The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 229

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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 229

The doors of the audience chamber swung wide open.

Gannett entered first, leading the way, and knelt down. The nobles who followed behind her also knelt in succession, filling half of the vast audience chamber.

The Emperor could not help but be surprised.

Gannett was not being crushed by the people standing behind her.

Nor did she appear to be drawing strength by using them as backing.

Gannett spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

“Gannett requests an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”

The greeting was brief. Not revealing her status separately meant she had come here as an individual.

“I have come to confess my sins.”

Then there was a brief stir from behind. Gannett paid no attention and continued speaking.

“It was I who falsely claimed to be Empress. I coveted the precious jewelry box and accepted it recklessly, knowing it was treason. My husband has nothing to do with this.”

“Your Highness?”

One old noble called to her in a trembling voice. This was not the content they had been thinking of.

“Please punish me. Punish me, and only hold my husband and others responsible for failing to properly admonish me.”

Gannett prostrated herself so that her forehead touched the floor.

The Emperor smiled.

Duke Loigar paced around the room anxiously. The nobles in the garden had followed Gannett and were no longer there.

“You there. Request that I wish to have an audience with His Majesty.”

The guards did not even flinch upon hearing those words. It seemed they had received separate orders.

Duke Loigar didn’t know what to do and paced around the room again.

He couldn’t even guess what Gannett had come to do. If it was simply to plead for mercy, it would be better not to do it.

Had she been incited by others to claim that this was a conspiracy devised by the House of Evron?

That was exactly what Gannett should not do.

‘The jewelry box, the jewelry box…’

Duke Loigar could also tell that Gannett had come of her own accord. If she had been forced to come because others had swayed her, her attitude would have been different.

His head felt like it would burst.

Gannett should not have been in the capital.

That was when it happened.

A servant came to change the water pitcher in the room. There was also a basket of fresh fruit to replace the flower vase.

Duke Loigar glanced at him and slumped down on the nearby sofa.

The servant set down the fruit basket on the table and conveyed to Duke Loigar in a low voice.

“Princess Consort has come to confess her sins of her own accord.”

“What?”

Duke Loigar rose to his feet.

“I know nothing more than that.”

The servant spoke calmly while gathering the old water pitcher and went outside.

Duke Loigar tried to follow him. The guards crossed their spears to block him.

Duke Loigar froze in place.

If he had screamed and tried to force his way out, it might have helped.

He was still royalty. The blood flowing in his body was something that others could not dare spill without imperial command.

So he could have fearlessly thrown himself against the spears and blades.

Or he could have said he was going to meet the Emperor.

The Emperor had said he would wait for his decision. He could have told the servant to convey that he would make that decision now.

Going to the audience chamber under surveillance would probably be possible.

However, Duke Loigar could not take a step forward.

Gannett was confessing her sins. Probably to sacrifice herself in his place.

The Emperor’s proposal was being fulfilled even without his acceptance.

Duke Loigar returned to the sofa and slumped down. His arms and legs felt as heavy as lead.

No further news was conveyed.

The servant who brought dinner also kept his mouth shut.

The conclusion came long after the sun had set.

Duke Loigar was released.

* * *

Count Brennan was prostrated before the Emperor. The Emperor slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s surprising, isn’t it?”

“I have nothing to say.”

Gannett coming to confess was something Count Brennan had never even considered.

He hadn’t even reported such a possibility to the Emperor.

“They say raising children is the most difficult thing in the world, and Marquess Luden failed too.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue.

He had always thought that Countess Camellia resembled Marquess Luden much more than the eldest son, Marquess Luden’s son.

“Well, if Marquess Luden had been alive, the Princess Consort wouldn’t have been able to step forward like this either.”

“…”

“Isn’t it interesting? Marquess Luden had more than ten children, and among them, the clever and discerning ones were all illegitimate. The legitimate children and grandchildren were all incompetent and couldn’t think for themselves.”

The Emperor clasped his hands and leaned back, resting his stiff neck against the backrest for a moment.

“Among them all, the daughter whom her father considered the most lacking in thought and foolish possessed the most important qualities.”

Count Brennan only bowed his head. The Emperor was not particularly speaking to him.

The Emperor twisted his lips.

Thinking that Marquess Luden himself had ultimately twisted his children’s innate qualities and prevented them from being displayed, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.

The words about ruining children through wrong teaching kept coming to mind.

The Emperor shook his head to dismiss the thoughts.

And looking down at Count Brennan, he said.

“However, you ultimately failed to cause division, failed to incite military action, and even after observing for over ten years, you couldn’t extract a single proper piece of information from the Princess Consort’s associates.”

