The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 65

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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 65

I had even searched through geography books to find the name of a single small village, but to no avail.
After expanding my search from the Empire to neighboring nations and across the entire continent, I finally discovered a region called Rockbell—and it was located somewhere I never expected. It was none other than….
‘…The Valter Empire? How is this even possible?’
Not somewhere else, but the Valter Empire. The very Valter Empire where the Continental War had occurred!
What made it even more suspicious was that Rockbell was located in the Northern Region of the Valter Empire.
‘A place where it’s never hot throughout the entire year.’
The two massive empires, each bordering the other on their western and eastern sides, had similar geographical positions and thus comparable seasonal climates overall. Among them, Rockbell was a border region in the northern part of the Empire, and its culture was similarly alike.
The moment I discovered this fact and felt suspicion rising within me….
Ding!

[Quest “The Secret of the Continental War” – Clue Acquisition Complete!]

…So it was slang after all.
There was one piece of information I knew from the original work. It was something I learned thanks to the heroine, the Saint of the Valter Empire.
In the underworld of the Valter Empire, the word “hot” also meant surveillance so suffocating it was hard to breathe.
‘No wonder it felt oddly unsettling.’
He was originally from the Northern Region of the Valter Empire, not Bernhardt.
I had always thought the war was already over and done with, but strangely, the more I looked into the future, the more the past surfaced.
Now I had no desire to even look up the Quest details.
After all, I couldn’t make Rakiel Emperor without unraveling this secret.
Rakiel was still staring at me with a hardened expression.
“…Fine, let’s say that’s true. So what is it that Evelyn wants to tell me?”
“Your Highness must be paying special attention to the Northern Region because of him, isn’t that right? Of course there are other reasons, but you thought that by investigating the Northern Region, you could bring his misdeeds to light.”
“…I’ve been assuming that those who support my brother’s back are primarily active in the Northern Region.”
“But you’ve guessed wrong. To be precise, it’s not the ‘Empire’s’ Northern Region.”
“Then?”
I looked into his eyes and spoke each word with precision.
“Your Highness’s brother… the Crown Prince, has some kind of connection with the Valter Empire. The Chamberlain is from the Valter Empire, after all.”
“…!”
In that instant, he was rendered speechless and froze in place.
And what that fact pointed to was only one thing.
“Then, the Continental War that occurred….”
I could anticipate what would come after the words Rakiel stammered out.
I shrugged my shoulders, cutting off the conversation.
“I wouldn’t know. The Crown Prince must be aware of where he comes from, so only they would know why he keeps him close.”
If someone asked why I, who had read the original work, didn’t know such secrets, I’d have nothing to say.
‘Because it wasn’t in the original!’
The original story was devoted to romance, focusing only on the love triangle between the Saint of the enemy nation—the Valter Empire—Ludwig, and Duke Cashen.
What circumstances lay behind that was hardly my concern.
“…Is it certain information that he originates from the Valter Empire?”
He asked, unable to shake the suspicious expression from his face, as if he found it hard to believe.
Well, I couldn’t entirely blame Rakiel for his reaction.
Who would easily believe that someone who suddenly appeared and was supposedly the pinnacle of the Royal Court’s servants came from an enemy nation?
But I had prepared an answer for this level of doubt. I responded confidently, shrugging my shoulders.
“I’m certain. If you’re still uncomfortable, I can point you in the right direction. Look into a region called Rockbell in the Northern Region of the Valter Empire.”
“…Rockbell?”
“It’s probably the Chamberlain’s hometown. If you investigate that place, you’ll find traces of him.”
He seemed to accept my words….
“Your Highness?”
Rakiel’s face gradually drained of color, and his lips pressed firmly together.
As if he had just realized something.
“Damn it, was it like that…?”
“What is it? Do you have some idea?”
As I furrowed my brow and asked, he irritably swept his hand through his hair. His black locks instantly fell into disarray, cascading toward his temples.
He bit his lip, then slowly spat out the words as if chewing them.
“I’ve heard the name Rockbell before. During the Continental War… it’s where our prisoners were held.”
“…!”
“Disguising himself as a prisoner would have been perfect for communicating with them, wouldn’t it?”
Cold dread dripped from his otherwise pleasant voice.
I slowly widened my eyes.
