A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 45

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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 45
The Duke of House Purbis wanted Kiana to consistently favor Lord Rodrigo and align herself with the people of House Purbis. So whenever Kiana came to the Purbis Manor to see Lord Rodrigo, he would whisper to her.
“Princess, I say this for your own good… it would be better if you didn’t stand out in front of people. Whenever people see you, they naturally recall the scandals of House Prelai.”
The Duchess of House Purbis eagerly chimed in as well.
“I’m telling you this because you’re like a daughter to me, but whenever you appear at social gatherings, people think of Enes Prelai. You look so alike… and it seems the Duke finds that quite irritating.”
Young Kiana believed their words more than her own family’s, thinking them more objective. Even Judith, her friend of the same age, said similar things.
“I’m telling you this so you don’t become a fool, but everyone calls you the shame of Prelai behind your back. So don’t bother opening your heart to others. They’re all just pretending to be friendly in front of you, but behind your back they curse you as a stable master’s daughter.”
And so young Kiana faithfully followed the advice she heard at House Purbis, until one day she suddenly left for the Academy.
“This time, I’ll ask my parents for help too. Just like before, so she can never attend these events again.”
Judith laughed easily, recalling the young Kiana from back then.
“Then while my brother comforts that mess of a girl, we’ll have it easy, right?”
“Thank you, Judith.”
Lord Rodrigo muttered while grinding his teeth.
“Orca, what is this old fool doing going mad at this timing? If it weren’t for that, things would have been easy.”
Lord Rodrigo fumed with frustration.
His proposal had been completely ignored. House Prelai gave no response whatsoever. He thought that with an opinion letter bearing Prince Hitten’s name, imperial pressure would naturally follow within a day.
But suddenly Orca had gone mad, spouting nonsense about the Crown Prince appearing and trying to kill him.
“Seriously. That man is serious. I am the mentor of the Crown Prince. Wouldn’t I know his sword energy best? There’s no doubt about it—it was definitely the Crown Prince.”
It was incredibly frustrating. Silver hair was just a matter of wearing a wig, and he’d even worn a mask. The Club House had been in chaos from the guards’ intrusion at the time, and Orca had been drunk.
“I know exactly how to recognize His Highness immediately. It could only be him. Besides, my body is covered in internal injuries! He really tried to kill me!”
Lord Rodrigo didn’t believe Orca’s words.
He had fed the Crown Prince a terribly potent and specialized poison. He had personally pushed him off a cliff while he was gasping at death’s door. The Crown Prince had been completely careless, boasting that he was blessed by the imperial family and immune to poison. No matter how skilled he was, soon to become a Sword Master, there was no way he could have survived.
But that was Lord Rodrigo’s opinion, while Prince Hitten, always wrapped in anxiety, thought differently. He was deeply uneasy.
Judith, who had been eyeing the spot next to Prince Hitten, spoke pointedly.
“Don’t depend on Prince Hitten for everything. It looks pathetic. Prince Hitten is so busy—would he really help with your marriage?”
“Don’t speak when you know nothing. Originally, he should be completely backing me up in this matter.”
Lord Rodrigo spoke firmly. The details of that picnic were barely known even by the family. It was classified information known only to Hitten, the Third Imperial Consort, and the five people who attended the picnic.
“Anyway, let’s crush Kiana’s arrogance together again at this banquet.”
At Lord Rodrigo’s words, Judith shrugged her shoulders once and lifted her chin.
“Right, our interests align, so we should cooperate. Both you and I… we think the look of inferiority, always hiding before Kiana, suits us best, don’t we?”
* * *
When I went to my grandfather’s office, I was startled.
“Uh… this, this is…”
Various jewels and accessories filled the table. Though the designs weren’t particularly to my taste, they were jewels nonetheless, and they would look quite beautiful attached to my checkered ribbon.
“Ahem, ahem. Sit down.”
My grandfather spoke with a clearing of his throat.
“I told the butler to buy everything that’s fashionable these days. The imperial banquet is coming soon.”
“Wow…”
Right, I’m the youngest daughter of an incredibly wealthy family… I’d been living modestly at the Academy and had momentarily forgotten what it meant to have the Empire’s most powerful man as my grandfather.
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
I smiled brightly and spoke.
“I’ll have it tailored to my style and wear it to the imperial banquet.”
“Ah… yes… the imperial banquet.”
Grandfather murmured with a sigh. Something about the imperial banquet seemed to come to mind.
“I believe Julius was scheduled to arrive around that time. He’s the type to rush about like the wind, so we haven’t been able to reach him…”
Grandfather had requested Julius visit the Capital regarding the maid who attempted assassination. That visit became unnecessary when she took her own life.
