The Abandoned Villainess Takes Everything This Time - Chapter 72
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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72.
The Emperor turned his eyes to the Villain.
“Take good care of your fiancée from now on.”
“Unnecessary worry.”
It was truly a cold conversation that couldn’t be called father and son.
But curious as she was, there was no way she could end this conversation here.
“Your Majesty. Did Your Majesty perhaps know that heretics would come to this engagement ceremony?”
How did your heresy radar work?
“Rather than that, I went to see you, Lillian.”
…Me?
“I wanted to know what House of Tarandia had been waiting so long for.”
“…?”
“And now I understand. Thanks to you.”
Lillian fell into mental anguish again.
Just like the rumors that he’s slightly mad, his level of compliments must be quite something too…
Thinking that way.
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”
“Stay by my son’s side for a long time.”
Lillian did not respond to those words.
The other party didn’t seem to want much of an answer anyway.
The meeting ended like that.
* * *
After the incident at Carkin, the Second Empress took to her bed with illness.
It was definitely not because she had gotten a mental illness from her nephew’s death.
Rather, she was grateful that matter had been properly settled.
“Sigh, what to do about future matters.”
They avoided family destruction due to heresy. So what?
‘Just the damage House of Pavil suffered alone is how much.’
Business ventures connected with various families were all currently suspended. They only left one or two connections, watching the Empress’s mood.
At this rate, Kail’s future was in danger.
‘…A new alliance is needed.’
Even if it’s in the hands of someone who’s a bit wild and simple-minded.
* * *
“Miss, congratulations on entering the ranks of national celebrities?”
Gerard, who came to visit Lillian, grinned.
“Your name is embedded in every conversation in this world. It looked like it would be carved into the sidewalks too.”
“An Information Guild agent is quite the exaggerator.”
“It’s really true though. And this side has been in chaos too.”
Thud!
Gerard placed today’s newspapers on the nightstand.
<The Beginning of Iris Floren’s Downfall?
“Large-scale New Product Plans Canceled”>
“They say customers are furious about this.”
“…”
Lillian smiled indifferently.
That’s right, Iris. I knew you’d do this.
Did you cancel because of ethics?
You knew you were losing to me, so that pride of yours couldn’t possibly go through with the original plan.
Lillian smiled brightly.
“Gerard. This side is all prepared too, right?”
Didn’t Marguerite ask before.
If I had no intention of actually opening a shop.
‘I need to look at the site.’
Since Lillian couldn’t handle all the jewelry work by herself, she decided to get some personnel introduced through the Archive.
When receiving the budget from the Archive, her heart fluttered a bit…
‘If I combine the dignity maintenance fee I have now with the costs I got from the broken engagement, it should work out.’
Lillian frowned as she flipped through the documents back and forth.
“But Gerard. You got the costs right, didn’t you?”
“…Yes, that’s right?”
“Really? This street here, this can’t be right?”
She did want a place as close as possible to ‘Iris Floren’.
Within the funding limits Lillian could currently manage.
‘But I know well how precious the land on Central District Street is, yet you only brought these options?’
Even the sale prices couldn’t possibly be this low. Even considering the value of being spared from the Second Prince’s schemes.
“Could it be that these are buildings with stories…? The kind where you introduce me to places haunted by evil spirits…?”
“No way, that’s not it!”
Gerard hurriedly waved his hands.
Really…?
However, Lillian did not withdraw her suspicious gaze.
“Let’s say it’s not the buildings. But why are the personnel costs so low too? Slavery was abolished in the Empire long ago.”
“…What do you take this for. Part of the wages are handled by the Archive, that’s why. We calculated proper wages.”
“Really…?”
This feels fishy.
Well, would that man who had already been tortured by the Shadows really risk his life to strike Lillian in the back of the head.
While Lillian examined the flawless contract and racked her brain.
Gerard suppressed a quiet laugh inside.
No matter how much she examined that perfectly forged invoice, it was useless.
‘Haha, this Miss.’
She doesn’t seem to know how many people are secretly moving because of this matter…
* * *
After leaving behind the puzzled Lillian.
Gerard carefully headed to another area.
He didn’t particularly want this man as a customer, but since they were entangled in something, he had no choice.
A dark room with the terrace door left open.
Evren, sitting slouched in a chair there, asked without even looking up.
“So. Did you speak well to Lillian and come out?”
