The Villainess is on a Quest - Chapter 63

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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 62
Ever since Theo found Aine, his sister had told him that his life had turned one hundred eighty degrees around.
He had been living a peaceful existence in a quiet rural area, and suddenly he found himself sitting in the position of fourth rank in the Health Ministry.
In an official system composed of the 10-Rank Bureaucratic System, to suddenly begin at fourth rank meant the eyes of those around him were anything but kind.
People whispered that some nobody from the Orion Kingdom could possibly know anything, and he endured their envy, jealousy, and obstruction with grace, accepting every word they threw at him.
‘To them, there’s no way this could ever seem normal.’
From the moment he had decided to accept this position, Theo regarded it all as only natural.
Of course, there were those who tried to draw close to him, knowing he had come through Kleid’s recommendation, but many who had seen insults hurled his way without consequence had grown disillusioned and drifted away.
“The cities are important, but we must also solidify the medical system in the rural countryside.”
“Is there any real reason to concern ourselves with that? Let’s focus on the cities first, and then….”
“Are they not citizens of the empire? There are countless cases where people lose their lives to conditions that could be cured with simple treatment, merely due to ignorance. Do not forget that each and every one of them is a precious citizen of the empire. Life has no hierarchy.”
Theo actually found solace in the indifference and focused entirely on carrying out the work he had set out to do.
“We must implement regular retraining for rural practitioners once a year. We need to actively inform them which treatments have been deemed inappropriate and which medicines have become problematic due to severe side effects.”
He believed that in order not to bring disgrace upon Aine, he had to perform his role quickly and competently.
It was around the time those evaluations began to shift gradually.
“D-Director, sir, I greet you.”
“Director. If you wouldn’t mind, would you perhaps be able to visit our home next time? I would like to offer you dinner.”
The gaze of those who had looked upon him with displeasure changed dramatically.
And it was precisely after Aine’s welcome banquet. Everyone had learned.
That Odin was welcoming Aine, that Kleid cherished her deeply, and finally, just how much influence Aine wielded within the Imperial Family.
“Please forgive the rudeness I committed before!”
The sudden reversal in their attitudes left him bewildered, and he tasted something bitter on his tongue, yet Theo let it pass, thinking what was good was good enough.
Just as he was kindling his resolve to focus entirely on his work from now on, strange words suddenly came pouring down upon him.
“Director Kleid. If I’m not mistaken, wouldn’t you be interested in meeting my younger sister?”
“Hehe, well, you know there’s those of high standing and those of low standing! Ahem, Director, my niece’s appearance is quite beautiful. If you wouldn’t mind….”
“Wait. Why are all of you doing this?”
It was far from the first time such remarks had been made. His desk was already piled with letters from other families asking if he wouldn’t be interested in meeting their daughters.
The sudden proposals to meet with women bewildered him. He could not understand why they would make such suggestions.
The reason being that he had made no secret of the fact that he was married, and as proof, he always wore a Wedding Ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
Hearing this, they smiled with a look of inexplicable meaning and said:
“Before, you had no choice but to marry a commoner, but now aren’t you the brother-in-law of the Imperial Prince? Someone of your standing certainly cannot remain with a commoner.”
“That’s right. A person of noble blood such as yourself could never do such a thing! Haha!”
Was this what it meant for one’s blood to run cold? Theo furrowed his brow and made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
He fixed those laughing and chattering before him with a sharp gaze. Several of them noticed his discomfort and drew back.
But a considerable number of those lacking perception continued to snicker, showing no sign of stopping their contempt and belittlement of commoners.
“Get out of my office immediately!”
Finally unable to contain himself, Theo shouted.
Those who had first widened their eyes in shock now seemed to grasp the state of Theo’s mood and their expressions hardened.
They looked at Theo’s furrowed face and attempted to say something, but none of it reached his ears.
Seeing that they would not leave despite being told to do so, it was Theo himself who left the room first.
* * *
“So you’ve been receiving such proposals too, it seems.”
His destination was the Chester Mansion where Aine was staying.
Though deeply indignant, Theo did not wish to display his feelings to Aine and so contained his emotions.
But the perceptive Aine quickly discerned what state of mind he was in.
“From the way you say ‘too,’ it seems you knew of this beforehand, Sister?”
“Yes. The moment you took the position of director of the Health Ministry, letters came right away to the Chester Mansion.”
Aine, with no intention of concealing anything, revealed all the letters that had come her way.
The letters contained the names of all manner of people.
Names of those who held positions of prominence in the empire began with the War Ministry official, extending to the Prime Minister, the director of the Interior Ministry, and the director of the Foreign Ministry.
Seeing these names, Theo furrowed his brow.
“They probably think you owe them a debt now and are planning to abandon your wife.”
Theo, no longer having the strength to be angry, exhaled like a deflated balloon and sank into a chair.
Part of him wished to throw all these letters into the fireplace and set them ablaze.
But what he needed to focus on most right now was his wife, Lia.
“She must already know.”
“Everywhere you go, it’s nothing but talk of you and me. She likely knows.”
“My wife is currently pregnant. If she comes under stress, in the worst case she could miscarry or suffer a loss of health. Sister.”
His pregnant wife had left even her cherished, longed-for homeland behind, following only him, trusting only him.
A beautiful woman who had loved and cherished him when he had nothing and was of little worth.
How could anyone be so cruel and base as to abandon such a woman? If she had not existed, he would not exist now either.
Yet now, all the people in the world were only waiting for the day he would cast her aside.
“Why not just run away as you are?”
Aine asked, watching Theo. She suggested he flee—and he admitted the proposal was tempting enough to give him pause.
It might have been the easiest path. To vanish entirely from the world’s gaze and live quietly was something he had always longed for.
But Theo shook his head.
“Running is no solution. I cannot spend my life in flight forever, and I have sworn to God that I will not abandon my sister and flee alone. That is why I stand here today.”
This was something he had continued to tell himself, again and again, before coming to find Aine.
How much regret had he felt the last time he fled, and how deeply disappointed he had been in himself.
By the time he wanted to turn back and meet her again, it was already too late—he had neither the courage nor the dignity to seek her out.
But now things were different. From the moment he encountered Aine, Theo had steeled his resolve.
“You’ve always spoken sharp truths, but even so, I’ve always been proud of you. Theo.”
She gave her younger brother’s cheek a gentle pinch—his mind had grown deeper as he matured—and then Aine ran her fingers through his hair.
Theo harbored no resentment at the way she treated him as she might a child.
“If you had chosen to run again, I would have helped you as your sister, though I would have been somewhat disappointed. But I couldn’t have blamed you either. As I said before, all eyes are upon us both right now—it’s a burdensome situation.”
The place where we stand is not the Orion Kingdom.
A single misstep, one wrong move, could cost us everything.
Even knowing this, she praised his courage in refusing to retreat, and spoke to Theo.
“Don’t concern yourself with the eyes of others. You look only to your wife. I will see to the rest.”
“May I ask what you intend to do?”
“The Second Prince’s Consort has been a persistent nuisance to me. I’ll resolve that matter and your problem as well, so leave it to me.”
Her gaze was fixed not on Theo, but on the letter she had written.
“I think you’ll be quite surprised.”

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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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