A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 30

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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 30
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The next morning.
The moment I opened my eyes, the Prelai Manor was in turmoil. I rose from bed, hastily dressed, and summoned the Spy Maid.
“What’s all this commotion about?”
“Ah, well….”
The Spy Maid stammered as she spoke.
“The Capital is in an uproar, my lady.”
“Good heavens. Is there something more scandalous than my arrival?”
“Yes! In fact, Joshua just arrived looking for you, my lady.”
“Unbelievable. He leaves without a word, yet shows up here every single day. Is it because Alex isn’t around?”
I clicked my tongue in disapproval of his shamelessness, then tilted my head curiously as I asked.
“If Prince Hitten and Lord Rodrigo are meddling in my marriage again….”
“No, my lady.”
The Spy Maid shook her head.
“Prince Hitten is far too preoccupied for that.”
“Hmm?”
“Yesterday, the Crown Prince appeared at the Club House and tried to kill his former mentor!”
My mouth fell open in shock.
What? Why is everything progressing so quickly? It’s what I wanted, but I felt oddly disoriented.
In the original story, the Crown Prince begins methodically strangling those who had harmed him. Without revealing himself, he brutally eliminates the missing Picnic members one by one.
‘But that’s supposed to happen months from now.’
Moreover, the location where he kills his first target isn’t even the Club House. As I tilted my head in confusion, the Spy Maid spoke.
“Since Joshua is in the Duke’s office with him, it would be best if you heard it directly.”
“You’re right.”
I immediately rushed down to my grandfather’s office.
Joshua sat in the office with my grandfather, dressed in remarkably flamboyant attire, sipping tea together.
“You’re awake.”
My grandfather sipped his tea gently, then kicked Joshua beside him.
“Sit.”
I found myself seated in the chair closest to my grandfather. He looked at me and asked.
“Have you eaten breakfast?”
It was a simple question, yet there was something about it that made one tense. Of course, I answered without hesitation.
“I skipped it when I woke up.”
“You haven’t eaten?”
“Well, I simply postponed it for now.”
At my words, my grandfather immediately commanded the servants.
“Bring Kiana’s breakfast here.”
“Here, my lord?”
“How could I ask her to walk all the way to the dining hall after she’s already walked here without eating breakfast?”
No, that doesn’t mean I should eat in the office. I waved my hand, about to refuse immediately.
“Ah, coffee alone would be fine for me….”
“You cannot have coffee on an empty stomach.”
“Then let me eat something first and then have coffee….”
“Let me consult with Kailon and think about it.”
Kailon was the physician of Prelai Manor.
What, now I have to get the doctor’s permission just to drink coffee! I slammed the table and began my protest.
“I am very young and healthy….”
Joshua quickly pulled out a hand mirror from his pocket and held it up to my face.
I immediately unclenched my fist and closed my mouth. No matter how I looked at it, my face did not appear healthy…. From every angle, I looked like someone who would work themselves to death in a laboratory….
“From now on, remove everything from Prelai Manor that is harmful to Kiana’s health.”
“Yes!”
The Spy Maid exclaimed with more enthusiasm than ever.
Before long, the office table was laden with food. As I blinked in bewilderment, Grandfather pushed a bowl of soup toward me first.
“Eat it warm on an empty stomach.”
Joshua said while slicing sausage beside me.
“You’re so gaunt and thin—do you even have the strength to hold a knife? Let me cut it for you.”
“Now that I think about it, your wrists have no strength at all. Kiana, shall I hold the soup bowl for you?”
I protested loudly.
“I am not a patient!”
And everyone looked at my face with an expression that said, ‘You’re on the verge of becoming one.’ With their beautiful yet eerie Prelai bloodline features, I flinched and immediately backed down.
“Fine, I’ll eat by myself. And I need the exercise anyway….”
At the mention of exercise, both Grandfather and Joshua finally relaxed. I could only sigh and begin eating. In truth, I wanted to pour coffee on an empty stomach before anything else.
Every time food entered my mouth, Grandfather and Joshua smiled with satisfaction and sighed. Muttering things like, ‘Since I couldn’t feed her properly for six years, I must feed her well for sixty years.’ They even added something dreadful: ‘I’ll ban her from research entirely and make her do nothing but play and eat until her brain cells are plump.’
Only after I finished eating did Grandfather nod once and speak.
“Kiana, I wish to thank you once more for saving Hou. With the Academy’s handling and Lord Rodrigo’s marriage proposal, I was too preoccupied to express my gratitude properly.”
