The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 49

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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 49

“…There’s nothing.”
It was an utterly despairing sound.
Why had Rakiel focused so intensely on conquering the North in the first place? Because he believed he could uncover what lay behind the Crown Prince.
The North was barren, and foreign peoples meant others’ gazes didn’t linger long there. It was the perfect place to commit all manner of dirty deeds and bury them.
Moreover, even during the continental war….
“Whether the negotiation delegation was annihilated or whatever, that’s ultimately just your speculation. Surely the Crown Prince wouldn’t resort to such measures? That was already a time when his position as Crown Prince was firmly established.”
Yan frowned as he spoke, but Rakiel remained resolute.
“My brother would be more than capable of committing such acts. Something is definitely being hidden. Otherwise, Valter wouldn’t have picked a fight with such obvious outcomes, and the war wouldn’t have dragged on so long.”
“That may be true, but….”
“What’s certain is that something is hidden in the North. Did you know the Imperial Chamberlain hails from the North?”
“…You mean the Imperial cleaner?”
The Crown Prince’s left hand, the one called the cleaner. The epithet came from handling all the Crown Prince’s dirty work at his side.
“If he’s from the North, he’d know that much more. He’s experienced at committing acts and covering them up cleanly.”
“…Are you thinking of eliminating him first?”
“Duke Lufenbayne isn’t an easy target to touch.”
Touching the Crown Prince’s left hand is far easier than his right. If I can find even a trace of the Chamberlain’s involvement, it won’t take long to put him on the executioner’s block.
“My brother will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Whether it’s another’s life, family’s life, or even the Empire itself.”
Rakiel’s jaw clenched.
Watching him, Yan exhaled shallowly. He seemed to have improved somewhat not long ago, but now he’d regressed again.
And perhaps the reason he’d improved was thanks to ‘that woman.’ He always seemed pleased when speaking of her.
Something had definitely happened….
‘Didn’t he say that woman was a victim of the war?’
Perhaps it was because of her. Ironically, his feelings for her had touched Rakiel’s sore spot.
He’d thought that watching someone bearing the same wounds live cheerfully might have a positive influence on Rakiel, but it seemed he’d misjudged.
‘Instead, she’s become kindling for his burning flames.’
He sighed, thinking he’d need to see that woman again soon.

* * *

The next day.
“Please… please stop this! We’re all going to die at this rate!”
I shot up from my seat as if I were about to tear my hair out.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Miss Evelyn, please calm yourself!”
“Gasp, my, my hair is falling apart! Hold it!”
The maids suddenly popped out from both sides and grabbed my arms, beginning to exert force.
‘These… these people have truly lost all sense of restraint…!’
It was because I had been too lenient with them all this time.
They pressed down on me as I thrashed about, then seated me back in the chair before the mirror. Even seeing my eyes rolled back, they showed no sign of fear whatsoever.
“Miss Evelyn, we’re almost done! Just this one thing left!”
“Just the hair… just the hair and we’re finished! This is really the end!”
A commotion that resembled a battlefield had erupted.
There was a reason I had consumed a full five minutes of this precious sixty-minute “autonomous action” to cause this disaster.
Because of this moment when they were putting in twice, no—ten times more effort than usual to prepare me…!
‘I woke up at the crack of dawn to begin grooming myself… all for this evening banquet, and I haven’t even slept!’
Before the sun had even risen, I had no choice but to be awakened by Genie.

—It is the Duke’s orders! Miss Evelyn must absolutely not lose her spirit! I will make her into a perfect noblewoman!

‘What on earth for!’
I screamed inwardly.
It went without saying that the other maids had joined in Genie’s sense of mission.
Well, it must be fun for them in their own way. Playing dress-up with a doll, after all!
After returning from the estate, meeting these fearless maids again for the first time in ages made me feel like I was about to burst.
I already knew why Killian had dared to say such things to Genie.
The rumor that the Crown Prince had broken off the engagement—or more precisely, that the Rosenthal heiress had been abandoned by him—had spread everywhere, so it was necessary to maintain the dignity of the Duke’s household.
And entering with a new man? There couldn’t be better gossip than this!
“Really, just stop—this is enough already!”
My pitiful cries echoed through the room, but no one was listening.

