The Villainess Lives Twice

Cedric got into the carriage, not surprised.

Artizea lifted the veil. A faint warmth spread across her smileless face.

“You got used to it.”

“You should have done it much earlier so that I get used to your method.”

Cedric said. Artizea couldn’t smile this time.

“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be sharp. It felt strange to recognize it as if it was natural.”

Cedric said softly. And he asked,

“Can you come out like this? There must still be secret investigators roaming around the mansion.”

“Because the situation was awkward. I heard that Grand Duke Roygar committed suicide.”

“Yes. I just got back from the mansion.”

“Did he really commit suicide?”

“…….”

Cedric was unsure and hesitated. Not because it was something he couldn’t tell Artizea, but because his emotions were messing around in his chest.

“It is true that Uncle himself had pulled the trigger. It was a pistol suicide. There is also a will.”

“What happened? His Majesty couldn’t have let him die.”

“The pistol……. The pistol has little value as a weapon.”

Cedric said in a cracked voice.

Artizea looked at him with surprised eyes. It didn’t seem like Cedric was simply reviewing the weapon.

“It can only fire one shot because it is very inconvenient to load. Because it’s for a duel. In fact, it is more meaningful as a collectible.”

Even if they have more bullets, it is intentionally designed so that it cannot be reloaded and to fire the opponent again.

“I gave it to Uncle as a present.”

It was a threat.

He didn’t think it was going to come true.

No matter what he did, the day would never come when Grand Duke Roygar could shoot him with that gun.

Because he has no chance of winning a duel with Cedric.

He didn’t think at the time that Grand Duke Roygar would put it in his own mouth and pull the trigger.

Even if that happened, he never thought of Grand Duke Roygar as someone to do that.

“All bullets were removed, but they said there was one in a candlestick with a secret compartment.”

Cedric even told Artizea that the investigators claimed to have removed all such candlesticks.

Artizea said as she thought deeply,

“There’s no way the investigators couldn’t find such a thing, so maybe…… It must have been brought in from outside.”

“Really?”

“It must be Marchioness Camellia. If there is one who had the exact same thing as the one used in the Grand Duke’s residence, it would be Marquisate Luden or Marquisate Camellia. And Grand Duke Roygar must have recognized it.”

The bullet may have fueled guilt.

Or it was felt as a means to forcing him to die to secure the future.

Cedric remained silent for a moment with his head bowed.

Because it was difficult for him to tell Artizea what he had decided.

“What?”

“I have to save Aunt and the children.”

“…… Do you know how much risk it carries?”

Artizea asked in a hard voice.

“I know. If we do it wrong, we too will be involved in the treason case, and even if it goes well, we will leave an element of civil war in the East. Even if Aunt had absolutely no intention of doing that, it would be so just by being alive.”

Cedric said,

“If Aunt was determined to minimize the situation by sacrificing herself, I tried to respect that. If Uncle was still alive, it would have been possible to negotiate with His Majesty over the issue of the lives of the children.”

“Yes.”

“But if Uncle committed suicide, things would be different now. Furthermore…… I made a promise.”

Artizea silently asked for an answer. Cedric answered in a low voice,

“Even if we take each other’s life, let’s take care of the family.”

It was not a mutual promise. It was just a message he unilaterally threw out.

But when Grand Duke Roygar chose the gun and risked his own life, did it really have anything to do with the message?

Maybe it was because it was the only weapon that could be used.

But he was probably conscious, Cedric thought.

The dead Grand Duke Roygar’s face didn’t look like he was desperate. He was drenched in fear.

Cedric felt that he committed suicide for a reason rather than running away to death.

It would be an illusion. Death is just death. Anyone who has made a big decision, or who has given up on life, will be afraid at the moment of death.

Still, if he ever believed in Cedric and committed suicide, he had to comply with that belief.

Cedric said quietly,

“I believe you can help.”

Artizea let out a deep sigh. Then, she rested her head on the back.

“If you have the courage to endure it even if a civil war breaks out.”

“Isn’t the world going to just run according to the order? Conversely, my aunt might be able to help me later.”

“It will never happen. The reason Grand Duchess Roygar has a symbolic value is that she is the daughter of the oldest and most powerful family in the East. She can’t be of any help in dismantling the Eastern factions. Wouldn’t using her for alienation be better.”

Cedric smiled awkwardly.

“But, yes……. Because there aren’t too many royalties. If we can get it right, it could be a good thing for the future.”

Artizea said. And she sighed again.

