The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 144

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 144

 

The doctor was flustered by Artizea’s brief words.

 

He had thought she would naturally be delighted about the pregnancy.

 

Or perhaps she might be confused. He had also thought she might feel sorrowful, given that she was pregnant at such a young age, had no proper family to rely on, and the current situation being what it was.

 

He had even thought earnestly about how to comfort her in that case.

 

Though she had a weak constitution, he had planned to reassure her that with proper care from now on, she could give birth healthily.

 

However, Artizea showed none of the expressions the doctor had anticipated.

 

Her face, cold as if wearing a mask of ice, showed none of the natural reactions a sick person should display.

 

“Leave.”

 

Artizea spoke again.

 

The doctor could not dare hesitate any longer. He couldn’t even discuss meals or medical treatment.

 

So he bowed respectfully and backed out of the room.

 

Click.

 

The door closed.

 

As if she had been waiting, Artizea’s body began to tremble. Though her expression remained suppressed, she couldn’t contain all her emotions.

 

Alice pressed Artizea’s shoulders back against the cushions. She was worried that Artizea might try to get up and collapse again.

 

“It’s alright, Miss.”

 

“I need to get an abortion drug, Alice.”

 

Artizea whispered in a voice so small it could barely be heard. Her hand gripping Alice’s wrist trembled like an aspen leaf.

 

“Lai would know an apothecary. Oh, Lai isn’t here. Then through another route…”

 

“No, Miss!”

 

Alice said firmly.

 

“The doctor said so too. This baby came with difficulty. There might not be a second chance!”

 

“B-but…”

 

Artizea looked up at Alice with a terrified face. Tears streamed down from her blue eyes.

 

“How can someone like me become a mother?”

 

“You can do it, it’s alright. The doctor said you can give birth healthily.”

 

“No, I can’t. I, you, you know, Alice. You know how I grew up.”

 

Artizea spoke in a trembling, stammering voice.

 

“I don’t know what a proper mother is.”

 

“No one knows what being a mother means from the moment they give birth to their first child.”

 

“B-but this is likely to be passed down.”

 

“Then just don’t do that. You don’t dislike the baby, do you?”

 

At Alice’s question, Artizea’s body trembled with a start.

 

She had never thought about it. Having never considered such a possibility in her entire life, Artizea couldn’t imagine herself raising a child at all. She had never thought about whether she liked or disliked it.

 

“I’m not a complete person. You know that too, don’t you?”

 

Someday that flaw would inevitably surface somewhere.

 

Artizea knew that she didn’t know how to love properly.

 

With adults, it was still manageable. If she was abandoned, that would be the end of it.

 

But with her own child, it would be different.

 

She had no confidence that she could be a different mother than Milaire. Even Milaire hadn’t given birth to her out of hatred or a desire to beat her. She had the heart to love.

 

It was just that in front of Artizea, she herself became uncontrollable.

 

How could Artizea guarantee that she wouldn’t be the same?

 

Artizea also knew that she could become much more cold-hearted and cruel than Milaire.

 

“I’ll surely ruin the child completely. It would be better if they weren’t born at all…”

 

“I’ll raise them!”

 

Alice shouted loudly.

 

Artizea looked at her in surprise. Alice hugged her tightly.

 

“I’ll raise them. If you’re not confident, Miss, I’ll raise them instead.”

 

“B-but…”

 

“I’m not very educated, and my family wasn’t particularly harmonious or anything like that…”

 

“Alice…”

 

“But I can still raise them. You know I raised my youngest sibling, don’t you?”

 

At Alice’s words while making eye contact, Artizea nodded blankly.

 

“I can’t make the baby noble or raise them to be as smart as you, Miss, but I can love them. Sophie is here too.”

 

“But…”

 

“Marcus will be able to help well with teaching.”

 

Light returned to Artizea’s eyes.

 

But the trembling didn’t stop. Crying leaked from her throat like a painful scream.

 

“Still, still, what if they resemble me? What if they resemble Mother? What if they resemble my brother?”

 

“What’s wrong with resembling you, Miss? And it’s not just your child alone!”

 

“That’s exactly why I can’t let them be born as the child of such a woman…!”

 

Artizea spoke desperately.

 

At that time, Cedric was at the Prime Minister’s residence.

 

Though he wanted to be by Artizea’s side, there was too much work to do.

 

Today too, there had been meetings with the Department of Justice and Department of Internal Affairs from early morning.

 

Having hardly been involved in domestic affairs until now, suddenly interfering in the name of being imperial family made coordination quite challenging.

 

If he hadn’t already become acquainted with them during the Baron Itz incident last year, it would have taken much longer.

 

And after that was finished, he had come to have tea, accepting Prime Minister Lin’s request.

 

A servant respectfully set tea on the table.

 

Cedric took the long-necked glass and moved to the window. The cold tea was welcome.

 

“Please don’t think me rude, Prime Minister. I’ve been sitting all morning and feel restless.”

 

“That’s understandable. Both the Department of Justice and Department of Internal Affairs are passive, so you must be frustrated.”

