For the Young Villain’s Happy Ending - Chapter 50

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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 50

“Miss! You look absolutely radiant!”

Maya gazed at her mistress in admiration.
The muscle and flesh that had wasted away had gradually returned over the past month.
Vivian’s appearance in her dress, now freed from that gaunt frame, was truly breathtaking.

‘No wonder the original Tiernan fell for her at first sight when she’d grown into this.’

I observed Vivian’s reflection in the mirror, lost in thought.
Simona was hosting a tea party at Asperada Duke’s Castle.
Tiernan would appear there as the escort knight of a noblewoman.
The Rebel Forces, composed primarily of survivors from the Tunterra Empire.
Tiernan was the leader of that faction.

‘Such a devoted fool. He disguised himself as hired help just to catch a glimpse of her after hearing she’d awakened.’

This had all transpired before I possessed this body.
Eight-year-old Vivian had relocated to a villa to escape the war.
And there, by chance, she met ten-year-old Tiernan.
As their chance encounters repeated, they grew close without knowing each other’s nationality.
Later, when they discovered they were from enemy nations, they were already bound by affection.

“Tiernan, when the war ends and we’re grown, let’s meet again.”

Vivian and Tiernan made a tearful promise for the future as they parted.
And fourteen years later, when Vivian awakened, Tiernan came to Asperada Duke’s Castle as an escort knight, concealing his true identity to honor that promise.
That was what would unfold at today’s tea party.

“…The male lead, indeed.”
“Did you say something, Miss?”
“No, just thinking aloud.”

Thanks to the Female Protagonist buff, things unfolded more smoothly than I’d anticipated.
A week prior.
When Simona Asperada came to my room, I persuaded her on the spot to attend the tea party.
I even knelt before Duke Asperada and begged his forgiveness, claiming I’d misspoken.
This opportunity, hard-won.
I despise having to laugh and smile among strangers.

‘But now, I can do this gladly.’

Raina Hart rose to her feet.

‘Keri.’

Thinking of my disciple at the Imperial Palace—I could endure that much.

‘I’ll be there soon.’

Vivian Asperada’s hazel eyes blazed with resolve.

***

A tea party for noblewomen hosted by the Duchess of Asperada.
An invitation to such a gathering was tantamount to power among the noblewomen of the Betuzhenia Empire.
Now that the current Emperor had not yet taken an Empress.
Simona Asperada held the highest rank among all women in the Betuzhenia Empire.
This was precisely why the new attendee commanded the undivided attention of all the ladies present.

“I’ve heard much about you, Lady Asperada.”

Though their courtesy was truly directed at the Duchess, extended toward her stepdaughter.
Vivian Asperada, seated in the second place of honor, offered a practiced smile.
It resembled the smile of a noble maiden I’d seen at a banquet more than a decade ago.

‘Eleven….’

Raina Hart counted the number of ladies seated around the table.
Eleven.
Fortunately, a manageable number—not unfamiliar to face.

“Master!”
“Play with us!”

My disciples would always rush toward me in a throng.
I wanted to know what had become of the others, but in a situation where even news of the Emperor was difficult to obtain.
…Most of them must be adults by now.
Plip.
As a tear rolled down the noble woman’s cheek, the lady sitting across from her spoke with concern in her voice.

“Forgive me. My eyes are simply dry.”

Raina Hart answered casually and wiped away the tears with a handkerchief.
Whenever I thought of my disciples, tears would flow unbidden, devoid of any conscious emotion.
I didn’t know the reason, but it was certainly inconvenient.
Yet I couldn’t stop thinking of my disciples.

‘What has become of Kin?’

She had been a gentle disciple.
What had the mastermind done to make even that Kin so terrified that she would stab me?
All I could do was smear my own blood on her trembling lips.
So that she would not be poisoned by the toxins of dark magic.
So that she would not spend her entire life tormented by guilt for what she had been manipulated into doing.

‘Keri must have realized it. That dark magic had been cast upon the dagger.’

So even if Keri harbored resentment toward Kin….
My thumb flicked against my index finger.
Worrying now would serve no purpose.
For now, I would trust my disciples. And I would make the mastermind pay for every sin.

‘I must return quickly.’

I had to go back and reveal to Kevenriak Heteroven that I was Raina Hart, and restore everything to its proper place.
To do that….

“….”

Raina Hart observed the escort knights standing at the entrance of the outdoor tea party venue.
Among them, one exceptionally tall knight caught her eye.
He stood a head taller than the others, and his appearance was far from ordinary.
A silver-haired knight resembling snow-capped mountains.
His green eyes met Vivian’s gaze.

“Vivian, are you finding this difficult?”

Simona spoke to her at just that moment.
Raina turned her attention away from Tiernan and answered Simona.

“Not at all. I’m having a wonderful time, Mother. Thank you so much for inviting me to such a lovely gathering.”

Even to her own mind, the performance felt artificial, and Raina inwardly grimaced.
Her act must have been convincing enough, for Simona’s expression relaxed with relief.

“Do try this as well. It’s quite delicious.”

Simona gracefully placed a dessert on her daughter’s plate and urged her to eat.
The exchange between mother and daughter drew the attention of the other guests back to Vivian.
A barrage of questions from the noblewomen began.

“Have you developed any new interests, my lady?”
“Is there anywhere you wish to visit?”
“The world has changed so much in seven years, hasn’t it?”
“Have you heard the news of the new Emperor’s ascension?”

