The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 25

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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 25

“I’ve decided to become engaged to the Duke’s daughter.”
“…What?”
It was what Rakiel said the moment he returned from his outing that evening.
Thanks to this, Hagen, who had been processing documents late into the night, responded with a dazed expression.
“An engagement… you’ve decided on, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
“But that wasn’t a decision Your Highness made—it was already determined beforehand, wasn’t it?”
“In any case, if I don’t at least say something….”
Even as he spoke, a smile never left Rakiel’s lips. Hagen observed this with a puzzled expression.
“Has something good happened, Your Highness?”
“Something good….”
After a moment of thought, he felt his mood sink again.
It was because the conversation he’d had at the restaurant earlier came back to him.
“The Rosenthal Estate is in the western part of the Empire, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. It even borders part of the Valter Empire. Because of that, I understand it suffered considerable damage during the continental war….”
Hagen, who had glanced at Rakiel briefly, continued.
“Are you troubled by something Count Rosenthal said?”
“Well….”
That remark about how the Crown Prince had burned all the military records related to the western border.
It wasn’t something to brush aside lightly.
That certainly weighed on his mind, but what Rakiel was actually thinking about was something else.
‘If she’s the Duke’s daughter’s personal maid, there’s a high probability she was from the Rosenthal Estate.’
Usually, people brought their personal attendants from their estates to serve them in the Capital City Manor.
And the Rosenthal Estate was one of the places that suffered greatly from the war.
‘So her parents were lost in the war, after all….’
The way she kept appearing with her face hidden, and the way the scars of war seemed to have swept through her deeply. And given that temperament of hers, unable to pass by those in difficulty….
‘She probably couldn’t escape easily even during the war. It’s obvious she would have looked after others first, even at the cost of her own injuries.’
Rakiel felt the memories of war, which he thought he had long forgotten, flooding back like a tidal wave.
Despite all his efforts to forget those terrible memories….
The way her hands kept fidgeting with her hat, her calm voice deliberately continuing as if nothing were wrong—these kept echoing in his ears.
“…It seems the scars of war still remain in many places.”
He murmured heavily.
Hagen nodded while regarding Rakiel’s appearance with puzzlement.
“Only two years have passed, after all. The Capital City is relatively better off. But venture even slightly beyond the Outskirts, and you’ll still find collapsed houses and scorched farmland scattered everywhere.”
“….”
“Your Highness.”
Hagen spoke with a firm voice.
“This is not your fault.”
“I was the supreme commander.”
Rakiel’s voice dropped low.
“I should have ended it faster. If I had, I could have saved more people.”
“Your Highness has already done your utmost.”
Hagen set down the documents with a sharp tap and looked directly at Rakiel. His eyes held a note of sorrow.
“The Valter Empire started this war. Not you.”
“But….”
“When war breaks out, sacrifice is inevitable. That’s what war is. But you needn’t bear that burden alone.”
Rakiel closed his eyes instead of answering, leaning back against his chair. Even now, the screams of people and the chilling sound of clashing blades echoed in his ears.
And the voices of knights who fell while calling his name.
“But that’s why you wish to become Emperor, isn’t it?”
“….”
Having experienced war firsthand with his entire being, he understood what the most useless and terrible thing in this world was.
That’s precisely why Ludwig must never become Emperor.
He was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and if necessary, he could plunge the Empire back into flames.
And beyond that… personal grudges could not be overlooked either.

—Your Highness, flee!

Rakiel furrowed his brow and forced the thoughts away.
It was a memory he could never forget, yet desperately wished to erase.
Hagen gazed at Rakiel with sorrowful eyes before exhaling quietly.
“If someone like you became Emperor… it would be a blessing for the Empire, but for you, it would become another burden.”
“….”
“Still, I will follow you. Whatever path you take, to the very end.”
Rakiel slowly opened his eyes.
Heavy shadows still hung over his crimson gaze, yet within them burned a small flame of resolve.
“…Should I thank you?”
“Why bring that up now?”
He let out a soft chuckle.
Hagen picked up the documents again and spoke.
“Then when do you plan to announce the engagement with the Rosenthal noblewoman?”

