The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 285

Proofreader: somnium

“What?”

The Emperor did not understand the words at once and asked again.

The chief attendant placed a cushion on his back so that the Emperor could sit up. And he handed him some lukewarm water.

The Emperor did not receive it.

The chief attendant said with an unchanging, calm face,

“Your Majesty saved my life. You may have forgotten.”

“Theodore…….”

The Emperor did not speak, but bit his mouth.

That was when he was twenty.

At that time, although he was chosen by the predecessor Empress, he did not receive the recognition of his father, and he was despised as an illegitimate child by the great nobles.

Theodore was the eldest son of Duchy Orca, the home of the predecessor Empress.

Soon, he was an opponent he couldn’t avoid facing at the time.

Said the chief attendant.

“You saved me when Lord Orca was trying to kill me. Do you remember what you said to me back then?”

The Emperor did not remember exactly.

What was important to him then was the fact that he faced Theodore.

How it would look to Duke Orca and the predecessor Empress.

And later on, he thought that it was indeed a coincidence that he was lucky enough to get through with that.

The chief attendant said with a choking sound in his throat,

“The human body of the imperial people is governed by the Imperial Law, and no matter how powerful they are, is it justifiable to kill them with their fists on the spot?”

“…….”

“At that time, I thought that I would have to stand by this person for the rest of my life.”

Most of the court attendants were in a miserable condition.

Since they were serving the Imperial Family, their status was not to be low. However, unlike the close aides, they lack power and have to bow down all the time.

Physical hardship was the second problem. If they were a decent noble, they wouldn’t try to work all the time.

Therefore, the most common thing for the fallen nobles who sell their children was to make them attendants.

Or, it was the choice of many people who were completely pushed out of the inheritance within the family and had difficulty making a living because they did not even have an inherited property.

If it wasn’t for that, they wouldn’t have the ability to bring their children in as close aides, but it was only a case of sending them in anticipation of favor from the Imperial Family.

It was often the case that illegitimate children were adopted and brought in as attendants.

There were times when they were favored and gained power. From an attendant to an aide, they were recognized for their abilities and became an authority.

However, most of them were treated worse than the furniture of the Imperial Palace.

Old furniture that has been passed down for more than a hundred years was precious and was handled with care, but hitting an attendant in the face was nothing.

That was the first time the chief attendant had said no.

“What would a person like me know about politics? All I could do for the rest of my life was to take care of Your Majesty’s food so it was not poisonous, that his bed was comfortable, and that there were no small disturbances in the moment when he was about to do something important.”

“Willie.”

“However, there was a reason for such a person to serve Your Majesty.”

Loyalty is not based solely on personal affection.

The chief attendant received the grace of having his life saved by the Emperor. But he did not dedicate his life solely to repay it.

“When Your Majesty was angry, you sometimes threw things. You often scolded the attendants, and more often the victim of a conspiracy.”

The chief attendant said slowly,

“But you didn’t trample on the people below you by beating them with your hands and feet or deliberately insult them.”

“…….”

“You were cruel, and sometimes even brought tears to the eyes of the servants of Your Majesty’s.”

He knew him best because he had been the closest to him all his life.

“But they all committed because they had a purpose.”

The assassinations and poisoning continued until his accession. Political retaliation was also carried out without a break.

There were times when there was a purge every other year.

Whenever the word treason was spoken, the cries of those who were dying in a kin punishment tore the night sky. The blood of the dead who were falsely framed, flowed like a river.

Still, the chief attendant never had the heart to rebuke the Emperor.

He believed that the world beyond it would be better.

The people of the Empire are governed only by the Imperial Law. He thought he would create such a world.

Even to elevate the imperial power.

The chief attendant wasn’t stupid either. He also knew that it wasn’t because the Emperor found him who was almost beaten to death by Lord Orca was pitiful.

With all that included, he still believed that he had a decree given by the Emperor.

“There was a world that even a person like me saw through His Majesty. Even if that doesn’t happen immediately in your reign, or maybe it won’t come true forever, there was a world I hoped for too, Your Majesty.”

Some believed that kneading and wiping the hands and feet was the way to get closer to their dream.

The chief attendant looked down at the Emperor.

“The first time Sir Lawrence struck a servant was when he was nine years old.”

The Emperor wouldn’t even remember, and the chief attendant didn’t even ask.

“The attendant was a thirteen-year-old boy. He had just entered the Imperial Palace, but he was a young boy, so I purposefully picked him out and attached him to Sir Lawrence.”

Because he knew that the Emperor’s heart was with Lawrence.

He formed a relationship from an early age, he hoped that Lawrence would have an attendant like that, just as he had served the Emperor.

Lawrence beat the attendant every day. He took small accusations to hit him. Either he tied his shoelaces incorrectly, or the corner of the book was crumpled.

He later didn’t even bother to scold him. From start to finish, the child was covered with bruises, and as he endured it, the chief attendant’s heart was broken.

After that, the chief attendant did not attach the young servant to Lawrence.

Lawrence slapped a man and laughed. The violence had no purpose.

When Lawrence finally killed a man with his own hands for the first time, the chief attendant informed the Emperor.

