The Puppet Villainess’s Splendid Rebellion - Chapter 48

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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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Chapter 48

 

Carlos’s red eyes glowed ominously.

 

Perhaps feeling overwhelmed, the knight flinched and stepped back.

 

“What do you think you’re doing right now!”

 

But he quickly regained his composure and shouted loudly.

 

“Duke, are you rebelling against the Imperial Forces!”

 

The villagers began murmuring.

 

“Look at that…”

 

“The Duke is trying to do something again…”

 

But Carlos paid no attention.

 

Still gripping the knight’s wrist, he turned to look at me.

 

“Loreia.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did I ever forcibly confine you to the Ducal Palace?”

 

It was a calm question.

 

I shook my head.

 

“No.”

 

“Have I ever threatened or intimidated you?”

 

“No.”

 

“When you said you wanted to leave the Ducal Palace, did I ever stop you?”

 

“…I never said I wanted to leave, but even if I had, you wouldn’t have stopped me.”

 

He might have even been pleased. Happy that a nuisance was gone.

 

The thought made me feel slightly bitter, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.

 

Carlos looked at the knight.

 

“So she says.”

 

The knight’s face contorted with frustration.

 

“It’s magic. Mind control magic…”

 

“Mind control?”

 

Carlos let out a sneer. It was a cold, mocking laugh.

 

“The great Imperial Family knows best that I’m gasping for breath every moment, tormented by magic corruption.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“If I had the strength to cast high-level mind control magic on Loreia, would I have been holed up in the Ducal Palace collecting purification stones in the first place?”

 

Carlos took a step forward. His complexion was pale, but his eyes were sharp.

 

The knight frowned.

 

“…Even if it’s not magic, there are many other methods. No matter how much Her Highness says it’s voluntary, she might be saying so because she’s intimidated by the Duke’s authority. How frightened must a mere thirteen-year-old princess be?”

 

I was inwardly dumbfounded by his attitude.

 

This was the first time an Imperial knight had treated me like such a child, both before and after my regression.

 

And for good reason—by the age of ten, I had already gained notoriety both inside and outside the Imperial Palace.

 

“A mere thirteen years old…”

 

Carlos tilted his head to the side.

 

“That mere thirteen-year-old princess came to the Duke’s Mansion all by herself, evading Imperial surveillance. Oh, are you going to say that Loreia coming to the Duke’s Mansion was also part of my scheme?”

 

At his sarcastic tone, the knight looked flustered and bit his lip. Glancing around nervously, the knight’s voice became urgent.

 

“A-anyway, it’s His Majesty’s command! Her Highness must come with us!”

 

It was the moment the knight tried to reach out again.

 

“I’m sure I told you not to lay a hand on her.”

 

Shing.

 

Before his hand could get close to me, Carlos drew his sword and blocked him.

 

The startled knight’s eyes sharpened.

 

“Are you pointing your sword at the Imperial Forces who represent His Majesty the Emperor’s will?”

 

Right, these bastards always come at you like this.

 

Same with Demian—whenever they’re at a disadvantage, they try to crush you by asking if you’re rebelling against the Imperial Family.

 

However, there was something they overlooked this time.

 

“Is there a problem?”

 

Unlike Demian, Carlos was someone who didn’t bat an eye at such threats.

 

What did he think of someone who had first held a blade to a princess’s throat? I almost let out a hollow laugh.

 

“How perfect. Isn’t His Majesty the Emperor looking for justification to bring down House of Carter, Duke? If I kill all the knights who received His Majesty’s orders here and flee, wouldn’t that satisfy that grand justification?”

 

“Duke…!”

 

“Don’t speak so loudly, it hurts my ears.”

 

Carlos frowned and brought his sword close to the knight’s throat. The razor-sharp blade hovered dangerously close.

 

“How about it? I intend to consider it a declaration of war the moment you take Loreia from me.”

 

At his languid tone, the knight’s eyes widened in apparent shock.

 

‘He must be insane.’

 

And I was equally bewildered.

 

‘No matter how reckless he is, isn’t declaring war crossing the line?’

 

I thought this was exactly when you’d say someone had their back against the wall.

 

Since I didn’t have the ability to stop him anyway, I could only roll my eyes and observe the situation.

 

The knight, who had been speechless for a moment, flinched and shouted.

 

“What you just said is treason!”

 

“I know.”

 

“And yet you know…!”

 

“That’s why I’m asking. Will you engage in all-out war with the House of the Duke? Can you make that decision right now? Or do you need to ask the Emperor again?”

 

He even went so far as to smile and mock him.

 

The knight who had come on the Emperor’s orders seemed not to have thought this far, as his complexion visibly paled.

 

To exaggerate a bit, he looked worse than Carlos who was suffering from miasma.

 

“Duke, do you have the confidence to handle the consequences…!”

 

“Ah, it’s too noisy to bear.”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Suddenly a leisurely voice was heard.

 

Sion, who had been standing quietly, yawned and casually stepped forward.

 

“What are you!”

 

The knight’s face crumpled as he shouted.

 

Sion didn’t answer. Instead, he snapped his fingers.

 

And at that moment.

 

Crash!

 

Everything turned white. A light so bright you couldn’t open your eyes covered the entire square.

 

“My eyes!”

 

“What is this!”

 

“I can’t see!”

 

Screams erupted from all directions.

 

In that chaos, a large hand was extended to me.

 

A pale, white hand.

 

“Take it.”

 

Then, with those brief words, I felt the sensation of my body floating up.

 

The sensation of space twisting. Dizziness as if up and down were flipping. In that confusion, I felt someone embrace me tightly. It was a firm, broad chest.

 

A moment later, when I closed and opened my eyes, I was standing in the forest instead of the village square. Still held in Carlos’s arms.

 

“What in the world…”

 

I was looking around in confusion, unable to grasp the situation, when a thought suddenly crossed my mind and my eyes widened.

 

‘Don’t tell me, Carlos.’

 

Used magic? In a place where miasma is this thick?

 

I urgently looked up at Carlos.

 

He was holding me with one hand and supporting himself against a tree with the other. His breathing was rough. His face was pale beyond description, completely ashen.

 

It was the aftermath of using magic in a place thick with miasma.

 

“Duke, are you alright?”

 

“…I’m fine.”

 

When I quickly escaped from Carlos’s embrace to examine his complexion, he reached out his hand as if to block my view.

 

But contrary to his words that he was fine, I could clearly see his hand trembling.

 

Coughs burst from between Carlos’s teeth. He seemed to be trying to suppress them, but the coughing showed no signs of stopping. Rough breathing leaked out repeatedly.

 

It was painful just to watch.

 

“Duke…”

 

“Don’t worry about unnecessary things. I’m fine.”

 

What kind of pride are you showing in this situation?

 

When you’re clearly not fine at all.

 

“Don’t be like that and sit down for a moment. You don’t look well right now.”

 

It was the moment I was trying to support him and help him sit down.

 

Rustle.

 

There was a sign of someone behind us.

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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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