The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 312

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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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2. Spring Breeze (6)

The Royal Guards first lined up along the manor’s walls and controlled the roads. About half an hour later, a carriage stopped in front of the manor.

Marcus had been pacing around the garden anxiously, and when he saw the carriage, he smiled brightly.

As soon as the servant opened the door, Sedric caught Leticia who was about to jump out. Leticia dangled her feet in the air.

“How do you expect to get down from this height by yourself?”

“I’ll get down!”

Leticia flailed her arms and legs. Sedric got out of the carriage while holding Leticia.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Leticia bounced away like a ball. Behind her, Artizea took Sedric’s hand and got down, saying:

“That child runs around all day. Were you like that when you were young, Lord Sedric?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Ansgard said she has the same tastes as you.”

“I didn’t seek out fruit like Leticia does.”

Sedric answered, then added:

“Probably.”

Though he occasionally remembered some things from when he was four or five, he couldn’t recall such details clearly.

“I was probably more well-behaved than Tisha.”

“That’s also ‘probably’?”

Sedric laughed.

Artizea hadn’t been entirely serious either. At that age, Sedric couldn’t have run around recklessly like Leticia.

Young children understand their circumstances better than adults think.

Leticia was the same. She had an uncanny ability to recognize who loved her.

“Mark!”

Leticia ran toward him with her arms spread wide. Marcus lifted the baby while staggering with an “Oh my.”

“Our little lady.”

“Marcus, don’t overdo it.”

“I can still manage to hold her.”

Marcus answered with a smile. Then he bowed to Sedric a beat later.

“Welcome, Your Imperial Majesty. I’ve prepared light refreshments before dinner.”

“Thank you.”

Sedric replied and entered the Rosan manor arm in arm with Artizea, following Marcus.

Marcus had returned to the Rosan manor right after the coronation ceremony.

Artizea had summoned Marcus after hearing about the attack on the prince’s palace. Leticia had been personally protected by the Empress Dowager, and Marcus had been under house arrest.

The atmosphere hadn’t been very good. In the end, it could be said that his actions had merit since everyone was safe. But the fact remained that Marcus had acted out of suspicion toward Evron.

Except for Artizea’s Maid, most of those around Leticia, from the wet nurse to the maids, were from Evron. Even while saying it was fortunate, an uncomfortable undercurrent couldn’t help but flow.

“I know that what you did was truly for Leticia’s sake. As a mother and as Marquess Rosan, I am sincerely grateful for your loyalty.”

Artizea spoke in a calm voice.

“But the fact remains that you ultimately disobeyed His Majesty’s orders and deliberately ruined a pre-established operation.”

“Yes… I also know that I essentially destroyed the harmony between Evron and Rosan.”

Artizea thought she had simply been lucky.

If the forces attacking the prince’s palace had been even slightly larger, or if Natalia hadn’t helped, or if Leticia had kept crying, or if Mielle had collapsed—if any one of these things had gone wrong, they would have lost Leticia.

Then they might have fallen into an even worse situation. Following the original plan and leaving it to the knights would have been more certain.

Sedric said it was fine since nothing happened. In a way, even such luck might be a qualification of an emperor.

But from Artizea’s position, she couldn’t let it pass without taking any measures.

She couldn’t hold Mielle and Natalia responsible, so only Marcus remained.

Marcus said with tears in his eyes:

“Since the little lady is safe, that’s enough for me. Please punish me.”

“I have no intention of doing so. Your disobedience of His Majesty’s orders was essentially pardoned by His Majesty not punishing you, so if I were to punish you here, it would look like I’m being mindful of Evron.”

Leticia’s position was also different from Sedric’s. She was neither a daughter of Evron nor of Rosan, but a princess of the Cratese Empire.

She wasn’t unaware of House of Evron’s loyalty. That would become an important political asset for Leticia in the future.

However, it would be troublesome if House of Evron came to regard Leticia as theirs. That would reverse the master-servant relationship.

Artizea had decided to withdraw from politics, but this was also about raising a child. Since it was impossible to separate Sedric from Evron, she had to do it herself.

“I won’t punish you, but you’ll step down from your position as guardian. If you continue to be in charge of her upbringing, Evron will criticize that Leticia is too inclined toward Rosan.”

“Yes…”

At this point, Artizea had already narrowed down the selection of a new nanny to some extent.

Now it wasn’t about taking the risk of being the nanny to a Duke of Evron’s daughter, but becoming the nanny to a princess. So she would be able to select someone more neutral.

Marcus looked sad but accepted it obediently. For him, that was tantamount to punishment.

Artizea said without any change in expression:

“That doesn’t mean you should completely withdraw your involvement.”

“Pardon?”

“Leticia has too few relatives. On the Evron side, there are at least many retainers and the territory itself remains, but… on her maternal side, there’s nothing.”

