Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 176

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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 176
Isidore’s narrow eyes grew even more slitted as he stared at the list. Where his sharp gaze fell, the name “Habier Histechi” was written.
‘The Third Prince….’
The person I’d half-suspected was participating in the bidding for the purple diamond, and I twisted my lips slightly.
‘He’s written down quite a high price.’
Given that he’d revised the bid price multiple times, it seemed likely he would raise it further during the remaining time.
‘Not that it matters.’
In any case, everyone participating in this auction was merely my supporting cast, so the jewel would never fall into the Third Prince’s hands. And his actions gave me absolute certainty.
‘As expected, I suppose.’
From the moment he spilled wine on Deborah’s dress out of nowhere and even came to the Academy to snoop around, I instinctively grasped that he was cut from the same cloth as Philaf.
Arrogant by birth, obsessed with standing above others, and utterly incompetent fools who must obtain whatever they desire by any means necessary.
‘Moreover, the Third Prince surely knows the details of what his mother, the Fourth Empress, is orchestrating, so he must be convinced that Deborah, not Miya Binoshu, is the true embodiment of the saint.’
I repeatedly flipped a coin with an expressionless face, and as the time approached for the auction of the jewel I’d called the “Lavender Diamond” to begin, I slowly rose to my feet.
* * *
The interior of the Auction House was bustling with people who had come to see the legendary jewel. It was obvious that once it was sold, it would be difficult to even glimpse it from afar, and with such illustrious participants, the atmosphere had grown even more heated.
In the center of the hall, the purple diamond placed inside a large glass case was bathed in the dim light of early dawn, and many nobles were even betting on who would win the bid for this beautiful jewel.
Then a stir ran through the crowd.
‘Look there.’
‘It’s Lord Rozard Simour!’
Rozard entered with his characteristic measured stride, and following behind him came Beleck with a sharp expression, roughly sweeping back his long hair.
‘It looks like he came with that bastard. How unpleasant.’
True to being twins, though they hadn’t departed together, they arrived at the Auction House simultaneously.
‘Isn’t that the Fifth Princess?’
‘The Countess Basslein has also arrived.’
As luminaries of High Society appeared one after another, the atmosphere of the Auction House grew scorching hot.
“Hmm.”
Rozard, sitting awkwardly in the VIP seating reserved only for auction participants with his legs crossed, scanned his surroundings with cold eyes and, upon spotting the Third Prince, narrowed his brows.
‘I already knew Deborah was quite popular, but this is somewhat unexpected.’
Of course, there was a possibility the Third Prince had come to present the jewel to someone other than Deborah. But having heard that Isidore and the Third Prince had nearly drawn blades at the Academy, something about it rubbed me the wrong way.
‘Well, in any case, that jewel will fall into my hands.’
Rozard deliberately leaked the price he had in mind to the outside, and when competition arose, I raised it by a full double at that price.
Once a baseline amount is established, most people cautiously raise it by ten percent, or at most thirty percent. Since it was rare for someone to boldly double the amount, I was certain of victory.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I was pushing myself so hard and going to such lengths just to buy a birthday gift for my younger sister.
‘Well, I’ve benefited greatly from her in the past, so this much is only right. Besides, Deborah is the most distant from me among the family….’
While Rozard was rationalizing to himself, Beleck was thinking similarly. He was surely the only madman who would double the price that everyone had already clicked their tongues at as being expensive.
The auction participants waited for the announcement of the successful bidder, concealing the tension that was slowly mounting.
Then it happened.
An unusual murmur began to emanate from the entrance. Beleck’s eyes widened as he saw Isidore entering the VIP section with a gentle smile on his face.
“Duke Visconti—why is he here?”
It was a face I hadn’t anticipated at all. He had already given Deborah a gift once before.
“Isidore, did you participate in this auction as well? If you’ve already claimed the item Basslein was after, I was hoping you might yield on this jewel.”
Countess Basslein spoke curtly, and Isidore smiled with amusement.
“You know how it is. When it comes to Deborah Simour, my greed knows no bounds. It’s an opportunity to display even a fraction of my overflowing affection—I couldn’t possibly miss it.”
“Sigh. I’ll have to find another gift.”
Countess Basslein exhaled in defeat, sensing her loss. Her nephew never entered a game he couldn’t win, so her chances were nonexistent.
The next day.
