The Villainess Lives Twice
chapter-98

Chapter 98

Proofreader: somnium

Rye was wearing the inn’s stable-boy outfit.

Artizea relaxedly filled a new teacup with more tea and poured milk. For the first time in a long time, she was going to serve Rye tea herself.

“It’s been a long time.”

Rye took off his hat and bowed his head. And he said the first word.

“Did you gain some weight?”

“….”

Artizea was stunned.

Instead of responding to Rye, she looked at Freil. Freil raised a silent roar to Rye.

Meeting Rye was not a priority.

The role he was playing was very important. However, it was not an urgent matter that they had to meet as soon as she came to the capital.

As it was, it was normal for Freil to report the situation, and for Artizea to go to see Rye after she finished her assessment.

But Freil brought him to this place without prior permission.

There was also a strong hope from Rye himself who wanted to meet Artizea, but Freil seemed to have a problem as well.

So he decided to take a little risk and hurry to report it first.

Rye also puffed his mouth. Artizea let out a sigh.

“A person, who does covert things, talks without having it go through his brain. I didn’t know you had such a habit.”

“No. No, no. I’m sorry, that’s…”

Rye shook his hand violently.

“It means you look better!”

“It’s not a matter of pointing out the body shape. I didn’t know that you had a habit of spitting out thoughtlessly. I should have given you poison, not gold coins.”

Rye felt a cold sweat running through his back. She was more scary than the shouting and angry man.

Artizea spoke to Freil this time.

“It’s quite something that you both survived.”

“Your Grace, that’s ……”

“Sir Freil is lax and has a habit of dropping things one at a time, and Rye can’t go through the process of saying words with forethoughts, but both of you aren’t dead.”

Freil felt wronged. It was Rye who made the mistake. Why does he have to be scolded for it?

Rye was only silent. His words really did leak without going through his brain so he had nothing to say.

It wasn’t a lie that she had looked better. It was not with bad intentions, and he did not dare to eye Artizea.

He just said it unintentionally, because he always thought it was a pity that she was too thin and her complexion was bad.

Artizea sighed. Rye’s chest sank down.

What if he let her down? He was putting his family in his employer’s hand.

But that’s all.

“So, what’s going on? Have you had a relationship with mother?”

Rye’s face rose brightly in an instant.

“What do you take me for? I’m not a good guy, but I’m not a guy who doesn’t know what his mission is. I’m not a douchebag who dared to touch the Emperor’s woman!”

“But you must have been tempted?”

Then Rye bit all of his mouth.

Freil, who had never heard such a story, looked at Rye in astonishment.

Artizea had a nonchalant attitude, with an incredibly cold face while talking about her own mother with the mother’s friend, who had been sent in secretly.

Freil asked.

“Your Grace, is that why you said to pick a young man in advance and get ready to hide in a hurry just in case?”

“That’s how mother builds trust. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.”

“Not me.”

Like a man insulted, Rye furiously swept his bangs.

“But you must have been sympathetic to her, right?”

“….”

“Of course. My mother has a passionate personality and high self-esteem, but she must have shown all of her very weakened inner side to you. Such a beautiful woman hangs with her weak inner self, the man who can think of it casually must be rare.”

“Marchioness.”

Rye twisted his face. But couldn’t deny it.

Artizea smiled a little.

It is not known exactly what happened, but the state of Rye’s psychology was a rough guess.

Although Rye encountered a problem that he couldn’t deal with alone, he couldn’t consult with Freil.

It is not really an urgent problem, but it is a matter of urgency. Besides, he wanted to see Artizea in person.

The conclusions drawn from there were clear.

“I’m not trying to rebuke you. I know you’re not a person driven by temporary lust or impulse. You’re moving with more real interests than that. That’s why I chose you.”

“…..”

“That doesn’t mean that it is the movement of the mind that can’t be helped. It is human nature for the mind to be weakened to an attractive opposite sex.”

“I’m ashamed of myself.”

Rye finally confessed honestly.

He was sincerely ashamed.

It’s not because he had compassion, knowing what kind of mother Miraila was to Artizea.

It is because if it weren’t for Miraila’s current appearance to be a beautiful woman, he would have ridiculed her, let alone pity her.

“I want to get out of the way as soon as possible.”

Said Rye.

“Practically speaking, the Dowager’ trust has grown too deep. Because she even came out of the Emperor’s bedroom and came to see me in a public place. If this keeps up, it will soon become dangerous.”

“How many requests have you received so far?”

