The Villainess is a Marionette

Translator: thursdays PR: scarcecrow

Early in the morning, Olivia had received a letter from her family. Its contents could be condensed down to a single line.

「 Unfortunately, the marriage discussions to join you and Raphael Kedrey have fallen through. 」

It was something that she had foreseen the moment she was selected as the princess’s lady-in-waiting. Her father, worrying that Olivia would be heartbroken, added some words of consolation; however, Olivia didn’t care much.

‘I wasn’t interested in this marriage from the beginning. The events of the imperial palace are far more entertaining.’

Watching Cayena force the head chef and the head maid to kneel was the most impressive thing Oliva had seen in her life.

Even Olivia, who was being protected by the princess, felt chills down her spine.

“Miss Olivia, Vera is asking to see you,” the maid assigned to her reported politely.

“Please let her in.”

She folded the letter and tucked it away, out of sight.

Soon, Vera entered the room. They exchanged brief greetings and sat down at the table across from each other.

Vera looked more tired than the first day Olivia entered the palace. However, her eyes were sparkling. The eyes of someone who found a person to confide in were more beautiful than jewels.

Olivia only felt worn out because of the harsh world. She had never met anyone who seemed to find themselves like Vera did.

‘Perhaps.’

Was Princess Cayena the one who found Vera?

Vera opened her mouth.

“I’d wanted to arrange something to introduce the senior ladies-in-waiting, but some more work has popped up.”

“What sort of work is it?”

“Her Highness’s guest will soon be visiting the imperial palace. So it has been decided that your education will be accelerated.”

Something was odd. There was no reason to teach Olivia, who was untrained, when Vera was capable of taking care of the work herself.

In other words, this could mean that someone wanted Olivia to greet this specific guest.

“Sir Raphael Kedrey will visit the palace to make a donation to the imperial academy. Miss Olivia, please welcome and serve him well.”

Olivia felt flustered. She’d only just received the news that the marriage talks had ended.

She could never have predicted that Cayena would give her this order in such an awkward situation.

“If it’s an order, I will obey. But first, I must visit Her Highness.”

Olivia couldn’t just let this go when it could cause further troubles.

Vera fully understood why she was trying to be careful.

“You’ll need to wait a bit because the knight commander is going over the results of the criminal interrogation with her.”

“I don’t mind.”

They waited outside the princess’s parlor for her business to end.

A maid came out of the parlor.

“She said you may enter now.”

Vera shook her head instead of following her inside.

It meant that she would wait outside.

“Then, set up an investigation team and go to the supplier today. Those thugs who indiscriminately assault the commoners must be taken out.”

“I heed this order.”

Olivia was continually discovering new parts to Cayena.

Her past, when she spilled wine on others’ dresses, didn’t show through at all.

‘She’s definitely different from before.’

After the knight commander left, Cayena faced Olivia and said, “The uproar of the palace as soon as you arrived must have surprised you.”

“No, Your Highness. I understand that you’re trying to straighten out internal affairs.”

On the first day she entered the palace, Olivia somehow ended up following Cayena as she defeated the different departments one by one.

Nothing was wrong with her actions.

“Thank you for saying so.”

Cayena sat on the sofa and offered Olivia a seat as well.

“Seeing as you came here, I suppose you’ve heard the news from Vera.”

In fact, Raphael was a slightly awkward topic for Olivia to talk about.

Although she decided she couldn’t let things happen as is, there was a part of her that was embarrassed to bring it up first.

It was because it sounded like a lover’s spat, too emotional.

“I am worried that my deficient manners will cause a problem with offering Sir Kedrey hospitality.”

Olivia was trying to excuse herself from the task with a roundabout reason.

“I don’t think so. You’re intelligent, so I don’t believe you’ll have a hard time with hospitality.”

Olivia gathered a little courage and decided to speak the truth.

“I don’t know if Your Highness is aware, but the marriage talks between me and Sir Kedrey have ended.”

Cayena also answered honestly.

“It was expected since you became my lady-in-waiting. Moreover, I don’t think you seem very upset about that.”

Olivia was taken aback, like her weak spot had just been stabbed.

Cayena continued, “I know what you are concerned about. I was once infatuated with Sir Kedrey, and blinded by my jealousy, I attacked you.”

