The Villainess Hid Her Identity, and Now Everyone is Misunderstanding - Chapter 96

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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 96

Duke Cashen blinked for a moment, then let out a small exclamation.
“Evelyn?”
I hesitated before rising from my seat. He was approaching slowly.
“Your Grace… what brings you here?”
“…I came to dine.”
Ah, of course. This was a restaurant, after all.
But the Duke Cashen I knew didn’t particularly enjoy eating out. Whenever he went anywhere, he always said he’d return to the Ducal Mansion to eat.
I tilted my head in confusion. Meanwhile, Ludwig Bernhardt rose from his seat and extended his hand.
“It’s been a long time, Your Grace.”
Duke Cashen turned his head slowly, then wrinkled the bridge of his nose. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Upon noticing this, my eyes widened.
‘Wait… he didn’t know? He didn’t even realize I was here with Ludwig?’
Duke Cashen extended his hand a moment late and grasped it. Their hands shook lightly.
“How have you been?”
“Well enough.”
After this brief exchange, an awkward silence descended.
It was the result of Ludwig Bernhardt’s taciturn nature—he didn’t speak unnecessarily—combined with Duke Cashen’s tendency not to converse with those he didn’t wish to engage with.
Killian, sensing this discomfort, awkwardly interjected.
“Ah, Your Grace! It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well.”
“…Duke. Yes, I’ve been managing well enough.”
Another awkward current flowed through the air.
The greetings were over, yet Duke Cashen oddly didn’t turn to leave. He stood as if nailed to the spot, showing no sign of moving.
“…?”
It was obvious at a glance that we were here as a family dining together.
The waiter was staring at us as if something was amiss, and the silence grew increasingly peculiar.
‘…Ugh, I can’t take this!’
I finally couldn’t bear the awkwardness and spoke up.
“If you’re alone, would you like to… have lunch…?”
I swallowed once before continuing.
“…Would you like to join us?”
“Yes, I would appreciate that.”
“What?”
It was merely a polite question, yet he immediately sat down in front of me—right beside Killian.
Killian regarded me with eyes filled with bewilderment, while the Duke stiffened once more, as though turning to stone.

