Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 140

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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 140
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‘If the Third Prince hadn’t stepped in, we would have had a serious fight on our hands.’
Overwhelmed by the gathering crowd and unable to fully grasp the reality of a duel, I had frozen in place at that moment. But the longer I dwelled on it after returning home, the heavier my heart became.
Unlike someone ordinary like Louis Gazel, the Third Prince was a knight who had fought alongside the Northern Lords against monsters, taking the vanguard with considerable skill. With the blood of the Histech Royal Family flowing through him, he was likely at least a Sword Expert. Had he accepted the duel, Isidore could have been seriously injured in the worst case.
‘I was far too reckless.’
I bit my lip so hard it ached, then impulsively called for the coachman. As time passed, the restless feeling grew increasingly unbearable.
“Take me to the Visconti Family Town House.”
The sun was setting, but as I urged him forward as if possessed, the coachman cracked the whip with an anxious expression.
After an hour and a half of driving, the carriage arrived at a grand mansion with a serene atmosphere. While the gatekeeper went inside to summon his master, I gazed out through the window.
“What brings you here so suddenly?”
Not long after, Isidore came running toward the mansion’s front gate in loose casual clothes, breathing heavily. Rather than using teleportation magic, he had sprinted across the expansive garden.
I watched him quietly, my own heart as chaotic and unrefined as his ragged, irregular breathing.
‘Why did I come all the way here?’
“Don’t just stand there. Come inside.”
He spoke in a gentle voice.
“I’m not planning to stay long.”
A gruff tone escaped my lips that even surprised me.
“It’s cold out here.”
He reached out with a worried expression to cup my cold cheeks, but I pushed his hand away. I wasn’t in the mood for that.
“Are you angry?”
Hearing him point it out, I realized it was true. Unlike my usual self, who let most things slide with casual indifference, I was genuinely angry at this man—who had done nothing wrong and often acted more foolish than I did.
“Why that expression?”
“Because you did something reckless!”
I finally burst out.
“Don’t ever do something so thoughtless again. I don’t want to see you hurt because of some barbaric custom like dueling. And I especially don’t want it to be because of me.”
As I spoke rapidly, Isidore’s expression shifted to surprise. I took a deep breath and continued.
“Do you understand?”
“…Yes.”
“Say it louder.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t answer so half-heartedly. Put some sincerity into it…!”
He suddenly pulled me into his arms and cupped my cheeks, cutting off my words.
Isidore gently took my lower lip between his. The scent he carried—perhaps from a recent bath—was unusually sweet, and for a moment I felt my strength melting away. But I pushed him back, then stole a kiss myself and glared at him.
“I’m angry.”
“…You’re… driving me insane.”
He breathed heavily, murmuring something under his breath. When our eyes met, he dropped to one knee and pressed his lips to the back of my hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“Who told you to kneel? Why are your knees always so quick to bend?”
He paid no attention to my irritation.
“…I was wrong. My body belongs to you, my lady, and I shouldn’t have treated it so carelessly. I promise I won’t get hurt without your permission.”
“Do you mean it?”
“I swear it as a knight. Thank you for worrying about me.”
“I’m angry with you.”
“I won’t make you angry again. I promise.”
As he repeated his earnest vows, my turbulent heart gradually settled. When I tried to leave after finishing my business, Isidore rose to his feet, his eyes glistening as he looked up at me.
“Don’t go. Stay with me a little longer.”
“It’s cold.”
“Then I’ll escort you home. I’m worried since it’s late. The weather is chilly too, and you came dressed so lightly. It upsets me.”
Yet Isidore himself wore only a thin tunic through which his skin was visible.
“Go inside.”
“I’ll just confirm that you get home safely.”
He quickly followed me into the carriage. I continued to stare out the window beyond the deep darkness, my expression still sullen.
Isidore’s reflection appeared in the glass, gazing at me quietly. He never once took his eyes off my back—as if even blinking would be a waste.
‘I can’t stay angry.’
My resolve crumbled almost instantly. I turned my head slightly, and when our eyes met, Isidore smiled faintly.
“Do you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“When I was young, I broke the limbs of someone who tried to touch my face.”
“Yes. But why bring that up?”
“In that moment, just like then, I had no time to measure or think. I was so blinded by rage that I never imagined the Third Prince would escape so cowardly.”
“….”
“Breaking his limbs didn’t seem like enough, so I was determined to take at least one of his arms.”
Isidore continued, his expression turning cold.
“You… are far more precious to me than I am to myself. I can tell because I’m far more enraged when someone tries to harm you than when someone tried to touch me.”
“Then you absolutely cannot do anything dangerous.”
“…I love you.”
“Don’t answer like that.”
“Understood. If I’m certain I won’t get hurt, can I rough up that bastard a bit… or rather, teach him a lesson? I haven’t been injured once since I was thirteen.”
“I haven’t been injured even once since then.”
Suddenly, a strange sense of déjà vu swept across my chest.
