The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 103
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 103
Swept away by emotions that I couldn’t resist, I stood there dazed and absent-minded for a moment…
“What did you just say?”
Cold, angry words struck my ears. Though the voice was different, it was definitely Aldensis’s way of speaking.
‘Oh no.’
I quickly came to my senses.
Come to think of it… Helmut had called the Crown Prince and Second Prince ‘you bastards.’
He had also criticized them, saying their current actions were criminal.
‘But that’s only because the Crown Prince and Second Prince concealed their identities.’
The ones who caused this situation were those two all along. But surely they wouldn’t try to charge him with blasphemy or treason?
‘That would be unfair! I witnessed everything!’
Just as I was about to open my mouth to serve as a witness, even from a distance.
“What on earth are you talking about? Please explain in detail. Is Princess Aristina currently in conflict with someone in high society? For you to immediately suspect us of being ruffians sent by that person upon seeing us, there must be something going on?”
A completely unexpected interrogation came from Aldensis’s mouth.
“Aristina should be living more carefully these days, so why are the people at the ducal mansion worried? You must be thoroughly hiding something from us even though something’s definitely happening? What is it?”
Zikren pressed as well.
“…?”
This time the elders were flustered.
They had been furious at the two uninvited guests’ arrogant attitude, but now they were asking questions out of concern for the young lady?
Not only that. There was a strange sense of familiarity from the attitude and tone of these two who were interrogating so confidently.
The elders seemed to feel it too. They were all looking at the two uninvited guests again with expressions of ‘Huh?’
And I felt the same way.
‘What? What’s with that reaction?’
Oh my, just when I thought he was doing well, he couldn’t abandon his old habits after all.
Why is he showing such a human reaction?
I never expected this at all.
They say decades are like a moment to dragons, and humans are nothing more than ants from their perspective.
Aldensis and Zikren are just dragon-blooded heirs, not real dragons, so it wouldn’t be to that extent.
But it’s true that a strand of dragon nature dwells in their hearts.
‘Didn’t they say that completely dominates the mind?’
Perhaps that’s why.
Not to mention Aldensis, even Zikren, who was relatively more socialized, sometimes felt somewhat inhuman.
But very human emotions were showing through from those two.
‘…’
How long had it been since I became solemn seeing the elders? I was once again swept up in a strange feeling.
‘Thinking about the first impression I got when I saw those brothers with my own eyes, they’ve really changed a lot, haven’t they?’
Zikren and Aldensis were already speaking earnestly to the elders.
“We’re not uninvited guests. When we visited last time, Duke Carnel definitely said this. That my brother and I don’t need to give our names at the entrance. Since we’d be greatly welcomed even if we just walked in without saying anything, he told us to just come visit comfortably from next time.”
“That’s why we tried to achieve our purpose quickly and quietly. We had no intention of committing any discourtesy. So please forget what happened earlier and just tell us. Who is threatening the princess right now?”
This way of speaking. This attitude. This form of address. Doesn’t everything remind you of a certain pair of brothers who are so famous in the Empire?
“Uh, that’s…”
The elders were flustered.
“Please don’t mind it. That was just our speculation. When you said you came to see the young lady, we automatically imagined the worst…”
“You said ‘you two’? I’m just a commoner named Andrew.”
“I told you I’m Jack. I even have identification here.”
“I see. I understand… no, I got it. It was just the ramblings of old men, so don’t take it too seriously. Our young lady is quite spirited, so…”
“Ah. I understand that.”
The conversation was flowing smoothly.
I was momentarily at a loss for words as I watched them.
‘This is quite different from what I imagined?’
The two sides would clash, and one hot-tempered elder would reach out to grab the collar of the noble person.
I would come running in a hurry and barely squeeze between them just before that happened.
‘This is treason! Grab my collar instead!’
I would shout that while getting my collar grabbed instead, saving the duke’s family and the elders…
I came running with roughly that kind of resolve.
Thanks to those dragon brothers making remarkable progress in the meantime, things were resolved well without anyone getting their collar grabbed.
But…
‘When should I make my entrance?’
I had missed the timing for my entrance.
Having other people bring you up as a topic and chatter about you when you’re not there is quite an awkward thing.
‘When exactly will the topic change?’
Just as I was thinking that while standing there blankly.