While I was lost in thought, Grandfather spoke again, rather pointedly.
“In any case, Kiana. If there’s anything else you desire, I’ll grant it. I suppose my creativity is lacking since I could only think of this. Tell me what you want.”
I answered reflexively without hesitation.
“Then coffee…”
“Absolutely not if it harms your health. No caffeine until you’re as healthy as Alex.”
Only after being rejected outright did I come to my senses. There was actually another reason I came here!
“Then, Grandfather.”
I finally gathered myself and spoke.
“Please grant me one request. It’s related to the upcoming imperial banquet.”
The imperial banquet was an important social event where countless nobles gathered, and consequently, all manner of incidents occurred.
For several years now, Grandfather had not attended the imperial banquet. House Prelai had simply sent Alex and Melissa in his stead. Even then, Alex would merely attend the opening ceremony and leave before the first dance began.
As for Melissa, left alone, there were countless stories in the original narrative. Even after I disappeared, Melissa became the target of Princess Judith of House Purbis and suffered relentless harassment… yet she displayed it all before others, which ironically earned her the sympathy of men.
I wasn’t particularly the type to seek others’ sympathy, but I had learned something from Melissa’s experience. Showing a situation once was far more effective than appealing a hundred times in words.
‘Judith, and House Purbis.’
They would certainly scheme again this time. Now the target would be me instead of Melissa.
‘This time, I need to show them what I’m made of.’
Among the three ducal houses, House Prelai had always been the highest-ranking noble family closest to the imperial family, wielding the most influence. Perhaps envious of this, there were those who constantly sought out House Prelai’s weaknesses to mock from the shadows. Yet paradoxically, House Purbis was the family that admired House Prelai and clung to connections with them by any means necessary.
My teeth clenched when I recalled what they had said to me as a child.
“Princess, we say this for your sake… it would be better if you didn’t stand out in front of people. Whenever people see the Princess, they naturally associate you with the scandals of House Prelai.”
Whenever I visited the Purbis Manor to see Rodrigo, the Duke of Purbis and his wife would come find me under the guise of offering advice, speaking to me subtly.
The members of House Prelai themselves said nothing to me. But as a child, I thought third-party opinions were more objective. Naturally, because of such words, I became withdrawn, secluded myself in the manor, and avoided Grandfather.
When Grandfather realized I hadn’t returned to the manor even while receiving terrible treatment at the Academy, he said this.
“What… what did I miss, Kiana?”
What Grandfather had missed was that people from House Purbis had whispered cruel words to me as a child.
“Until you became like that… there must have been something I overlooked…”
If not for them, I wouldn’t have been so withdrawn and unhappy in the Prelai Manor. Only after growing older did I realize how terribly they had treated me. And they didn’t stop just because I disappeared. They simply changed their target to Melissa and harassed her relentlessly.
Grandfather also didn’t particularly like House Purbis. However, because there had been cooperative dealings since the previous dukes, they maintained close relations.
In the southern Purbis Dukedom lay a warm-stone mine. Warm-stone was a mineral that maintained a constant warm temperature. For generations, House Prelai had received warm-stones from House Purbis and distributed them to soldiers in the northern dukedom. They were effective for maintaining body heat when placed inside armor.
‘But a year later… House Purbis will falsify the ledgers of that warm-stone mine.’
Specifically, they would gradually increase the number of warm-stones being traded. Those ledgers would later be used as evidence when Hitten claims that ‘House Prelai was secretly increasing its private forces in the north.’ Before anyone knew it, warm-stone had even been designated as military supplies.
In any case, since it was used for soldiers, calling it military supplies left no room for rebuttal. However, because the circumstances were so unusual, no one paid much attention.
Originally, House Purbis lacked the audacity to directly target House Prelai. They only showed a duplicitous attitude—wanting to bring them down while somehow maintaining connections. When they received Hitten’s proposal, they were delighted and accepted immediately.
‘Grandfather simply conducted the trade as it had been passed down from previous generations, yet he was backstabbed nonetheless.’
Before regression, I didn’t even have the will for revenge, but now that I had returned to the Empire, the situation was different. I had to exact not just personal revenge but also vengeance for my family. That’s why I had a plan in place once I learned that Julius would be coming to the Capital.
“Of course, Kiana. What is it you wish to ask of me?”
Seeing my grandfather’s eyes, which seemed ready to grant me anything beyond his coffee supply, I made my request with deliberate clarity.
“I would very much like for Julius to attend the upcoming banquet.”

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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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