The Villain Who Will Kill Me Is Too Handsome, It's Troublesome - Chapter 67

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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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Episode 67.
Artiela dismounted from Bleo’s back at once.
Bleo retreated a step to avoid his sister’s aggressive interrogation, raising both hands in protest of his innocence.
“Didn’t you leave it behind?”
That’s what the 1st Princess had said.
“That’s what I thought too, but—sigh—the 2nd Princess’s maid came by in secret and told me the truth.”
The maid was a member of Kirien’s Sunshine Making Group and had an acquaintance in Bleo.
She’d volunteered to serve the 1st Princess hoping to catch the Emperor’s eye, but unfortunately ended up under the 2nd Princess instead. Since she hadn’t yet developed any loyalty to her new mistress, she went straight to Bleo with the truth.
“Did she steal it knowing what it was for?”
“I’m not sure about that. Supposedly she borrowed it for a moment, then brought it back?”
Unable to fathom the motive behind such behavior, Artiela could only cross her arms and shift her weight to one leg.
Then Kirien drew a long breath.
“The 2nd Princess has had a tendency toward… that sort of thing for quite some time.”
Another victim, then.
“She has everything one could want—so why does she do this?”
If only she’d known, she might have looked into her soul with the Holy Sword.
“Her birth mother took great interest in Black Sorcery, so perhaps she picked something up from watching and learning?”
One needn’t be a true dark mage to perform sorcerous rites. The effects are uncertain, though.
The easiest to imitate are curses.
They conjure nightmares, erase small turns of fortune, and the crueler kinds even wish shortened lifespans on their targets.
Kirien had visibly recoiled—he’d clearly had things stolen from him more than once.
“After you rejected her advances, did worse things happen?”
“I couldn’t say there were major differences in that regard, so perhaps….”
Kirien trailed off, his anguish laid bare on his face, allowing her to guess what had occurred.
There were plenty of strange sorceries short of outright curses.
Love-inducing spells, for instance, or enchantments that enthrall. When such sorcery was cast, it would take effect on the first person encountered, clinging to them with stubborn persistence.
“But nothing came to pass. I did not yield anything to that woman.”
Small wonder—his Aura was not the sort to be surrendered easily to anyone.
It was no idle rumor that the princesses had eventually given up on Kirien.
“Forget all of it.”
Artiela gave Kirien’s shoulder a reassuring pat, then turned sharply and fixed Bleo with a suspicious glare.
“So what did you tell her? Did you accept?”
If he’d accepted, she’d tie him to a sacred tree at once and perform a Purification. That would mean he was already a fool who’d fallen under Black Sorcery.
Unaware of the terrifying thoughts running through his sister’s mind, Bleo lifted his chin and answered with a touch of swagger.
“Of course I reflexively refused. I told her that I must remain a lover to all, and cannot settle myself to one woman alone.”
“…Wait. Did the 1st Princess happen to hear that?”
Please, say no.
Artiela clasped her hands together and prayed fervently.
“Well, she’d been standing beside me the whole time, even before the 2nd Princess made her proposal…”
Idiot. The Soltis Count Family line might very well end with Bleo. All for lack of marriage.
“So, what was the 1st Princess’s reaction as she watched this spectacle unfold?”
“She laughed for quite a while, saying how amusing it was that her favored man would speak such insincere words to another woman.”
Artiela’s gaze turned instinctively toward Kirien.
Kirien shook his head in protest of the injustice.
A sudden question took shape.
“Wait—so then, why did she propose to you in the first place?”
“Not because I’m so beautiful and dependable—no, according to the 1st Princess’s assessment, it was likely an experiment.”
An experiment?
“She probably hasn’t given up yet…”
The light drained from Bleo’s eyes.
The sorrow of one who ranked second. In his twenty-four years of life, it was a rare taste of defeat.
“Ah… so that’s why she stole them in sequence.”
First the Holy Stone that belonged to Bleo, then the Boutonniere that belonged to Kirien.
Artiela let out a sharp exhale and turned on her heel.
“I’m going to make her return them at once.”
The pace of her footsteps as she set off to find Yusiel was notably brisk. Seeing the floor settle slightly in her wake, Bleo briefly rubbed the back of his neck.
