The Unlikely Imprint of the Villainess and the Male Lead - Chapter 60

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Chapter 60

Translator: Yonnee

—

‘She’s such a bothersome woman until the very end. Well, I suppose I’ll never see her again anyway.’

Perhaps it was the winter, but a strange sense of emptiness lingered.

‘But why did I ask His Grace something like that?’

Why, indeed. Such insolence… that wasn’t like him at all.

Lik ruffled his hair, feeling strange about himself today, and returned to his post.

* * *

It had been a week since Luciana sent the letter to Richt.

“It’s almost eleven…”

Whether he would follow through with her suggestion was still uncertain, but just in case, she had prepared everything she might need and waited.

After about five minutes, the mana stone lit up precisely at the appointed time.

“I was worried he might reject it.”

The signal indicated that Richt had positively considered her proposal.

“This will be the first time meeting him directly since his rut cycle.”

Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t parted on particularly good terms back then.

But what could she do about the male lead’s temperament? After all, Richt wasn’t the type to apologize.

“The best thing is to sever the imprint and run away as soon as possible.”

For her peace of mind, she decided to stop wasting emotions on trivial matters.

Finishing her thoughts, Luciana packed her box and belongings, then infused mana into the artifact.

Pop!

Arriving in the bedroom, Luciana opened her eyes, feeling slightly dizzy.

“So, this is how we’ll communicate moving forward?”

“!”

A low, calm voice tickled her ears.

Startled, she turned toward the sound and saw the duke sitting on the bed, dressed as usual in a shirt.

Rising casually from his seat, Richt walked across the soft rug to stand near Luciana.

Her outfit was the same as before—a white chemise with a beige shawl.

“……”

After glancing at her for a moment, Richt turned his head abruptly with an unreadable expression.

‘What was that? All of a sudden?’

As Luciana placed her box on the square table nearby, she stole a glance at him.

‘Wait a minute, his face…’

Her chick-like eyes landed on the duke’s sharper jawline.

He seemed unusually tense today, and now she noticed why—Richt had lost some weight over the past few weeks.

‘He’s thinner. Has he been busy?’

Of course, even in the original story, he wasn’t portrayed as someone who lounged around idly.

‘But why am I even thinking about this?’

Clearing her throat lightly, Luciana gestured toward the box Richt had prepared.

“I didn’t request any materials this time, though.”

“I know. I just brought it out in case.”

He nudged the box slightly toward her, then pointed his chin at a Boston bag that looked oddly out of place with his loungewear.

“And what’s that?”

“Oh! This…”

Opening the bag, Luciana revealed its contents—stacks of papers.

“Here, take these.”

What she handed over was a series of notes detailing her research plans.

“As for the current progress… I’ve been conducting experiments, but since the process is lengthy, I think it’ll take a little more time to see proper results.”

“I see.”

Although Richt didn’t comment further, Luciana seemed slightly uneasy about his silence.

For a solo project, her progress was excellent, but given the urgency of the situation, the lack of a breakthrough felt frustrating, as though she were circling the same spot endlessly.

“Still, the scope has been narrowed significantly! Ah, which is why…”

Luciana pulled a sheet of paper from the box and picked up the quill she had brought.

“Once I have a clearer direction, I’ll need to move on to the finer details.”

“This feels like it’s going to be a long conversation. Why don’t you sit first?”

“Oh, yes.”

Gesturing to a nearby chair, Richt took a seat, and Luciana followed suit.

“To proceed, there are a few things I’d like to ask you.”