At the last noblewoman’s words, silence fell instantly over the gathering.
It was as though she had broached a topic that should never be mentioned.

Why?

Raina’s primary reason for attending this tea party was to meet Tiernan.
But she also sought to gather information about Kevenriak.
Among such high-ranking nobility, the Emperor’s affairs might well be discussed.

The atmosphere felt strange.

But I hadn’t expected such a reaction.
Why were they being so secretive about it?
…What on earth could it be?

“Um-.”

I turned to the noblewoman who had answered my last question.

“Is it forbidden to speak about the Emperor?”
“That, that is-.”

The noblewoman’s demeanor suggested she knew nothing of the matter.
She fidgeted nervously, glancing around.
It seemed she was watching Simona Asperada, who sat beside her.

“Vivian.”

Simona Asperada called out her daughter’s name.
The room tensed instantly, as if everyone awaited her words like a judge’s verdict.

“The Emperor is quite a handsome man, I must say.”
“Indeed.”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, no.”

I had reflexively agreed with my disciple’s compliment.
Recalling that I had come to hear about Vivian, I looked at the noblewomen and asked.

“Handsome, you say. So the new Emperor is quite striking in appearance?”
“Of course. Ah, he’s about the same age as you, my lady. He’s twenty-two this year.”

The effect of Simona Asperada’s praise for the Emperor was considerable.
In the suddenly relaxed atmosphere, the noblewomen began speaking of the Emperor differently than before.
Most of their remarks were compliments about his appearance and his magical prowess.
Endless praise for my disciple flowed among the noblewomen.
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch upward, but I noticed the expression of the noblewoman sitting beside me was far from pleasant.

“The Emperor is…. ….”

Fragmented murmurs spilled from between lips that barely moved.
For some reason, I couldn’t ignore it. Raina Hart called out to her.

“Madam.”
“Yes, yes?”

She was a young noblewoman.
Raina Hart spoke to her, who had turned to look at me in surprise.

“Is there something you need? I thought I heard you say something just now.”
“Oh, no.”

The noblewoman shook her head hastily, her face growing pensive.
Another noblewoman seated beside her fanned her with a fan and spoke.

“It seems to be quite warm today. You’re perspiring heavily.”
“…Bring some ice here.”

Simona Asperada’s voice commanded the Attendant to fetch ice.
Beginning with someone’s awkward laughter, the atmosphere grew warm and convivial once more.
Raina Hart sensed something peculiar in it all and smiled toward the noblewoman who had addressed me.

***

‘How foolish.’

Tiernan Fargan watched the chattering noblewomen before quietly slipping away from the gathering.
Vivian Asperada had awakened.
After hearing that news, I’d been troubled for weeks and eventually came here under a false pretense.

“When we’re grown, let’s meet again.”

A promise made with a childhood friend I’d known only briefly.
It was nothing but lingering attachment.
Vivian Asperada had looked me in the eye and yet didn’t recognize who I was.
I was a fool for coming all this way.

‘Let’s go back.’

When Raina Hart died, the survivors of the Tunterra Empire began preparing in earnest for rebellion.
Within the next year, their preparations would be complete.
He had been their king, and Vivian Asperada was the duke’s daughter of the nation he would lead into revolt.

“I am Vivian.”

That brief affection was nothing but a memory of the past.
Facing the reality of those memories left a bitter taste in my mouth, but there would be no lingering regrets now.
Tiernan slipped quietly out of the sprawling Asperada Duke’s Castle.
Beyond the city walls, he found the horse his subordinates had tethered there in advance and mounted it.

“Wait!”

An urgent cry from a woman. From atop the city walls.
Tiernan’s eyes widened as he looked up.
The hem of the woman’s robe fluttered in the wind as she stood precariously on the city walls.
Pale skin visible beneath the hood pulled over her head.
It was the face of someone I had never forgotten, not even once.

“Live the life you wish to live.”

The woman who had bought me from the Slave Trader on a whim and freed me just as arbitrarily.
Surely it couldn’t be.
Even as I thought this, my heart pounded wildly.

‘I—’

In that moment, the woman leaped from the city walls.

“——!”

Tiernan, startled, urgently kicked the horse’s flank.
As he galloped forward, he caught the woman with one arm.
Her body, held firmly in his strong embrace, was remarkably delicate.

“Don’t stop!”

A cry that she never would have expected from such a delicate frame spilled out from beneath the hood.
Tiernan, who had been about to rein in his horse, gripped the reins tighter instead, spurred on by her urgency.
Maintaining his speed, he surged forward and hoisted the woman onto the saddle in front of him.

“….”

Tiernan’s eyes tracked slowly downward, following the hood as it slipped away.
What emerged was lustrous, silken chestnut hair catching the light.
The woman turned her head slowly.

“Hello.”

The face greeting me was familiar.
Vivian Asperada—the very woman who had been sitting at the tea party just moments ago, laughing.

“…Lady?”
“Your pace is, quite, fast.”

Her complexion had turned deathly pale.
Vivian managed a weak smile as she caught her breath, her body swaying as though she might topple backward.
Tiernan steadied her with one arm as she began to fall.

“Be careful.”
“I’m, sorry….”

My head throbbed relentlessly.
I still had to reach the Imperial Palace in this state.
Raina Hart felt a pang of sympathy for the female protagonist’s abysmal stamina before consciousness slipped away.

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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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