The Villainess Who Hid Her Identity and Everyone Misunderstood – Chapter 6
“……Your Highness?”
“Why.”
Rakiel responded flatly.
He was pressing a cold, wet handkerchief against his jaw.
“…Hmm.”
“What.”
“Are you injured?”
“Yeah.”
He flipped the handkerchief and pressed it back onto his jaw. Through it, faintly swollen red skin could be seen.
His adjutant, Hagen, looked down at him with a subtle expression as he reviewed documents.
“Did you… fight someone?”
His tone was full of suspicion, as if he were looking at a younger sibling who had gone out and come back after being beaten up.
Noticing that expression, Rakiel pressed his lips shut.
“So what happened—no, who…”
“……”
“……”
“…Why.”
“Did you win?”
“Are you kidding me?”
Do I look like a child?
The irritated words almost rose to his tongue, but he swallowed them back down.
In truth, he had gone out alone without escorts and returned after getting hit. He didn’t exactly have much to say.
“I don’t know what happened, but you can’t return looking like this. You are a prince, after all.”
“So what exactly is that attitude from you, considering I am a prince?”
“It is because I care about Your Highness.”
“……”
Forget it. Just stop talking.
Rakiel waved his hand.
It was a gesture telling him to get to the point.
“As you predicted—”
“What is it? The Rosenthal Duke?”
“Yes.”
Hagen nodded.
Hagen Kirchner was Rakiel’s aide who had always stayed by his side even when Rakiel served as Supreme Commander.
After the war ended, he continued working as his adjutant and supported him in administrative duties. He was also one of those actively working behind the scenes to make Rakiel the Emperor.
Though not many factions had gathered yet, they all agreed that Crown Prince Ludwig was unfit to be Emperor.
Ludwig certainly had the boldness and charisma of a leader, but his temperament was excessively cruel and twisted. That nature had eventually driven some factions away from him.
However, because Ludwig held the official position of Crown Prince, they were still operating in the shadows.
“Two days ago, His Highness the Crown Prince officially broke off his engagement with Lady Evelyn Rosenthal. It seems he has also finished speaking with Duke Rosenthal.”
“Of course. Their relationship had been quite strained.”
“Once this becomes known in social circles, there will be quite a stir.”
“…There will be many discussions about Duke Rosenthal’s next move.”
“That is correct.”
Rakiel, who had been leaning back in his chair as if sinking into it, tapped the desk lightly.
“So?”
“The Rosenthal side has contacted us first. They wish to meet.”
“The pretext?”
“They say they want to discuss western border trade.”
It was only a pretext.
There was only one reason a house that had just had an engagement broken off by the Crown Prince would want to speak with the Second Prince.
“Is there a possibility the Rosenthal Duke will come over to our side?”
After thinking for a moment, Hagen answered.
“Not impossible. Of course, supporting Your Highness would be a tremendous gamble, but no one can predict the future.”
“…Are you saying my becoming Emperor is a gamble?”
“Is it not the truth?”
At Hagen’s shrug, Rakiel let out a dry laugh.
In truth, Ludwig’s power base was solid. In contrast, Rakiel had only recently returned from war and had not properly appeared in social circles for years due to trauma.
In other words, for the nobility, choosing Rakiel was no different from risking annihilation.
“It seems we are still a bit behind the Grand Duke Kashien faction… but we have no choice.”
Rakiel murmured.
“At least the gain will outweigh the loss.”
“Indeed. Even if our faction is weaker, a duke is still a duke.”
“Engaging in an engagement with Lady Rosenthal would also be a good move.”
“…What?”
Rakiel looked at Hagen as if he had just heard something absurd.
But Hagen remained calm.
“Did you intend to do nothing? Surely you understand that the most solid alliance is a political marriage. Now that you have broken off an engagement, the timing is perfect.”
“Do you even know what kind of person Lady Rosenthal is?”
“Of course I do. But I am saying that if you intend to become Emperor, you cannot do only what you want.”
