The Villainess is a Millionaire Solver - Chapter 6

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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 6

He spoke as if he had burst into great laughter, but in reality, he had just chuckled softly.

Tsk tsk. How dry and humorless must one’s life be to act like that? While I was thinking this, the mercenary opened his mouth again.

“Right. Well, I get the gist of it. I was wondering what crazy stunt you were pulling, but it’s to appeal to the leader of this place…”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“If that’s sincere, even God might overlook it just once. Fine. I’ll give up the bounty and pretend I didn’t see anything. I’m curious what story would interest the entire nation anyway.”

His black eyes under the hood turned toward me again. The magic’s power would hide my identity. Even knowing that, my heart trembled a little.

“You’ll soon learn that I never lied. Even if we happen to meet again then…”

“No. We’ll absolutely never meet again.”

The mercenary spoke curtly and turned around. I was going to tell him he didn’t need to fear my retaliation, but he drew a sharp line first on his own.

“You’re really leaving this time, right?”

“I always keep my promises.”

He walked steadily into the darkness. Just as he had appeared suddenly, he vanished suddenly again in an instant.

What a strange person.

I stood for a moment, searching my memory. Was there a character with severe burn scars in the story? I couldn’t remember.

‘Whatever. He said we’ll never see each other again anyway.’

I shrugged my shoulders and turned back toward the flower garden.

Anyway, the obstacle was gone.

Before anything else could happen, I quickly plucked the flower I couldn’t pick earlier.

‘Done!’

What followed was swift and efficient. There was the option of standing there and waiting quietly until someone discovered me, but it’s always better to be quick about everything.

To promptly inform the Holy Order people of my crime, I directly rang the bell to call people.

Clang, clang, clang!

The noisy bell sound echoed through the sacred and quiet sanctuary.

“Who’s there!”

“It’s an intruder!”

People came running from the direction where the Order’s main hall was located.

Cloaks fluttering in the moonlight and white armor glowing softly. They were the Empire’s Holy Knights.

They arrived at the scene in an instant and hesitated.

“…?”

I understand. There had never been a more cooperative criminal than this before.

I stood in a bright spot for easy identification, pulling back my hood completely and revealing my face clearly.

Of course, I was also conspicuously holding up the amaranthia flower, the evidence of my crime.

“Come on, everyone, hurry up and arrest me. I have no right to remain silent, everything I say will definitely be used as evidence against me, and I have no right to legal counsel either.”

The Holy Knights were dumbfounded and gaped.

“Aristina Rosen Noble? You should have been under house arrest for attempted poisoning, how did you escape?”

“And why on earth did you pluck the amaranthia flower again?”

“My lady! If you do this, the Order will have no choice but to refer you to the Sacred Tribunal!”

That’s right. Well done. Good job. Go Holy Knights!

“This is terrible. But it can’t be helped.”

I tried to suppress my rising smile and cooperated by raising both arms high for them to bind me easily.

“Oh, knights. I have one favor to ask you to pass along. Please make sure to call Serene Hyperion as my jury member.”

“She must have gone mad from the confinement. Making such a disadvantageous request.”

“Hey! The more disadvantageous it is for me, the better it is for you, right? Please take care of it.”

Saying that, I took the lead and walked toward the detention center.

* * *

“Silence! Please be silent!”

Even when the Holy Knights shouted, it was only momentary. The murmuring noise in the courtroom wouldn’t subside easily.

“Look at that shameless face! This is really unprecedented, absolutely unprecedented! Not satisfied with going to the guillotine for attempted poisoning, she had to escape without permission and add another crime?”

“No, I really don’t understand why she did such a thing? Since she’s going to die anyway, did she want to go out with a spectacular self-destruction to be remembered in history?”

“There’s an interpretation that she thought she was being clever. Criminals of the Order can’t leave the sanctuary before paying for their crimes. She was trying to drag this out and delay the guillotine execution as much as possible to flee overseas in the meantime.”

“It was a stupid move. The Lacroix Faction flew into a rage as soon as they heard this news, postponed everything, and immediately held the Sacred Tribunal. The Imperial Court was willing to wait for the criminal to repent and confess, but they said they couldn’t grant any more delays. She fell into her own trap!”

Hushed voices could be heard from all directions.

‘Why on earth am I in this maddening chaos?’

Duke Canel made such a face as he crushed his innocent fountain pen.

At the very moment Aristina was being dragged away by the Holy Knights, he had picked up a letter from the roadside next to the main building. On the envelope was written:

【Do not read under any circumstances】.

