The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 40

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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 40

“Madam….”

“For that purpose, we’ve agreed to provide a small manor free of charge.”

Artizea continued speaking.

“After relocating to the eastern region, you don’t need to publicly announce that you and your wife are legally divorced.”

“But….”

“If you don’t wish to enter high society, there will be no problems at all. Since your eldest son is already the heir as a legitimate child recognized by the temple, we’re essentially allowing you to preserve the Rexen family.”

Generally, the trading of titles is conducted through heirs.

Those who wish to buy a title marry the heir. Then they inherit as the heir’s spouse and change the family name.

And when their children inherit the title as heirs, it’s complete. It’s essentially a three-generation transaction.

Sometimes children are born between the title buyer and the heir of the family selling the title, but this isn’t necessary.

If one becomes the spouse’s adopted child, even illegitimate children can inherit. So it was common to recognize inheritance rights and then divorce.

Artizea didn’t demand that much.

Rexen knew Artizea as a wealthy person from the Kingdom of Ients, a businesswoman trying to establish herself in the Cratese Empire.

The method of marrying an heir, inheriting, and then divorcing could obtain an imperial title but not imperial noble bloodline.

In high society, a noblewoman with an imperial husband was better in many ways than a foreigner who bought a title.

That’s why instead of buying the title outright, she only wanted to obtain the name of Countess Rexen.

The words that she was ultimately preserving the family for her own benefit rose to Rexen’s throat.

However, Artizea’s words weren’t wrong.

Ultimately, Rexen’s eldest son would inherit the Rexen family.

What would be lost was only honor and wealth. The title would remain intact. His descendants would have the opportunity to rise again as nobles.

But his wife’s situation was different.

If Artizea operated in the capital’s high society under the name Countess Rexen, relatives and acquaintances couldn’t help but know the circumstances.

It would be better if they actually divorced. However, if he signed another marriage certificate and then lived with his current wife, she would instantly become a mistress.

For him, it was merely a matter of losing face. But his wife would be in a position where she couldn’t even properly attend temple.

Rexen bowed his head deeply.

“I cannot abandon my wife.”

“Then go bankrupt together. The hardships you’ll endure together as a couple until death will be quite special.”

Artizea pointed toward the door with her hand. It was an order to leave.

Rexen’s complexion turned pale.

Despite all the words exchanged, Rexen was the weaker party. He wouldn’t be able to leave.

If he could, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

Artizea had considered various factors and chosen him as the optimal trading partner.

As a lower noble from the western region, he was impoverished enough to need to sell his title. Yet he had no power, no reputation, and was someone who wouldn’t be noticed if he disappeared.

Even those connected to him by marriage were commoners, so there would be no complex settlement of rights relationships following divorce.

Most importantly, he loved his wife. So he wouldn’t contact anyone in high society while making his wife a mistress.

While Rexen was sighing, a new guest arrived.

The second guest was a priest.

“Oh my. Madam, even if it’s a simple ceremony, it’s still a wedding, yet you’re wearing a black veil.”

The priest looked at Artizea and chuckled as he said this.

However, he was someone who had already received a large bribe from Artizea. He also knew well that this marriage wasn’t a normal marriage. He didn’t add any other remarks unnecessarily.

Rexen sat in silence.

The secretary who followed the priest placed several documents in front of Rexen.

Among them were divorce papers. The divorce papers already contained Countess Rexen’s signature.

Artizea had already worked separately on that side.

Rexen realized this and trembled slightly. However, he ultimately signed all the documents.

The secretary handed the divorce papers to the priest.

The priest took out the marriage certificate he had brought. The secretary first brought it to Rexen.

After Rexen signed, the documents came to Artizea.

Freil glanced at those documents.

《Deary Ford》

That name was already signed there.

After Artizea confirmed it, the secretary brought it to the priest.

There wasn’t even a formal exchange of wedding gifts. The priest laughed heartily as he stamped his seal, making it all officially valid.

“I hereby announce that this marriage has been officially established before God. Congratulations, Lord Rexen, Countess Rexen.”

Rexen’s face turned ashen.

Artizea spoke.

“I’d like to give the priest a gift as a token of gratitude.”

The secretary gave the priest a box that had been prepared in advance. The priest laughed awkwardly as if troubled.

Artizea spoke gently.

“To commemorate this marriage, please use this for good works on our behalf, Father.”

“If you insist….”

The priest stood up holding the box. Artizea instructed her secretary to escort him out.

And she looked at Rexen.

“You may return now.”

“Is this… the end?”

“Yes. It’s over. All of your debts have been settled. Please return now. My representative will settle the remaining financial matters and tell you where would be good to go. I hope you spend the rest of your life quietly and happily with your wife, without entering high society.”

Rexen stood and wandered for a moment.

However, he ultimately couldn’t speak to Artizea again. He turned around and went outside.

