The Villainess is on a Quest - Chapter 35

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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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Chapter 34
‘Of course it’s improved considerably from the beginning.’
Still, there were many details that needed further refinement.
Emilia sighed, rationalizing that if she didn’t fix these irritating spots, they would haunt her even in her dreams.
‘And I still need to finish the Dress.’
When Emilia first saw the dress, she had been appalled.
Men lacked attention to detail. No matter how beautiful a dress might be, it only achieved true perfection when tailored to suit its wearer and the occasion.
So she had altered it herself, and now only one final addition remained for completion.
‘The Imperial House’s treasure—if I just add this Poseidon’s Tear, it will be finished.’
Poseidon’s Tear: a treasure passed down through generations within the Imperial House alone.
When she’d decided to take it, she had briefly hesitated about whether it was truly necessary to go this far, but she had compromised with herself.
After all, it was for her nephew Cled’s sake—to ensure he wouldn’t be humiliated.
“Madam. We’ve arrived.”
“Very well. I understand.”
Yet there was a threat Emilia had not foreseen.
‘At last, I’ve infiltrated the Chesher Estate.’
One of the servants was actually a person from Retaria in disguise.
* * *
“Congratulations. Your level is now at a passing standard.”
“Haah, haah.”
Emilia spoke boldly to Aine, who lay collapsed on the floor with her strength completely exhausted.
At this level, even those arrogant Imperial aristocrats would find it difficult to find fault with her.
Aine, trusting that if Emilia would acknowledge it, then it must be so, felt reassured.
At least she seemed likely to pass through the Flower of the Banquet Hall Quest without incident.
“It’s already tomorrow. Do you think all the other preparations are complete?”
“Yes. I’ve memorized every single Imperial aristocrat without exception.”
Much like the social circles of the Orion Kingdom, the Empire’s social scene also required one to memorize as much information as possible about one’s counterparts before attending.
It was a society where ignorance about one’s partner was considered the gravest discourtesy.
So Cled and Emilia had provided Aine with comprehensive information about the Imperial nobility.
Though at first, Emilia had been hesitant.
“It’s wise to memorize every detail without missing a single word in such gatherings, but I doubt whether it’s right to have you—practically an enemy—memorize all this.”
It was a reasonable concern: what if this information later came back to haunt them like a boomerang?
But Aine could make a promise to Emilia, who had stepped forward to help her.
“Please don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I have no intention of doing anything that would be a threat to the Empire or the Imperial House.”
For now, they were in the same boat, after all.
Emilia, staring into Aine’s ash-grey eyes, let out a sigh.
Emilia still harbored reservations about revealing Aine to the world.
It was convention for all members of the Imperial family save the Emperor to distance themselves from politics, yet they could not close both eyes and plug both ears.
Remembering the recent rapid rise of Retaria among the aristocratic classes, it would be better to keep Aine’s existence hidden until the very end.
Those who learned of Aine’s existence would not remain silent—they would surely take action that would set the world ablaze.
In that sense, it seemed better to handle the conflict quietly among those capable of handling practical matters.
‘But if this is your wish.’
Still, Emilia always respected Odin’s intentions.
Convinced that if Odin—who always made the best choices—proposed this, there must surely be a reason behind it, Emilia decided to help him.
‘And besides, this side of her is entirely new to me.’
While lost in thought, Aine took Emilia’s hand.
Startled, Emilia tried to pull her hand away, but Aine smiled and spoke to her.
“I wanted to thank the Duchess for working on the Dress for me.”
With the distance suddenly closed, Aine’s face filled Emilia’s entire field of vision.
Though she had viewed her unfavorably until now because of preconceived notions, examining Aine’s face more carefully, she found it extraordinarily beautiful.
She understood now why she was called a goddess even in the Empire, an enemy nation.
“Hmph. There’s no need to thank me. I simply disliked the reputation that the Imperial House’s tailoring was subpar.”