“Let us all behave ourselves, Duke.”
“Yes…”
“Let’s make sure our youngest has nothing to be angry about.”
“Of course.”
It was a night when the friendship between two men deepened.
* * *
Two days passed after that.
The 2nd Princess still hadn’t returned the Boutonniere to the Temple, even though they’d offered to replace it with something else. She insisted on keeping it with her because the Emperor hadn’t awakened yet and she was uneasy without it.
But what the 2nd Princess’s lady-in-waiting—someone Bleo knew—had said told a different story.
“I never saw her wear it. She said it was an old-fashioned design that didn’t suit the current style of dresses.”
Artiela had no choice but to make her way to the Imperial Palace.
“I apologize. She won’t listen to me either. So how about going to the Temple yourself to retrieve it directly?”
It was a request from the 1st Princess.
Surely Yusiel, the greatest authority on such matters, would be more effective if she stepped in herself, but she was occupied.
“Honestly, there’s no way I wouldn’t have sensed it! It wasn’t that she properly consumed the soul—it was Black Sorcery that merely dominated her mind, so she hid it.”
Chagrined at having been deceived by the Source of Evil, Yusiel had invited mages from across the continent through her mother and was in discussion with the priests to dissect and expose the Source of Evil in detail.
They were going to analyze it piece by piece and strip it bare to deal with it properly. The state of the Magic Tower was also up for discussion as an added matter.
In the end, Artiela found herself standing alone in front of the dreary Nobility Conference Hall.
“Both Princesses are attending the conference in His Majesty’s stead.”
Looking for the princesses.
Since the Emperor hadn’t awakened yet, it made sense that the 1st Princess, the next Imperial Heir, would continue the conference.
But why the 2nd Princess was mixed up in it, she couldn’t say.
When Artiela fixed the conference hall door with a terrible glare, a knight quietly placed a chair in front of it for her.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all, my lady. Thank you for always saving us. Please wait here comfortably.”
The Emperor’s knights, who used to cause a commotion in Edelion back then, had changed.
They all looked at Artiela with admiration in their eyes. Uncomfortably so.
Just then, a loud voice came from inside.
“What are you saying? That makes no sense!”
That’s… Father’s voice?
Artiela’s aura rose without her even realizing it.
“But doesn’t Edelion bear some responsibility for this incident as well?”
What? Who is this ungrateful wretch spouting such nonsense?
Artiela leaned forward in her chair toward the door.
“I agree. The Source of Evil was originally the Temple’s enemy, wasn’t it? That such a thing came to the Imperial Palace is entirely Edelion’s fault.”
Ah, so that’s why she’s attending the conference.
“I believe that one of two people—the Saint or the owner of the Holy Sword—should take responsibility for what happened to my only brother.”
Voices agreeing with the 2nd Princess’s claim followed in succession.
Artiela crossed her legs and remained seated.
“Should I break down the door? Or not?”
The standing knights turned their heads away, pretending not to have heard Artiela’s words. An implicit consent.
Unlike those inside, they were good knights who knew gratitude.
Artiela slowly rose from her seat.
Then, another voice came from inside. This time it was the 1st Princess’s voice.
“However, it is also true that we saved His Majesty’s life thanks to Edelion. If the Imperial House cannot repay a debt of gratitude, how can you make our family petty and a laughingstock?”
Right on!
Artiela cheered on the 1st Princess as she moved toward the door.
“Your Highness, but surely we must also consider His Majesty’s heart? Look at this. This is a feeling His Majesty couldn’t bear to send.”
Artiela’s temples twitched involuntarily.
When did he try to push his own daughters forward as Empress, and now why is he pulling out something like this?
“This is….”
“Look, here is a Marriage Proposal Letter written to the commander of the Holy Knight Order, perfectly intact.”
“…….”
“This is solely for the Empire and His Majesty’s sake. If the owner of the Holy Sword becomes the Empress and stands at His Majesty’s side, the Empire—not the Temple—will be protected first, will it not?”
Remarkably selfish people, these.
She might not be able to hold back much longer.
But Artiela stepped back and sat down in her chair again.
“Then wouldn’t the matter be resolved if the Soltis Count Family and the Imperial House simply became in-laws?”
She heard the 1st Princess’s wise response.

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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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