The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 246

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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 246

Sophie held flowers and butterflies in each hand, holding them up to Artizea’s hair to see how they looked.

Ripples of laughter spread among the guests.

Someone said.

“Wouldn’t the butterfly decoration be nice? The delicate craftsmanship suits you very well.”

“The dress is blue-violet though… The silk flowers would be a matching set.”

“What are you saying? Who matches colors from head to toe these days?”

Cadriole casually relayed those words. It was meant for Sedric to hear.

“They’re saying who does that these days, Your Highness the Prince.”

“…”

Sedric pressed his lips into a straight line.

“Pfft, ah.”

Hazel couldn’t hold back her laughter and made a sound, then covered her mouth and ran outside. She seemed to know she had done wrong.

Hailey’s already stiff face convulsed. It was to hide her incredulous expression.

In fact, Cadriole was right. During a toilette, if guests made suggestions, it was normal for the husband to step back.

The central nobles, who believed themselves to be free and sophisticated, considered it shameful to be monopolized by one spouse.

Moreover, showing possessiveness toward one’s spouse was also considered unnoble.

Ironically, even the eastern nobles, whose wives tended to be subordinate to their husbands, felt the same way about the latter.

They had to generously tolerate women’s luxurious social activities and widely boast about their wives.

Cadriole’s attitude was undoubtedly frivolous, but Sedric was equally unwise.

The toilette pleased the guests in a bad way.

Once they left this toilette room, there would be much to talk about regarding Duke Evron and Prince Emel.

‘Is this okay?’

Natalia noticed such signs and glanced at Artizea with concern.

And she realized that she was someone who could remedy this situation.

“Um.”

Natalia spoke without confidence. In fact, she didn’t know much about accessories.

She just wore whatever her maids dressed her in and remembered which items in her jewelry box were the most expensive.

But Natalia, who was the highest-ranking lady in this place excluding Artizea, had more say than Cadriole.

“Your Highness the Duchess Evron.”

When Natalia spoke, all the guests became quiet.

Sedric lowered his head and pressed his brow. Cadriole looked at Natalia with a face full of interest.

Bernart looked worried.

Natalia said.

“I have a hair ornament that I think would suit Your Highness perfectly… though it’s not particularly valuable.”

The maid froze slightly when she saw what Natalia personally took out from the jewelry box.

“Lady Natalia, this is…”

It wasn’t a properly polished gemstone accessory. It was an ornament made by gathering fragments of raw stones too small to be polished and arranging them like flowers in a silver flower base.

The blue raw stones glowed softly when brought into the bright light. They looked like geranium or hydrangea clusters, or like freshly bloomed lotus flowers.

It was very pretty.

But it wasn’t something the Crown Princess of Ients could present to the future Empress of the Empire, except perhaps as a personal gift between friends.

Natalia said.

“There’s a mine in the region where my maternal family is from. It’s a place where sea-colored gems are found… but they’re too expensive for the people in that region.”

She smiled awkwardly.

“I heard that when Mother left that region, my maternal grandmother personally gathered the prettiest colors to make this for her.”

Emily, who received the accessory, spoke words of admiration.

“Oh my, this is southwestern sea tourmaline. The color is really beautiful.”

Sophie also held it up to Artizea’s hair and said with a bright face.

“This is perfect.”

Artizea looked in the mirror. As Sophie said, it suited her much better than the blue-violet silk flowers and yellow butterfly.

Emily said with slightly excited expression.

“Though it’s not polished, such beautiful colors are not common.”

Even if it wasn’t valuable, if it had meaningful history, that was fine in its own way.

Above all, it was beautiful. Wasn’t that the most important thing?

Artizea said.

“Thank you. It seems very precious, I wonder if I should accept it…”

Natalia blushed as if embarrassed.

“It didn’t really suit me so I just kept it, but I was thinking it would suit Your Highness the Princess Consort.”

Artizea looked at Natalia with a strange feeling.

She couldn’t tell whether Natalia’s embarrassment was because she had offered an ornament made of worthless pebbles, or because she had revealed the story of her poor maternal family who couldn’t afford gems, or because she had revealed her intimate feelings.

Perhaps she didn’t know what kind of ripple effect she had just caused.

With the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony approaching, what it meant for herself, who would become the Crown Princess, to wear an accessory made in a marginalized region of the Kingdom of Ients.

That she, the Crown Princess of Ients, had lightly dismissed the power struggle between Duke Evron and Prince Emel as if it never happened.

Artizea saw through the mirror that Crown Prince Bernart had a subtle expression that seemed both pleased and bewildered.

