The Villainess Lives Twice

It was two weeks after the arrival of Cadriol’s national letter that Grand Duke Roygar arrived at the port closest to the Capital.

There was a difference of two days, between the Duke and the letter, from the date of departure from the Eimmel Kingdom. However, the number of special envoys led by Grand Duke Roygar was not just one.

Even if he used the ship provided by the Eimmel Kingdom in the sea route, his movement speed was inevitably slow.

Still, Grand Duke Roygar urged the captain to go as quickly as possible. The only time they had been on the ground over the past three weeks was to stop by a port of call to resupply.

Garnet complained of pain, and the other nobles carefully asked for a day off.

Grand Duke Roygar himself suffered a lot.

But he didn’t have time to rest. He didn’t even have half a day to spare. During the rest, he had no idea what was going on in the Capital.

But it wasn’t a wise choice.

They had never met even one of the messengers that Marchioness Camellia had been sending.

That is why Prince Cadriol originally picked four of Eimmel’s largest and fastest ships and sent him on board.

He was deceived by his ability to get there so quickly that Grand Duke Roygar missed something else important.

As soon as he called and disembarked from the ship, news flooded in.

“Marquis Luden has passed away.”

That was the first news that came out. This is a message from a messenger sent by Marquis Luden Heir Apparent, Garnet’s eldest brother, who will inherit the Marquis title after the procedure is completed.

Garnet blinked her eyes and listened blankly. She didn’t feel it.

Even Grand Duke Roygar was greatly surprised and asked,

“What do you mean?”

“That is…….”

The messenger was very flustered. It was because he could not bear to tell Garnet about the dishonorable accident that Marquis Luden had suffered.

Grand Duke Roygar noticed the messenger’s fluster and asked.

“Is it an accident? Someone who was healthy would not have suddenly died of an illness.”

“Yes. He visited the house of a merchant he had a relationship with, and then there was a fire…….”

For Grand Duke Roygar, that answer was enough. He knew roughly about the filthy private life of Marquis Luden.

It wouldn’t have been a big deal if he simply had a fire during a secret conversation. It would not have been an accident if there was a sudden fire that was so large that it was impossible to escape safely without being defenseless.

In the end, it means that he was defenseless. And if you think about what it means to be defenseless in a merchant’s house, the conclusion was obvious.

He couldn’t tell such a story in front of Garnet.

He looked back at Garnet, pondering what to say, and Garnet jumped to her feet.

“Well, something like that…….”

Garnet couldn’t breathe properly and spit her words out, then fainted.

“Garnet!”

Grand Duke Roygar was shocked and embraced her.

Even so, he could not stand the shock of his body exhausted from the long voyage.

His aides came rushing in. Grand Duke Roygar, with the help of an escort, took Garnet and laid her on the sofa.

Fortunately, she was breathing properly.

“Go and call a doctor.”

Grand Duke Roygar gave the order and moved.

He wanted to be by Garnet’s side, but now he didn’t have time to waste.

The second messengers he met were sent by Count Brennan and other nobles in his faction who remained in the Capital.

A lot of news was piled up, but to summarize, there were two things.

One was about the salt incident, and the other was the news of Leticia’s birth.

Severe warnings arrived from each family after the coarse salt incident.

It was that anyone who, like Duke Riagan, tried to embezzle the national tax and use bribes and power to trick the state, will not be forgiven.

The Emperor had quite a bit of data on the absurd acts committed by members of the noble family and the efforts of the family to cover it up.

Closely, there was the bribe ledger Baron Yetz had dedicated to running his gambling house. And as far away as the list of those who had gone missing or died suddenly on their own farms and manors for decades.

Until now, as long as they did not challenge the Emperor’s authority, most of the nobles did almost anything with no eyes looking

There was no perfect cause, and it was foolish to fight a noble family over such a thing.

Rather, annihilating the family in the dark can cause fear and division at the same time. It was also what the Emperor did as a member of the nobility himself.

However, if this unspoken law of the country is violated, the nobles will unite and resist.

Soon, the Emperor had chosen the method of protecting his authority, but not diminishing his power.

That didn’t mean he didn’t even have a weapon he could use someday.

But now there is a precedent like the Duchy of Riagan. Now, if anyone gets caught again, the Emperor will drive up his momentum and attack them all at once.

Up to this point, it was still within the thinking of Grand Duke Roygar.

He had come to know that Prince Cadriol had sent evidence related to the coarse salt business in the national letter.

Throughout all the time on the way home, Grand Duke Roygar made plans.

Just because he tried to take over the coarse salt, he cannot be treated and punished like Duke Riagan.

He himself was not the mastermind of the coarse salt business. He was also not involved in the manipulation of the books of the Ministry of Finance’s ledgers.

It is true that he had agreed to take some coarse salt from Duke Riagan, but he intended to claim that he thought it was a normal bribe.

And the Emperor could not ignore his excuses. He was not established by the hands of the Emperor like Duke Riagan.

He was a natural born prince of the imperial family, and the great nobles stood behind him. A much clearer cause and evidence were needed to get rid of him.

