The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 83

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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 83

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“Your Highness will go… personally?”
I asked blankly.
“Well, that’s the fastest way to handle it.”
Rakiel continued speaking, his gaze drifting away as if it were nothing.
“The Northern border is under my jurisdiction. The tribes there know that too.”
He paused for a moment before adding.
“If I send an envoy, it’ll take several days. Even longer if complications arise. But if I go myself, things will be different.”
“…”
“Negotiations are ultimately about who you’re dealing with.”
His words made sense.
If Rakiel went personally, it would certainly be resolved quickly. His relationship with the Northern tribes was good, and his reputation alone made it entirely feasible.
But…
‘What is this feeling?’
One side of my chest felt oddly uncomfortable.
An inexplicable anxiety washed over me—as if I were missing something important, or about to lose something.
“…How long will it take?”
“Hard to say. At best, four days. At worst, a week to return.”
“A week…”
I murmured without thinking.
It was a precarious timeframe. I wasn’t sure if Genie could endure that long.
In truth, if he traveled by carriage, it would be absolutely impossible. He must be planning to push his horse hard for the journey.
Even if I urged him to leave right now, it would barely be enough time. Yet strangely, my chest felt heavy.
“…Are you sure you’ll be alright? You mentioned it’s a border region.”
“Hm? What?”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
Rakiel blinked, then let out a soft laugh.
“Are you worried?”
“If you’re pushing yourself unnecessarily because of me…”
I trailed off.
I was worried that he might be leaving without needing to, that I was stubbornly forcing him to go.
If he left the Capital at a time like this, there was no telling what Ludwig might do.
Besides, I’d heard the Northern Region was dangerous. So naturally, I couldn’t help but worry.
Rakiel observed my expression quietly, then lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’m quite skilled at fighting.”
“…That’s not what I’m asking about.”
“Then what?”
“….”
I closed my mouth, unsure how to respond.
‘What do I even want?’
Confusing emotions surged through me. The emptiness I would feel when he left seemed to loom before me already, strangely vivid.
Rakiel gazed at me for a moment, then slowly extended his hand. His palm came to rest lightly on my shoulder.
“Eve.”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll return soon.”
His voice was softer than usual, as if he understood what I was truly worried about.
Even knowing what it meant to leave the Capital City at this time, he pretended it was nothing. For Genie’s sake—or rather, for my sake.
There was no real need for him to go personally.
Yet in the end, neither reassurances nor words to stop him escaped my lips. I was more selfish than I thought.
“What concerns me more is you staying here alone.”
“…What?”
“Who knows what my older brother might scheme while I’m away.”
His crimson eyes darkened, taking on a grave intensity. The anxiety he couldn’t quite hide transmitted through his hand into me.
“So be careful. Just to be safe, perhaps it would be better to stay at the Ducal Mansion. You’d be safer there.”
“That’s…not possible.”
“Well, I figured you’d say that anyway.”
He chuckled softly.
“I’ll tell Hagen as well, but never go anywhere alone. I noticed you seemed close with one of the Duke’s knights earlier—don’t separate from him.”
“It’s not like I frequent dangerous places or anything….”
“Eve.”
He gripped my shoulder firmly.
“Please. Stay safe for me.”
“….”
His eyes gazing at me were desperate, as if he feared I might disappear.
I slowly averted my gaze.
“…I understand.”
“Good.”
A loose smile settled on Rakiel’s lips, and his hand gradually withdrew from my shoulder. As the warmth faded, I felt oddly hollow.
That evening, he departed immediately for the Northern Region.

