The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 299

Proofreader: somnium

Venia was imprisoned in solitary confinement all day.

Lysia tried to protect her, but Owen would not tolerate it.

“She is a criminal who tried to harm the Crown Princess. We know she helped you, but this is absolutely unforgivable.”

He didn’t have the full picture of what had happened on the hill.

However, he only knew that Artizea had caused a miracle to prevent the collapse of the embankment.

He believed that Artizea was the Saintess. So, Venia was both an attempted assassin who tried to kill the Crown Princess and a criminal who tried to destroy the embankment by killing the Saintess.

What Owen didn’t understand the most about all of that was that Lysia was also a saintess.

Cedric and Artizea were still out cold at the time.

Although Lysia with Cedric’s pistol was the highest commander, she didn’t force Owen.

The two agreed to just lock her in a clean room until Cedric got up.

Lysia thought it might be better.

Alice’s anger was unusual. Conversely, Venia could be in danger if there was no one to protect her.

“Sorry. I got you involved again.”

Lysia sincerely bowed her head to Venia.

It was because at that point where she sent Venia away, Venia’s life was in danger.

But she also heard news about the embankment of the city of Kader and the other reason was she wanted to send Cedric’s pistol away.

“Even if I don’t have anyone to turn to, I shouldn’t have done that to you.”

Thinking only of Venia, she shouldn’t have.

She should have just told her to run away and ask for help from the local police or the Western Army.

Venia shook her head.

“You don’t have to do that to me. I know that Miss Lysia truly cares for me.”

“Venia…….”

“But don’t ask me to forgive them.”

Venia suppressed her hateful face. And she struggled to speak kindly to Lysia,

“I’m glad that Miss Lysia was able to throw him away.”

If she could, Venia would have killed Lawrence with her own hands. She would be guilty of having blood on her hands if Lysia couldn’t.

If he was already dead, she wanted to spit on the corpse and even cut it to pieces.

But she didn’t say that in front of Lysia. She didn’t want to show a hateful face.

But in front of Cedric, she did not hide the hatred at all.

“Are you satisfied now that you became the Emperor like that?”

Twenty years passed in one day, and Cedric’s face did not change much from the last time Venia saw it.

It was at the moment when the gunpowder installed in the embankment exploded that the memory that seemed to be tickled from somewhere in her brain fully came back.

Venia had never seen the village submerged in the past.

But in her dreams she saw them thousands of times. Embankments collapsing, water gushing out and pouring onto the roofs of tiny houses.

Her grandfather and her brother, who were keen on the maintenance of the embankment, were probably the first to be washed away by the water.

If anything happened, her mother and father, who were running to the wheat fields, would also be submerged.

The roof of the stable, which was built for Venia when she was ten, shattered, and the foal she had named was washed away.

All the memories rushed through Venia in an instant.

Artizea was an enemy.

All sorts of evil things came out of Artizea’s head, and Lawrence did it.

They were siblings who deserved to be ripped apart. What does it have to do with Artizea being affectionate to Lysia after that?

She imprisoned a free-spirited person in the Imperial Palace’s ornate bedroom, to wither and die.

If it really was for Lysia, then she should have destroyed Lawrence’s Imperial Palace.

If she loved Lysia, she should have taken revenge after Lysia died.

Artizea did neither. She was the mastermind of the conspiracy, an accomplice to the ruin, and later turned away from the Emperor who was made of her own sins by neglecting him.

Artizea was blocking the embankment.

Confusion came as memories of the past and present were mixed.

She was the Crown Princess and Grand Duchess Artizea of Evron, and she couldn’t have done any of those things. But Venia couldn’t tolerate Artizea being a saintess.

She was blocking the embankment. But it wasn’t by divine power.

No one else thought it was magic. A saintess causes miracles, who would doubt it?

But Venia was skeptical.

And the moment Artizea hesitated to throw herself into the magic circle, Venia made a decision.

That was the best moment. She would be saving the village with the lives of the one who deserved death.

At that moment, she didn’t even think about the future. It didn’t matter if she became a murderer.

Venia’s hands were wet with blood long ago. And it was Artizea and the Imperial Palace that made her so.

If she could grab Artizea by the neck and drag her to hell, she couldn’t wish for more.

And the person in front of Venia was the ugliest.

“Ptui.”

Venia spit in Cedric’s face.

Cedric did not dodge it and was hit straight. Venia resented that she was not a knight.

Had she been a knight, she would have thrown a glove at Cedric’s cheek.

“If I had known that what I was going to do by taking that villainess out was for you to become emperor, I would never have pulled that bitch out of prison.”

“Venia…….”

“Dirty hypocrite bastard. Are you betraying Miss Lysia for something like that? What’s the difference between you and Lawrence, who eventually wears the Emperor’s Crown by that bitch’s hand?”

Venia exhaled without hesitation.

