The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 101

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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 Villainess Hides Her Identity, and Everyone Misunderstands
Chapter 101

I felt Rakiel flinch at the playful strike to his chest—a sharp tap that landed with a satisfying thud.
Despite the lightness of the sound, I’d put real force behind it, enough to leave a solid impression. This was the moment my secretly cultivated strength stat shone through.
‘Hmph, so why does he show up without warning like this?’
It was a timid form of revenge, but unfortunately it seemed to have no real impact on Rakiel. Not only did his expression remain unchanged, but a playful smile flickered across his face as if he found it amusing.
“My dear Eve, your hands are sharper than I expected. Though it still feels like being struck by a feather—soft and fluffy pudding delivering the blow.”
Somewhere along the way, the name ‘Eve’ had transformed into an endearment.
“Your Highness, when exactly did you arrive?”
I placed my hand on his chest and widened my eyes.
“If you appear so suddenly like this, do you know what happens to my heart? I thought it would stop from the shock!”
“Does that displease you?”
“Displease me? Not at all!”
I shook my head vigorously and buried my face in his chest. To any observer, it would have looked like I was too embarrassed to lift my face, and truthfully, that was exactly the case.
“Wherever Your Highness is, that’s where I should be. And yet you’ve rushed to see me again today… truly, there’s no one like you.”
I’d rather be acting out Evelyn’s wickedness!
Yet my lips continued their practiced performance.
“If I don’t see Your Highness’s face for even a day, that entire day feels drained of color. So please, come see me every single day, yes? Your Highness couldn’t possibly imagine how much I wait for you.”
“By the way, ‘Your Highness’… since when have we been using such stiff formality between us?”
“…I beg your pardon?”
He brushed away my tears with one hand and gently tilted my chin up. The moment our eyes met, his lips parted.
“Speak as you always do, Eve. You’ve called my name with those beautiful lips so many times before—it’s a shame to stop now.”
“….”
Was he truly mad?
When had I ever called him by his name?
I had always maintained distance by consistently using ‘Your Highness.’
It was true that his teasing had somehow aligned with my purpose and created a certain harmony, but we were not at that stage.
‘What is he thinking?’
We didn’t need to go that far, yet Rakiel wore an expression of determined resolve, as if insisting I do exactly that.
“Well? Go on.”
He urged me forward.
As if enchanted by his crimson eyes, I slowly parted my lips. A word that had been murmuring inside my mouth finally took shape and emerged slowly from between my lips.
“Ra… Rakiel?”
“Yes.”
He smiled with evident satisfaction.
“Call me by my name, my small and precious Eve. When you speak my name with those sweet lips, my heart feels as though it will melt away entirely.”
“But Your Highness….”
His eyebrows rose sharply.
I stumbled over my words, correcting myself.
“But Rakiel, I’m embarrassed. There’s someone else here, and to do this…!”
“Someone else?”
His crimson eyes, which had been piercing through me all this while, finally shifted. As though he had only just noticed the man standing like a folding screen all along, the corners of his mouth curled upward.
“Ah, Older Brother was here. I had completely forgotten.”
“…You.”
“Surely you’re not upset over something so trivial? Of course, my fiancée is quite beautiful, but it’s only natural that insects swarm around fragrant flowers.”
He chuckled softly and continued.
“Do not despair too much. Won’t another suitable match for you appear someday?”
“…!”
In other words, I was nothing but an ‘insect’ drawn to the flower, and if I had been rejected, I should stop pestering and find another match befitting my station.
“…What, what did you just….”
“Did you not hear?”
Rakiel tilted his head. His expression was one of genuine inquiry.
“I told you to stop bothering my fiancée.”
“You, you bastard…!”
“Your voice is quite loud.”
Rakiel gently cupped my ear with one hand, as though shielding me from noise.
“Eve might be startled.”
Insane.
His touch was as careful as if he were handling fragile glass.
Even as I reeled inwardly, I remained perfectly still with my face buried against his chest. If my expression were exposed now, everything would be ruined.
Ludwig seemed to have lost all words, saying nothing at all.
Instead, Rakiel spoke once more.
“Older Brother, I’m not certain what your purpose was in coming today.”
He pulled me closer. It was a gesture of possession.
“But it seems you have gained nothing.”
Silence stretched between us.
I turned my head slightly to gauge the situation, and Ludwig was staring at us both with an expression of shock.
His face flushed crimson, then drained to white.
“….”
In the end, no response came.
