The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 256

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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 256

Artizea blinked her eyes several times before closing them again.

‘No. I did the right thing. If word spreads that I have healing powers, there will be endless petitions.

Artizea’s strength couldn’t handle that.

Above all, magic leaves traces.

Even if she hid magic circles inside her sleeves or somewhere else, the truth would eventually be revealed.

She had already decided and thought it through, so there was no need to suddenly consider other options.

Sophie brought warm water. Artizea didn’t feel thirsty, but seeing the water made her think she should drink it.

To recover.

Sophie and another maid helped her sit up together. Artizea struggled to drink half a sip of water.

“How long did I sleep?”

“Not too long. About 12 hours.”

“….”

Artizea was about to ask more questions but stopped and leaned back against the cushions, letting her body relax.

Cedric would have taken care of the aftermath. He would know well what would happen after the oracle that the Holy Lady would become Empress.

The doctor, hearing news that Artizea had awakened, hurried over.

Artizea slowly drank water once more. With each sip, she felt a little more energy returning, making her realize just how depleted her body truly was.

The doctor looked at her with a cautious expression.

He had been caring for her since learning that Artizea was pregnant.

Cedric hadn’t particularly scolded him about this incident.

However, despite receiving orders to pay special attention to the Prince’s Consort’s health, he had let her collapse again.

He had no excuse, even with ten mouths.

But even if he told her to do nothing and rest peacefully in a place with good climate, she wouldn’t listen, would she?

Artizea buried herself among the cushions. Then she looked at the doctor with sunken eyes.

“Nothing hurts.”

“Yes….”

Since that was true, the doctor could only answer that way.

Artizea had simply lost her vitality.

Various parts of her body would ache and throb. Her digestion would be poor and her stamina had declined.

But it wasn’t a disease that could be treated. All medicines were ineffective.

“You need to eat nourishing food and rest well. I’ll prepare some medicine for you.”

In the end, he could only say what he always said.

Artizea nodded in understanding. The doctor sighed and withdrew from her presence.

Sophie helped her lie down again. Artizea asked.

“Leticia?”

“Marcus is taking good care of her, so don’t worry. Last night, the master personally took her to sleep with him.”

“I see.”

Artizea closed her eyes.

Sophie quietly rose from beside the bed. It seemed she was trying to keep things quiet.

But shortly after, the sound of an argument could be heard. Artizea narrowed her eyes and looked back.

Sophie snapped at Alice.

“I know you’re doing important work. But is it so important that you have to wake her when she’s unwell?”

“This is for your sake too, you fool.”

Alice pushed Sophie aside. Sophie blocked Alice again.

“I know our lady isn’t feeling well too. But if the news is delayed and something happens that we might regret even once in a thousand times, it’s our lady who will suffer.”

Alice said that.

“Alice.”

Artizea called Alice with a hoarse voice.

Sophie stepped aside. Alice rushed to Artizea’s side.

Then she knelt on one knee and whispered in a low voice.

“The Emperor’s secret investigators have begun investigating the family relationships of all the Ducal House employees. After that’s finished, they’ll investigate military personnel who are close to the master.”

“…I understand.”

Artizea answered in a low voice.

It was good that she had disbanded the information network early.

She had briefly regretted it out of frustration, but it was right to reduce their size before the storm hit.

“Should I help Sophie’s family escape?”

“You can’t do it openly. Are you confident?”

“I’m thinking of saying that you’re going to the Southern Region to recuperate and using that preparation to move some people.”

“I won’t need to give detailed instructions anymore. You handle it yourself.”

“Yes.”

Alice bowed her head.

“You have no message for Prince Eimel?”

“Has there been news from that side?”

“Some of the crewmen are frequenting the Owl Tavern.”

That tavern was a place Artizea had prepared as a meeting point when organizing her information network.

Though the contact methods, location, and shop name had all changed from before, Cadriole would have had no difficulty finding that shop.

She didn’t know about later, but for now, it wasn’t particularly necessary.

“For now…, even if we’re moving people to the Southern Region, it would be better not to get involved with those people.”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

“The Crown Prince and Princess of Ientz slept here yesterday. The master ordered us to prepare a guest room for them. I’m telling you because Sophie probably didn’t mention it.”

“I understand. Thank you. I’ll get up after resting a bit more.”

“Yes. Sleep well.”

Alice curtsied slightly and left.

Sophie closed the bedroom door.

Artizea spoke to Sophie with her eyes still closed.

“Don’t be too hard on her. Alice is just doing her job. Just like you.”

