How To Survive As a Villain on the Verge of Death

She explained to Terence about her vision. After hearing what she said, Terence looked like he couldn’t understand.

 

“Are you sure this is what Princess Sorel did?”

 

“The Duke and Diane certainly said so.”

 

The Duchess was equally convinced that it was Princess Sorel’s doing.

 

“I don’t know why Sorel would do that to Diane. I think she does it because she hates me, but if that’s really the case, it’s absurd.”

 

After all, wasn’t there another reason? But no matter how much she thought about it, there was no reason for Sorel to interfere with Diane’s treatment.

 

“Princess Sorel is marginalized in social circles. She may be so filled with resentment that she may act impulsively.”

 

“She says Sorel is an outcast in society?”

 

“There are rumors going around that Princess Sorel has fallen out of favor with the Emperor because of what happened last time. Prince Vilos is blaming the fault of the deposed Empress on her Princess Sorel.”

 

Was the emperor causing self-inflicted harm and passing the blame for her failure onto Sorel? She knew it, but he really was the worst father.

 

“It’s fun because they fight among themselves.”

 

After hearing her situation, Sorel’s actions felt even more absurd. How could she pull such a useless trick on Diane when she was being ostracized from so many places? Considering Sorel’s current position, it was an overly emotional and careless action. Was the grudge against Eve that deep? Fortunately, Diane seemed to sense something suspicious about Sorel’s behavior. She guessed that’s why she found out that there was a mixture of spices in the fireplace.

 

‘If the truth is revealed anyway, I don’t think there’s any need for me to get involved.’

 

Actually, this wasn’t something she needed to worry about. Even if she left it alone, it was going to be discovered that it was Sorel’s doing. However, if Diane’s symptoms, which she had been treating well for a long time, worsen again, it would take her longer to heal. She wouldn’t even be able to attend the dinner party. When she was disappointed that she couldn’t go to the dinner party, the image of Diane in her vision came to mind. Even today, Diane was looking forward to her dinner. She wanted to help make it possible for her to attend the dinner if possible. She did, of course, and not just because of her sympathy for Diane. If this is left unattended, Sorel will get away with clearing her name again.

 

“If we just leave it at that, we won’t be able to find out that Sorel did it. Even though she later found the spices in the fireplace, she had no evidence that Sorel had left them behind.”

 

Even if he was the Duke of Rohan, he wouldn’t be able to ask the princess to investigate something for which there was no evidence. The Duke and Duchess would hold a grudge against Sorel, but this matter would just be buried. They couldn’t make it like that this time either.

 

“I think we should tell Diane and her Duchess about this in advance.”

 

Terence agreed with her.

 

“I will meet with the Duke and inform him that Princess Sorel is secretly investigating Diane’s affairs. It looks like she’s trying to do some harm to Diane, so be careful with her.”

 

He listened to her and quietly nodded his head. It was difficult to explain how this incident was discovered in advance. He was not close to Sorel, so if he were to say that he knew about this in advance, it would arouse suspicion. There was no choice but to claim that Terence found out while investigating the affairs of the deceased empress and spying on her palace.

 

“I will go to the Duke’s house as often as possible to see if I can see any new insights.”

 

Terence asked after a moment of silence.

 

“Eve, haven’t you seen anything about you yet?”

 

“…”

 

She was silent for a moment in response to his question. A prognosis regarding her death. 

In fact, the most urgent information right now was about her death. But nothing has been revealed about that yet.

 

“Yeah, I haven’t seen anything else yet.”

 

Even when she was at the mansion, minor foresight would occasionally pop up. However, her own future did not come out. Every time she met Terence, she held his hand, and whenever she got the chance, she also touched Bayan. One time she caught herself and tried to focus, but she still couldn’t see anything. Why didn’t it come out like this? Maybe it’s because it’s still so far into the future. Most predictions were of the near future, but on the wedding night, she may have accidentally seen the distant future. Terence closed his mouth after hearing her answer. Even though he didn’t say anything, she could feel his concern.