Freil was caught up in subtle and strange feelings.

The signature written on the marriage certificate was Deary Ford. Naturally, Artizea wouldn’t be using that name as an alias herself.

Making Rexen feel as if he had married Artizea herself was intentionally causing confusion. It was to prevent him from knowing who the real counterpart was.

‘Whoever Deary Ford is, she must be the Young Marquess’s confidant.’

Freil thought so.

‘A grain merchant….’

Something bothered him.

Artizea’s words were absolutely correct. The farmland in the west had almost no value.

There were grain merchants in the west too, but they meant nothing to a big shot like Marquess Rosan. It was probably cheaper shopping than even this building in the capital where they were sitting.

‘Lending a manor in the east is also essentially for surveillance.’

And now Countess Rexen could appear anywhere without arousing suspicion.

There were no gaps at all.

Artizea possessed natural intellectual ability, wisdom, decisiveness, prudence, and observation skills together.

She had a trustworthy person called Marcus Hanson. Thanks to him, she also gained reliable subordinates called the Hanson family.

However, Freil knew something about Marcus too. Both he and his children were people far removed from conspiracies.

As soon as she obtained vast wealth, she prepared safe houses and separated assets that could be hidden, investing them elsewhere under borrowed names.

Freil also knew about her testing the employees of the Duke’s residence.

It looked like an attack, but conversely, it also looked like she was conducting counterintelligence activities.

Judging by those actions, she was probably building an intelligence network. Freil could bet about 30 gold that she had simultaneously begun operations on other mansions in high society.

Was all of this really possible? For an 18-year-old girl who had just escaped from her oppressive mother’s hands?

Freil didn’t look down on her for being young.

Emperor Gregor had also become the late empress’s adopted son and gotten engaged to the current empress, who was then the Little Duke of Riagan, around that age. He was already a seasoned politician then.

It was the same now. If Lawrence or Duke Loigar had shown such insight at 18, he wouldn’t have been surprised. They were already standing in the middle of political strife at 18.

But Artizea was different. Until just recently, she had been in a position where she had to add fabric to shortened dresses to wear them. She couldn’t have known how to handle money.

Although Milaire herself was the emperor’s most favored mistress and a star of high society, she rarely let her daughter go outside.

More than that, a grain merchant.

That bothered him. However, he couldn’t clearly understand why.

Artizea smiled as she looked at Freil.

Unlike Freil, since she had all the information, Artizea could read all the confused thoughts spinning in his head.

Knock knock.

Freil’s thoughts came to a halt.

Because the third guest had arrived.

“This is Deary Ford, Miss.”

A woman in plain brown clothes dropped to both knees as soon as the door opened. It was a gesture of complete submission.

Deary Ford was not a name Artizea had known from her previous life.

This meant she wasn’t someone who had played such an important role. Also, she had never displayed any particular talents.

But she had reached Artizea on her own.

Deary was a senior maid of the Wib Viscount Family.

The Wib Viscount Family was related to the Luden Marquess Family, which was the maternal family of both the Duchess of Loigar and Countess Camellia.

While running errands to the Camellia Marquess Family several times, she had realized something.

A cleaning maid was collecting trivial rumors about the master’s family.

It wasn’t important information. Things like how the young Marquess Camellia had recently come to prefer purple velvet, or how the Marquess had made a thousand-gold bet at his gentleman’s club over whether this year’s Bakwor wine vintage would rank among the finest.

Perhaps such information had its uses somewhere. However, since the effort required to stop it wasn’t worth the trouble, Countess Camellia had left it alone.

That maid whispered the secret that the person paying her was a newspaper reporter. It seemed like they were trying to dig up scandals about the Camellia Marquess Family.

But after closely observing the process for two months, Deary became convinced it was a lie. There was no way the employer was some mere newspaper reporter.

Deary wanted to meet the real master. The financier who held the purse strings, the superior she should serve, the kind of person who could determine life and death with a few fingers despite not even knowing how to tie shoelaces.

Deary was clever.

And she wanted to gamble.

Big rewards required big bets. She had a wish, and she was prepared to risk her life for that wish.

Deary traced the maid back until she reached the person who received gifts directly from Alice.

And she said she possessed crucial information that couldn’t be traded for mere silver coins.

Artizea became interested in her. Not because she thought Deary’s information was remarkable. But because she had been able to notice Artizea’s existence and seek her out on her own.

Of course, her information network was still crude. Even Alice at the very top was still inexperienced.

That was why she had them start with small matters about private lives and clothing rather than real intelligence.

But even so, it wasn’t something a single maid with no backing could investigate and uncover alone.

So Artizea agreed to meet her.

“I heard you buy information, Miss.”

Deary said this. Her complexion was pale but filled with determination.

Artizea asked leisurely.

“What remarkable information did you come to sell me?”

“I want to sell my life.”

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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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