The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 64

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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 64

I had heard that Duke Cashen Lupenbain visited the Rosenthal Manor not long ago. It was certainly at the Crown Prince’s behest, but I couldn’t fathom his true intentions no matter how hard I tried.
Rakiel slowly returned to his study and collapsed into his chair.
“…Hagen.”
“You called for me?”
His aide, who happened to be entering, looked up.
“Still no signs of anything unusual?”
Hagen slowly shook his head.
“I’m uncertain. It’s strangely quiet. Duke Lupenbain hasn’t said anything remarkable either.”
“This is truly strange. What could he be thinking?”
“Perhaps he believes he needs more preparation. Or maybe he felt that bringing up His Highness’s… ahem, that matter would be pointless unless the plan was absolutely flawless.”
“….”
Rakiel felt his head throb once more.
These cursed aftereffects showed no signs of fading. Though much improved, loud noises or flashing lights still made my breath catch.
As if my body were no longer my own, the memories of ‘that day’ kept clinging to me like nightmares.
I wanted to carve out those memories and discard them, but such a thing was impossible. If it were possible, I would have done it long ago.
However….
‘That was strange.’
The banquet a few days ago had been different. Strangely, my mind, which usually turned white, had suddenly snapped back to normal in an instant.
The cause was clear.
‘The Rosenthal lady….’
Her presence beside me.
Just before I collapsed, my vision darkening and my breath failing, a voice infused with intangible power pierced through my ears.

—Your Highness! Can you hear me?

That day, her blue eyes—filled with such clear conviction and faith as she gazed upon him—refused to fade from his mind. That mysterious gaze, imbued with an otherworldly power, had restored him to his true self.
‘What on earth is Evelyn…?’
Rakiel, who had unconsciously let a smile play at his lips, quickly rubbed his mouth to erase it the moment he realized what he was doing.
Rather than continue his thoughts, he changed the subject.
“…And the Chamberlain?”
“Well, about that…”
Hagen’s voice suddenly dropped. Catching the subtle shift in his tone, Rakiel straightened in his seat.
“Have you discovered something?”
“I found something suspicious. Regarding the Chamberlain’s origins…”
“Isn’t he from the North? I believed he came from a northern baronial house.”
“I thought so too. But as I dug deeper, I found something rather peculiar. His whereabouts before his teenage years are shrouded in mystery.”
“…!”
In the Empire, baronies are not hereditary—they are titles granted only for one generation. Thus, if he received his surname later, tracing his earlier history would be nearly impossible.
“His name certainly…”
…was a Northern name. His appearance also had a subtly Northern quality to it.
Yet Rakiel soon shook his head.
“Certainly, changing one’s name is easy enough. If not from the North, then where is he from?”
“I cannot say, Your Highness.”
“…?”
He regarded Hagen with a bewildered expression, but Hagen shook his head firmly.
“There truly is no trace, Your Highness. No matter how deeply I searched, there are no records. All that remains is that he came from the North to the Capital City in his mid-teens.”
It was certainly suspicious circumstances. Yet it was difficult to conclude definitively that he was not from the North at all.
Judging by his mannerisms and speech patterns, it was certain he had lived in the North. Such things, subtly ingrained in one’s nature, were nearly impossible to conceal without complete mastery.
“Very well, I understand. I’ll look into this matter separately.”
The moment he finished speaking, Hagen’s eyes gleamed.
“…Are you planning to leave the Imperial Palace again?”
Rakiel’s expression suddenly became guilty, and he averted his gaze.
“I’ve said it repeatedly—this is not merely an outing, it’s all for our sake—”
“Have you not been told to be cautious since we still haven’t identified who leaked the information? It’s troublesome if you keep acting so recklessly. It’s been days already!”
“What kind of manner of speech is this to show a prince—”
“It’s all for Your Highness’s sake, so listen well! Please, just sit still and focus on your duties without wandering. The Crown Prince is watching you with eyes wide open—!”
“…”
After enduring Hagen’s nagging for what felt like an eternity, Rakiel slipped out of his room that evening without Hagen’s knowledge. He had remained quiet within the Imperial Palace for days, but he had finally reached his limit.
‘I’m sorry, Hagen.’
It was a necessary outing anyway, and he needed to gather information. As Rakiel entered the Twilight tavern, he encountered a familiar face.
“Oh.”
She let out a small exclamation upon spotting Rakiel.
It had been quite a long time since he had seen her face.

