The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 281

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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 281

Natalia’s flexible sword pierced Alden’s side.

“Ugh…!”

Natalia rushed straight into Alden’s embrace and drew the sword from his waist.

The flexible sword was pliable and good for concealment, but lacked killing power.

Since she had already drawn a weapon, she needed to kill everyone currently in the Imperial Prince’s Palace.

“It’s already known that Ients boarded the Crown Prince’s ship. But whether or not you directly participated in battle makes a big difference.”

Bernart had said with a serious attitude.

“If the anti-Crown Prince faction wins, and it becomes known that you fought, it would mean Crown Princess Ients participated in the Empire’s civil war over imperial succession.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll leave the choice of whether to draw your weapon to you. However, if you act, please do so decisively.”

Natalia said she would do so.

There was another reason. She was Bernart’s secret guard. If her skills were revealed, she would lose that function.

As soon as Natalia secured the sword, she turned around.

The three Royal Guards had shocked expressions on their faces. Before they could react, Natalia stabbed one of them in the throat.

“Crown Princess!”

Alden let out a scream mixed with a shriek. One of the two remaining Royal Guards drew his sword, and one drew his gun.

Both were wrong choices. The gun wasn’t loaded, and there was distance between her and the one with the sword.

Natalia first slashed the wrist of the one holding the gun.

Clang!

The gun fell and scratched the marble floor.

A person loses combat ability even with just a cut wrist. Especially if it’s their dominant hand.

Kicking away the Royal Guard who was clutching his wrist and crouching in pain, Natalia turned to Alden. She then stomped on Alden’s hand as he tried to draw his pistol.

“Ugh, ahhh…!”

Alden screamed in pain as his hand bones shattered.

The panicked Royal Guard’s sword tip wavered. Even in a prepared state, he wouldn’t be able to handle Natalia one-on-one, let alone with such a mindset.

Thud!

The fight ended quickly.

Natalia threw away Alden’s sword and wiped the blood on her gloves with the tablecloth.

Then she collected the weapons from the dead.

“Sigh…”

A sigh escaped her.

She hadn’t wanted to kill if possible. She had hoped they would just let her go.

If that had happened, she would have rescued Leticia and Mielle from the abandoned mansion and moved.

‘It couldn’t be helped…’

If she had left them alive and they called for reinforcements, it would be like throwing a baby into a battlefield without the Evron Knight Order.

That would be worse than not acting at all.

If she was going to act, she had to do it decisively. That was also Bernart’s order.

Still, she didn’t feel good about it. Although Natalia was a knight, she hadn’t killed many people.

If Cedric won anyway, they would be executed as traitors. Natalia comforted herself with that thought.

There was no one on the third floor. Thinking that if there were search teams remaining, they might come running at the sound of fighting, Natalia went down slowly.

And she stood in front of the baby’s room.

A terrible scene was spread out in the corridor. It was because this was where the fiercest fighting had taken place tonight.

More than thirty-nine corpses were scattered about.

The carpet was soaked with blood, making squelching sounds with every step. But Natalia had no time to worry about that.

She stepped over the corpses and entered the baby’s room. Her footsteps echoed heavily.

‘If there was trouble, Milaire said she would hide while holding the imperial grandson. Or did they escape instead?’

If so, there was no need to worry.

That’s when it happened.

“Eek!”

Natalia was startled and turned around. Hazel was covering her mouth.

“Princess Hazel.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought there was no one here.”

Hazel bowed her head.

Natalia shook her head saying it was fine. And just as she was about to ask Hazel about Mielle.

“Captain! There’s someone here!”

Bang!

Natalia shot him without hesitation with Alden’s pistol that she had loaded in advance.

Hazel was shocked.

“There was no one on the first floor?!”

“It seems there was someone who followed you up.”

Natalia said while reloading bullets.

“Princess, you should take cover for now.”

“But Mielle…!”

“She seems to be hiding well, so rather…”

Then they heard crying sounds as if someone was gasping for breath.

“Princess Hazel, quickly!”

Natalia holstered the pistol at her waist and this time loaded the musket. Leticia’s crying didn’t sound very good.

And when a baby’s crying could be heard, they would naturally be discovered.

Hazel ran to the carved panel and forcefully tore it off.

“Mielle!”

Mielle was half-unconscious in a daze. Her body was soaked in cold sweat.

Leticia, tightly held in her arms, began crying fiercely.

“Waaah! Waaah!”

Hazel hurriedly picked up the baby. Her face was red and swollen from crying so much.

Natalia heard the sound of troops running up from downstairs.

‘Six? Eight?’

That was enough.

“Princess Hazel, go hide behind that cupboard over there.”

Natalia said.

Hazel slung the baby carrier over one shoulder and slapped Mielle’s cheeks several times. It would be uncomfortable for Leticia, but that wasn’t the problem. Mielle opened her eyes dimly in confusion.

