A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 57

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 57
“The Tailize Empire regularly holds nobility councils to decide many matters. In special circumstances, even the disposition of imperial family members is determined by council vote.”
I nodded quietly. I knew that nobles gathered to decide matters of state, both great and small. Since my grandfather always represented Prelai at these meetings, I had never paid them much attention.
“What if, in that council, they all voted together to depose the Crown Prince? Historically, the authority of imperial family members who cannot control their retainers is not high.”
“Well… but could five people’s advocacy really accomplish that? There are other nobles too…”
I was waving my hand dismissively when I suddenly paused. Those five were the people the Crown Prince trusted most. Betrayed by them—who could he possibly trust? I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone either.
“For the imperial family to establish authority, two things are necessary.”
Sezare spoke quietly.
“First, the support of high-ranking noble houses. Second, military command. Without those, returning would only recreate the same situation as before.”
Sadly, Prince Hitten and the Third Queen possessed both—House of Purbis and the Imperial Guard.
‘Ah, but now that Nix is finished today, controlling the Imperial Guard might become more difficult?’
While I tilted my head in thought, Sezare continued smoothly.
“In any case, if the Crown Prince truly has begun to move… doesn’t that mean everything is prepared?”
“Ah, well, yes?”
“Then I believe his return is not far off.”
This… felt like he was almost certain that mysterious person was the Crown Prince. I furrowed my brow slightly, lost in thought.
‘If I destroy House of Purbis, would he return faster? Since he supports Prince Hitten, the representative of the noble houses.’
I’ll make every effort, so come back quickly, Crown Prince.
Now that I thought about it, Sezare seemed to know quite a lot of secret information about the Crown Prince. Then again, if he’d made a lot of money through unsavory means, he might know more than Joshua, whose information was limited to the capital. So I rolled my eyes and asked.
“Say, Marquis. If you get any information about the Crown Prince in the future, would you share it with me too?”
At that moment, the carriage, which had been moving at speed, lurched to a sudden stop. And my unprepared body lurched forward.
“Ah!”
Sezare, sitting across from me, hastily caught me before I could fall. Since I was considerably shorter than him, I ended up nestled against his chest.
“My apologies!”
The coachman shouted from outside.
“The road is blocked, and other carriages keep cutting in…”
“It’s fine.”
Sezare answered in a low voice. Yet he didn’t release the arm around my waist.
We were having a perfectly normal conversation, and suddenly this happened.
The reason I couldn’t immediately pull myself up was because I could feel Sezare’s heart pounding fiercely against me. When I lifted my head, his sculpted face was right before me.
‘Why does he look so composed when his body says otherwise!’
Suddenly embarrassed, heat rushed to my face. That strange, intoxicating sensation I’d felt while dancing began to return. And now, there were only the two of us in this carriage…
That was when it happened.
Boom! Boom! Kaboom!
Bright light began pouring through the window. Fireworks. Despite the chaos in the banquet hall, the scheduled fireworks display in the garden had begun right on time.
Sezare and I momentarily forgot we were pressed against each other and simply gazed out the window. Beyond the Imperial Palace, multicolored fireworks burst across the sky. It was truly magnificent.
Boom! Boom! Kaboom!
Fireworks were also one of Riloni Academy’s long-standing inventions.
In my childhood, I once tried to order fireworks directly from Riloni Academy. My butler had stopped me midway, saying I’d probably end up setting them off in Melissa’s face.
The shadows of the fireworks flickered across Sezare’s face, disappearing and reappearing. I gazed at him as if entranced. In this moment, it truly felt like I was dreaming, just as Sezare had said.
“…Information about the Crown Prince, you say…. How about something like this?”
Sezare whispered in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Those fireworks were prepared for the Crown Prince’s seventeenth birthday celebration.”
“Oh, really?”
I had no idea the Crown Prince was even interested in fireworks. Sezare continued.
“Apparently, he wanted to show them to someone and personally ordered their preparation.”
“My? To whom? Does that person know about it?”
“They probably don’t. The Crown Prince didn’t want to burden them, so he deliberately didn’t mention it. It seems he thought it would be enough to simply watch from afar what they love.”
Sezare chuckled and added cynically.