“Yes. Though she observed for a long time, she trusts it sufficiently.”
“Are you saying my Lillian is clueless right now. How impudent.”
This customer was also difficult.
Difficult in a slightly different way from the Second Prince or Iris Tillard.
However, Gerard skillfully responded.
Elias would have stammered in such cases, but Gerard was different.
“Haha, how could that be? To match Miss’s meticulous eye, the Archive’s renowned document specialists were all mobilized.”
The origin of this matter was originally Marguerite.
It was natural since she had already seen Lillian making ‘Silver Spring’ at the workshop.
‘Miss, you’re opening a shop now, right?’
‘Yeah, I have to.’
When she brought up the topic, Marguerite expected Lillian to tell her various future plans.
Like which site would be good.
How many people to employ, how many jewelers to hire, etc.
So naturally, I thought she would distribute some tasks to Marguerite.
But Lillian said nothing at all.
Marguerite, who had been waiting quietly, finally spoke up.
‘…Is there nothing I can help you with? Nothing comes to mind?’
‘Hm? It’s fine. Not really? Oh, right. You need to train hard. There will be more subjugation missions to roll around in.’
‘Yes, yes! But helping with Miss’s shop—?’
‘Hm? Not really? It’s good when there’s less work.’
It was true.
Still, she felt inexplicably disappointed…
When she asked the other Shadows, no one had been specifically requested to help.
Elias was also flustered when he heard this story.
‘…You’re saying Miss is running the shop all by herself?’
‘Yes, it seems that way.’
And that story also reached the ears of Duke Baltazar, who happened to be in the same room as Elias.
‘Ha! She’s opening a shop and saying she’ll just do it all with her own strength?’
The Duke was indignant for no reason.
After throwing such enormous grace upon this family, why wasn’t she saying a single word?
But when he remembered whose granddaughter she was, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable either.
She was that Elric Tillard’s granddaughter after all.
So she would handle everything on her own.
She wouldn’t open her arms to those currently with her either.
Such a person wouldn’t comfortably accept even gifts thrust upon them.
Much less when there’s no blood relation—she’d wave her hands asking why they’re giving her something so big.
‘…Don’t say I gave it, wrap it up appropriately and give it to that child.’
What the Duke ordered to be wrapped was a shop building.
It was a newly built, state-of-the-art building recently constructed across from ‘Iris Floren’.
However, if given like this, it didn’t seem like Lillian would accept it as is.
So first, a fake real estate contract was born.
Evren handled the labor costs here.
Thus fake employment contracts were also born.
“All costs have been cleanly settled. The expenses Miss pays will all be processed so you can appropriately recover them later.”
“You’d better handle it well.”
Slowly…
The dry branch stuck in the vase began to disappear white like melting snow.
“Make sure Lillian doesn’t notice anything.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Gerard smiled through gritted teeth at that threat.
If it’s going to be like this, wouldn’t it be better to just honestly say they helped…?
Is it right to have conversations while living in the same castle?
* * *
After Gerard left, Evren gazed outside and muttered.
“…Very strange.”
On the nightstand were piled invitations hoping for his attendance.
Those who had feared him were thinking of cautiously testing the waters.
All of this was still inefficient from Evren’s perspective.
The thought that annihilating everything would be most convenient remained.
But.
‘Still, if I think my method I just mentioned is more efficient. So if I do that, would you leave me?’
‘No, but I don’t think I could like it.’
That woman said she wouldn’t be able to like it.
Don’t humans easily break down and get ruined when their hearts are uncomfortable?
He didn’t want Lillian to break down. He wanted her to be healthy for a long time.
‘So I’m enduring it.’
Not using his abilities carelessly, steadily building reputation…
As if in reward, Lillian would sometimes caress him.
He thought those were the times when his life satisfaction was highest…
Even when his body burned madly and his throat was dry, he felt good.
That was the case, but now he realized.
Lillian had no demands of him.
Not just this shop, but nothing particular about her own affairs either.
She was exactly like a butterfly that would fly away to the next flower at any time.
Once he realized this, his satisfaction plummeted vertically and crashed underground.
“Why on earth.”
Why doesn’t it feel like the distance is getting closer?
Is this the limit of 60% compatibility?
“…”
Evren went out to the terrace and looked down at the garden.
Perhaps there were no longer any suitable flowers left here for butterflies to land on.
He needed something to hold her back.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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