 

“I was prepared for it. In reality, it’s impossible to eradicate human trafficking with short-term military deployment.”

 

“Failure becomes responsibility, and bureaucrats tend to avoid responsibility.”

 

Prime Minister Lin said so.

 

As the head of those bureaucrats, he felt responsible, but he also wanted to inform Cedric of the difficulties of capital politics.

 

“It would have been more difficult if His Majesty hadn’t issued the imperial decree.”

 

“Fortunately, that imperial decree is now in my hands. If it’s not to be neglected forever, it must begin sometime.”

 

Cedric continued.

 

“Now is the most opportune time, when His Majesty wishes to avoid the criticism you would receive while weakening the punishment of the Grand Duchess of Rosan.”

 

The majority of citizens, wrapped in fear of being implicated in treason, held their breath and watched the situation unfold.

 

But not everyone had forgotten their courage.

 

Small protests were held, with people angry about the violence against a weak pregnant woman, blaming themselves for trusting such a person, and conversely criticizing the temple.

 

Conversely, there were also many who were angry at Cedric and still trusted Archbishop Akim. There were those who thought treason was just an excuse and that the Emperor had finally moved the army to protect Milaire.

 

The army suppressed both sides.

 

Nevertheless, right and wrong did not change.

 

People who hadn’t forgotten the essence of the incident quietly gathered in front of the Department of Justice.

 

This happened after they learned that Milaire’s trial would be divided into a heresy trial and a criminal trial.

 

Cedric felt the need to answer them.

 

So yesterday afternoon, he went before the protesters. Without his glittering insignia, without his cloak, and without even the simple armor he always wore except when entering the Imperial Palace.

 

“The trial will be fair. The judges will provide grounds for all verdicts, and there will be no unjust leniency.”

 

Cedric made a concise promise.

 

“Both those who buy and sell people will be punished. Assets will be confiscated and used to protect victims. Children who lost their parents will return to their parents’ embrace, and children sold by their parents will receive proper protection instead of being returned to their parents to be sold again.”

 

Then Cedric respectfully knelt on one knee.

 

“I will leave a righteous world to the children. I promise in the name of the Imperial Family and Evron.”

 

Everyone could understand that Cedric’s own child was included in the ‘children’ he spoke of.

 

Prime Minister Lin thought he would never forget that moment for a long time.

 

In the Empire’s long history, it wasn’t that no member of the Imperial Family had ever knelt before the people.

 

However, this was the first time someone had made a vow regarding the future.

 

Prime Minister Lin spoke.

 

“This was certainly not a wise choice.”

 

“Prime Minister.”

 

“Given the issue with Her Highness the Prince’s Consort, it would have been difficult for you to stay completely uninvolved. But you didn’t need to step so far into the forefront. If anything goes even slightly wrong, all the criticism will pour down on Your Highness.”

 

Prime Minister Lin said this out of concern.

 

“Being praised by everyone means you’ve done nothing at all. I understand that now.”

 

Cedric answered while slightly pulling back the curtain at the window.

 

There were still citizens who hadn’t dispersed.

 

But now they were quite different from the previous crowd. They had gathered not to protest, but to watch over.

 

Cedric didn’t order them to be forcibly dispersed. Instead, he deployed part of the Central Army to protect them from clashing with the law enforcement.

 

The officials seemed to be under considerable pressure from this.

 

Cedric spoke quietly.

 

“In the end, I can only push forward in the way I believe is right. I can only hope that this will help more people understand.”

 

“Public opinion aside, what do you plan to do about His Majesty? Right now, he’s staying silent because we need to handle the matter of Marquess Rosan’s wife, but once everything is resolved and forgotten, he’ll suddenly remember and find fault.”

 

“That too is unavoidable.”

 

Cedric said.

 

Prime Minister Lin sighed and said.

 

“You’ve made up your mind firmly.”

 

“You keep trying to dissuade me. I heard that you yourself became an official with the resolve to immerse yourself in disgrace, Prime Minister.”

 

“In my youth, I did have such determination.”

 

Prime Minister Lin said.

 

“Someone like me doesn’t matter. I’m already a failed official.”

 

“You’re being modest.”

 

“I chose to hold my breath and compromise under His Majesty. But Your Highness the Prince is in a different position from both a mere subject like me and Duke Loigar. Unlike support from social circles or the upper class, military support will be a psychological threat to His Majesty.”

 

When Duke Loigar first began building his power base, the Emperor still had legitimate heirs born to the Empress.

 

He probably never imagined that nurturing another successor to check the maternal relatives would lead to this point.

 

But now the situation was different.

 

Cedric said.

 

“Such power relations don’t matter to me. I’m doing this because I believe it needs to be done now.”

 

It was then that they were having this conversation.

 

A messenger from the Duke’s residence arrived.

 

“Prince Evron, Her Highness has awakened.”

 

Cedric drew in a sharp breath. Then he said to Prime Minister Lin.

 

“I must go now.”

 

“Ah, yes, you should.”

 

“Excuse me.”

 

He stepped outside with quick strides. Then he broke into a run.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————