The Villainess is a Marionette

As Rezef listened to his subordinate’s report, his hand stopped writing the letter.

“His Majesty the Emperor spoke to the princess as if he would allow her to choose her own husband.”

“My father did?”

Rezef asked if anything about Raphael came up during that conversation.

The subordinate shook his head and said, “She said that she didn’t want to marry Lord Raphael.”

“Is that so?”

Cayena must have been serious about her condition about wanting to marry someone of her own choice.

It had been convenient for Rezef that the emperor pressured Raphael using Cayena as an excuse; he was a little sad that this pretext was now gone.

“But they also say that Her Highness had tea with Lord Raphael after her audience with the emperor.”

“…The two of them?”

“Yes. Miss Lydia came and informed us on her way to prepare the tea.”

“You’re saying that Raphael went along with this obediently?”

“Yes. Her Highness Cayena offered to help him solve his problems if he joined her for tea.”

Rezef knit his brows.

Then, the Cayena who looked straight at him came up in his thoughts.

“What did the two of them talk about?”

“The lady-in-waiting named Vera said that they were talking about marriage partners, and Her Highness critiqued the families’ daughters. However, she did compliment Lady Olivia Grace.”

‘She complimented Olivia Grace… because she’ll become one of her ladies-in-waiting? Was it for my sake?’

Rezef couldn’t understand her actions at all. These days, Cayena both seemed like and unlike the sister that he knew.

“…Alright, then. You may leave now.”

He couldn’t pay too much attention to this because he had a lot to deal with at the moment. There were many things to take care of in order to reverse the situation with the attempted murder.

Knock, knock.

As the knock resounded through the room, a servant came in.

“Your Highness, Zenon Evans is requesting to see you.”

“Let him in.”

Zenon Evans entered the study and began to bow. Rezef raised his hand.

“No need for that. What has happened?”

The gray-haired man approached Rezef, holding a silver tray full of letters in his hand.

“Since the last talk with Heinrich, some aristocrats have changed their behavior,” said Zenon.

Rezef frowned at the mention of Heinrich. That lunatic kept on rising up no matter how much he stepped on him, and it ached at him inside.

“What bullshit did that insect tell them now?”

Just look at this incident with Cayena.

This dundering, reckless fool, whose blood was not even connected to the imperial family, was clamoring to get the throne. Rezef wanted to hit him and his supporters with a fiery club and knock them down.

He put down his pen and opened the envelope to check the contents of the letter.

“Ignorant, bastard mutt!”

He jumped out of his seat, furious.

Zenon quietly backed away, having expected this to happen.

“These idiots decided to side with Heinrich?!”

They were letters from his ex-supporters, who declared that they had decided to join hands with Heinrich. They argued that Archduke Heinrich had been personally recognized by the emperor to have a right to the throne, that he was a legitimate heir.

That was also something that raised Rezef’s ire.

Rezef was not the child of an empress but rather the Emperor’s lover. Unless his birth mother became empress, he would remain as an illegitimate child. However, if his name was entered under the empress in the family registry, he would be considered legitimate. That would be enough to be recognized by the church.

But the Emperor did not do anything.

The archduke’s people claimed that being adopted by the emperor’s family gave Heinrich as much as a claim to the throne as Rezef.

“How much have I done for them—and they still betray me for a few mines? I am the real heir to the throne, not that dirty, fake Heinrich!”

Crash!

Rezef flipped the table upside down.

“When I become emperor, they’ll all be purged! These things don’t even know their place!”

Rezef roughly swept away his bangs from his face, then turned to Zenon.

“Is there still no answer from the Grace family?”

“Viscount Grace has still not replied.”

Rezef threw a vase at Zenon. Fortunately, it missed. It hit the wall and broke into pieces.

“How have you not received a reply from them yet?! It’s because of you that these unimportant people are ignoring me!”

It was something he should have expected from the beginning. The Grace family was supported by the Kedrey dukedom, so they would not be able to reply with ease.

But it was clear that if Zenon said this to Rezef, his neck would be cut clean.

Zenon bowed his head, swallowing a sigh. “…I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“There isn’t a single useful person around me! That’s why Heinrich can run around so wildly!”

In his mind, Zenon thought that it was difficult to tell whether Archduke Heinrich or Rezef was worse. That was when a frightened-looking servant came into the room and called out to Rezef.

“Y-your Highness.”

“What is it?”

Rezef looked at the servant with his young eyes.

Click.

“It’s me, Rezef.”

Cayena opened the door and entered inside.

Zenon kept himself from clicking his tongue.

He glanced at Rezef, who was clenching his fists and struggling to control his wrath, and approached Cayena.

“Princess, I apologize, but it would be better to visit again later.”

In return, Cayena looked at Zenon with a cold face.

“What are you planning to do if Rezef hurts himself?”

At her words, the unpleasant tension in the study broke. It was as if this violent mess was reduced to a child’s tantrum.

‘Since when did the princess have such a strong will?’

Zenon backed away because of her intensity. Cayena smiled and walked gracefully past him. She glanced around at the wrecked room and slowly approached Rezef.

The floor was strewn with broken pottery and glass. As she was wearing thin leather slippers, stepping on something could cause her serious injury.

“Don’t come near me, Cayena,” Rezef said stiffly with cold, sunken eyes.

But Cayena still approached him like nothing was wrong. She didn’t even look at the floor. It wouldn’t be strange if she became injured.

Annoyed, Rezef warned again, “I told you not to come near!”

“But if I don’t come near you, you’ll be alone.”

“What…?”

His face turned twisted at this absurd remark. Then, Cayena stepped on something and tripped, losing her balance.

“Aah!”

If she fell right there, she would be badly injured. Rezef gulped and quickly grabbed her.

“This is why I told you not to—!”

But before Rezef could finish venting, Cayena lightly brushed Rezef’s cheek. The tingling sensation made Rezef frown.

“You’re hurt, Rezef.”

While he was throwing things, he had received a small cut from a piece that bounced back at him.

“What are you doing to your handsome face?”

Cayena wiped the blood on his cheek with her sleeve.

Rezef just looked at this with disapproval. Still, the anger that had been churning inside him like lava began to subside.

It was the first time that seeing his sister helped him get rid of his anger.

He held Cayena in his arms and took her to a safer spot in the room.

The long sofa that was by the bed was the only place left intact.

“You’re so strong!” Cayena exclaimed, amazed at his power.

No matter how light Cayena was, she wasn’t a piece of paper. Rezef still carried her like he was unencumbered.

Rezef somehow felt his energy drain from Cayena’s attitude.

Suddenly, he felt like a fool, having acted in anger like a madman until now.

~~~

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