The Villainess is a Marionette

Jeremy was burning with motivation for the first time in a while.

‘How many years has it been since Master was this curious about something?’

Jeremy always stuck to Raphael’s side like a shadow. It was safe to assume that almost their entire schedules overlapped.

However, Jeremy did not accompany him for today’s agenda. Instead, he was excited about investigating Henverton Gillian.

He was ecstatic that Raphael had actually shown interest in something.

‘Thinking about it, it seems like he has changed a lot recently.’

Raphael was not a particularly motivated person and seemingly had no desires. He was never curious about anything and lived life in a boring way. He acted as if he was living only because he was already alive.

To Jeremy, it looked infinitely tragic.

Even though there was a large age gap between the two, Jeremy had seen how Raphael grew up neglected.

The duchess had raised Raphael as the perfect successor and worked him harshly. At some point, his father, Duke Leo, became depressed and guzzled down alcohol. Duke Leo was a violent drunk, and he was particularly rough with Raphael.

Jeremy’s memories of a ten-year-old Raphael were still vivid in his mind.

“That damn black hair! Those red eyes! Get out of my sight!”

The sight of Raphael’s empty eyes, holding his father’s birthday present tightly in his thin hands, still appeared in Jeremy’s dreams. He was Raphael’s aide and escort knight at the time, so he saw the duke’s viciousness firsthand.

Those eyes that looked at Raphael like he was a curse, that mouth spitting out cruel words, those hands that threw objects at his young son. Nothing about that was normal.

The duke treated Raphael like he wasn’t his son, no, like an enemy.

Anger rose up like a raging flame.

How could he do that to his son, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, who had prepared a gift with his own money for his father’s birthday!

Feeling sorry for Raphael, Jeremy wanted to step up and say something. He wasn’t afraid of punishment.

But Raphael blocked Jeremy and spoke calmly.

“I’m sorry, Father.”

Raphael was not sad. His expression seemed to say that he had expected this. There wasn’t resignation in his countenance, but rather confirmation.

He threw the bright blue topaz button he had prepared as the gift onto the flowerbed.

That button had been chosen because it resembled the color of his father’s eyes.

“Are you all right?”

When Jeremy asked the question, Raphael replied in a dry voice that didn’t sound like it belonged to a child.

“My father seems to hate the Kedreys terribly.”

After that, Raphael stopped going out of his way to see his father.

Jeremy didn’t know why it was so heartbreaking. His only thought was that he wanted to somehow comfort the young heir. He grabbed Raphael’s hand tightly, rambling about how eating something delicious should cheer him up.

However, Raphael’s complexion quickly turned white, and his insides seemed to twitch.

That was the beginning.

From that day on, Raphael often felt ill and upset for unknown reasons.

All the doctors said that Raphael was fine.

“He’s healthy.”

“It looks like he needs a little more sleep…”

They panicked as they struggled to find what was causing the young master’s problems. The Duchess didn’t just let things pass. As more abnormal symptoms continued to arise, the doctors and personnel continued to be fired and hired. Raphael became less and less talkative.

One day, when the atmosphere of the duchy had become uncontrollably grave, Raphael, with a normal complexion, said:

“I’m fine now. I guess I just suddenly became a little sensitive.”

After that, Raphael no longer vomited and seemed all right. Everyone, tired of being on thin ice, quickly believed his words. But Jeremy often saw Raphael’s face turn pale.

‘Maybe Master is…’

“Aide Jeremy.”

Jeremy, who had been immersed in old memories for a moment, raised his head.

“…Ah. How did the investigation turn out?”

“This is the result of the investigation on Henverton Gillian’s recent activities and those of his acquaintances.”

With a serious face, a servant passed over the papers to Jeremy.

When Jeremy first heard of Henverton Gillian, he didn’t think much of him. The Gillians were a wealthy family, so he just expected to find a little dirt in his past. He didn’t anticipate much more.

Jeremy’s face became cold after checking the papers.

“Gather the reports from the other investigators and prepare the documents right away. We must report to the young master.”

