The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 60

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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 60

“So you’re planning to stay longer?”
“For now, yes.”
Duke Cashen answered briefly before continuing.
“Conversing with the Duke has proven quite enjoyable, so there’s no reason to leave. Wouldn’t you agree, Duke?”
“Ha, indeed. I’m enjoying it as well. There’s always something pleasant about discussing matters with someone of compatible temperament.”
“…Yes. Someone of compatible temperament, as you say.”
An odd undertone colored Duke Cashen’s response.
He took a sip of tea before asking casually.
“How is Duke Rosenthal faring? I did see him at the banquet, but I wondered if he’s doing well.”
“….”
Killian’s smile faded, and a subtle wariness flickered across his face.
Unlike moments before, he now regarded Duke Cashen as an adversary. It was a silent declaration that he would share no further information.
‘Thank goodness—it seems he hadn’t completely let his guard down after all.’
The moment I felt relieved, Duke Cashen’s gaze shifted toward me.
‘No, please don’t turn your attention to me….’
There was nothing more difficult than meeting his eyes. It felt as though I might be drawn into an abyss. I couldn’t begin to fathom what he was thinking.

* * *

Duke Cashen gazed at Evelyn’s face across from him.
Though he’d grown wary as if she might devour him, there was nothing specifically suspicious to pinpoint. It resembled what he’d observed in the garden.
‘…There’s nothing particularly striking about her.’
That was his assessment.
However, what gave him pause was the ‘rumors’.
No matter how baseless rumors might seem, they don’t materialize from nothing—there must be some truth to them, even if one doesn’t believe every word.
“Father is doing well. He should return home shortly, but would you not wish to see him before you depart?”
At Killian’s smoothly delivered words, he turned his gaze once more.
Killian’s remark carried a subtle edge to it.
Duke Ludwig Bernhardt and Duke Cashen stood in complete opposition. They might encounter each other within the Imperial Palace, but they had no reason to meet privately.
Even now, with Killian and Evelyn seemingly trying to discern his true intentions, one could appreciate how extraordinary this visit truly was.
Duke Cashen soon shook his head and set down his teacup.
“Ah, regrettably I must take my leave today. Since I’ve seen Evelyn’s face, the Duke won’t hold it against me.”
Departing without seeing the family’s patriarch was discourteous, but having stayed this long, the Duke would surely understand.
As expected, Killian responded agreeably.
“Indeed, I fear I’ve kept you far too long, a man of your busy schedule.”
His visit to Rosenthal Manor had been solely to observe the movements of the noble family.
‘…It shouldn’t be difficult.’
Creating rifts was simple work. Especially in a household where the Duke and the younger Duke possessed such starkly different temperaments.
For now, Killian remained cautious of him, but that wariness would soon dissolve.
If he merely stimulated Killian’s passive nature and idealistic tendencies, it would be a matter of moments before the younger Duke diverged from his father’s path.
He found no satisfaction in exploiting someone as virtuous as Killian for such purposes, but it was unavoidable.
Yet what troubled him was….
A pair of blue eyes fixed upon him from across the table.
Duke Cashen felt his position becoming slightly uncomfortable. It was merely one woman joining the conversation, yet strangely, an odd sensation arose within him.
Perhaps because she behaved subtly differently from the rumors, he found himself unable to lower his guard. It also seemed he couldn’t quite grasp exactly what sort of person she was.
‘She certainly appears different from an ordinary noblewoman.’
Within those eyes gazing upon him lay fear, yet simultaneously he sensed an unspoken anticipation—something like a peculiar yearning. It was as if she hoped for something from him.
Duke Cashen slowly withdrew his gaze from her. There seemed nothing more to glean from this encounter.
“Then I shall take my leave. I’ve enjoyed this pleasant conversation after so long.”
As Duke Cashen rose slowly from his seat, Killian also set down his teacup.
Soon Evelyn followed beside Killian to see him off.
“Evelyn, go inside and rest. The Grand Duke will understand.”
“…I’m fine, Brother. I slept all day, so I’m brimming with energy.”
“Still….”
What affectionate siblings they were.
Walking beside Killian, she appeared perfectly sound—so much so that the rumors circulating about Evelyn Rosenthal seemed utterly forgotten.
Duke Cashen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘…It seems I’ll need to investigate further.’
If Evelyn were truly the villainess the world claimed—willing to do anything to win the Crown Prince—matters would be simple. But if she were not….
At that moment, Evelyn gazed into empty space, her expression flickering with surprise.
Duke Cashen, catching that subtle shift, narrowed his eyes. Immediately, her expression darkened again.
‘…What was that?’
An ordinary person would have missed it entirely, but because he was observing her so carefully, he noticed.
She appeared lost in thought, then suddenly brightened with joy. Just as quickly, her face fell into sadness, and the next moment she scrunched it up as if angered. Watching Evelyn cycle through these expressions repeatedly, Duke Cashen felt his lips curl upward involuntarily.
‘That’s amusing.’
The most entertaining thing he’d witnessed in recent memory.
Yet in that instant, he was startled again.
‘…Amusing?’
This had never happened before.
The moment he was struck by his own reaction, Evelyn’s expression shifted once more. This time, her face glowed with happiness.
Perhaps she was imagining something delightful.
Killian, prattling on pointlessly beside him, seemed completely oblivious.
‘Does she always do that?’
It was a reasonable suspicion. Otherwise, how could her expressions fluctuate so dramatically without him noticing?
Soon, Duke Cashen shook his head to dispel the thoughts and boarded the carriage as they saw him off.
Regardless, it seemed he would need to investigate Evelyn Rosenthal more thoroughly. If she didn’t actually love the Crown Prince as reported, matters would become considerably more complicated.
He also needed to consider whether to inform Ludwig of this discovery. Duke Cashen intended to support Ludwig, but that didn’t mean he had become entirely his man.
Meanwhile.
As Evelyn saw Duke Cashen off, she exhaled a weary sigh internally.
‘Should I abandon the Duke Cashen conquest strategy….’
Watching her affection meter fluctuate so many times in such a short span had completely drained her energy.

