The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 159

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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 159

 

“Tia?”

 

Cedric called her name with confusion.

 

Artizea tried to get up from her seat. She couldn’t maintain a calm expression any longer, so she decided to escape the situation entirely.

 

Before she could, Cedric stood up first and took her hand.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

Artizea struggled to suppress her agitation.

 

“Are you feeling unwell?”

 

“No. I just remembered some things I need to do. I’d like to rest upstairs.”

 

Artizea made excuses without thinking. She wasn’t ready to talk about the child yet.

 

Cedric pulled her closer and gently embraced her.

 

“I won’t force you to talk, so just stay here.”

 

Artizea stiffened and tried to push Cedric away with force.

 

Fortunately, Freil entered the sun room at that moment.

 

He looked at the two of them briefly and said.

 

“Should I come back in 30 minutes?”

 

“No.”

 

Artizea shook off Cedric’s hand. Cedric frowned slightly.

 

Freil shrugged his shoulders. Though Cedric hadn’t said anything, he didn’t want to be called a nuisance.

 

“What is it?”

 

“Her Highness has a visitor.”

 

“We decided that Tia wouldn’t meet with anyone for the time being.”

 

“Someone has brought news from an old friend in the eastern region.”

 

Artizea’s expression grew serious. Her composure returned.

 

The old friend referred to Lai Pijett.

 

When she had helped him escape to the eastern region, Artizea had given him one final task—to find a certain person.

 

She had told him it didn’t matter if he couldn’t find them quickly. She hadn’t expected it would be easy to locate them while living in hiding.

 

However, it seemed Lai had fulfilled his role quickly.

 

“An old friend?”

 

Cedric asked. Freil looked at Artizea with a slightly troubled expression.

 

Artizea shook her head lightly, signaling him not to tell Cedric.

 

“I need to go.”

 

“….”

 

Cedric didn’t know what Artizea was planning to do, but he decided not to interfere.

 

Instead, he held her hand and lightly pressed his lips to her cheek.

 

“Don’t overdo it. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. Worrying too much will only tire you out.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Is there nothing else you want to tell me?”

 

Artizea hesitated slightly. She couldn’t tell whether Cedric was asking about the news Lai had sent, casual conversation, or perhaps the most important matter she was currently avoiding.

 

“Have a good meeting.”

 

Artizea chose the second option and spoke.

 

Cedric smiled.

 

Artizea turned away from his smile and quickly left the room.

 

She felt that bubbling sensation in her stomach again. It was as if bubbles were tapping against her heart.

 

Freil brought the person Lai Pijett had sent all the way into the Evron Ducal Residence.

 

If it had been before her pregnancy, she wouldn’t have allowed an outsider into the manor.

 

However, now it would be a worse choice to leave the manor and travel to a safe house.

 

The two crossed the quiet garden toward the annex.

 

When the garden landscaping was redone, Artizea had also had the annex repaired.

 

And she had hidden the paths.

 

At first glance, it looked like she had simply created multiple winding paths in the garden for pleasant strolls.

 

However, if one chose specific routes, they would be hidden by tall shrubs.

 

Now that the paths were complete, even someone watching with a telescope from outside couldn’t tell who was coming and going.

 

One could travel from the main residence to the annex using an underground passage.

 

In other words, anyone who knew the way could move from the main residence to outside the rear gate without being seen.

 

There were three more similar secret passages. One was an obvious secret passage, and another was for true emergencies.

 

“I brought him blindfolded, so he won’t know which way we entered.”

 

Freil spoke apologetically, worried that Artizea might disapprove of letting an untrustworthy person use the secret passage.

 

Artizea only nodded.

 

In front of the annex, she put on the veil Freil handed her and roughly gathered her hair into a net.

 

She lightly wrapped a black cloak over her clothes.

 

If the other person wasn’t a fool, they would guess her identity. However, there was an immeasurable difference between thinking “it might be so” and being certain “it is so.”

 

In the unremarkable drawing room of the annex sat a man with his eyes covered by a blindfold.

 

He was young, with relatively neat features. His face was tanned by the sun. His rough hands proved that the deep fatigue permeating his body wasn’t just from a long journey.

 

Artizea carefully observed the man’s appearance. Though she remembered his sister better, just from his looks she was certain this was the person she had been looking for.

 

Freil handed Artizea two envelopes.

 

One was a letter of introduction that Lai had given to this man.

 

“The person you seek was not completely hidden. The side that’s watching will soon learn of this as well.

 

The parents are already deceased, and the sister married early and belongs to her husband’s family. They are an ordinary merchant family.

 

I don’t yet know about other blood relatives.

