The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 109

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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 109

“If you’re Liliana, then you must be….”
I widened my eyes as if I knew nothing.
No matter how many times I’d met her before, this was our first encounter in this cycle, so I had to play the part convincingly.
“Though I am but a humble vessel, I am indeed called by that name.”
Liliana fidgeted with her hood, appearing somewhat embarrassed.
The Liliana in my memories was a woman who truly deserved the title of Saint.
Her innate nature was kinder than anyone else’s, a being of light itself. Of course, that didn’t make her a pushover.
If anything, quite the opposite.
Liliana was a woman who knew how to wield her goodness as a tool. She understood the calculations—which hands to hold, when to smile in a particular moment, how many lives such gestures might save in the future.
‘That’s why she took Ludwig’s hand.’
Though there were somewhat complicated circumstances involved, she proposed a certain deal to Ludwig on the day they first met. That was where the original story began.
‘…So why is the person I’m supposed to meet for the first time at the welcoming ceremony appearing here like this?’
I feigned surprise—or perhaps I was genuinely surprised—and narrowed my eyes as I studied her.
“You’re the Saint Liliana?”
Disbelief colored my voice.
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“…Ah.”
She let out a soft sigh of admiration, as if she hadn’t expected her identity to be questioned.
‘But it would be stranger to recognize her immediately.’
The Saint’s face wasn’t exactly common knowledge. At most, only her hair color and eye color were widely known.
After glancing around at the watching eyes, I took her sleeve and led her away. There were far too many observers.
“Shall we move somewhere else?”
She followed me without resistance to the left side of the tent. I even signaled the Knights to ensure no one else approached us.
“Now, tell me again. How am I supposed to believe you’re the Saint?”
“Are you asking me to prove my existence?”
“No, I’m saying I don’t know what the Saint Liliana looks like, so I can’t easily believe you. And if you suddenly appear alone in a place like this with no evidence and only claims, it makes it even harder.”
“…Yes, it’s only natural to be suspicious.”
Liliana lowered her head slightly. There was no trace of displeasure in her demeanor.
“My face isn’t widely known to the world, and since I’m here alone without anyone to vouch for me, I’d actually be more concerned if you believed me too easily.”
…No, I apologize. I can tell just from your manner of speaking.
I listened to her elaborate explanation with a lukewarm expression.
“In that sense, your suspicion is justified, and it’s only right that I prove my identity.”
She slowly brought her hand toward her bosom.
What I withdrew from inside my robe was a small pendant no larger than my palm. The temple insignia engraved upon it, threaded through an ancient chain, had worn smooth with the passage of countless years.
“It is a credential granted only to those born and raised within the Temple.”
“….”
“And revealing it so carelessly is, by tradition, forbidden.”
The deliberate care with which she extended the pendant toward me was remarkably cautious.
I accepted it and placed it upon my palm. In truth, there was no need to verify such a thing.
After all, I had recognized her at first glance.
‘…Will it be the same this time as well?’
A being who was a Saint from the moment of her birth. A woman raised in the Temple’s embrace, treated her entire life under the title of ‘Saint’.
And that name was both a blessing and a curse to her.
‘So this time too, she will seek Ludwig’s aid in the same manner.’
To ask him to save her from the Valter Empire.
“…That’s enough.”
I slowly returned the pendant, speaking as I did.
“I believe you.”
“Thank you.”
Liliana smiled faintly.
I regarded her for a moment, then exhaled softly.
“So why has the Saint already come to the Capital City? Where are the others in your party?”
Not only the Diplomatic Delegation that had traveled with her from the Valter Empire, but also the Knights dispatched to guard her, and the servants and maids besides. There should always be numerous attendants surrounding her.
Yet here she sat alone in the corner of this tent, her hood pulled low over her face.
‘Surely nothing has gone wrong?’
I had twisted the future so thoroughly that it was difficult to predict anything. Like a butterfly effect, the actions I had taken in the Bernhardt Empire might have influenced the Valter Empire.
Had something befallen the Diplomatic Delegation, were the Knights injured, or was someone targeting Liliana? Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant.
I swallowed hard and fixed her with an anxious gaze.
She placed a hand gracefully upon her chest, her face adorned with a warm, affable smile.
As I watched her lips with tense eyes, they slowly parted.
“The truth is….”
I found myself holding my breath.
“I lost my way.”
“…I beg your pardon?”