Cayena got up from her seat and bowed to Olivia.

Startled, Olivia jumped up from her seat.

“Your Highness!”

“I should have apologized for my rudeness earlier.”

That wasn’t all. Before Cayena returned, she had committed the vile act of poisoning Olivia. Even though Olivia had magically come back to life, Cayena had to apologize for her actions.

“I’m sorry.”

Olivia couldn’t help but believe her sincerity.

However, this apology was excessive. Cayena hadn’t even mistreated her very much.

At best, she had ruined one of Olivia’s dresses and ignored her greetings.

“Please, Your Highness. I’m all right.”

Cayena gave a small smile.

“…Of course.”

Even after being poisoned, Olivia did not blame Cayena after she was revived with magic.

Rather, she pitied her for being used by Rezef to commit such a terrible act.

‘This is why Olivia is the main character.”

Cayena added in a light tone,

“Also, I plan to marry a better man. So, I hope you don’t have any doubts about Raphael Kedrey in the future.”

Olivia’s eyes widened.

‘Saying that she’ll marry someone else…’

She relaxed her expression, thinking that Cayena was just saying it to reassure her.

“Now, can you receive my guest with an easy mind?”

Olivia bowed deeply and said,

“I will serve him properly so that it doesn’t become troublesome for you.”

***

Olivia became accustomed to her role in just one day.

As Cayena said, the work wasn’t terribly difficult. Though, it could have been that this particular guest was not picky.

Olivia only needed to remember one instruction.

‘He likes strongly brewed black tea.’

Soon, a carriage from the Kedrey family arrived at the imperial palace.

‘So it’s that man.’

She didn’t need to look at anybody else; it was clear that Raphael Kedrey was the handsome man with deep black hair and crimson eyes.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Olivia Grace.”

Raphael lifted up his head at the familiar name.

Wheat-colored hair and green eyes. They matched the appearance he had seen in the picture her mother showed him.

Raphael could tell right away who had arranged for this lady-in-waiting to come out to receive him.

‘Did she really mean what she said to me?’

He couldn’t understand why the imperial princess was acting like a matchmaker.

However, he greeted Olivia politely because she was the lady-in-waiting of the princess whom he had come to meet.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Raphael Kedrey.”

Olivia thought the situation was extremely strange right now.

The first person that she greeted today was the heir of the family that sponsored her own family. Because of that person, she had been hated by the princess.

Well, that was the kind of thing that could happen in high society. But on the whole, marriage between a woman and her sponsor’s son was something out of a novel.

‘It’s something that happens often in social climbing romances.’

She hadn’t expected that she would ascend social ranks by becoming a court lady rather than through marriage.

‘Though I never dreamed of raising my status in the first place…’

All she wanted was just somebody who she could talk to in this strange world.

Olivia opened her mouth.

“Her Highness is busy this morning because of her work with internal affairs. She’s handling the criminal interrogations personally.”

“I see.”

“First, please come inside.”

Olivia treated Raphael with a very businesslike attitude.

Baston, who came along instead of Raphael’s aide, Jeremy, whispered to his master.

“Master, isn’t that the young lady with whom your marriage talks ended?”

“She is.”

Baston oohed and admired her a little.

“Isn’t she a stunning beauty?”

Raphael didn’t answer him.

“But compared to Her Imperial Highness…”

“Baston.”

When Raphael called his name, Baston realized that he had overstepped.

“Who gave you the right to make such an assessment?”

As expected, Raphael reprimanded him in his characteristic cold, emotionless manner.

Baston covered his mouth, thinking that a boss who swore and kicked him would be better.

“Nevermind, Master. I’m merely a foolish man who knows nothing of chivalry. My mouth is just…!”

Raphael regretted that he didn’t bring along Jeremy. It was a mistake to let Baston join his entourage because Baston wanted to see the princess.

“But Master, doesn’t it seem like that lady is also quite unusual? Her complexion didn’t even change.”

The day before, Raphael had also received a one-sided notification from her mother that the marriage talk had ended. It was something that could break the heart of a young noblewoman. So it was a little weird, since Cayena wouldn’t have acted so inconsiderately.

‘…What the hell am I thinking?’

Raphael was dumbfounded at what he had just thought.

Did he just presume that Cayena would be considerate?

~~~