 

Enclosed are copies of the parents’ family register and the person’s birth certificate that were kept at the local temple.”

 

Artizea put the documents back in the envelope, set it down, and said.

 

“Remove his blindfold.”

 

Freil untied the man’s blindfold.

 

The man tried not to let his eyes wander. He seemed to know that looking around wasn’t noble behavior.

 

Though curiosity and bewilderment were deeply etched on his face, he tried to sit straight and maintain dignity.

 

He knew that failing to act nobly would be a weakness.

 

His etiquette education would have been from very early childhood. After that, he would have lived like a commoner, working with his hands to earn his living.

 

So Artizea could guess that his parents had tried hard to ensure their child never forgot their former glory.

 

Artizea spoke gently.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

She knew the man was wary of her. But she wasn’t particularly worried.

 

If he lacked a desire for revenge and ambition, he wouldn’t have come here with the letter of introduction.

 

“Young Marquess Camellia.”

 

Though he should have known why she had sought him out, the man’s body flinched.

 

The man called Young Marquess Camellia—Ean—unconsciously tensed and clenched his fists.

 

“You know who I am?”

 

“Of course I do. Don’t you know what these documents you brought are?”

 

“….”

 

Ean hadn’t been able to open the strictly sealed documents. But he had a general idea.

 

If he wasn’t the legitimate heir of the Camellia family, why would a stranger have paid his debts? And why would they give him a considerable sum of money and ask him to deliver documents to the capital?

 

Even when he was blindfolded and put in a carriage at the delivery location, and when he stepped on the plush carpet, he had suspected.

 

That he had been summoned because of the Marquess Camellia family.

 

Ean’s mother had been the previous marquess’s eldest daughter. If the Marquess Luden hadn’t interfered, his mother would now be the Marquess Camellia.

 

But that was already in the past.

 

His mother had died in a riding accident. On the surface, it looked like an accident. But everyone except the previous marquess, who was blinded by his second wife, knew it was assassination.

 

After that, his father had taken only Ean and Ean’s sister and fled in the middle of the night.

 

Ean did not know what had happened to his uncle and cousins.

 

He only knew that Countess Camellia continued to monitor even those who had fled like themselves.

 

Probably any other surviving relatives were not living very comfortable lives either.

 

“Who are you?”

 

After thinking, Ean squeezed out that question.

 

He knew almost nothing about the capital’s affairs. There was no way he would know the noble ladies.

 

“That’s wrong, Young Marquess.”

 

“Wrong, you say?”

 

“I brought you here to show you kindness. That means you are not in a position to make demands of me first.”

 

Ean took a deep breath.

 

“Aren’t you saying you’ll show kindness because you need me anyway?”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“And the reason you need me is to cause conflict with the current Camellia Marquess family.”

 

“That’s also correct.”

 

“Madam, you are already using me just by bringing me to this place. I didn’t even know where I would end up.”

 

“…”

 

“So how can you say that I’m the one making demands first?”

 

Artizea did not answer. Ean continued while he was at it.

 

“Also, when I don’t even know who you are, how can I be certain that what you’re doing is kindness?”

 

How could he guarantee that the veiled noble lady before him was not Countess Camellia herself?

 

Perhaps Countess Camellia herself had summoned him to nip the seeds of conflict in the bud.

 

Even while telling him to forget the name Camellia, his father, who had built up resentment his whole life, always used to say:

 

“Don’t have hope. Don’t even think of revenge. Even if Duke Loigar falls, even if Marquess Luden falls with him, what could we do about it now?”

 

“Father.”

 

“Wealth and honor are good to have, but they are not more important than peace of mind. What would be the point of returning to such a den of demons? This father only wishes for you and your sister to meet good people and live happily.”

 

Ean had nodded at those words.

 

But thinking about it now, it was different.

 

Young Ean could not have known the true meaning of words like hope or revenge.

 

Nevertheless, Ean had never forgotten those two words.

 

In the end, his father too had considered reclaiming the Camellia Marquess family as ‘hope.’

 

That was why he had come this far, knowing it could be dangerous.

 

Artizea’s smile could be felt even through the veil.

 

“You are quite a thoughtful person.”

 

“Madam.”

 

“It’s better to think much than to be foolish. Since you seem to already understand well what you have and what you lack, let me speak honestly.”

 

Artizea said.

 

“My purpose is to disrupt the Camellia Marquess family. I don’t expect to destroy them completely. If possible, I’d like to damage the family’s honor so they can’t hold their heads up.”

 

Ean tilted his head.

 

“Does that mean… you have no interest in taking over the Camellia Marquess family?”

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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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