The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 38

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Villainess Hides Her Identity, and Everyone Misunderstands
Chapter 38

During the nearly three weeks without Evelyn, Ludwig Bernhardt’s mood swung like a seesaw.
The first week, her words circled endlessly in my mind, and I was consumed with the thought that I absolutely had to scold her properly.
The second week, I began to recall my own words.
How I had treated Evelyn all this time, how bluntly I had spoken to her, and what I had shouted at her that day.
Then I regretted what I had said. Yet still, her words remained unforgivable to me.
However, when the final week arrived, I began to feel sorry toward Evelyn. I had entered the stage of complete forgiveness.
How lonely she must have grown up beside me, a man who lost his mother in childhood and became taciturn. And recently, how much Evelyn had changed, yet I…
Eventually, I reached the point of consulting this matter with Joshua.
And so it was decided that I would summon Evelyn to the Capital City and give her a gift.
“It’s a blue diamond, after all. She’ll be delighted with anything you give her.”
“…But still, there must be such a thing as personal taste, no?”
Joshua tapped his chest as if exasperated.
“You saw how much the young lady was captivated by—no, how desperately she wanted the blue diamond back then. Whether it’s a necklace or earrings, she’ll love them all.”
Blue diamond.
It was discovered at the Conrat Mine. It wasn’t yet at the stage where it could be sold, but processing one or two pieces was no difficult task.
I was now thinking of having that diamond processed and gifted to Evelyn. Of course, that was Joshua’s suggestion as well.
He held a list of precious items that could be made by processing gems and groaned. It was my first time knowing there were so many types of accessories in the world.
‘A ring…? No, a ring would be cumbersome. An earring would be better… But can I really hang something like this on those tiny ears? Then a necklace… it might be too heavy and break her neck.’
Had Joshua known what I was thinking, he would have been astonished.
“Truly, she’ll be happy with anything you give her. If you’re still uncertain, just give her all of them.”
“That’s irresponsible talk.”
“…Can’t you do at least that much for your daughter?”
Joshua gave me a sidelong glance.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he continued.
“By the way, I’ve looked into the rumors about Prince Rakiel, but there’s nothing particularly suspicious.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Prince himself made an inspection near the border. The timing of the rumors spreading is unnatural, but the rumors and what the Prince has been doing overlap considerably.”
As soon as rumors about Prince Rakiel began to spread, I traced the source of the rumors. It was out of an abundance of caution.
What if the Crown Prince was behind this? What if he deliberately spread rumors and had another plan in mind?
Such worries never ceased.
Thanks to that, I confirmed that the rumors originated from the Rosenthal Estate, but coincidentally, Prince Rakiel was also staying in that area at that time.
In other words, unless I asked Prince Rakiel directly, there was no way to know if he had visited the refugee village in the Rosenthal Estate.
‘But asking directly is a difficult matter.’
No matter how much I held his hand, he would still be reluctant to reveal the details of his movements.
“…I see. Then let’s set that matter aside for now.”
“Understood.”
The Duke concealed his lingering discomfort and lowered his eyes back to the paper.
The list was one he had checked countless times since yesterday.
As I scanned through it once more, something suddenly caught my eye—not a ring, nor earrings, nor a necklace.
After a moment of deliberation, the Duke pointed to it with his finger.
“Then I’ll choose this as the gift.”