Emily placed the ornament in Artizea’s hair instead of Sophie. Then she brought a pure white pearl necklace to add the lacking splendor as a finishing touch.

As Natalia said, that color suited Artizea’s hair very well.

The dangling pearls made her face look dignified.

Finally, Emily placed a fan made of peacock feathers in Artizea’s hand.

When Artizea spun around, Sedric jumped up from his seat.

Cadriole sighed.

But instead of taking Sedric’s hand, Artizea smiled and said.

“I think, since today is a welcome ball, it would be better to escort the guests.”

At those words, this time Cadriole jumped up.

But Artizea paid no attention to the two men and approached Natalia.

“How about it? Shall we two enter together?”

“What?”

Natalia was startled.

Artizea gestured for someone to bring one of the displayed shawls.

Sophie quickly ran over and brought a long decorative shawl made of red wolf fur.

Artizea smiled and personally held it up to Natalia.

“How about this as a finishing touch? I was also thinking this would suit Your Highness the Crown Princess quite well.”

Artizea’s question was directed not at Natalia but at the guests.

“It suits you well.”

Sedric, who understood Artizea’s intention, answered.

However, Sedric’s influence right now was zero. The same was true for Cadriole.

Artizea looked directly at one of the guests.

The noblewoman who had been eagerly waiting to find fault with Natalia flinched when she received Artizea’s gaze.

Wasn’t she just a crown princess from a weak country, brought here as a hostage? There couldn’t be easier prey than this.

But if Artizea didn’t compare her with herself and instead pulled her in by giving her things like this, she couldn’t do that.

Moreover, Artizea looked at her and said.

“Lord Sedric caught this himself last spring.”

“Your Highness the Crown Princess has extraordinary dignity, so the wolf fur suits you splendidly.”

The noblewoman tried to make that remark sound sarcastic, but ultimately couldn’t.

The fur actually suited Natalia very well.

Her powerful physique and refined grace weren’t hidden just because she wore a dress with many ruffles and let down her abundant hair.

Natalia hesitantly looked in the mirror.

Fur wasn’t used much near the Southern Sea. It was only used a little for decorative purposes.

Natalia didn’t know it would suit her so well.

“Thank you, Your Highness the Princess Consort. But if it’s from an animal that His Highness the Prince personally hunted for Your Highness the Princess Consort…”

“Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess gave me a precious jewel that my grandmother made for my mother, but my gift in return falls short, and I feel truly sorry. Moreover, it increases every year.”

Artizea smiled, knowing that most of the displayed furs were from beasts that Sedric had hunted.

“I’ve never been able to wear this even once.”

Natalia also expressed her gratitude to Sedric.

“Not at all. If it pleases you, I am honored.”

Sedric bowed his head lightly as he spoke. He had already realized the meaning of the exchanged gifts.

Bernart stood up and approached Natalia.

However, he had no chance to take Natalia’s hand. Because Artizea had taken her hand.

“Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess will come with me. Lord Sedric, please escort the two gentlemen.”

Artizea said.

As the two noble ladies walked side by side in the lead, the women among the guests who had entered the toilette room surrounded them like a halo around the moon.

“Her Royal Highness the Princess Consort’s hair ornament is truly beautiful.”

“Wolf fur is really difficult to pull off, but you wear it so magnificently.”

“Since you two have exchanged something meaningful, everyone will be envious.”

Praise and welcome poured forth.

The heirs to the thrones of the three countries were left behind, staring blankly at their retreating figures.

Sedric looked at Cadriole with a subtle expression. Cadriole spoke with a distasteful look.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Should we hold hands too?”

“…”

Bernart said with a smile.

“Let’s go as well. We can’t keep the ladies waiting too long.”

Cadriole and Sedric walked trudgingly while avoiding each other’s gaze.

Bernart led the way cheerfully with a smile on his face.

Natalia probably hadn’t thought that far ahead. However, it had become a display of her friendship with the Princess Consort.

In a situation where the Kingdom of Ients was in a very weak position, she had shown them favor.

Not only did it have political meaning, but it would undoubtedly be of great help to the couple’s life in the Empire.

Moreover.

‘Natalia’s accessories and wolf fur will become fashionable, even if just briefly. Did the Princess Consort think that far ahead when she draped the fur around Natalia?’

As far as Bernart knew, the only place where wolf fur was produced was the Evron Duchy.

If the two entered hand in hand, that alone would have sufficient advertising effect.

Artizea had shown her intention to cooperate. That is, if it was truly something she had done intentionally.

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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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