A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 191

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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 30
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There was no upset. When the event concluded, a mountain of game lay piled before Edmund—easily twice what Alex had managed.
“××!”
Alex let out a bestial cry of anguish and mounted Wolf, desperate to flee the Spirit Forest that very moment. From his direction, it seemed he was heading north. Even in his haste, his pettiness shone through—he absolutely refused to witness Edmund receiving the championship trophy with his own eyes.
“Kiana!”
Just before leaving the forest, he planted himself in front of her and bellowed indignantly.
“Give me back that note!”
“…What?”
“The one you gave me when I went north before! That ×× Joshua bastard made such a fuss about getting married that I ×× lost it and couldn’t find it anywhere.”
“Ah….”
Kiana picked up her pen with a reluctant expression. Of course, she had no proper stationery on hand—only a small memo pad that the Spy Maid carried.
She couldn’t quite remember what she’d written back then.
‘I think I just scribbled some vague encouragement and called it done.’
So this time too, Kiana decided to write some nebulous words of support about life in the north. It seemed clear enough that Alex’s destination was definitely the north.
Alex carefully tucked Kiana’s note into his pocket and finished his preparations to depart. As Kiana watched him go, Edmund leisurely displayed his game below the podium.
“This is… well, he’s obviously won without question.”
Ranaq approached with a look of exhaustion and muttered.
“Wait a moment.”
Edmund remained still, then fixed Ranaq with a sharp gaze.
“…I detect a faint trace of Kiana’s scent on you.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems you were standing near Kiana at some point. Why did you approach her while I was hunting?”
Cold sweat trickled down Ranaq’s back. He’d only spoken with her briefly, yet Edmund noticed? If it weren’t for the fact that he’d met Kiana several times during that provincial assignment before, everything would have been exposed by now.
“That is, well, you see!”
Ranaq’s mind began spinning frantically, but Edmund didn’t even give him a chance to make excuses.
“You seem to find it difficult to answer.”
His golden eyes gleamed sharply.
“Even more suspicious. You were near Kiana, yet there’s something you find difficult to tell me….”
Ranaq’s pupils trembled violently. Edmund was a generous master, but when Kiana was involved, the situation became entirely different. Right now, it was either die at Edmund’s hands, or confess everything and die at the hands of Seliet and Kiana….
“Actually, the truth is!”
Just as Ranaq was about to choose the latter and open his mouth.
“Brother, do pay attention.”
Seliet glided over smoothly.
“Don’t you know Ranaq’s been nursing an unrequited love lately?”
Ranaq’s eyes widened in shock at this news he was hearing for the first time. Edmund’s brow furrowed, but Seliet smiled like an angel and continued.
“Lady Kiana’s maid, that is. He’s been secretly following her around these days.”
Edmund’s expression shifted to one of surprise as his frown gradually relaxed. Seliet patted her belly contentedly and continued with satisfaction.
“So I deliberately summoned her to the Prelai Manor and such. It seems my perception is sharper than yours, Ed?”
“I see.”
Edmund quickly agreed. Then he alternated his gaze between Seliet and Joshua, who sat nearby, tilting his head in confusion.
“…Is consanguineous marriage fashionable these days…?”
“One thing’s for certain. The child between those two would have remarkably developed muscles.”
Ranaq opened his mouth in astonishment, but Seliet gave him a look that said ‘isn’t that better than dying?’, so he simply nodded. Edmund sighed deeply and patted Ranaq’s shoulder.
“You’ve had it rough, Ranaq.”
“Um… ah… yes.”
“Could it be that you didn’t attend the regional festival last time because you injured your leg—or was it actually because of unrequited love? Then again, no matter what happens, you wouldn’t want to leave the same city. After all, you’d need to sneak a peek at a certain window every night.”
“…So you’ve been looking at windows every night, I see. Yes… um…”
Ranaq marveled once more at Edmund’s remarkably sincere unrequited love. Seliet smiled gently and changed the subject.
“Brother Ed has clearly won. There’s nothing more to see.”
Edmund nodded vaguely and glanced sideways at Kiana, who stood with her family in the distance.
He’d planned to use his wish token on Kiana anyway… but he didn’t want to burden her with something like this. He was just thinking of suggesting a date or something. It was just a matter of showing off his affection in front of others.
“I’ll inform the other two judges, so please come up to the podium when your name is called.”
Seliet smiled gently. Edmund replied halfheartedly that he understood, then looked at his sister’s slightly swollen belly and spoke quietly.
“Thank you for taking care of things while you’re pregnant, Seliet.”
He understood why Seliet had come all this way to announce the judging results herself.
Normally, the Emperor and Empress should have conducted the judging. But the Empress had fled to the Sola Kingdom while Edmund was away on a provincial business trip. Surprisingly, her absence left no gap—no one suffered any setback.
