A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 59

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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 59
The man who suddenly appeared was none other than Avian. He must have already heard my last words, as his expression was painted with bewilderment.
Avian arrived before us in an instant, brought his horse to a halt, and quickly dismounted.
“…Your Highness.”
He looked between me and Sezare with a slightly confused expression.
“Captain of the Guard?”
I gazed at him with an anxious face and asked.
“What brings you to Prelai Manor?”
I hadn’t done anything wrong, but encountering the Captain of the Guard unexpectedly still made me nervous.
The Imperial Palace was in chaos right now, and the Captain of the 1st Guard was in terrible condition. The other captains should have been busy managing the situation and investigating what happened. The fact that Avian had rushed to Prelai Manor in the midst of all this troubled me.
‘I hope House of Prelai hasn’t been falsely accused of something.’
As I blinked, Avian’s expression softened and he spoke.
“Ah, it’s nothing serious… Didn’t we agree to dance together at the Tulip Hall earlier?”
“Yes, we did.”
“It seems I’ve ended up in a situation where I cannot keep that promise, so I came to apologize in person.”
“…Pardon?”
Did I hear that correctly?
‘Why would he apologize for not being able to dance because of an unexpected accident? And he rode all the way here to do it?’
There was one person this immediately reminded me of.
“I’m sorry, Kiana! I’m sorry. I just thought Piyak might be yours, you see? I’m sorry… I’m the one who’s sorry.”
This was exactly like Melissa. Just seeing it made me feel irritated, and my eyes naturally narrowed.
But Sezare subtly stepped in front of me, blocking his view of me.
“I see, Captain of the Guard.”
Sezare spoke with a gentle smile.
“You must be quite busy, so perhaps you should return.”
“…But…”
And Avian took a few steps to the side, deliberately coming back into my line of sight.
“Forgive me, but I happened to overhear the content of what you said earlier.”
“Excuse me?”
“That… about the fake lover situation.”
At Avian’s words, Sezare’s face visibly hardened.
Goodness, he really did hear it. My voice must have been considerably louder than I thought—loud enough for Avian to hear it as he dismounted and ran over.
“So the two of you… then you’re really not actually in a relationship…?”
“Please keep it a secret.”
I made a pitiful expression and pleaded earnestly.
“Unless you want to become trash who hands over the benefactor who avenged your enemy to that bastard Rodrigo as a bride.”
“…”
Avian seemed to have grasped the situation immediately. He looked between me and Sezare, then smiled slightly.
“So that’s how it is. I understand the situation now. Of course, I’ll keep your secret.”
Sezare, who had been staring at that face, spoke with clear displeasure.
“You seem to be in quite a good mood, Captain of the Guard. How irritating.”
“Ah….”
Avian scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“I’m no longer the Captain of the Guard.”
For a moment, both Sezare and I widened our eyes, momentarily at a loss for words. Avian continued dropping bombshells as if it were nothing.
“I just submitted my resignation on the way here.”
Ah… that makes sense. He’d already apprehended the fugitive he wanted, after all. Joshua had anticipated this situation before. Once his objective was achieved, why would he remain with the guard unit?
As I nodded in understanding, Avian added with a melancholic expression.
“Whether it’s the Club House incident or the Olford Harbor situation… I’ve come to believe the guard unit isn’t properly fulfilling its duties.”
“Pardon?”
“And regarding the matter of Alin Keirif as well….”
Avian bit his lower lip slightly before continuing in a low voice.
“After I arrested him, Captain Nix immediately took him away. And then… in less than two hours, Alin Keirif took his own life.”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. So that’s how it ended up. I had specifically instructed Avian to take him directly to the House of Prelai for interrogation… But calling it suicide was merely a euphemism. Nix, acting on Hitten’s orders, had likely killed him to ensure his silence.
As I clicked my tongue, Avian continued with a somber tone.
“I actually knew about it.”
“Knew what?”
“That the guard unit has been failing to fulfill its responsibilities and gradually becoming complacent under the Captain of the 1st Guard’s tacit approval. I’ve heard that the atmosphere used to be quite different….”
At Avian’s words, Sezare’s expression darkened rapidly. He asked Avian in a low voice.
“Doesn’t the guard unit reorganize itself based on merit? If the Captain of the 1st Guard approved of this, why did the other captains simply follow his lead?”
“That’s… due to various political reasons.”
“The guard unit is the only organization I’ve exempted from social class boundaries so it could fulfill its role.”
In that moment, Sezare’s face felt unfamiliar to me. The cold fury that flashed across his usually relaxed and playful expression was striking. It felt almost like an interrogation. He spoke sharply, as if conducting an inquiry.
“Yet the guard unit invokes political reasons? What do you mean by that?”
“That is….”
Avian hesitated like a child being scolded, then lowered his head slightly.
“…Yes, it was certainly wrong.”
Frustration colored Avian’s face.
“In any case… it became difficult to remain in that organization any longer. I no longer wanted to bow my head to that incompetent superior Nix while trying to uphold the principles the guard unit has already abandoned.”
“…Principles?”
“Yes. While it’s true I joined the guard unit due to family circumstances, I’ve admired it since childhood.”
I gazed at Avian for a moment with a complicated expression.
Avian was indeed a far more admirable person than Joshua and I. It wasn’t simply that he “had no reason to stay,” but rather he left because he had his own convictions. He was a man who genuinely cared about the guard unit….
“In any case, I’m relieved to see you’re safe, Princess.”
Avian smiled brightly as he looked at me.
“Then have a good night. Oh, and….”
Before mounting his horse again, he added with a slight smile.
“Since I’m no longer the Captain of the Guard, feel free to use me however you like—even as a fake lover.”
And with a proper bow, he disappeared down the alley.
I shrugged once and looked at Sezare, whose expression had turned unpleasant. I summarized the situation in a single statement.
“The nation is in quite a mess, isn’t it?”
“….”
“And now the true talent of the Guard has returned to his own home.”
Sezare said nothing. Yet his face appeared darker than ever before.
* * *
At that moment, in the Imperial Palace.
“Your Majesty.”
A man entered the Emperor’s sickbed. It was none other than Scari, Duke of House Prelai.
As if indifferent to whatever commotion might occur in the banquet hall, he had come fresh from thoroughly crushing Duke Purbis. The Emperor had urgently summoned Scari.
“…Duke.”
The Emperor’s expression brightened upon seeing Scari, yet he could not raise his body. Scari sat at the Emperor’s bedside and, witnessing this sight, released a deep sigh.
“Again… I heard Edgar appeared again.”
The Emperor had been writhing in pain and losing consciousness, collapsing repeatedly. Yet when word spread that the Crown Prince had appeared, causing the Imperial Palace to stir, he had been administered a stimulant and regained consciousness for a brief moment. From the beginning, when a similar incident had occurred, he had instructed the Imperial physician to wake him without fail.
“There is no evidence, Your Majesty.”
Scari spoke objectively.
“No one confirmed the Crown Prince’s face, and the Captain of the 1st Guard was heavily intoxicated.”
“But… the Captain of the 1st Guard was… Edgar’s guard, wasn’t he?”
“….”
“He… was part of that picnic group. Wasn’t he?”
“….”
Scari held his tongue. The Emperor gazed at Scari with a distant expression and murmured.
“It grieves me deeply that the boy has reached a state from which he cannot return so calmly.”
“….”
Scari’s silence was his agreement.

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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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