“Hah. As if that woman would agree to an engagement with me. That woman who keeps chasing after my brother.”
Rakiel had only met Evelyn Rosenthal once. It had not been a pleasant memory.
—Your Highness looks nothing like His Highness the Crown Prince.
—…What?
—Hmph. Not my type, that’s all.
Of course, Ludwig and Rakiel were completely different. It was hard to even tell they were brothers.
Ludwig, with his golden hair and green eyes, shone brightly even in the darkest places and was adored by everyone. Rakiel, on the other hand, was as difficult to approach as his dark hair suggested.
Even so, it was not something you said to someone’s face upon first meeting.
That alone made Evelyn’s first impression the worst possible.
As Rakiel recalled their meeting, he frowned. The handkerchief pressed to his jaw had long since warmed and lost its coldness.
‘Ah, right. That woman was from the ducal house.’
The woman who had headbutted his chin and run away. The cloak she wore clearly bore the Rosenthal family crest.
After a brief pause, Rakiel spoke.
“I will go personally this time.”
“…To the ducal estate? The Rosenthal Duke already sent notice that he will be visiting in a few days.”
“Didn’t you say that if we bring the Rosenthal Duke over, he would become a strong ally? Then we should at least show sincerity.”
“That may be going too far.”
Hagen tried to dissuade him.
“Now that the Crown Prince’s engagement has been broken, the Rosenthal House has nowhere else to turn anyway.”
“No. It is better to settle things from the beginning. And…”
“…?”
I also want to see that woman’s face again.
Rakiel swallowed the rest of his words.
If he went to the ducal estate, there would likely be at least a brief chance to see the faces of the servants. Especially if he met Lady Rosenthal.
It wasn’t that he was angry about being hit in the chin.
If anything, he found it interesting.
He lightly touched his now slightly healed jaw.
Hagen, who had been quietly watching him, spoke.
“So who was it? The person who dared strike the Second Prince’s jaw.”
“…If you know, you’ll get hurt.”
* * *
Jini was a maid of the Rosenthal ducal house.
Becoming a noble household maid was considered a success among commoners.
The pay was decent, and the working conditions were not bad at all.
Aside from having to constantly cater to the whims of nobles—and the occasional risk of losing one’s life—it was truly a good job.
That was why Jini could not afford to quit.
“This is filthy! Can’t you see that dirt?! Clean it up immediately!”
“Yes, yes…”
Jini hurriedly bent down, gathering the shattered pieces of a teacup. She cut her finger in the process, but had no time to check the wound.
Her mistress, Lady Evelyn Rosenthal, was known for being notoriously cruel and difficult.
Jini had only recently started working at the estate, but the senior maids often shared terrifying rumors.
Stories of being dragged to the underground dungeon and tortured for days just for stepping on the hem of her dress, or of having fingers cut off for failing to procure the desired dress color.
None of it was confirmed.
But seeing Evelyn’s personality firsthand, Jini felt that if she moved even slightly too slowly, she might truly be accused of some crime and dragged away.
Fortunately, Evelyn remained silent until Jini finished cleaning the floor with trembling hands. That was rare.
She even stared into space as if focusing on something.
Jini found it strange but did not comment. She was only supposed to do her job.
After finishing her duties for the day, she packed up to leave.
“Jini, going home again today?”
a coworker asked.
“Yes. I promised to visit home today.”
“Really? That’s tough.”
She hurried out of the estate.
There was only one reason Jini could not quit this job.
“Unnie!”
“Noona!”
A sick mother and five younger siblings.
All of them were dependent on her.
“Yeah, I’m home. Have you all been well?”
“…Huh?”
As she entered the old, decaying shack as usual, Jini frowned at the strange feeling.
It was the same house—but something was different.
“Jen, did something happen?”
Her eldest sibling hesitated.
“No, noona… it’s just… Mom…”
“!”
Startled, Jini rushed into the inner room with a loud clatter.
There, her mother—looking far healthier than usual—was drinking water handed to her by one of her siblings.