* * *

“Rakiel has disappeared?”
“Yes, his whereabouts have been unknown since yesterday.”
Ludwig slowly stroked his chin.
To abandon his post at such a critical time—there could be no greater foolishness.
“Could something have happened in the Northern Region?”
The Chamberlain standing to one side posed the question.
Recently, there had been many occasions when Ludwig’s orders required him to leave his post, but he had only just returned after a long absence.
Ludwig glanced at him and nodded.
“That’s quite a plausible theory.”
“Since we withdrew some of the troops stationed in the Northern Region, the foreign tribes there could hardly be unaware of it. Perhaps they saw it as a golden opportunity.”
“…Indeed.”
“However, we couldn’t have removed the soldiers who maintain control over the populace. So he would have had no choice but to go himself.”
The Chamberlain bowed his head and continued speaking, his voice filled with admiration.
“Everything is unfolding precisely according to the plan Your Highness the Crown Prince devised.”
“What is the actual situation in the Northern Region?”
In response to his question, the Chamberlain turned his palm upward as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
“The situation has changed thanks to Prince Rakiel’s forces withdrawing.”
“You mean a route has opened?”
“Yes. The passage connecting the Empire to the Northern Region, and the Northern Region to the Valter Empire, has finally opened properly. Because Prince Rakiel’s army was watching with such vigilance, we had been forced to use difficult detours all this time…”
The Chamberlain nodded, folding his plump cheeks thoughtfully.
“Moreover, we are currently making contact with the Northern tribes. If we utilize the tribes that have fallen out with Prince Rakiel, we could achieve excellent results.”
Ludwig’s lips curled upward in a sneer.
“What of communications with the Valter Empire?”
“Proceeding smoothly. His Majesty the Emperor is very pleased.”
The Chamberlain’s voice lowered.
“In particular, he sent word that he is delighted we can cooperate once more, just as we did during the Continental War.”
Ludwig’s lips curved upward.
The Continental War—that war which everyone believed was a victory for the Bernhardt Empire.
But only a handful knew the truth. That war had been a script written and performed by both sides from beginning to end.
Ludwig tilted his wine glass.
War was a perfect tool. To control people, eliminate opposition, and earn wealth.
“Perhaps this time will finally be our chance to eliminate him completely.”
“Well then, is the Saint coming as planned?”
“Yes, the Saint will visit the Empire under the guise of a goodwill envoy. It would have been better if we had disposed of Prince Rakiel during the Continental War.”
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue softly.
“If Prince Rakiel had truly achieved great merit back then, Your Highness’s position would be precarious by now.”
Who could have known? That he would actually achieve real merit in a war that had been orchestrated.
In the end, growing anxious, Ludwig had to stop his younger brother, even at great risk.
In collusion with the Valter Empire, he lured Rakiel’s forces deep into enemy territory and surrounded them, ensuring their complete annihilation.
I should have dealt with it then, but regrettably, I had to refrain from leaving him with deep wounds.
“Still, during the war you cleanly eliminated the dissenting factions, and didn’t both sides send troublesome nobles and generals to the front lines for disposal?”
“Well, the results weren’t bad.”
Ludwig nodded with satisfaction.
“But what about Duke Cashen? There’s been no news lately.”
“He did visit the Imperial Palace briefly some time ago, but he said nothing particularly noteworthy.”
“…I thought he would move more actively than this.”
If my expectations were correct, Duke Cashen should have been taking the lead by now, eliminating unnecessary people.
Ludwig Bernhardt and Duke Trenze, among many others.
Especially in times like these, disguising deaths is easy, so there’s no one more suitable than Duke Cashen.
“It’s strangely quiet.”
He murmured.
“And that Saint woman is also quite bothersome.”
A faint smile crossed Ludwig’s lips. However, he soon wiped away the smile with his finger across his mouth.
“Ah, regarding that woman, people agreed far more easily than expected. I merely spread a few rumors, yet it’s already burning like an active volcano.”
“The ignorant always find a place for their anger to be directed.”
Though I spread the rumors, I had no intention of completely eliminating the woman. Instead, I simply removed her place to return to.
“…Was it three days from now?”
The Chamberlain nodded with tightly sealed lips. Yet it only looked ridiculous with deep dimples carved into his plump cheeks.
“I’ll have Duke Cashen summoned separately. I was already thinking it was time to call him anyway since there’s been no word.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Chamberlain bowed his head.
Ludwig rolled the wine glass in silence for a moment. The red liquid swirled slowly within the glass.
His gaze turned toward the window. Beyond it lay the Imperial Palace’s garden, quiet and serene.
“The preparations are perfect, aren’t they?”
“Yes. As you instructed, I’ve sufficiently heated the atmosphere of those who will become the kindling.”
“Good.”
A subtle smile appeared at his lips as he emptied his glass and laughed softly.
“This time it will truly be an entertaining spectacle.”

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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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