The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 124

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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 124

It had been a little over a month since Lai, who had been playing the role of a necromancer, left.

The butler said that Lai was a fraud. When he left, he scraped up every bit of money he could get his hands on.

Not only had he accepted bribes to make requests to Milaire, but he had also demanded a large sum from the butler as payment for leaving.

However, Milaire somehow didn’t feel betrayed by Lai.

If Lai had wanted to, he could have extracted much more money by claiming to perform curse-breaking rituals or making evil spirit repelling talismans. If he had been a real fraud, he would have stolen the manor’s valuables when he disappeared.

The butler said that Lai had fled, but in truth, Milaire had received a farewell from him.

He had confessed everything to Milaire.

“I’m a fraud, Madam.”

“But teacher, you created light and performed necromantic rituals…”

“That wasn’t a necromantic ritual, it was magic.”

Lai said this and even demonstrated magic for Milaire.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to make a living with my little tricks, but I couldn’t stop halfway through, and it ended up like this.”

“…”

“But Madam, there are no evil spirits. I’m just a fraud, after all. So you don’t need to be afraid. Only people can curse people.”

That’s what he said.

Milaire thought of more things she wanted to ask him the next morning, but he had already packed his things and disappeared.

The butler said he would track down and capture Lai if Milaire wanted. Milaire told him not to.

Looking back, it seemed he had pitied her more than he had wanted money. He was also one of the few men who hadn’t pounced on her despite being given the opportunity. Milaire thought he was a decent person.

However, apart from her own feelings, she was well aware that people were whispering that she had been swindled.

When Artizea returned, stories about the war situation in the Evron Duchy, the western granary project, and the Empress’s birthday celebration swept through social circles one after another, burying the rumors.

If that hadn’t happened, she would still be quite the laughingstock even now.

So Milaire looked at Hazel with unpleasant eyes.

“What exactly do you want to ask about, Young Lady? I know the rumors about me being swindled are widespread. Are you here to mock me now? How dare you?”

“I’m sorry, Madam. How could I have such intentions?”

Hazel hastily apologized. It was because courtesy had disappeared from Milaire’s sharply rising tone.

Even if Milaire’s influence wasn’t what it used to be, the fact that she was the Emperor’s most favored woman hadn’t changed.

The notion that she wasn’t what she used to be only applied to the power brokers who controlled politics. It was irrelevant to a young lady like Hazel who was at the bottom of social circles.

Although Hazel’s parents owned a newspaper, Milaire had always had a poor reputation and attracted countless gossips, so that couldn’t serve as protection for Hazel.

“I just purely want to meet that necromancer once.”

Hazel said carefully.

“Have you perhaps heard about Mielle from the Kishower family?”

“You mean that young lady who was sickly and worried her parents?”

“Yes! You know about her.”

Milaire became displeased. What she had been hoping for was news about the Empress’s birthday celebration or Artizea.

Although she saw Kishower often, they weren’t close, and she had no interest in his daughter.

Come to think of it, it seemed like Artizea had gone to visit her from time to time.

“Mielle was very sick for a while. Count Kishower didn’t tell us, but it seems he was considering the worst-case scenario.”

“And?”

“She regained consciousness on the day Her Highness the Duchess of Evron lent her the statue of Saint Olga. She’s now completely on the road to recovery.”

Milaire’s eyes twitched. She hated hearing about the statue of Saint Olga that the Empress had given as a gift. However, she was curious about Artizea’s recent situation.

With mixed feelings, Milaire listened to Hazel’s story to the end.

“They say the statue of Saint Olga has already lost its healing miracle. But according to the priest, such holy relics would still contain sacred energy even after losing their power. So… Mielle and I were thinking.”

“And?”

“We’ve had a necromantic ritual performed before. We invited that necromancer that you had welcomed as a guest, Madam. The ritual was ruined midway though. I was wondering if perhaps Mielle became sick because of that… So maybe she recovered just by having the statue of Saint Olga nearby.”

The priest said that sacred energy was actually residing in Mielle’s body. The temple announced with great joy that even though the healing power had disappeared from the statue of Saint Olga, powerful divine protection undoubtedly remained.

These days, Mielle’s room was filled not only with flowers for sick visits but also with flowers sent to be offered to the saint’s statue on people’s behalf.

Stopping mid-sentence, Hazel laughed as if she found herself ridiculous.

She couldn’t tell her parents. They would certainly scold her for believing in such foolish superstitions.

So Hazel consulted with Artizea. She believed that she would be able to give wise advice.

When talking with Artizea, Hazel often felt as if she wasn’t conversing with a girl her own age, but rather being educated by a mother or some other wise noblewoman.

“If that were the case, I’d feel terribly regretful. Mielle says it was something she was curious about too and did together, but if I hadn’t insisted, she wouldn’t have been interested.”

