The Puppet Villainess’s Splendid Rebellion - Chapter 64

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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 64

“…What kind of question is that all of a sudden?”

Demian looked at me as he set down the water bottle. He had a puzzled expression at the unexpected question.

“I’m just curious.”

I said while hugging my knees.

“I have a clear goal. To escape from the Emperor’s… I mean, His Majesty’s grasp.”

I could feel Demian’s gaze pouring down on me. Though I didn’t meet his eyes, I could definitely tell he was looking at me.

“That’s why I want to become strong. I mean, not just physical strength, but I want to gain the power to accomplish something on my own. That’s my goal.”

As a result, you all becoming safe because of me.

It was something I couldn’t say yet.

Demian tapped the dirt ground with his toes. I sat quietly with my gaze lowered to the ground where shallow dust was rising.

After being lost in thought for a while, he slowly opened his mouth.

“I want to protect.”

When I raised my head, I could see Demian’s profile as he gazed beyond the Training Grounds.

“Our family that holds memories of my mother and younger sister. And my father. If I have to bring down the Imperial Family in that process, I’ll gladly do so.”

Then he turned his head to stare at me. A playful smile hung on his lips.

“If I say this, will you drag me to the Underground Dungeon?”

“If you’re going to say such things, how about making an expression that shows more sense of crisis?”

“I’m sorry, I have no talent for managing expressions.”

Demian grinned annoyingly.

“Well… I’ll let it slide this time. Since Demian said what I couldn’t say myself.”

“To think I’d hear from Her Highness Loreia that we have the same thoughts. How fascinating.”

“You do realize you’re only sixteen, right?”

“I’m two whole years older than Your Highness though?”

“Just two years.”

And originally I’d be four years older than you.

I grumbled inwardly for no reason and curled up a bit more.

I heard a chuckling sound from above my head. Shortly after, I felt Demian plop down next to me.

“Then may I ask you something now?”

“What?”

A cool autumn breeze blew over.

When I suddenly turned my gaze to the side, Demian was quietly looking at me while matching my eye level. His face was quite serious.

“The reason Your Highness abandoned that luxurious Imperial Palace and the Emperor’s favor to choose House of Carter, Duke of all places.”

I couldn’t say anything for a moment.

Actually, it was a question I had expected. I thought he would ask someday. But when I actually heard it, I was at a loss for what to answer.

That I regressed? That I was abandoned by the Emperor and died in my previous life? That his father is actually my biological father?

It would sound like crazy talk.

After rolling my tongue in my mouth for a while, I answered.

“…Because I wanted to live.”

“Who would kill Your Highness?”

“Well… it’s similar. More precisely, I wanted to live like a human being.”

“Like a human being.”

Demian still had a face that didn’t understand.

Of course he would, since I was the worst demon of the Imperial Family who lived luxuriously with the Emperor’s backing. All the luxurious and pretty things were mine. Even I had turned away from the fact that I was living like a tool rather than a person.

I buried my head between my knees again and said quietly.

“Everyone has their own circumstances. Just think of it that way. It might seem a bit ridiculous from Demian’s perspective.”

“Not really, it’s not ridiculous.”

A calm answer came back.

“…I thought you’d mock me?”

“If it were something worth mocking, Your Highness wouldn’t have risked your life to come this far in the first place. So I believe you.”

What.

At the sudden answer that hit me, I didn’t know what reaction to show and my gaze wandered.

“…Thank you for believing me.”

“We’re living under the same roof now, aren’t we? If I kept suspecting and watching you, only I would get tired.”

“We had such a good atmosphere until just now.”

“Isn’t it still good now?”

Demian giggled and laughed.

He always acts so annoyingly after things go well.

“Please tell me the details later. When Your Highness is ready.”

“…Yes.”

To talk about what happened with the Emperor, I’d have to confess everything related to the purification stone and my blood. I thought that would probably never happen.

Demian, who had raised his hand near my head, hesitated. I could see his hand wandering in the air for quite a while before it dropped down with a thud.

“What is it?”

No answer came back.

Instead, Demian, who had been staring at me with a subtle expression, suddenly stood up from his seat.

“If you’re done resting, let’s start again.”

“What?”

Didn’t you just say we were done for today?

“Seeing you chatting away, it seems your energy has returned. Get up.”

He even started pulling me up without warning.

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.

“No, Demi… Demian!”

“Hurry up.”

This training-obsessed maniac!

* * *

I’m going to die.

My arms and legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. My whole body ached and hurt.

Days of continuous training had drained all the strength from my body. According to Demian, we were really only working on the most basic of basics, but it seemed like my trash-like body was the problem.

Maybe because the period was longer, I felt even more drained than during those ten days of special training.

Mornings were spent visiting Carlos, afternoons were all training. Thanks to that, I was busy lying around like dried seaweed in my remaining time.

“Lorea, you look like a baby grandmother.”

As usual, I was lying with my head buried in the bed, groaning, when I suddenly heard a familiar voice by my bedside.

It was Sion.

Without me noticing when he’d entered, he was sitting beside the bed, gently stroking my forehead.

I only turned my head and opened my eyes into thin slits.

“…What’s a baby grandmother?”

“You’re cute but look completely worn out.”

Is this what a hundreds-of-years-old Archmage should be saying to me?

I wanted to retort, but I didn’t even have the strength to speak. I just lay there completely limp.

Sion giggled and poked my cheek repeatedly. With his fingertips, he twisted the hair that had fallen on my forehead, then swept it away, repeating this playful gesture.

His grinning face looked like a child’s.

Sion had been staying at the Duke’s Mansion longer than expected. He seemed to visit the Mage Tower occasionally, but even accounting for that, it felt like the period was getting quite long.

‘Thanks to that, Carlos’s condition is improving rapidly, so I’m grateful, but…’

Around that time, Sion’s hand slowly moved downward. This time he touched my forearm and frowned.

“…You tore it open again.”

“…”

“Here. This is a new wound. It hasn’t even healed yet.”

I had carefully covered it with bandages, so how did he notice this too?

Even though I hadn’t committed any crime, I somehow felt guilty and quietly averted my eyes.

“Lorea, you’re avoiding my eyes.”

“This can’t be helped.”

“How can that be?”

I had said that delivering a refined stone once a week was the contract between Carlos and me, but Sion didn’t seem pleased with even that.

After touching my arm for a while, Sion spread blue light from his fingertips. Warm energy enveloped my arm. It was healing magic. The area around the wound felt itchy, then became comfortable.

I watched his expression and smiled sheepishly as I said quietly.

“But it’s fortunate that Sion heals me every time, right?”

Sion glanced at me, sighed, and continued the treatment.

He didn’t say anything, but his expression looked quite displeased. His lips were pouting.

“…I don’t like it.”

“What?”

“This kind of thing. I don’t like it.”

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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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