The Unlikely Imprint of the Villainess and the Male Lead - Chapter 36

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Chapter 36

Translator: Yonnee

—

He cursed under his breath, feeling disgusted with himself, but unfortunately, as Richt read the letter, all he could think about was Luciana.

When he reached the final sentence, his thoughts strayed to something absurd like, ‘The rounded, flowing handwriting… it reminds me of her.’

“……”

He no longer had the energy to react to his own pathetic behavior. Rather than wasting his strength on unnecessary thoughts, Richt decided to focus on writing a reply.

“At least I can see she’s not just all talk.”

Even with his limited knowledge of magic, he could tell that the detailed explanations in the letter were well thought-out and conveyed expertise.

“I’ll have Logan prepare the highest quality materials, and I’ll need to pass a separate message to Lik…”

Richt clicked his tongue lightly as he read the longer message at the bottom of the letter.

「 P.S.: I hope you don’t mind a small request. While I agree that security is important, I would appreciate it if you could ensure that the maid who runs errands isn’t frightened. She’s dear to me, and I find myself worrying about her. I would be grateful for your understanding. 」

“I certainly hope that guy didn’t wave a knife at her.”

Though he had taken precautions to prevent any unauthorized access and made sure the right person would receive the items, the fact that this direct request came in suggested that things may have gotten out of hand.

“Still, once I give him a warning, he’ll understand. He’s usually good at following orders.”

He decided it would be best to draft a reply and issue the necessary instructions.

Richt pulled out a clean sheet of paper that Logan had restocked earlier that morning.

「 I’ve instructed Logan to prepare the highest quality materials, so you don’t need to worry about the quality. I’ve also passed on the request to caution the knight, so rest assured. As for the previous incident, the blame lies partly with me for not supervising it properly, so I apologize. However, I must tell you one thing—some of the knights in my household seem to be suspicious about us. 」

As he recalled the incident in the training grounds, Richt frowned.

Luciana spending the night at the ducal residence was something a few of the staff knew about, but with the knights, it was a different matter.

“Why does it have to be those guys?”

The trio, who were frequently singled out for extra work, had loose tongues, carefree personalities, and, despite their burly appearances, were obsessed with anything involving love.

“I had instructed Godwin to escort her through the back entrance to avoid attention. How on earth did they spot her?”

They should have been focused on their training instead.

For now, the warning he issued had probably subdued their curiosity, but there was no telling what might happen in the future.

「 It seems they caught a glimpse of you leaving the estate. While it’s unrealistic to keep the entire incident secret, I’ll ensure that nothing about the imprint leaks out. I’ll continue keeping a close eye on the knights to make sure they stay quiet. 」

“Haah. It’ll be a hassle if they run into each other by accident.”

Richt set down his pen and rubbed his dry eyes. Based on what he’d heard, the knights had already begun suspecting Luciana because of her pink hair.

“If they ever do meet, things could get complicated.”

He made a mental note to avoid bringing those three along to any place where he might encounter Luciana in the future.

* * *

“Milady, are you going to bed late again today?”

While holding out a cup of warm water, Mary spoke with concern as she noticed Luciana heading to her lab instead of her bed.

“I’ll go to sleep soon, so don’t worry. People might think I stay up all night if you keep saying that.”

“How can I not worry when you look so exhausted…?”

“Does this look like a half-exhausted face to you? Now go get some rest, Mary. I’m going to head in.”

“Yes, Milady. Please don’t overwork yourself.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

With a gentle wave of her hand, Luciana dismissed Mary and opened the door to her lab.

The room reflected the chaos of her recent efforts, filled with remnants of materials, failed mixtures, and stacks of papers documenting various results.