A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 180

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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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Side Story Episode 19
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It was truly an unprecedented marriage. The announcement itself had been shocking.
“You want to marry to uncover the Second Imperial Consort’s secret? Are you out of your mind, Joshua?”
When Joshua first declared his intention to marry Seliet, even Kiana—who normally showed no interest in his affairs—couldn’t help but click her tongue in disapproval.
“Just because you’re curious about someone else’s private matters?”
“Just? Did you say just?”
Joshua retorted indignantly.
“I’ve spent my entire life investigating other people’s secrets. Since I had no intention of marrying anyway, using marriage as a card to gain information is perfectly rational!”
In truth, Seliet had proposed first, using nearly identical reasoning.
“We both want something from each other, don’t we? I had no intention of marrying either. As you know, I’ve endured Ben’s advances for so long that I find men throwing themselves at me absolutely tiresome.”
After Hitten and Dolores were dealt with, Seliet—known as the Empire’s greatest beauty—received countless declarations of affection from men. Yet she gave none of them even the slightest encouragement.
“Honestly, when we work together and combine our efforts, it’s been remarkably effective. If we move toward a relationship of greater mutual trust, wouldn’t that yield even better results?”
Seliet dangled the bait before Joshua with a bright smile.
“The Imperial Palace holds many secrets beyond the Second Imperial Consort’s affairs. There are countless untold histories and scandals. Since you weren’t planning to use your marriage card anyway, why not throw it away now and uncover everything? It’s a profitable trade, isn’t it?”
Finding her logic sound, Joshua accepted the proposal.
At Seliet’s insistence on moving quickly, marriage preparations began in a haphazard manner, shocking the entire Prelai household. Only Hyde smiled knowingly, muttering, “I knew it would come to this. Never underestimate my experience again.”
The Imperial Palace was equally astonished. When Seliet announced her intention to marry Joshua, both Edmund and the Emperor nearly fainted. While the Empire’s laws didn’t forbid double in-laws, it certainly wasn’t common.
Moreover, a union between two people of such striking beauty who showed absolutely no romantic interest in the opposite sex?
“There were several reasons,” Seliet explained calmly before Edmund and the Emperor.
“First, we both wanted something from each other.”
Edmund clicked his tongue in response.
“That ‘something you both want’ is merely gossip about others—truly shocking, Seliet. What kind of marriage is this…?”
“Actually, there’s one more very important reason.”
Seliet spoke to her family with gleaming eyes.
“Duke Prelai said he absolutely cannot marry off Lady Kiana first.”
At those words, both the Emperor and Edmund’s jaws dropped.
“Now that one of his children is married, arranging Lady Kiana’s marriage should become considerably easier.”
Edmund took a deep breath and spoke reverently.
“In my lifetime, I have never witnessed such a beautiful marriage. What shall I give you as a wedding gift, Seliet? Ask for anything.”
In any case, the two proceeded with their marriage in remarkably swift fashion.
What was peculiar was that “Lorelai” explicitly labeled their union a ‘transaction.’ The exact nature of the transaction remained unclear. However, the narrative heavily emphasized that rather than a conventional courtship and marriage, theirs was a contractual arrangement between dry, business-like partners.
“Really…,” Kiana muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Why would they conduct a contractual marriage so loudly that everyone in the world knows about it?”
Hyde answered with ease.
“If only the two of them knew about the contractual marriage, eventually their eyes would meet, or so the saying goes. It seems they wanted to avoid that particular trope.”
“I suppose… they might just enjoy the attention from others.”
Kiana clicked her tongue and let out a faint sigh. In any case, it hardly seemed normal.
“Well… I guess I just like getting attention from others.”
Kiana clicked her tongue and let out a faint sigh. Either way, it didn’t seem normal.
And less than a month later, Joshua and Seliet held a real wedding ceremony.
Though the couple had no friends, they possessed status, so the wedding was conducted with considerable grandeur. Nearly all the nobility and even distant branches of the imperial family attended.
