The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 125

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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 125

The day of the Empress’s birthday celebration had arrived.

Luminous Hall had been open since dawn. Dozens of cartloads of spring flowers were brought in.

Luminous Hall was a building over a hundred years old, so no matter how much it was cleaned and decorated, it was difficult to create a bright atmosphere.

Unlike the luxurious main palace built of marble during the Empire’s golden age, this was an early building. The dark gray stone hardly aged or wore down.

However, the building itself constructed from it inevitably felt old and was not easy to refresh.

So the ladies preparing the banquet decided to bury the entire hall in flowers. It happened to be the season when spring flowers were blooming.

Guests began arriving from the afternoon.

The first to arrive were lower nobles who would have difficulty securing seats in the lounge, and commoners who had somehow obtained invitations.

Even the commoners weren’t of completely low status. Most were either members of noble families who had gone more than two generations without inheriting titles and were no longer listed in the noble registry, or those who had newly entered society based on self-made wealth.

Such people had a high probability of not being able to enter on time even with invitations during crowded hours. That’s why they came early.

The second to arrive were nobles with some standing.

There were two types here. First, there were those whose families were old but whose personal reputation didn’t match their lineage.

The majority of nobles fell into this category. Though they had lost political influence, society still belonged to them.

Conversely, there were also new nobles whose personal reputation was high but who didn’t yet have what could be called a family lineage.

These were mainly former government officials or those who had proven their abilities through military achievements.

Artizea grouped the intellectuals she had selected through Hazel with this group. She thought they could easily blend in since most already had acquaintances and friendships with the new nobles.

Third were the great nobles, including ducal families. These were the real power holders who controlled the Empire’s political circles. Duke Loigar and his wife also belonged here.

However, those who received the most important invitations were not the great nobles. They were the Empress’s maids and their families, those who had remained loyal friends despite her 18 years of seclusion.

Among them were some who had lost most of their titles and assets and were declining.

This was especially true of the Empress’s friends and acquaintances from her time in the southern Liagan Duchy.

Some had completely refused to enter the social circles led by the new Duke and Duchess of Liagan. In such cases, some had truly become nobles in name only.

Artizea had sought them out from the south and brought them up.

Finding people and summoning them to the capital in such a short time was no easy task.

Some had arrived just yesterday and attended the banquet without even recovering from their journey.

But they had barely managed to make it in time.

The Empress listened to news of the arriving guests in the toilette room with her maids.

She didn’t greet a single guest. Even Artizea, though a maid, wasn’t called to that place.

“Tia put a lot of thought into this.”

Sitting before the mirror to have her makeup done, the Empress said this.

The Empress only learned today which guests had been invited.

She had left it to Artizea because she disliked thinking about political matters again. She had Countess Marta supervise. After that, she only heard reports that there were no particular problems.

Countess Marta bowed her head as if honored.

“There might have been people we couldn’t find, so I couldn’t tell you in advance.”

“No. I know you did this because you wanted to make me happy.”

The Empress smiled faintly.

“A surprise party – this is the first since I married.”

“Yes.”

All the maids smiled as well.

At the thought of meeting welcome faces, a smile also appeared on the Empress’s lips.

Today was a grand banquet, so it would be difficult to meet everyone individually and catch up. But there was plenty of time.

Now it was different from 18 years ago. The Empress had long since withdrawn from politics, and her friends and acquaintances had also lost power.

She could use public opinion and even Lawrence as shields. The Emperor wouldn’t try to check or suppress her anew.

The Empress initially hadn’t been keen on such a large banquet. But she thought it would be good to humor Artizea for a day or two.

“Make me look beautiful. Make my complexion look good.”

The Empress said. The maid who was about to apply powder to her face was startled.

The Empress had worn mourning clothes all this time and had never done her makeup. Though she had decided to remove mourning clothes for the birthday celebration, they hadn’t expected her to say such a thing.

The Empress said.

“I want to show that I’ve been… living well and healthily.”

The audience wasn’t the Emperor, nor her old political enemies.

She didn’t want to strongly assert that no matter how much pain you caused me, I was fine.

She wanted to show her old friends, the retainers who had remained loyal to the end.

That I’ve been living well until now, so let’s move forward together and do even better.

The Emperor visited after the Empress had nearly finished dressing.

When the servant announced the visitor’s identity, the maids were flustered and didn’t know what to do. The Empress ordered Countess Marta to take the maids and withdraw.

The Emperor entered alone without bringing anyone. The Empress sat facing her reflection in the mirror without turning around.

She had dressed up and applied makeup for the first time in 18 years. In that time, she had aged considerably.

She no longer had any desire to appear beautiful to anyone at this point.

However, looking in the mirror after dressing up like this made her feel the passage of time, leaving her feeling empty.

