Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 158

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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 158
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“You look particularly radiant today, Miya.”
Francois Marquis curved his lips into a smooth smile as he spoke.
The dress he had prepared for Miya’s debutante ball was a timeless design that transcended fleeting trends. Yet despite its simplicity, the intricate white lace adorned with elaborate patterns replaced any need for gaudy jewels, evoking the image of a priestess.
Thoroughly satisfied with his creation, he offered her one final, solemn instruction.
“Should an unexpected mishap occur, never let your smile falter. And should you misspeak, resist the urge to compound the error with excessive explanation. The moment you expose your vulnerability, others will be tempted to exploit it. The key is to respond with humble grace while maintaining composure.”
Francois Marquis softened his gaze.
“You saved countless lives in Hyanghwa—you have every right to carry that pride with you.”
“I understand.”
Miya was pleased with the gown he had prepared. The woman reflected in the mirror truly seemed to possess a sacred power.
Not the extravagant, arrogant Deborah Simour, but the one who had saved the masses in Hyanghwa—that would be the true star of tonight’s debutante ball. With an expressionless face upon which I painted a smile, I bowed respectfully before ascending the carriage the Marquis had arranged.
Shortly after arriving at the Orgo Estate, she encountered Duchess Orgo, her chaperone, who stood with dignified bearing, holding a deep indigo fan. Beside the Duchess stood Thierry, slouching carelessly.
“Haaaaah!”
Thierry, who had been playing poker all night, yawned so widely his mouth nearly split, and Duchess Orgo shuddered before striking her wayward son’s back.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“If you were going to act like this, you shouldn’t have offered to escort her in the first place. Have some decorum—gaping like a fool with your throat on full display!”
“Father is occupied with military drills, and Diella is in the Territory. I’m all that’s left.”
“You’re worse than useless! You’ll be the death of me yet.”
Observing the dark circles beneath her son’s eyes, it was clear he had returned from nighttime revelries yesterday as well. Though she had much to say, aware of watching eyes, Duchess Orgo barely managed to restrain her irritation.
“Miya, let us depart for the Imperial Palace.”
“Yes, madam.”
“Allow me, Mother.”
Thierry extended his hand to his mother with an elegant gesture before the carriage. Yet the bloodshot eyes robbed the gesture of all grace.
“Forget it. You take the next carriage.”
With a sharp slap that echoed audibly, Duchess Orgo rejected her son’s hand and climbed into the carriage with irritable movements, commanding the coachman to depart immediately.
‘Mother really is heartless.’
With no choice but to follow in the next carriage, Thierry slumped into his seat and began nodding off, soon falling into a deep sleep.
Thud—!
Moments later, he jolted awake as his head struck the window hard.
‘What’s happening?’
The moment consciousness returned, all five senses sharpened acutely. Something felt terribly wrong.
“Young Master! A rift has opened!”
The coachman’s frightened cry pierced his eardrums. The horses pulling Thierry’s carriage reared wildly, causing the interior to shake violently.
Kicking open the rattling carriage door, Thierry tumbled urgently outside and beheld a horrifying sight.
“Monsters…!”
In the distance, a rift was tearing open—one he had only heard tales of. As space fractured and dark energy poured forth, the servants panicked, floundering helplessly.
Birds from the forest scattered in flocks with frantic wingbeats, and the carriage horses, rearing in panic, finally snapped their reins and bolted.
“Mother!”
Thierry then spotted the overturned carriage bearing the family crest hanging from its frame, lying at the bottom of the slope.
“Damn it!”
That was unmistakably the carriage Mother had ridden in moments ago. Thierry’s body began trembling like an aspen leaf. With a ghastly pallor, he rushed down the slope in panic, only to realize belatedly that the carriage door had been torn away and no one remained inside.
‘Where did she go?’
That was when it happened.
A massive man came into Thierry’s view, attending to his mother. Suddenly, the identity of that bear-like figure flashed through his mind with startling clarity.
‘That’s right, I remember now…!’
Thierry’s eyes widened at the unexpected appearance of the Unknown Knight—the one who had matched Diella evenly in the equestrian tournament last summer.
* * *
‘I truly hope nothing goes wrong.’
