The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 68

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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 68

I barely managed to peel Rakiel off me before heading toward the Ducal Mansion.
I hastily climbed through the window into my room and was hiding the robe when I heard a knock.
I took a moment to catch my breath before speaking.
“Come in.”
Genie poked her face through the door crack, grinning widely.
“What is it?”
I asked irritably, as if my rest had been disturbed, and she entered the room before speaking.
“Duke Lufenbayne has arrived!”
“…Why do you have that expression?”
“His Grace was looking for you, Miss Evelyn!”
Genie was definitely harboring some serious misunderstanding.
When I’d asked her to investigate Duke Cashen not long ago, she’d seemed oddly delighted, and now that his name came up again, her smile wouldn’t fade.
“Why are you grinning like that?”
I spoke irritably while straightening the hem of her skirt that had ridden up.
‘Always so careless, wandering around like that…’
Apparently, she didn’t know that a maid’s conduct directly reflected her mistress’s dignity.
Now that I thought about it, it seemed experienced maids had all left because of Evelyn’s personality, so a newcomer like Genie had stuck around. Thanks to that, I could move about more freely.
‘Honestly, an incompetent person is much more convenient.’
Especially when moving about in secret.
The moment I finished straightening Genie’s skirt and turned my gaze away, her eyes sparkled.
“Do you prefer Prince Rakiel or Duke Lufenbayne, Miss Evelyn?”
“…What?”
What kind of absurd choice was this?
“Oh my, it’s really difficult to choose! I think Duke Lufenbayne is quite nice too. You know, that friend I mentioned before who works at the Duke’s Manor…”
“Wait, wait. What on earth are you talking about?”
I raised my eyebrows sharply.
Genie clasped both her hands together and continued speaking with a dreamy expression.
“It seems His Grace has taken a fancy to you, Miss Evelyn.”
“What…”
“He came to see you today! There’s no way he’d come up with an excuse about the Duke just to visit otherwise! Did something happen at the last banquet?”
I stared blankly at Genie.
“Really, who could possibly reject such a perfect lady…that foolish, no, stupid…well, anyway, the Crown Prince has absolutely no eye for people.”
…Genie, you’ll get arrested for insulting the royal family if you’re not careful.
And that wasn’t even the extent of my problems.
“…Are you really insulting the Crown Prince in front of me right now?”
A frigid voice escaped my lips.
It wasn’t intentional, but by now it had become something I did almost reflexively. At least it wouldn’t change until my freedom stat maxed out.
Evelyn must have loved Ludwig quite passionately. Genuinely, at that.
‘There’s no way this would still be happening even with my freedom stat at level 7 if that weren’t the case.’
Once the behavioral constraints loosened, I could act almost normally during ordinary conversations, yet the constraint regarding my love for Ludwig remained unbroken.
‘But that won’t last much longer.’
To make that happen, I needed to hurry and accumulate stats.
Genie flinched somewhat, but her expression showed absolute certainty that I would never harm her.
Instead, she clung to me with a giggling laugh.
“Come on, that’s right! The Crown Prince has no idea how lovely and wonderful you are! How dare he, when you’re the lady of House Rosenthal.”
Or perhaps she simply didn’t believe in my sincerity (?) toward the Crown Prince. Judging by how she responded so casually, that seemed to be the case.
“That’s true.”
I nodded in agreement.
Noticing that my anger had subsided, Genie stepped back and continued what she’d been saying.
“Anyway, my friend was saying that lately, whenever the Duke rests….”
“Genie! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your duties again?”
At the sharp voice from behind, she jumped. Startled, she clutched her chest and wore a frightened expression.
“Oh! It’s the Head Maid.”
“…Didn’t the Duke say he was waiting for you?”
“Oh, that’s right! This is bad, the Head Maid will be angry with me….”
I sighed and pressed my forehead with my hand.
It seemed I’d been too lenient with Genie.
“Just show me the way. Where is he?”

