The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 87

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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 87

When Rakiel arrived at Eve’s Tent, it was already a complete disaster.
The massive medicinal cauldron that held the patients’ medicine and the treatment table lay scattered across the dirt ground.
Fires spreading from torches scattered about consumed the surroundings, their black smoke clouding the blue sky into a murky haze.
Even though it had already become a hellscape, they still weren’t satisfied.
“No! Don’t kill them! They’re Imperial citizens!”
“Lord Hagen! Merely holding them back is no longer possible!”
“No, hold the line!”
In the distance, I could see Knights confronting the rioters without even drawing their swords from their sheaths.
They were barely managing to prevent the riot from spreading any further.
Rakiel let out a shallow sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness.’
Drawing their blades was truly a last resort. If the Empire’s steel turned against its own people, whom could they trust?
But there was one strange thing.
‘They’re armed…?’
What the poor were holding wasn’t, surprisingly, the sort of sharp farming tools one could find anywhere.
They were weapons—swords, spears, axes—crafted specifically for killing. Ordinary citizens couldn’t possibly have possessed such weapons, so someone must have given them out.
And there was only one person capable of orchestrating such a thing.
‘I can’t even call him my older brother anymore.’
The Crown Prince’s recklessness was beyond reproach.
Here in the Capital City itself, with the Imperial Palace practically within sight, he’d armed the people and incited a riot.
Did he not realize he himself could be in danger?
‘Or perhaps… he has another plan….’
Rakiel’s gaze fixed on the grand Imperial Palace visible in the distance, as if searching for Ludwig within those walls.
The Imperial Palace was silent. So quiet it sent shivers down one’s spine.
‘What on earth is he thinking.’
If these crowds poured toward the center of the Capital City, what came next would be uncontrollable. There was every possibility the fire would spread all the way to the Imperial Palace.
After briefly assessing the situation, Rakiel called over one of the Knights who had returned with him from the Northern Region.
“Maintain formation and advance. Do not kill Imperial citizens. However, capture every single one of those inciting the riot without exception.”
“Yes, understood!”
Immediately, dozens of Knights were deployed to the scene.
The situation was quickly brought under control. The precarious tug-of-war that had been barely maintained was suddenly dragged helplessly to one side.
‘So he was waiting for the moment we’d leave our posts.’
Shouts, curses, and the clash of steel filled the space.
For a moment, his heart lurched, and he pressed his hand firmly against his chest. The sounds of the battlefield echoed in his ears like a phantom noise, but it was more manageable than expected.
“Hah…”
Rakiel took a slow, deep breath.
It was the method Evelyn had taught him during the Emperor’s birthday celebration. He quickly regained his composure.
It was before he could even fully register that his condition was better than anticipated.
“Your Highness!”
Hagen came rushing over urgently in the meantime.
“About what happened in the Northern Region…”
“We’ll discuss that later. There’s something more pressing right now.”
His eyes swept across the surroundings.
The resistance was still ongoing, but it would be quelled soon enough. His gaze grew impatient.
“…Where is Eve?”
“Eve…”
Hagen’s words trailed off.
Rakiel’s brow furrowed as he detected something amiss in his tone.
“Has something happened?”
“…I informed her that a riot would break out today and told her to return to the Ducal Mansion immediately. However, she said she needed to take Genie, the maid of the young lady, with her…”
“What?”
“My apologies, Your Highness! The riot broke out right after, and I was unable to…”
Before Hagen could finish, Rakiel turned and bolted.
“Your Highness!”
Hagen called out urgently, but it seemed he didn’t hear.
Treading roughly through the dirt, he stepped into the slum, where fighting was still raging. As the rioters resisted fiercely and hurled curses, the knights began using force to subdue them.
But nothing registered in Rakiel’s eyes.
‘Damn it, could she still not have escaped?’
Just days ago, hadn’t several people cast sinister glances her way? If someone had taken this chaos as an opportunity to harm her…
“Your Highness!”
Hagen, who had caught up, spoke while catching his breath.
“It’s likely she’s already escaped. A knight from the Ducal House was with her—”
The moment Rakiel’s pale face turned toward the tent where Genie had been, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Your Highness?”
His gaze fell upon something lying at the mouth of the alley. As he slowly knelt and picked it up, it was a familiar object.
It was the lining of the robe Eve had been wearing.
The hand of Rakiel, gripping the torn fabric, trembled slightly.
Then, beyond the dark shadows deeper in the alley, he felt a distant presence. Simultaneously, a sharp metallic sound rang out as if metal had clashed.
Since his knights were engaging people with their swords drawn, it meant there were others present.
The distance was far enough that ordinary people would struggle to perceive it, but his keen senses pinpointed the location precisely.
“Damn!”
Rakiel threw down the piece of robe and rushed into the alley.
“Your Highness! The knights—!”
Hagen’s shout echoed from behind, but I couldn’t hear it.
After running for a while along the winding narrow alley, a faint light appeared between the shacks. And through the clashing blades, I spotted Maren.
He was desperately swinging his sword, but he was outnumbered. Masked figures surrounded him, attacking relentlessly.
And behind them, I caught sight of a small silhouette wearing a hood pulled low. I could immediately tell it was Eve without needing to ask.
“Eve!”
The moment I called out her name with a voice that tore through my throat, a dagger flashed from behind her.
At the same time, my body moved like lightning. Without even time to draw my sword, my hand instinctively shot forward.
Swoosh!
The sharp blade of the dagger grazed the back of my hand, drawing blood and spreading a searing heat.
Before I could even register the pain, I grabbed Eve’s arm and pulled her into my embrace.
“Your Highness?!”
A startled voice came from within my arms, but I held her tightly and turned to face behind us.
Crimson eyes blazed with an eerie light toward the masked figures.
“…How dare you.”
My low voice was filled with rage.