If the noble forces firmly protected him, he could have endured it well enough.

But now he wasn’t sure. It was even more so when he heard the news about the miracle that appeared at the Harvest Festival and Leticia’s naming.

There was no way that Marquis Luden’s death had nothing to do with it. In some cases, he lost his power due to division and became isolated.

Grand Duke Roygar regretted his hasty return.

He should have come up slowly, disembarking at a port away from the Capital and listening to the news. If he had, he would have been able to flee to the East in any case.

Grand Duke Roygar stayed at the port for one day.

The Emperor ordered a quick return, but thanks to the arrival in the afternoon, there was enough leeway.

He was due to leave the next day.

It was past midnight that day, when Count Brennan and Marchioness Camellia came running.

“I am glad you came back safely. I have been waiting.”

Count Brennan had a pale face.

Grand Duke Roygar looked at Count Brennan.

“Let’s talk about the progress later. Upon hearing the news of Father-in-law, my wife fell.”

Count Brennan said nothing and left.

Marchioness Camellia remained with Grand Duke Roygar. Her face had also turned blue.

“Her Grace collapsed?”

“When she heard the news that Father-in-law had passed away, she fainted and had not yet woken up.”

Grand Duke Roygar cut off the troublesome greeting and asked,

“Tell me honestly, Sister-in-law. Was it Count Brennan who assassinated Father-in-law?”

“Yes.”

Marchioness Camellia took her breath. And she was sure. Grand Duke Roygar was inherently suspicious, and he was already suspicious of her.

If she was wrong, it would deepen his suspicions.

Grand Duke Roygar sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling. Then he looked down at the floor and sighed again.

“His Majesty’s heart had decided on Cedric’s daughter?”

“He attended the naming ceremony and gave her a third name. It would be right to see it that way.”

“Whoo……. What were you planning to do, Sister-in-law?”

Count Brennan’s thoughts were guessed.

In any case, there was nothing wrong with getting rid of the most powerful supporter of Grand Duke Roygar, Marquis Luden.

Grand Duke Roygar himself was absent, so no one was held accountable.

She must have planned to increase her power within the faction before the return. And it was a very effective plan.

As long as it runs properly.

Grand Duke Roygar knew that his supporters were not all of one accord.

Nobles have always wanted to weaken the imperial power. They wanted to somehow reduce the imperial power, which had become powerful during Emperor Gregor’s long reign.

A young Emperor is better than an older Emperor who has his own strength and a solid succession. It is better to have a distant relative rather than the Emperor’s illegitimate child as a regent.

If the will of his supporters unite and put pressure on him, then Grand Duke Roygar will inevitably be compelled.

This is because his power is not made up of subordinates who are loyal to the master, but a coalition of nobles and enterprises.

Grand Duke Roygar could only guess from the information he had heard.

What could not be understood was Marchioness Camellia’s side. Her interests were all on the same side as Marquis Luden in that they were all intertwined with Garnet.

Just as Marquis Luden had to make Grand Duke Roygar Emperor in order to exercise power as his father-in-law, so Marchioness Camellia had to make him Emperor in order to wield her power as the Empress’ chief lady-in-waiting.

That meant she couldn’t stand in the same position as Count Brennan.

“I…… I intended to eliminate Evron’s Grand Princess. With only one Grand Duke Evron, it will be hard to break the order of the Emperor’s succession. I’m sure it will be emotionally…….”

Marchioness Camellia said so.

Whether she was involved in the assassination of Marquis Luden or not, he did not dare to ask it out.

Anyway, what Grand Duke Roygar is curious about is what kind of political views she holds.

Not his own personal mind.

“But neither Count Brennan nor I have been able to move right now because of the coarse salt incident. Forgive me.”

“You made a big mistake. If Father-in-law was alive, we would have united around him and spoken out to His Majesty.”

Marchioness Camellia bowed her head.

Grand Duke Roygar touched his forehead. But he didn’t criticize any more.

It was far more important to go beyond the immediate problem.

“I would argue that the coarse salt was my personal bribe.”

“Yes.”

“Can you take Father-in-law’s place? Please crack down on the forces and support them. Lest His Majesty accuse me in the charge of deceiving or treason of the monarch.”

“Can you trust me?”

“If Sister-in-law had betrayed me, you would have run to His Majesty instead of helping Count Brennan. That would be a much greater achievement.”

Marchioness Camellia grabbed the hem of her skirt.

Grand Duke Roygar clenched his teeth. He had no other reliable blood ties, so he could only leave it with his in-laws.

Marquis Luden Heir Apparent had no ability. In any case, only Marchioness Camellia was left.

“I will leave the work of Father-in-law to you. Be careful not to let Garnet know.”

“Yes. I may not have Father’s authority, but I will do my best.”

“And take care of it yourself if possible, but if things don’t work out that way, Sister-inlaw either eliminate or hide all of the attendants who were at the heart of the negotiations in the South.”

“Understood.”

Marchioness Camellia replied with her head bowed deeply.

Grand Duke Roygar let out a long sigh. It was inevitable that his power would shrink, but he would be able to endure it somehow.