He irritably snatched up his outer robe, which had been carelessly draped over a chair, and strode toward the door with long steps. His retreating figure was rigid and tense.
Bang!
The door slammed shut roughly.
“….”
“….”
Silence hung in the air.
After a moment of stunned confusion, I urgently pushed Rakiel away.
He stepped back with a reluctant expression, as if savoring something he didn’t want to release.
‘Why does he look so regretful?!’
Our last encounter had certainly not left a pleasant impression.
I had deceived him, and he had raged at that fact. I knew it was something we needed to resolve, but I never imagined we would meet again like this.
“What on earth are you doing? No, more importantly, when did you arrive? I didn’t hear any notice that Your Highness was visiting today.”
“Do I need to announce myself before visiting my fiancée’s home?”
I was left speechless, my mouth falling open.
“Of course you do. When have we ever been in a normal engagement?”
….
He suddenly closed his mouth with visible displeasure.
Watching him, I frowned.
‘I thought he was angry.’
Now that I looked closer, he didn’t seem particularly different from when I met him as Eve. There was little distinction between his demeanor then and now.
“Did you come knowing in advance that the Crown Prince would visit the Ducal Mansion today?”
“…No, that’s not it.”
He answered in a voice tinged with clear dissatisfaction.
“I simply received separate word of it.”
“Don’t tell me… it was my Maid?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
He didn’t answer directly, but silence was as good as confirmation.
‘Good heavens, Genie!’
So she had caused trouble after all.
Yet since his arrival had actually helped resolve the situation, it felt awkward to scold her for it. Still, I would have to pick a day to punish her for not informing me beforehand.
How could I maintain my dignity if my subordinates acted on their own whims?
And Rakiel was equally at fault for coming when summoned.
‘What do I do about this….’
I nervously glanced at Rakiel’s expression, then spoke in a small, hesitant murmur.
“…I thought Your Highness was angry with me.”
The moment those words left my lips, I finally understood what I had been feeling all this time.
I had a clear reason to seek out Rakiel, yet I had been postponing it all along. I couldn’t continue the Quest without resolving things through conversation with him.
“Because I deceived Your Highness, I thought I would never be able to regain your trust.”
I was simply afraid.
Afraid that he, whom I had only just grown close to, would push me away. Afraid that I would never encounter the choice of ‘Rakiel’ again.
Rakiel gazed at me for a moment. His face revealed nothing, but instead his piercing stare gradually grew distant and unfathomable.
Unable to bear that gaze, I was about to turn away when he slowly opened his mouth.
“I was angry, it’s true.”
I lowered my eyelids.
“The thought of you deceiving me kept me awake at night.”
“You… really meant that?”
He seemed to have wrestled with this decision just as much as I had.
“But when I thought about it carefully, I realized that deceiving me must have been unavoidable for you. If I had known you were Evelyn from our first meeting, I could have predicted how differently I would have acted.”
“….”
“If someone possesses convictions strong enough not to be shaken by what others say, they wouldn’t be swayed by mere rumors like that.”
He laughed bitterly.
“So in a way, this situation is partly my fault too.”
No, that’s not it….
I hid my identity simply for my own convenience. The system prevented me from acting freely, after all.
Besides, back then I didn’t really care what Rakiel thought of me.
But there seemed no need to mention that. What mattered most now was reconciling with him.
I watched his expression for a moment before opening my mouth slightly.
“So… you’re forgiving me?”
“Forgive? There’s nothing to forgive. We’re simply returning to how things were before.”
“…!”
“…I’ve made plenty of misunderstandings on my own as well.”
He added quietly, as if he’d been hesitating.
For a moment, I couldn’t find words.
Unable to contain myself, my lips slowly curved upward.
“Really?”
My voice was small as I asked again, tinged with excitement.
My eyes curved into crescents. It wasn’t a forced smile—it was a genuine laugh that came naturally for the first time in ages. All the tension and wariness I’d accumulated suddenly burst forth like a dam breaking.
“That’s such a relief!”
My voice rose with joy, but something seemed off about Rakiel. He stood frozen, his expression dazed, unable to speak.
His crimson eyes trembled faintly.
“…?”
What’s wrong with him?
In any case, what mattered was that all my worries before the Saint arrived had been resolved. I smiled brightly once more and extended my hand to Rakiel.
“So we’re friends again, right?”
His answer came a beat too late.
“…Friends?”
His expression stiffened subtly.

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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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