The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 30

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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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The Male Lead’s Identity Is the Mastermind, But Only I Know — Episode 30
“Why don’t we host a tea party here at Marin Palace? You can make some friends, and it’ll be useful in all sorts of ways to have trusted allies in high society.”
“A tea party?”
At the sudden suggestion, I blinked blankly until Ate tapped the table lightly with her fingertips and answered in a measured tone.
“You might not know this, but it’s been an extraordinarily long time since Marin Palace had an owner. It’s a residence granted exclusively to the official Crown Princess, so the place has sat empty for well over thirty years. The gardens there have been famous for their beauty since ancient times, so everyone will be dying to receive an invitation.”
“Hmm. I suppose so.”
“Once they’ve attended, they’ll have something to boast about, and it’s a chance to show off their connection to the mysterious Crown Prince’s fiancée. Anyone with any sense will jump at it.”
Ate’s proposal was unexpected but perfectly sensible.
Certainly, mixing directly with the major figures of high society is the most direct way to quietly settle the image I’d been struck with.
“Do you have any idea how busy your brother has been because of you? The least you can do is not drag his reputation down any further.”
Ate’s eyes narrowed as she made clear she wasn’t helping because she liked me. But why would Evan be busy because of me?
I stared at her in confusion, and Ate sighed before continuing.
“Why do you think you can live like a hothouse flower right now? Because your brother is blocking everything for you. There’s a whole mass of people out there trying to drag you down from that position by any means.”
Ate jutted her lower lip, reminding me that she’d said this when we first met.
Right. Now that she mentioned it, I did recall her saying there were nobles outside the Imperial Palace hunting for me.
“See? I told you I wasn’t just making things up.”
Of course I knew it. Even before Evan said he’d only show me good things, I’d found it suspicious that the world could be so quiet about our engagement.
But hearing it from someone else’s lips gave it a different weight. Whether it was strategy or not, the fact that he genuinely cared about me struck me as utterly real.
“Your brother even suddenly attended that meritorious banquet just for you. He wanted to be there in case you heard anything he needed to protect you from.”
Since I knew this as well, I’d come in quietly. And thanks to that, nothing particularly worrying happened.
But Evan couldn’t have known that.
“I understand what you’re saying. You want me to build a good image through this tea party so Evan has to worry about me less, right?”
“Now we’re talking. Exactly that.”
“And you want him to have more time to spend with you?”
“Bingo. That’s the core of it. Anyway, this time try to handle it on your own. With your madness and venom, it seems more than possible.”
Ate, who had been nodding enthusiastically, opened her mouth with a satisfied expression.
Some of the words she used seemed a bit strange, but it was a decent proposal, so I’d pretend I hadn’t heard the odd parts.
“And when the tea party happens, have your brother send you a big bouquet of flowers.”
“…Why flowers all of a sudden?”
There would be flowers everywhere at the venue. I looked at Ate in bewilderment, and she clicked her tongue.
“The war among noblewomen usually starts with boasting about their husbands and children. As the Crown Prince’s fiancée, you can’t lose, can you?”
Ate launched into an impassioned speech about how you win by openly showing you’re a beloved woman.
Wait, hold on. What is a ten-year-old girl saying right now!
“How do you even know about things like that?”
“The Holy Maiden gave me books every time I had treatment at the Temple. I read all of them. Ahem.”
“Books…? What books?”
An uneasy feeling prompted me to ask carefully, and Ate told me to wait a moment while she rummaged through the stack of books piled on one side of the table.
Soon Ate pulled out a book with an ornate cover and showed it to me.
“This is what I read yesterday. It’s a novel called Surviving the Villain Princess’s Flower Garden, and the courtly machinations between the princess aiming for the Crown Princess seat and those around her were really impressive. The descriptions were so detailed, it felt like watching a real situation unfold!”
Ate smiled with satisfaction and generously offered to lend me as many novels as I wanted if I was interested.
No way. She’s recommending a romance fantasy novel to someone who transmigrated into a romance fantasy novel. This is absurd. I’m actually going insane.
Shana, what exactly did you let her read…!
In any case, for that reason—
“Send what?”
“Send a bouquet of flowers. I’m holding a tea party. At Marin Palace.”
