How To Survive As a Villain on the Verge of Death

“Princess.”

“Are you done organizing?”

“Yes, I will help you dress up now.”

She put on a dressing gown over my dress and sat down in front of the dressing table. She obtained permission from the crown prince and half-forced permission from the Empress, but it took three days before she could go out again. The day after the ball passed by meeting the Empress and receiving presents, but unfortunately it snowed the next day. The Empress insisted that the princess shouldn’t go out on her snowy day.

It was snowing too much for her to see, so she couldn’t afford to go out in the wagon. In the meantime, visitors continued to come from the Grand Duke’s mansion. The knights sent by the Grand Duke asked her how she was doing and brought her small gifts. There were still a lot of flowers sent as gifts. 

Thanks to the flowers he sent, her palace smelled like flowers everywhere she went. There were so many flowers that even though the ladies-in-waiting filled one of the warehouses saying they were made from tea leaves or aromatics, there were still a lot of flowers left. In the end, there was no place for them to be placed in the princess’s palace, so she had to distribute it to other palaces as well.

With Nell’s help, she put on her makeup and then changed into a dress for going out. This time, instead of a luxurious evening dress, it was a decent light purple silk dress. It was worn as street clothes, so it wasn’t flashy like a prom dress, but it looked sophisticated and noble.

She put on her coat and went out to ride the carriage prepared at the entrance of the palace. Today was a simple outing, so she decided to go out alone without taking the lady-in-waiting. As she walked out the door, the cold air permeated her skin. The garden was all white because of the snow that had fallen until morning.

She made her way to the carriage past the snow-covered flower beds and the waiting attendant opened the door. She climbed into the carriage by herself with her coat on. Not long after that, the carriage passed through the main gate of the imperial palace and went outside. After a long run, they arrived at a busy street in a square full of people. The carriage stopped in front of a large building in the center of the main street.

“Princess, we have arrived.”

Terrence invited her not to his mansion, but to a garden in the center of the island. Commonly called a tea garden, it was a social space for the upper class, with a restaurant or cafe attached to a large greenhouse garden. The place she arrived at was said to be a newly opened garden.

The moment she passed through the entrance and went inside, she couldn’t help but stop at the sight unfolding in front of her eyes. It’s midwinter full of snow and ice outside, but as soon as you enter the entrance, a lush green garden comes out. The greenhouse, illuminated by bright sunlight, was filled with well-kept garden trees and plants. A promenade runs along the artificial pond, and there are even several pavilions in between. Unlike the cold winter wind outside the door, the inside was warm like spring.

‘Is it magic that controls the temperature?’

A tea garden in this world was a kind of large indoor garden. The entire outer wall was made of glass. Even the ceiling of the building inside was transparent glass. It was as if the garden had been moved into a large glass box.

When she heard the word garden, she imagined something like a small outdoor park, but this was really huge.

“Wow, that is really beautiful.”

Even though all of this was provided in the greenhouse, there was not the slightest feeling of stuffiness. She could feel the clear and refreshing air mixed with the smell of fresh grass and the scent of flowers. There seemed to be some sort of purification magic. It was a sophisticated social hall with great care in every way.

They entered the pavilion on the garden side. Inside the pavilion, there was a table that could seat two people. Right next to the table was a white railing like a terrace, and underneath the railing was a pond with water lilies. Several colorful carps were swimming leisurely in the clear water between the water lily leaves.

As soon as they sat down at the table, an attendant dressed in a neat robe brought fragrant tea and dessert.

“Do you like it?”

Grand Duke Terence, who was sitting across from her, asked in a nonchalant tone. As she took a sip of the sweet-smelling tea, she praised it sincerely.

“Yes, it is a very beautiful and wonderful place.”

“Should I give it to the princess as a gift?”

“…pardon?”

She looked at him blankly, wondering what this meant, and Terrence calmly explained it to her.

“There are four large-scale gardens in the islands. Three of them belong to me.”