News spread through High Society that the Lavender Diamond had sold for a record-breaking price exceeding three Town Houses in the Yones District—a sum three times greater than the Pink Diamond from the previous auction.
‘Surely the owner of that jewel must be Deborah Simour?’
‘There’s no point discussing it. Duke Visconti is truly remarkable. To commit such an astronomical sum to paper.’
While High Society buzzed with speculation about the jewel’s owner, the palace where the Empress resided erupted in chaos.
“Your Majesty, please calm yourself!”
Word had reached the Fourth Empress that her son had participated in that loud and ostentatious diamond auction.
“Blast it, the scatterbrained fool! Why on earth would he go there?”
Already vexed by the matter of Deborah Simour, and now with her son pouring oil on the flames with his foolish antics, she raged violently, hurling everything within reach.
‘What possessed him to commit such a stupid act?’
Could her son still harbor the delusion that he might win the backing of House Simour?
Severing the bond between Isidore and Deborah Simour was already impossible. Moreover, House Simour and House Visconti—who had upheld legitimate heirs bearing blue hair since the Empire’s founding—were never negotiating partners for the Fourth Empress in the first place.
‘And he failed to secure the bid as well.’
If she could only present that violet jewel to Miya, the situation might yet be salvageable.
Heat flooded through her, and Jamila rubbed the back of her neck briefly before rising abruptly to visit the Third Prince’s quarters. But his chambers stood empty.
“Where is Habier?”
After some time, the Third Prince appeared, disheveled and reeking of alcohol and women’s perfume from what seemed to be a night away. Her expression twisted at the sight of her son.
“Haven’t I told you dozens of times to cultivate closeness with the Northern Lords and keep your distance from Count Loien?”
“My connections are my own concern. I’m hardly a three-year-old child—why do you presume to meddle in whom I befriend?”
“Habier!”
After a period of docile seclusion devoted solely to sword training, her son now showed signs of defiance once more, and the Fourth Empress erupted in fury.
“In this Imperial Palace, surrounded by enemies on all sides, I am your only ally—do you still not understand that?”
The Third Prince let out a short, hollow laugh.
“You’ve always claimed to act for my sake, yet at my age, what do I actually possess in these hands?”
He extended his empty palms.
“….”
“Even among the Young-sik of the Duke’s house, there are those who dare insult me, a member of the Imperial Family. So why come here at the crack of dawn, raging over a mere small diamond? What is so remarkable about that?”
“Then you should have secured the bid with an amount so vast that no one else dared approach it! The Emperor favors you—he would have granted such a gift. Why did you merely stand as Duke Visconti’s shadow and return empty-handed? Why do you continue to make a mockery of yourself?”
The Third Prince, long accustomed to her endless nagging, paid her words little mind.
‘How tedious.’
With each passing day, a suffocating irritation pressed down upon him. His mother perpetually claimed to act in his interest, yet she bullied him savagely with threats, manipulating him like a puppet. He had obeyed her in childhood, but those days were gone.
Perhaps the extended period he had spent alone in the Northern Region, separated from his mother, had been long enough. Standing apart and observing her now, she seemed far less formidable than before. Few things proceeded as she wished, and her plans failed repeatedly—even after contracting with such a powerful demon.
“…Do you understand what I’m saying? Habier. You need only do as I command.”
Lost in thought, Habier had let her lengthy tirade wash over him unheeded, though he nodded perfunctorily.
“Well. Rest now. At least you haven’t neglected your training all this time, so I’ll spare you further reproach.”
Soon after, the Fourth Empress left her quarters with her anger barely contained, and Habier clenched his jaw tightly.
‘I’ve done everything she asked, and what good has it done me? I shouldn’t have crawled into the palace in the first place—all I’ve managed is to sour my mood.’
He seized his coat with rough, aggressive movements and stepped back out of the Imperial Palace.
With a cigarette between his lips, he mingled with Count Loien’s circle at a drinking establishment, where he overheard whispers of gossip.
“There’s talk that Duke Visconti paid an exorbitant sum to acquire that purple jewel as a prelude to proposing a betrothal to Deborah Simour, wouldn’t you say?”
“It does seem plausible. While Deborah Simour may be somewhat young to become a duchess, her betrothal is admittedly later than that of other noble ladies.”
‘So he intends to propose?’
The Third Prince exhaled smoke slowly, his eyes narrowing.

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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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