I swallowed a sigh while waiting for Countess Basslein to arrive.
If a rift opened as it did in the original story, there could be casualties again, so I had already ordered Orix Merkain to follow the carriage carrying Duchess Orgo.
‘Just to be safe, I gathered every teleportation scroll we had and placed them in his hands.’
If my hypothesis was correct—that the rift was a device designed to facilitate Miya’s heroic moments—then an accident would likely occur on the road to the Imperial Palace, just as in the novel, potentially injuring Duchess Orgo.
‘But the incident will occur on a completely different route and timeline than in the original story.’
I pondered while recalling the map. Given the location of Orgo Town House, there was a 100 percent probability they would take the shortcut through Sky Forest.
‘In the original story, the accident happened at the Goddess Monument, which was in the opposite direction.’
Since this was the final chapter before the serialized novel was discontinued, the details remained vividly etched in my memory. The story had ended with Miya trembling in fear among monsters, healing Countess Basslein, when someone conveniently arrived to rescue her—a cliffhanger of epic proportions.
It was an absolutely brutal cut-off.
‘Who on earth had come to rescue Miya?’
I didn’t know, but if events unfolded as in the original, Orix Merkain would currently be playing that savior’s role.
* * *
“Young Master Thierry, this knight protected us by stopping the carriage with his own body before it could crash into the trees.”
The coachman, whose life had been saved by Orix Merkain, spoke in a flustered rush to Thierry.
The carriage had veered off course when the horses bolted after their reins snapped, nearly destroying itself. But Orix, who sensed the danger first, had leaped out and swiftly blocked the accelerating carriage, preventing a catastrophic accident.
A Boneless One appeared once every hundred years, if at all. Now that Orix had undergone systematic knight training and mastered aura manipulation with complete freedom, he possessed superhuman strength that defied all logic. His relentless cultivation—sacrificing every second to become worthy of serving Lady Deborah Simour—had made this possible.
“Thierry… Oh my. What on earth is happening?”
Duchess Orgo, her legs giving way beneath her, collapsed with a deathly pale complexion, groaning softly.
“Mother, are you alright?”
“My head is spinning terribly.”
Miya Binoshu, who had been in the carriage with her mother, appeared unharmed, confirming that the Unknown Knight from the equestrian tournament had indeed shielded them properly. After verifying that his mother had sustained no serious injuries, Thierry anxiously bit his lip as he watched the rift expanding ever wider.
“Sir, I am truly grateful you saved my mother’s life. But if that rift opens completely and monsters pour through, everyone here could perish.”
“I have teleportation magic scrolls. It would be best to evacuate the vulnerable ones using these.”
“How did you obtain such items… Ah, you’re from House Simour…!”
In the chaos, I hadn’t noticed, but now I could see the man wore the uniform bearing the Simour Family seal. True to their reputation as the magical House Simour, they apparently distributed scrolls even to their knights.
“I shall never forget this kindness.”
As Orix Merkain readily offered the teleportation scrolls, Duchess Orgo spoke with profound emotion. She had now been saved twice by this selfless giant of a man.
Before tearing the scroll, she asked urgently.
“What is your name? Are you a knight of Duke Simour?”
“I am Lady Deborah Simour’s knight.”
“….”
A flicker of bewilderment crossed the eyes of Duchess Orgo, who had never held Lady Deborah Simour in high regard.
“She is the one who changed my fate. If there is any debt of gratitude to be repaid, I beg you to settle it with the Lady.”
“Mother, please retreat quickly for now. We can worry about how to repay the Lady later.”
The atmosphere grew increasingly dire, and the Duchess hastily evacuated. Once Thierry confirmed his mother’s safety, he infused his blade with a verdant aura as he spoke.
“I happen to be quite close with your master. It seems the Lady has been avoiding me lately because of a jealous lover, but…”
Orix Merkain regarded Thierry with a subtle expression, despite the perilous situation unfolding with the emergence of monsters.
“Why do you look so disappointed? Come to think of it, there’s no need to feel anxious. We have a hero on our side—the one who annihilated the black phantom army at the Hyanghwa ceremony.”
Thierry gestured toward Miya Binoshu with a smirk. Suddenly called upon, Miya trembled with a startled expression.

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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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