The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 14
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14
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“That villainess is finally dead! She was so arrogant when she was running wild. She never would have thought her life would end at just 20 years old!”
“I’m happy that the villainess is dead, but no matter how I think about it, she got off too easy. She should have suffered at least as much as she made us suffer.”
“Right. She should have tasted the bitter side of life. She died too peacefully.”
In my hazy consciousness, all sorts of curses were raining down on me as I lay collapsed on the floor.
‘Gasp!’
I opened my eyes wide in shock.
I saw a pure white ceiling with golden vine patterns. Sunlight pouring through the window that covered the entire wall shattered brilliantly on my eyelashes.
‘Where did those maids just go?’
I groggily got up and cracked the door open slightly.
Several maids with dusters were quietly cleaning. The maids who seemed to have finished their work earlier were gathered in one corner, chatting quietly.
Something about ‘Mine is big and pretty too!’ – they seemed to be comparing the pearls I had given them.
Seeing this peaceful scene finally put me at ease.
‘Phew, it was a dream.’
I leaned my head back with a thud. The door creaked open from the motion, and all the maids turned to look this way.
“…!”
Realizing I was awake, they all froze in shock like mice before a snake.
What an ironic situation.
‘I’m the one who’s scared of you all.’
I can’t live like this. Now that I’ve returned to my quarters, it’s time to gradually improve my relationship with the maids.
“Everyone calm down and listen to what I have to say.”
I spoke calmly.
“I reflected a lot while I was confined. I can’t bring myself to ask you to forgive the misdeeds I committed, but I want you to know this one thing. I regret what happened in the past, and I’ve sworn never to torment you all again.”
Speaking with all my heart and soul in earnest, emotions welled up inside me. Even I myself was moved to tears.
What a touching declaration.
‘The Young Lady has changed!’
Now everyone would understand my heart and cry out like that. They would be moved to tears. I watched with secret anticipation, but….
“…!”
The maids’ faces turned pale.
“Young Lady! If there’s something wrong, please point it out! We’re too foolish to understand when you speak like that!”
They all prostrated themselves on the floor and begged for forgiveness.
Did my words sound sarcastic?
The Young Lady’s sudden 180-degree change seemed to inspire fear instead. There’s no reverse effect like this reverse effect.
‘I didn’t even break even!’
I’m sorry. I’ll just go back.
Just as I was about to disappear at the speed of light from before the maids’ eyes, I felt a burning gaze from one corner.
Looking that way, I discovered a butler from downstairs stamping his feet and looking this way. He seemed afraid to speak because I looked displeased.
“Do you have business with me?”
“Ah, well, I…. The Duke says he would like to have breakfast with the Young Lady.”
What?
I became fully awake.
Why would the Duke suddenly?
As far as I know, dining with his daughter is a rare annual event. Especially breakfast. Nobody wants to start their day with indigestion.
‘What? What?’
I reluctantly went to the dining room.
Duke Carnel was sitting at the far end of the long table reading a newspaper.
Unlike the family members, he had light blonde hair tied back, and his red eyes remained fixed on the paper without moving.
His chiseled face with thin lips pressed together looked like a sharp ice blade personified.
“….”
I was nervous.
Currently, his patience with his daughter had hit rock bottom.
It’s true that I, who possessed her body by accident, had rendered service for the Rosen Duchy….
But the Duke couldn’t know that. And he shouldn’t know. So there’s no reason for him to show me mercy.
‘When we first met, he immediately emanated killing intent. I’d believe it if he killed his daughter with his own hands.’
Still, he has an alibi of having meetings with his aides in the main building, and he doesn’t seem crazy enough to directly kill his daughter yet… so he’s one step removed from the prime suspect list.
‘But he’s definitely the most dangerous person to be careful of in the ducal mansion. I never know when he might pull out the annex banishment card again….’
If I upset him, my survival rate will plummet.
“Why are you so quiet?”
The Duke finally looked up at me.
I had dressed neatly in both hairstyle and dress so there would be nothing to criticize. Neat enough to pass a major corporation interview. But I was still nervous under the Duke’s cold gaze.