“Well, with such a soft-hearted nature, it’s no wonder things turned out this way.”
It was truly a kind act befitting the Crown Prince. And precisely because he was so kind, his excessive trust in those around him had resulted in something truly tragic. The ill-natured Sezare deliberately diminished that kindness as he continued.
“He never even got to hold that birthday celebration before disappearing.”
“My.”
“With the Emperor’s illness and the Crown Prince’s disappearance—such misfortunes—they apparently just left them in the Imperial Palace Storehouse. But it seems Prince Hitten decided to set them off today.”
Hmm. Interpreted, it was like a declaration: ‘Now it’s my world, with neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince to worry about.’ Though of course, he must be incredibly concerned about the Crown Prince now that he’s returned.
Something felt strange, so I muttered bitterly.
“To think they’d be used to celebrate someone else’s birthday—the Crown Prince must feel quite disappointed.”
Meanwhile, the fireworks were absolutely beautiful, and the booming, booming, booming sounds echoing across the sky like drumbeats heightened my emotions.
“Perhaps. He might actually enjoy it after all.”
Sezare answered with a playful laugh.
“I myself find it breathtaking just watching the fireworks reflected in your eyes.”
The way Sezare looked at me was distant yet persistent, making me feel as though my body might be pierced through. Was he… seducing me right now?
The reasons were sufficient. I was a high-ranking noblewoman, after all. Wasn’t the position of Prelai’s son-in-law something even Lord Rodrigo coveted? But my reason had already concluded: ‘No matter how beautiful, this trash of a person won’t do!’
I swallowed dryly and answered.
“Hmm…. The carbon dioxide concentration is quite high….”
“….”
Sezare looked at me quietly for a moment, then chuckled. He answered as if amused.
“In a carriage of this size, the carbon dioxide concentration in the air wouldn’t change from the breathing of two people.”
And while I was left speechless, he subtly pulled the hand around my waist closer toward him.
“Isn’t that right?”
Goodness, to counter it so skillfully. It was a remarkably effective seduction.
My cheeks burned hot enough to burst. With the booming, booming, booming of the fireworks, my heart began racing faster—I was almost grateful for the noise.
“Then, would it be alright if we stayed like this a little longer?”
“What? But this feels kind of cheap.”
“You know.”
Sezare chuckled and brought his forehead gently to mine.
“That I’m a different person from that soft-hearted Crown Prince.”
Sezare’s eyes, seen up close, held a strange longing—as if we’d known each other for ages. I could vaguely sense even that deep, undefined impulse I’d been suppressing for so long.
My mind clearly knew ‘No matter how beautiful, this trash won’t do!’ yet my entire body seemed to tighten under the intensity of those sincere eyes.
But we’ve only met four times now?
“No, Marquis. Still, continuing to cling like this is a bit….”
“Didn’t you do worse just a moment ago?”
He whispered playfully in a low voice. Well, that was true. At the banquet hall, we’d danced pressed together with our arms linked without any pretense.
I barely managed to speak, clinging to my fading consciousness.
“That was, well, because we’re official lovers, so….”
“Hmm…. Because we’re lovers.”
Sezare smiled thinly as if amused. His breath brushed against my ear, and my entire body tensed.
“Then why not now, my lover?”
“That’s….”
Honestly, I knew I could just push him away and be done with it. But he was far too handsome, and his words were far too sweet. I was truly innocent. The guilty party was Sezare’s beauty.
And… those eyes. I found myself captivated and unable to move, drawn into those wistful eyes that seemed to hold longing rather than desire.
I tried to steady my heart, which was pounding as if it might burst.
“We’re fake lovers, after all.”
Would this argument work? Actually, it doesn’t even work on me right now….
“…fake….”
Surprisingly, it did.
He gently stroked my hair with a tender touch. I could feel the heat he was barely holding back.
“That’s right, it’s fake.”
Sezare said with a deep laugh.
“As I mentioned earlier, it felt like a dream, so I forgot for a moment.”
“Good grief.”
I genuinely worried about his mental state and offered advice.
“Visit the Imperial Palace just twice more and you’ll be seeing hallucinations. You should stay locked up in the Marquis’ Mansion as much as possible.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————