‘When did I hear something like this before?’
A vision of a harsh desert landscape with swirling sand abruptly flashed through my mind. But as Isidore gently pressed his lips to the back of my hand, the hazy memory faded away.
* * *
‘Where did that lucky coin with heads on both sides go?’
I was certain I’d left it on the table.
Lately, my nightmares have been so violent that I wake drenched in cold sweat, and now even the lucky coin I always kept nearby has vanished.
“Ow!”
I bumped my head with a dull thud while searching under the desk for the coin.
‘My luck is absolutely terrible today.’
In the end, I gave up searching for the coin and made my way to Blanche.
“Sigh.”
Last night, I’d lost my composure and impulsively sought him out at his residence to vent my anger. Now, the thought of discussing business with someone I’d treated that way felt awkward.
‘So this is why workplace romance is so difficult.’
I entered Master’s office with such pointless thoughts swirling in my mind.
‘What’s this?’
The office interior had changed somehow. It was quite different from the damp, haze-filled atmosphere of before.
“Since this is where we meet most often, I thought I’d brighten it up a bit….”
“Put that bracelet on right now.”
When I glared fiercely, Isidore’s expression fell as he fastened the Polymorph bracelet around his wrist.
“We have work to do. Work!”
In truth, when Master and I established the Leticia Trading Company, we’d laid out a business plan. Once we reached our target, we intended to seriously pursue franchise recruitment—in other words, a franchise business model.
I’d been able to elevate Master’s practical abilities in the first place because we’d shared the franchise concept. The business was progressing faster than expected, so once the Goddess’s Birthday Festival concluded, I was considering a full-scale business expansion.
“Shall we take a brief rest?”
He—wearing Master’s face—poured tea into a cup. Out of habit, he added several spoonfuls of sugar and stirred.
‘So he actually does have a sweet tooth.’
During our last tea house date, he’d pretended otherwise. I suppressed a smile and took a sip of tea.
“By the way, Master. Is there really only one coin with a face on one side?”
“Yes. It proved harder to find than expected.”
“Actually, I think I accidentally lost that lucky coin.”
“Consider it a simple defective product you lost, not a lucky coin.”
He spoke casually.
‘Still, it’s a shame.’
I decided I should search for that amulet-like coin again. For some reason, I kept feeling uneasy.
‘Why is that?’
I couldn’t tell if it was because of the restless dreams or because of the Third Prince.
‘What is the Third Prince so confident about that he keeps insisting I’ll regret this?’
It was the same during the title conferment ceremony, and it was the same last time. The Third Prince had left those lines about how I’d regret it like some villain—twice—and it bothered me. Especially since he’d glared at Isidore as if he wanted to kill him before leaving.
In the end, the Third Prince had backed down without even dueling, which made him seem rather pathetic….
“The Third Prince seemed ambitious, so why did he accept the loss of reputation and withdraw from that situation?”
“Because he has a greater objective. Without sufficient legitimacy, a damaged body would distance him from the throne forever.”
“Hmm.”
“The fact that he went out to the periphery and gathered Northern forces suggests the Third Prince definitely has lingering attachments to the imperial throne.”
‘The imperial throne….’
Honestly, from what I could see, the probability of the Third Prince overturning the current situation and becoming Emperor was low. The Emperor had entrusted the Crown Prince with “Incense Harmony,” the final day’s event of the Goddess’s Birthday Festival, which signified his trust in him.
Moreover, the Crown Prince was one of only five Sword Masters in the Empire, making him popular among the knights.
‘But it seemed like the Third Prince had something he was banking on.’
After the Third Prince returned to the Capital, I couldn’t know how he moved to seize power because the novel’s serialization had been discontinued.
“My lady. You’re not thinking about that bastard right now, are you? I really should have dealt with him then….”
Suddenly, Isidore’s expression turned ominous, so I quickly steered the conversation toward lighter topics.
“Then I shall attend the Goddess’s Birthday Incense-Burning Ceremony as well.”
In three days, the lengthy pilgrimage would conclude, and the Goddess’s Birthday Festival would come to a complete end. The “Incense-Burning” was a sacred ritual held before the Temple’s holy relics, where cherry blossoms—the Goddess’s symbol—were burned, serving as the grand finale of the birthday celebration.
“The Crown Prince has been looking forward to this event for ages, and since I’m his friend, it’s difficult to decline. How troublesome.”
Isidore grumbled.
“I’ll attend as well. All direct members of House Simour have received invitations.”
I rummaged through my memories of the Incense-Burning Ceremony scene from the novel.
If I recalled correctly, at that event Miya appeared as the Goddess’s incarnate alongside the Pope and garnered considerable attention. Before the Incense-Burning Ceremony, there had been a major fracture in the Barrier, and Miya had spent much of her time healing those injured by demons.
‘But I haven’t heard any recent news of fractures in the Barrier….’
I furrowed my brow, holding the unease stirring within me.

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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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