A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 55

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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 55
* * *
Hiton’s birthday banquet had become an absolute disaster.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince was there. Your Highness the Crown Prince was there. He whispered secrets that only he and that person know into my ear….”
Nix rambled incoherently, tears streaming down his battered face.
“I even saw his faint silver hair gleaming in the moonlight!”
Hiton issued rapid orders to his aide.
“Mayer, find that old man. And find out where the sacred relic is, by any means necessary.”
It would take years, but a Sword Master could alter their appearance to some degree. Besides, the Crown Prince had been quite plump, his features buried beneath excess flesh. What if he had lost weight and changed his appearance over time so that others wouldn’t recognize him easily? Of course, if such a situation had occurred, it was obvious he would seek out the sacred relic to reclaim the throne.
Only after the second incident did Hiton begin to feel a sense of reality slowly settling in.
“B-but last time, even when I pushed him to the brink of death, he didn’t talk….”
“Push him again! Push harder! Actually kill him!”
Hiton snapped irritably.
He had been searching for Edmund for six years. Blue eyes were uncommon, making him easy to track. Yet despite combing the continent thoroughly, he had found nothing. And now he suddenly appears like this? The fact that both Orca and Nix made identical claims made it all the more unsettling.
Lord Rodrigo leaned in beside Hiton and spoke.
“Nix drank heavily from the beginning of the banquet, Your Highness. He was simply spouting nonsense in his drunken state.”
“But his injuries are quite severe, aren’t they?”
“I’ve heard there are many who harbor resentment toward him for holding the position of Captain of the Guard despite lacking the skill. Might this be one such person?”
Despite his father Duke Purbis’s injuries, Lord Rodrigo remained at Hiton’s side, focused on comforting him.
“Perhaps once the chandelier accident occurred, they wanted to beat him thoroughly. And out of fear of future consequences, they pretended to be the Crown Prince.”
Hiton thought Lord Rodrigo’s words were overly optimistic.
“Your Highness, Nix didn’t actually see the attacker’s face. The silver hair could have been a wig, and that secret could simply be something Nix babbled about while drunk.”
Yet these were words he wanted to hear right now. When faced with crisis, people naturally clung to hope.
“…Is that so?”
But the deep unease in his chest did not disappear. He was anxious beyond measure. Of all times, such an incident had to occur at his own birthday banquet, and now everyone was talking about the Crown Prince. This was the second time. Some people were even questioning whether something had happened at that hunting picnic.
That very night, not long after, Hiton’s aide returned with the location of the sacred relic from Mayer. Surprisingly, Mayer, who had held firm last time, now readily revealed everything, saying it was acceptable to speak.
In any case, what mattered was that he had identified the location of the sacred relic. Until now, he had only thought, ‘Someday I’ll find it and destroy it.’ But now that the Crown Prince had been mentioned twice, he felt compelled to dispose of it by any means.
“I’ll go myself. Right now.”
So Hiton rode his horse directly toward Alford Harbor in the dead of night. He felt that only he could retrieve the sacred relic himself. Following his aide’s directions, he stood before the goddess statue.
Upon seeing the goddess statue standing before the sea, Hiton first checked the position of the moon. Then he took a deep breath and pressed the fish scales illuminated by moonlight.
In the dead of night, the ancient goddess statue felt as though it were alive. In the brief moment of waiting, Hiton found himself muttering without realizing it.
“I wish for this to go smoothly.”
He didn’t particularly believe in gods, but anxiety had made him speak without thinking.
“So please, Goddess, give me the sacred relic willingly.”
Not long after, with a click, a note popped out.
“What, what is this? Why another note?”
His heart sank. As a member of the Taelis royal family, he couldn’t help but be sensitive to notes.
There shall be a path for those who receive the Taelis note
That ancient oracle passed down through the ages. As those words kept coming to mind, Hiton unfolded the note with trembling hands.
* * *
Though the Duke’s carriage was said to be waiting at the rear gate, even that route had taken considerable time. And we had Julius among us—an injured man who needed care.
In the end, Joshua mounted his horse with Julius in tow, his expression resigned to the situation.
“We’ll head to Prelai Manor ahead of everyone else.”
Grandfather was nowhere to be seen. I imagined he was thoroughly enjoying himself in this chaos, likely giving Duke Purbis a thorough beating.
“I shall ensure Lady Kiana reaches home safely, my lord.”
Sezare spoke with impeccable courtesy and formality. Joshua and Julius regarded him with evident displeasure in their eyes for a long moment.
But regardless, Sezare had been my partner for tonight’s ball. It was customary for him to escort me home safely after the event concluded. I desperately opened and closed my mouth at Joshua and Julius, trying to communicate something.
‘Pebble ore! Pebble ore!’
It was a signal that I would bring up the matter of the Pebble ore mine trade once we were alone.
Joshua finally looked down at me and spoke with evident discomfort.
“Kiana.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t attend any more balls after this.”
He clicked his tongue while gazing at the chaos that had consumed the Imperial Palace.
“You barely attended them before anyway. I haven’t gone either, and it’s never mattered.”
Hearing Joshua’s words, my heart ached so deeply that I cried out with anguish and sorrow.
“Are you telling me to live like you now? Why would you curse me, poor thing that I am, who has endured so much cruelty from House Purbis since childhood?”
At my words, Julius clutched his splinted waist in anger.
“Those wretched bastards! Simply cutting off the ore trade isn’t nearly enough!”
Yes, I agree with that sentiment entirely, I thought to myself, nodding inwardly. For now, we were merely beginning by severing our connection. Remembering how House Purbis had played a decisive role in the downfall of House Prelai, my teeth still ground with resentment.
‘You’ll fall too, one day.’
In any case, Joshua departed for the Manor with Julius. Since the Manor wasn’t far, they could reach it quickly on horseback and receive treatment from Kailon.
“Well then.”
Sezare extended his hand to me with elegant grace.
“Shall we depart?”
“Yes, let’s.”
I took Sezare’s hand and climbed into the carriage.
The interior was luxurious, but the roads were congested, forcing us to sit in the carriage for quite some time.
“Sigh.”
I crossed my arms and let out a breath. Since this hadn’t occurred in the original story and wasn’t something I had planned, I felt somewhat bewildered despite it being something I might have wished for.
“Why the sigh, my lady?”
“Just wondering what all this commotion is about… Do you really think the Crown Prince appeared?”
“I’m not certain.”
Sezare regarded me quietly. His gaze was peculiar—strangely piercing, as if my very being was being seen through. I felt an eerie, vertiginous sensation.
“What do you think, Princess?”
It was an ordinary question, yet somehow it carried a palpable tension. I fidgeted with my fingers before answering.
“I’m not sure, but if the Crown Prince truly is seeking revenge, I would hope Lord Rodrigo is dealt with last.”
“Why is that?”
“Because those who are dealt with later would suffer under the weight of anxiety for much longer.”
Sezare gazed at me quietly for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
“How clever of you.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with intrigue.
The Club House, the loan sharks in the slums, the Allford Harbor—I knew he was a hopeless scoundrel involved in all of it, yet my gaze kept drifting toward him. The power of his appearance was formidable.

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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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