* * *

Ever since the incident where a maid had laced my tea with a laxative, the maids had completely ignored me.
I had thought they would torment me even more.
‘…But they showed remarkably little interest!’
They treated me like I was invisible, delegating everything related to me to Genie, and they didn’t even bother to seek me out unless absolutely necessary.
For someone like me who wanted to move about discreetly, it was actually better.
‘But still….’
This wasn’t what I had wanted.
“Are we there yet? This is ridiculous—slower than a snail. Even if she came from the Capital City, how am I supposed to use her like this?”
A middle-aged woman let out an exasperated sigh.
I had been heading toward the back door with my hood pulled up, ready to go out, when I witnessed this unexpected scene. I hid in the corner and watched it unfold.
The way she thrust the mop at her was enough to make one wince. Especially since that person was my personal maid.
Genie simply picked up the mop without a word and bowed her head. She didn’t resist at all.
Anger bubbled up inside me at the sight.
‘This is truly my fault.’
By taking her side, I had fallen out of favor with the other maids.
“…I should just fire them all.”
“Fire whom?”
“…!”
My heart suddenly dropped, and I flinched violently. Someone was standing right beside me.
“Is this harassment? Tsk, it’s rare to see such a thing these days….”
He casually glanced beyond the corner I had been peering around as he spoke.
“Your Highness!”
I clutched my racing heart and let out a small cry, and Rakiel chuckled softly.
“Were you startled? But you should have the self-control to resist your curiosity. I was wondering what you were hiding and watching.”
“Ugh, you didn’t have to speak to me so suddenly! You could have made some noise…!”
“I did make noise. Did you really not hear it at all?”
He tilted his head as if genuinely puzzled.
‘How can you expect an ordinary person to hear the same way a trained swordsman does…!’
I made an aggrieved expression, but it was lost on Rakiel’s eyes.
‘The performance is absolutely insane.’
Despite such large movements, the hood didn’t flutter even once. With an “Unbreakable Hood” like this, it seemed impossible for my identity to be exposed even if I wanted it to be.
While I was thinking things like ‘Performance confirmed, effectiveness guaranteed!’ internally, Rakiel continued the conversation.
“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve met inside the Ducal Mansion. Now I can believe you’re a maid.”
“You still didn’t believe me until now….”
“It’s better to be certain.”
He shrugged casually and continued speaking.
“A colleague?”
“…Ah, yes.”
My answer came a beat too late. For a moment, I had been confused about whether I was Evelyn or Eve.
In the area he was looking at, Genie was still cleaning. A space so vast that she could never do it alone!
“Then that maid must have come down to the Estate with the young lady as well.”
“That’s right.”
Just then, several maids who appeared to be around Genie’s age came rushing over. They were all holding drinks in their hands.
Judging by their snickering faces, they didn’t seem favorable toward Genie at all.
They approached Genie and deliberately spilled their drinks on the floor.
“Oops, my hand slipped.”
“Did you get oil on your hands? Oh my! I dropped mine too, you!”
“Ugh, I wonder if there’s a ghost in this place. Every time I come here, my hands keep slipping. Strange, isn’t it?”
They acted as if Genie was completely invisible.
‘These are the worst of the worst.’
I wanted to rush over right then and there, rip out all their hair, and chase them away….
Rakiel glanced at me, trembling with clenched fists.
“…Do you want my help?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you want me to punish them?”
“Your Highness… are you going?”
He laughed and opened his mouth.
“My status as a prince may be useless, but sometimes it proves useful. Especially in situations like this. It’s particularly excellent at making people like them bow their heads.”
It was a peculiar tone.
As if he were speaking lowly of his own position….
I opened my eyes wide and examined him, then deliberately let out a small laugh.
“Can a prince even speak about himself that way?”
“What’s the problem? I’m the highest-ranking person in this place.”
“That’s exactly how it becomes that way….”
“So it’s the best ability for punishing those who torment others with such childish methods.”
I laughed but then hardened my expression and turned my head away.
Now they were poking and prodding Genie, picking a fight with her.
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“Why not?”
“If Your Highness intervenes, it will be resolved quickly, but it won’t actually be solved.”
“Solved… what do you mean.”
“It will only be a temporary fix. If there’s ever a reason to return to the Estate later, the same thing will happen again. And I can’t even be certain that Genie will be the only target.”
He seemed to have picked up from context that the maid being harassed was named Genie.
“I see your point.”
“So please, just stay out of it. I’ll handle this myself. If Your Highness gets involved, it’ll only make things worse.”
“Do you have another plan in mind?”
“Of course. Without a plan, I’m as good as dead.”
“What?”
Rakiel burst into laughter as if he’d heard something amusing.
“That’s certainly a first—I’ve never heard that expression before.”
But soon after, he wiped the corner of his eye lightly and continued speaking, his eyes still curved in a gentle smile.
“Still, I’d appreciate it if you’d call me when you really need help. I don’t want to see someone close to me get hurt.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————