A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 27

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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 27
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Sezare Levin’s estate stood at 6th Street, Albenz, No. 28. After leaving the Club House, I traveled there by carriage.
Once seated in a rather elegant drawing room, I ignored the piercing gaze of the Spy Maid and requested coffee. Fortunately, an exceptionally fine coffee arrived. This household certainly knew their craft.
“This coffee is truly delicious.”
“Yes. We use beans roasted within three days from the Soirétaire region. The acidity is quite distinctive, is it not?”
“….”
It was simply delicious, yet he felt compelled to offer unnecessary detail.
“Do try the pavé chocolate as well. It pairs wonderfully with the coffee.”
I placed the small chocolate he offered into my mouth and blinked in surprise.
‘What? Why is he so earnest about food?’
Yet the chocolate’s flavor was so extraordinary that I gasped again.
“My goodness, this is genuinely delicious. You should try some too, Duke.”
“Ah… I shall refrain.”
Sezare, who had been watching me eat with an oddly pleased expression, spoke.
“Since an unforeseen accident, my sense of taste has been rather diminished.”
“I see.”
So he couldn’t taste anything, yet he kept such delicacies stocked throughout his estate? He was certainly an unusual person.
Perhaps mistaking the sympathy in my eyes, he laughed softly and spoke.
“It is of little consequence. Please, do not concern yourself.”
Not that I was particularly concerned about it anyway… In any case, this wasn’t the important matter.
“If I startled you earlier, I apologize.”
I sipped my coffee and changed the subject.
“I hadn’t originally intended to broach the matter so abruptly and without context.”
“Hmm.”
Sezare sipped his tea with impeccable posture before me. His earlier bewilderment seemed to have been a lie—he appeared quite composed now. His languidly drooping eyes even seemed to carry a hint of satisfaction.
He gazed at me with evident interest and asked.
“But why did you suddenly raise such a matter without context?”
And by a curious coincidence, Sezare and I spoke simultaneously.
“If perhaps my habit of appearing at opportune moments to offer my escort had pleased you….”
“I thought that if you’re just some pitiful wretch frequenting Club Houses, I could afford to treat you rather lightly….”
A brief silence fell.
“Pfft!”
“Hngh….”
The Spy Maid behind me and the Large Foreign Subordinate behind Sezare could be heard struggling to suppress their laughter. And there was one familiar spirit who made no attempt to restrain herself whatsoever.
【Ahahahahaha! This is hilarious! That sleek but wickedly auraed pretty boy totally fumbled his line! Ahahahahaha! Is that why he looked so pleased? Ahahahahah!】
“Piyak.”
I pressed down on Piyak’s head with stern authority and issued a warning.
“Don’t laugh so hard. Let’s save the laughter for later in the carriage together. It’s only fun if we laugh together.”
Sezare exhaled softly and pressed his fingers to his forehead. Then he spoke as though utterly exasperated.
“Your method of educating Summoned Beasts seems flawed.”
“My inner self is a complete mess, so I’m incapable of educating anyone to begin with. At best, I could manage mathematics or science—subjects that require no moral judgment whatsoever.”
I stared intently at Sezare as I continued.
“Besides, you don’t seem to have the qualities of a good educator either, frequenting the Club House as you do.”
“I only went there today because I had business to attend to. It was my first time.”
“Did you hear what people were telling the guards earlier? ‘I came here for the first time today with a friend!’ I think I’ve heard that line a hundred times.”
“But I truly went for the first time. I’ve already finished my business there, so I have no reason to return.”
“None of us will have reason to return. The Owner has been arrested.”
I offered a slight smile as if it were nothing. Sezare regarded me quietly before letting out a hollow laugh.
“All that effort to finish business quickly and rush over as an escort, and for what.”
“Pardon?”
“But when you smile so beautifully, I find myself unable to say anything.”
Wait a moment.
Did this man just say my smile was… beautiful? Everyone else said I looked eerie when I smiled! Yet the way he gazed at me was strangely affectionate. Wasn’t this only our second meeting?
But when someone so handsome looked at me with such warmth and tenderness, my heart trembled. His appearance was truly exceptional, and his manners were flawless. At this point, if we could just align on personality, preferences, wavelength, conversation style, values, intellectual level, and about seventy-eight other variables, I’d actually want to experience romance myself.
Of course, the Club House frequenting was somewhat disappointing, but then again, no one is without flaws.
