The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 147

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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 147

 

“Why is Lisia here?”

 

Artizea asked.

 

She had told Hailey to contact Father Colton quickly.

 

But it would take several days for the news to reach him, and then more time for him to come after receiving the news. It wasn’t a distance that could possibly be covered in three or four days.

 

Alice said carefully.

 

“She arrived on the day you collapsed, my lady. It seems Father Colton made the decision immediately upon hearing news of the Grand Duchess.”

 

“….”

 

“It appears she was thinking of taking your side at the temple.”

 

Alice asked.

 

“What should we do? Shall I bring her inside?”

 

If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t have let them in right now. Artizea needed more rest.

 

Alice’s true feelings were that she wished Artizea could forget about the Evron Duchy and everything else for a while.

 

But she knew Artizea wasn’t someone who could do that. And she also knew that Lisia was a special person.

 

Artizea thought for a moment and then let out a long sigh.

 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to run away.

 

But she didn’t have the option of refusing when Lisia wanted to see her.

 

Her sigh wasn’t because she didn’t want to meet her or felt uncomfortable.

 

“Really, nothing goes according to plan.”

 

“Should I refuse? Lisia said she would withdraw if you were tired, my lady.”

 

“No. Tell her to come in.”

 

Artizea said this and looked back at Sophie and Marcus.

 

“You two, please step out.”

 

“My lady.”

 

“It’s fine. Nothing particular will happen.”

 

It was inexplicable, but her condition was actually better than before she had collapsed.

 

“And Alice, tell Lisia to come in, and let Hailey and Freil know that I’m looking for them.”

 

“My lady, you need more rest.”

 

“Even if I rest, it’s better to understand the situation first. There’s no rush, tell them to come when they finish what they’re doing.”

 

Alice didn’t argue further.

 

“Then I’ll attend to you during that time as well.”

 

“Yes, I’m counting on you.”

 

Artizea nodded.

 

Lisia entered Artizea’s drawing room with a cautious attitude.

 

She knelt on one knee before Artizea and kissed the back of her hand.

 

“I’m relieved that you’re safe, Your Highness.”

 

“Lisia….”

 

Not knowing where to begin, Artizea called her name and her voice caught.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

When Artizea remained silent, Lisia looked up at her and spoke.

 

“For what?”

 

“For not keeping your orders and coming here on my own.”

 

“Father Colton came, didn’t he? The task I entrusted to you was to assist Father Colton, so you don’t need to think that way.”

 

“Your Highness is too generous with me.”

 

Lisia said.

 

“I couldn’t even be by your side, and I didn’t properly do what you asked, so you should scold me.”

 

“Don’t say that and stand up.”

 

Artizea tried to pull her up. But she didn’t have enough strength yet.

 

The angle of looking up and looking down was the complete opposite of what Artizea remembered.

 

Having herself sitting while Lisia knelt before her made Artizea feel distressed.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“You don’t look fine.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Artizea said again.

 

Lisia always used to say.

 

「I’m fine.」

 

With lips turned white.

 

So how could she say she wasn’t fine?

 

She tried once more to pull Lisia up by the hand, but Lisia was more stubborn.

 

Artizea suddenly began dropping tears.

 

Lisia wasn’t surprised. She seemed to remember seeing these tears before.

 

“Do you think it’s okay for me to have this child?”

 

Artizea asked.

 

Even as she asked impulsively, she thought it was truly a meaningless question.

 

Lisia knew nothing. What would change if she received forgiveness or permission from her?

 

Stealing Cedric, causing her painful death, failing to protect her child – none of that would change.

 

The fact that she was a mass murderer, a heinous schemer, wouldn’t change either.

 

Being born with vile blood remained the same.

 

Cedric had comforted Artizea, but she couldn’t forgive herself with just that.

 

He said they should think together. She was grateful for those words. But this was a problem that came before that.

 

Whether it was right to have this child or not.

 

Before the question of whether she could make the child happy, that was the issue.

 

But asking the current Lisia would be useless.

 

Even if she received blessing and forgiveness from her, it would be nothing more than Artizea’s shallow self-consolation.

 

But Lisia’s words were neither permission, congratulations, nor comfort.

 

“You want to have it, don’t you?”

 

“I…?”

 

Artizea stared blankly at Lisia.

 

“Yes, I think you want to love it.”

 

Lisia spoke with a somewhat troubled but confident attitude.

 

“If you didn’t want it, you wouldn’t be afraid either.”

 

Artizea blinked.

 

But Lisia’s words were right.

 

If she had no feelings, she would have decided whether to have the child or not based on necessity.

 

There would be no room for personal concerns to interfere. Because it would be a process of finding optimal efficiency.

