I Am The Villainess With A Maxed-Out Luck Stat - Chapter 135
Only Noblemtl
135. How much do you like it?
“I have visited the Duke before, but I think this is my first time seeing the Lady. Thank you for accepting my request to visit.”
“Oh, yes.”
The Marquis of Balton was formal, but I looked at him with indifference.
I couldn’t guess what he was thinking despite his friendly smile.
He was the first to speak when he entered the reception room.
“It seems like you’ve been having fun with your business lately. I thought you were a mature lady, but I didn’t know you were such an ambitious person.”
“What does it mean?”
The Marquis of Balton chuckled.
“There’s no need to beat around the bush about trade with the Kingdom of Pyron. Your Majesty, you can leave now.”
“… … !”
“Now that His Highness the Crown Prince is stepping down from his position, wouldn’t it be meaningless for Your Highness the Princess to continue to interfere?”
Yes, that’s right.
In the first place, I was in charge of conducting the state affairs as the crown princess, so it was meaningless for me to step forward alone when the crown prince was absent.
But hearing those words from someone else was another matter.
‘Are you trying to tell me to get out of here?’
Although I heard such complaints, I responded calmly for now.
“Don’t worry. As the Marquis said, His Majesty has no intention of getting involved in an unnecessary transaction.”
“Is that so?”
His eyes gleamed greedily.
Anyway, I desperately wanted to get out of the trade with the Kingdom of Pyron.
If there was someone who wanted my seat, I could have just given it to them.
“So, are we done with this now?”
“Of course not, Your Majesty.”
I was slowly trying to get him out, but Marquis Balton did not back down easily.
“Wouldn’t you need a successor to fill the empty positions of His Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess?”
“So?”
“I would like you to recommend me as your successor to successfully carry out the national diplomacy.”
“her?”
Not only did you ask me to step down, now you want me to recommend you to the Emperor?
“This diplomatic relationship is of great significance not only to the Kingdom of Pyron, but also to our empire. I will carry it out well so as not to tarnish the reputation of the royal family and the princess.”
“But, Marquis.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The fact that you came to me, with whom you had no regular contact, means that you were unable to elicit the desired response from His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, right?”
“… … !”
The smile disappeared from Marquis Balton’s lips.
“If you are so greedy for the position of successor, shouldn’t you first persuade His Majesty?”
“… … .”
“How can someone who can’t even convince His Majesty take the lead in something as important as establishing diplomatic relations?”
“Princess.”
His voice became heavy and heavy.
The face that had pretended to be friendly had long since turned cold and hard.
dripping.
At that moment, the servants knocked on the reception room door.
“Excuse me. I’ve come to warm up your tea.”
“Come in.”
As I thought it was a good opportunity to bring in the servants, the maid Kelly and the manager showed up.
He winked playfully when his eyes met mine.
‘It’s a surprise.’
I quickly averted my gaze.
I didn’t even turn my head in that direction, fearing that I might accidentally make eye contact with you again.
“We’re going to go now.”
Click.
Only after the servants left the reception room could I breathe a sigh of relief.
As he held the warm cup of tea, the expression on Marquis Balton’s face was mysterious.
An expression that seems both surprised and embarrassed.
“Why are you like that?”
“I’m talking about the servant who came in a little while ago. Where did you bring him?”
“Yes? If you are a servant… … .”
You probably mean Cayenne.
Because the manager is possessed by Cayenne’s body.
‘But why is Marquis Balton interested in Cayenne?’
When I expressed my doubts, he quickly sorted it out.
“I think I made a slip of the tongue because I resembled someone I know. Please pretend you didn’t hear me.”
* * *
The Marquis of Balton still felt uneasy after leaving the ducal residence.
‘As expected, it’s as rumored.’
As I heard, the princess was incredibly arrogant.
I was upset, but my anger didn’t last long.
The servant I saw at the duke’s residence was always on my mind.
‘… … They look too similar.’
A boy with black hair and red eyes.
If the child I met then were alive, he would have grown up into a young man by now.
Like the servant I saw at the duke’s house.
The Marquis shook his head, haunted by ghostly memories.