‘If that were his only flaw, I could overlook it. After all, we’ll never be able to go to the Club House again anyway.’
I had come to propose a fake romance, but now I found myself wanting to experience real romance. If Melissa got to experience love, I should at least try it once! I began mentally cataloging honeymoon destinations.
“In any case, I’d like to hear your story.”
As if that brief moment of agitation from earlier had been ancient history, he had already regained his composure.
“I’m curious why you mentioned romance or contractual romance to me in the first place.”
Every gesture he made was impeccably refined. Yet when he uttered the word “romance,” his voice carried an oddly sweet quality. That discrepancy made my body flinch slightly.
“Ah, well, you see.”
I cleared my throat, composed myself, and continued with renewed determination.
“Do you remember that shameless fool Lord Rodrigo? The one you saw at the General Store back then.”
“The aspiring chef with those bloodshot eyes, you mean.”
“Yes. That wretched man actually proposed to me this morning. And he even included a written opinion from Prince Hitten.”
I set down my coffee cup with dramatic flair as I recounted this, but Sezare’s expression remained serene. Surely even if it weren’t his own affair, he could show some surprise? Yet he simply lounged there with an air of already knowing everything, swinging his leg leisurely.
I felt slightly embarrassed and continued in a somewhat deflated tone.
“Anyway… if I simply ignore it without good reason, it would make it look as though the House of Prelai is opposing the Imperial Family’s wishes.”
“Hmm.”
“My Grandfather tells me to ignore it outright, but I don’t want to give anyone grounds to criticize me over something like this.”
“That’s rather strange.”
The way Sezare said “strange” made it feel as though nothing was strange at all. With an expression as if surveying the entire situation from above, he smiled slightly and spoke.
“What could Prince Hitten possibly lack that he’d resort to such petty and personal pressure on the House of Prelai…?”
“Lord Rodrigo and Prince Hitten are already close.”
I answered through gritted teeth.
“Lord Rodrigo was originally close with the Imperial Family. He was extremely close with the missing Crown Prince as well…”
“Hmm.”
“That man has always been someone who stakes his life on connections. It’s also a characteristic of someone without real talent. Anyway, that’s not the important part…”
Sezare nodded indifferently without any particular reaction and lifted his teacup.
“You want something from me, don’t you? I’ll start the magical artifact research you’ve been asking for. In exchange….”
I swallowed dryly and spoke in one breath.
“Could you please pretend to be dating me publicly?”
Sezare froze mid-lift with his teacup.
“It’s the only way to gently deflect Prince Hitten’s pressure. Even the imperial family can’t tear apart a couple in love.”
Sezare gazed at me quietly.
I sipped my coffee leisurely. I already knew the outcome. Sezare had been persistently demanding magical artifact research from the Academy, continuously increasing his sponsorship amounts. So he would naturally be tempted by my proposal.
“If you look at the Academy’s papers, you’ll understand. Commissioning me is faster than pouring money into the Academy.”
“I know. That’s partly why I visited the General Store.”
So that’s why he sought me out that day—because of the magical artifact commission. He’d rushed to find me the moment I arrived in the Capital, which made me curious about just how extraordinary a magical artifact he wanted.
“To be honest, I’m quite conflicted.”
Sezare spoke slowly, as if genuinely troubled. I quickly added.
“I’ll break up with you when the timing seems right. It might not take as long as you’d think.”
Actually, I didn’t want to say such things since a fake relationship could blur into a real one, but it was unfortunate.
“Hmm.”
Sezare didn’t give a straightforward answer to my words. Was this really something to agonize over this much? It seemed more beneficial than frequenting the Club House, in my opinion.
After a brief silence, Sezare laughed deeply. Then he said something unexpected.
“The old me would never have done something so dishonorable… but I’ve changed quite a bit over the past few years.”
“Pardon?”
Dishonorable? It was a riddle that came out of nowhere. As I tilted my head in confusion, he suddenly extended his hand.
“Miss, I hope you won’t regret this. Let’s make this deal.”
“I knew you’d say that. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it either.”
I grasped Sezare’s hand firmly. He smiled quietly and stared at me intently. Then he spoke slowly, as if tempting me.
“Miss, even if you wanted to back out tomorrow….”
I felt oddly seen through. My body instinctively shrank back at his confident yet somehow dangerous gaze.
“…You absolutely cannot withdraw.”
“Um, uh, ah, yes.”
It was an ominous atmosphere that made me hesitate, unlike myself.

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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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