A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 20

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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 20
* * *
I rushed straight to my room, where Piyak was burying his face in my pillow, whimpering.
“You said you were upset—so why did you come here of all places…?”
【Then where else would poor Piyak go!】
Piyak protested by tapping his small wings against the pillow—tap, tap, tap.
【I have nothing to my name, so what good would running away do? No matter how wretched things get, I’m not going to that filthy Academy like Kiana!】
Though I’d resolved to discipline him properly, his words made me surrender immediately.
“You’re… actually right about that.”
At the mention of the “Academy,” my legs went weak and I collapsed onto the bed with a sigh.
“That’s not where I was supposed to go…”
The memory of that final betrayal was overwhelming. It cut even deeper because they had revered me at the Academy.
“But Piyak, does that mean this place is where I belong?”
I murmured quietly to myself.
“No matter how many times I’ve gone through the original story, there’s not a single scene where my family reminisces about me during the time I was gone.”
【That’s just Kiana misunderstanding things.】
Piyak slowly lifted his head and looked at me.
Surprisingly… there were no tear stains. Piyak hadn’t cried at all. He was truly a master of deception.
【It’s not that they avoided talking about Kiana. They simply didn’t converse much unless it was absolutely necessary. Your family was already a mess from the start, after all.】
It was a painfully sharp observation. Now that he mentioned it, he was right. Even without me, the household was already awkward and estranged—a family already falling apart. No combination of family members got along well.
“You…”
I looked at Piyak and asked.
“…Don’t you miss Melissa?”
Honestly, I expected he would. After all, Piyak had constantly called me a “cruel master.”
At my question, Piyak tilted his head once before turning the question back on me.
【What about Kiana? Don’t you dislike Melissa?】
There he goes—he’s quite skilled at deflecting too.
【After all, you ultimately decided to abandon the entire House of Prelai and live alone.】
“Hmm.”
【Yet despite being thoroughly selfish and self-centered, Kiana is struggling to save her family.】
“Meanwhile, Melissa must be struggling to save all the poor people in the world, I suppose.”
I answered flatly.
“You know as well as I do—I’m narrow-minded and prone to victimhood. Just thinking of Melissa makes me unhappy. So I’ve decided not to think of her at all.”
The memories of Melissa I gained after regression were nothing but warm. She receives the affection of both Rodrigo and Prince Hitten, and many other men besides show her favor.
“Honestly, who actually thinks Lady Kiana is a true member of House Prelai? She doesn’t even have a summoned beast. You, Melissa, are the true lady of House Prelai.”
“Please don’t say such things. I don’t think that way.”
“Melissa, after what Kiana did to you, how can you say that? You really are kind.”
Well… Melissa is kind, so it’s only natural. Even when bullied in society, she endures with steadfast resilience. Even family members who pretended not to know each other at least greeted Melissa. Because she always smiled and approached them first.
“What about you? In this life, it looks like you’ll only be exploited at my side.”
As I spoke weakly while looking at Piyak, he tilted his head and replied.
“But strangely, I feel like I have even more energy. It didn’t actually take much time, did it? Transporting items is also much easier than before… I think I could cut down the time even more next time.”
“…Really?”
Hmm? That was quite an interesting remark.
Whether my pitiful act had worked or not, Piyak seemed to have already forgotten his sulk. Of course, my mind was already spinning the moment Piyak mentioned being able to cut down the time. Melissa hadn’t assigned Piyak any particular tasks—he simply didn’t possess any particularly useful abilities.
‘So the more deliveries he makes, the faster he can complete them? If he can cut down the time, could I train him to carry heavier loads?’
One should never tell a professor that things are going better than expected. They immediately start thinking about how to make the operation even more efficient.
‘I should work him relentlessly.’
If I mention it now, there’ll be an uproar, so I’ll subtly assign him tasks tomorrow instead.
“Anyway, Kiana, in conclusion, Melissa ran away, but Kiana didn’t run away, did she?”
“Well, that’s because our situations are different.”
“Still… I know Kiana finds the Ducal Residence difficult. But how can she stand so firmly here…?”
Since Piyak seemed to be quietly marveling, I answered him sincerely.
“It’s because of vertical lift force.”
“Huh?”
“The force that supports objects in the direction opposite to gravity is what allows all of us to stand on the ground.”
“…I wish magical engineering would just collapse.”
* * *
“What should we do, Young Lady!”
The Spy Maid came running in, stomping her feet frantically, the moment I woke up from oversleeping.
“House of Purbis sent a marriage proposal to you, and in it…”
I yawned once and answered slowly.