She guessed this was one of those three places. Originally, the aristocratic family here owned several businesses in the city, including the buildings, but it was surprising how many such large-scale social venues they owned.

She was surprised by the Grand Duke’s wealth once again, but he made another proposal.

“If you like it, I will give it as a wedding gift.”

“…No, it’s fine. How can I manage a place like this?”

“There is a separate person in charge of managing this place, so all you have to do is take profits.”

Of course, she could learn how to manage it slowly, but the location was a problem. Because this is the center of the city.

“After I get married, I want to live somewhere far away from the capital. I don’t want to get involved in imperial affairs as much as possible.”

To do so, it was impossible to operate a garden in the center of the capital.

“And I have received enough gifts.”

“A gift and a wedding present are two different things, but I’m glad you liked it.”

“Come to think of it, where did you get all those flowers?”

“There are several greenhouses around the islands that specialize in growing flowers.”

It was at the level of clearing out several of those greenhouses…

“Come to think of it, this is it.”

She pointed to the jewelry around her neck. It was the unusual amethyst necklace found among the gifts.

“Don’t you like it?”

“No, that’s not it. Is it some kind of unique gem?”

“In what way do you mean unique?”

“Is it something related to Shinso?”

But Terrence, who heard her, gave her an absurd look.

“In my family, there are dozens of jewels that are handed down only to the hostess from generation to generation. This is one of them, but I have never heard of such a thing.”

“I see.”

So it wasn’t. Suddenly, her gaze went to her reflection in the pond. The amethyst hanging around her neck was still blurry with a mysterious design.

“His Highness the Grand Duke.”

Their conversation ended there. Three middle-aged nobles passing by the promenade saw them and approached them.

“Greeting Her Highness the Princess and the Grand Duke.”

“Hello.”

She had no idea who it was, but Terrence was greeted casually. Perhaps they were close friends with the Grand Duke. She couldn’t even ask who it was, so she just nodded, but the person in the front bent his back in a very respectful manner and held out a hand. For a moment, she came to her senses while thinking about something. The etiquette here was for an aristocratic man to kiss a woman on the back of her hand. She had seen the original, but she still hadn’t realized it. The only official event she attended was a ball, and she couldn’t formally say hello to anyone there. Reluctantly, she put her hand on top of his. Then, the man put his lips lightly on the back of her hand and the other two repeated the same action.

‘Eww… I kind of understand why Eve wore her gloves.’

Still, she couldn’t miss this opportunity, so every time her hand touched it, she longed to see an accident involving her or the Grand Duke. However, she did not see any vision until she received all three greetings. She was left with an unpleasant feeling on the back of hr hand and a nasty feeling.

“I never expected to see you two here.”

All three of them looked at her with slightly interested eyes. Terence held her hand on the table with a friendly smile.

“I brought you here because I wanted to give the princess a tour of the newly opened garden.”

Because his appearance was so beautiful, even a simple smile was as cool as a pictorial. Anyway, this guy was too handsome for nothing. She turned her gaze to empty space to hide her beating heart. Meanwhile a black gloved hand lightly gripped the back of her hand.

“Yes, that is. It’s better than what I’ve heard. I like it. Ho Ho.”

She belatedly agreed with his words. All three of them pretended to be calm, but their eyes were shaking with shock. They may have seen the two of them on prom day, but seeing them up close like this was even more shocking. She thought maybe Terrence’s perfect acting and her awkward response could make it look even weirder.

They looked at her and Terrence in amazement, then quickly left.

“Then, I look forward to seeing you again next time.”

After they said goodbye to her and left, she moistened a handkerchief with water and wiped the back of her hand.

“I can’t see anything.”

Terrence watched her wash her hands before asking.

“Are you sure we need to hold hands?”

“No. All I have to do is touch someone else. It’s because I can’t touch other people’s bodies at any time.”

She couldn’t just touch the bodies of middle-aged aristocrats.

“Can I see your Highness one more time?”

She was just saying it, but Terrence really held out his hand. She held his hand and focused for a moment. But the vision did not appear.

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Translator Note:

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