The Villainess is a Marionette

Translator: thursdays PR: scarcecrow

***

Rumors of another attempt to assassinate the princess were flipping the palace upside down.

What was up with this week?

Furthermore, the princess had a fight with Chancellor Debussy during the council meeting just after she received the authority of a regent. The public sentiment was turning completely against him.

“What kind of nonsense is this?! Saying that I was trying to kill Her Highness?!”

Chancellor Debussy was ballistic.

“Everyone who spreads these rumors will pay!”

“But the current atmosphere is very serious. Commander Jed, in particular, said that we need to investigate the people within the imperial palace.”

“What?” The chancellor’s face turned blue. “Investigate the truth right away. Find out who it was! It wasn’t me!” he yelled at his aides, grinding his teeth. Wasn’t the timing just too coincidental?

“Use some common sense! How could I poison the food the prince prepared? This must be a plot by forces who are trying to undermine His Highness!”

Naturally, there were some who speculated that Archduke Heinrich was responsible for this incident. In fact, it was currently the archduke who was under the most pressure.

Rezef wouldn’t have poisoned the princess with food he personally had someone prepare.

Even the temple was fired up as they wondered if the poisoning was linked to the kidnapping.

Chancellor Debussy was blameless in this case, but he had other things to hide. If he was caught in the wrong place for nothing, he could be put on the defensive.

The chancellor became very nervous. “Zenon. Where is Sir Zenon?”

He urgently felt that he had to discuss all this with Zenon.

However, the aide replied with a peculiar expression, “Um, Sir Zenon has not been seen in the imperial palace recently.”

The chancellor wrinkled his forehead at those words.

Being absent from the palace at a time like this did not make sense. He had a strange hunch.

“Zenon Evans is suspicious…”

Things that Chancellor Debussy hadn’t thought much about began to pop up in his head, one by one.

“He was also gone on the day Her Highness was kidnapped the first time. And lately, he’s been quarreling with Prince Rezef often.”

In addition, Zenon Evans encouraged Chancellor Debussy to organize the emergency meeting and subdue the princess.

As a result, there was another poisoning incident and the chancellor was implicated.

“He couldn’t have…”

Chancellor Debussy knew that Zenon Evans was aiming for his position.

Was Zenon Evans perhaps trying to take him down? It was just a gut feeling, but it fitted the situation.

The chancellor ground his teeth.

‘There’s another person from the Evans family in the palace anyway.’

Since Julia Evans was here, they would get along fine without Zenon.

It was then.

“Lord Chancellor!”

An attendant rushed into his office with a stiff expression.

The chancellor had a bad feeling about it.

“What happened?”

“When investigating Henverton Gillian’s social club, weren’t there many drugs being circulated?”

“There were. So what?”

“The drugs are allegedly from the Evans’ farm in the east!”

“What?!”

The chancellor jumped up from his seat.

He had thought it was only Zenon who had let him down, not the entire Evans family.

“Archduke Heinrich said he found a cannabis farm!”

The chancellor’s complexion withered.

“Summon Prince Rezef’s forces! Now!”

***

As soon as the sun rose, the doctor came to the princess’s chambers to check on her condition.

“You don’t need to worry much. Just take your medicine properly.”

Cayena listened to his words and swallowed the medicine.

“It looks like Julia is busy.”

Julia had originally been assigned to prepare Cayena’s medicine, but she wasn’t around.

Vera answered, “They say that the Evans family partook in distributing drugs. Archduke Heinrich came by with the evidence.”

“Really?” Cayena said, pretending not to know.

Rumors that the poison in the food prepared by Rezef was planted by Archduke Heinrich arose.

Then, the temple, which had been keeping a close eye on the princess’s personal safety of late, began examining Archduke Heinrich.

Yester was the actual culprit behind the abduction attempt at the temple, so it would have been troublesome for him to draw that sort of attention.

That was why he revealed the drug scandal that Cayena had informed him about: so that all eyes would be on the Evanses.

Cayena briefly checked her body’s condition.

“I think with this, I can go on with my normal life.”

Vera was shocked when Cayena tried to get up and start working right away.

“Your Highness, you were poisoned just yesterday. Furthermore, you haven’t even been able to rest properly at night.”

“That doesn’t mean I can just lie around.”

Cayena eventually managed to stand.

“Would you get me some black tea for teatime this afternoon?”

Olivia, who had been calmly watching them, opened her mouth.

“Black tea can make your stomach sore. I think it would be better to have some soothing herbal tea.”

Cayena had been trying to use black tea instead of coffee because she needed caffeine, but Olivia cut down her wishes like a knife.

Cayena thought about just ordering them to prepare the black tea, but she dropped it. In any case, it would be better to be careful about what she ate for a while.

If she made herself sick for no reason, it would only be harder to work. She needed to watch over her health a little.

“All right. Herbal tea, as you said.”

Vera glanced at Olivia in appreciation for pointing out what she wanted to say.

Cayena went inside her office and started dealing with the tasks she hadn’t finished because of yesterday’s sudden affair.

She planned to enforce the changes in the central military while everyone was distracted.

She also needed to take care of the issues regarding her coming-of-age.

‘Rezef will soon install Relevance Dotty as the head maid. He’ll probably try to have her be my chaperone for the coming-of-age celebration to strengthen her influence within the palace.’

But Cayena would never allow it.

“Susan, I’m going to write a letter to the Hamels, so please get my stationery ready.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once everyone had left to work, Vera, who remained in the office, looked at Cayena with sorrowful eyes.

She knew logically that this was an opportunity for Cayena, but she couldn’t be happy because the princess was working without rest.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a nap, at least?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go to bed earlier tonight.”

Vera was certain that Cayena, despite her words, wouldn’t go to sleep early.

“Then, how about a massage? You enjoyed Annie’s massage with the scented oil.”

Vera wanted to at least try to find a way to relieve some of Cayena’s fatigue. Cayena knew how she felt, so she couldn’t refuse.

Vera’s face brightened a little.

“The silver spoon arrived from the workshop. Would you like to see?”

“All right.”

The teaspoon made with real silver, one that would not deceive Emperor Esteban, had finally arrived.

Cayena checked the design of the spoon against the illustration of the design and nodded.

“Please put this picture in a safe.”

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, it’s Annie.”

Annie came in after being given permission.

She soaked her hands in rose oil and began the massage.

“Your shoulders have a lump. You must have been working too hard these days.”

Cayena laughed. “You seem to be following Vera’s lead in nagging me.”

“Your Highness!”

Vera’s face flushed with embarrassment. She got up from her seat to cool her heated cheeks.

“I will check the court and come back.”

Cayena nodded, allowing her to leave.

Vera had deliberately left her side.

This was so that Cayena could be alone with Annie to find out whose spy she was.

When Vera left, only Cayena and Annie remained in the bedroom.

Annie pushed on Cayena’s smooth, white arms and tilted her head.

‘…Hm?’

Her wrist, which was injured when she had been kidnapped, was smooth without any trace.

‘Her wounds have already healed.’

Annie had wrapped the bandage around the princess’s wrist earlier. She remembered seeing a blue bruise.

Cayena closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

“Annie.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“By any chance, do you know what young boys like these days?”

“How old is the child?”

“Thirteen years old.”

It was a very precise age.

Annie pondered over the overly specific question.

Was there a 13-year-old boy near Cayena?

~~~