Right now, Rye is Miraila’s most trusted person. Even if he secretly went in and out of the Rosan mansion, it was not completely secret. Although they don’t know who Rye himself is, many know that the necromancer who once ravaged the social world became the distinguished guest of Miraila.

Although he thought he was an insignificant scammer, many requests poured in.

He handed over the request that Freil had organized into paperwork.

“Listen to the trivial matters. Don’t touch anything that could be politically dangerous or too big, and try to get the money out as much as you can.”

“Yes.”

“Especially, instead of accepting all kinds of proposals to disappear from my mother, ask for money. Ask the butler at the Rosan mansion for a large sum of money. Finally, it will be a bang and disappear.”

“You mean to be faithful to being a fraudster until the end.”

“Yes, and tell the truth before you leave.”

“About being a scammer?”

Rye widened his eyes. Artizea said.

“I’ll tell you in detail later what to tell and in what way. Then, you can go into hiding.”

“However …..”

“I’ll handle it as missing, so you don’t have to worry about mother retaliating.”

At Artizea’s words, Rye, nervously, clenched and opened his fist.

“Are you sure that’ll do?”

“Yes, your role ends with that.”

Artizea said so. That’s all the part Rye will take on in her idea.

“Once the job is finished, it would be better to hide from the capital completely. Go to the east once.”

“East?”

Rye was horrified how much she wanted him to disappear. Said Artizea.

“There’s one person I need you to find. Even if I give you a vacation, you wouldn’t be able to go to your family in this situation, anyway?”

“Damn, I want to, but….”

“After looking for that person, make sure to visit your family at a leisurely time. You will know when it is safe when you look at thesituation in the capital city.”

“Can I really do that?”

“After this job, I’m sure that money problem will really disappear, so it’s okay to retire.”

At Artizea’s words, Rye had a slightly anxious face.

“Why?”

“Do I get to keep all of that money?”

“It’s the money you made with your abilities. Why? You want to share it with me?”

“No, not that.”

Rye replied immediately. Then Artizea laughed.

“I’m so anxious. I don’t think Marchioness will let me go smoothly. I thought you’d told me to retire and poison me on the way to my hometown.”

“All you have to do is hide yourself without returning to the capital again. Wasn’t it your dream to live with your family?”

“Yes, that’s what it is.”

Rye scratched his head.

“It feels a little bad being treated as a useless person already. You just came to me and went through my life.”

“It’s a good way to get around your life. Are you just going to entrust the job to someone who works for money?”

“Did you take my family hostage?”

“Then, shall I kill them all and cover their mouths?”

Rye has nothing to say.

He didn’t know exactly what Artizea was trying to do. He initially thought it was revenge against Miraila. But it wasn’t just that, Rye knew now. Too many gears were moving to be counted as a revenge.

He was caught up in an indescribable mood.

Rye has always felt a stronger and more complex feeling to Artizea than the compassion he had for Miraila.

Whether it was impulse, awe, or repulsion, it could not be clearly defined.

Something boiled inside his chest. He was sad. It was also unclear to Rye himself what upset him. He knew he shouldn’t feel it.

He wanted to be used as a tool to the end of the dangerous things that this woman does. She’s not a person with whom he fits her feet, but at best, like a little sword to wield.

The person this woman is loyal to is Grand Duke Evron.

Recalling that fact, Rye felt strange.

“If you want to earn more, you can stay. If you want to retire, you can too.”

Artizea said, lifting the teacup. She looked down to hide her eyes.

She didn’t have to rule out Rye. He is a useful person.

He had a record of betraying her, but back then the other person was already wearing the Emperor’s crown.

If he had his family as he is now, he didn’t have to worry any more.

Even if she doesn’t retire Rye, she eventually has to replace the other parts.

It is not common to have a substitute person, but why was she urging retirement?

In the end, it is because of personal feelings.

‘Because it would be nice to have a chance to live properly at least once.’

Artizea looked inside the teacup. There was no way that ugly pupils could reflect on something like a tea filled with milk, but it was like having a staring contest.

“….”

She thought there would be a few more sarcasm, asking if the pension wasn’t a reward originally given, but Rye paused for a while and said.

“Then, when the time comes, please give me instructions through Sir Freil.”

“Yes.”

Artizea knew that he was troubled because she was quick-witted.

Rye nodded and stepped out.

As he pushed his feelings of frustration into his heart, Freil warned him as he followed him.

“Don’t be silly, Rye.”

“I don’t.”

Before he even realized what Freil was talking about, Rye responded that way.

Artizea is right. He wasn’t interested in futile work. It was nothing more than an unclear feeling.