The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 326

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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 (20)

Lisia went toward the brazier holding the envelope. Since the weather was mild, no fire was lit in the fireplace, and the brazier also appeared to be extinguished.

Lisia stirred the brazier with tongs to revive the embers. Then she placed the envelope on it and brought over an oil bottle, sprinkling a few drops.

Ranie’s eyes widened. She was curious about what kind of letter it was that needed to be burned like that.

Lisia said.

“Of course we should cooperate with such matters. Since there’s nothing to hide, let’s fully disclose everything, whether it’s ledgers or whatever.”

“Count Adevan will oppose it.”

“The grain warehouse doesn’t need authority.”

After Lisia spoke, she thought for a moment.

“But whether it’s budget, manpower, or information, if they provided support, we should show gratitude.”

“Yes.”

Ranie brightened up. While she herself wasn’t in a position to be ignored anywhere as Lisia’s secretary, it was true that there were subtle power struggles between the grain warehouse and the administrative offices.

“Let’s leave the responsibility for gratitude to Count Adevan. You’ll be responsible for cooperation and support.”

“Me? Really?”

Ranie was startled.

“This year’s winter wheat harvest is already abundant. The warehouses are full, so there shouldn’t be any problems under normal circumstances.”

“Where… are you going?”

Ranie asked cautiously. Lisia spoke gently as if it were nothing special.

“I’ll go to the capital for a few days.”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s personal business. It won’t take long.”

Even so, considering the travel time, it would take about two months. Ranie looked worried.

“I’ll organize an escort unit as quickly as possible.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll travel light. It’s private business.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Taking an escort unit would take too long. It’s faster to just go with a couple of knights.”

“You’re not going alone, are you?”

“Right. I’ll ask Count Joffrey and Count Adel. On the way, I’ll use the Western Army garrison.”

Still, Ranie looked troubled. Lisia was an important person. There were quite a few who would use force either to exploit her or to eliminate her influence.

As if reading her thoughts, Lisia said.

“Don’t worry. Nothing like before will happen. Back then it was an unstable and turbulent time in many ways. It’s different now.”

Behind those words was the hidden meaning that those who were obsessed with her were now gone, but this was something Ranie couldn’t know.

Ranie reluctantly nodded. She had no power to stop Lisia if she was determined to go.

“What will you do about Benia?”

“What’s there to do specifically? Just leave her to continue her work as usual.”

“She’ll be angry next month when she finds out you left without her.”

Ranie shrank her neck a little.

She found Benia difficult. Even though she was younger than herself. Even her work skills were mature beyond her years.

Lisia had sent Benia to the department that inspected grain distribution, keeping her constantly moving. She hoped that by traveling to various places and observing the changing landscape, Benia’s heart would soften even a little.

It still seemed too early. Benia was in an unstable state, unable to release her accumulated emotions and depending on Lisia.

But someday it would change.

For Benia now, both the western lands and Lisia herself were not objects of love but rather targets of obsession to endure despair.

So when she understood that the despair was now over, the day would come when her heart would open and she would look at the world with clear eyes.

Lisia believed that she was a strong enough child to be able to do so.

“I’ll write a letter before I go, so give it to Benia when she comes. Even if she comes, she’ll probably have to go out again soon anyway since she’s busy.”

“Yes.”

Lisia gave Ranie several more instructions.

Even though she was the head of the grain warehouse, she wasn’t directly involved in practical affairs. Her job was done by just deciding basic policies.

She left the office early and headed to her private residence.

After quickly packing her things, two knights had arrived. Lisia greeted them lightly and said.

“Let’s go to the capital.”

“Yes, Lady Lisia.”

Lisia finally tucked a pistol into her waistband.

It was her first return to the capital in two years.

* * *

The Empress Dowager returned from her trip at the end of April.

If she had gone to escape the heat, it was the perfect time to return. But since Artizea had expected her to stay longer, she was puzzled.

“I heard that for southerners, summer is the best time for southern sea travel, but you returned early.”

“At my age, wouldn’t sea fishing and boat rides be too much? Having lived in the capital for so long, I find the heat harder to bear now.”

“I see.”

“Was there anything unusual?”

“No. Nothing happened at all. There might be various matters in state affairs, but nothing that would change the capital’s social circles in the short term.”

The social circles were stirring with the appearance of northern nobles including Mel.

However, once they realized that the Emperor had no particular plan to concentrate on promoting northern nobles, it was nothing special. It was just for show anyway.