Jeremy headed for Raphael’s room as soon as he arrived in the villa.

“Here is the initial report of what you requested.”

Raphael put his usual ruby cufflinks on his shirt and accepted the document.

“Everyone, leave the room.”

Raphael glanced through the report.

Henverton Gillian had been in the capital for about five years. He had been active in the social world and broke up his engagement some time ago—nothing particularly special. He hung out with nobles and bourgeoisie of poor quality, and they created a secret gentleman’s club together.

But the gentleman’s club was the problem.

“It’s the most active venue for the drug trade in the capital…”

In the empire, the distribution of drugs was prohibited by law. The punishment for violating the law was considerably high.

Jeremy nodded.

“We looked at the foreign channels where great amounts of drugs may be smuggled in, but none had to do with the gentleman’s club.”

And if it didn’t come from outside, it was obvious what was happening.

“If so, it means that they’re producing drugs somewhere in the empire.”

“I’ve already instructed others to trace their source.”

The problem didn’t end with just drugs. Human trafficking, illegal gambling, and an underground arena were all linked to the club. Even murders seemed to be frequent.

Though the Kedrey dukedom’s investigation was outstanding, it didn’t make sense for them to find so much dirt in this short time. This meant their deeds were so numerous that they couldn’t be hidden.

The empire wasn’t particular about cracking down on these kinds of incidents. In practice, it was difficult to touch a gentleman’s club that was created by a nobleman.

Cayena’s reaction worried Raphael. And looking things up uncovered all sorts of skeletons tangled together.

Raphael put the report down on the table. Jeremy’s expression also didn’t look very good.

Nonetheless, the Gillian viscounty was a vassal to the Kedreys, and the wealth accumulated through their warhorse business was significant. The nature of that business made it difficult to act rashly, since one of the core factors of the duchy’s military strength was their mounted soldiers.

Jeremy pointed out another peculiarity.

“Recently, he’s shown a strong obsession with Her Highness.”

At those words, Raphael tilted his head. His frigid eyes turned bleaker than usual.

Jeremy continued, “We also gained evidence that he is in contact with the two candidates for the throne, since he is trying to marry into the imperial family.”

Rezef and Heinrich were undoubtedly both interested in Gillian’s warhorse business. The business was like a very appetizing pie.

“What would you like to do?”

That day at the imperial library, Raphael noticed the insidious desire in Henverton’s eyes. It was a clammy and filthy obsession toward the princess.

Raphael had sickened and felt revulsion. Back then, he thought that he wanted to get rid of him right on the spot. It may have been the first time he had ever felt such an impulse.

Raphael came up with the fastest and most effective way to resolve the situation.

“Wouldn’t it be better to remove the trash early on?”

If it’s a human that cannot be redeemed, it would be better to throw them out quickly. That way, they won’t cause future troubles.

Jeremy paused at the word ‘remove,’ then, with an uneasy feeling, asked, “Excuse me? What should we remove?”

“Henverton Gillian.” Raphael spoke calmly, as if he was asking if there was more than one trash to be taken care of. His nonchalant eyes turned to Jeremy. “Get rid of him.”

“Master.”

Jeremy’s head throbbed a bit.

“Of course the man is atrocious, but we can’t dispose of a nobleman of this level.”

Raphael frowned slightly at Jeremy’s earnest dissuasion.

“…We can just kill him secretly.”

“If the heir of Viscount Gillian suddenly dies, everyone will be suspicious. Besides, the family is the Kedrey’s…”

Raphael waved his hand.

“I was just saying it.”

‘That’s a lie.’

Anyone could see that those words weren’t just said randomly. However, Jeremy’s master quickly pretended not to know and looked blank.

It was strangely hateful. Jeremy felt like he had lost some years of his life in this short period. Still, he was relieved that he would not have to carry out that command.

‘He’s always a little cold-hearted, but this feels somewhat different from usual…’

Was it because the issue was linked with the princess?

He looked at Raphael with a peculiar expression.

“Continue observing Henverton.”

“Yes, Master.”

~~~