The Villainess Lives Twice - Chapter 45

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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 45

The day to have an audience with the Empress had arrived.

Alice had been making a fuss since morning.

“What should we do? Young Lady, is this pretty, or is this pretty?”

“Both colors are too bright.”

In Alice’s hands were an ivory dress and a sky-blue dress. Artizea shook her head.

“I think the sky blue suits you much better, Young Lady.”

“I’ll wear a dark color. Put those dresses back. This isn’t an occasion that requires dressing up.”

“But still. This is your first time going to the Imperial Palace as ‘Viscountess Rozan.’ It’s also your first time greeting the Empress as Duke of Evron’s fiancée.”

“I’ll just quietly have an audience with the Empress and leave, so there’s no need for that. What happens in the Empress’s palace doesn’t leak outside, and it won’t catch others’ attention either.”

Eighteen years ago, the Empress lost all her children.

Right after that, her closest friend, Viscount Pesher’s wife, committed suicide along with her husband.

But the Empress’s misfortune didn’t end there. While she was lost in grief and turned away from outside affairs, the Emperor reorganized the power structure of the southern nobility.

He had completed preparations to strike against House of Liagan, the Empress’s family.

By the time the Empress came to her senses, everything was already irreversible.

The Duke and Duchess of Liagan died in an accident shortly after. Whether it was a real accident is unknowable.

The Empress locked the doors of the Empress’s Palace. And for eighteen years, she never once removed her mourning clothes.

It was for her children, for her friend, and for her father and mother.

Outwardly, she seemed like someone who had given up on life.

‘Even so, the Emperor is wary of the Empress. That’s the biggest indicator. She’s definitely not someone who’s just an empty shell.’

During the eighteen years the Empress spent in despair and grief, Emperor Gregor held Milaire and Lawrence in his arms, playing happy family.

Wouldn’t anger and resentment have accumulated in the Empress’s heart?

Of course they would. She’s not a saint.

There must have been a time in her youth when she trusted the Emperor.

Whether there was love within that trust, Artizea couldn’t know.

Whether there was love or not, it was true that she played a tremendous role in elevating Emperor Gregor to his current position.

That power still remains. The Emperor couldn’t depose or kill the Empress.

The Empress holds a considerable share in Emperor Gregor’s throne.

So rather than dressing up splendidly, it would be better to show herself as she truly is. A girl intoxicated with romantic dreams would be useless to the Empress.

Artizea composed her mind and refined her strategy.

That day, Freil visited the toilette room at an unexpected time.

“I made it just in time.”

Freil said, shrugging his shoulders.

Artizea had just finished getting ready. No matter how she thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any urgent matter that would require Freil to visit at such a time.

Freil held out the box he was carrying. Alice tilted her head and accepted the box.

“Whoa! It’s heavier than it looks, Sir Freil?”

Alice carried the box to the vanity in front of Artizea and opened the lid.

Sophie glanced inside and let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Wow, is it a jewel?”

Inside was a blue crystal about the size of a forearm. It was a deep navy blue that reminded one of the southern sea.

Seeing its jagged, protruding shape, Artizea unconsciously smiled.

“It’s specialty salt from the Southern Sea. Such a beautiful and large crystal must have been difficult to obtain.”

“Salt?”

“Yes.”

The Southern Sea produces a lot of good salt.

Anywhere except the underdeveloped regions of the Empire’s west and north used Southern Sea salt. The tax revenue from the salt monopoly exceeded twenty percent of the Empire’s finances.

“Most Southern Sea salt is made by boiling seawater, but I heard that on certain beaches in the Liagan region, salt grows like crystals from the seabed like this. Even so, it’s just salt, so it’s not expensive.”

“But it’s incredibly pretty.”

“In the Liagan region, even commoners can take it for decoration if they want.”

“It was incredibly difficult to bring it to the capital. Please don’t say that.”

“You didn’t bring it yourself; a merchant would have brought it, wouldn’t they?”

At Artizea’s words, Freil became serious.

“Making arrangements for it to be brought wasn’t ordinary work either.”

“You worked hard. But the deadline I mentioned was probably about a month later.”

“Really?”

Freil made a frustrated face.

“It’s not bad. If I can take it today, that’s much better. I set the deadline for a month later because I thought it would be difficult to obtain such a vivid blue crystal.”

“I feel wronged for running around here and there in such a hurry.”

“You have a habit of missing one thing when you listen. It’s because you’re not careful. It doesn’t matter for small things like this, but you might lose your life if you’re not careful.”

“What life and death. Viscountess, you worry too much and exaggerate too much.”

Artizea smiled slightly.

“I’m not joking. Before you go somewhere and drink poison and regret it.”

“Who would poison a mere knight like me?”

“…”

Artizea didn’t answer.

That’s when it happened.

“You’re having an ominous conversation. Poisoning, indeed.”

Cedric said.