He wasn’t expecting a big punishment. But he expected the Emperor to speak as he did when he saved the chief attendant again.

[“The human body of the imperial people is governed by the Imperial Law. You don’t deserve to wield it until you know it.”]

He also had a wish for the world, and he hoped that it would come true through the Emperor.

Even if he loved and forgave his son, he hoped to keep his precious Empire untouched.

The Emperor didn’t. Because he was still immature, because he was still full of energy, because there were things that made him angry. Then he covered it.

[“Don’t worry too much. He’s overly arrogant and cruel, but he’s not stupid. Aren’t the Marquis Rosan and the Crown Princess by his side?”]

The chief attendant nodded his head at that.

He didn’t know, maybe he didn’t even think he was wrong. Governance may have nothing to do with individual human achievements.

The Emperor is also a cruel person, but didn’t he still make him dream?

Obviously, this must be why Marquis Rosan and the Saintess have chosen Lawrence as well.

But the Saintess died. Lawrence destroyed the Empire.

He witnessed it all.

And one day, when he suddenly opened his eyes, he realized he had returned to the past.

The Emperor, this time, covered the crime when Lawrence had preyed on the children*.

What he cared about at the time was that Lawrence’s crime had worsened public opinion.

This time, he wasn’t angry about breaking the Imperial Law.

“I would not dare to say that I have my rights on Your Majesty’s throne. But the throne on which Your Majesty sat was not the one I had dreamed of.”

The Emperor looked up at him blankly, with his mouth open.

“Your Majesty has never failed to accomplish what you set out to do.”

Tears fell from the chief attendant’s eyes.

“So I killed Your Majesty. Little by little over the past two years.”

He had served for forty years. In the chief servant’s memory, there were twelve more years than that.

The chief attendant had no one to call family. His parents are already dead. He feared his brothers would be a nuisance to the Emperor, so he kicked them out.

The Emperor was the pillar and roof he had devoted his life to cultivating and caring for.

It was his pride to look after the pillar of the Empire. When the Emperor trusted him, he felt as secure and relieved as a man under the sturdy roof, even in heavy rain.

But if it wasn’t the right pillar, what could he do?

Marquis Rosan’s behavior was different from what he knew. The chief attendant knew that she had returned as well.

So instead of knocking down the pillar, he decided to grind them little by little. To give her time to build a new pillar and roofs.

First, he changed the Emperor’s diet.

He told Countess Eunice what herbs to put in honey water differently than what the doctors had said.

He added or subtracted some from the medicines the doctor gave him as a decoction. He made food using other medicinal materials and said that it was good for health.

He took care of the Emperor’s illness for 30 years, adding 10 years to the 20 years, the 10 years in the future that disappeared.

For the last year before the Emperor died, he was desperately holding on to his lifeline.

He knew the Emperor’s health better than the doctor. He also talked about what’s good and what’s bad.

He did good and bad things at the same time.

He made it feel like the Emperor’s condition and stamina were maintained, and he took full control of the situation. If it suddenly got worse, the doctors could have noticed and treated it.

The Emperor looked at him blankly.

When they met, they were both rosy-faced boys. The Emperor has seen him for forty years. They grew old together, and the other person’s face was more familiar than his own.

But now the chief attendant’s old face looked like that of a stranger.

“You, Willie, you…….”

The Emperor could only say that.

He felt something like a fireball rising from his chest.

“Ugh! Uhhuk!”

He vomited blood.

“I will be by your side until the end, Your Majesty.”

said the chief attendant. He did not hesitate to receive the Emperor’s vomited blood in his hand.

Just like when he was faithful.

＊＊＊

Returning to the Imperial Palace, Cedric went directly to the Empress’ Palace, not the Crown Prince’s Palace. Gayan followed behind him and reported the situation in the Imperial Palace.

“With the exception of the six Guards, all 34 are guarding the Imperial Palace. 124 members of the Guards were killed, but now the inside of the Imperial Palace is stable.”

“Are all 34 of them trustworthy?”

“There are a lot of people to watch, but I put them in a place where we can see. And the Crown Prince’s Palace…….”

Cedric stopped walking.

“Later.”

“Sorry.”

Gayan retreated.

Music was still flowing in the salon of the Empress’ Palace.

Cedric slammed the door open without even thinking of taking off his scaly-battered gloves and boots. There was also a dark red stain on his temple.

Surprised, the musicians stopped their hands. Everyone in the salon turned to him.

It was clear what the Crown Prince had done.

That he won.

*This refers to the human trafficking case way back before. During the time when Tia asked our Cedric for Saintess Olga’s Heart that sparked his first debut in the political world. No, I don’t think even Tia sees it this far ahead. She doesn’t even know about the existence of the returners until Cadriol.

somnium’s commentary:

This is what I love! This is the kind of plot twist that I like. We totally did not see this coming, but thinking back it’s so obvious. There is nobody except the Chief Attendant who could have done it. Even Tia was surprised, so she is out. This kind of operation must be done for a very long time. And nobody else could have done it without alerting the Chief Attendant, unless…