The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 252

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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 252

The audience chamber was crowded with people.

However, not a single person made even the sound of breathing. It was partly due to being overwhelmed by Cedric’s intimidating presence, and partly because his words pierced their hearts.

Negil remained unshaken.

Though he was now a merchant, he had once been a bureaucrat.

He knew better than even Cedric how the Empire’s central politics operated.

“You should not respond so emotionally.”

Negil spoke calmly. He was on one knee with his head deeply bowed.

He had already prepared everything he needed to say. Rather than pointlessly meeting Cedric’s eyes and being crushed by that dignity, it was better to just say what he had prepared.

“Who doesn’t know the fact that the Evron Duchy has played a major role in defending the Empire against Karam until now? The central government knows this too, which is why they have provided tremendous support to the Evron Duchy.”

Cedric struggled not to twist his lips.

Negil was now trying to give him absolution.

That the homeland was paying enough for Evron’s blood price.

Regardless of divine teachings or ethics, human lives had never been valued highly.

Especially the lives of northerners.

Aren’t they defending for their own survival anyway? We’re the ones helping by supplying materials there.

Isn’t the homeland essentially feeding the north?

No matter how much the Imperial Palace gave honor to the Duke of Evron, calling him the shield of the north and praising him, that was the real perception of the mainlanders.

Negil had exposed that aspect.

“So all the more, shouldn’t you reveal everything transparently for the sake of Evron’s young people who died?”

Negil said.

“If Prince truly conspired with Karam, that would not only be betraying His Majesty the Emperor and turning his back on God, but also betraying the loyal Evron people.”

Unrest stirred in the audience chamber.

Then the Emperor, who had been sitting with his chin propped on the throne, spoke.

“Bring evidence and witnesses. That half-blood being in the fortress alone is not sufficient.”

As if he had been waiting, Negil called someone in.

A new witness who had been waiting outside hesitantly entered the audience chamber.

“Sir Rowan?”

“You?!”

Shocked voices burst out among the retainers of House Evron.

The knight called Rowan glanced in their direction and quickly turned his head away.

Then he knelt before the Emperor.

“State your identity.”

“…I am called Rowan Jeiden.”

When Rowan said only that much and hesitated, unable to say more, Negil spoke for him.

“Jeiden is a family that has served House Evron as retainers for five generations.”

“Rowan!”

One of the knights standing behind Cedric tried to rush forward.

Cedric stopped him again with a gesture. The knight who tried to rush forward was held back from both sides.

The Emperor looked down at Rowan.

“A knight from a family that has served for five generations is trying to accuse his lord?”

“…I could not say that what happened didn’t happen.”

Rowan spoke hesitantly again with an uncertain attitude.

His grandparents had died together with the previous Duke and Duchess of Evron. His father had lost one arm to Karam in the battle where Cedric first went to war.

His sister had gone to help Cedric rebuild the Western Army and defend against monster waves, never to return.

Though the resentment accumulated in his heart was great, Rowan didn’t know how to properly resolve it.

From Cedric marrying Marquess Rosan, a central noble, to taking conciliatory policies toward Karam, everything was incomprehensible.

He could tolerate accepting half-bloods. Though he learned about the crop problem recently, he could understand that too.

All of it was for the people of Evron.

But what reason was there to seek exchanges with Karam?

It was different from poor and starving farmers bartering with Karam, or showing mercy to fallen Karam by sparing their lives.

Rowan still endured.

If they couldn’t attack and annihilate Karam, it was better not to wage war to reduce casualties among allies. Rowan could make that much judgment.

But the moment Cedric became the Emperor’s adopted son, his accumulated anger exploded.

He felt as if everything he had believed and endured as being for Evron’s sake had been completely betrayed.

What had his grandparents died for? Why had his father been proud even after losing one arm?

Why had his sister become someone whose body couldn’t even return?

When a retainer offers loyalty, the lord should rightfully repay it.

Instead of repaying, Cedric chose to submit to the Emperor and flatter him for his own power and his wife and children who weren’t even Evron people.

Rowan thought this way and came to the capital. To repay all the betrayals from his grandparents’ generation.

“…”

But in this place, with his colleagues standing there defending Cedric, and himself kneeling before the Emperor.

Seeing that appearance, he rather seemed like the traitor himself.

Cold sweat ran down his back. As his confidence disappeared, his body trembled.

“Why do you not speak? If you intended to make false accusations, I will punish you for daring to insult royalty!”

The Emperor’s roar struck his ears like lightning.

Rowan didn’t have the spirit to face him boldly. That required a different kind of courage from drawing weapons with comrades and charging into enemy lines.

“Speak. You can no longer turn back.”

Negil said.

Rowan swallowed hard.

“The winter before last, I was at Told Gate.”

“And?”

“Though they said there was war, actual battles occurred only six times, and even those were just reconnaissance units clashing or local skirmishes.”