 

Also, if she didn’t want it, she wouldn’t have hesitated. Her thought that it would be better for everyone if it wasn’t born remained unchanged.

 

It was right to cut the seeds of anxiety early. There was no reason to leave a variable with a much higher possibility of becoming negative.

 

Just because it was her own child, why should it be different from all the lives she had treated as chess pieces until now?

 

Where was the guarantee that this child would be worth having?

 

Even if Cedric raised it and Alice loved it, the child’s nature might resemble hers and become cold-blooded.

 

But knowing this and still wanting it was what made it painful.

 

She wanted to try having her own child. She wanted to create that thing called family that she had wanted but couldn’t obtain. She wanted to bear her own child and raise it differently from herself.

 

It was a child to be born between her and Cedric. She wanted to try loving it.

 

She kept thinking, maybe it would be okay. Especially since this might be her first and last chance.

 

Tracing through her own heart step by step and realizing this fact, Artizea lowered her head.

 

“It’s strange.”

 

“What is?”

 

“How can you remain so unchanged?”

 

Artizea first met Lisia in person when she was twenty-four years old.

 

The lives and suffering of countless people she had met in the Western Regions had matured her, and the wars and hardships that had befallen the Evron Duchy had tempered her.

 

By then, Lisia was already a completed saint.

 

When she returned and met her again, there was an innocent side to her that she hadn’t even thought about.

 

So Artizea felt both sadness and joy at the same time.

 

She had thought she wanted to protect her so she wouldn’t change like this.

 

But Artizea realized anew that someone like her trying hard was meaningless.

 

Lisia’s eyes were always right. And the world she had watched with those eyes would raise her to be a saint.

 

Any thoughts she frantically wracked her brain to come up with were meaningless before Lisia’s eyes.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“For what?”

 

“I’m sorry that I came to love Lord Sedric.”

 

Artizea answered hesitantly.

 

Since a life that should have disappeared remained instead of vanishing, she had resolved to play a useful role this time.

 

But in the end, it was exactly the same as before.

 

Like mother, like daughter, she thought. How could she be so terribly selfish?

 

Artizea acknowledged that she was exactly the same as when she didn’t care about ruining the world because she wanted her mother’s love.

 

And so her tears wouldn’t stop from guilt.

 

Lisia sat up.

 

“How strange. Her Highness and I haven’t known each other for very long.”

 

“…Lisia.”

 

“But I think I know what you’re thinking.”

 

Lisia extended her arms.

 

“If you don’t think it would be rude, may I briefly embrace Her Highness?”

 

Artizea couldn’t answer.

 

However, Lisia opened her arms as if she had heard an answer.

 

And she briefly embraced her with movements slow enough not to startle Artizea.

 

“I don’t know for certain what Her Highness fears or worries about so much.”

 

“…”

 

“But you don’t need to with me. You haven’t done anything wrong to me.”

 

Lisia said kindly.

 

Artizea closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Thinking that this too hadn’t changed about her.

 

She said she would protect her, but in the end, she was the one being protected.

 

Lisia patted Artizea’s shoulder once and then released the embrace. And holding Artizea’s hand, she said.

 

“You’ll be able to give birth to a healthy, wonderful child and raise them very well.”

 

If that was a blessing, it would be the most meaningful blessing in the world. For it was the blessing of a true saint.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Hailey and Freil had been summoned by Alice and were waiting in the drawing room.

 

“I heard Her Highness had an episode yesterday?”

 

“I only heard about it. You know I didn’t have time to come anyway, don’t you, Lord Freil?”

 

Hailey said with a haggard face.

 

“Still, you’re closer to the maids than I am, aren’t you?”

 

“Alice and Sophie are all good children, but there’s practically a great river flowing between maids from one’s family home and maids from one’s husband’s family. Lisia is the exception. She’s loved by everyone.”

 

Hailey complained.

 

“Speaking of which, are you properly keeping track of His Highness the Prince’s situation?”

 

Freil sighed. Dark shadows were also cast thickly under his eyes.

 

“Do you think we can reach that far? Just dealing with military personnel making secret contact is killing me. Does it make sense for someone of my rank to deal with generals?”

 

“What can we do? You should resent His Highness the Prince who lived as if he’d never do such work in his lifetime.”

 

Hailey sighed, and Freil grumbled.

 

“Doesn’t Evron really lack talent? I knew it, but still, no matter what.”

 

“I agree with that… But Lord Freil must have it harder than me? I disobeyed Her Highness’s orders.”

 

At Hailey’s words, Freil pressed his lips tightly together.

 

“Ah, don’t acknowledge so easily that I’m in a more miserable situation.”

 

“What can I do when it’s the truth?”

 

Hailey threw a pen at him.

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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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