The Unlikely Imprint of the Villainess and the Male Lead - Chapter 33

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Chapter 33

Translator: Yonnee

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“Huk! C-Commander?!”

Just as the commotion was about to settle, the atmosphere froze when Richt appeared without a sound.

“‘Madam’? What nonsense are you all talking about?”

Even in the dead of winter, he had come out wearing only a shirt, his expression as cold as the weather.

“It seems I’ve been too lenient with you all lately. You’ve clearly lost your focus if you have time to gossip about such ridiculous things.”

“A-Apologies, sir!”

Why? As soon as he heard the word ‘madam’ on his way to the training grounds, an uncomfortable image flashed in his mind.

Those sparkling eyes, as sweet as syrup.

Thump.

The moment he recognized those round eyes, his heart raced again.

‘…I had just calmed myself down.’

Richt felt his body stir once more at the thought of Luciana and exhaled sharply.

His mood was far from good, torn between the fear of almost having his secret from that day exposed and his inability to control himself.

“You’ll have to pay for running your mouths carelessly.”

“W-Whatever the punishment, we’ll accept it!”

Without a word, Richt motioned with his chin, and the knights, understanding immediately, stripped off their shirts and began running around the training grounds with all their might.

As the impromptu hellish training was underway, another voice called out.

“C-Commander? What’s happening all of a sudden?”

The source of the disturbance was quickly noticed by a short-haired woman with silver hair who rushed over, panting.

“Where were you? Without you here, they’re acting like a bunch of fools.”

“…My apologies.”

Though Yvonne had been overseeing a sparring session with the new recruits as vice commander, she couldn’t deny that she had failed to keep the knights under control. Lowering her head, she accepted the blame.

Yvonne shot a glance at the knights sneaking peeks from a distance and waited for Richt’s orders.

“I need someone to head out on a discreet investigation. About three people should suffice. They need to move quietly.”

“In that case…”

Now back to business, Richt sought Yvonne’s opinion on potential candidates for the mission. Though he held the title of commander, Yvonne managed many of the knights’ day-to-day affairs, as Richt was often preoccupied with external matters.

“Pon comes to mind. He’s meticulous and would be well-suited for such a task.”

“Not bad.”

“I’ll select the remaining personnel carefully and report back to you.”

“As quickly as possible. Oh, and starting tomorrow, have all the knights begin dawn training. Seeing how they’re wasting time gossiping instead of practicing their swordsmanship, they must have energy to burn.”

“Yes, Commander. Leave it to me. I’ll also make sure they’re properly disciplined.”

What did these fools do to upset His Grace this time?

Yvonne sighed inwardly at the troublesome subordinates as she watched Richt walk away.

* * *

“Hmm…”

It had already been a week since Luciana received the research journal from Richt.

Just like the past seven days, Luciana was once again sitting at her desk today.

However, this time, she wasn’t fully absorbed in analyzing the research records.

Luciana had already finished reviewing the historical research conducted by members of the Cassio Duchy. The reason she was taking extra time today was to draft a reply to Richt before beginning the actual experiments.

“Since it’s old research, most of the materials used aren’t commonly available anymore. The combinations are lacking too.”

For instance, in nearly every experiment, the vinerota stem had been used in powdered form, but Luciana knew that extracting its juice would yield far better results.

“With this combination, it might be better to use the petals rather than the stem.”

Tapping her pen against her lips, Luciana organized her thoughts.

“Since the goal is to break the imprint, it seems they approached it from a mental angle… I should ask him to procure materials that are more effective than the ones used here, as this is just the beginning stage.”

Looking over the materials list she had painstakingly compiled late into the previous night, Luciana began drafting her letter to Richt.