The Villainess is a Marionette

Zenon had stopped spending as much time at the imperial palace. He was anxiously killing time at his own residence.

“Did you find the information?”

“Yes. This place has no relation to Count Zodiac.”

Count Zodiac was one of Yester Heinrich’s alter egos. He had named himself that in the criminal underworld.

Zenon was busily trying to find contractors that Yester had not interacted with.

‘I should just get rid of the princess and kill the emperor while the army’s leadership is in flux.’

Knock, knock.

“What?”

Zenon irritably asked the servant who entered.

“Lady Julia has come.”

Zenon’s face contorted.

“What would you like to do?” the servant asked.

Zenon couldn’t throw out his sister from here. He sighed in annoyance and headed to the parlor.

Julia stood up as soon as she saw him.

“Brother! What do we do now? Just what in the world has happened?!”

Zenon stared at Julia with cold, sharp eyes.

Things were already chaotic because the drug farm’s location had been revealed. In the midst of all this, Julia had come to nag at him despite her being unable to help.

Julia did not seem to notice his expression and continued to cry.

“Drugs are against the law! Why were you using our family resources to cultivate them?”

The glances of the imperial courtiers stung Julia. She had never felt so ashamed.

For her, the Evans name had always been a feature of pride and strength. They were one of the most powerful families in the empire.

But the involvement with drugs?

“At this rate, he might become disappointed in me!”

Julia was afraid.

She was looking forward to creating some sort of relationship with Rezef, but something completely absurd had grabbed her by the ankles. A noble family was running a cannabis farm. This could never have happened without her brothers’ permission.

For Julia, that was the most unbelievable part.

“You idiot!” Zenon roared.

Julia trembled, shocked by his yelling.

“What do you think pays for what you wear, eat, and play with? Do you think money pops up out of nowhere?!”

The only thing Julia could do for her family was to grow up beautiful and lovely to marry well.

The sole purpose of her existence was to be a doll for the family. Zenon’s insides boiled.

Julia muttered with shell-shocked eyes, “But that doesn’t mean that what you did was good…”

“What?”

“Even if I did spend a lot of money on nice clothes and food, it doesn’t excuse you for growing cannabis.”

“An excuse!”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

She dared talk about his justification?

“Why are you blaming me? Brother, you’re the one who did wrong. Also, Brother is Prince Rezef’s aide, and the one who needs to take responsibility has—!”

Zenon’s eyes blazed.

Slap—!

He slapped his younger sister on the cheek.

“Kyaa!”

Julia fell to the floor. What was happening now?

She covered her stinging cheek with her hand and looked up at Zenon. His twisted expression was terrible, like an evil spirit.

“I did wrong? You dare talk to me like that?!”

“B-Brother?”

It was the first time Julia had ever been slapped, and the perpetrator was her brother.

She was terrified. Her whole body quivered; her body was stuck to the floor, and her face tingled with pain.

“You’ve enjoyed a lot of luxuries until now. You should be grateful.”

When Julia looked in Zenon’s eyes, she didn’t feel that he was seeing her as a fellow human.

He looked at her like she was pathetic.

Zenon clicked his tongue and abandoned the room. A maid, who had been watching nearby, tried to raise Julia up, not knowing what else to do.

With her support, Julia stood. Then, her legs became weak.

Thud!

Julia, back on the ground, cried without end. She couldn’t understand what the problem was.

“Did I mess up?” she asked the maid.

The maid carefully replied, “Milady… Master was just a little angry because this is a very sensitive matter.”

The maid spoke equivocally, but she hadn’t taken Julia’s side.

“I was told that I only needed to marry well.”

That was why she always tried to look beautiful. For the sake of her family.

She thought that if she became the crown princess, her family would be pleased. Contrary to her expectations, she was being scorned.

‘What’s the difference between what I do and what my brother does?‘

“Are you saying that I’m not worrying for my family?”

“No, milady. Never like that.”

Her outstanding beauty was her greatest trait. She thought that it gave her a power that could never be broken. However, that hadn’t been the case.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside. The maid peeked outside the door to check. She startled, hurriedly opened the door, and bowed.

“Greetings, Marquis Evans!”

Julia couldn’t stop crying as she turned her head toward him.

“Julia?”

The loser of the east, Marquis Roderick Evans, entered the room.

