A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 207

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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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Commemoration of Webtoon Adaptation
Side Story Episode 10
After Kiana and Edmund’s engagement ceremony.
At the Prelai Ducal Residence, there was a woman unconsciously gnawing at her fingernails. It was Melissa.
“…Why would the Crown Prince pursue Kiana….”
Melissa had been in an oddly foul mood lately.
As Kiana’s harassment diminished, so too did the people who looked after her. Joshua and Alex had never shown much interest in Melissa to begin with, and now that even the one-sided mistreatment at the estate had vanished, she could barely catch a glimpse of them.
Scari was no different. Without Kiana to torment her over, Melissa had no reason to seek him out. Scari was far too occupied with his duties as head of house.
Lord Rodrigo, who had once been kind to her, was the same. He had no time to spare for Melissa now. Recently, the distance between Edmund and Lord Rodrigo had grown considerably, and that too was Kiana’s doing.
“Princess, you know what? If you didn’t mind that I was a bit chubby, why did you dislike me?”
“I didn’t dislike you.”
“But you avoided me.”
“That was… well. I have no friends, Ed. You should understand that well.”
“I already know that, though….”
“People with many friends and I are fundamentally incompatible.”
“Then I’ll match that too! I just won’t have friends either! Besides, I heard that when you become emperor, you shouldn’t have friends anyway. Thanks to you, Princess, I’ve become a forward-thinking person!”
From that day forward, Edmund drew clear boundaries with those around him. According to him, they were relationships that would inevitably be defined as sovereign and subject.
The Emperor approved of this change as well. Though he hadn’t taught him yet, calling him “still too young,” ultimately, to be a proper emperor, one must trust no one and conduct oneself politically.
“Um, Your Highness the Crown Prince. We’ve prepared a picnic. What would you think of us going hunting together, just the close friends?”
“I’m sorry. I feel anxious if I don’t see the Princess even for a day.”
“…I didn’t want to say this, but if you abandon your friends so mercilessly now that you have a lover, we feel terribly hurt.”
“Lord Rodrigo, watch your words.”
“…Yes, yes?”
“She’s not my lover yet—she’s my unrequited love. Just because the Princess agrees to see me doesn’t mean she’s accepted all of my feelings.”
Right up until the engagement ceremony itself, Edmund continued to refer to Kiana as his “unrequited love.”
All that time, he simply followed behind her everywhere.
Kiana usually attended magical engineering presentations and technology exhibitions. She had originally confined herself gloomily to her room, but when Edmund extended his hand saying “let’s go outside together no matter what,” these were the places she chose to visit.
At first, Edmund followed her according to her preferences, but before long he had come to understand that “technological advancement is paramount to making the Empire prosperous,” and together they were now envisioning a constructive future.
“Kiana is really becoming the Crown Princess? I’m a bit worried… How can someone who only visits technology exhibitions alone manage all those diplomatic issues and social events?”
Melissa muttered with a voice full of concern.
“Kiana doesn’t like people… The position of Crown Princess won’t suit her well. She’ll have to become Empress later too. Won’t tragedy befall everyone in the end? Everyone avoids Kiana anyway. I’m truly worried about her.”
In the end, it was all because Edmund had taken a liking to Kiana.
In fact, Scari, Alex, and Joshua had all been shocked, saying they never could have anticipated such a thing. But with Edmund being the Crown Prince, and seeing Kiana stabilize through meeting him, no one dared openly oppose it.
“That just means they’re such a mismatched pair, doesn’t it? Hmm, why Kiana of all people? Everyone liked me….”
If only he had taken a liking to Melissa instead… then this worrisome situation wouldn’t exist.
She was confident she could truly become a Crown Princess beloved by everyone.
Couldn’t Kiana have left for the Riloni Principality to study magical engineering without such burdens?
That seemed like it would be good for Kiana, for Prelai, and for everyone involved. After all, wasn’t there already a rumor that Kiana was a fake princess?
Piyak answered listlessly from beside her.
How would I know?
“Right? You wouldn’t know either, Piyak? This really is strange. Now that I think about it, the Crown Prince and I have never had a proper conversation. If I had spent quality time with His Highness, things might have turned out differently, don’t you think?”
【Well, that could certainly be the case, couldn’t it?】
“Right now the Crown Prince only has eyes for Kiana, but if the right opportunity presented itself… everything could change, couldn’t it?”
Melissa quietly resolved to wait for her chance.
And that opportunity came far sooner than she expected.
As winter began, Kiana suddenly announced she had thought of a way to find her father and would be traveling to the Riloni Principality.
Scari, Alex, and Joshua would all be accompanying her.
“I’m coming down with a cold, so I won’t be going. It’s such an important matter—I couldn’t possibly burden everyone with my presence.”
Melissa smiled and feigned a cough.
‘Rescue Uncle? That’s ridiculous. No matter how capable Kiana is, she can’t possibly defeat all those demons. She’s probably just trying to draw the family’s attention now that she’s engaged.’
This meant Melissa could remain alone at the Prelai Ducal Residence!
And naturally, even as her fiancé, Edmund couldn’t possibly join them on such a distant journey to the Riloni Principality without good reason.
“Have a safe trip, everyone!”
Melissa waved enthusiastically.
The moment everyone departed in their carriages, she gave Piyak her orders.
“Piyak, go to Kiana’s room right now and bring me anything you can find.”
【What? Right now?】
“Yes. Something I can use as an excuse to visit the Crown Prince. A note in Kiana’s handwriting with ambiguous content would be perfect.”
【I’m not sure if something like that even exists…】
“This is for Riloni, the Empire, Kiana, and all of us. I have no choice but to act.”
【Since I’m weak, I can only carry small notes, but I’ll try! Should I go through the window?】
“No! Someone might see you. Just use the dimensional passage.”
Using the dimensional passage took time, but it was necessary to avoid being spotted by any servants.
A month later, the note Piyak brought back was this:
Piyak fluttered his wings as he spoke.
【I tore it from what looked like a diary! This was the best I could do!】
“You did well, Piyak. Really well.”
Melissa praised him with unbridled joy.
Everyone praised Melissa for her kindness. So if she went to Edmund and tearfully said, ‘It seems Kiana has feelings for another man, and I had a premonition this would be discovered—I simply couldn’t keep this from you’…
‘One chance is all I need. Just one moment close to him, and from experience, every man has preferred me to Kiana.’
Melissa carefully folded the note and placed it in her pocket before entering the Imperial Palace.
She couldn’t rely on Edmund meeting her through a formal letter, so she had to engineer a chance encounter.
Of course, with the Emperor’s illness, she needed a legitimate reason to enter the palace, but that was easily arranged.
“I’ve come to visit Prince Hitten.”
Among the many who harbored feelings for her, Hitten was one of them.
He had told her she was welcome to visit the Imperial Palace anytime.
“Is the Prince in his residence?”
Not long ago, she had stolen a glance at Edmund’s daily schedule—one he had personally created—from Kiana’s room. She would waste time with Hitten, then position herself to intercept Edmund as he returned to the Crown Prince’s residence after his sword training.
“Ah, the Prince is currently at the Tailize Tree. I’ll escort you there.”
“Yes!”
If it was the Tailize Tree, it was even closer to Edmund’s route, which I had already mapped out beforehand. Melissa headed toward where Hitten was, with Piyak perched on her shoulder.

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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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