“What will change if our village hasn’t been submerged yet and that Miss Lysia is safe? Anyway, the same thing would have happened by that bitch’s hand somewhere else, but this time just the one who is executing it is different.”

Cedric didn’t say anything and looked at Venia.

Venia’s hatred seemed so great that it seemed that she would never be able to go back to her seventeen-year-old days, when she was so innocent.

Cedric let out a long sigh.

“You are right. I cannot tell you to forget it and find happiness.”

“…….”

“It is true that I deceived you. If I tell you that I wanted to get her out to ask for her wisdom, you wouldn’t help me, I didn’t say it on purpose.”

It was true that he wanted to get Venia out of the Palace, but that was also true.

Hearing those words, Venia looked at Cedric with a disgusted face.

“I’m sorry.”

Venia spit on him again. Venia had already gone through too much for mere words of apology to ease her mind.

But Cedric couldn’t help it either. Knowing that he couldn’t give up on Artizea, he came this far.

“I will never hold you onto anything. Your name will never be written anywhere.”

Of course, neither Alice nor Owen understood. Cedric ignored their protests.

Fortunately, Artizea didn’t allow a background check on Venia, so she could just leave and be buried.

“If you want to go back, you can of course go back, and if you want to go with Lysia, you can do that, too.”

After Lysia’s work here was done briefly, she was to tour the West to heal the plague.

Venia stared at Cedric.

“It must be a mercy because you know that a common woman like me can’t influence the Imperial Palace anyway.”

“Yes.”

Cedric briefly thought of Leticia as he made this decision. That Venia would be more familiar with the Imperial Palace than he was.

He had all kinds of complicated thoughts. But he did not tell Venia.

Even if he said something like his own fear, it was only an excuse. So he just affirmed all of Venia’s words.

“Still…… Sorry is not a lie. I hope you are not unhappy for a long time.”

Venia spit once more and was silent.

Cedric left her behind and came out.

* * *

It was two days after she woke up that he met Artizea.

He only saw her a few times when she fell asleep. He put a hand under her nose to see if she was breathing, and tapped the pulse at the nape of her neck.

He checked the shape of her limbs under the thin blanket, and repeatedly came out satisfied with it.

But the time came when he couldn’t avoid her.

Artizea sat with the cushions on her back. Her body began to move, but her limbs were not yet free.

Looking into her face with his eyes open, indescribable emotions flooded in.

“You are old.”

Artizea spoke first.

Cedric laughed bitterly. In a way, it was a familiar face, but every morning he shaved it, it was unfamiliar.

The people around him made excuses because he was caught up in the divine power that prevented the collapse of the embankment. However, he didn’t know if those words really worked or not.

There must have been some who had doubts as to why divine power makes people that way.

It was fortunate that there was no one here who knew about divine power enough to openly question him.

He had no choice but to believe Lysia’s words that his appearance would return. Until then, for the time being, he was going to cover up his facial problems with makeup.

Cedric sighed. And he said while standing in the doorway,

“I feel like I should have started with this face.”

“Lord Cedric.”

“How is your body? I’ve heard of your finger and ankle, but…….”

“I can move my arms now. It’s coming back little by little, so maybe next week I’ll be able to get out of bed.”

Artizea answered.

There was silence for a moment.

Artizea had a lot to say. But she didn’t know what to say right now.

Thank you? Sorry? That she will not do that again in the future?

No words were appropriate.

It was Cedric who opened his mouth first.

“I am going back to the Capital today.”

Artizea unknowingly grabbed the blanket.

“Yes……. It was time for you to leave.”

“After your body recovers, follow me slowly.”

Artizea nodded her head.

“When you arrive, there will be a coronation. His Majesty is no longer in a state able to do government affairs, and there will be no problem in receiving the abdication decree.”

“Yes.”

“And then……, do as you please.”

Cedric said.

Artizea looked at him perplexed. Cedric rolled his eyes down and looked only at Artizea’s gray hair.

“Even if you want to retire and leave, I won’t hold you back. Somewhere as originally planned…… It would be nice to be recuperating in a quiet country manor.”

“…… Lord Cedric.”

“I’m sorry I tried to hold you with my desire.”

Cedric said so.

Artizea did not answer. It was because her mind was too dizzy for a moment.

“But don’t disappear so that Leticia can write you a letter.”

That sounded as if he himself would not write a letter.

Cedric raised his eyes. Artizea had forgotten what she was meant to say.

So all Cedric saw was the complex emotions that swirled across Artizea’s face.

“Then……, be more careful. It is an order.”

Cedric said that and tried to leave Artizea behind.

Artizea shouted hastily,

“Give me some time!”

Cedric stopped moving. But he didn’t look back. He was afraid of being disappointed.

Artizea took a deep breath.

“All right. Then…… I will wait for you in the Capital.”

Cedric replied. And he went out.