The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 130

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 130

The person I was just thinking about suddenly appeared before my eyes. It was certainly a situation where I could be flustered, but…

Why is Ruellian flustered?

“Perhaps you’re faking it?”

When I muttered that loud enough for him to hear, his eyebrows twitched.

“Faking it, you say. I was actually about to call for the Princess to ask for treatment, since all that’s left now is to interrogate Sion once he wakes up. Then I was reminded of that absurd incident from before while I was here.”

“A grateful incident, I suppose.”

“Yes. A grateful incident. Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now…”

Ruellian’s gaze turned toward my hands. His brow furrowed slightly.

“What’s that? There are suddenly strange marks on both of the Princess’s hands? They look like insects or something…”

“Huh?”

I looked down at my hands, but there was nothing there.

“Not insects, but perhaps lip marks? The Crown Prince brothers just knelt before me and expressed their gratitude for helping them regain Windfarer.”

“What? What kind of…”

Ruellian momentarily raised his voice as if incredulous, then quickly lowered it again.

“I’ve never heard of such etiquette. Since when have they bothered with such things? Something that’s not particularly beneficial to ordinary people who aren’t Transcendents like them…”

“It’s bad for ordinary people?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but I think I heard something like that. There might be some adverse effects, so it would be better to erase them quickly.”

He glanced around briefly, then pulled my hand toward him and rubbed it with his fingertips.

Seeing him act so immediately, it seems he really can see something. I still couldn’t see it though.

“Thank you for your concern. Your injury is probably more serious than this though. Since we’ve met like this, shall I treat you here for a moment?”

I made what I thought was a reasonable suggestion, but Ruellian flinched.

“Not here. There’s one problem.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I need to roll up some clothing…”

He lowered his voice while looking around.

“If someone sees us by mistake, my position could be ruined.”

“Just what part of your body is it?”

“It’s not a strange place. But it’s true that I need to expose quite a large area.”

He stated firmly.

“If people see us, they won’t understand why we’re doing that. They’ll make their own ridiculous assumptions.”

He has a point.

If that happened, people would most likely grab me by the hair first. Saying the villainess seduced the holy one.

‘I’m actually trying to help him though.’

But I couldn’t reveal Ruellian’s secret, so I wouldn’t even be able to make excuses.

“You’re right. We need to hide somewhere secluded. Shall we go to the secret garden?”

Ruellian shook his head at my suggestion.

“That place isn’t bad, but since it’s an open space, I can’t say it’s completely safe.”

“Then?”

“There is one place at the Order headquarters where absolutely no one else can enter. My sleeping quarters.”

“Sleeping quarters? Your bedroom?”

A blush spread across his face.

“It’s not a strange place. It’s just a room where I catch a quick nap when working late.”

I didn’t say anything. He says the wound isn’t in a strange place, and the location isn’t strange either.

I should believe him, right?

Anyway, there was nothing good about continuing to whisper here, so we left the Imperial Palace and headed toward the shortcut connecting to the Holy Order headquarters.

“So Princess, what about your next findings?”

“The plant I investigated is…”

Whenever someone appeared along the way, we pretended to discuss rare plant research while walking quickly to the main hall of the Main Temple.

“Here it is.”

Ruellian opened the door to one of several auxiliary rooms connected to his study.

It was a small room with a simple bed.

For a space used by the leader of the Order, it was far too simple and modest. It was truly a space faithful to the purpose of sleep itself.

‘Still, I should treat him quickly and leave before anyone sees.’

I looked at Ruellian.

He first removed his cloak and hung it over a chair. Then he glanced at the religious statue hanging on the wall while putting his hands on his clothes.

I watched intently while pretending not to be interested.

‘Where is it? Upper body? Lower body?’

Seeing him unbutton his shirt, it seemed to be his upper body.

‘Front? Back?’

Seeing him turn around, it appeared to be the back.

He unbuttoned everything except for a few buttons at the very top, then rolled up his shirt.

“Can you see it?”

The wound was located around the middle of his back.

In a position that would be difficult for him to treat accurately by himself, there was a blackened, discolored wound that looked like a snake had crawled across it.

Since he was moving around fine, I hadn’t considered it very serious either, but I was surprised because it was larger than I thought.

“How did this happen?”

“Look carefully. Doesn’t it look familiar somehow?”

After thinking for a moment, I realized.

“Don’t tell me it’s from that whip you use?”

“That’s right.”

Ruellian nodded while keeping his back turned.

“To unfold Sion’s memories with the maze’s help, it was important to capture him without knocking him unconscious. But his resistance was stronger than expected. So I secretly used my whip as well, but Sion cleverly used the surrounding structures to deflect it back at my back.”

“He used a similar technique on me. He struck my sword and used the recoil to attack me.”

“Right. That itself wasn’t really a big deal. The problem is that this distinctive mark left by my whip was once published in a newspaper. Along with other evidence left by the phantom thief.”

