The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 82

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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 82

“What?”
Ludwig asked, not understanding.
“Just leave now. I’m busy.”
Shoo, shoo, get going.
“…Will you truly have no regrets?”
Remarkably, he was reciting the content of my first choice.
On the day I regressed for the hundredth time, when the system window appeared and I selected that very first option.
The situation had completely reversed.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Of course.”
I would never have any regrets.
“Never.”
Ludwig, who had stared at me with a momentarily dazed expression, seemed lost in thought before suddenly bursting into laughter.
His brilliant green eyes gleamed like those of someone regarding an opponent they couldn’t conquer. Because of that, my affection for him diminished even further.
“Then this is troublesome. My specialty is destroying what I cannot possess.”
“That’s quite a nasty hobby.”
So that was why he destroyed the Rosenthal Estate every time.
Or rather, I even questioned whether he ever had the will to bring the Rosenthal Estate to his side in the first place.
“Then let’s see what happens next. I’ve seen more than a few who raised my expectations sky-high only to crumble in an instant.”
“I’ve never seen anyone who said they’d wait and see actually survive either.”
Without backing down, I shot back at him, and his lips twisted. It seemed he still harbored feelings of interest.
‘Well, what do I care.’
He’d do as he pleased.
He stared at me for a moment with narrowed eyes before turning away. It seemed he had no intention of killing me after all.
‘I suppose I should be grateful.’
If he’d made a move here, I would have been helpless against it.
I watched the direction he disappeared before turning myself. Since it was already very late from talking with Ludwig, I decided I should refrain from visiting Yan.
Instead, early tomorrow morning….
“Ah.”
Something was wedged between the tents.
A single business card with a familiar design that stood out alongside tacky promotional text.
I picked it up immediately.

“VVIP Welcome! An Information Organization Just for You! —Twilight—”

