The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 266

Proofreader: somnium

Cedric only asked for two things.

Don’t get hurt.

And discuss.

He had said they should take responsibility together. He had said let’s find the right path together.

Is it that difficult? A marriage vow is to live together for a lifetime, and a master-slave contract is based on loyalty and protection.

But Artizea didn’t seem to want to keep either of them.

At this point, Cedric wondered if she even loved him.

He was also gripped by a sense of shame as it seemed she could not give her trust.

His frustration was even greater because he now believed she had made up her mind.

‘Is it impossible to change you?’

Other than changing master, Artizea herself can’t change.

She can be selfish. She can be arrogant. It would have been better if she had been shuddering from defeat and cry out shamelessly.

He didn’t even expect her to return the same feeling.

He wanted to face her person-to-person. He is not the owner of a tool and she is not a tool in his hands.

He hoped that what was flowing from his heart would reach the bottom of Artizea’s heart. He wanted her to understand with her heart, not with her head.

If she’s like this, isn’t she the same as before she came back?

‘You’re always cruel to me. To me, especially.’

In the past, there were times when Cedric felt that Artizea understood him.

If the Emperor tried tirelessly to see the bottom of him, Artizea acted viciously because she knew the limits of what he could endure.

At times, even a firm trust was felt in those dreadful deeds.

Perhaps, the one who firmly believes that he is a good man and possesses the qualities of a monarch is Artizea.

There were times when it actually made him stronger.

But now Cedric wanted to hold her and scream at her.

I’m just a human, I’m not as great as you think.

I needed comfort and support, and I needed love and communication. Just because I was able to endure it a little better than others didn’t mean it wasn’t painful.

If you love me, why are you doing this? Why the hell is your devotion like this?

If Artizea really wanted to pay for her sins, she shouldn’t have made such a unilateral sacrifice.

If she trusts him, if she considers him her master, then she should listen to him.

If she loved him, if she accepted him as her husband, she should cherish herself for him.

Rather, is it not his side that is being instrumentalized.

It seemed that what Artizea needed was neither a companion nor a comrade, but just a symbol to place the crown of the Emperor she had obtained.

A sudden pain gnawed at his bones.

It would have been better if he hadn’t loved her. It would have been nice if he could only see her from start to finish as the strategist.

If she wanted to remain thoroughly as a tool, why did she reveal her human face?

Cedric once again covered his face with both hands.

Chancellor Lin said anxiously,

“You look tired, how about taking a break today?”

“No. The meeting must be finished. Because I cannot be absent from the meeting His Majesty attends. Then, I will go and rest.”

Sleeping seemed like a nightmare, but even rest was obligatory.

Cedric forcefully rubbed his face and lifted his head. Fatigue made his face heat up.

It wasn’t long before the Emperor arrived.

The crowd stood up in unison and greeted the Emperor.

The Emperor roughly waved his hand to sit down.

He also had a tired face. Although the urgent task was handled by Cedric, it was unlikely that he would have slept comfortably in the Capital.

As soon as the Emperor was seated, he asked,

“What about the pier?”

“First of all, the fire has been extinguished. Significant property damage did not increase beyond what was reported.”

Cedric continued,

“The number of casualties is not much different from the report posted two days ago. Those who lost their lodgings were temporarily housed in my mansion and the villa of Marquisate Rosan.”

“Hmm. Wouldn’t it be a problem?”

“Most of the burned areas are on the national pier and munitions warehouse, so many of those who have lost their accommodation are soldiers. Since there are many soldiers coming and going to my mansion from the beginning, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s only temporary until we assign a new accommodation.”

“What about civilian victims?”

“I persuaded some of those who had their own mansions in the port to open up an annex or lodgings for their servants. We are still figuring out the situation, but there aren’t many, so it won’t be a big deal for a few months.”

Even if it was not used, it was rare for a noble to provide a mansion as a shelter.

But Cedric didn’t mind it.

Refugees who lost their homes in war or disaster in Evron, naturally came under the wing of the Grand Duchy. It was not uncommon to line up in the hallway of the stronghold and spread the blankets in a row.

And when the Crown Prince opened his own mansion, it was difficult for the nobles to stand still.

Some especially sincere people volunteered.

Cedric added one last time,

“We have decided to let Count Eunice take care of the items that need to be moved urgently. He says he has an unused warehouse on the outskirts of the port.”

“…… Good job.”

The compliment didn’t come out of nowhere.

The sensitive ones would have sensed all the subtle gaps before the Emperor said he did a good job.

But it was a no-fault.

Then, a minister of the Ministry of Finance briefly summarized the story before the Emperor arrived and posted a report.

The Emperor pressed his hand to the corner of his sunken eyes.

“It’s Melbon.”

Cedric looked at the Emperor, tense enough to forget his fatigue for a moment.

Perhaps, the Emperor already knew that Melbon was the accused Karam crop.

