A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 99

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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 99
“Well, Duke.”
I asked abruptly while conducting my research.
“Is this something you’ll be using?”
“Hmm… I’m still considering it.”
“What color are you thinking of changing it to?”
“I’m not sure.”
Sezare answered only vaguely.
“Do you perhaps have a favorite color? I’ll take it into consideration.”
“Not particularly.”
I replied halfheartedly and glanced at Sezare.
“Your current eye color suits you well, Duke.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sezare smiled faintly.
In any case, the time it took me to develop that magical artifact was remarkably swift. I thought Sezare, who was assisting, might ask, “How are you going so fast?” and I had prepared to respond, “Because I’m naturally a genius.” But he either already knew this fact or simply didn’t ask me directly.
After several days had passed, one evening I left the nearly completed magical artifact in the laboratory and spoke to Sezare.
“Say, Duke.”
“Yes.”
“I won’t be coming tomorrow. I have somewhere I need to go personally. You know it’s almost finished, right? I’d appreciate it if you could give me just one day.”
Sezare smiled and spoke.
“I’ve always wanted to give you rest, Princess.”
He gently placed a snack in front of me and added,
“Is it somewhere I cannot accompany you?”
“You can come if you’d like, but I don’t think you’ll be of much use. Why don’t you take a day of freedom for yourself?”
Sezare had been stuck with me every day and hadn’t been able to go anywhere. I had spoken with my own sense of consideration, but he smiled with his eyes and said,
“Even if I take free time… where would I go?”
“Well… places like the Club House or Olford Port?”
“…”
Sezare’s expression became bewildered for a moment, then he closed his eyes in a smile and spoke softly.
“I want to go with you, Princess. It’s become a habit to always stay by your side.”
If someone else heard it, they might misunderstand, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either.
“Please keep me by your side, Princess.”
As I blinked, he quickly continued,
“I no longer go to places like the Club House or Olford Port.”
It was a boast.
“So I have plenty of time.”
Once you set foot in such entertainment districts, it’s hard to escape. Promises like “I’ll never go to such places again. Absolutely not. I promise” are never to be trusted from the start. That’s why I had tried to avoid getting involved with such a hooligan in the first place, but my resolve had already wavered.
“A brain addicted to stimulation keeps seeking similar neurotransmitters… so I don’t believe promises about never going back to such places.”
In the end, I spoke with the determination of rehabilitating one person.
“Still, if you want to come with me, follow along. After all, you should at least try to break away from such places, shouldn’t you?”
“Thank you, Princess.”
Sezare responded with an expression that didn’t seem hurt at all, immediately flashing a smile as he bowed.
“Now I understand why I keep wanting to stay by your side, Princess.”
“Pardon?”
“They say a brain addicted to stimulation constantly seeks similar neurotransmitters.”
Wait, what is this flirting?
“The time I spend with you, Princess, is the greatest stimulation for me.”
Sezare chuckled deeply at me, who was momentarily at a loss for words, and asked.
“So where are we going for an outing, Princess?”
“Well…”
Without realizing it, I answered honestly, feeling shy.
“I’m going to the back entrance of the Prison with magical tools to intimidate a criminal.”
Then a good idea suddenly occurred to me, and I added.
“Oh, now that I think about it, I actually have plans afterward too, and it seems I might need the Marquis’s help for that.”
I had been planning to handle several things while I was out anyway.
“By the way, Marquis, do you happen to know any black market places that offer good prices for jewels? I imagine you’d be quite familiar with such dirty dealings.”
At my words, Sezare asked casually, as if it were no trouble.
“Are you looking to dispose of a jewel you possess?”
“Yes, this one.”
I rummaged through my belongings and pulled out a large diamond. I had obtained it when I went to Olford Port long ago looking for a sacred relic but came up empty-handed. There was no sacred relic, just some meddlesome note and an incredibly large diamond…
“I want to sell this.”
As I held out the diamond, Sezare’s eyes widened briefly. Then he placed the diamond back in my hand and let out a deep sigh.
“If you need money, I’ll give it to you. Keep this.”
“My, why?”
“This is… extremely precious.”
“Of course it is. It’s large and beautiful. Do you think I don’t know that? So let’s go convert that preciousness into money.”
“No, that’s… this might not just be an expensive jewel.”
Sezare gripped my hand holding the diamond more tightly as he spoke. Then, after thinking for a moment, he quickly added.
“Do you know? There’s a legend that if a man gives a jewel he possessed since childhood to a woman when proposing, they can be happy for life.”
“Ah, that superstition?”
I spoke in a voice without particular emotion.
“The Empire has such a long history that there are truly many such superstitions.”
“…A superstition, you say…”
Sezare looked at me with a hurt expression for a moment, then continued speaking.
“Anyway, let’s say there was a young man who cherished that superstition… no, that legend in his heart.”
“Yes? Suddenly?”
“Just, let’s make that assumption.”
Sezare spoke gently.
“This diamond might have been the finest jewel that young man possessed since long ago, the best he could provide.”
“No, why are you suddenly writing a novel?”
“In any case, a diamond of this quality must be a gemstone imbued with such pure sincerity. So please don’t sell it.”
“That makes absolutely no logical sense.”
“If you were to keep it, who knows what might happen.”
Sezare whispered enticingly.
“Perhaps, like a fairy tale, that young man’s sincerity might come true.”
Well… honestly, I thought it was nonsense, but one thing was certain—Sezare seemed to be placing excessive meaning on this gemstone.
In any case, it felt uncomfortable to simply sell it to a jeweler, and I was willing to accommodate that much of a request. After all, Sezare had already become quite a precious person to me. So I spoke confidently to convey to him that I would heed his words and not sell the gemstone to a jeweler.
“Well then, the Marquis should just buy it.”
“…Pardon?”
Sezare’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
“Me? Buy it?”
So I began explaining step by step why I had come up with such an optimal solution.
“First, I want to exchange this gemstone for money. Second, the Marquis dislikes the idea of this gemstone being sold in a shop. Third, therefore, I can simply sell this gemstone to the Marquis.”
“…”
“How much will you pay for it?”
“…”
“I’m curious how much you’ll value the sincerity of a young man who clung to such useless superstition for so long.”
In truth, I could have disposed of it quickly if I’d told Joshua. I could have received more money if I’d asked Grandfather.
‘But surely he would ask about the origin of this diamond.’
If the matter of sacred relics came up, everyone would make a fuss. It could even cause trouble for Julius. So it was better to handle this secret away from my family’s eyes.
‘Lately it feels like they’re being overly protective anyway.’
In the end, I managed to extract quite a substantial sum from Sezare, who had assigned tremendous value to the young man’s sincerity. I had a very good use for this money.
“Then, Marquis.”
Satisfied with the transaction, I stood up with a cheerful smile.
“Shall we depart now? It’s time.”
Sezare, his face looking haggard, answered as he received the diamond back from me.
“…Yes.”

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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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