It’s already been more than twenty years.
As time passes like snow, his hair turns white and his memories fade. It is easy to get confused when you see someone similar.
Even though he knew it was just a coincidence, his keen intuition kept nagging him.
“We need to dig into this properly.”
He quickened his pace, muttering to himself.
* * *
“Ugh. How can you pretend not to know me? This is just too much.”
After Marquis Balton returned.
The manager skipped his afternoon work and came to my room.
He said he would just stay a moment, but he’s been staring at me for dozens of minutes now.
“Shouldn’t you be going to do some housework? The bell is ringing?”
“Our icebreaker is also cruel. He doesn’t show any mercy… … .”
Sniff sniff.
The manager cried.
At first it felt strange to see Cayenne’s face like that, but now I’ve seen it so many times that it doesn’t seem strange at all.
As soon as I turned my head away, he came right up to my nose.
“Why aren’t you looking at me? Are you avoiding me on purpose?”
“Hey… …! Get out of the way?”
My face turned red as I remembered an embarrassing incident that had happened not long ago.
I reflexively pushed him away and he collapsed helplessly.
“Ugh. You hate me now?”
“… … .”
It’s not that I hate it.
The problem was that every time I saw him, the memory of that day came back vividly.
The weather that day, the warm night air, the feel and temperature of the air touching my forehead came back to me vividly.
‘Anna, why do I keep thinking about that?’
What he left me with that day was not a kiss, but worries.
I felt resentful of him for leaving me with so much trouble.
So I deliberately spoke more bluntly.
“I don’t hate you. It’s just hard to be with you.”
“That’s it. It’s lonely and good to be cut off overnight.”
The manager slumped his shoulders.
Seeing that sight brought back worries once again.
‘It’s just a good night kiss, but am I being overly conscious?’
Maybe so.
The manager usually raised me, doted on me, and said things like that.
The meaning of that kiss might be maternal love or agape love.
Yeah, that’s probably it.
‘They’re not even human in the first place.’
From the manager’s point of view, am I not like an ant?
Just as I don’t feel romantic love for ants on the side of the road, the manager won’t take me seriously either.
Thinking like that, my complicated feelings felt a lot lighter.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The manager tilted his head.
“Do you think of me as an ant or a cockroach?”
“What are you talking about! You are much cuter and more lovable than ants or cockroaches.”
“Then maybe a butterfly or a bee?”
I was weighing my favorability among insects with many legs, and suddenly this thought occurred to me.
‘Wait a minute. The manager is possessed right now, so can’t he see the favorability rating as well?’
Just as I was about to search through the item shop, someone knocked on the door.
“Miss, the letter has arrived!”
“This is… … .”
I checked the sender and it was the knight in charge of protecting Seraphine.
I opened the envelope nervously, as I had asked her to let me know if anything happened to her.
The content was concise.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Who is Seraphine meeting?”
* * *
“Come in.”
As Seraphine had expected, the pedestrian came to see the Count Blaine again.
This time, the escort did not kick the pedestrian out, but held him in place.
Seraphine invited the pedestrian into the house, but he hesitated, unable to bring himself to step foot in.
“I don’t have to go in. I’ve seen your face, and that’s enough.”
“If just seeing your face was enough, you should have disappeared the day our eyes met. I know you’ve been hovering around for days.”
Seraphine’s tone was unusually cold. The man nodded.
“sorry.”
“Do you have something to tell me? If you have something to say, come in and say it.”
“… … .”
As Seraphine took the lead and went inside, the man followed along hesitantly.
He looked around the house.
It was a small, old mansion with no presentable appearance or interior. It would be difficult to treat it well if it were located in the capital.
As we headed to the living room, the nanny brought out some hot tea instead of the maid.
Judging from the fact that there weren’t many employees, it was clear that they weren’t well off.
Seraphine didn’t even touch the tea to her lips.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
I just kept nagging the man.
He urged the man to answer as if he already had the answer he wanted.
“I have something to say… … .”
He was lost in thought for a moment.
A faint regret and longing passed through his eyes, which had become clouded and faded with time.
“It’s just an old man’s grumbling, but would you listen to me for a moment?”