“What are you doing over there?”
A sharp voice suddenly came from behind me.
I turned around in surprise.
Someone was standing under the tree. Blonde hair with a lighter shade than Aristina’s, and red eyes that made the viewer feel unsettled.
It was Duke Carnel, who had apparently come out while working, with his shirt sleeves rolled up and secured with garters.
“Father?”
I asked with wide eyes.
“Why are you here?”
“I was working when I suddenly felt a strange energy. I didn’t want to sense it, but it was too powerful for that.”
“Really? To detect an anomaly from far away. Your condition has definitely improved.”
When I spoke happily, Duke Carnel stared at me intently.
“Why? It’s not like there’s something on my face.”
Usually when he stared like this, it was when he felt special emotions toward his conversation partner. Could it be…?
“There is something. No, something’s stuck. Not on your face but on your head. An enormously large, yellowed withered leaf.”
“Yes.”
Of course. What was I hoping for? The duke was just looking at me because something was actually stuck to me.
I reached up and pulled off the large yellow leaf. It must have stuck to my head when I rushed through the trees.
Clumsy.
The duke gave me that kind of look, then turned his head toward where the Crown Prince brothers and elders were standing.
“By the way, what are they doing over there?”
“Talking about me.”
“I know that. Judging by the general atmosphere, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince seem to be quite seriously worried about your safety.”
He spoke as if he’d seen everything.
“Come to think of it, didn’t those two say they expect you to find the Windfearer? To rise from the bottom of the deep sea to a position where they personally worry about you like that. I should give you points for that.”
“How many points?”
“About 100,000 points?”
“Wow… Thank you!”
Wouldn’t this make me the next head of the family?
Just as I was thinking that, Duke Carnel asked me a question.
“But do you know what significance recovering that sword has for Their Highnesses?”
“According to them, their birth mother, the first Empress, suddenly changed and distanced herself from them before passing away? That incident left a wound in their hearts, so they want to know the truth.”
“Is that all? Don’t you know any deeper meaning?”
“…”
“I’m taking back those 100,000 points.”
The duke declared coldly.
Good heavens.
The enormous score I had just received disappeared like cotton candy dissolving in water.
“…”
The Duke spoke to me, who had lost words to say.
“You must know about the ‘Curse of Balance’ as well.”
“Yes, of course.”
When making a contract with the World Tree, this was very important.
“If a being as powerful as a transcendent remains on earth, the balance breaks. Those with manifested dragon bloodlines are said to suffer soul instability to prevent them from becoming too strong.”
“Right. They constantly have nightmares. The most frightening and terrible experience they first had in childhood becomes the ‘seed of nightmares.’ But according to the priests… in the case of those two, that nightmare seed became excessively powerful by being entangled with the mystery of their mother’s death. That’s not good.”
The Duke continued with a somewhat complicated expression.
“When the Empress passed away, I was too distracted because of you to have time to look around. Later, when I tried to investigate with suspicions, it already seemed like all information had been intentionally blocked.”
And he muttered.
“There’s definitely something there. Both Sion and you are the type to tenaciously charge forward once a goal is set, so perhaps this time the truth might be revealed.”
“…”
A moment of silence passed.
Duke Carnel was lost in thought before opening his mouth again.
“This is something I haven’t told anyone… but shortly before Her Majesty the Empress passed away, she said something to me privately.”
I asked in surprise.
“To you, Father? What did she say?”
“She said she wanted to ask me to protect the Crown Prince and Second Prince well, but since I would be too busy with my own affairs to dare ask that… instead, she would ask just one thing.”
“What was that?”
“Could I tell Aldensis and Zigfriedren someday when the time comes? That she truly loved both children. That at least was the truth.”
“…”
Silence flowed again.
The Duke looked at Aldensis and Zikren earnestly conversing with the Elders in the distance.
“I don’t know why she suddenly said such things to me when we weren’t even particularly close. I swore to do my best to honor the Empress’s will. But lately, I keep thinking that perhaps you could do that job better than I could…”
He said with a light sigh.
“If that time really comes, could you do that in my place?”
“Yes, Father.”
I answered without hesitation.
And at that moment, I felt strongly.
That the sword the late Empress had lost must be found by my hands, not Sion’s…
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————