The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 215

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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 215

Even if the Empress were to take the child in, it would only save that one child.

Even if the Empress actively intervened to end this situation, the fundamental problem still couldn’t be considered resolved.

When Sedric showed a tired expression, Artizea spoke gently.

“First, please wash up and get some rest. Ansgard has been keeping the bath water heated since he didn’t know when you’d return.”

“Yes.”

Sedric let out another sigh and headed toward his quarters.

Artizea turned her steps and stopped by the baby’s room.

Leticia was asleep. Marcus, who shared meals and lodging in the baby’s room, opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps.

“My lady, what brings you here at this hour?”

“You don’t need to get up.”

Artizea waved her hand. But there was no way Marcus could remain comfortably lying down.

Marcus sat up and pulled out a handkerchief from his chest, roughly wiping his face. Then he fumblingly reached out to light a candle.

Instead, Artizea first transferred the flame from the lamp she was carrying to the candlestick.

“Lord Sedric has just returned home, and I thought he might want to see Leticia’s face.”

“He should. It’s been several days since he returned home.”

Marcus straightened his appearance.

Artizea quietly peered into the cradle. The baby, who grew different each day, now ate quite well and moved actively.

Perhaps because she moved well, she rarely woke up at night and slept soundly.

Her curiosity had always been vigorous, but since her vision had cleared, she enjoyed taking walks.

When the wind carrying the scent of grass touched her face, she would laugh with such joy. Ansgard would laugh, saying even that resembled Sedric.

But it was a time when even going out to the garden felt reluctant, so her mood wasn’t good.

The danger of assassination hadn’t diminished in the slightest. No matter how strongly they fortified the manor’s defenses, there were limits. The garden was exposed to the outside.

Nothing was safer than not going out at all.

Not only Leticia, but Artizea herself rarely stepped outside the manor. As a precaution, she had also forbidden the wet nurse from going out.

Neither she, nor Leticia, nor Sedric had the ability to protect themselves.

‘Now that the affair has been exposed, we’ve at least bought some time.’

Countess Camellia didn’t share the same opinion as Count Brennan.

Assassinating Sedric would be extremely difficult. Attacking and killing him would be nearly impossible.

Bribing or winning over his close associates was also impossible. It meant that causing an accident like with Marquess Luden would be difficult.

Artizea was paying special attention to the matter of poisoning.

In that case, they would have to kill Leticia instead of Sedric to thwart the Emperor’s plan.

After all, Leticia was the key. Without Leticia, the Emperor would have no reason to adopt Sedric.

Then Duke Loigar’s inheritance ranking would still remain first.

However, when the Emperor held justification and dispatched investigators on the main road as he was doing now, no one could make a move.

‘How ironic. That the Emperor’s power is ultimately the strongest shield.’

Artizea gazed at the baby’s face while thinking such thoughts in her head.

By now, Countess Camellia would be regretting her actions.

Marquess Luden was acknowledged by all as the second-in-command of Duke Loigar’s faction. With his death, Duke Loigar’s faction had lost a focal point capable of dealing with this matter.

Instead, Countess Camellia had merely given Count Brennan leverage over her for nothing.

How would Duchess Loigar react to the fact that it was Countess Camellia who provided the information that enabled Marquess Luden’s assassination?

She probably wouldn’t forgive easily.

With this, the price for sending Skyla to the Southern Region had been fully paid.

Since she hadn’t accompanied the southern expedition, she wasn’t involved in the agreement with Ientz. If she was separated from Duke Loigar’s faction due to her falling out with Duchess Loigar, there might be a chance for recovery.

But could Countess Camellia herself really do that?

Sisterly affection was an extremely complex thing.

While Artizea was lost in deep thought, a hand reached from behind and lightly tapped the back of her hand.

“Ah.”

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Sedric asked in a whispered, small voice.

His hair was wet.

Artizea looked at it briefly. Then she lowered her gaze and answered.

“Just various thoughts.”

Unorganized thoughts weren’t worth speaking about.

“Waaah, waaaaah!”

As more people gathered, Leticia finally woke up from the commotion and burst into tears.

Sedric hurriedly reached his arms into the cradle.

“Oh dear. I’m sorry. I came quietly just to see your face and leave.”

He patted Leticia’s back.

“It’s not good for you to wake up at night like this. I’m sorry.”

Sedric also apologized to Marcus. Marcus shook his head.

“Not at all. She still wakes up frequently at night.”

“You’re working so hard.”

“I’m grateful that you’ve entrusted the young lady to me.”

Marcus spoke sincerely.

Leticia stopped crying. Sedric also apologized to Artizea.

“I’m sorry. I said I would raise her, but there are many days when I can’t even see her face.”

“You’re busy.”

Artizea herself was more often away from the baby’s side even while at home.

Leticia grabbed Sedric’s bangs. Then, pleased about something again, she quickly began to laugh.

Sedric was coaxing Leticia when he let out another sigh.

“Since Leticia was born, young children catch my eye more.”

“That’s human nature.”

