The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 77

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Villainess Hides Her Identity, and Everyone Misunderstands
Chapter 77

“You’ve had quite the ordeal, Miss Evelyn.”
Genie pouted and brushed the dust from my clothes.
After scuffling with those knights in all that dirt, I must have looked absolutely dreadful. I could even feel sand grinding between the strands of my hair.
I accepted her ministrations quietly. Well, not entirely quietly—I did complain a bit.
“You took your time. Do you have any idea how long I was stuck in that filthy place?”
“I’m sorry. The message just reached me late.”
“Hmph, with such sluggish service, I don’t know what to do with my maids anymore. I’m planning to replace the entire staff soon, so you’d better remember that.”
Despite my sharp words, Genie remained unfazed, her eyes sparkling with delight.
“My, for someone saying such things, you’re awfully kind, aren’t you?”
“What?”
“You know what I mean… When we went to the estate last time, you took care of all those maids who were tormenting me! It felt like a prince on a white horse had arrived! The way you disposed of them all so swiftly was truly masterful…”
Genie clasped her hands together with a dreamy expression.
Wasn’t her point of excitement rather peculiar? Besides, that was a Quest, after all.
I narrowed my eyes and turned my head away sharply. For some reason, my ears felt oddly ticklish.
“Hmph, keep quiet if you know what’s good for you.”
Genie giggled and clung to my side as I walked, looking ready to link arms with me entirely.
“Everyone should know! That our Miss Evelyn is working so hard like this! If they found out that the rumored Saint is actually Miss Evelyn of House Rosenthal, they’d faint in shock!”
“There’s no reason for it to become known, and no reason to tell anyone. I’m not actually a saint anyway.”
“That’s exactly why! Why don’t you say anything? I’m sure the Duke and the young Duke would be delighted… I nearly fainted in shock myself. Though of course, I already knew you had the qualities of a saint!”
“Hmph, it’s better not to waste your breath needlessly. Do you even understand why I’m doing all this hard work?”
Despite my cold tone, my touch on Genie remained gentle. As I began walking with a huff, Genie followed behind me with an expression full of emotion.
“Really! Do you know how happy I was when I saw you in town a few days ago?”
“Stop it already.”
“No, seriously! I couldn’t sleep that entire night!”
The reason Genie knew my identity was simple.
I had told her.
‘I have no choice. To move forward, I need at least a few people who know my true identity.’
By now, it was nearly impossible to conduct my activities while hiding from Genie’s eyes. Besides, I had gained enough stats from Genie’s Quests that even if I lost all of them, my level would remain intact.
Fortunately, my prediction that nothing serious would happen even after revealing my identity to Genie proved to be exactly correct.

—Good heavens, I knew it! I knew it! You’re the lady… you’re the lady…! *Sobs!*
—Wait, be quiet.
—*Whimpers! Sobs!*

