The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 287

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 287

Viscount Yuven was a long-time friend of the Empress.

When Artizea was preparing to enter the Crown Prince’s palace, the Empress sent her as a maid.

Hailey was providing political support to Artizea, while Hazel was still only capable of simple errands.

Even though Ansgard served as head butler overseeing the household, there were still limitations due to his social status.

Therefore, Artizea requested someone from the Empress.

Even though Ansgard handled daily household matters as head butler, she still needed an experienced noble to act in place of the mistress.

Viscount Yuven did her job well.

She decided which furniture in the Crown Prince’s palace to replace and which to keep, what to bring from the Duke’s residence and what to buy new, and arranged for curtains and floor decorations.

She interviewed and hired palace servants to work in the Crown Prince’s palace, and employed new maids and servants.

She also excellently handled organizing the first party to showcase the Crown Prince’s palace to the guests.

However, Viscount Yuven was not staying in the Crown Prince’s palace solely for such practical reasons.

In other words, she was evidence of the alliance formed between the Empress and Artizea.

She was both a hostage and a communication liaison, as well as an authorized spy.

No one in the Crown Prince’s palace suspected her. She was someone who had remained unchanged even during the 18 years when the Empress kept her palace doors closed.

Since the Empress trusted her, the Crown Prince’s palace trusted her too.

To show that trust, Artizea did not conduct a background investigation on Viscount Yuven.

She believed that as long as the Empress did not betray them, Viscount Yuven would not betray them either.

Since Artizea did not conduct a background investigation, Freil and Hailey did not investigate either.

Cedric recalled his conversation with Ferguson.

“One of the secret investigators is definitely a family member of a maid from the Empress’s palace.”

Ferguson said that was information given by Agent 5.

He knew nothing beyond that. Agent 5 had intended to attach himself to Cedric from the beginning. But there was no reason for him to spill all the information he had to Ferguson.

He probably planned to make them anxious first, then release the remaining information for a bigger price.

In any case, it was not surprising that there was a secret investigator in the Empress’s palace.

Even if they hadn’t thought about secret investigators, the Empress would have been well aware that there were the Emperor’s spies.

Freil and Cedric’s other advisors thought that person would be Count Marta.

During the period when the Empress kept her palace doors closed, Countess Marta had never once left her side.

Other maids and friends left the palace for various reasons. When they became old enough to retire, they sometimes tried to send their daughters or nieces, but the Empress mostly refused.

Throughout all this, Countess Marta consistently remained by the Empress’s side.

If the Emperor wanted to plant someone among the Empress’s close associates, there was no family more suitable than the Marta Count family.

“Come to think of it, His Majesty the Emperor might have deliberately left one or two families behind.”

Freil cautiously suggested this possibility. Prime Minister Lin also agreed.

“The Marta Count family is indeed a quiet and conservative family. They have few relatives, and their income relies on farms that have been passed down through generations.”

“It wouldn’t be strange if he left behind a family that would cause no harm, using them as hostages against Her Majesty the Empress while simultaneously planting someone within.”

Despite his wife being close to the Empress and in the middle of the imperial palace, Count Marta was someone who drew no attention at all.

Rather, that made him even more suspicious.

This was also one of the main reasons for not choosing the Empress’s palace as a place to protect Leticia tonight.

This was true even if Countess Marta herself was unrelated to any betrayal.

However, the solo cellist said:

“Agent 3 is Count Yuven’s husband.”

That one sentence explained everything.

Count Yuven’s husband, that is, the Viscount’s husband, was a former servant who was said to have succeeded in life by skillfully courting his wife in his youth.

However, they had become an elderly couple with an extremely good relationship that everyone envied. The Crown Prince’s palace also viewed them favorably.

No one would find it strange for Count Yuven’s husband to come and go from the Crown Prince’s palace.

He would have been easily recruited too. Though Cedric was reluctant to say it himself, the people of Evron were rather naive about such matters.

They were easily deceived when someone they already favored played tricks on them.

If even Viscount Yuven was part of their group, there would be nothing strange about the Crown Prince’s palace being breached tonight.

Cedric asked the Empress in a low voice:

“How did you know?”

“Because I did not call Yuven to the Empress’s palace today.”

The Empress answered with downcast eyes.

Viscount Yuven should have been at the Crown Prince’s palace tonight. She was someone who went to the Crown Prince’s palace as a sign of trust between the Empress’s palace and the Crown Prince’s palace.

So she should have stayed by Leticia’s side until the end. That would be meaningful as an alliance sharing the same fate.

She was not someone who wouldn’t understand this.

But Viscount Yuven did not do so.

She came without being called and said with her usual peaceful smile:

“The salon gathering is large, so I thought Marta alone might have difficulty managing it, so I came to help, Your Majesty the Empress.”

The Empress felt a slight sense of unease then. On this day, at this time, deliberately?

She realized it when she learned that the Crown Prince’s palace had been breached in an instant.

Of course, unexpected things happened in the world.