“I know that too.”

Sophie replied.

“But… I wish you wouldn’t think only about the future.”

“Sophie….”

“You’ve only just become able to be happy….”

But Sophie couldn’t tell her to think only about her husband and baby.

Until yesterday, she had thought that way. But she couldn’t say that to the Holy Lady.

“The Divine is so indifferent….”

Sophie muttered.

“The Divine being indifferent is true, but not toward me.”

Artizea answered with her eyes closed.

“What you think of might be happiness, but I don’t want to be happy that way. Nor would I be forgiven for it.”

“My lady….”

“I just want to die without regrets… to die cleanly when the time comes.”

Whatever others might say, she hoped that this time she could disappear without regrets or lingering attachments.

Hoping that Cedric would be by her side then would probably be a luxury.

Artizea emptied her mind. Then she slowly counted her breaths and called sleep to her.

40.

A yellow wind was blowing.

Her hair smelled of mud.

Lisia shook out her hair and tied it up again. Then she steeled her resolve.

What lay before her eyes was a scene she had witnessed in the past.

The trees were drying up and withering like dead wood, yet the ground was muddy and sticky.

Lisia pulled the reins to stop without stepping on that sticky ground. The people following her also came to a halt.

It was broad daylight, yet there were hardly any people out in the fields. Only children around seven or eight years old were outside, digging the ground.

“I’ll go find out what’s happening.”

The manager who had accompanied her said. Lisia raised her hand to stop him.

Then she spoke to the knight following behind.

“Surround this village, dig trenches, and prohibit people from entering or leaving. You must absolutely avoid contact with people or animals.”

“Pardon?”

“Send people to survey the nearby villages.”

This time Lisia spoke to the manager.

“You must absolutely not step in the mud or drink the water. And when you return, don’t meet anyone and come straight to me.”

“Baron Mortan, what you’re saying is…”

“This is a plague.”

Lisia stared at the village until her eyes hurt.

As Lisia remembered, this plague had begun to spread when she turned twenty-four.

It was four years early.

Moreover, this plague had occurred during the monster wave.

To be precise, it wasn’t a plague but insects.

They weren’t ordinary insects, but a type of monster that directly sucked life force. And when they flowed outside, they became sticky like moisture.

Unlike other plagues, it couldn’t be solved by managing hygiene and isolating patients.

Since it moved from one animal’s life force to another, they couldn’t even find the source of infection.

It wasn’t transmitted from specific animals.

So even catching rats and chasing away mosquitoes couldn’t stop the spread. Being careful was useless. There was no land without insects, and they couldn’t block all flying insects.

Lisia had treated people and purified the land. However, even her purification power wasn’t infinite.

When she purified a village, it would get better, but over time it would break out again. Or it would appear in neighboring villages.

Sometimes even in cities quite far away.

Lisia learned about the source of infection after her engagement to Lawrence.

After becoming the Crown Princess, Lisia first asked Artizea for help with that problem. Artizea immediately set up quarantine lines as if she had been waiting.

They surrounded villages, dug up the ground, and burned everything down to the grass roots. Then they poured oil on it.

Lisia treated the plague and purified the land from within. The flying insect problem couldn’t be solved, but once they knew the quarantine method, the transmission speed was slowed enough to handle.

Though deep scars remained, it took less than three months to end the plague.

Lisia had thought helplessly at that time.

It seemed Artizea’s calculations had included her devotedly engaging in purification and healing.

How much was planned, how much was coincidence, how much was the plan failing and going awry – Lisia had no way of knowing.

In any case, there was no way Artizea hadn’t influenced the spread of that disease back then.

So it made no sense for this plague to be spreading now.

‘Not only the timing, but the causality doesn’t match either.’

If it had occurred naturally, it should have happened during the last monster wave.

‘There’s no way a civilian went to Monster Land and returned alive, and if it had really been transmitted during monster subjugation, it should have started with the Western Army…’

But instead, it had started suddenly. This village was in the Western Plains. However, it was at the opposite end from Monster Land, actually closer to the Central region.

There was no way people from this village had gone to Monster Land and returned.

It meant someone had intentionally spread it.

Lisia dismounted from her horse. Alphonse followed and dismounted as well.

Lisia didn’t bother to stop him. Alphonse wouldn’t listen even if she told him not to come.

She headed toward the village.

The children who had been digging in the fields looked up at her and tilted their heads. They seemed to have been starving for a long time, with sunken cheeks and no light in their eyes.

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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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