The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 293

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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 293

“My lady has fallen asleep.”

“It was good that we got a prescription for sleeping pills.”

“Thank you.”

Alice bowed politely.

Sleeping pills weren’t good for someone with a frail body like Artizea. Still, it was better for her to sleep even if she had to rely on them in this situation.

However, Alice wasn’t in a position to make such decisions on her own.

So she couldn’t express how grateful she was when Cedric gave her the sleeping pills and told her to go put her to sleep.

“My lady will be fine tomorrow morning too.”

Alice said as if making an excuse.

Cedric replied “I know” in a low voice.

He didn’t mean that Artizea would be fine tomorrow morning. He meant he understood Alice’s worry.

And when tomorrow morning came, they would cover up the problem for now and discuss urgent matters.

Cedric cast his gaze toward the dark window outside. It was a newly formed habit. It was to avoid showing his anguished face to others.

He clenched and unclenched his fists several times.

The seething feeling in his chest wouldn’t easily subside.

It had been like this the entire way here. He felt like that heat would melt his heart and flow down into his stomach.

So he was afraid that eventually there would be no such thing as a righteous heart left.

He thought some of this fever would subside when they met.

He knew she wouldn’t welcome him. He also knew she would reproach him for coming.

Still, he hoped that if he spread his arms to embrace her, she would pretend to be unable to resist and let him hold her.

But he only came to realize that Artizea hadn’t changed.

Cedric thought.

‘Will I be able to change you?’

And then he thought again.

‘Will I be able to endure until I change you?’

How many times would he have to speak, how many times would he have to clash before getting through?

Was it even possible?

Words of love wouldn’t work, nor would vows to be together. What more could he do beyond this?

If Alice hadn’t come in at the right time, he would have unleashed this anger directly on Artizea.

Even knowing she would shatter.

He even felt like he wanted to do just that. Would his heart feel at ease if he smashed everything to pieces, gathered up the fragments, and held them wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket?

If he went and held her in his arms and lay down, he would be able to pretend to ignore this pain for a little while.

He could spend some time pretending as if all problems were solved.

But Cedric wasn’t someone who could do that.

If he had been someone who could deceive his own heart, he wouldn’t have wandered the wasteland after losing everything in the past either.

Cedric said with a weary feeling.

“You must serve her well by her side. She’s not someone who listens to being stopped, so if necessary, you must block her even with force.”

“Yes… Then, what about you, my lord…?”

“I’ll sleep in another room tonight. Since there’s a military doctor anyway and I can’t go to her bedroom, go and stay by her side.”

“Yes.”

Alice bowed with a complex expression that seemed both relieved and pitying, then withdrew.

Knock knock.

Soon after, the sound of knocking was heard.

“It’s Owen, Your Highness.”

“Come in.”

Cedric overlaid an expressionless mask over the pained expression reflected in the window.

Owen entered and reported.

“We’ve fired the first signal flare. I’ve instructed them to continue at one-hour intervals from now until noon tomorrow.”

“Well done.”

“I did it because it was Your Highness’s order, but I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do.”

That signal flare was a signal that Cedric had come to this place.

He had already come to the west and conducted an inspection once. But revealing detailed location information wouldn’t be wise.

Cedric had come with a small number. The guards currently staying here were only 120 in total – Artizea’s 100 guards plus the 20 Cedric had brought.

Of course, one corps of the Western Army was dispatched as search parties here and there within a day’s distance. Following them, two more corps of the Western Army commanded by Ain would also come.

Even so, the fact that the Crown Prince and his wife were staying in an isolated, remote place with only 120 guards should have been treated as classified.

That was also included in the reason why Cedric hadn’t sent separate word while rushing here.

“Lisia will have hope when she sees it.”

“That’s true.”

Owen’s face softened slightly at Cedric’s answer.

‘And that bastard will be watching too.’

Cedric thought to himself while looking out the window.

He knew that Lawrence would hate him as much as he hated Lawrence.

That was a different matter from how the Emperor or Artizea had politically checked and suppressed him.

Cedric knew well that Lawrence had destroyed the north simply because he hated him.

Now would be no different. That bastard was still obsessed with Lisia.

Misunderstanding the friendship that had existed between him and Lisia, he would undoubtedly want to kill him in front of Lisia this time too.

‘Actually, it probably wasn’t even a misunderstanding.’

Cedric thought that Lawrence would know better than Artizea about emotions between men and women.

Even if he had known it was friendship, Lawrence would have acted the same way.