* * *

The next morning, I went to the tavern that hadn’t opened its doors yet and woke Yan.
“Hand it over, quickly!”
“You’re impatient, aren’t you…”
He appeared rubbing his eyes, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out a stack of documents. The familiar information organization method used only by Twilight caught my attention.
“Did you find it?”
“I wouldn’t have called you if I hadn’t.”
“Of course you wouldn’t…”
The conversation I’d had with Ludwig last night flashed through my mind.
“And while investigating, I discovered unexpected information. Did you know? This plague is man-made. And it was—”
“The Crown Prince. Ludwig.”
“…!”
When I finished his sentence for him, his eyebrows shot up. His gaze held a reproachful look, as if asking if I’d already known.
“I found out yesterday too. I met with the Crown Prince.”
“Ah, I heard about that.”
He really is like a ghost.
He must have come to deliver that business card and seen it then. I had no idea how he’d managed to slip past the Knights stationed around Ludwig and his surroundings.
I hurriedly skimmed through the documents I’d received. They contained all the information I needed.
“…Is this really true?”
“100% guaranteed. If there’s any discrepancy, I make sure to provide compensation.”
I was quite curious about how that compensation would be handled.
In any case, if this was the truth, things were more complicated than I’d thought. Most importantly, the problem was that I couldn’t obtain the herb right now.
Because the herb I was looking for was none other than…
“A herb that grows in extreme cold? Where would such a place exist in the middle of summer?”
“That’s the problem.”
He furrowed his brow.
“If what you’re saying is true, then it’s certain we could make a cure from this herb. But it can’t be obtained in the Empire right now. It’s a leaf that only blooms in conditions approaching extreme cold.”
“I see…”
Just as I found a breakthrough, another problem blocked my path.
The image of Genie, pale and groaning, flashed through my mind.
‘Ludwig probably already has it.’
That was highly likely.
So if I rushed to him right now, could I obtain the cure?
A momentary impulse struck me, but I shook my head. I had no intention of accepting Ludwig’s help, even if it killed me.
Instead, I went to find someone else.
“I found the herb that can become a cure.”
And I added,
“Do you happen to know any mages?”
“…What?”
Rakiel asked back with a bewildered expression at my sudden question. I silently held up the stack of documents that Yan had handed me.
“A mage? What is this?”
“Medicinal herbs that could become a cure.”
“This is… Did Yan obtain this for you?”
His brow furrowed.
His expression suggested he didn’t understand why I had discussed this with Yan instead of him.
“Yes. Actually, the Crown Prince spread this plague, and it was once prevalent in the Northern Region. It can be treated with grass that grows only in the north, and of course it also grows in the Empire, but we need a mutated variant of the herb. A bell with blue leaves—.”
“Wait, wait! Stop, hold on.”
He soon accepted the stack of documents with a confused expression. The sudden flood of new information seemed to overwhelm his mind.
I gave him time to read through the documents and organize his thoughts.
After a moment, he opened his mouth with a deliberately composed expression.
“When exactly did you ask Yan to do this?”
“I simply commissioned him as a client would.”
He exhaled with a look heavy with betrayal. It seemed he was about to go confront Yan about this.
I was preparing further explanations for Rakiel, but his interrogation didn’t continue.
I observed his expression, but his attention had already shifted elsewhere.
“That it was once prevalent in the Northern Region… So it was as I thought.”
“Yes? You already knew?”
When I asked in surprise, he shrugged and answered.
“The suppressant you distributed. Do you know where the medicinal herbs used in it originated?”
“Surely not….”
“There’s a massive colony in the Northern Highlands, and it’s a herb that grows naturally there.”
“Ah.”
I hadn’t thought as far as the suppressant.
Just as in the original world where colds have no cure and only symptom-relieving medicine is prescribed, I had created it solely to alleviate symptoms before developing a definitive cure.
Since I already knew the cure, I hadn’t even considered selling this.
“So I was searching the Northern Region at just the right time. I thought that if there were similar varieties, perhaps we could enhance the effects. But….”
His crimson eyes gleamed.
“It was my older brother’s doing, as I suspected.”
“You already knew that as well.”
“The circumstances were highly suspicious. Normally, plagues originate in one place and gradually spread to surrounding areas. But this time, that wasn’t the case.”
“It occurred simultaneously throughout the entire Empire.”
“Exactly. It’s absolutely impossible unless someone deliberately spread it.”
“….”
Even thinking about it again, this was truly insane.
No matter how much he wanted to drive his younger brother to ruin, who could have predicted he would plunge the entire Empire into an abyss?
‘And in the previous cycle, it turns out Ludwig spread it all as well.’
I was almost in awe of that consistency.
“But in this weather, if it’s an extreme cold, it would certainly be difficult. There’s nowhere in the Empire like that except beyond the Northern Border.”
“So you’re asking if I know a mage who could…”
“A mage won’t be able to solve this.”
“…Why not?”
“What a mage can create through magic is ultimately nothing more than ‘artificial.’ In the end, it becomes something different from what nature produces.”
He added, muttering to himself.
“The moment artificial mana enters the equation, it’s no longer the substance we know. That’s why magic hasn’t advanced in the medical field.”
“Then…”
“It won’t be easy to find.”
Rakiel clicked his tongue softly and thrust another stack of papers toward me.
I unconsciously accepted the papers, my eyes filling with anxiety as I looked at him. My pounding heart refused to settle.
After staring at my silent face for a moment, Rakiel spoke abruptly.
“How is that maid’s condition?”
“…Genie?”
“Yes. From what I saw yesterday, it seemed quite serious.”
“At most… a week.”
Her condition had already progressed significantly.
I had to obtain the medicinal herbs within a week, no matter what. Somehow…
‘Damn it, I can’t let her die like this.’
I clasped my trembling hands together with my other hand to hide the tremor, but that hand was shaking too, making it utterly pointless.
To obtain medicinal herbs from beyond the Northern Border within a week. Was such a thing even possible?
‘But somehow…’
As I bit my lip and sank into thought, a large hand suddenly covered mine.
“Eve.”
Warmth seeped into the back of my hand along with his low voice.
“Calm yourself.”
“…Your Highness.”
When I looked up, Rakiel was gazing down at me with a stern expression. Despite always maintaining distance between us, this proximity felt quite close.
His hand covering mine was firmer and warmer than I expected.
‘Ah.’
As I stared blankly at him, his crimson eyes fixed on some part of my hidden face. It was a gaze that hardly wavered.
Yet strangely, my heart calmed rapidly beneath that gaze. Warmth spread through me as if I were gazing into a campfire.
And in that instant, my trembling gradually ceased.
“…”
Noticing that I had calmed, Rakiel gently curved his lips upward. His playfully narrowed eyes exuded a languid atmosphere.
As if enchanted by him, I lost myself for a moment, staring at him as his lips parted softly.
“So.”
It was a murmur, almost a whisper.
“When did I ever say there was no way?”
“…!”

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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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