“Hazel…”

“Come this way!”

She forcefully dragged Hazel along.

Before Hazel could fully take cover, the door was kicked open.

Bang!

The shot Natalia fired hit the head of the one who kicked down the door.

The shocked searchers all raised their pistols at once. However, they couldn’t shoot immediately.

Because Natalia was Crown Princess Ients. Thanks to that, Natalia gained one more breath of advantage.

The second shot timely pierced through another one’s head.

There had been seven enemy knights. And now it was reduced to five.

Five blades rushed toward Natalia. Natalia raised her musket to block them and forcefully struck them aside.

Then she drew her sword and faced her opponents.

‘Can I do this?’

Natalia’s gaze scattered chaotically.

If she had time, it would be enough. The problem wasn’t whether she could win the fight, but whether she could safely protect Leticia and Mielle.

Hazel slowly moved toward the door while holding Leticia. Natalia noticed this and drove the attackers toward the window.

The search captain who noticed this shouted.

“Capture the imperial grandson first!”

Even while facing two opponents simultaneously with swords, Natalia drew the pistol from her waist and shot one of them down.

At that moment, Hazel threw the lamp. The carpet caught fire instantly. Kerosene that had been poured somewhere burst into flames.

Mielle crawled on all fours, barely escaping outside the door. Then she tripped over a corpse and tumbled.

“Kyaa, aaah!”

Mielle’s scream echoed shrilly through the corridor.

“Your Highness Natalia!”

Hazel shouted.

Natalia kicked away the opponent she was fighting and ran toward Hazel. Hazel overturned the oil container. The room became a sea of fire in an instant.

“Hurry!”

Natalia hoisted Mielle onto her back.

The two ran down frantically, each carrying the person they had to protect. Since gunshots had been fired, there was a possibility that reinforcements would come.

“Let’s go to the west gate. If we can just get there, my father will be waiting.”

And Henry Kishower would probably be there too. If he learned that the Imperial Prince’s Palace had been attacked, he would come running out of worry for Mielle.

Belmond Editor was waiting with a getaway carriage prepared.

Hazel hadn’t gone to the salon at the Empress’s Palace tonight, but had secretly gone to meet her father.

It wasn’t that she suspected Evron.

The knights of Evron would willingly throw themselves into battle to the last man for Cedric, just as they had done before.

The wet nurse had even offered up her own baby.

However, what they loved was Evron’s heir. Not Leticia herself, nor Artizea’s daughter.

To put it in extreme terms, if they had to choose between Cedric and Leticia, they would abandon Leticia even while shedding tears.

Mielle and Hazel were different. Marcus was different too.

They liked the people of Evron. But even if they became hostages threatening Evron, Leticia’s safety was more precious.

What mattered wasn’t protecting her with Evron’s hands so she wouldn’t be taken away, but that Leticia was safe.

So they moved separately. If something happened, they needed someone to rescue the hidden Mielle.

It would be good if nothing happened. Even if something did happen, it would be good if the Imperial Prince’s Palace was safely protected.

Then it would just be a little effort spent on something relatively useless. She hoped it would turn out that way.

Unfortunately, the situation had come to this.

“The west gate won’t work.”

Mielle, clinging to Natalia’s back, answered in a frail voice.

“Put me down in the garden and go to the Empress’s Palace.”

“Mielle!”

“Her Highness told me so. If something happens, go to the Empress’s Palace. And the Empress’s Palace is much closer.”

Saying that, Mielle pushed Natalia away.

“Your Highness Natalia. Please take Lady Leticia to the Empress’s Palace. I beg you.”

Natalia put Mielle down for now and looked at Hazel with a troubled expression. Then she looked down at Mielle again.

“If I’m with you, you won’t be able to go properly. It will only be dangerous.”

Mielle said while panting.

That was true.

Hazel bit her lip. Though they were cousins of the same age, the sickly Mielle was always someone Hazel had to take care of.

But if Mielle was saying this much, she couldn’t stop her.

“I will go to the west gate with Mielle, Your Highness Natalia.”

That meant becoming a decoy.

Natalia said with a troubled expression.

“I am from Ientz.”

It didn’t make sense to entrust a precious imperial grandchild to a foreigner alone.

“Her Highness trusted Your Highness Natalia. That’s enough.”

Hazel said. Mielle nodded as well.

Natalia was very troubled by the one-sided trust the two showed.

Artizea was indeed good at reading people. She couldn’t turn away from such trust.

So she sighed and received the bundle from Hazel’s hands, tying it to her chest. To the Empress’s Palace, if Natalia ran alone, it was just a stone’s throw away.

That was the safest option.

“May you both be safe.”

“Please take care of her.”

Hazel bowed her head for Mielle’s share as well.

Natalia disappeared into the garden shadows where moonlight didn’t reach.

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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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