He had treated Baron Morthen and his wife the same way. Even if he had been Lisia’s real brother rather than her former fiancé, he would have hated him.

It was just that, like how he couldn’t make Lisia submit, he simply couldn’t kill him.

So he would be furious to learn that he had come. He wouldn’t be able to calmly ignore him as he did with Artizea.

Because anger tends to agitate people.

If he came running directly to kill him, there was nothing he could wish for more.

Cedric slowly turned around. Owen took out a pistol wrapped in a handkerchief from his chest and respectfully placed it before Cedric.

“Lisia should still be safe. She was able to send a maid to escape.”

Owen said.

Cedric lifted the handkerchief. And he picked up the pistol with complicated feelings.

“I didn’t know you had given that to Lisia.”

“I did it hoping this kind of situation wouldn’t arise. It’s my fault. Instead of letting her go to the west, it would have been better if I had assigned her to handle northern affairs.”

He couldn’t give orders to Lisia. He always thought he shouldn’t either.

But if he had asked her to handle northern affairs, Lisia wouldn’t have refused.

“You said the maid brought it?”

“Yes. A child named Benia.”

“I heard from Alice earlier. Is she still here now?”

“Yes. Shall I have her brought if you want to meet her?”

Cedric hesitated for a moment. Then he said in a low voice.

“It’s too late. If it were urgent information, you or Tia would have already heard it. I’ll meet her tomorrow when there’s time.”

“Yes.”

Owen answered.

The existence of young Benia was something that stirred up old wounds for him too.

「If there’s a chance, she said to return it to you.」

She had once come all the way to the north with this pistol. It was not long after hearing the news that Lisia had died.

In the end, it had returned to him without ever being used.

And this time too, it had returned clean through Benia’s hands.

Cedric looked down at the pistol.

He owed a debt to Benia. That debt was different in nature from what Artizea felt.

In the end, Cedric had helped rescue her even knowing that Benia wanted to kill Artizea.

He didn’t say the reason. If Benia had known he would kneel before Artizea, she would never have helped.

Looking back, that was the first time he had intentionally deceived a faithful person.

“I don’t regret it, ra…”

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Cedric put the pistol into his coat.

Come to think of it, back then Lisia had entrusted her last words to Artizea, not to Benia.

Was it because her feelings when entrusting this pistol to Benia were different from her feelings just before death?

Perhaps she hadn’t expected Benia to come all the way to the distant North to deliver the keepsake.

Or maybe those last words only had meaning when Artizea brought them.

‘I’m not as steadfast as you, Lisia.’

Cedric turned his gaze back to the window.

That’s when it happened.

Bang bang!

A guard pounded on the door as if to break it down.

Owen went out in surprise and came back in with the guard.

“What’s the matter?”

“A messenger has come. This.”

Owen took a letter from the guard’s hand and presented it to Cedric.

There was a signature on the envelope.

‘Lawrence.’

Nothing else was written besides that.

Cedric tore open the envelope.

Inside was a map with a location marked with a red dot and a note with a date two days later.

Cedric unconsciously crumpled that note in his hand.

“The one who brought it?”

“Under interrogation.”

“Make sure to treat him. It would be troublesome if he dies. And if anything comes out, bring it to me immediately.”

“Yes.”

The guard saluted and went outside.

Artizea opened her eyes when the sun was approaching the southern zenith the next day.

She opened her eyes wide and stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment.

Perhaps because it was sleep induced by medicine, it didn’t seem like restful sleep. But her eyes had more luster than yesterday.

Artizea carefully got down from the bed. Instead of pulling the bell cord to call Alice, she slipped on her slippers with cold feet and went outside.

Cedric was sitting in her drawing room.

So it wasn’t a dream. Artizea thought dazedly.

Even though he must have sensed her coming out, Cedric kept his gaze fixed on the map.

Artizea shifted her gaze toward that map. There was a large red mark drawn that she had never made.

Without looking back at her, Cedric held out the torn envelope.

Artizea clutched her chest. This should be what she had hoped for, but her insides hurt as if they were being torn apart and she could barely breathe.

“Lawrence sent it.”

Artizea’s eyes widened. She took the envelope and hurriedly opened it.

Cedric let out a long sigh. Then he looked back at Artizea.

That face no longer smiled. He didn’t extend his hand with a gentle attitude either.

The distance remained as it had been after last night.

“I fired a signal flare last night to let him know I had come. Lawrence seemed to be waiting for me.”

“…Yes.”

“First… let’s stop him. And then…”

Cedric let out another big sigh and said.

“And then we’ll talk.”

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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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