly, retrieving a report from a drawer and handing it to me. The moment I read the title, my eyes widened involuntarily.
“…What?”
The report’s title was remarkably simple and clear.
【Imperial Magic Engineering Academy Establishment Plan】
As I turned the first page with trembling hands, Edmund, who had settled beside me, let out a satisfied chuckle.
“The Empire hasn’t invested heavily in magical engineering research until now. As you know, we’ve all believed that magical artifacts themselves couldn’t accomplish anything particularly significant.”
The report’s contents, written as clearly as his personality, were enough to make my heart race with excitement.
“However, if used properly in the right places, not only could the lives of the Empire’s people become more comfortable, but the Empire itself could develop beyond imagination.”
Magical engineering had failed to capture many people’s interest because it was difficult and unexciting.
Yet that didn’t mean everyone disliked it. There were certainly people like me, and in the Riloni Principality, gathering with such people to discuss and research together had been truly joyful memories. The reason I’d turned away with reluctant, teary eyes when I last visited the Academy was because of those memories.
Of course, researching together with Edmund was pleasant too, but… it still couldn’t compare to the Academy. Lately, whenever we researched together, we’d end up getting distracted. When I modified the magical artifact that changes eye color because of Lord Rodrigo, I spent far longer in the Research Lab than anticipated. Not because of research requiring mental effort, but because of physical work unrelated to it.
“Now then, Kiana.”
Edmund spoke elegantly as he looked at my face filled with emotion.
“Next time, wouldn’t you like to do this work together with me?”
There was no reason to hesitate in answering. I nodded happily.
Strangely, tears welled up. The report itself was so complete that it couldn’t have been prepared with just a day or two of thought. When had he been thinking about this amid such busyness? Seeing that even the site selection was finished, it seemed he’d been preparing for a very long time.
This man… he really had been caring for me like this. He’d been preparing from long ago what I myself had only vaguely dreamed of.
“That’s good. But there’s something that bothers me…”
I answered with an overwhelmed expression.
“Here… should we modify this part?”
“Regardless of social status, we guarantee sufficient honor and social recognition for graduate students’ sense of social mission and self-respect.”
.”
“Pardon?”
Edmund blinked, unaware that phrase could be problematic.
Indeed, seeing “regardless of social status” attached to it meant that researchers of commoner origin would be treated with honor if they had the skill—quite a bold statement. But there was a difference between having actually been in the field versus not. After all, Edmund had never been a graduate student.
“I can’t trust such vague language.”
I spoke firmly.
“Guarantees should be made through salary. In numbers.”
“….”
“Exact figures and salary increase rates reflecting inflation must be specified. Then naturally, both sense of mission and self-respect will rise.”
“….”
“Graduate students all suffer anyway. The only thing to trust in the meantime is numbers. Flowery language isn’t necessary.”
Edmund, who had briefly worn a distant expression, took a deep breath and naturally raised his eyebrows.
“Well then, how about having Kiana directly handle the budget proposal?”
“What? That’s the Imperial Family’s budget. How could I directly touch that?”
“Simple. You just need to become a member of the Imperial Family.”
“….”
Now I was the one left speechless.
“If marriage is difficult because of your family, then at least an engagement.”
Truly, I was one thing, but Edmund was another. He was a man who didn’t miss opportunities.
“What do you think?”
Edmund, sitting beside me, pulled at my waist like he was being playful, drawing me toward him. Come to think of it, we’d initially been sitting face to face, but he’d naturally moved to sit beside me under the pretense of fetching the report.
“Having me officially recorded in your documents as your man, right away.”
Warm lips brushed against my ear. At that clearly seductive voice, my body naturally flinched.
No matter how reckless I was or how much I loved Edmund, walking into the Imperial Palace and announcing “I’m getting married!” to my family, which had just become chaotic, didn’t appeal to me. But an engagement…
In fact, at the trial today, I’d overheard other noble ladies casting admiring glances at Edmund, saying things like “He’s become so impressive” and “I never knew he’d grow so tall….” It had put me in a foul mood.
Now that I thought about it, even in childhood, all the noble ladies had adored Edmund. Whenever princesses from other nations visited, they’d show interest in him. Though he’d been chubby back then, he was the Empire’s stable heir and possessed so many other advantages that he was simply an exceptional young man. Recalling those days, I was already tempted to officially declare to everyone that “this man is taken.”
Edmund truly had a gift for persuasion. Engraving it into official documents—that was quite a charming proposal.
“I think that’s wonderful.”
I nodded firmly, and Edmund laughed, exhaling softly.
“I think I’ll be even happier. Then, what if we set the engagement ceremony for the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony of the Imperial Magic Engineering Academy?”
The groundbreaking ceremony was the official announcement that “we will establish the Academy here.” In essence, he was suggesting we hold the engagement ceremony at the same time. It was quite meaningful.
I found myself nodding along before thinking, “Wait, why is this moving so fast?” The anticipated date for the groundbreaking ceremony I’d glimpsed in the report was….
“Hmm… it really does seem quite soon, doesn’t it?”
This man had thought through everything after all.
“No, you really… ack!”
Before I could even open my mouth to protest, Edmund lifted me up effortlessly. The report I’d been holding tumbled onto the table with a soft thud, scattering messily across its surface.
“Just a moment.”
Edmund smiled mischievously and pressed a quick kiss to my lips before whispering.
“First, let me mark Kiana’s body with something else before we talk about that.”
“What?”
“I really couldn’t hold back any longer….”
Carrying me in his arms, he strode purposefully toward the bedroom.
Entering his bedroom for the first time, my cheeks flushed instantly.
“No, why do you always say you can’t hold back! You did the same thing last time!”
“Didn’t you know? I’m simply that kind of person.”
He spoke playfully as he pressed his body closer to mine.
“For your information, since childhood, I’ve had poor self-control when it comes to delicious things. But lately, even though I’ve regained my sense of taste, everything else seems bland, and I only want to keep doing this.”
My clothes were already disheveled as I glared at him reproachfully. If only he could just keep quiet….
“Even as an adult, I still have no self-control when it comes to my favorite things.”
His lips, lacking all restraint, silenced me, and I could say nothing more.

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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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