“…Hmph.”
Sure enough, Duke Carnel turned his head away sharply.
“You seem excited about shopping first, getting carried away because you safely escaped the crisis. But shopping isn’t the first thing you should be doing.”
At his gesture, the chief aide walked over to me and placed a white envelope on the table.
It’s probably not a free tea salon voucher….
“It’s a personal letter from His Highness the Crown Prince. He wants to meet with us father and daughter to resolve the uncomfortable feelings between the Imperial Court and the ducal family caused by this incident.”
What?
Only then did I notice the Crown Prince’s symbol – a golden dragon emblem – looming large before my eyes.
I snapped to attention.
‘What was bound to come has come.’
The list I had made late last night came clearly to mind.
Because of the karma I had diligently accumulated in the past, countless murder suspects swarmed around me.
They were all suspicious, but among them, there were particularly strong candidates.
Prime suspects capable of committing a perfect crime without a shred of evidence.
In my opinion, there were five of them in total.
First, Ruellian Lacroix, the leader of the Holy Order I had met this time. And the other prime suspects were the Crown Prince and Second Prince brothers.
Since they inherited the dragon bloodline and possessed special abilities, they could easily commit perfect crimes that would be impossible by common sense.
Moreover, they had more than enough motive for murder. The information I knew and the memories stored in my mind came flooding back in a jumbled mess.
I trembled.
‘They could kill me easily. More than easily.’
Aristina’s unrequited love for the Crown Prince was the source of all trouble. It might have caused the first death, and it might bring about another murder in the future.
I had to clean it up completely with this opportunity.
‘Right.’
I raised my head.
Had I been silent too long?
Duke Carnel was looking at me with a very displeased expression.
He probably thinks I’m dazed because my heart is fluttering at the thought of meeting the Crown Prince.
“No.”
I hurriedly waved my hands.
“I absolutely wasn’t spacing out for the reason Father thinks. Father can take me to the audience without any worries. Because I….”
“‘Have given up my feelings for His Highness. I won’t chase after him anymore.’ That’s what you were going to say, right?”
I was surprised.
“How did you know? Is it that obvious that my heart has grown cold? This makes things simple.”
The moment I spoke with relief, red killing intent began to quietly ripple behind the Duke.
“Your heart has grown cold?”
“Yes. Cold as a glacier.”
“Aristina.”
My father spoke coldly to me in bewilderment.
“Don’t you think recycling the exact same scheme again after just 3 months is too lazy?”
“Recycling?”
“I thought you might have learned something from going through such a big ordeal, but here you are scheming again! I let my guard down believing you when you said you’d sorted out your feelings, but now you’re trying to make me unable to face His Highness the Crown Prince again? By the authority of the Building Owner, I command you not to say anything when you have an audience with His Highness. Everything except the words I permit you is forbidden!”
“….”
I was speechless.
I see. I already had a history of playing trap cards on Father multiple times.
That’s right. I had done all sorts of things, using any means necessary to somehow get involved with the Crown Prince.
Saying I’d graduated from unrequited love, then stabbing the people who believed those words in the back.
I probably would have used this level of scheming long ago.
‘So that’s why he won’t even let me speak.’
It was natural that Carnel Rosen and everyone else in the Dining Room were looking at me with distrustful eyes.
I understood their feelings. If someone asked you to turn your back so they could hit it, and you got beaten 10 times in a row, would you turn around for the 11th time? I absolutely wouldn’t either.
I was actually worse than them. I’d block someone immediately after being backstabbed just once. These people who had turned around 10 times were amazing.
There’s nothing I can do about it.
“Yes. Don’t trust me. I really have given up on those feelings, but just don’t trust me.”
I just said what I had to say.
“Do as you please.”
You do things your way. I’ll do things mine. I’m just going to walk my own path.
However, I will definitely show you very clearly that I am no longer the foolish villainess who had unrequited love for the Crown Prince.
‘If you can’t believe it through words, I’ll show you through actions!’
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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