The Villainess is a Marionette

In order to convince one’s opponent, one had to make a profitable offer, whether it was emotional or material.

Now, Cayena had to persuade Raphael by offering him an emotional benefit.

“You say that you need my trust. Is that because whatever happens next is something Your Highness needs?”

“As expected, you’re smart.”

He wasn’t as dumbfounded as last time because he had already received a ridiculous compliment.

“And these words too are, no doubt, a test of whether Your Majesty can trust me.”

“I assure that I will not harm you, Sir Kedrey. If you suffer any damage because of my request, I will compensate you for it.”

The word of a princess served as an excellent guarantee, but Raphael didn’t understand Cayena’s ultimate goal.

If it were to prevent Rezef from becoming emperor, her method made no sense. It was also inefficient. It was much better not to engage the Kedrey family, who had a poor relationship with the imperial family, but to enlist the help of other influential families.

But Cayena chose him.

So, was this possibly unrelated to the succession of the throne? Why was the princess going this far?

When Raphael looked at Cayena’s easy smile, it didn’t seem like she would tell him.

“Oh, but I really did mean it when I say that you would get along well with Olivia Grace.”

Another strange thing was that Cayena seemed to be encouraging him to associate with Olivia. She sounded pretty sincere, too.

“According to what you say, my marriage talks will be canceled soon. Doesn’t that mean I won’t have to meet anyone?”

What he said was right.

If Cayena didn’t know that he and Olivia were connected, she would have told him to do whatever he wanted.

“I don’t mean to impose on you. But should your mother try to coerce you, I recommend meeting Miss Olivia Grace.”

“I thought Your Highness hated Lady Olivia Grace,” Raphael said.

Cayena meekly admitted to it. It was because it was true.

“Well, it was like that. But I just felt that all of it was useless.”

She didn’t say it, but Raphael could guess that her words also referred to her old affection for Raphael.

‘Is she telling the truth?’

Was she saying she truly ended her long obsession with him and removed him from her heart?

Raphael found that hard to believe, as he had long and old memories of suffering because of her.

But she swore that she wouldn’t treat him like that in the future.

It was an oath sworn without a notary. Yet, it was the first time Raphael saw Cayena swearing to something.

“It would be better to go back at this point. It is not good to be together in a place like this for too long.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Cayena took a deep breath and turned around.

To be honest, it was burdensome to walk on an unpaved dirt path because of her shoes.

The road was not well looked after, and the route was more difficult to navigate due to the weeds. Cayena chose the trail on purpose because of those reasons, as that meant there would not be anyone using it.

However, high heels and cumbersome dresses weren’t suitable for this place at all.

“Ahh!”

When Cayena stumbled on a rock, Raphael supported her waist to help her. It just so happened that she ended up in his arms.

“Be careful, Your Highness.”

Cayena pulled away from him like she was burnt. Raphael’s eyebrow swung up at the overly sensitive attitude.

‘Darn.’

Cayena was trying to avoid contact as much as possible because she knew Raphael hated touching people.

‘Even if he didn’t, I just started recovering my image. I can’t make him look badly on him again.’

Cayena would need Raphael’s full help later to create a fake husband.

‘Because I plan to broker a marriage in the western duchy.’

Cayena was thinking of creating a fictional person there. He would be a rich, young, handsome man who would be her husband.

“The road is a bit rough. I apologize.”

Cayena said it like an excuse and looked at Raphael, but his expression was a little strange.

‘…Is he pleased to have helped me with that little thing?’

Actually, Raphael was contemplative for the opposite reason. He knew the ground was uneven and that Cayena was wearing heels.

‘But why doesn’t she accept my offer to escort her?’

Even now, she grabbed the hem of her own dress again and did not ask him to escort her.

Nobody knew that he hated contact with people. It was a condition that not even his mother, nor Jeremy, the one who watched him the most closely, knew. He knew well that in everyday life, he had to suppress his displeasure. That was his normal. He could be patient, even though he felt disgusted and trapped when he escorted others for just a moment.

Raphael readily reached out his hand.

“I will escort you, Your Highness.”

This was common sense and common behavior. That was what he thought. But a part of his mind had this thought:

‘Am I really doing this just because I am expected to?’

He didn’t have to force himself to escort Cayena earlier. However, Cayena had no intention of offending him more, so she refused.

“There is no need.”

Raphael was convinced by her action. The princess was felt disgusted by him.

‘Didn’t she like me?’

It wasn’t just in his imagination.

It would be hard to find someone in Eldaim who didn’t know that Cayena was fond of Raphael.

How can such a mind change in an instant?

Thinking about it, it was strange. It felt like Cayena, who he had met after a long time in front of the emperor’s bedroom, was only the same on the outside.

‘Had she been acting all along?’

If that was the case, it was scary. Comparing her past and present self, they were not the same person. Her way of speaking and acting was meaningful, like a seasoned politician. It was like a person who has lived several times.

‘…That’s preposterous.’

Raphael thought he was making an excessive assumption.

Cayena stepped forward again, not seeing the subtle change in Raphael’s expression.

‘I have to tell them to get rid of my high heels and change them to low-heeled shoes.’

She frowned at her uncomfortable shoes.

In her original life, she didn’t feel discomfort in her high heels because she only took walks in beautiful, landscaped gardens. So, all of Cayena’s shoes had high heels.

Raphael found Cayena looking down at the ground, brow slightly furrowed. Instead of escorting her, he walked slowly to match her stride. As they were focused only on walking without conversation, it was only an instant to reach the entrance.

Cayena’s ladies-in-waiting and Raphael’s attendant walked quickly toward the two. As they saw their masters, they exchanged bewildered looks. It was because the atmosphere somehow felt strange.

‘Why did the two of them come back out so awkwardly?’

Surely, wasn’t the princess being escorted when they entered the path?

But now, the two were at a distance from each other.

‘Are the rumors true?’

Cayena’s refusal of Raphael’s request to see him five times has been secretly rumored not only in the imperial palace, but also in the social world.

They also cited it as one piece of evidence that Cayena no longer cared for Raphael.

Even though the two spent time today, it will be rumored that Cayena walked far apart from him.

They walked toward the castle, still with a medium distance between them.

Suddenly, Cayena said, “I’d like to offer you a cup of tea since we’ve finished walking, but I’ll have to let you go as you must be busy, Sir Kedrey.”

Originally, this kind of meeting required the serving of tea and refreshments, and even dinner together. Especially since Cayena had received tea leaves as a gift, telling her guest to return without trying them together was an action that could be interpreted negatively.

But Cayena said that he should go because she was thinking of Raphael.

This was because she knew that Raphael was not a person who liked to spend time like this, as he did not in the past when he was uncomfortable with her.

‘I don’t know if she’s being considerate or awkward.’

Raphael had only planned to meet Cayena today, so there was nothing in his schedule afterward. When he thought of the usual Cayena, he thought that she would hold him for dinner as well as afternoon tea time. But suddenly, after a short walk, she told him to go.

“…I’m fine, Your Highness.”

Even if he had to go because he was truly busy, he had to answer yes to the kindness offered by the princess.

But, did she say it out of courtesy or did she really think it was fine?

~~~