The Villainess Who Accidentally Stole Their Hearts - Chapter 7
Chapter 4.1
I fell into a moment of self-doubt but quickly pulled myself together.
‘Right, I just told myself the name doesn’t matter.’
That wasn’t Akain’s ‘Hea…’, it was a ‘dopamine point.’
If I start fussing over names, I’ve already lost.
‘Alright! I’ll take all the hearts I can get!’
♥♡ Love Delivery ˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡
You’ve received a ♥ from 〈 Viscount Barento 〉!
‘…Wait, no.’
Viscount Barento’s round, chubby face instinctively came to mind. It was a bit awkward, but getting a heart from Viscount Barento was…
♥♡ Love Delivery ˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡
You’ve received a ♥ from 〈 Zerno 〉!
‘No, seriously!’
Ha…
Life isn’t easy.
‘But at least I’ve got three hearts.’
If it were just one, I might have hesitated about how to use it.
‘Let’s start with an upgrade, then.’
Using a ♥ to upgrade the 〈 ♥♡ Forbidden Love Detective Agency 〉 ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
Dududududu—
: ̗̀ ♥ˎˊ: Ta-da! : ̗̀ ♥ˎˊ:
You can now track 〈 Personal Relationships 〉 while hunting =͟͟͞͞➳❥
‘Does upgrading mean I can investigate even more things?’
The added feature is great.
Personal relationships.
Being able to grasp this gives me incredible power.
‘After all, noble society basically runs on a huge web of connections.’
Besides, it would be great for catching cheaters. The more I think about it, the more useful this ability seems in every way.
Feeling so—proud! ( ˶ ᵔ ꒳ ᵔ ˶ )
Let’s create a 〈 ♥♡ Forbidden Love Detective Agency 〉 filled with hearts together ໒꒰ྀི∩ › ·̮ ɞ̴̶̷ ∩꒱ྀི১
‘…If it weren’t for this ridiculous name, it would be truly perfect.’
̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊
The following afternoon.
Emma asked me with a bewildered expression.
“You’re really going to the party?”
“Yeah.”
“But… since you failed the manifestation ceremony, everyone will be talking. You’ll just end up hearing annoying comments.”
“Do you think something like that would scare me?”
“…That’s definitely not the case.”
As if she had remembered something she shouldn’t have, Emma’s face grew pale.
“But if you cause another commotion outside, the Young Lord will put you under house arrest.”
“So?”
“I’m just worried about you, my lady.”
“Then keep worrying. You, come over here and brush my hair.”
Brushing the lady’s hair is a privilege reserved for the favorite maid. Because of that, the maid who had been chosen looked confused as she reached for the brush, but Emma quickly snatched it from her.
“Oh dear, who can possibly stop our lady’s stubbornness? I always have to give in to you. Everything I do is out of concern for you, yet you don’t even realize it.”
Emma muttered grumblingly as she brushed my hair.
‘I really have been a pushover, even to my maid.’
Having never received genuine affection, I ended up mistaking this for love.
‘Yes, keep going. Keep pushing the limits like the sky has no ceiling.’
I smiled as I let Emma take care of me. Then, just before leaving, she brought out a pair of shoes from the dressing room.
“My lady, these shoes will go better with that dress.”
I quietly looked at Emma for a moment before nodding.
“Alright, thank you.”
“See, you really can’t manage without me, can you?”
I let her arrogant comment slide and glanced down at the shoes.
̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊
As soon as I arrived at the party, I instantly understood.
‘…Ha. So that’s why she was so determined to keep me from coming.’
I could see Cleas and Michalin standing affectionately side by side. Even while chatting and laughing with others, they were secretly entwining their fingers through the folds of their dresses. Their palms lightly brushed, and they gently caressed the insides of each other’s wrists, followed by a subtle exchange of glances.
Watching them pretending they weren’t having an affair while touching each other made my stomach churn.
‘Let’s start by digging into Cleas first.’
‘Yes.’
Love Hunt Target: Cleas
The target 〈 Cleas 〉 has a rank that is too high to investigate.
‘…Just as I thought.’
When I investigated Emma.
I had a feeling this might be the case based on the rankings. It was disappointing that I couldn’t dig into Cleas right now…
‘…But this is still information.’
As I glanced at the ‘Investigation Failed’ message, Mikarin noticed me.
“Sister?”
She didn’t even look startled.
With an enthusiastic, welcoming smile, she stepped away from the crowd and approached me as if she were genuinely delighted to see me.
“Sister, I didn’t think you’d come today either… but I’m so glad you’re here!”
“I missed you, Nike. I finally get to see this beautiful face today.”
Cleas, with a casual smile, extended his hand toward me—the same hand that had been brushing the inside of Mikarin’s wrist moments ago.
“Really? Funny how you never came to see me even once.”
“I was just waiting for our Nike’s mood to improve, but I should’ve realized. I should have been the one to cheer you up.”
When I ignored his outstretched hand, Cleas gently brushed my hair back. Mikarin was still smiling, but I noticed a slight stiffness in her expression.
“Mikarin, is something bothering you?”
“Yes? No, not at all. I’m just really happy you’re finally at the party, Sister!”
“I see.”
Hearing her words, Cleas looked at Mikarin with such tenderness as she tried hard to sound cheerful. In return, Mikarin gave him a strained smile as if to reassure him that she was fine.
‘Ugh, disgusting.’
They must think I’m some kind of foreign substance trying to tear them apart. Now that I know, all their nauseating behavior is clear as day.
‘They’re basically using me as seasoning to spice up their romance.’
I foolishly thought it was nice that the two people I loved were getting along so well.
‘Ah, I want to expose them right now.’
Hey, everyone! These two are having an affair! And it’s not just some ordinary affair—it’s the kind where five people take turns on the infidelity express! The cheating choo-choo train!
Take this opportunity to watch for free!
‘Hoo, hold it in.’
Even if I expose them now, besides Cleas, I’m not entirely sure what kind of relationship the others have with Mikarin yet. Sure, these two might face a bit of embarrassment, but that’s all.
And I’d end up getting dragged through the mud, too.
“Cleas must have been really patient to put up with someone as nasty as Nike.”
“The one thing Nike had going for her was that she was supposed to become an unprecedented Awakener, but even that’s not happening anymore.”
“Even the Grand Ducal family considers her a troublesome burden.”
“Pfft, how do you let your cousin take everything from you? The branch family is doing better than the main family.”
—The same kind of gossip would follow me around.
Considering the things I heard before the regression, I was certain.
‘But it’s too annoying to just let it go.’
“I was so hurt every time I saw you being all affectionate with her at parties.”
“Just touching that woman made my skin crawl. I wanted to push her away and keep you by my side like this, no matter who was watching.”
“Cleas…!”
I’d have to make a little sacrifice to give them the gift they hated the most.
“Cleas.”
As I reached out my hand toward Cleas, my fingertips brushed past his cheek and lightly grazed his ear before falling away.
“Ah…”
Cleas flinched, clearly startled.
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