Wishing to maintain distance from her, Emilia tried to keep up her usual obstinate demeanor.
She thought that if she continued to ignore Aine, the other woman’s pride would eventually be wounded, and she would stop drawing close like this.
“Still, if you hadn’t helped me, I would have stood before everyone in clothes that didn’t suit me.”
“If you looked ridiculous, my nephew would have been mocked right alongside you.”
“Regardless of your reasons, the fact that you helped me doesn’t change.”
But Aine maintained her composure throughout. The more Emilia saw that unflappable composure, the more she felt a sense of loss.
‘Why must she be from the Orion Kingdom, and of all things, the Commander of the Kingdom Army.’
Even as the thought crossed her mind that she could have treasured her had she at least been an ordinary noble, Emilia shook her head.
“The Duchess?”
“I had always intended to give this jewel as a gift to whoever would someday become my personal disciple.”
Emilia withdrew Poseidon’s Tear from her pocket—the gem she had been hesitant about bringing all this time—and held it out before Aine.
What made Poseidon’s Tear special was that even at night it shone with a soft, luminous beauty like the glow of a chandelier’s flames.
“I would be pleased if you would accept it.”
“Your Grace. I cannot accept this.”
Aine refused outright. She had just admitted from her own lips that it was meant to pass to her personal disciple.
How could she—who had only ever received help—possibly accept such a thing?
The dress Emilia had prepared for her alone ranked among the finest five she had ever seen in her entire life.
But Emilia, just as Aine had done moments before, seized her hand and pressed Poseidon’s Tear into it.
“As I said, this is your first appearance before the Empire’s nobility. And I have always given gifts like this to the students I’ve taught.”
“Your Grace.”
“There are no exceptions to that rule.”
Aine looked at Poseidon’s Tear that Emilia had extended to her.
It hardly seemed like an ordinary gift to give away at a glance, and Aine herself knew full well how precious a jewel Poseidon’s Tear truly was.
While Aine, watching Emilia’s unyielding resolve, pondered how to refuse, her gaze suddenly shifted to empty air.
[SYSTEM : Danger]
A system window bearing the word “warning” appeared. She had seen it countless times by now and grown weary of it, but this moment left her no choice but to tense.
“Commander?”
This was not a battlefield—it was the Chesher Estate. There was no reason for a status window announcing danger to appear here.
Aine calmly checked her thigh.
A dagger lay hidden there, prepared for emergencies.
“Your Grace. Hide yourself—anywhere will do.”
“Why? What on earth could be…?”
“So that’s where you’ve been hiding! Well, well, well!”
Emilia did not finish her sentence. In this space, there were only the two of them.
An unfamiliar voice echoed through the silence—a place where no one else’s voice should ever be heard.
Aine scanned the surroundings. On the second floor with the entrance now blocked, there was nowhere to escape. Emilia, too, appeared frozen.
‘There won’t be many of them.’
As she surveyed the Chesher Estate, what struck Aine was how vigilantly it was guarded.
Even if someone could slip through without the faintest trace being detected, only a handful could manage it in such a thoroughly secured place.
“C-Commander!”
“Hide yourself. Whoever this is wants me, not you.”
Aine sent Emilia into a corner, certain of this much. She felt a twinge about speaking so roughly to someone of royal blood, but being disliked later was a price worth paying.
For now, hiding Emilia came first.
“Quite the unexpected windfall. I had infiltrated only to observe the Prince’s movements, yet here you are in this very place!”
The moment Aine pushed Emilia away, the door burst open to reveal a figure in dark clothes wielding a blood-stained blade.
He kept his gaze fixed solely on Aine.
“Tell me what you want.”
“What I want? As if you’d grant it if I asked?”
“At least I’ll consider it.”
There was no point in attempting negotiation. Yet Aine tried to drag out the conversation as long as possible, clinging to the hope that someone in the estate might have noticed something.
“What I desire is your life!”

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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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