“Does it contain Prince Hitten’s opinion?”
“My goodness.”
The Spy Maid’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
“How did you know?”
“Is there any family above Prelai other than the Imperial Family? And if there’s someone from the Imperial Family who would meddle in this marriage, it would be Prince Hitten.”
I responded calmly and rose from my seat.
A sigh escaped me. Lord Rodrigo was moving faster than I’d anticipated. Of course, I hadn’t been caught off guard. I was someone who had covered my dormitory room with sticky notes, considering every possible scenario. And now that I had the original story’s information, I already had plans to handle something of this magnitude.
In the original story, Lord Rodrigo used this method to obtain Melissa. He pressured the Prelai Family by attaching Prince Hitten’s letter of opinion, as they were close. It was only natural—at this point in time, Prince Hitten was the only one who could suppress the Prelai Ducal Family with power.
‘And he suffered terribly because he wanted Melissa for himself too. What a pathetic bastard, coveting his friend’s fiancée.’
Originally, the matter would have fizzled out when Prince Hitten, who later developed feelings for Melissa, changed his stance. But now Prince Hitten didn’t even know my face properly. So without any internal conflict, he would simply issue commands like “Prelai must take responsibility for the marriage talks with Lord Rodrigo.”
There was surprisingly only one excuse that could refuse that command.
If it was a political marriage, it had to follow the Imperial Family’s arrangement. But if there was already a betrothed, things were different. If someone claimed to have a beloved, it would be perfectly interpreted as an overreach of Imperial authority to separate them.
‘So I just need to say that there’s a man whose heart resonates with mine, and I’ll become engaged to him instead.’
But this plan had two critical flaws.
First, I didn’t have a man whose heart resonated with mine. Second, no matter how well I planned my escape, if Grandfather, as the head of the family, refused to allow it, everything would fall apart. After all, Grandfather was the patriarch of Prelai, and it was only rational for him to make decisions for the entire Prelai Family rather than for me alone, someone with a high probability of not being of his blood.
Still, I couldn’t marry Lord Rodrigo. I had to block it somehow, even if it meant using yesterday’s incident with Hou as leverage.
I sighed once and slowly rose to my feet.
“Let’s go see Grandfather first.”
* * *
“What did you say?”
Joshua shot to his feet upon hearing the informant’s report.
“What the hell is that lunatic going on about?”
News had arrived that Lord Rodrigo had sent a letter pressuring the Prelai Ducal Residence about marriage.
“It’s not like I particularly favor Kiana or anything!”
Joshua, seething with rage, rummaged through his wardrobe and dressed himself in the most flamboyant outfit with the largest logos emblazoned across it.
“But still! I can’t possibly accept that petty blackmailer as my brother-in-law!”
He also selected a limited-edition pair of shoes he rarely wore, usually keeping them pristine.
“W-where are you going?”
Joshua ground his teeth as he answered the informant’s urgent question.
“The Ducal Residence!”
With glittering cufflinks fastened as well, Joshua hurried toward the Ducal Residence. This marked the second consecutive day he was heading to his family home.
To be honest, Prelai and Purbis made a reasonable match.
Alex was so obviously mad that it was practically impossible for him to be connected with a noblewoman of high standing. Living off his handsome face could only last so long—any woman with even a modicum of refinement would find his crude behavior unbearable.
And Joshua was a confirmed bachelor.
Kiana had been too young to remember, but he still carried memories of his parents’ affection for each other. The blissful expressions of that happy couple, who seemed to drip honey whenever they gazed at one another, remained vivid in his mind. The warm voice that whispered every night, “Your mother loves you all so much. Let’s be happy together as a family, always.” That voice echoed still.
Yet if a household could be shattered so easily one day, with someone suddenly abandoning everyone… then Joshua had no desire to create a household at all.
And Melissa had become a nun at the Convent. She was now a woman who could never marry for the rest of her life.
‘In the end, Kiana is the only one who can make a marriage alliance with a high-ranking noble…’
Kiana’s reputation was, as they say, at rock bottom. Objectively speaking, if the second son of House Purbis were involved, this side should be saying “thank you.” And with the pressure from Prince Hitten on top of that, there wasn’t even grounds to refuse.
‘But I don’t like how that bastard is going about this!’
Thus Joshua stormed into the Ducal Residence, grinding his teeth. A servant had just reported that Kiana was in Scari’s office.
It was the moment Joshua threw the door open with a bang.
“Grandfather.”
Kiana’s clear voice rang out.

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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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