The anti-Crown Prince faction’s military might could have been strong enough to breach the Crown Prince’s palace’s preparations, or there could have been traitors within Evron.

But it was much more rational to suspect those who had acted strangely.

“How could this happen?”

The Empress asked several times in disbelief.

Viscount Yuven couldn’t have done such a thing.

For 18 years, and then another 2 years after opening the Empress’s palace doors, she had remained her unchanging friend.

Whatever her husband had done, she never thought she would betray her.

Viscount Yuven turned pale and knelt down.

“Your Majesty the Empress, how can you suspect me?”

“Then how should I interpret this situation? Why did you leave the Crown Prince’s palace and come to the salon? Why weren’t you surprised and shocked when Leticia fled here?”

The Empress was furiously angry.

“I trusted you and sent you as evidence of my promise with the Crown Princess. So the Crown Princess didn’t even conduct a background investigation on you. But you made it seem as if I betrayed the Crown Prince!”

Viscount Yuven eventually confessed. The Empress was speechless with disbelief.

“You believed that if he ascended to the throne, the Yuven Count family would be ruined.”

Her husband claimed that he could no longer withdraw, that now Cedric would seize power and the Yuven Count family would be exterminated.

And Viscount Yuven was persuaded by those words.

She even pleaded with the Empress.

The Duke of Evron is a northerner. Although the Evron ducal family had been mixed with imperial blood several times over the years, there was a reason why they had never been mentioned in the line of succession.

“At the very least, shouldn’t Your Majesty the Empress raise the imperial grandson directly, rather than leaving him in the hands of northerners?”

The Empress clenched her fists beneath her long sleeves.

It had been a long time. She had never thought there would be no imperial spies in the palace.

She just didn’t know it would be the husband of a trusted friend.

If she had simply been cautious to protect her family, the Empress would have been only slightly disappointed. It was something that could happen.

That could just be concluded as friendship having already departed.

But knowing how she had lived, she never imagined she would act as a spy together with her husband, who was the Emperor’s secret investigator.

With a faithful face, attaching plausible rational excuses while pretending to care for her.

“You already knew when you came.”

“…Yes.”

Cedric answered in a low voice.

He had already taken measures. That Count Yuven’s husband would be captured by now.

The Empress held her breath. She was tracing through the thoughts Cedric would likely have had.

And Cedric knew that too.

At that point, the power relationship between Cedric and the Empress was completely reversed.

“Do not worry, Your Majesty the Empress. It is enough that you told me.”

After Cedric spoke, he let out a long sigh.

“Since Your Majesty the Empress trusted me and spoke honestly, I will also trust Your Majesty the Empress and cover up this matter. Except for the person involved, please handle the disposition of the Yuven Count family as Your Majesty sees fit.”

“…Would that really be alright?”

“I know that Your Majesty the Empress’s heart has been more turbulent than mine.”

Cedric spoke quietly.

“Tia bears some responsibility for this matter. It’s my responsibility as well. If we had conducted sufficient verification work at the Imperial Prince’s Palace, this could have been avoided.”

“….”

“So I cannot ask Your Majesty the Empress to bear all the responsibility alone.”

His feelings were complicated since it involved a baby, of all things.

But precisely because it involved a baby, he wanted to end this matter with reconciliation.

“If you continue to regard Leticia as your own granddaughter, I will have nothing more to ask of Your Majesty the Empress.”

The Empress slowly nodded her head.

Cedric suddenly wondered if Artizea had known who the spy in the Empress’s Palace was.

It seemed unlikely.

Viscount Yuven herself was older than the Empress. And her husband was considerably older than Viscount Yuven.

By the time Marquess Rosan was most active, they would have already retired or died.

The spy had either changed, or perhaps there was none at all. If so, it was understandable that the Emperor had allowed the movement to eliminate the Empress’s Palace to proceed.

If they could no longer obtain inside information, it would have been burdensome to leave things as they were.

Dawn was now breaking and it was getting bright outside the window.

“I should return now. There are still matters remaining.”

Knock knock.

Someone was knocking on the door. It was Bertolt, who was in charge of security for the Main Palace.

“His Majesty has coughed up blood and fallen into critical condition. The court physician is doing his best.”

“….”

“At a time when the Imperial Palace is in such turmoil, announcing the Emperor’s critical condition would be improper. It would be best to keep it hidden for now.”

The Empress said.

Cedric understood her meaning.

The Emperor would have to be confined anyway. Tonight’s events would be thoroughly recorded as a military rebellion caused by traitors who forged imperial edicts.

However, if the Emperor were to fall critically ill and then die immediately after such events, naturally those records would come under suspicion.

The Empress wanted to prevent that.

“I think it would be best not to inform Countess Unise of the full situation either. I will tell her an appropriate version of events.”

“Yes. I will leave the Imperial Palace affairs to Your Majesty the Empress. Count Gayan will assist Your Majesty the Empress.”

The Empress nodded her head.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————