As the banquet drew near, the time had come.
I didn’t experience any of those absurd tropes—arriving fashionably late or making a grand entrance that commanded everyone’s attention.
This wasn’t some small gathering of local nobility, nor did the Imperial banquet have the luxury of such theatrical moments.
The entrance was already congested with carriages and people waiting for their partners.
And I was one of them.
‘Hmm, he’s running late.’
I sat in the carriage, watching nobles enter in pairs, and checked the time.
I was supposed to meet Rakiel in front of the banquet hall, so I was waiting for him.
Normally, my partner should have come to escort me from the Ducal Mansion, but I wasn’t about to let such an embarrassing affair happen.
That’s right—I left first!
To be precise, Rakiel had sent an apologetic message through a servant in haste.

“…I apologize, Miss Evelyn. Something urgent has come up, and I’ll be running a bit late…”

It was certainly improper conduct.
Killian had been furious enough to complain to the Duke about it. Though the Duke himself seemed surprisingly composed when he heard the news.
‘What was he thinking?’
It was genuinely unexpected that he showed little reaction despite Killian’s talk of “the Rosenthal family’s honor” and such. He wasn’t someone for whom such things mattered little.
In any case, I rode in the carriage with Killian’s escort instead of Rakiel’s.
And now I found myself in this situation.
“What does he take the Rosenthal family for? He must think we’re already caught fish. But you don’t need to go in with your tail between your legs, Evelyn! Don’t forget we bear the Rosenthal name.”
“You’re being loud, Brother. Besides, don’t you not have a fiancée either?”
“That is…”
His face flushed as he fell silent.
It was well-known that Killian had neither a wife nor a fiancée. The empty seat beside the future Duke was quite a serious matter.
Of course, it was also true that many young ladies avoided him because of his younger sister, me.
‘I don’t recall him ever getting engaged in the previous timeline either.’
I couldn’t fathom what he was thinking. Had he not found a young lady to his liking? No, wait—since when did nobles marry for love? It was strange that Father allowed this.
“Before worrying about yourself, why don’t you find a young lady you like at this banquet? Even if she doesn’t measure up to me, it’s better than nothing!”
“That may be true… ahem.”
He bit his tongue, or so it seemed, as he pressed his lips shut with a flustered expression.
Killian, as a bearer of Rosenthal blood, possessed outstanding looks, but he was utterly hopeless with women. That must be why he’d never even attempted to court a young lady until now.
In any case, as I gazed out the window, I spotted a familiar face approaching in the distance.
“Ah, His Highness is arriving. Brother, you should get out now.”
“…Your tone is quite sharp! Even the Crown Prince would flee from you. Oh, he already has.”
“What did you say?!”
I turned to glare at him, and Killian quickly opened the carriage door with a sheepish expression. He stepped out with one foot and continued.
“Please show proper courtesy to His Highness. And stop with those unnecessary comments about the Crown Prince!”
“Unnecessary? The Crown Prince is…”
“I’ll see you later!”
He left those words behind and fled from the carriage as though escaping.
I watched as he exchanged brief greetings with Rakiel, my eyes narrowing slightly.
‘The more I see him, the less he seems to live up to his years.’
As I took a moment to adjust my dress, the coachman approached and knocked on the door.
“Prince Rakiel has arrived, Your Highness.”
The moment he opened the door, Rakiel appeared—the same figure I’d glimpsed through the window moments before. As our eyes met, his crimson gaze fixed upon me, and he extended his hand with an indifferent expression.
“My apologies, Miss Evelyn. Business ran longer than expected, so I couldn’t escort you personally.”
Gazing into his emotionless eyes—so utterly different from when he was ‘Eve’—I found it rather amusing. He seemed like a completely different person.
In his expression, I could detect only a hint of apology and the anxiety of arriving late to the banquet. Not a trace of goodwill or affection toward Evelyn.
I slowly placed my gloved hand upon his. The faint warmth felt through the fabric was the only thing that reminded me he was human at all.
“Had it been the Crown Prince, I doubt he would have kept a lady waiting like this.”
“…Is that so? Well, if it were my brother…”
He smiled with a slight smirk.
“He wouldn’t have been late in the first place. He’s a perfect man, after all.”
My eyebrows twitched slightly.
‘What is this? A provocation?’

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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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