I could have guessed that Rockbell was used as a place for espionage—they even used euphemisms for surveillance. But prisoners? Could it be that spies were smuggled in disguised as prisoners of our Empire?
Moreover, beyond the content itself, seeing Rakiel angry to this extent was a first for me, so I cautiously observed his expression with slightly startled eyes.
His crimson eyes instantly filled with coldness. Like a candle freezing over, the warmth within vanished, leaving only an ominous light.
The moment our eyes met, a chill ran down my spine.
‘Wait, this is….’
The same terror as when I faced Duke Cashen just before he was about to kill me.
‘Murderous intent…!’
The moment I recognized that fact, my breath caught and my limbs began trembling uncontrollably. A threatening aura as if facing some incomprehensibly vast existence.
His lower lashes trembled slightly as he seemed to contemplate something.
“I, Your Highness… wait…!”
Beads of sweat suddenly formed on my skin.
I called out to him, breathing slowly, but Rakiel was already consumed by rage. As if nothing else existed in his vision, the tendons beneath his jaw bulged prominently.
I called out to him while breathing slowly, but Rakiel was already consumed by rage. As if nothing else existed in his sight, the tendons beneath his jaw twitched and protruded.
I managed to scrape together what little strength I had and reached out my hand.
I needed to grab his arm and stop this immediately.
‘Damn it… I’m dying, gasping for breath. Please, just remember I’m an ordinary person…!’
Just as my vision began to blur, someone suddenly seized my shoulder.
“Rakiel! Hey, snap out of it!”
“…!”
A familiar voice rang in my ears.
In that instant, my breath suddenly opened up as if I’d just been pulled from the water.
“Gasp…!”
I drew in air desperately.
The man gripping my shoulder patted my back, helping me calm down.
“Ha… ha…”
“Breathe, breathe! Good heavens, what on earth were you doing…”
Fresh air filled my parched lungs, and vitality began returning to my body.
After catching my breath for a while, I found myself facing a startled Rakiel and a frowning Yan.
“I… I…”
Rakiel reached out toward me with a shocked expression, then flinched and stopped himself.
“Damn it…”
He uttered a soft curse. He seemed confused himself, unable to approach me easily.
“You’ve lost your mind. Releasing killing intent on an ordinary person—are you in your right mind?”
“That’s…”
“No excuses needed. Someone nearly died just now. You saw it and still don’t understand?”
As Yan spoke sharply, Rakiel hesitated while standing, then knocked over a chair.
Crash!
The noisy tavern fell silent for a moment, but everyone soon realized it was nothing serious and their attention scattered.
While I finished catching my breath, Rakiel bit his lip, then opened his mouth again with a hardened expression.
“…It’s my fault. Damn it, I lost my mind. In front of you…”
“What obvious thing are you saying.”
Ignoring Yan’s quick interjection, I waved my hand dismissively.
Rakiel’s face was so pale it couldn’t have been any whiter, and what he was thinking internally was obvious.
He couldn’t have intended this, so it seemed the killing intent had emerged entirely unconsciously.
“Ha… I’m fine, really. Rather than that…”
I forced my breathing steady and continued with a wry smile.
“I should pay for the chair, shouldn’t I?”
“…!”
Only then did he turn around in the direction my finger pointed and discover the chair with its broken leg. It was the chair he’d accidentally knocked over.
Yet upon discovering the chair, Rakiel looked at me with bewilderment.
He seemed amazed that I was joking even in this situation.
‘Of course, I’m not in the mood for jokes.’
My face naturally contorted.
His anger toward Ludwig was far more intense than I had anticipated. I understood that Ludwig had driven him into war and that his comrades had died because of it, but…
‘There seems to be something more to this.’
If it were merely resentment of this degree, it would surely stem from something far more personal.
Rakiel exhaled a long sigh before finally approaching me, his eyes searching my face.
“The chair isn’t the issue right now… damn it, are you really alright? Your face is pale.”
Your face is even paler, sir.
If he caught a glimpse of his own ghostly white complexion, as though he’d seen a specter, he might be even more alarmed.
When I glanced at him with narrowed eyes, Rakiel only grew more flustered.
“Should we go see the Physician? No, calling him would be easier. I’ll do it right now…!”
If I left him alone any longer, he looked ready to summon emergency services.
I straightened my bent waist and shook my head.
“I’m fine. It wasn’t that serious.”
“Are you sure? You can be honest with me. You can even be angry if you want…”
“I’m serious. I just couldn’t breathe for a moment, but nothing hurt or anything like that.”
I gently pushed away his face that had drawn uncomfortably close and narrowed my eyes to check on Yan.

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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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