The Villainess Who Accidentally Stole Their Hearts - Chapter 12

Chapter 6.2

“They may not ask for the price right now, but if these incidents keep piling up, they’ll eventually use it as leverage.”

“There has to be another way, Your Grace!”

“The lives of the people in the territory are at risk.”

“….!”

“Stabilizing the dam quickly is more important than anything else.”

Viscount Barento clenched his jaw and bowed his head.

There was no way out.

One way or another, they would have to negotiate with the imperial family.

Knock, knock.

Just then, the office door opened with a soft knock.

“Big Brother.”

Mikarin walked in, smiling sweetly while carrying a tray of refreshments.

“Everyone must be exhausted from the meeting. How about some refreshments?”

Viscount Barento furrowed his brow.

Despite the fact that Mikarin was quite adored by the retainers of Delosif, this clearly overstepped boundaries.

“Lady Mikarin, how could you enter His Grace’s office without permission?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. That was rude of me.”

Mikarin looked startled and lowered her eyes apologetically.

“I just wanted to ease the burden on my brother and his retainers, considering all the stress from the Vess Dam issue… I acted thoughtlessly in my eagerness to help.”

However, the retainers’ expressions only grew colder.

Refreshments and good intentions couldn’t possibly alleviate their concerns. The only thing that would earn their respect was competence—the competence to resolve this situation!

“…Your intentions are kind, but we don’t need refreshments.”

A clear rejection and dismissal.

It wasn’t Zerno who spoke, but the retainers. He hadn’t said a word or even looked at her.

Mikarin, clearly taken aback by the rejection, let out a small gasp, ‘Ah…!’ before she continued her words.

“I think you’ve misunderstood my intentions.”

“You’ve been rude enough as it is. Now, please leave—”

“I can get Akitane!”

“….!”

The retainers’ expressions shifted instantly. The atmosphere in the room changed in a heartbeat, with Mikarin now at its center.

Indeed, she certainly had a flair for theatrics.

Now then…

She hadn’t mentioned whether she could actually obtain the Akitane or how she planned to do it. Rushing to prove your abilities with words was a foolish thing to do.

Mikarin remained silent, her eyes fixed on one person—the master of the room, Zerno.

“….”

Finally, Zerno’s lips, which had seemed sealed shut, parted.

“Those words of yours better not be an empty boast.”

“How could I dare say such a thing lightly to you, Brother?”

Mikarin smiled sweetly.

She glided gracefully across the room and set the tray of refreshments beside Zerno.

“I’m always worried that you’ll harm your health from working too much. Please, have a bite for my sake, Brother.”

With a playful chuckle, Mikarin held a cookie up to Zerno’s lips, as bright and innocent as a ray of sunshine.

̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊

I casually asked the maid trembling in front of me.

“So, Mikarin entered my brother’s office?”

“Y-Yes…”

The maid answered, her shoulders shrinking. She was the one who had been running errands with the books.

“You did well.”

“N-Not at all… You could’ve asked anyone else…”

The maid bowed her head, nervously fidgeting as she glanced at me.

“Is there something else you want to say?”

“N-No, nothing. I-I’ll take my leave then…”

The startled maid kept bowing her head before scurrying off.

‘Anyone would think I was about to eat her alive.’

I shrugged my shoulders and sank back into the sofa.

It was obvious what Mikarin did in the office. She probably claimed she could get the Akitane… and then, a few days later, she would actually bring it.

‘Thanks to that, Mikarin became a hero in an instant.’

If the Vess Dam had collapsed, not only would several villages have been underwater, but the fertile land would have been flooded, leading to a food shortage.

Mikarin prevented all of that.

She went from being just some lady from a side branch to the savior of the people of the territory!

‘Unlike me.’

Nikaearsha, the troublesome direct descendant who failed to manifest her powers, and Mikarin, the side-branch angel who saved the people of the territory.

Since these events happened around the same time, the comparisons were inevitable.

However…

‘It was all thanks to Leonard.’

I didn’t know how he managed to get the Akitane, but one thing was certain—he was the one who secured it.

And.

‘Leonard is a victim of this affair.’

After marrying Cleas, I stayed in that house, choosing only places where no one would see me. That day, too, I hid from everyone in a narrow, dim attic, hoping time would pass quickly and no one would find me.

That was when I saw Leonard and Mikarin.

“How could she deceive me so completely? She even promised we’d have a future together…”

“I’m just as shocked. I feel like it’s my fault, and I don’t even know how to face you.”

“It’s not your fault. Lady Telsi, you didn’t know she was married either.”

“I’m sorry. I know this is probably even harder for you, Leonard… But I considered her a friend, regardless of her status. I never expected to be betrayed like this…”

At that time, I didn’t know Leonard was Emma’s lover.

I just thought he was a poor man, deceived by a married woman.

‘It was pretty funny, though, seeing one affair victim comforted by the conductor of the affair train.’

In any case, maybe they felt connected by their shared betrayal. And soon enough, the two of them grew closer as they comforted each other.

‘Thanks to that, Mikarin gained the backing of Leonard, the head of one of the three great merchant guilds.’

Was all of this truly just a coincidence?

Leonard, who had no prior connection to Mikarin, changed completely.

“Ha, Mikarin.”

She really was something else.

“Not only are you having an affair, but you’ve even dragged someone else into it.”

This wasn’t just an affair train—it was an affair epidemic.

Mikarin, you plague of infidelity.

“Thank you.”

Thank you for not swaying people with that fake kindness and warmth that once fooled me.

Thank you for sticking to deception and manipulation through affairs, which were right at your level.

Thank you for giving someone with a bad personality like me the chance to cut in line.

“I’ll enjoy the feast you’ve set up for me.”

̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊

Leonard stepped down from the carriage and lifted his head. The massive Grand Duchy of Delosif Residence loomed over him, almost like a living creature staring him down.

‘What an overwhelming presence.’

It was his first time visiting the Grand Duchy of Delosif.

Although his lover was someone from the residence, she was merely a maid. And while he was acquainted with Mikarin, who practically lived here, she was only from a collateral branch.

‘Don’t falter.’

Leonard clenched his fists, staring straight ahead.

‘There’s a witch here.’

A wicked witch who tormented his foolishly kind lover.

“I need to save her from the witch’s grasp.”

Just as he strengthened his resolve and reached the top of the stairs…

“Are you calling me the witch, by any chance?”

A voice, soft and gentle like a spring breeze, filled the air.

Leonard instinctively looked toward the source, and his eyes wavered.

Her long silver hair, glowing with a light pink tint like soft flower petals, sparkled in the sunlight. Her skin was perfectly clear and flawless, and her eyes were redder than the roses of May.

A mischievous smile.

“Welcome to the witch’s house.”

Standing before him was, indeed, a witch.

“I-I was wrong, my lady. Please, forgive me…”

And there, kneeling at her feet, was Leonard’s lover, Emma, trembling.