* * *

Like the biting cold of the Northern Region pressing in, a refreshing scent covered my nose. It felt as though the very air of the north had been brought here.
Trapped within his solid embrace, I stiffened my body.
‘When did he come back?’
It had been a truly desperate moment.
These were skilled fighters—strong enough to push even Maren to his limits. I had even made peace with abandoning this playthrough and starting anew. All within those few seconds.
But the moment I came to my senses, I was cradled in Rakiel’s arms.
My face buried against his chest before I could help it, I tried to calm my anxious heart while worrying my hood might slip off.
Occasionally it seemed he was swinging his sword, yet even in this awkward position, not a single blade came flying toward me.
His warmth transmitted through the fabric of his clothes, and I could hear his heart pounding. We were pressed that closely together.
The position was so embarrassing that I tried to break free several times, but his firm forearms refused to budge.
He was precisely ‘confining’ me within his embrace.
‘When will this end….’
The clear sound of clashing blades and the sound of people falling without a single scream alternated in my ears.
From the sounds, it seemed not just Maren and Rakiel, but other knights had been deployed as well. I could occasionally hear Hagen’s voice too.
And after a long while, the chaotic sounds slowly came to an end.
Just as I thought everything was settled, I carefully tried to turn my head. Or rather, I tried to.
He pressed the back of my head firmly and spoke.
“Not yet.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s not a pleasant sight.”
“….”
Well, I think I’d be fine with it.
I possessed a mental fortitude stat of 3,259… well, it had already increased to 3,273 by now. Even setting that aside, I’d witnessed people die countless times before.
‘I wonder if dying by the sword feels different?’
In any case, being under his protection felt rather pleasant, so I obediently followed his lead.
The wet, metallic sound of blood and the dragging of something lifeless repeated over and over.
‘Hmm, just hearing it like this makes it feel…’
Something felt strange.
There’s a saying that horror films become watchable if you remove the sound. Sound clearly had a tremendous impact on human emotion.
Just listen to Rakiel’s heartbeat right now.
‘His heart is beating so… is this normal?’
My face was burning red.
‘Right, he must have rushed here in a hurry. Plus, he was just fighting intensely.’
It was quite some time after that before I slipped free from his embrace.
Having quietly distanced myself from him, I looked around. But…
‘What? Why is no one here?’
All those assassins and knights, Hagen, and even Maren—they were all gone. Which meant there were only the two of us in this alley.
“Where did everyone go?”
“Who knows.”
Such an indifferent answer.
I studied his eyes, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, which left me confused. He seemed relieved somehow, yet perhaps also angry.
“…I told you not to do anything dangerous.”
He spoke abruptly.
His crimson eyes were deeply shadowed.

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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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