Rowan continued stammering.

“There were orders not to bombard even when Karam came within range. There was no war.”

“Hah!”

Someone groaned loudly as if for all to hear.

“A tent was set up about halfway between Told Gate and the Karam camp. Prince personally held talks there five times with the Karam Clan Leader’s Son. I believe the half-blood there served as interpreter.”

The shocked people looked at Cedric.

Cedric maintained an expressionless face. Though Rowan’s betrayal pained his heart, this wasn’t something he hadn’t thought of at all.

He hadn’t expected such a large-scale operation to be perfectly kept secret anyway.

So he had done his best with preliminary work. He had personally written reports in the Evron Duchy and submitted them to the Emperor. After coming to the capital, he had reported directly once more at military meetings.

However, he had revised the content together with Artizea. Cleverly changing words to disguise the truth while not being completely false.

So the Emperor and key military personnel already knew that he had contacted Karam during that war.

Eventually the Emperor showed displeasure. Gayan spoke instead.

“Military commanders are given authority to negotiate with enemy leaders for tactical purposes during operations. For the Duke of Evron, who holds full authority, it goes without saying. As a knight, you should know this.”

“How is negotiation with Karam possible! Those things are seeds of demons!”

Count Eison shouted excitedly.

Whether communication was possible wasn’t important. How could one talk and compromise with those horrible things?

Even if that three-eyed monster had half human blood, how could they recognize it as the same human?

That was the thinking of most people except northerners. In fact, even among northerners, residents of relatively southern villages would think this way.

The devoutly religious old Marquess Blankro made the sign of the cross and said.

“I understand Prince’s heart in caring for his people. But there are standards even in showing mercy.”

“I think so too, Your Majesty. No matter how much it’s to reduce war damage, the opponent is Karam.”

“If he kept alive those who communed with demons and their seeds to talk with Karam, how is this not apostasy?”

Those who agreed came forward one by one.

“I would understand if he had used them as slaves, but…”

There were also those who muttered this.

Negil felt relieved inwardly.

Negil had staked everything on this matter. As someone who wasn’t even a noble, he had accused the one who would become Crown Prince, so if things went completely wrong, it wouldn’t end with just losing his head.

“If a heresy controversy arises, no matter how the date is set, the investiture ceremony cannot be held. The Temple will refuse as well.”

“Will postponing it solve anything?”

“There’s no need to be impatient. This kind of thing can’t produce visible results with just one strike anyway. It stimulates fear and hatred.”

The one who had given him this task said that was the entirety of Negil’s role.

“If the investiture ceremony is postponed, your head won’t be cut off.”

“The Princess has received divine grace. Will the Temple brand the Prince as a heretic?”

“Don’t worry. It’s not the Princess who received divine grace. That’s not the ultimate goal either.”

Negil was drawn in by his confidence.

Those addicted to gambling only think about sweeping up the winnings.

With Marquess Luden assassinated at Negil’s house, his path to colluding with political power had now disappeared.

If he settled his business as it was and lived quietly in retirement with his remaining wealth, he could live comfortably.

However, Negil was not that kind of person.

If Count Eison’s ancestors knew, they would say he was addicted to life-or-death gambling.

If he had been content with his lot, he wouldn’t have become Marquess Luden’s lackey in the first place.

It was then. The announcer shouted.

“The Duchess of Evron has arrived.”

Artizea entered the audience chamber with her head held straight. She briefly made eye contact with Cedric, but she did not look at him.

At the entrance to the audience chamber, she had briefly heard the gist of the conversation that had taken place inside.

There was a sense of déjà vu.

In the past, she had not attacked Cedric over the Karam issue. Because she didn’t know about it.

However, she had separated the North from the Empire to isolate it, and planted the impression that Cedric was a Northerner. To prevent him from establishing a foundation in the homeland.

‘Lady Lisia stopped it… but still, it was half successful.’

This time too, the goal wasn’t ultimately to reveal that he had negotiated with Karam.

The goal was to show that Cedric was a Northerner who acted and raged for the sake of the North.

Even if they failed to brand him as a heretic, they could still stamp him with the stigma of being a Northerner.

Once branded either way, not only rigid believers, but also those who didn’t want to serve a Northerner above them, and those who wanted to find fault with him in advance to diminish imperial authority would think him easy prey and rush at him.

‘Is it really my brother after all?’

Artizea thought to herself.

This method of inciting people’s evil nature instead of obtaining the final desired result in one stroke clearly resembled her own.

Cedric had probably noticed too.

She made eye contact with Cedric. However, she pretended not to know and proceeded to the front of the Emperor, to where Negil and Rowan stood, then knelt and bowed respectfully.

“Artizea of Evron has something to say.”

The Emperor gestured for her to straighten up. Anger was written across his face.

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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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