The Tragedy of The Villainess

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***

Seria shook her head quickly, as the Mermaid Spring got on her nerves again..

She looked at the beautiful poor jewel which would be Tuban’s food with lingering eyes and walked into the prayer room of the mansion.

The prayer room was quiet as usual, and the stained glass windows were as colorful as ever.

As she walked to the altar, she placed the Mermaid Spring on top of the Stern insignia. The gemstone began to absorb in the insignia, just as it did to the blue diamond before.

The problem was….

“What's wrong?"

The problem was that the speed at which the gem was absorbed into the insignia was very slow.

“Didn’t you eat the blue diamonds well…?"

After watching in silence for over five minutes, she began to get frustrated. It would take days for it to absorb completely at this rate.

She paid a high price for this Stern insignia’s security magic, but it still made her uneasy.

In the meantime, in a hurry, she airlifted all kinds of jewels and looked for the Mermaid Spring.

It was a crazy thing to decorate the sacred Stern insignia so beautifully, but she had no choice.

“Don't chew. Eat quickly, Tuban!”

‘Please eat it quickly to break the seal and talk about Lina….’

Seria earnestly put her hands together in prayer, then she sat with her knees together in front of the insignia.

“Lina knew I bought Duke Dietrich's castle, right?”

In the book, Lina always dealt wisely with the assumption that circumstances would support her. For example, Baron Ison, the perfect mentor, and Duke Dietrich, the backer…. Lecher's affection and longing, Kalis’s unwavering courtship, etc..

And then there was Seria Stern, who was a truly foolish villain.

However, she was unsure about now.

Lina was drawing attention from the social community for having a "child of divine power." Among them, especially the families approaching Lina had already been identified. The imperial aristocracy was still quick to take advantage of the news.

Still, to this extent, Lina handled the situation quite wisely, albeit differently from the original.

It was almost as if she was using the methods Baron Ison had taught her.

“By the way, why I you do so many stupid and evil things in the past?"

Even though she thought she was in the book at that time, Seria was much embarrassed to learn that those silly misdeeds were her own doing.

It was okay when she was the only one who knew, but now Lina already knew.

She prayed piously in front of the insignia once more.

‘If you eat it all, you will tell my story, right? So please eat quickly.'

The next day Seria received a letter from Nissos.

***

She didn't understand why Nissos responded to the Saintess’s tea party invitation.

‘What kind of relationship is there between Nissos and Lina?’

The Saintess was someone who has been linked to Seria in a horrible scandal less than a year ago.

Besides, she was now the nominal wife of Kalis Haneton, who had cut ties with the Kellyden. She didn’t want to see Lina, but she went to the party to find out why Lina sent the invitation in person and what her intentions were.

The Saintess she saw in person certainly had a unique atmosphere. Bright, beautiful, and even chaste to the point of being sacred. There were quite a few people who liked that kind of person. ….

“What in the world is wrong with you, brother?"

After Lina’s tea party, Nissos asked Cassius in a sharp tone.

It had been a really long time since he saw Cassius since Nissos ran away from home, but that was not what was important now.

“Why do your cheeks turn red when you are talking to the Saintess? Are you insane?" (Nissos’)

"…She grabbed me by the wrist out of the blue." (Cassius)

"Crazy…How many women tried to seduce you. You didn't blink at all then. Do you think I'm a fool without eyes?" (Nissos)

‘How many women have tried to lure your crazy brother? I didn't even blink at that point. Do you think I'm an isometric without eyes?"

“Nissos, I told you to speak elegantly." (Cassius)

"Brother, be careful. You have a fiancée, and do you really think father won't hear about it?” (Nissos)

"……."

"No, and didn't you come out to see if you could restore your relationship with Marquis Haneton? But crazy… Blushing at other people's women… Are you out of your mind? Are you really crazy? The Saintess is not even single. What are you doing! Really!” (Nissos)

It was only after Nissos was very angry that Cassius came to his senses a little. In fact, he could still feel that the successor's position was almost in his hands. However, his relationship with his father was really at its worst.

If Nissos had been a little more greedy for succession, the Marquis might have already been confirmed as Nissos was the next master of Kellyden.

Nissos searched Cassius' pocket and tore up the invitation that Lina sent him right in front of his eyes. Cassius frowned but failed to stop Nissos.

Meanwhile, Nissos once again understood Seria.

He now thought his brother was such a crazy guy.

***

“I think it would be best to proceed this fall."

Since the defeat of the Duke of Polvas’ contaminated lands, Lesche had looked at the map whenever he had time.

Alliot nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. We will be able to conquer all the lands adjacent to the vicinity of the Grand Duchess's mine.”