…Though it took quite some time to calm down the excited Genie. And to wipe away those sparkling eyes.
“…I told you to keep your eyes straight.”
“I am keeping them straight, my lady. My eyes sparkle because of the love and admiration I cannot hide for you.”
“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to suppress that pointless love and admiration. This is why servants are so troublesome…”
If infinite trust manifested like this, I would have to decline it.
I headed to the inn where I was staying with Genie. Of course, there was one person waiting at the inn as well.
“My lady, have you returned?”
It was Maren.
He was one of the few to whom I had revealed my true identity.
Being a simple-hearted young man by nature, he accepted the truth without much difficulty and agreed to participate in my plan.
It seemed that the fact I continued to send financial support to his younger sibling had helped considerably.
After revealing my identity to Genie and Maren, I immediately made it appear as though I had gone into recuperation. I needed plenty of time to operate as ‘Eve’ until at least the plague crisis was resolved.
Because of this, it seemed to the Duke and Killian that I had fled hastily, but I could explain later.
“I’m dying from the heat. Bring me some water, Genie.”
As soon as I returned, I ordered Genie and then headed upstairs to my room. The stairs creaked with each step I took, but it wasn’t particularly bothersome.
‘Well, there’s no helping it.’
I could have chosen a much nicer, upscale inn, but I deliberately didn’t. A shabby inn like this was perfect for moving about comfortably as ‘Eve’.
“My, I should have chosen a better place. Are you truly comfortable here?”
At Maren’s question, I waved my hand dismissively with obvious irritation.
“Ugh, that I should end up staying in this wretched place. There’s not even a speck of taste to be found!”
“…It seems adequate enough for living, at least.”
“I should return to the manor immediately. First, I need to bathe!”
“…Since you plan to stay for a while longer, it appears quite satisfactory after all.”
What? Why does he understand everything?
Startled by my own carelessness, I climbed the stairs again with heavy footsteps instead of answering.
But when Maren called out to me again, I stopped.
“My lady!”
“What is it!”
Since I was heading upstairs to cool off from the heat, I asked irritably.
Maren hesitated for a moment before pulling something from his pocket.
“What is this?”
What he handed me was an envelope.
I took it casually and stopped as I was about to open it. The seal of House Rosenthal was stamped on the envelope’s surface.
“…It is a letter from the Duke.”
Maren spoke with an awkward smile.
I looked down at the envelope for a moment, then placed it in my pocket without opening it.
“Understood. I’ll read it later.”
With that, I climbed the stairs again. I sensed Maren trying to say something more behind me, but I didn’t bother turning around.
Besides, I had rented out the entire inn, and my room was just upstairs. The moment I entered, I shut the door and shoved that letter envelope into a drawer.
Another envelope piled on top of the several already stacked there. None of them had been opened.
I simply hadn’t read them, using busyness as an excuse.
After all, they would think I was in a southern village, so these were surely just pointless inquiries about my wellbeing.
‘I’m sorry, I’ll definitely read them once everything is finished!’
How was I supposed to read through thick letters like these when there were so many?
Besides, I had already decided to handle family matters later.
Right now, I needed to do something about this terrible interest Ludwig was showing toward me.
No, I had refused—so why wouldn’t the window disappear?
Ding!

[Will you accept Crown Prince ‘Ludwig Bernhardt’s proposal?]
[Y/N]

“Ugh, no. I said no.”
I mashed the rejection button repeatedly, but the moment the window disappeared, it popped back up as if the system had lagged.

[Will you accept?]
[Y/N]

“Why is this happening?!”
In the end, I shoved the window to the corner again, just like before. Then, instead of the window, a bell-shaped icon glimmered, announcing its presence.
It seemed it would remain floating until this situation was resolved.
‘This is troublesome….’
For now, I had extinguished the immediate fire by borrowing the House of Rosenthal’s identification badge, but since the order came from the Crown Prince himself, the embers would reignite soon enough.
Currently, it was only being handled by some low-ranking imperial knight, but once the pressure intensified, they would come at me with full force.
They must have applied considerable pressure if they were even cutting off supplies that had been flowing smoothly.
‘Sigh… if I fail this Quest, things could get serious.’
Setting aside the freedom and stat gains from the medical volunteer work, the conditions attached to a Quest failure weighed on my mind.

[Failure: Empire Collapse / Unpredictable Political Variables Emerge]

An unpredictable political variable? The meaning was painfully obvious. Ludwig would seize victory in this brutal struggle for imperial power.
After all, it was always Ludwig who discovered that particular herb.
Ever since the plague appeared, I had been searching desperately for a cure through every possible means, but it proved far from easy.
I had no idea how Ludwig had come to know of it, but the herb was so extraordinarily rare that finding it was nearly impossible.
Until then, I had to buy time by any means necessary.
“There really is no other way, is there?”
There was one method I had been considering since earlier. A way to overturn this situation in a single stroke.
And it was a method everyone knew.
Simply reminding them of the undeniable truth: overwhelming numbers always prevail.
‘I have no choice but to read through all those letters.’
I opened the drawer again.

* * *

A few days later.
The Duke and the young Duke of Rosenthal received a letter simultaneously.
“…!”
It was a letter from Evelyn Rosenthal.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————