The Villainess is a Marionette

It was probably because she didn’t give up her authority over the internal affairs, secured the independence of the princess’s palace, and also met with Raphael Kedrey today.

“Sit down,” Cayena said, and she headed over to the censer.

When she opened the censer lid and moved it around a little, a subtle scent bloomed from the burnt embers.

Originally, Cayena liked to use a scent that had a clear and brilliant presence.

If she put on a special fragrance, it seemed as if she had become a living flower. But that was all in the past.

The scent she changed to right now was a formula to calm one’s nerves. The calm and subtle fragrance went well with the current Cayena.

It was also a combination she chose because of Rezef.

She took out a new towel to use instead of the one that had fallen on the floor.

Then, she sat Rezef, who had been standing absentmindedly, down on the chair. She covered his wet hair with a towel and began to dry it gently.

It was like she was telling him to stay calm.

Now, it seemed that the atmosphere was more open for dialogue. Without stopping her hands, she started to talk.

“I don’t know why exactly you feel betrayed by me.”

Rezef flinched as Cayena mentioned betrayal with her own lips.

She had already predicted that this incident would upset Rezef. She also thought a long time ago about how to deal with the uproar.

“To be honest, the authority over internal affairs isn’t the sort of authority that belongs to a prince.”

Emperor Esteban gave him that authority instead of true power.

It was partly because Cayena didn’t do her part properly as the princess, but there was also a bigger reason.

“Don’t you know that the authority is just a trick?”

The emperor deliberately entrusted the authority to Rezef so that he did not have to give him much real power. It was to trick one’s eyes, as Cayena said.

“Since you lost the authority over internal affairs, that gap will have to be filled with something new.”

Cayena pointed out that he couldn’t have held the authority for internal affairs forever, anyway. It was a legitimate argument.

“So you’re saying that this is an opportunity for me that I have to take advantage of myself?”

“It’s the perfect opportunity, Rezef.”

Cayena responded to his sarcasm positively.

“I told you. I intend to make you the emperor.”

Cayena turned the towel over and wiped his hair again.

“You’ve the opportunity to show Father that you’ve changed.”

Rezef grabbed her wrist, stopping her from drying his hair. It was a careful hand, unlike his rough handling of her before.

“What do you mean?”

“Once your probation is over, go to Father and ask for forgiveness. Then, tell him that it would be good to put Lady Catherine Lindbergh into Count Hamel’s family registry.”

Cayena mentioned the emperor’s lover, who had never been able to cross the threshold of the imperial palace.

As soon as he heard her name, Rezef furrowed his forehead. He knew much about the emperor’s lover.

A while before the emperor retired to his sickbed, he met Catherine Lindbergh at a hunt. Catherine Lindbergh was beautiful enough to catch the emperor’s attention with just one glance.

“Do you mean I should increase the number of competitors to the throne with my own hands?”

That woman had a thirteen-year-old son with Emperor Esteban.

Thanks to this, she had all sorts of attention on her.

“I agree, it’ll be difficult if Catherine Lindbergh was the empress. But that won’t happen.”

Archduke Heinrich swallowed the Lindbergh family, like he had brought down and subjugated the Avon family through debts.

Catherine’s father was killed under the guise of an accident, and he had placed his own man as the head of the household.

Cayena was convinced that the former Lindbergh patriarch didn’t die in an accident because she saw how secretively it was treated in the novel.

Archduke Heinrich could have turned Catherine Lindbergh into a commoner.

The Emperor prevented this by recognizing the mother of Archduke Heinrich as a member of the imperial family and accepted Archduke Heinrich’s adoptive son as a potential successor to the throne.

Rezef asked back, puzzled,

“How are you so certain?”

“Do you really think Archduke Heinrich would allow Catherine Lindbergh to do anything?”

Rather, the addition of another legitimate successor was something Heinrich was more reluctant about than Rezef.

“Do you think the Hamels, the late empress’s birth family, would accept it?”