Grandfather’s expression was filled with warmth.
“I will certainly repay you, but if there is anything you desire, tell me. Joshua, you leave now.”
“Pardon? Why should I leave?”
“This is a moment for me to express my gratitude to Kiana. What reason do you have to be here?”
“By that logic, I also have something to thank Kiana for?”
Joshua quipped with an annoyingly fresh expression. Then he looked at me and quickly said.
“Kiana, you went to the Club House yesterday and happened to catch a criminal who was worshipping my fashion sense, right? Thank you for that.”
“…Wasn’t it more likely impersonation than worship?”
“Is there really no one else worth impersonating but me?”
Joshua shrugged without seeming particularly surprised.
Indeed, he already knew. But he clearly hadn’t felt any real sense of danger about it. That’s why he must have left it alone…. It didn’t seem like he was particularly grateful to me. He simply didn’t want to lose to Grandfather.
“But how did you know the Club House Owner was a criminal that Duke Risiniss’s family was pursuing?”
“Oh, I heard about it in the Riloni Principality.”
I spoke casually. Anyway, Alex would devastate the Academy, so there was no way they could investigate further.
“I overheard some professor at the Academy rambling about it. I don’t even remember who. Well, those people probably wouldn’t have thought to be careful about Empire matters since it doesn’t concern them.”
“I see.”
Joshua simply nodded and moved on.
“Anyway, Kiana, that’s not what’s important.”
What do you mean, it wasn’t important!
“The Crown Prince appeared at the Club House that day.”
“…What on earth are you talking about?”
“What I mean is….”
Joshua began speaking with a serious expression.
“There was a middle-aged man named Orca Sedes at that gathering. From what I hear, he’s the same person you had a confrontation with at the blackjack table.”
“Ah, that pathetic loser living a wretched life?”
“…He was from the Imperial Knights, and he was the Crown Prince’s fencing instructor. He was there during that picnic when the Crown Prince fell off the cliff.”
“Hmm.”
Even though his body was in terrible condition, his hands bore the calluses of someone who wielded a sword.
‘And he did mention his glory days.’
If he served as the Crown Prince’s fencing instructor in the Knights, he must have been quite formidable once. After all, everyone praised the Crown Prince as a prodigy destined to become the youngest Sword Master.
“After the Crown Prince went missing like that, he felt responsible and resigned from the Knights, abandoning everything.”
“…And became a gambling addict who feels responsible?”
“Well, that’s essentially what happened….”
Joshua let out a soft sigh before continuing.
“Anyway, Orca is making a fuss now, claiming he saw the Crown Prince during all that chaos. Do you know anything about it?”
“Not at all.”
My memory of Orca was completely cut off in the middle. That made sense—after ordering Allin’s arrest and dealing with Avian, I had no time to observe my surroundings. I suspected Orca must have been equally flustered in that chaos when the guards were arresting Allin.
“According to Orca, a silver-haired Crown Prince wearing a mask approached him and tried to kill him.”
“So where is the returned Crown Prince now?”
“He vanished suddenly at some point.”
I probed carefully while pretending to know nothing.
“…Couldn’t he have just seen things? Maybe he’s gone mad. He was already quite drunk at that time.”
“Everyone thinks that, but…anyway, he’s trembling insisting it was definitely the Crown Prince. He says the Crown Prince tried to kill him but failed, only leaving him completely incapacitated. Especially….”
Joshua added with a sigh.
“His right wrist was practically slashed to ribbons. But you hurt your wrist too?”
“Yeah. My wrist feels like it’s about to fall off. What if I can never use my wrist again? I’m really scared.”
As I made a pitiful expression, Joshua hurriedly examined my wrist and muttered.
“…No matter how much I try to be overprotective, this is really excessive whining.”
Last night, I immediately told my physician Kailon, and he bandaged it. It was only a slight scratch from Orca, so it wasn’t actually serious.
In any case, it was the kind of news that could turn the Capital upside down. Until now, not even a man resembling the Crown Prince had been found. The Crown Prince had quietly faded from everyone’s memory, and naturally everyone assumed Prince Hitten would be the next Emperor. But now someone was half-crazed, spouting that the Crown Prince had returned, so everyone was bound to be shocked.
“Anyway, even if the Crown Prince has returned, why would he try to kill his former teacher? They were supposedly close.”
At my innocent question, Joshua shrugged once. My Grandfather, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, simply took a sip of tea without saying anything.
We were all undoubtedly thinking the same thing. But we deliberately kept it unspoken.

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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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