The Villainess is a Marionette
Chapter 78: Scene 14. The Emperor's Proxy

Translator: thursdays PR: scarcecrow

***

Baston was one of the Kedrey duchy’s elite knights, so he was a part of today’s patrol. He had been scouting their surroundings when Raphael ran out on his own and didn’t return.

Finally—

“Your Excellency!”

Raphael was walking back to the temple while holding Princess Cayena, who was wrapped in a black cape. The knights let out a sigh of relief.

“There’s a contract house behind the temple. We should seize it.”

With their faces tense once more, the knights followed him. Raphael pushed Cayena into his carriage. She frowned a little.

“Didn’t we decide to go to my carriage?”

“Mine is safer.”

It would be safe here because he would post several knights to stand guard around the carriage… though he could just as easily put them by Cayena’s vehicle.

Inside the carriage, where no one could see, Raphael boldly kissed her lips. He didn’t hesitate despite the knights right outside, and Cayena held her breath.

Raphael pulled his lips from hers, kissed her forehead, and earnestly said, “Please don’t leave this spot.”

Cayena could only say yes. She needed Raphael so she could take the throne. Raphael wasn’t sure whether Cayena would cooperate by staying inside, but he left the carriage and closed the door behind him.

Cayena vacantly watched him leave, then clasped her face with her hands.

“What have I done?”

***

The inn where the contractors were based appeared to be a normal one.

But below ground level, there was an issue.

“It’s gunpowder!”

Blindfolded workers were trapped in an underground warehouse, manufacturing weapons with gunpowder. Among them were the elderly as well as young children. Their backs were ragged with whip marks.

Guards holding whips shouted in surprise at the knights who stormed in. “Who, who are you?!”

“Arrest them all!”

Baston reported back to Raphael with a serious face. “They’re from the slums.”

The people who had been prisoners underground and inhaling gunpowder were all people of the shantytown.

‘So this is Heinrich’s contract house.’

The contractors who tried to kidnap Cayena today were also Heinrich’s men.

Raphael tilted his head.

“Find out who owns this warehouse.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

Cayena told him to bring only elite knights, so Raphael had told the other knights to stay near the area. While he was organizing the knights to leave the temple, the high priest came with another cleric, whose form was concealed by a hood.

“So these are the knights Her Highness stationed here.”

This could be troublesome for the temple. However, Father Danian displayed a cooperative attitude.

“I thank God that you have punished the seditious forces and saved Her Highness.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“The knights who had been knocked out have just woken up.”

At that moment, knights and soldiers who looked very embarrassed came running toward them.

“Duke Kedrey! What happened to Her Highness?!”

“Her Highness is safe. I was able to find her quickly with the other knights in the area.”

The knights who had been knocked out went down on one knee and bowed.

“Thank you for saving the imperial family!”

“I took her to my carriage.”

“Then, we will…”

Raphael said coldly, “Can you really protect Her Highness when you did not properly examine your surroundings when it was most needed?”

“……”

“The princess was kidnapped only three days ago, yet you continue to be negligent.”

Because it was true, they closed their mouths. For them, it didn’t matter if Cayena was in trouble. Their master was Rezef, not the princess.

Raphael realized early on that they were not loyal to Cayena.

“I’ll watch over Her Highness,” he said.

Raphael turned to look at Father Danian again.

“The Kedreys will not forget your aid today.”

“It was nothing.”

Raphael quietly bowed to Father Danian. When he looked up, he made eye contact with the priest standing behind Father Danian. His tawny eyes were so bright that they seemed golden.

Raphael strangely felt like he was being observed and slowly looked away. He had to go to the carriage where Cayena was.

“Then, goodbye.”

He approached the carriage.

When he opened the door, he saw that Cayena had fallen asleep while waiting for him. She must have been exhausted. It was already dawn.

A yellow light shimmered over Cayena’s face.

Baston asked Raphael, “Shall we go to the imperial palace?”

Raphael grabbed the carriage door and replied, “Take us to my villa.”

Scene 14. The Emperor’s Proxy

It took a longer time than usual for Cayena to think properly after she woke up. It was because of the unfamiliar curtains.

She didn’t see her usual dark drapes with the impressive embroidery. Instead, several thin, peach-colored cloths were wrapped around the bedposts like some ancient shrine.

Cayena slowly pulled herself up from the bed.

Inside the room, golden suncatchers embedded with jewels created rainbows everywhere.

It was a lovely room for a young lady. Or, actually, was it a room suitable for someone of Cayena’s current age? She felt a serious disparity between the ages of her mind and body.

Cayena checked her condition. The aftereffects from making the magical contract were nearly gone.

‘Now that I think about it, did I fall asleep in Raphael’s carriage?’

This sweet kind of atmosphere did not exist in the luxurious and solemn palace, so this couldn’t be the imperial castle.

Cayena furrowed her brows in thought when she heard a noise.

Knock, knock.

Several maids wearing refined clothes entered. They noted that Cayena had opened her eyes, and they bowed deeply, kneeling on the floor.

“We respectfully greet Her Highness, the Princess.”

Cayena pushed aside the thin curtains and asked, “Where is this?”

The maids were flustered. They never thought their master would bring the princess to his home without her permission.

One maid quickly bowed her head and said, “This is a guest room of the Kedrey villa.”

‘I thought it might be, but to think it actually is.’

Cayena felt a bit dumbfounded when she understood what had happened. She knew that she had not been very alert when she fell asleep in his carriage, but who knew that Raphael would bring her to his home?

‘Maybe it’s lucky that my reputation can’t get any worse.’

Even if she suddenly stayed at his house for a day, her honor wouldn’t be as damaged as that of other noble ladies. Rather, people would just say, “That’s what the princess is like.” Many of them might even feel relieved that she was acting like her usual self.

‘Even so, Raphael isn’t the kind of person who would do this. Something else must have happened.’

She trusted Raphael, if not anyone else, to not make trouble for her.

This conviction didn’t stem from some saccharine, lovey-dovey reason. It was because she knew that Raphael had a very prudent personality.

“We’ll help Your Highness get dressed.”

The maids were quite tense. They never expected to have to attend to the imperial princess. They didn’t know how true the rumors were, but the wicked princess was said to execute servants if they made a mistake.

Stiff apprehension circled the maids.

Surely the princess wouldn’t attack a servant of the Kedrey duchy? But the stories made them nervous.

“Go ahead.”

Cayena gently entrusted her grooming to them. She had to get ready quickly so that she could hear the whole story from Raphael.

‘I didn’t think I’d see his face again in the morning.’

Suddenly, she recalled the memory of them kissing the day before.

If Raphael had taken her back to the palace instead of his mansion, she could have avoided him and would have pretended not to know for a while.

‘It would have been nice if we pretended nothing had happened and just met at my coming-of-age celebration.’

Cayena involuntarily let out a weak sigh.

~~~