* * *

[Suspicion Level: 85%]

Reality check.
I stared at the system window with a serious expression.
Even after Duke Cashen visited the manor days ago, the numbers continued to fluctuate on their own. The problem was that they kept moving without me even facing him directly.
‘I have my suspicions, but….’
Perhaps the Grand Duke has begun investigating me in earnest. Or more precisely, the Rosenthal family line.
If that’s the case, he would have noticed that we’re a family that upholds righteousness,
(人義)
and conversely, he would have learned in detail all the misdeeds Evelyn committed. Things he’d only understood vaguely until now.
So it makes sense that the evaluation of me keeps wavering… or does it….
‘…not?!’
I’ve never heard of a metric that moves this sensitively!
Ever since this metric appeared, I’ve done nothing but sigh heavily.
“Is something troubling you?”
Genie asked with concern as she poured tea into a cup beside me.
“No, not really….”

[Suspicion Degree: 86%]

Damn it, it went up again?
This time, I brushed away the system window with tears nearly spilling from my eyes.
‘My heart is absolutely clenching….’
And then I opened another window.

[【Freedom (Lv.7)】]

That’s right—I’ve finally broken through to Freedom Level 7!
After the banquet ended, I’d stayed up night after night for several days clearing Quests, and this was the result that appeared.
The reward for reaching Freedom Level 7 was….
‘The complete removal of all behavioral restrictions…!’
The system window seemed to shimmer with a brilliant glow.
Yet even as I clasped my hands together, I let out another sigh. There was one thing that bothered me.
‘Removal of behavioral restrictions, you say….’
I brought the teacup Genie had prepared to my lips and took a sip.
“Ugh, what is this? Where did you get such cheap tea leaves!”
Even as I said that….
Slurp.
The fragrance of the tea was exquisite.
“It tastes awful! And you think these pastries pair with this tea?!”
Crunch, munch.
I continued complaining even as I kept shoving pastries into my mouth.
“I want sweet confections! This won’t do—call another maid at once!”
And with that, I scraped the plate clean.
Hmm, these cookies are new to me, and they’re quite delicious. I heard a new patisserie opened recently—these must be from there.
Genie, who had been trying to placate me out of habit, suddenly froze mid-action and tilted her head in confusion. Her expression betrayed a cognitive dissonance.
“…Pardon?”

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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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