Now the Second Imperial Consort could live freely without any constraints. She introduced the imperial elders she hadn’t seen in ages directly to me, smiling with elegance. Though the Empress didn’t attend this time either, with the Second Imperial Consort present, I wasn’t flustered and naturally blended in among them.
And the Countess of Ekillar could only watch from behind, grinding her teeth. Now she couldn’t even mention the Empress. Her leverage had vanished. Her associates had all disappeared, wrapped up in shameful gossip.
“This feels absolutely refreshing.”
The Second Imperial Consort whispered secretly to me.
“She really looked down on me, saying I was fake. When my secret was exposed, she laughed as if she owned the entire world.”
Now even if the Countess of Ekillar claimed “The Second Imperial Consort was actually a maid!” there was no evidence, and no one would believe her.
“How happy I must have been, holding the key to blackmail the imperial family at the critical moment.”
The Second Imperial Consort murmured quietly.
“Of course, I was genuinely anxious the whole time and nearly went mad.”
“Well, you must have felt something yourself.”
I shrugged once and answered. The Second Imperial Consort looked at me with kind eyes and smiled slightly.
“That one shouldn’t use their heart maliciously?”
“No.”
I answered calmly.
“If you have a card you can play, you should use it quickly. Circumstances keep changing. Once you’ve found a weakness, you need to strike as fast as possible.”
“….”
The Second Imperial Consort, with a stunned expression, resolved separately from her affection for me that she must never become my enemy.
In any case, the wedding was truly unique.
Joshua changed clothes five times throughout the entire ceremony. I heard he shed tears saying, “I simply couldn’t choose just one of my precious babies…” I murmured beside Edmund.
“…He’s my older brother, but he’s really strange…”
Instead of wedding rings, they exchanged confidentiality agreements regarding the information they would provide each other. Seliet reportedly wrote the agreement herself. Edmund murmured beside me.
“…She’s my younger sister, but she’s really bizarre…”
The concept was remarkably consistent throughout the wedding. Even the officiant ended with, “Do the groom and bride swear to remain faithful to each other’s transactions for life?”
And right at the timing when they were about to answer, Alex arrived riding the Gray Wolf.
“××…. That crazy Joshua married that poor crazy woman, and she turned out to be the Princess, ××….”
A brief silence fell.
Only after Scari nearly in tears dragged Alex out of the venue could the ceremony continue. And as if nothing had happened, Hyde stood with his arms crossed contentedly and murmured.
“The appearance of any child born between those two will be absolutely stunning.”
And for good reason—Seliet was a beauty beyond question, and Joshua was the most beautiful-looking man in the Prelai household. Standing side by side in full regalia, they seemed to radiate light itself.
“That child will probably grow up without any twisted nature. They’ll grow up receiving abundant love from those around them. I should designate them as my successor right away.”
I tilted my head and retorted.
“Are you already thinking about grandchildren, Father? I’m not sure that’s possible… Honestly, neither of them looks at the other with any love in their eyes.”
Edmund beside me also supported me with concern.
“Frankly, I’m not sure if a marriage should be conducted like that. If they advertise to the entire nation that ‘this is merely a transaction,’ it seems they’ll never truly become a real couple for life…”
At those words, Hyde laughed heartily.
“Don’t worry, hahahaha!”
Hyde wiped under his nose and chuckled.
“I read a book called 【This Marriage is Merely a Transaction】 the other day, and in the end they did everything! Hahahaha!”
“That’s from a book, Father….”
Kiana sighed deeply, her worry evident.
“Kiki, trust me. I’ve lived longer than you, haven’t I?”
“Even so, seventeen of those years were spent living in the wilderness.”
“Well, experience counts for something. I’ve read more reference materials than you have.”
Kiana and Edmund both thought privately that if his references were books like 【This Marriage is Merely a Transaction】, they could hardly be considered wisdom.
But in the end, Hyde’s opinion proved correct.
Not long after, Joshua and Seliet delivered the news with deeply embarrassed expressions that they were expecting a honeymoon baby.

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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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