“I thought you would stop me.”

“From saving them? You’re not particularly taking Duke Riagan’s side.”

“That’s true, but… you advised me to win His Majesty’s favor.”

“That was just a tactical suggestion anyway. You shouldn’t be unable to do what you think is right because of expedients. It’s not really a dangerous matter either.”

“His Majesty is quite displeased.”

“He won’t hold a grudge about your request to ease collective punishment and use it against you later. If it had been dangerous, Prime Minister Lin would have stopped you.”

“Hmm…”

“If officials had signed a petition to support Lord Sedric, His Majesty would feel threatened, but Prime Minister Lin and Lord Sedric are currently petitioning only as individuals.”

Rather, it was positive in terms of maintaining an impression of righteousness and benevolence.

Of course, Artizea didn’t say such things. She couldn’t evaluate his actions in such a way out loud.

He just needed to live his life as he wished, according to his own will.

“Ah-ah-waah.”

When Sedric made eye contact, Leticia squirmed and babbled, then began to fuss.

“She seems to be hungry.”

Marcus said so.

Sedric returned Leticia to Marcus’s hands. Marcus bowed in greeting and went toward the wet nurse’s room with the baby.

Sedric stood up first and extended his hand to Artizea. Artizea took his hand and stood up.

The two returned to the bedroom. Sedric lit the candle on the nightstand and asked.

“How long have you known?”

“Known what?”

“I knew you had given some advice to Viscount Bellon. The thing that Prince Cardriole exposed too…”

Stopping mid-sentence, Sedric looked at Artizea with a strange expression for a moment. Artizea lowered her eyes.

“That bastard…”

“That bastard?”

“Never mind.”

Sedric swallowed his words. It was because he had thought of Cardriole.

However, he didn’t voice his thoughts. Since Artizea wasn’t bothered by it at all, he disliked being conscious of it himself.

He changed the subject.

“Anyway, I didn’t know it was on such a large scale. Everyone roughly suspects that Duke Riagan is distributing contraband salt.”

He never thought that instead of just stealing salt from warehouses, they had deceived the Ministry of Finance ledgers to secure separate manufacturing facilities.

Even if people knew that Queen Eimel was in the salt distribution business, many wouldn’t know that it wasn’t salt manufactured in their own country, but rather work done in partnership with House Riagan.

“How long have you known?”

“It wasn’t difficult to guess. Duke Riagan was originally an opportunist, and he wanted to become the real Duke Riagan.”

Even though they were sixth cousins, which wasn’t particularly close relatives, Duke Riagan had gained the trust of the previous duke.

Yet he betrayed him. It wasn’t about money, but desire that was the problem.

His goal wasn’t to become the Emperor’s confidant or gain power, but House Riagan itself.

However, neither the Emperor nor the Empire’s nobles ever treated him like the previous Duke Riagan, who had been the Empress’s parent.

Bloodline and respect couldn’t be obtained in a short period of time to begin with. Duke Riagan’s desire to become the real thing was fundamentally impossible to fulfill.

“Someone who betrayed once for profit can betray a second time for profit. When there’s an opportunity to do so, there’s no way he wouldn’t have done it. When you think about it that way and look into it, it becomes quite clearly visible.”

“I see. Since this had never been exposed before, I was honestly surprised.”

“Previously, there was no need to deliberately provoke His Majesty’s anger. Duke Riagan was cooperative… I was planning to deal with it when we reformed the Ministry of Finance, but that time never came.”

Artizea clenched her cold fingertips and quietly fixed her gaze on her nail tips.

Duke Riagan had been eliminated before that. Not because of contraband salt, but because he had offended Lawrence.

“I see.”

“Duke Riagan’s idea of gradually increasing salt profits each year in his reports was quite clever. Lower-level officials fear being reprimanded for reporting decreased tax revenue. And His Majesty has aged.”

To see things as they truly are rather than as one wants to see them requires considerable energy.

That’s why as people age, it becomes difficult to change judgments once made, and they become unable to sensitively notice changing relationships.

The same goes for overconfidence in one’s own judgment.

“I think that’s why he was more enraged than usual. He must have been furious at himself for trusting Duke Riagan without realizing it.”

No one lives forever. Even without harboring particular treasonous thoughts, when an emperor ages, his subjects naturally think about the future.

That’s why it’s dangerous when a successor isn’t established. To avoid disrupting state affairs, power transfer should begin at an appropriate time.

The Emperor didn’t do that. Now, following his failures, he had shown that he could be deceived.

Artizea steeled her heart.

The duke was completely finished. Now all that remained was not to waver.

Cedric rubbed his brow once, then gently stroked Artizea’s head.

Artizea, who had been lost in thought, flinched and looked up.

Cedric flopped down on the bed and looked up at Artizea.

“Ah…”

“It’s just before dawn. I need to get some sleep now.”

“Yes, ah… That’s right.”

Artizea fidgeted. Then she carefully lay down beside Cedric.

Cedric smiled silently. Then he pulled her into his arms.

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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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