* * *

Ah, so we’ve finally met.
I’d thought that if I kept myself planted at the Twilight tavern, I’d eventually run into him—and I was right. Though I didn’t expect it to happen quite so soon.
‘It’s turning out to be more helpful than I expected, knowing that Yan and Rakiel are close.’
If I wanted to meet Rakiel, I didn’t need to sneak into the Imperial Palace—I could just come here.
He stepped into the tavern, spotted me sitting there, and froze.
“…Eve?”
He seemed quite startled, but I immediately stood and approached him.
I whispered urgently to him as he stood there looking bewildered.
“Evelyn sent me!”
“Evelyn?”
He moved reluctantly in the direction I led him.
We settled into a corner where almost no one could see us. Only after he looked around and confirmed that no one was watching did I turn my attention back to Rakiel.
“The thing is, Evelyn….”
“….”
“…Your Highness?”
His gaze seemed unfocused.
I tilted my head curiously. Only after I waved my hand in front of Rakiel’s eyes a few times did he slowly regain his focus.
“Ah….”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… are you feeling alright?”
“…What?”
The color drained from my face.
‘Could he have found out?’
I had caught a cold, but that was when I was Evelyn Rosenthal. Surely he didn’t know that I was Evelyn…!
“You seemed tired back then. At the refugee camp in the estate….”
“Ah.”
I let out a breath of relief.
“That’s fine. People’s legs give out sometimes when they’re going about their daily lives, you know.”
“What exactly are you doing to be collapsing like that…!”
Rakiel raised his voice slightly as he spoke, then suddenly fell silent.
“…?”
He wore a bitter smile and muttered quietly.
“…I’m not the one to say that. Sorry, forget I said anything.”
Huh?
I narrowed my eyes.
He seemed more downcast than usual.
As I studied his sunken eyes for a moment, I quickly changed the subject. It wasn’t the most important thing right now, after all.
“More importantly, Evelyn asked me to tell you something.”
“Ah… so that’s why you came.”
He murmured without hiding his disappointment.
Certainly, his words seemed oddly drawn out today. Had something happened?
I furrowed my brow slightly as I continued.
“It’s about the Imperial Palace’s cleaner…”
“…!”
A brief silence fell.
“…Where did you hear that from?”
It wasn’t a nickname that just anyone would know.
In the first place, I only learned of that nickname through countless iterations, layer upon layer of coincidence.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I’m merely relaying what Evelyn told me.”
“It’s not something one can easily discover.”
“Sometimes things are learned by accident, even when you’d rather not know them.”
It seemed Rakiel had also judged that eliminating the Chamberlain would be far easier than dealing with Cashen. And in reality, it was.
‘Surely Rakiel would have thought the same in previous iterations, so I’ve been wondering all this time why he failed.’
One thing was certain—the Chamberlain was connected to the North.
Based on that, I sat on the bed and carefully reviewed previous iterations, when I discovered a welcome message.

[Analysis comparing previous iterations is now possible due to 【Memory】 reaching Max.]

As the system window appeared, a hazy memory suddenly became crystal clear.
It was a conversation that existed in my memory but I had failed to register.

—How is Rockbel these days? Is it still as hot as ever?
—Yes, Your Highness. Nothing has changed since childhood. It remains as always… Evelyn!

It was the seventy-fifth iteration.
The conversation was cut short when I burst through the door, but I had clearly heard what the Chamberlain said.
At the time, I was so exhausted that I let it slip past, but thinking about it again, it’s quite peculiar.
The moment I recalled this memory, I spread out a map of the Empire and searched frantically for the location called “Rockbel.”
And surprisingly enough…
‘…It doesn’t exist.’
There was no region in the Empire bearing the name Rockbel.

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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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