So a tea party came to be held.
Three days before Foundation Day, after Princess Taniaper’s mourning period had safely concluded.
“…Why am I only finding out about this now? The invitations must have been sent to the guests before today.”
“I didn’t tell you. I also asked Siana to keep it secret.”
“So why.”
Evan’s eyes narrowed in incomprehension. When he asked why, I smiled faintly and answered simply.
“Someone told me to try handling it myself. That my madness and venom would be enough.”
“Taking everything a child says at face value—that’s just foolish.”
Evan, who’d recognized at once that it was the wind Ate had blown into my sails, exhaled a long breath and pressed his forehead with his hand.
He looked down at me with an expression of utter exasperation, then rose from where he’d been sitting.
“Cancel it. There isn’t a single woman on this guest list that you could handle. How are you going to manage anyone with that naive temperament of yours?”
Evan sat down on the sofa across from me again, his brow furrowing as he looked over the guest list for the tea party in his hand.
“Really? You don’t know? Do you know what my job was back in Korea?”
Even if he didn’t know I was a transmigrator, since he now knew I came from another dimension, I saw no reason to hide it. Evan looked at me with curious eyes at my question.
“I was a teacher. I taught teenagers in the throes of adolescent turmoil. Dozens of kids like Ate.”
Evan will never know how much I’ve suffered dealing with middle schoolers who do whatever they please.
“Hmm. Your talent for skillfully turning the conversation is certainly remarkable. So there was a reason for it.”
“…Anyway, it means you can’t beat me with words. So stop worrying and just send flowers.”
“Surely the flowers aren’t Ate’s idea too?”
I nodded silently, and Evan let out a hollow laugh as if flabbergasted. But only for a moment—he soon nodded in acceptance.
“I never dreamed I’d get along so well with a ten-year-old. A large bouquet will do, then?”
“Pick something pretty and send it. I need to show it off.”
“Show it off, you say. Me? Or the flowers?”
“Obviously the flowers… and you, Your Highness. Both of you.”
I’d meant to say just the flowers, but instinct warned me that if I answered only that, something bad would happen. I hurried to correct myself.
At that, Evan smiled low with a meaningful expression, nodding that he understood perfectly.
Hmm. Something feels ominous about this. Should be fine, though? It’s just asking for a bouquet of flowers, after all.
“Tell me what you know about these women.”
Evan waved the paper in his hand casually as he asked, apparently wanting to confirm whether it was safe to send me to the Tea Party.
A question I’d been waiting for! I flashed a bright smile and immediately began.
“The four women invited today are the most influential celebrities in High Society right now. Diana Atlan, Rosebel Herrit, Siana Bengkan, and Hailey Nadia. The one I absolutely must win over is Diana—the famous Atlan Marquis’s wife. She’s like a matriarch with the greatest influence over numerous nobles.”
So if I succeeded in bringing Diana to my side, the rest would have no choice but to follow.
Since she embodied the very model of a proper noblewoman, even villainesses prone to all manner of wrongdoing would tuck their tails between their legs in her presence. She was absolutely essential to win over.
“Who should I be wary of?”
“Rosebel Herrit. The only daughter of the Herrit Marquis house and… a woman whose dream was to become the Crown Princess. But since I’ve taken that from her, she must be quite angry.”
In the original story, Rosebel was a tragic villainess who tormented Shana mercilessly before ultimately losing her life at the hands of the man she loved—Evan.
But this time, that anger would be directed at me. Because I’m the one at Evan’s side now.
“Anyway, don’t worry! Even if I say so myself, I know quite a lot.”
I remembered in vivid detail exactly how Rosebel had tormented Shana. I’d deliberately focused on that section when I drank the Memory Recovery Potion!
“Hmm… this is troublesome. As luck would have it, I have reconnaissance duties and cannot free up the time.”
“Evan, it’s just a Tea Party. There’s no need to worry so much….”
“I’ll return as quickly as I can. Don’t eat anything. Don’t touch anything.”
Whether Evan heard my reassurance or not, he began imposing restrictions on my behavior with a serious expression.
Not eating or touching anything at a Tea Party—what does that even mean? How am I supposed to do that….

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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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