The Emperor seemed to feel similar sentiments.

“Seeing you dressed up and sitting like that reminds me of old times.”

“Don’t say useless things. Only winners can speak of the past as memories. I am the loser.”

The Empress spoke dryly while looking at the Emperor through the mirror.

This was their first meeting since Artizea and Cedric’s wedding. Meeting alone in a quiet place was the first time in 18 years.

Between the Emperor’s illegitimate son who was the Empress’s adopted child, the Crown Prince, and the only daughter of the Duke of Liagan, romantic feelings had always been a secondary matter.

In their youth, they had regarded each other as trustworthy allies. Passion wasn’t necessary.

The Empress knew this too. A three-legged race couldn’t always move as one body.

Her family could oppose the Emperor. There could be political friction. She had thought there might be disputes over children’s issues.

Nevertheless, she had thought she could trust him as a spouse to spend her lifetime with.

The Empress now knew that she had been the only one thinking that way.

The Emperor smiled bitterly.

“How cold, Katrin.”

“I didn’t come out to reconcile with you.”

“I know. Tia must have some plan. You’re just playing along.”

The Emperor said.

“You couldn’t possibly accept putting another child in the Crown Prince position instead of our child, could you?”

Crack.

The Empress gripped tightly the pearl bracelet she had picked up. The pearls were damaged as they scraped against the opal set between them.

The Emperor smiled faintly and stepped closer to the Empress. However, he stopped at an appropriate distance and paced back and forth several times.

“You seemed to misunderstand that I had done such things, but I feel the same way.”

“Gregor.”

“How often I’ve lamented, wishing our child had lived.”

The Emperor said. It was a sincere voice he would never reveal to anyone else now.

However, the Empress wasn’t moved. She didn’t show any sentimental feelings about it.

The Emperor’s sincerity wasn’t trustworthy. Having once believed in the other’s sincerity and revealed her own sincerity in the past, the Empress knew this well.

The Empress said coldly.

“Don’t mention my child with that mouth. And I don’t care whether Lawrence does well or poorly. I have no intention of caring about the likes of Milaire now.”

“Katrin.”

“If I had such feelings, I would have just killed that woman.”

“Then is it because of Tia?”

The Emperor asked.

“What do you plan to do using Cedric?”

“You’re the one trying to use Cedric.”

The Empress retorted.

“Not many people remember such things now, but you disliked the Duke of Evron’s family. Not just poor Cedric’s mother, but his father too. When you keep upright people nearby, it becomes clear that you’re a worm-eaten old tree.”

“…”

“Did you think Lawrence would be different?”

The Emperor smiled bitterly.

“It’s a strange thing. I know it would be better to completely crush them.”

“But you’re anxious.”

“Haven’t I reached this age? These days when I open my eyes in the morning, my hands and feet tingle and it takes time to get out of bed. So sometimes I think like this.”

“…Gregor.”

“When urgent reports come in at night, it would take time just to get up and go receive those reports. It would take even more time to make the right judgment. And one day, I won’t be able to get up at all.”

“People can’t live forever.”

“That’s right. I can no longer turn away from that.”

The Emperor slowly moved his steps and approached the Empress.

“At this age, you see. Affection, loyalty, bloodline—all of it is meaningless. In the end, the only thing you can trust is people with proper relationships and good character. So I understand that you want to entrust the rest of your life to Cedric and his wife.”

“Entrust the Empire to trustworthy retainers, hold onto power as power, and pass inheritance to whoever you want? That’s only possible if Lawrence is a vessel capable of containing Cedric.”

The Emperor couldn’t readily answer. It was just as the Empress said. Lawrence was not such a vessel.

If he broadened his heart and embraced Evron, he wouldn’t have to worry about borders.

The value of a retainer who can be truly trusted, and the value of a retainer who can offer honest counsel without fearing for his neck—these cannot be expressed in words.

But in fact, that was something Emperor Gregor himself had failed to accomplish.

Would it be fine because they were bound by blood and marriage ties?

That too was something the Emperor had failed to accomplish. Wasn’t the Emperor himself the very person who had purged his half-sister and her husband, the Duke of Evron, on false charges?

The Empress looked back at him and chuckled.

“It’s your own doing that you have no one trustworthy left.”

“….”

“I didn’t come out of the Empress’s Palace to forgive you. Even knowing that my hatred has no power, I will hate you until I die. And there must be more than one or two people like me.”

“Katrin.”

“You can say everything is meaningless because you’re the one who earned resentment. Not someone consumed by resentment.”

The Emperor opened his mouth but couldn’t easily answer those words.

Knock knock—the sound of knocking was heard.

The Emperor let out a long breath for a moment. Then he said, “Come in.”

It was Artizea. Lawrence was behind her.

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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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