The Karam matter was secret even from the Empress Dowager. And exchanges with the temple were proceeding smoothly enough to avoid detection.

“What about the south? Since you returned early, I assume there were no major incidents?”

“Major incidents, for example?”

“Like the Kingdom of Eimel increasing their military preparations.”

“That’s always happening, so it’s nothing new.”

“That’s true.”

“Rather, there’s a commotion about the King’s marriage. It seems Eimel’s ministers have finally reached their limit.”

“I see. Did a suitable queen candidate appear?”

“Well, no one particularly new appeared. They say they were already planning to choose from princesses with marriage alliances with several countries in mind.”

“The power dynamics in the south will fluctuate again.”

Artizea answered nonchalantly.

She didn’t know which country Eimel had decided to ally with. But there was no princess anywhere ambitious and bold enough to become Cadriole’s life partner.

Rather, if a queen tried to cause internal strife or engage in power struggles, it would only drain Eimel’s national strength.

‘It might be better to install a nominal queen. King Cadriole probably knows this too.’

While interesting, it didn’t seem like it would become a complex political issue that the current Empire needed to pay careful attention to.

“More importantly, I received various gifts from Ientz.”

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

The drawing room door opened so forcefully it seemed like it might break. The Empress Dowager frowned, but couldn’t maintain it when she saw the child who burst in.

“Grandma!”

Leticia screamed and rushed in with her whole body.

But she hesitated before crashing into the Empress Dowager’s knees. The Empress Dowager looked down at the child with a pleased smile and chuckled.

“Tisha forgot grandma’s face.”

“I, I didn’t forget… it.”

Leticia squirmed shyly. She hadn’t forgotten, but seemed to be acting shy since it had been so long.

The Empress Dowager put her hands under Leticia’s armpits and lifted her up.

“Oh my, you’ve gotten heavier. In just a few more months, it’ll be hard to hold you like this.”

“Compared to how much she eats, her weight isn’t increasing proportionally.”

“It’s all going to her bones. Sedric was like that.”

“Pardon?”

“He fell from the ceiling and hit an iron flagpole, but didn’t break a single bone.”

“Pardon?”

Artizea asked back. What did she mean by a person falling from the ceiling?

The Empress Dowager looked around. However, Artizea’s drawing room wasn’t decorated particularly grandly, so there weren’t the kind of banners she was looking for.

“Why, don’t you have any? The imperial banners that hang in meeting rooms or audience chambers.”

“Ah, yes. They hang down from the ceiling without quite touching the floor.”

“He climbed up one of those to the ceiling and then fell. In my audience chamber.”

Since it was a place where dignity had to be maintained, it was more than half a story higher than other places.

Artizea’s eyes widened. It was such a rare expression that the Empress Dowager was delighted.

“You didn’t know?”

“Why would he climb up something like that?”

Then the Empress Dowager’s face clouded slightly. It was because she recalled old memories.

“Pavel was flying a kite there. Since the ceiling was higher than other places, he must have thought it would be sufficient. It got caught on the banner, and he was apparently trying to get it down because he was afraid of getting in trouble.”

Then he fell, terrifying his nanny and servants. The Empress Dowager was also greatly alarmed and scolded him severely.

Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, so it was something she could talk about with laughter. Artizea also chuckled softly.

“Then saying he never climbed curtains like Leticia was a lie. He just didn’t swing on them ‘like a swing,’ but it’s not like he never grabbed onto them and climbed up.”

“You too, Leticia?”

“Aah.”

When the Empress Dowager looked at her, Leticia, who was nestled on her lap, covered her face with both hands. It was because she had been scolded for that several times.

The Empress Dowager laughed and warned.

“You must be especially careful with stair railings.”

“Leticia isn’t tall enough yet, but we should prepare for it.”

“Sleds too.”

“She should be allowed to play on sleds at least.”

“On the stairs, I mean.”

Unlike Ansgard, the Empress Dowager had no reason to preserve Sedric’s dignity.

“Pavel was quite the troublemaker. Sedric might be pretending to have been dragged along now, but he was definitely not innocent.”

“The nanny must have had quite a hard time.”

“The moment you took your eyes off them, they would disappear. There were times I considered using several servants, but that wasn’t an easy matter either for various reasons…”

“Yes. Accidents happen when there are no watching eyes, but there might be those who would cause accidents mixed in…”

“Since there’s no such concern with Leticia, assign plenty of people to her.”

“Yes.”

Artizea smiled.

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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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