The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 210

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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 210

His identity was certain.

He was someone who had been working for four generations at the Hussey Trading Company, which was as large and traditional as the Pellona Trading Company.

Even now, most of his relatives were working at the Hussey Trading Company. Except for his younger brother who was still studying and his cousin who had advanced to management, almost everyone was an employee of the Hussey Trading Company.

Even when investigating his most distant relatives, there was nothing suspicious to be found.

Nevertheless, Pellona, the merchant guild master, couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling whenever she faced Iza.

Perhaps it was because she had developed stubbornness with age. Pellona, the merchant guild master, knew that recently she had been placing too much emphasis on impressions when evaluating people.

But no matter how she looked at it, Iza didn’t seem like someone who could come up with strategies by filling in even little-known facts about international relations with analysis and sharp intuition.

Look at him now. He was anxious with a face devoid of any confidence. Like a child worried about being caught stealing.

‘His Highness the Crown Prince has already adopted it. And the response of Prince Cadriole, the response of House Liagan, and the prediction that Duke Loigar would come down as a special envoy were all correct.’

There were parts that were wrong in detail. But when viewed from a broad perspective, the world was moving according to Iza’s proposals.

If Iza had such talent, it would have been revealed earlier like an awl in a pocket.

The Kingdom of Ients prided itself on being the most meritocratic place in the world.

There was no way he would have remained a mere branch manager of the Hussey Trading Company from starting work at twenty until nearly thirty-five years of age.

Conversely, if he had wanted to hide himself, he wouldn’t have written and submitted such proposals.

Pellona, the merchant guild master, glared at the official with a gaze that seemed to see right through him.

He shrank back like a frog before a snake.

For now, she would turn a blind eye. Neither the Crown Prince nor the association had accepted the proposal completely defenseless.

After the wisest people in the Kingdom of Ients and the most experienced merchant guild masters put their heads together and deliberated, they had concluded that this was a reasonable strategy.

Supporting Duke Loigar and expanding future trade was something they had been considering for some time.

He was indeed a greedy man. However, from the Kingdom of Ients’ perspective, an emperor who coveted profit and money was much better than an arrogant and aristocratic emperor.

They could get along well with Duke Loigar. Offering gold and silver treasures to Duke Loigar was much better than losing the enormous market called the Empire.

Taking this opportunity to even obtain an agreement was a good thing.

Pellona, the merchant guild master, withdrew her gaze from the official. Then she asked.

“Are the practical negotiations proceeding properly?”

“If agreement has been reached on the broad framework, there are no problems on the practical side. His Highness the Crown Prince has permitted an enormous budget.”

“You shouldn’t think about spending all of that. What His Highness the Crown Prince meant was that under no circumstances should the agreement fall through.”

“Yes.”

The official felt as if sweat was flowing down his back.

“The gift?”

“It has been prepared.”

Pellona, the merchant guild master, opened the box that the official had presented in advance.

Inside was a jewelry box. She opened it to look.

“Good. You may go back for now.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s nothing good about staying in this royal palace for long. Or are you planning to meet Duchess Loigar before you go?”

“Oh, no. How could I dare.”

“Withdraw.”

“Yes.”

The official bowed his head with a servile attitude and withdrew.

As Pellona, the merchant guild master, had thought, that proposal was not his. It was something his younger brother, who was studying in the Imperial Capital, had tossed to him when he came home.

“Whether you say it’s something you analyzed, or that I gathered and analyzed rumors floating around the capital, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t get too carried away.”

“What do you mean, get carried away with my older brother?”

“I’m saying this because I know you want to succeed because your pride is hurt by our cousins. Anyway, since you didn’t write it, if it continues too long, you’ll be exposed. That kind of strategy, when you read it, you think ‘that could work,’ but it’s not something just anyone can come up with. First of all, the amount of information is enormous.”

His pride was hurt. His younger brother was good at studying and had even gone abroad to study in the Empire. But even that kid wasn’t some outstanding genius.

But now he was regretting it a bit. He should have said it was his younger brother’s work.

So far, he had been managing somehow. Before submitting it, he had memorized it thoroughly and did his own political analysis diligently.

It was similar to studying by fitting theories to answer sheets, so he could manage it reasonably well.

Looking at it, he felt like he could see a world he had never thought of before.

But he had climbed too high. It wasn’t intentional, but it had become the situation his younger brother had warned about – getting carried away.

After finishing this matter and returning, he had decided to confess the truth before the second round of practical negotiations.

He had already sent a letter telling his younger brother to come back.

However, with his insight, he couldn’t grasp that his younger brother couldn’t possibly have really written that proposal.

Nor that his younger brother’s comment about it not being something just anyone could think of wasn’t said with pride.

Pellona, the merchant guild master, took the jewelry box from the box and headed to Gannett’s bedroom.

Gannett had just finished removing her makeup and changing clothes.

If she hadn’t been working as a maid for the past few weeks, she would have been treated as a guest and not received at all.

But now Pellona, the merchant guild master, was not completely just a guest.

The maids and servants had become familiar with each other’s faces during the past few weeks. They had also felt intimacy while crowding and bumping into each other in the narrow ship’s cabin.

One of the maids brought the news to Gannett. Gannett let her into the bedroom.

“Did the discussion end well?”

“Yes. Thanks to Your Highness, I was able to safely complete my mission and return.”