Still, it was rather harsh that she left without even saying a word of greeting to her own son. Edmund, for his part, wore an indifferent expression as if he’d expected as much. He hadn’t even heard an apology, but it seemed he hadn’t harbored any expectations from the start.
“What are you saying, brother? I was just…”
“Still, you don’t need to worry about such things anymore. I was never a useful son to the Empress either. Perhaps from the moment I was born.”
“…”
“We’re the same, you and I. So between us, there are no debts. In any case, you focus on your own family.”
Edmund’s expression was truly unbothered, but that was precisely why Seliet’s heart ached a little more.
“Still…”
After clearing her throat briefly, Seliet smiled slightly and looked at Edmund.
“Congratulations in advance, brother.”
Edmund thought she meant congratulations on winning and laughed it off casually. Seliet, with a subtle smile, slowly turned and walked toward the podium.
* * *
It was the predictable award ceremony everyone had anticipated.
However, when Edmund ascended the podium with an elegant gait, the announcer quietly wiped away tears of emotion. And for good reason—during the past few years when Alex had won, proper award ceremonies had never taken place. Because of Alex, who simply slashed away and disappeared, the events always ended in a messy fashion.
Edmund received the championship trophy with refined grace and even added a humble yet concise expression of gratitude.
【Wow, that really brings back memories, meow.】
My father sat beside me, and Kitty, perched on his lap, wagged her tail as she spoke.
【When Hyde used his wish token on Enes at the hunting tournament, he proposed to her, meow.】
I’d seen that once before when I went back to the past. Father seemed to have asked for a date in a gentlemanly manner… but suddenly the scale grew larger because of Mother’s coercion, and it became a proposal.
Father, lost in memories of the old days, gazed at Edmund with a wistful expression and spoke.
“Surely that ×× thief won’t pull off such a ridiculous stunt of proposing in this public setting.”
【…What’s wrong with ridiculous stunts, meow.】
Kitty, a dog-type summoned beast, murmured in a wounded voice, but Grandfather also nodded with his fists clenched.
“To satisfy one’s selfish desires in such a solemn event in such a manner is utterly unacceptable.”
That matter… it was something my father did about thirty years ago. In any case, I watched Edmund standing elegantly on the award stage and applauded with satisfaction. The championship trophy in his hand gleamed brilliantly.
The Spy Maid whispered quietly into my ear.
“That trophy is so pretty. I think it would have been nice to go with the twenty-first plan instead…”
The twenty-first plan was the courtship method that had been competing until the very end. In other words, it meant that I would catch Edmund, who had already caught plenty of game, and submit him as my game.
Seliet actively supported it, saying, “Anyway, when the criteria are vague, the judges decide. And I’m one of the judges.” If I caught Edmund, I could win the championship, and I could just use the wish token on Edmund to ask him to marry me. Of course, actually catching Edmund myself would be… frankly impossible, and Edmund would simply let himself be caught by me.
I had rejected that proposal, saying, “Still, we shouldn’t undermine the purpose of the competition.” I thought that if such a precedent were set, it could cause difficulties for future generations anyway. Besides, I didn’t feel like arbitrarily using the authority of a judge. I was relatively similar to Alex in having a strong sense of law and order.
In the meantime, Edmund displayed a picture-perfect smile and spoke leisurely.
“I will use this wish token for Princess Kiana Prelai.”
This too was something everyone had anticipated. A sense of boredom—”Ah, how predictable”—flickered across everyone’s faces.
“Well… he’ll probably just make some unoriginal, safe date proposal.”
Father muttered while grinding his teeth. He seemed to have already forgotten the unoriginal date proposal he had made thirty years ago.
“Yes. Well, it’ll probably just end with him boasting about our romantic relationship in front of others. I suppose I’ll have to accept that much.”
Grandfather also took a deep breath and glared at the award stage.
I rose with a haughty expression and walked briskly to the front of the stage. Edmund glided over and escorted me.
Truly, Edmund standing before others was far too handsome. It was only natural that the gazes of many people naturally converged on him. What was beautiful in my eyes was beautiful in others’ eyes too. What I wanted, others wanted as well.
‘…Surely he’s cowering in fear because of my notorious reputation as a villainess, but there must be quite a lot of people who harbor unrequited feelings for this man.’
At that thought, I even wondered if I should gain weight again like before.
In the meantime, Edmund kissed the back of my hand and spoke softly.
“Your Highness, my wish is to…”
“Wait a moment.”
And I gripped Edmund’s hand tightly while glaring at him and whispered.
“Don’t say anything boring like that. From now on, just repeat exactly what I say.”
“…What?”
Looking directly into Edmund’s bewildered eyes, I raised the corners of my mouth and lowered my voice to speak.
“‘Kiana, I will state my wish.’ What are you doing? Hurry and say it exactly the same way in front of everyone.”

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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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