“Hmm?”

It was clearly his daughter’s handwriting, so wondering what trouble she was planning now, he tore it open.

The first line he saw read:

You opened it, didn’t you, Father? I thought you would read it if I did this…

“No way!”

Duke Canel’s pale hands trembled violently.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

…You must be astounded, but in the long run, this is all to save our family, so hold your heart tight. By the time Father reads this letter, I’ll be detained by the Holy Order on charges of unauthorized collection of sacred objects…

“What’s going on?”

In the shock that made his vision spin, he dropped the letter. The fluttering letter paper seemed to fall in slow motion.

…But I’m your only daughter, so you’ll come to the trial, right? I’ll show you properly.

“Insane talk!”

The Duke left those words and collapsed. That definitely happened, but…

‘This is strange?’

When he came to his senses, he was here in the courtroom like this.

Why did I come? It’s not like paternal love is suddenly sprouting again at this point.

‘Maybe it’s because of that.’

The Duke glanced at the defendant’s seat.

He saw his daughter sitting alone without even a lawyer.

Even though countless people were gossiping, instead of throwing a tantrum and telling them to ‘shut up!’, her attitude was that she wasn’t intimidated at all by whatever they said.

She was wearing modest clothes due to her disguise, but she looked more confident than ever. The letter was also full of that same defiant attitude.

‘Where on earth does that groundless confidence come from?’

Duke Canel found this strangely bothering him.

While he was staring intently at his daughter, the priest in charge of the trial proceedings shouted.

“Jury entrance!”

‘I can hear everything. I can hear it all. Really, everyone loves gossip too much.’

So was I annoyed? Not at all.

‘Gossip is a good source of information.’

People were bringing up every detail from the past to criticize Aristina. Like diligent and sincere historians.

‘The future of Imperial history looks really bright.’

I sat calmly pretending not to hear anything, while turning my frequency to maximum and diligently collecting information. Then I snapped to attention at the priest’s voice.

“Jury entrance!”

Nobles entered through the wide-open courtroom doors.

I heard that to become a jury member for the Sacred Tribunal, one had to be a devout believer who donated large amounts annually.

Among them, these were so-called VIPs – duke couples, retired high officials, and such.

People of lower status than the defendant weren’t qualified to be jury members, or something like that?

“We swear before God to engage in fair voting.”

The VIP jury members sat down while glaring at me with eyes mixed with disgust and contempt. And finally, one person walked in slowly.

The spectators who had been staring intently at the jury procession shouted in unison.

“It’s Princess Hyperion!”

“She really showed up!”

I looked in that direction.

Serene Hyperion.

Long, beautiful black hair, blue eyes cast downward, a white and calm face. She looked gentle but wore an expensive dress, with jewelry placed precisely where it would have the most impact—the very personification of ‘pure and sophisticated.’

‘The idol of the elderly. The Empire’s ideal daughter-in-law. Something like that.’

This was the first time Serene had appeared in public since the attempted poisoning incident.

She was already beloved by everyone, but today she exuded a pitiful and melancholic atmosphere that had the spectators’ hearts already going wild with sympathy.

Sure enough…

“I swear before God to conduct myself fairly in jury voting.”

The moment Serene, who had parted ways with her attending physician and was walking alone to the jury box, flinched upon seeing me and averted her gaze, the gallery nearly erupted into chaos.

“Burn that villainess at the stake right now!”

“Order in the court!”

Amid the commotion, self-proclaimed analysts chattered away.

“No matter how much they wanted to create buzz, bringing Serene here was a stupid move.”

Was that really the case?

I placed my hand over the inner pocket of my skirt. The ring was, of course, safely tucked away there.

‘What expression will Serene make when I take this out?’

My fate hung on that moment.

People believed without doubt that I was the one lying, but in reality, it was Serene who had lied.

If I dug into that part, something would come to light. I was confident of that.

‘Just what are you hiding, Serene?’

In the original story, Serene Hyperion was a good and righteous character. But what if she was actually the mastermind? Well, that could be possible…

I was lost in such thoughts when—

“All rise!”

The priest presiding over the trial shouted once again. The quiet murmuring stopped immediately, and a silence so complete that even breathing couldn’t be heard descended upon us.

‘Finally…’

Though I had maintained my composure up until now, at this moment I couldn’t help but feel my heart pounding.

The person who held my lifeline was about to make their entrance.

“Your Highness!”

As the Holy Knights in the front row bowed their heads in unison, someone strode boldly into the courtroom.

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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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