“I have nothing to say…”

“I arranged this private audience so you could at least make an excuse.”

The Emperor said coldly.

“Why? Are you losing motivation now that claiming it was Duchess Evron’s doing won’t reverse the situation?”

“How could that be? However, Your Majesty, it is certain that Duchess Evron is involved in this matter.”

Count Brennan asserted firmly even while prostrated.

“It was Duchess Evron’s maid who obtained the banquet invitation for Ian Camellia. The place where he was staying was also the annex of the Evron Ducal Residence. Nine times out of ten, it was Duchess Evron who summoned him to the capital.”

“Do you think I wouldn’t have investigated?”

“I heard that Duke Evron dared to refuse to let Your Majesty’s investigators into the manor.”

“Official investigators and the Royal Guards searched the annex.”

In other words, he only accepted investigations that followed public procedures. It was something Cedric would do.

“Actually, there was nothing to do. Duchess Evron isn’t careless enough to leave evidence while causing such incidents.”

“However…”

“Don’t try shallow tricks on me, Count Brennan.”

Count Brennan tensed his abdomen and tried not to let his breathing become irregular.

“I have no such thoughts…”

“It’s over now even if you try to drag in the House of Evron. Duchess Loigar has confessed.”

“However…”

“Whether Duchess Evron played tricks or not isn’t very important now either.”

The Emperor said.

“Duchess Evron summoned Ian Camellia. She might have made him file the inheritance lawsuit, or she might have provided Ian Camellia with funds.”

“Yes.”

“However, ultimately, it was Skyla Camellia who caused the current situation. The conflict between the House of Luden and the Camellia Marquess Family that existed from the beginning has simply become visible.”

Everything else was merely a derived result.

“You, who didn’t miss that opportunity and assassinated Marquess Luden, would know this best.”

The Emperor leaned back diagonally, resting his chin on his hand as he looked down at Count Brennan.

“Then are you saying that you too committed this act because you were deceived by the Duchess of Evron?”

At those words, Count Brennan could say nothing.

Originally, she had intended to mention that Marquess Luden had been investigating the weaknesses of the Evron Duchy.

Duke Loigar had given the same orders. There was sufficient reason for the Duchess of Evron to attack Duke Loigar.

However, assassinating Marquess Luden had been entirely her own decision.

“An opportunity arose to draw in Countess Camellia, and Duke Loigar happened to be away from the capital. You are nothing more than an opportunist. You simply wanted to use this chance to reorganize the eastern forces under your control.”

“Your Majesty, I have never forgotten Your Majesty’s secret orders.”

“Then it must be due to incompetence. Are you saying that in 10 years as an insider, you couldn’t create the kind of rift that the Duchess of Evron caused by bringing in just one person?”

Count Brennan felt humiliated.

She didn’t think she had failed to create rifts. She had confronted Marquess Luden within Duke Loigar’s faction and had made quite a number of allies.

However, she was incompetent. Though in a different sense from what the Emperor meant, she certainly thought so herself.

She had tried to kill Marquess Luden and take his place. She had tried to secure influence over Duke Loigar and claim credit for herself before the Emperor.

In the end, she had accomplished none of it.

Duke Loigar had entrusted the memorial service to Countess Camellia.

The Duchess had rendered even the plan to drag the House of Evron into a mud fight useless by confessing to the Emperor.

Having failed, she had to submit. Count Brennan asked obediently.

“What should I do from now on?”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes.

He had planted her in Duke Loigar’s faction to cause division, but Count Brennan’s behavior in trying to seize and wield power herself was irritating.

However, the results of this incident were reasonably satisfactory.

Duke Loigar hadn’t directly abandoned Gannett. But in conclusion, Gannett had taken all the blame, and Duke Loigar was able to survive.

Count Brennan was suitable for the necessary follow-up measures.

Now that things had reached this point, there was no need to worry about her betrayal.

“You will flee to the eastern region. You don’t need to take any particular action there.”

“Yes.”

“Spread rumors that Duke Loigar didn’t protect the Duchess but instead offered her as a scapegoat.”

Besides that, the Emperor gave Count Brennan several other minor orders.

Gannett’s dignified attitude and the behavior of the old nobles who decided to follow her obediently despite her unexpected confession would surely become a problem in the future.

After Count Brennan withdrew, Ferguson entered the study.

“Duchess Loigar has been confined to the underground prison. We have treated her with the courtesy you specified.”

“Understood.”

The Emperor also ordered Ferguson to spread rumors about Gannett through secret organizations.

He couldn’t leave any pride for the eastern region.

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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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