* * *

Thanks to the Chef’s consideration, Duke Cashen’s meal arrived promptly.
After he joined our table, I slowed my eating pace, so the difference wasn’t particularly noticeable. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I was so flustered that I couldn’t even tell whether the food was going into my nose or my mouth.
The Duke narrowed his eyes, staring at the uninvited guest before him.
For once, I had come out to dine with my daughter—well, not entirely alone, but as a family—and now this unexpected interruption had arrived.
‘If he had any sense, he should have declined.’
Surely, if he had eyes, he could read the atmosphere. I still couldn’t believe he had the audacity to sit directly across from Evelyn.
“Father, are you alright?”
At Evelyn’s worried gaze, the Duke answered a beat too late.
“Yes.”
I didn’t want to cause her unnecessary concern. After all, there were already enough unsettling matters both inside and outside the Ducal Mansion.
Instead, I swept my sharp gaze over the man before me.
I couldn’t fathom how someone with no connection whatsoever to the Rosenthal Duchy could know Evelyn.
Unable to contain my unease any longer, I spoke first.
“I was unaware that the Grand Duke knew my daughter.”
Though my tone was somewhat stiff, I managed to maintain what courtesy I could.
“How did you come to meet?”
“Ah, Father, that is…”
As Evelyn interjected, I naturally cut her off.
“Evelyn, forgive me. Since I’ve posed the question to the Grand Duke, I’d prefer to hear it directly from him.”
“Um… yes, well, of course.”
She fell silent, clearly flustered.
I knew my behavior was uncharacteristic, but I couldn’t stop. During the meal, I had detected an insolent glint in his eyes.
‘Surely… that can’t be it.’
Duke Cashen cut his steak with elegant precision, chewed a piece thoughtfully, then set down his knife and dabbed his lips lightly with his napkin.
“We happened to cross paths a few times.”
“…By chance?”
The Duke’s face darkened.
“In this vast… Capital City?”
“And when I visited the Ducal Mansion previously, we had a brief conversation. It was quite memorable, I must say. Wouldn’t you agree, Evelyn?”
She flinched.
Evelyn stared at Duke Cashen with anxious eyes, while simultaneously making urgent eye signals that seemed anything but innocent.
As though the two of them shared some secret.
Upon noticing this, the Duke raised his eyebrows even higher. The two of them appeared far too familiar with each other.
Duke Cashen continued.
“And we’ve encountered each other outside two or three times as well.”
Evelyn interjected in alarm.
“It… it was just a coincidence. I took many walks outside the Manor….”
He shifted his gaze toward Evelyn. The Duke did not miss that look.
It was an uncomfortably gentle gaze, as if he were slowly savoring something. Duke Cashen’s eyes came alive only when he looked at her as he continued speaking.
“A walk… I see. Well, if it was a walk, then it was a walk, but it left quite an impression. Before I knew it, I found myself following Evelyn.”
Was he publicly announcing that he’d been stalking her?
The Duke’s lips twitched.
“…You followed her.”
He asked slowly. His voice remained as level as possible, but his hand gripping the knife inadvertently tensed.
The Duke lifted his glass and took a sip of wine. His throat had gone dry.
“If you’ve developed such familiarity, it seems you’ve encountered each other quite often. I don’t see how it looks good for a grown man to follow an unmarried woman with a fiancé in broad daylight through the Capital City.”
“I was concerned. Even in the Capital City, there are alleys where few people venture.”
“…For something you claim was a chance encounter, you seem quite attentive.”
“They say that when coincidences accumulate, they become fate.”
The Duke’s cheek muscles twitched slightly.
A brief silence fell.
The Duke looked at Duke Cashen. Duke Cashen looked back at the Duke. Neither lowered their gaze first.
“Fate, you say….”
The Duke replied quietly.
“But Your Highness the Grand Duke must have countless connections. How many houses revere Lupenbain?”
“Many.”
Duke Cashen assented calmly, but then added to his words.
“And yet my connection with Evelyn cannot help but be special. It feels as though I’ve found the answer I’ve been seeking all this time in her.”
“The answer you’ve been seeking all this time…?”
“Yes, Evelyn is most certainly—”
“Your Highness the Grand Duke!”
Evelyn hastily cut him off.
Unable to hear the rest, the Duke’s brow furrowed.
‘Most certainly… what was he about to say?’
Most certainly beautiful? Most certainly charming? Or perhaps most certainly lovely?
All manner of adjectives swirled confusingly through the Duke’s mind. He tried to piece together various puzzles, but he could scarcely find a word that the Grand Duke would speak aloud.
Meanwhile, Evelyn’s face flushed crimson as she hurriedly poured out her words.
“Didn’t we agree not to talk about what happened back then? You promised me you’d keep quiet about it.”
When the Duke caught sight of Evelyn’s seemingly bashful expression, his mood grew even more unpleasant.
In truth, to be precise, Evelyn was ashamed of having “seduced Duke Cashen with excessive acting,” but the Duke could not possibly know that.
In any case, the Duke observed his daughter’s subtle expression before turning back to Duke Cashen. He was quite curious about this “promise,” but his pride would not allow him to ask.
“…Of course I remember, Evelyn. I have not told anyone yet.”
“Phew, that’s a relief. Please keep it that way going forward. Though now people seem to think I’m someone special—”
“You are a special person, Evelyn. At least, that is how you appear to me.”
“Th-thank you.”
As the two conversed, the Duke’s eyes met those of Killian, who had been sitting in silence without uttering a single word. He wore a sullen expression and kept his mouth firmly shut.
He, too, seemed displeased with the current situation.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I was worried. Unfortunately, the Prince called for me that day, so I couldn’t visit you.”
“Ah, I see… Did the Prince do that intentionally?”
“I don’t think so. He wouldn’t know about the relationship between Evelyn and me.”
Relationship…
“Right. No one knows about what’s between the Duke and me.”
Between…
In that instant, Ludwig Bernhardt and Killian exchanged a meaningful glance and began to shift restlessly in their seats, eager to leave. They had no desire to prolong this moment with Duke Cashen.
Fortunately, the dessert was nearly finished, making it the perfect time to depart.
Sensing the tension, Evelyn also began wrapping up her conversation with Duke Cashen.
“If you’re finished, shall we get going?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Oh, that’s right—I just remembered I still have more to discuss with you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to invite you to my manor.”
“…!”
Ludwig Bernhardt and Killian’s eyes widened as they turned to look at Evelyn.

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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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