* * *

[A Main Quest has occurred.]
[Quest Name: Master of the Throne
Objective: Establish Prince Rakiel Bernhardt as Emperor.
Conditions: Secure influence in at least three of four domains—politics, military, economy, and social affairs.
Reward: Obtain the special title ‘Architect of the Throne’
Failure: Prince Rakiel Bernhardt goes missing / Treason charges automatically assigned to the player
※Cannot be abandoned once accepted]

“Securing influence in at least three out of four domains….”
The conditions were far more demanding than I’d anticipated.
The next day, Rakiel visited the Ducal Mansion as promised. This time, his conversation with the Duke must have gone well—a Quest window immediately materialized before me.
I’d roughly anticipated a Quest would appear….
“The conditions are harsh and the reward is meager.”
I furrowed my brow and sighed.
For Rakiel to become Emperor, I would need to overwhelmingly suppress Ludwig.
‘…Of course that’s the case!’
There was no legitimacy to begin with. With the Crown Prince already established, there was no reason for Rakiel to become Emperor.
To remove Ludwig, who was already Crown Prince, I would need a solid justification. Any careless attempt would likely result in my own downfall instead.
Honestly, this route was nothing but a thorny path. If this were a game, I would never have chosen it.
“For now, I suppose I should be grateful for even this much.”
It was the only way to escape from Crown Prince Ludwig and Duke Cashen.
Beneath the flickering Quest window, the accept button caught my eye. After a moment of deliberation, I reached out and pressed it.
With a cheerful sound effect, the Quest was placed at the top of my list.
Accompanied by the heading ‘Main’.
This meant it was the most important Quest I currently held.
In any case, the Quest window I’d been waiting for had appeared, so now it was truly time to move forward properly.
I stretched to loosen my body, which had grown stiff from acting depressed all day long.
Acting appropriately to the situation was more important than I’d realized.
For instance, when Evelyn was frustrated like now, I would act depressed, or conversely, when something good happened, I’d become relatively more cheerful. It meant that Evelyn’s emotions and actions needed to have coherence.
‘Hmm? Then does the threshold for system constraints lower as my freedom increases?’
Ding!

[The threshold for system constraints lowers according to your 【Freedom】 stat.]

Certainly, as my Freedom Level rose to 3, the system’s warning messages decreased. It seemed the standards for what counted as acting had become considerably more lenient.
Though my engagement to Prince Rakiel was enough to trigger Evelyn’s absolutely tremendous fury, regardless.
In any case, I had no choice but to steadily raise my stats. At least enough to gain some freedom of movement before the Emperor’s birthday.
‘If only I could monitor Duke Cashen’s movements before then.’
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Before Genie entered the room, she glanced outside, then slipped in quickly. Her movements were cautious, as if she were checking for prying eyes.
“What is it?”
“Ah, Miss… that is…”
She hesitated, struggling to find the words.
‘Hmm?’
Looking closer, her complexion had turned pale and cold sweat was dripping down her face. She looked like someone who had done something terribly wrong.
What on earth was going on?
I furrowed my brow and pressed for an answer.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“T-the Crown Prince, Your Highness… sent you a gift…”
“What?”
I whipped my head around, eyes widening.
Genie flinched in alarm and took a step back.
The Crown Prince… Ludwig sent me a gift? To me?
With trembling hands, Genie held out a small box.
A delicate box wrapped in luxurious velvet cloth. It was tied with a ribbon bearing the Imperial seal.
“He sent this, but I didn’t know what to do…”
I stared at the small box in my hand with cold eyes.
‘What is his intention?’
There was no way he could have already learned that I’m engaged to Prince Rakiel. That decision was only made this morning, after all.
So there was no way he could have known about my engagement beforehand, not when I’d filtered out every spy.
‘Then could it be… a reconciliation?’
But I soon let out a soft laugh and shook my head.
That’s ridiculous. What possible benefit could Ludwig gain from that?
“When did it arrive?”
“Just now. An Imperial messenger brought it personally. And there’s this as well…”
Genie produced a sealed letter. It bore the Crown Prince’s personal seal in golden wax.
I stared at the letter for a moment, then curved my lips upward. Speaking with arrogant delight, I said:
“Hmph, so he’s finally come to his senses. Of course… he couldn’t possibly continue to ignore the lady of Rosenthal.”
“Miss, but…”
“That’s enough. You may go.”
As I coldly waved my hand, Genie looked at me with worry.
Yes, I know. I know that the Crown Prince would never treat me well now. But I had no choice if I was to play Evelyn.
Whatever happens, I had to yield to him.
Genie hesitated for a moment before finally turning and leaving the room.
At last alone, I carefully peeled away the sealed wax and unfolded the letter.
“…What is this?”

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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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