* * *

From what I know, Duke Cashen has a tendency to fall for people rather easily.
In the original story, he fell for the Saint in an instant. Of course, I’ve never seen him fall for any other woman.
‘Though there were certainly reasons for it.’
The Saint was beautiful, and her heart was pure as well.
Sitting in the drawing room, I quietly observed the green eyes before me. He still wore an expressionless face.
“…You were looking for me, then.”
“Yes, it’s been a week since that day.”
“…?”
After Duke Cashen’s cryptic response, silence settled once more.
I slowly lifted my teacup and took a sip.
I checked the system window, but his suspicion level remained at 12%. No, wait—10%.
It seems to have dropped slightly.
Though that wasn’t really what mattered.
“Did you deliberately come when Father wasn’t home? And when my brother was away too.”
The Duke had just entered the palace.
That wasn’t particularly surprising, but the fact that he’d timed it for the day right after Killian returned to the estate was noteworthy.
Duke Cashen, who had been staring at me intently, slowly opened his mouth.
“I suspected that you were hiding what you do from both of them.”
“…”
His words struck exactly at the heart of the matter.
‘How did he know.’
He seemed to have simply deduced the fact that I was hiding it from my family. Or perhaps it was obvious.
What Duke would approve of his daughter masquerading as a commoner?
Just as I was about to open my mouth to make some excuse, he spoke again.
“You were seen traveling with Prince Rakiel. He didn’t seem to know your true identity. Just like the Duke, it appears.”
“…!”
I closed my mouth again without uttering a word.
‘When…?!’
When did he see me?
Of course, I had been spending a lot of time with Rakiel recently, but the system window hadn’t said anything about it…
Then the system, as if answering my question, attempted to open a window but glitched and stuttered.

[Deducting…tk…]
[System responding…]
[%$#@!ERROR#—!04]

Then it quickly fell silent, and nothing came to mind.
‘What is this…’
In other words, the system didn’t know either. The fact that someone had been watching me.
My head throbbed with a dull ache.
‘This damned system…’
I’d felt it before, but the system wasn’t omniscient. It didn’t grasp everything.
As if it were manually checking and then informing me…
Ah, anyway, this wasn’t the issue.
I hid my panic and parted my lips again.
“Ah, I thought Father and my brother wouldn’t like that I hid it from them.”
“What do you mean?”
“That your daughter was pretending to be a commoner and wandering through dangerous areas.”
I murmured in a voice thick with melancholy.
“Father would be angry if he found out. As for Prince Rakiel, I received help a few times while wandering through the slums, but somehow I couldn’t tell him about it…”
“You wander through dangerous areas?”
“Pardon?”
Cashen interjected abruptly, cutting off my words.
And he was pointing out an unexpected phrase at that.
I nodded my head without thinking and added to my explanation.
“Well, it can’t be helped…? People in need don’t choose their locations, after all. I wander through the slums too…”
“Alone?”
“Um… yes.”
I tilted my head in confusion.
Hadn’t he come to interrogate me?
Yet he was nodding to himself, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“Then you made a good choice in selecting Prince Rakiel. He’s skilled with the sword and has good instincts, so he’d be the perfect escort.”
“Escort… what?”
What was he talking about now?
Before I could even comprehend his words, he continued in that characteristic low, toneless voice of his.
“You also did well hiding your identity from him. Otherwise, it would have been a poor choice.”
“Why, why is that?”
“Because it wouldn’t be good for many people to know. Moreover, since Prince Rakiel resides in the Imperial Palace, rumors would spread in an instant. Then things wouldn’t have gone as you wished, would they?”
“…”
I was left speechless, my mouth gaping open.
But Cashen rested his elbow on the armrest and began stroking his chin, continuing his thoughts.
“These past few days, I’ve noticed that Prince Rakiel follows wherever you go. I’m not sure what he’s thinking… but with him by your side, there’s no need to worry about your safety.”
“…”
“I’d prefer to stay by your side if possible, but considering the day your identity might be revealed, it’s better that Prince Rakiel is there.”
I stared at him blankly.
So when Rakiel was chasing after me, this man had been watching me all along… is that what he meant?

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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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