* * *

Crash!
A loud tumbling sound echoed from within the manor, followed by someone rushing out in a panic.
“W-who’s here?!”
I descended from the carriage and was guiding Liliana into the manor when I turned my head with an exasperated expression.
Killian was approaching, breathing heavily. His clothes were intact, but his hair was disheveled—as if he’d bolted from his desk work.
I regarded him with narrowed eyes.
“…Is something the matter?”
“It’s just… I heard the strangest rumor that the Saint… that the Saint had arrived…”
As he caught his breath and glanced away, his expression hardened.
Liliana removed her hood with a serene face and adjusted her hair. When her eyes met Killian’s, she smiled again.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. You must be the Duke of House Rosenthal.”
She lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and offered a curtsy. Every movement was flawless.
“I am Liliana, from the Valter Empire.”
“…”
Killian stood frozen for a moment, his expression rigid.
The instant he heard her name, his gaze shifted from her face to the robe she wore, then briefly to mine.
‘Evelyn, is she really…?’
His eyes seemed to ask the question.
I gave a quiet nod. An affirmation.
The Diplomatic Delegation’s schedule had already been notified to the noble family.
So at this point, with the welcome reception still four days away, the fact that the Saint—essentially the face of the delegation—was standing in the front courtyard of the Ducal Mansion in the Capital City meant something he immediately grasped.
His initial shock quickly faded, and Killian composed himself. He straightened his clothes and bowed slightly.
“I apologize for the delayed greeting, Saint.”
It was a voice that hardly seemed to belong to someone who had just rushed out with disheveled hair.
“I am Killian Rosenthal, the eldest son of House Rosenthal. Please forgive me for receiving such an esteemed guest in this state.”
“Not at all. Rather, I am the one who arrived unannounced. Fortunately, the Duke has been kind enough to welcome me so graciously.”
“…Did you come to see my sister?”
Killian asked, but Liliana continued without answering his question.
“I simply hope I have not been discourteous to you or the Duke.”
Killian’s gaze turned toward me, but I could only shrug. She had given me no answers about why she was in the tent, nor why she had greeted me so warmly.
The reason I brought Liliana to our Mansion rather than the Imperial Palace was simple: she had wanted it.
Oddly, Liliana had refused to go to the Imperial Palace. When she asked me to direct her to a nearby inn, I instead brought her to the Ducal Mansion. Thanks to that, I now bore the brunt of Killian’s heated glare.
‘So what am I supposed to do…?’
I couldn’t forcibly take her to the Imperial Palace, nor could I leave a Saint at just any inn.
I was aware that her personality had somewhat eccentric tendencies, but I never imagined they would manifest like this.
What remained in my memory was only the image of her countering my sharp remarks with a gentle smile and an unsettling demeanor. Besides, I’d had no reason to converse with her about anything else.
Well, in the original story too…
‘Hmm, that makes sense.’
Considering her personality, there was a considerable chance she would end up separated from her group and alone.
Though I never imagined it would be inside my tent…
“Then please, do come inside. The sun is rather harsh out here.”
Killian spoke first, gesturing for Liliana to enter ahead of us.
As we made our way toward the Drawing Room, neither of us uttered a word. Instead, we exchanged fervent glances whenever Liliana’s attention was elsewhere.
‘Why on earth did you bring the Saint here of all places?!’
Or rather,
‘I had no choice.’
Such silent accusations flew across the carpet between us. Killian raised his eyebrows once more.
‘And after this morning’s chaos, what will the Imperial Palace think?’
I shot back with equal intensity.
‘Should I have left the Saint abandoned on the street instead?’
Our silent conversation ceased only after we entered the Drawing Room.
Once Liliana was seated and warm tea had been served before us, I finally voiced the question I’d been holding back.
“I… Saint, what happened to your companions?”
At my carefully worded inquiry, her hand paused as she reached for her teacup.
She let out a small, troubled laugh.
“Well, it was somewhere beyond the Empire’s borders, perhaps half a day’s journey after we crossed. I suspect that’s where we parted ways.”
“…What did you say?”
My voice rose involuntarily.

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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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