“It’s not thanks to me, but thanks to the story the merchant guild master brought being important to my husband as well.”

Pellona, the merchant guild master, smiled.

“I would like to present a gift as a token of gratitude.”

“A gift? That’s not necessary.”

“Please don’t refuse our sincerity. If I return without showing any sincerity, our King will scold us too.”

Baroness Weave took the jewelry box from Pellona, the merchant guild master’s hands and placed it before Gannett.

Gannett opened the jewelry box. Inside were several beautifully crafted cameos. The artisan’s signature was also engraved on the back.

“Since you must have any precious jewels you could want. Please just think of it as sincerity and accept it.”

“Since it’s made by a master craftsman from Ients, I can’t just call it sincerity.”

Gannett spoke with a dignified attitude.

“Thank you. But…”

Pellona, the merchant guild master, bowed her head.

Gannett fingered the jewelry box lid.

The truly valuable thing wasn’t what was inside, but the jewelry box itself. It was carved from a whole piece of translucent green jade.

At this size, even a not-so-rare gemstone would cost an enormous price.

The craftsmanship was needless to say excellent. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this itself was a jewel.

However, what made Gannett hesitate wasn’t because it was too expensive. In terms of expensive things, she had received gifts more valuable than this several times.

Inside the jewelry box lid, a moon embracing three stars was engraved. Even the scene of moonlight shining down on mountains and rivers was carved in relief with delicate touch.

And letters were inlaid in gold.

“Moon of ten thousand years, illuminate the entire world.”

The pattern of moon and stars was common.

However, the moon of the Empire signified the Empress. “Ten thousand years” was a blessing offered only to the Emperor and Empress.

It didn’t require much knowledge or deduction to understand that the moon embracing three stars meant Gannett herself and the children.

Gannett closed the lid.

“Isn’t this premature…”

“It’s a gift given in advance. It means we are confident that Duke Loigar and Your Highness have a glorious future ahead.”

Pellona, the merchant guild master, smiled.

“Thank you.”

Gannett answered thus and closed the jewelry box lid. Then she gave a return gift to Pellona, the merchant guild master.

Skyla wanted to stop, but Cadriole didn’t let go of her hand and danced four songs in a row.

The fourth dance was a fast-tempo polka. By then, she was breathing heavily.

“Your Highness, please.”

“My, the young lady doesn’t have much stamina.”

“How many people, huff, dance four times, without rest, haa, do you think there are?”

The first time, not many people paid attention. Cadriole wasn’t someone who particularly avoided dancing.

However, dancing four times with one woman was unprecedented.

When they learned that his partner was the daughter of an Imperial Count, interest focused even more intensely.

Skyla didn’t even have the energy to care about such attention.

Cadriole’s lead was excellent, and Skyla was also a good dancer. However, she was wearing high-heeled shoes today, and her dress was quite heavy.

The tension in her body hadn’t eased either, making it even more difficult.

Only when the fourth dance song ended did Cadriole finally stop.

Clap clap clap!

Applause echoed throughout the hall. Cadriole held Skyla’s hand like a dancer and bowed to the applauding people.

“You can’t just stand there when a prince has bowed.”

Cadriole said with amusement in his voice.

Skyla had no choice but to curtsy along with him.

Cadriole led her toward the table. Skyla wanted nothing more than to drink some cold water first.

“Have you killed enough time?”

Skyla said sharply after moistening her throat.

Cadriole said leisurely.

“I thought I had been considerate enough of the young lady. And the Duchess Loigar as well.”

“Considerate?”

Skyla’s words were not a question but an accusation.

Cadriole laughed.

“If the young lady goes to the Duchess and tells her something suspicious is happening, the Duchess will go tell the Duke, and then as the armed conflict escalates, the Duchess or the young lady might get hurt.”

“Armed conflict?”

Skyla asked back in shock.

That was the moment.

Bang!

Gunshots rang out from outside.

“Kyaaah!”

Several of the noble ladies in the ballroom screamed and collapsed to the floor. Many of the men did the same.

Some tried to remove heavy decorations and run outside.

But they were blocked at the entrance.

Skyla looked at Cadriole in horror.

“What are you planning to do?!”

“What a very unfortunate situation. My father the King had been lending a hand in the Cratese Empire’s salt smuggling business along with the late Queen.”

Cadriole stroked his chin with a deliberately serious expression.

“He must have heard from somewhere that his unworthy son was planning to report that fact to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Is that the scenario Your Highness wrote? Who would believe that?”

“The consistency of the scenario isn’t important.”

The point was whether it was a useful story for Emperor Gregor or not.

And the fact that the King of Eimel was involved in salt smuggling was probably true as well.

Skyla swallowed hard.

“The young lady is clever. I heard you were talented, but… Come to think of it, you’re the daughter of Countess Camellia.”

Cadriole said. Then he looked at Skyla and said.

“When you have nowhere to go, come find me.”

“What did you say?”

“You’re the future Count Camellia, so I can’t entice you with a title, and offering money probably wouldn’t work either, so I thought I’d try to recruit you if you fall.”

Skyla stared at him in bewilderment.

Cadriole grinned.

“I’m not joking. Eimel is still a country with plenty of room for expansion. We need many talented people. We won’t uselessly sweep them into graves with political strife and let them rot like Cratese does.”

Saying that, he left Skyla and went outside to check on the unfolding situation.

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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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