Far from having relatives to love her, there weren’t even stories about her roots worth telling. It was a situation where they had to prevent such things from reaching a young child’s ears.

“Marquess Rosan is the title Leticia will first acquire when she comes of age. Until then, I’d like you to manage the overall Rosan Marquess Estate as Leticia’s guardian.”

“The little lady’s guardian? How could I, when you are here…”

“Return to the Rosan manor. I’d like you to become maternal family for Leticia.”

Artizea said this.

She had almost no good memories of the Rosan manor. So she hoped Marcus would spend his remaining years there, redecorate the manor as he remembered it, and tell the baby beautifully embellished old stories.

That’s how Marcus came to return to the Rosan manor. He was probably the only one who could say he was “returning” there.

And he betrayed Artizea’s expectations in a good way. He remembered every detail of the old Rosan manor’s appearance, but he wasn’t obsessed with it.

The Rosan manor’s splendor wasn’t only because Milaire had reigned as queen in this house. The original Marquess Rosan family had also been wealthy and fond of luxury.

Marcus was accustomed to displaying wealth without being vulgarly ostentatious.

But instead of restoring the manor to its former appearance, he decorated everything for children.

All furniture corners were changed to rounded ones, and expensive furniture that absolutely couldn’t be broken was moved to storage.

On the stairs, he installed separate railings at a height children could grasp. The floors were all newly carpeted with soft rugs so no one would get hurt even if they fell or tumbled.

All sharp decorations were removed, and vases were replaced with carved wooden ones. Crystal beads were hung on windows so light would scatter like rainbows throughout the house.

In the banquet hall, one could ride wheeled rocking horses or play with toy swords. He even built a small, pretty house like a fairy house.

So children would be delighted.

Marcus thought it would be nice if Leticia could come play here with friends when she grew a little older and made some. He hoped it would become that kind of house.

It lost the dignity befitting a great noble’s manor. But that was better than a splendid and elegant house without a master.

And since Leticia liked it, Artizea naturally came to visit frequently. Thanks to the changed atmosphere of the manor, she no longer had heart-wrenching thoughts.

Marcus was satisfied. In fact, considering it was the normal age for retirement, it was no different from receiving a reward rather than punishment.

“Mark, doggy. Woof woof!”

“I thought she’d want to see them, so I kept them in the main building.”

Marcus said affectionately. Then he headed toward the hall while holding Leticia.

Sedric and Artizea followed behind.

A fence was set up on the well-lit terrace side with soft straw laid down. Month-old puppies were tumbling around adorably there.

The gardener who had been sitting in front of the fence jumped up and bowed repeatedly.

“I, I greet the Sun of the Empire. And, and…”

“Be at ease.”

Sedric waved his hand.

Leticia squirmed with her whole body. Marcus said:

“You mustn’t touch them carelessly. They’re still babies, so they might get hurt.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t bother the mother either. You can’t grab her tail or pull her fur.”

“Okay!”

Only after getting her promise did Marcus put Leticia down. Leticia ran to the fence with quick little steps.

The mother dog, familiar with Leticia, easily jumped over the fence. Then she licked Leticia’s cheek.

As if anticipating Sedric’s concern, the gardener said:

“Rea is a very gentle dog. She would never hurt the princess.”

“Then that’s fine. I’m more worried that Tisha might bother the puppies.”

“Father, Father. Look at that one. Red.”

Leticia grabbed Sedric’s hand with her two small hands and pulled him along.

“The one with the red ribbon?”

“Yes, Red. Red is pretty. The prettiest.”

Though all the puppies from the same litter looked exactly alike, it seemed different to Leticia.

Sedric nodded his head.

“Yes, Red is pretty.”

“Red is pretty. The prettiest.”

“She sang about how pretty that puppy was when we came last time too. Even though I told her we couldn’t take it home.”

“Motherrrr.”

“It’s still a baby. We can’t separate it from its mother and take it away.”

Leticia’s lips jutted out about four fingers’ worth. Sedric saw this and laughed.

“Did you ask Rea?”

“Ask Rea?”

“Rea is Red’s mother. You have to ask Rea too.”

Leticia made the most serious face in the world. Then she grabbed the face of Rea, who was sniffing around Sedric’s legs with her nose pressed against them.

“Rea, can’t I live with Red?”

Rea licked Leticia’s face head-on with a big swipe, pushing her away. Instead, Marcus answered with a smile.

“To leave its mother and go to another home, it needs to wait at least three more months.”

“Three months?”

“That means sleeping ten nights nine more times.”

Leticia tried counting on her fingers and started to sniffle. For Leticia, who could only count up to 10, this was an enormous amount of time she couldn’t even count.

“Waaaaah, no, I want to raise Red! Waaaah!”

Leticia began wailing at the top of her lungs. Since she hadn’t intended to make her cry, Artizea found herself in an awkward position.

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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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