The Unlikely Imprint of the Villainess and the Male Lead - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Translator: Yonnee
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“Go ahead, you first.”
“Very well.”
Luciana chose to yield. And without hesitation, Richt pulled something out from his coat and handed it to her.
“What… is this?”
“Think of it as a kind of contract to prevent the family’s secrets from leaking.”
“……”
A contract…
From the way the magic emanated from the paper as she touched it, it was clear that the document’s effects were strengthened by a spell.
Luciana silently read through the clauses.
The contents were simple. If she disclosed the secrets of the ducal family, she would face appropriate punishment.
‘Of course, thorough as always.’
It made sense. It would be foolish not to have this level of precaution when dealing with such important secrets.
‘There’s no reason to take a risk that would cost my life.’
Not that Luciana had any intention of revealing the family’s secrets in the first place, but she quietly complied, understanding the necessity from his perspective.
“So, what was it that you wanted to say?”
After confirming that the magic in the contract had activated properly, Richt asked her.
“Is there any way to break the imprint?”
“That’s what you wanted to ask?”
Ah, as expected, there isn’t one.
Luciana briefly felt disappointed, but as she resigned herself to that reality and prepared to present her alternative suggestion, Richt’s unexpected reply startled her.
“Well, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“R-Really?!”
What? Then why didn’t you mention that this morning?
Luciana shot him a sharp, questioning look, to which Richt replied in his usual calm tone.
“Death.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you don’t want to be affected by the imprint, you can end your own life.”
What?
Death. It was such an absurd solution that it completely deflated her hopes. But at the same time, she understood the logic.
When life ends and the soul leaves the body, everything achieved in this world returns to nothingness.
‘Even so, no matter how terrible the situation is, throwing away my only life is…’
That’s why he hadn’t mentioned it earlier. It was as good as having no solution at all.
‘In that case, this is my only option.’
Luciana was about to bring up the potion, but before she could speak, Richt, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly interrupted.
“In the records of my family, there are traces of research attempts related to the imprint.”
“……!”
“And among them, there were discussions on how to nullify the imprint, just like you mentioned.”
This was completely unexpected news.
Luciana’s face lit up with hope, but almost immediately, Richt’s grim tone dashed it, extinguishing the hope that had sprung up in the barren wasteland of her mind.
“But they all failed. The conclusion was that it’s impossible to remove the imprint. All attempts at research had long been abandoned, and there are no current efforts being made in that direction.”
“W-What? How can they just give up…?”
It seemed too important an issue to give up on so easily.
Seeing Luciana’s visible distress, Richt spoke with a bitter tone.
“Do you know why?”
“Well, you just said it’s because there’s no possibility…”
As Luciana spoke uncertainly, Richt’s gaze shifted toward her wrist, where the mark was engraved.
“Several of my ancestors experienced situations similar to mine.”
“……!”
What? You mean there were others besides the male lead who found themselves in this ridiculous situation?
Luciana stared at Richt, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
“That’s where the research into breaking the imprint started.”
Richt continued, deliberately avoiding Luciana’s gaze.
“But all the family heads who ordered the research eventually canceled the experiments.”
“Ah…!”
Luciana’s lips parted in realization.
No matter how much they initially resented the imprint, they all ended up falling in love with their mates in the end.
That was the ‘fate’ of the members of House Cassio, who inherited the blood of wolves.
‘Or perhaps… a curse.’
Richt, despite being in just as dreadful a situation as Luciana, looked completely indifferent, as if this were someone else’s story.
He seemed like a man who had already given up, his resignation so apparent that it made Luciana’s already heavy heart feel even more burdened.
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