“So you were caught using the whip?”

“Fortunately, no one paid attention to it. They seemed to think it was just a stain that was originally at the scene. But since it’s such a unique mark, there are definitely people who would remember it when they see this. For example, the Chief of Imperial Security.”

After saying that, he immediately added.

“Please don’t think about why the Chief of Imperial Security would see my back. You never know what might happen…”

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

“…Besides, it’s getting bigger, so if I leave it alone, it might spread above my neck. I would have treated it simply if it were somewhere else, but it had to be in this position.”

“Alright. I understand completely.”

I nodded.

“What should I do?”

Ruellian pulled a wooden box from the head of the bed with one hand and opened the lid.

“There’s a piece of sacred wood in here. A black wood fragment. Press it firmly against the wound and absorb the dark magic energy. It should disappear after repeating it two or three times.”

He said this while sitting on the edge of the bed.

I sat down next to him.

When the bed creaked, I saw him flinch. He seems nervous.

I kindly told him.

“Not yet.”

It was understandable that he’d feel awkward. How often would he have shown his back to others? He must be thinking that all sorts of things happen in life.

Even when he was escorting me to the tribunal, he probably never imagined such a day would come.

Thinking about it made me feel a bit mischievous.

I deliberately shifted my position again, making the bed creak. I saw him flinch again.

‘This is interesting.’

I pressed down the corners of my mouth that were trying to rise and reached for the first aid box…

But then I paused.

There were various items in the box.

Various emergency medicines, almost used-up bandages, scissors with a leather handle stained with hand marks, and so on. All items that clearly showed signs of use.

How many wounds had he treated alone in this place?

I became solemn at that thought.

I reflected on my mischievous behavior from just moments ago.

With a reverent heart, I picked up the sacred wood fragment and pressed it against the wound before my eyes.

His back flinched again.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not exactly…”

“That’s a relief.”

I carefully and thoroughly pressed the sacred wood fragment down.

Faint smoke rose from the wound and was absorbed into the wood. After going back and forth once like that, the wound became much fainter.

Ruellian straightened his shoulders.

“It feels better.”

“It’s not finished yet.”

I pressed down on the wound again.

Old memories came flooding back.

The memory of struggling alone to spread open the wound on my palm to remove glass shards.

The memory of pressing down on bandage rolls with my elbows when my hands weren’t enough, twisting my body like an acrobat while cutting bandages with scissors.

Treating wounds alone really wasn’t an easy task.

“Even if it’s not such a difficult position, having someone else do it is faster and more accurate, so you can suffer less.”

While carefully pressing down to make sure I didn’t miss any spots, I said.

“Of course it would be best not to get injured at all, but if you get hurt again, don’t treat it alone and just tell me, okay? You know well that I can keep my mouth shut. As you said, it’s beneficial for me to keep using you, so I can do at least that much. Next time, don’t hesitate and ask me without reservation.”

“…”

He only shrugged his shoulders once without answering.

As I continued, he seemed to adapt, and his flinching gradually improved. The traces of the wound now seemed to have disappeared cleanly.

I asked.

“Is it all done now?”

“Hmm…”

Ruellian thought for a moment before answering.

“It still seems to throb a little.”

“Really?”

I opened my eyes wide and examined the wound carefully once more.

Come to think of it, earlier I had become reverent after seeing the first aid kit, so nothing but the wound had caught my attention.

‘Look at those muscles.’

That thought suddenly occurred to me.

They weren’t bulky like someone who deliberately built them with dumbbells, but rather survival-type muscles built from running around and training hard.

“Has it healed well all the way inside?”

When I poked it, the muscles forming his back moved with a twitch. When I poked again, they twitched once more.

After doing that several times, my hand stopped. I realized belatedly.

‘What am I doing right now?’

It definitely started as checking whether the wound had healed properly. He must think this villainess has gone crazy.

I quickly moved to cover up my bewilderment.

“I have some knowledge in this area, and to check if it’s healed properly under the skin, you have to press the muscles like this.”

While saying that, I quickly observed Ruellian’s reaction.

Was that natural enough?

His voice came from beyond his broad back.

“Really?”

It was a stiff word without any inflection.

Ah, he noticed.

I had completely forgotten while doing various things in a somewhat friendly atmosphere.

How sharp a person he was. How scary he could become if I crossed the line.

How dare you carelessly touch His Highness’s sacred body as a joke?

Just as I was tensing up, expecting to hear such a rebuke at any moment, his voice came again.

“I still feel that area is somewhat numb… It seems like the sensation hasn’t fully returned.”

“…?”

Fortunately, he hadn’t noticed my impudent touching.

Seeing how stiffly his back was tensed, it probably did feel somewhat numb.

He said hesitantly, seeming worried.

“Fortunately, since the Princess has knowledge in this area, you could examine it a bit more.”

Phew.

I felt relieved.

‘I successfully fooled him.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————