“Do you believe in necromancy, Princess Hazel?”

“No. I mean, it’s strange for me to say this while being anxious, but I’ve never believed in such things. It’s impossible to summon the souls of the dead to make prophecies or influence the future.”

“I see.”

“But Mielle is so frail that she might have been affected by bad energy, and so she was sick until the protection of the saint’s statue came near and she got better. Ah, yes, I think I do believe it somewhat.”

Hazel was surprised by this new discovery.

“Then verify it.”

“Verify?”

“There must be a reason why you came to think ‘what if,’ right?”

Artizea said gently.

“If you meet that necromancer and verify it, you’ll know for certain whether that reason has basis or if it’s just idle imagination.”

“But…”

Hazel still hesitated.

“If you pay him a reasonable amount, he’ll probably tell you the truth properly. It’s already become difficult for him to operate in the capital anymore.”

“It’s probably a fraud anyway, whether I meet him or not.”

“Didn’t you once write an article about that necromancer before, Young Lady?”

“Ah, yes. Though the Belmond magazine ultimately didn’t publish it.”

Hazel had written an article but hadn’t completed it properly. So she couldn’t even get it published in Yellow Belmond and had submitted it to a very small gossip magazine.

She hadn’t thought that Artizea would know about this.

“Since you’re investigating anyway, think of it as researching for a follow-up article and investigate properly.”

“A follow-up article?”

“I mean investigate thoroughly enough to write one. If you can expose all the tricks, that would be good, and even if not, just revealing evidence of whether it’s fraud or not would satisfy many people’s curiosity.”

That’s what Artizea said.

“I think that approach would also help you find peace of mind. You want to be certain that Princess Mielle’s illness had nothing to do with that incident, don’t you.”

So that’s why Hazel had come to this place.

It would be best if Milaire knew the necromancer’s whereabouts.

Even if not, she might know something that could be helpful. After all, she had kept him around the longest.

Hazel didn’t notice at all, but this was the reason why Artizea had originally called Hazel close and kept her nearby.

She had been planning this since she learned that Hazel had written an article about the necromancer.

She intended to guide her to visit Milaire like this. Through this, she wanted to make Milaire recall once more what Lai had said.

It was a coincidence that Mielle’s situation arose and Hazel sought her opinion first. Thanks to that, the situation became even more natural.

Milaire’s face slightly contorted. It couldn’t be pleasant to admit with her own mouth that she had been swindled.

“He… wasn’t a necromancer.”

“Then what was that glowing magic? You saw it too, didn’t you, Madam?”

“He said that was magic.”

Milaire said with a cold attitude.

“I don’t know where he went either. I didn’t even ask them to find out. Is that all you came for, Young Lady?”

“Yes. But…”

Hazel had more questions, but Milaire waved her hand dismissively.

“Then that’s enough. Go find out somewhere else.”

Milaire spat out in a quick tone and stood up from her seat.

Hazel followed and stood up.

Milaire left the drawing room without even looking at her.

She had expected to hear something that would improve her mood, but there was no such element at all.

The butler followed and asked.

“Shall I send the Young Lady away?”

“Tell her to go home. And…”

“Yes.”

Milaire stared at the butler waiting for orders for a moment, then spat out.

“Never mind.”

What would improve by trampling Emily’s dress shop or being spiteful to Hazel?

The willpower that had briefly surged dried up again, leaving her head aching so severely it felt torn to its depths.

Milaire was dragging her legs toward the bedroom when she recalled Lai’s words once more.

“Souls have no power to curse people, Madam. It is people who curse people.”

Lai was not a necromancer. So there was no guarantee that what he said about souls was correct.

But for some reason, Milaire found those words believable. It seemed like people, not evil spirits, were cursing her.

‘Me too?’

Couldn’t I curse as well?

“Anyone can use magic if they know the method. You write what you desire in blood and pour life force into it. Magic cast with blood alone only shines briefly like this, though.”

However, he had said nothing was impossible if you offered a person as sacrifice.

Milaire stared blankly down at her own hands. A sudden thought seized her mind.

Couldn’t she curse the Empress with magic?

The Empress just needed to disappear. Then everything would return to how it was.

It would only be difficult, not impossible.

Instinctive revulsion and fear arose. But she had already crossed the line once before.

Compared to that, something like a curse was nothing at all.

Who would believe it? That someone was killed by a curse.

All she needed was ancient language to write the content accurately, and a sacrifice.

And the House of Rosan was an old family. Among the books collected in the study, several remained written in ancient language.

She remembered how Artizea used to bring dusty, musty-smelling books, saying she had become able to read them.

It would be good if there were sentences she could copy, and even if not, they could serve as reference.

After all, she couldn’t exactly obtain sentences cursing the Empress word-for-word from anywhere.

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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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