It was obvious that Count Hamel would not want Cayena’s influence as the sole lady of the imperial family to diminish.

“But of course, it would be much better for them to accept the Emperor’s lover as a daughter than to lose their control over the black market.”

Cayena reminded Rezef of the black market’s existence again.

“…My supporters will not stand still.”

“That’s no reason to worry. Look at how the emperor is taking steps to remove your power. Naturally, the nobles who support you will feel just as threatened as you do.”

Moreover, Susan Lepore, whom Cayena had chosen as a court lady this time, will be very meaningful to them.

“And if Lady Catherine is adopted by Count Hamel, what could her son possibly do? People have already declared their sides in the battle for the throne.”

“……”

Everything she said was correct.

Rezef suppressed his initial repulsion and considered her words seriously.

The emperor’s most beloved child was neither Cayena nor Rezef.

It was Lindbergh’s son. That was why he even recognized the Heinrichs’ claim to the throne—so that the Lindbergh family would not be disturbed.

However, even with such measures, his lover was not able to come into the imperial palace.

It was because there were too many people keeping her in check, and Catherine had to hide in her mansion in order to save herself.

‘Her son must now be a student at the Imperial Academy.’

“You’ll be both acknowledged and gain a great hostage at the same time.”

“Although it may be possible to threaten Count Hamel with the black market to make him adopt the Lindberghs, her becoming my hostage is another matter.”

Count Hamel would undoubtedly take advantage of Catherine if she came into his hands.

Cayena sneered.

“Count Hamel is my maternal family. What could be the problem with that?”

Cayena was strongly influenced by the life she had lived just before. In her second life, she was composed, but there was also a dark and meticulous side to her.

That didn’t mean that the nasty, villainess-like temperament inside her had disappeared.

She was certainly bad-tempered. She was just better at hiding it than Rezef, who didn’t hesitate to show off and abuse his power. She could easily manipulate someone like Count Hamel.

‘Was this really not pre-calculated? Could she have planned all this just now?’

Rezef was confused.

Did this truly come from Cayena’s head?

‘How is this possible? She shouldn’t have access to much news.’

He had completely awoken to the realization that Cayena was much more useful than he had thought.

Cayena removed the towel from his head and stooped low to tidy up his hair.

“Are we done fighting now?”

“…Ha.”

Rezef didn’t want to respond, but without thinking, he laughed. Cayena saw him smile and matched it with her own.

“…Your hands are cold.”

He suddenly remembered that his sister’s hands were as cold as ice, and held them in his. Her hands were still cold.

“It’s good to be young, huh. Even after being in the rain, you have so much body heat.”

“We’re only one year apart. And you also have to exercise.”

How was it that his insane anger, which made him want to kill everyone, disappeared in an instant?

Now, he felt so calm that his previous anger seemed colorless.

Cayena was still his caring sister. His peace did not disappear.

‘But this cleverness might be a little dangerous.’

Rezef decided that it would be necessary to have tighter control over his sister.

***

After a while, Vera came into the bedroom.

“The bath is still warm. Your Highness.”

“Thank you.”

Cayena was completely exhausted. She went to the bathroom, soaked in a marble bathtub, and received an oil massage.

Cayena, who continued to be served silently, put on a gown at the end, allowed the maids to leave.

Then, she told Vera, “Please acquire a silver spoon of the finest quality for His Majesty the Emperor. The more ornamented it is, the better.”

The emperor took medicine every day.

Then, after taking the medicine, he sipped a few sips of sweet tea with a silver spoon.

She was thinking of preparing him a silver spoon herself for that purpose.

‘I need to prepare before Rezef poisons the emperor.’

If the shape was more flamboyant and glamorous, it could not be replaced with another spoon as it would be noticed at a glance.

The silver spoon currently used by the emperor was not real silver. Rezef had put a trick spoon in its place so that he could poison the Emperor whenever he wanted. She could never allow the emperor to die according to Rezef’s will.

“I will prepare it as soon as possible.”

Cayena nodded.

~~~