His undercover investigators were also inspecting even the merchants from Evron.

Even if it wasn’t, it was sufficiently reproachable that the return grain was changed to Melbon, from wheat, without permission.

This is because he received the country’s wealth as something that was not freely available.

However, the Emperor did not nitpick.

The northern supply problem was always a headache for him.

Just because he didn’t like Cedric, didn’t mean he could give up the northern defense.

There were accusations that Cedric had an affair with Karam, but the Emperor still did not know exactly what the situation was in the North.

Even with the East, which was defined as a traitor, he was unable to be subdued. He couldn’t afford to even touch the North.

In the end, he had no choice but to trust Cedric.

It was ironic. Just three years ago he was able to pull Cedric out of the North and wield him.

But now, he was acting cautiously, fearing that a situation could arise that could not be dealt with if it was revealed.

The Emperor pressed his eyelids down once more. Then, he blinked his eyes to clear his vision and said,

“The Crown Princess has foresight, so that the burden is lighter. If so, the Ministry of Home Affairs should cooperate with the military to get the supplies out of the grain loan warehouse.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor drank a glass of water.

“Did you find out the cause of the fire?”

“We were desperate to put it down, so we haven’t investigated it yet. I’m sorry.”

General Hoover, who was the representative of the military, spit out.

“Could it have just happened suddenly? It was done by traitors in the East, obviously.”

“Don’t speak without thinking, General Hoover.”

“The patrol down time near the national pier is very short. It is no exaggeration to say that it runs almost non-stop. In the military, we took extra care to prevent even small sparks from splattering, and we also put large water bottles here and there just in case.”

Even if it was dry and a fire broke out, the fire could not have spread so easily to the pier where the warehouse was located.

So this must be arson, General Hoover stressed.

“Perhaps, they expected to use the provision of the Central Army temporarily to supply the North. In that case, we would have delayed the return of the Southern Conquest Army. There are not many disruptions to the supply plan.”

Then, the Eastern subjugation would be a distant task.

General Hoover said with a sigh,

“I would never have imagined that the Crown Princess could have provided enough food by operating the Western grain loan.”

“But……. Someone mentioned sending troops to the East to get money, but I don’t know if it’s looting, but if you want to suppress it properly, you can’t do that.”

There were quite a few who understood that.

“From what I hear, it makes sense. I can think of a few people who have the audacity and the ability to do something like this.”

“Hmm.”

The Emperor groaned a little.

Cedric carefully looked into the Emperor’s complexion.

General Hoover spat the word arson easily because he knew nothing. But Cedric was convinced that Lawrence had done it.

The guards burned the warehouses and piers.

At the same time, considering the number and importance of the places where the fire was lit, there will definitely be insiders in high positions.

If so, there was a high probability that he was in this conference room.

‘Your Majesty really doesn’t know…….’

It won’t be the Emperor.

But he sees the Empire as his own. So, although he may turn away or give up politically, he does not give up his land.

That was the crucial difference between him and Lawrence.

Even if he had given up on the North and decided to squeeze it to death, there was no way he would do something crazy like burn the port and supplies.

But Cedric was not convinced that the Emperor was still unaware that Lawrence had left the exile and disappeared.

Even if Lawrence had enlisted all those who were guarding and monitoring him, there was no way he would have obtained all the contact networks.

Cedric was unable to read the Emperor’s expression.

‘There is a high probability that someone close is covering His Majesty’s eyes.’

Even Artizea couldn’t touch that part.

It was because it was dangerous to gain access to the information organization that the Emperor handled himself.

But Lawrence took a different view. Even if he was caught, the Emperor would not take his life.

Above all, many of the Emperor’s servants had long been loyal to Lawrence.

Even if just one or two of their memories returned, it would have been a dangerous thing.

Chancellor Lin said,

“Let’s put that work aside for now. I don’t think it’s something we’re going to talk about at this meeting.”

“The most urgent thing is to rebuild the pier.”

Bellon let out a long sigh, enough for it to blow away the papers placed in front of him.

“The problem is the budget. This year’s finances are already in the red. Last year, it was not a good harvest, and this year is also precarious. It’s only now that we’re finally on track.”

“It’s not something that can be delayed.”

“I know.”

It was then.

“Your Majesty!”

Someone shouted. Cedric and Lin, who were sitting to the left and right of the Emperor, stood up almost at the same time.

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor fell face down on the table.

effe’s commentary:

the emperor’s condition aside, the first half of the chapter really breaks my heart. i can’t help but think that after everything is over, all the enemies eliminated the final hurdle is just the relationship between tia and cedric itself.

before, cedric seems to yield easily and they pass through those hurdles just by cedric embracing tia, but we had never seem him getting frustrated like this. as much as we like them getting a bit closer, so do the conflicts escalate T.T

well i know they will have a happy ending in the end, but still the current me is sad for cedric’s share T.T