Marquis Roderick was surprised to see his youngest sibling on the ground, in tears with a burst lip and a swollen cheek.

“What’s this about now?”

The maid gingerly responded,

“Actually, Sir Zenon hit the lady a short while ago...”

Marquis Roderick furrowed his brows.

“He hit Julia?”

Marquis Roderick examined Julia’s face. The wound on her beautiful face was clear for all to see.

“The princess’s coming-of-age celebration is coming up, and this child is Her Highness’s lady-in-waiting…”

He sighed and brought up his hand to his aching forehead.

“Brother…”

Julia called Marquis Roderick with a melancholy voice.

“Yes, Julia? Are you all right?”

“The cannabis farm. Is it real?”

Roderick paused for a moment. Then, he put on a mournful expression.

“It’s true, and there’s more.”

Julia had dropped her gaze to the ground, but she raised her head again to meet her eldest brother’s eyes.

“I didn’t know that the farmland for Zenon would be used for that purpose.”

“……”

Julia could see it in his eyes and manner that it was a lie. Roderick had done it with Zenon, but was trying to cut his losses.

‘All of us are mere tools.’

Herself, her brothers—everyone. They were tools for those who sat at the top. This was the natural and normal state of things.

Julia realized that she had been an idiot, just as Zenon said.

And now, she felt like she could start to see what behavior would not be foolish.

She opened her mouth.

“…It’s a shame that Brother Zenon had done something like that.”

Zenon was walking in the slums, face covered by the hood of his robe.

The day had already turned dark and made it difficult to discern his surroundings. Perhaps that was why the ambience was so bleak.

Over here was where the contractor unaffiliated with Yester was said to be.

‘I should have arrived earlier. There’s no light in these slums.‘

It was dangerous to wander around in an unsafe neighborhood this late. His attendant carried a gun, but there was no telling what could happen.

He had been delayed because of Julia’s unexpected visit. When he remembered what happened earlier, he felt annoyed again.

“You’re just a doll, too…”

She was a tool, not a person. Zenon couldn’t stand those who continued to pester him.

Everything had been getting twisted at some point.

Yes, at the point when Cayena suddenly changed.

‘As I thought, disposing of her is the right move. The princess can no longer be controlled.‘

The attendant pointed down a dirty alley.

“That’s the place.”

Zenon walked in with the attendant. As they entered the alley that showed no signs of humans, a voice called them from behind.

“Oi.”

“…….?”

He turned around with an uneasy heart.

Whack!

An eerie, dull noise came from right beside Zenon. A lamp fell to the ground and caught on fire.

That light revealed the form of the collapsed attendant and the mysterious attacker. The opponent was wearing a dark robe, like Zenon himself.

He was taller and bigger than Zenon. His body seemed to have been trained.

‘The attendant had the gun…’

The attacker was holding some sort of blunt weapon.

“Who are you?!”

The attacker did not respond. He only swung the weapon in his hand.

Whoosh—!

Zenon threw himself to the ground to avoid the blow. Then, he jumped up from the grimy ground and yelled with a pale face,

“Cease! Do you know who I am?”

“You talk too much.”

The attacker grabbed Zenon by the collar and pushed him against the wall of a shabby wooden hut.

“Eck—!”

It was a terrifying, superhuman strength.

‘Is it one of Heinrich’s men? Who is this?’

Zenon thought that his opponent was an assassin or a gangster for hire.

“I am the second son of the Evans family! Whatever they paid you, I’ll pay ten times as much. So stop!”

Laughter spilled out from the hooded man.

“Why should I?”

It was a low and cold voice.

‘This voice…’

The voice sounded familiar.

The attacker swung his weapon without giving Zenon another moment to think.

Zenon realized he was dealing with a madman. He began to run toward the carriage when he was hit in the back.

“Cough!”

Zenon fell over, and the attacker stepped on his head.

Zenon was not a weak person. He had trained his body diligently. Yet, the speed and strength of the attacker had overwhelmed him.

The attacker said,

“I’ve been waiting for you. Why were you so late? It’s annoying.”

“…?”

Zenon, who had been trying to think of a way to survive while collapsed on the ground, widened his eyes. He realized to whom the voice belonged.

“Your Highness…?”

The identity of his attacker was Rezef.

~~~