“I will discuss the matter of the children with Marchioness Camellia. The older two will never officially be kept alive, but since they have already escaped, they will be able to hide it.”

“Yes.”

“If possible, try your best to reduce the punishment of Grand Duchess Roygar to that of exile. If it’s impossible…… You will have no choice but to change it in prison.”

Artizea continued her words,

“Fortunately, no one would find it strange that the Grand Duchess could not stand his imprisonment and died…….”

However, the present Imperial Palace is completely different from that when it was under Lawrence. There was no way they wouldn’t be caught.

Moreover, at that time, Venia was able to extract the key as an insider. But this time she had no one to play that role.

“If you fail to lower it to exile, then go think about it. At any rate, now you have to face His Majesty directly.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It must have come one day anyway.”

Artizea let out a long sigh. Cedric lowered his head.

＊＊＊

[Unable to contain my greed for precious possessions, I persuaded my wife to accept the unexpected gift. All her responsibility lies with me.]

There was only one sentence in the blood-stained will.

It was hard to read from the middle because of how shaky his hand was.

The Emperor crumpled the will and threw it on the desk.

The investigator who brought the will and Gayan, who was in charge of the night before, shrank in preparation of the Emperor’s wrath.

Even Keshore, who escorted Grand Duke Roygar the day before, could not hide his tension.

But instead of roaring, the Emperor sighed and leaned back against the backrest.

“My head hurts.”

Those words were more like talking to himself rather than asking them to listen.

Everyone in the office was frightened and knelt down.

The Emperor felt a headache and touched his temple. The fatigue that could not be hidden made his body heavy.

He can’t hide that Roygar has a will. Otherwise, rumors will spread that Grand Duke Roygar was murdered.

It will create new problems again.

Will he forge a will? But that too leaves a cause for concern.

Just thinking about it made his head hurt.

‘Even though I said I’d save you, you idiot.’

In any case, as long as he endured and survived, he would have been able to live with imperial bloodline for the rest of his life.

“Gayan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Find the missing Princesses and Prince. If you kill them, bring me the corpse. I will check it with my own eyes.”

“I will obey your orders.”

Gayan gave a military salute and went out.

The Emperor said this time to the chief attendant.

“Make sure the person who brought in the bullets is investigated.”

“Yes.”

The Emperor hesitated for a moment toward the investigator. He wasn’t sure if he could believe it or not.

However, in the end, he had no choice but to order that the investigators who entered the palace be checked.

Then, he closed his eyes and pondered.

The future was bleak. When was the last time he had to think so fiercely?

Even though there was a time when he thought that all he could do was put the Emperor’s crown on his head.

The Emperor twisted his lips.

“This is an imperial decree.”

The secretary took out a large piece of paper and prepared to write it down.

“Roygar exposed his remorse by having his wife wear the things of the Empress, and he is unforgivable. I deprived him of the title of Grand Duke, abolished him, and confiscated all of his property. I beheaded his head, but his body was allowed to be buried.”

“Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be good to make a decision after resting for a while?”

The chief attendant said cautiously.

The Emperor said with his eyes closed.

“You have to do what you have to do.”

“I am saying this because you look very tired.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you try to get involved in an official affair. What, do you have anything to ask for?”

The Emperor opened his eyes and looked at the chief attendant curiously.

If it wasn’t a big deal, there was nothing he couldn’t listen to. The chief attendant has been serving him for a really long time without a private heart.

Perhaps, his relatives were mixed with Grand Duke Roygar’s faction. At first glance, such a thought came to mind, and the chief attendant shook his head.

“It’s because you’re tired while making important decisions and I’m afraid you’ll regret them later.”

“Hoo. Right.”

The Emperor didn’t think so.

If Grand Duke Roygar was the culprit anyway, the punishment to be given was obvious.

However, because of the attendant’s sincerity, he decided to have a cup of tea for a while.

It was true that he was so tired that the back of his neck stiffened.

“Now, the remaining problem is the Kingdom of Iantz. I have to ask the Chancellor and Foreign Ministry officials to pick it up.”

“Don’t think for a moment and close your eyes.”

The chief attendant made hot tea.

There was no sugar bowl on his tray. Before the Emperor murmured, the chief attendant said,

“You have to listen carefully to the doctor’s recommendation.”

“Yes, I know.”

It was when he had his first sip.

A servant came in and announced that a visitor had arrived,

“His Grace, Grand Duke Evron, is asking for an audience.”

The Emperor sighed again.