The Unlikely Imprint of the Villainess and the Male Lead - Chapter 24

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Chapter 24

Translator: Yonnee

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“Your Grace, you’ve returned.”

Godwin led Richt to his bedroom after he returned from the imperial palace. It seemed things hadn’t gone well with Lady Leslie, as his master’s expression remained dark.

“I’ve attended to you, so I’ll take my leave now.”

“Yes. Rest well.”

Once alone in his bedroom, Richt loosened his cravat and pulled out the badge he had tucked away in his inner pocket.

Even now, the strange design on it didn’t seem like something that would be a lady’s accessory, but Richt still intended to return it to Luciana, thinking it belonged to her.

‘She clearly said it wasn’t hers.’

Just before leaving the balcony, he had shown it to her, but her response had been different than expected.

“This… I’ve never seen it before.”

“Are you sure? I found it near the bedside.”

“Well, I hate snakes, so… Maybe I just picked it up at the palace? I was so drunk throughout the ball that I don’t really remember…”

Listening to Luciana’s uncertain recollection of that day, Richt caught a scent of the clue he had been searching for.

‘It’s not hers, and she picked it up at the palace? The origin is unclear, but perhaps this is the lead I’ve been looking for.’

Since the incident first occurred, Richt had suspected that someone was targeting him and orchestrating some sort of scheme.

Furthermore, Luciana had been unlucky enough to be caught up in the situation as well, making it possible that she had unknowingly picked up a clue left behind by the perpetrator.

Though there was no concrete evidence yet and the theory remained unconfirmed, Richt’s sharpened instincts, honed by years of rule, warned him not to ignore this.

‘It doesn’t seem to belong to any noble house.’

In his memory, no noble family used the sinister image of a snake as their symbol.

‘Then it must belong to some malicious group.’

As Richt continued to tighten his net around the situation, a cold smile crept onto his face.

Whoever dared to target him wouldn’t get away with it now that they had drawn first blood.

‘I’ll have Logan investigate this first thing in the morning.’

Richt’s eyes gleamed like those of a predator on the hunt as he stared at the intertwined white snake.

* * *

“Lorrain, when are you leaving for the estate?”

“As early as this week, but definitely by next week.”

Breakfast with the whole family gathered was as peaceful as usual.

“Good. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check on the estate yourself. I’ll send word to the butler in advance.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Lorrain was currently learning various administrative skills in preparation for leading the family in the future. On Crevian’s suggestion, he planned to travel south for an extended period to assess the local situation and check on the estate’s residents.

“You’ll do well.”

Crevian encouraged the mature Lorrain, then turned her gaze to Luciana, who was sitting on the opposite side.

“Luciana, it’s already been two months since you graduated, hasn’t it? Do you have any specific plans for the future?”

“Ah… well…”

Had that much time passed already?

Luciana stopped picking peas out of her plate and awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“I was originally thinking about opening an apothecary…”

“A business, huh? Not a bad idea.”

One of the requirements for graduating from the academy was passing the manufacturer’s qualification exam, so Luciana was fully capable of starting her own shop whenever she wanted.

‘Now’s my chance.’

Sensing the opportunity, Luciana began to tell the story she had practiced the night before.

“But I feel like I’m still lacking in skill… so I want to focus on personal research and study a bit more for now.”

“Tell me more.”

“If I want to succeed in business, I need to be competitive, right? So I’m thinking of developing new products…”

“Hmm.”

Though her explanation sounded plausible, the real reason for delaying her business plans was because of the imprint.

To fully dedicate herself to research, she needed the right environment.