Then he realized and stood there knocking on the door.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. The door was open…”

“Ah, Your Highness.”

Freil bowed to him. Artizea stood up from her seat.

“Welcome.”

“Are you finished preparing?”

“Yes.”

Sophie had already put a small hat on Artizea’s head and finished securing it with pins.

“It sounded like you were talking about poisoning…”

“It was a joke.”

“What’s that?”

“Ah, yes. It’s a gift Sir Freil prepared.”

“Freil prepared a gift?”

Freil glanced at Cedric.

Although he was a lifelong bachelor, a perpetual single, Freil wasn’t someone who had traded his perceptiveness for intellectual ability. In most cases, anyway.

A crack appeared between Cedric’s brows. He wasn’t angry. He just touched his brow once with his hand.

Artizea answered.

“Yes.”

Frustrated Freil’s brain cells screamed.

He couldn’t tell whether she was pretending not to know while knowing, or if she really didn’t know.

“Viscountess said she needed salt crystals from the Liagan region, so I obtained them for her. This is one hundred percent true without any lies. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Freil quickly spoke and fled the scene as if escaping.

Cedric stared blankly at his retreating figure.

‘I didn’t say anything.’

He stroked his brow again with his index finger.

“Was that gift something you prepared for the Empress?”

“Yes. Why?”

Artizea tilted her head and asked back.

Cedric chuckled.

“It’s nothing. I just thought it was a bit unexpected.”

He extended his arm. Artizea placed her hand on his arm.

“Though it wasn’t something I had in mind, it would be best to present it as tribute for now.”

Upon hearing those words, Alice closed the box lid, picked it up, and went outside first. She intended to load it into the carriage.

The two of them came down to the lower floor slowly, a step behind.

Sedric escorted Artizea and helped her into the carriage. After Artizea settled into her seat and the carriage door closed, she asked.

“What kind of person is Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Isn’t it a bit late to be asking that now?”

“Not objective information, but I’m just curious about the impression Lord Sedric has of her. Especially since you insisted on coming along. Though you did say she’s not someone to be taken lightly.”

Initially, Artizea had planned to have an audience with the Empress alone.

If she went with Sedric, it would just become a visit to greet a relative elder. If that were the case, she would have had an audience long ago.

Olga’s heart could simply be delivered through Sedric. Then the Empress would show appropriate gratitude for the tribute of such a splendid jewel.

But that wouldn’t do.

She had taken the roundabout way instead of the easy path for that reason.

She had made sure everyone in the social circle knew she had obtained Olga’s heart.

She had subtly revealed her involvement in the events that arose from it. While doing so, she had exposed her desires and vulnerabilities.

She had created plausible reasons for people to think she would want revenge against Milaire.

In doing so, she had drawn the Empress’s interest. She had shown that she was someone worth dealing with.

And finally, she had received an invitation with the name “Artizea Rosan” written alone.

However, Sedric had opposed her meeting the Empress alone.

“Wouldn’t that be the strange thing? Going to pay respects as my fiancée, yet leaving me behind and going alone.”

“It’s not strange for a noble young lady to have an audience with Her Majesty the Empress alone. And as I mentioned, I’m not going simply to pay respects as a relative, but to make a different request.”

“Are you worried that I might know the strategy you’ve devised?”

Artizea couldn’t help but feel troubled. It wasn’t that. It wasn’t something she could do secretly without informing Sedric anyway.

“No. It’s not that.”

“Then let’s go together. I won’t interfere with what you’re trying to do.”

Sedric said in a gentle voice.

“Her Majesty the Empress is not someone to be taken lightly. But until now, the doors of the Empress’s Palace have been strictly closed. If you have an audience alone, it will certainly draw the attention of the social circle.”

That was something she didn’t want. Artizea had no choice but to nod.

Despite the Empress being the most important figure for Lawrence to become Crown Prince, Artizea didn’t possess much information about the Empress.

The biggest reason was that Milaire would go into a frenzy at the mere mention of the Empress. But the problem was also that the Empress’s Palace was too closed off.

All the employees remaining in the Empress’s Palace were only loyal servants who would give their lives for the Empress. The few guests who came and went were all very close friends of the Empress.

There was no one who could be bought with money.

It would have been possible to spend time threatening families or creating weaknesses through honey traps and such.

But instead of going through such trouble, Artizea had resolved it simply. She had set fire to the Empress’s Palace with the Emperor’s tacit consent.

It was after the Saint’s oracle had emerged. It was because she calculated that Lawrence could now gain legitimacy even without the Empress.

The Empress died without leaving the palace. The assassins stationed in case the Empress might survive never bloodied their swords.

Only then did Artizea think that perhaps the Empress had truly been gravely ill.

‘Lord Sedric would never forgive that.’

Unlike killing a butler, such a major deed couldn’t be done in hiding.

Artizea quietly gazed at Sedric’s face.

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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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