Seria’s magic crystal and constellation gold mines were in odd positions. The front was said to have been purified, but in case it was not. A holy knight had to be sent to finish the confirmation process, but it would be “official" and Seria refused to do so. That was the problem.

No matter how much he thought about it, Seria was fearless.

He wanted her to take her along, but the problem was that Linon had gone and left Seria to do the work.

This was because Seria, who had learned specifically about Lesche’s workload, looked dismayed by it.

That said, if Lesche added more knights to his satisfaction, there was room for this to be perceived as a threat to the Duke of Polvas, who was also making the trip.

Seria was concerned about the Polvas, and so was Lesche.

Lesche headed for the imperial palace and soon heard the courtiers whispering in hushed tones.

"Look. It's Duke Howard.”

“Look at his face.”

"He showed people the mermaid he used as a slave at his many banquet…."

They were right, and Duke Howard's face was quite damaged in the meantime. It was because of the judgment that came out in the morning. Few people knew that mermaids were reluctant to drink water, but it was revealed that Duke Howard knew this and made the mermaid drink water from time to time.

The higher the rank of the slaves, the greater the fine that had to be paid.

Before long, summer was approaching the middle of the year.

Every estate prepared carefully for winter every year, but the Berg estate had a different dimension.

Every winter, not even the emperor of Glick could summon the Grand Duke of Berg. The duty of guarding the frozen lake was not light.

“So, let's have a drink together before the winter comes.”

Lesche looked at the glass from which the drink was being poured. He checked the labels on the bottles that were laid out on the table and let out a low sigh.

The emperor clicked his tongue.

“You are truly amazing day by day. How can you sigh so majestically in front of the emperor of a country?"

“I just took a deep breath, Your Majesty."

The emperor asked, absurd.

“Does the Grand Duchess know you’re this shameless?”

He heard the word ‘shameless’ dozens of times from Seria. Like when he kept her up until dawn, or touched her until she fell asleep, or when she saw all the red traces on her body in the mirror the next morning.

But Lesche has never thought of himself as shameless.

Perhaps anything would be generous compared to the feelings he has for her. When he thought of Seria, he felt as if his heart was being peeled away layer by layer. It was as if her bright blue eyes melted and filled his body.

He felt like he was dragged helplessly……… Lesche laughed unusually.

“I wouldn't know.”

“You're smiling. You're smiling.”

The chief chamberlain, standing quietly on the other side of the room, blinked repeatedly. The emperor was so amused by Lesche’s reaction that his heart skipped a beat.

“How about children?”

“It is just less than six months since imperial approval was granted, Your Majesty.”

“It is not uncommon for nobles to have children even if it’s less than six months.”

The emperor was still emperor. Of course, the nobles almost always married for political reasons, but that was not to say that some of them did not have hot love affairs. In either case, the atmosphere between couples was often strange. At such times, the news of a pregnancy was heard absolutely quickly.

Looking at Grand Duke Berg, it seemed that it was not yet the former.

Still, the emperor was convinced that at least the latter was possible.

“I guess I’m infertile.” (Lesche)

The emperor nearly spit out the alcohol he was drinking. He would have made such an unseemly gesture if it were not for the imperial courtesy and grace he had been subjected to since childhood….

“You are not going to take a joke as a joke?" (Emperor)

“So you were joking? I didn't know because it was serious.” (Lesche)

“Very well. Anyway…the more you talk, the more you try to ground my reputation. Just drink." (Emperor)

Lesche looked unusually troubled.

He could see the corners of the emperor's mouth twitching behind his glass. Lesche was, in any case, the one and only Grand Duke of this Glick Empire, and the Berg and the imperial family had always maintained a close relationship. Plus, the emperor made a big deal about the fact that he and Leila, Lesche’s mother, were academy classmates, and he wanted to pretend to be a close relative….

This was one of the consequences of the subtle mess.

“Hurry up and drink. I prepared this myself.” (Emperor)

By all accounts…

Lesche looked down at the pumpkin-colored liquor.

Lesche was not as good at drinking as Seria had suspected one day.

The problem was the emperor.

The emperor of the Glick Empire was a strong drinker who was not afraid to get drunk, and as the master of a huge vineyard, he was very interested in various alcoholic beverages.

When alcohol that ordinary people could not even taste was mixed in proportions known only to the emperor, a monstrous liquor was born.

Such was the case in Lesche’s position. Indeed, he had no idea why he was drunk after drinking it, even though it didn't seem like even half of his normal drinking capacity.

However, he knew from experience over the past few years the fact that no amount of refusal would help.