 

Thanks to this, a heavy atmosphere hung over the table for a moment. Fortunately, she was able to get out of her gloomy mood as the meal came out a little while later.

 

“It looks delicious.”

 

The menu was similar to what they had at the mansion, but it had fewer varieties and was simpler than the dinner at the mansion. Instead, it was richly decorated using more expensive ingredients. Because like a dinner at a mansion, several courses cannot be served one after another. Instead, it seemed like a luxurious meal with two or three menu items. She was deeply impressed as she tasted the venison with sweet sauce and the fragrant wine. Sometimes it’s nice and refreshing to go out and eat like this. Well, she guessed nobles who had chefs in their mansions also go to high-end restaurants. With that in mind, she finished her meal with satisfaction.

 

They spent some time exploring the gardens and then returned to the mansion. When they arrived at the mansion, it was completely midnight. The lights were still on on the first floor of the house, but most of the windows on the upper floors, where the bedrooms were located, were unlit. It seemed that Lot had already fallen asleep a long time ago.

 

She took Terence’s hand and got out of the carriage. Because it was so late, there were only a few servants in front of the main gate. After sending away the servants who had come to meet them, they headed to the main gate of the main building. When she reached the front gate, she called Terence, who was ahead of her, to stop.

 

“Hey…”

 

Terence stopped his steps and turned his body. SheI looked at him and told him what she had been thinking about from inside the carriage.

 

“I really enjoyed today. Thank you for going out with me.”

 

It was a short time, but she had a really comfortable and enjoyable time. After hearing what she said, Terence smiled calmly and said.

 

“I’m glad you liked it.”

 

He returned the answer in a casual manner, but his purple eyes revealed a sense of relief that he could not hide. Even though he said it so calmly, he actually came back to the mansion early for today and went ice skating, which was something she had never done before. They even shortened the garden’s business by one day, plowed the garden, and planted flowers. When she summarized it that way, it really seemed like a lot of effort was put into just one dinner. She offered her sincere sentiment with a friendly smile.

 

“It was really good. It’s the best date of my life.”

 

She really meant what she said, but as soon as Terence heard what she said, his expression immediately hardened. The friendly smile on his lips slowly disappeared, revealing a feeling of dissatisfaction.

 

“…Why do you look bad?”

 

She just praised it as the best date, but why was he suddenly so expressionless?

 

Terence muttered quietly.

 

“I didn’t know there was anything to compare it to.”

 

…what? What did that mean? Did it really sound like she was comparing it to another date? The moment she realized what he meant, he burst out laughing. She smiled and confessed honestly.

 

“This is my first date. Because it’s our first date, it’s the best date.”

 

“I don’t think it’s a very meaningful ranking since there is only one choice.”

 

“So are you disappointed?”

 

Terence looked at her with a slightly dissatisfied look, then smiled lightly.

 

“It’s okay. After the next date ends, this date will be pushed to second place anyway.”

 

Did this mean that he would prepare a better date next time?

 

“You seem confident.”

 

Terence came closer to her with a coy smile on his face. Looking at him from this close, his face felt strangely hot. Was it because of the wine she drank with the meal? She looked up at him and asked.

 

“How was it for you?”

 

Terence opened the coat draped over her shoulders and slowly pulled it towards her. She took a step forward, buried in her thick fur coat. Now she was standing so close to him that her breath was touching.

 

“It was the best date of my life.”

 

“I guess you have a lot of experience to compare.”

 

When she asked sarcastically, Terence just laughed silently. A low, deep sound accompanied by a light laugh sounded in her ears.

 

“Even if I have more experiences in the future, this evening will forever be my best memory.”

 

Sometimes, whenever this man expressed his feelings so honestly, she felt a soft warmth seeping into her heart. She looked at him for a moment and then took a step closer. Before they knew it, they were standing facing each other with about a span of distance between them. A clear, cold wind with the chill of a winter night passed through the garden. At that moment Terence reached out to her. His fingers grabbed her chin and lightly pressed her lower lip. She raised her head and met purple eyes looking at her. Their gazes were intertwined in quiet silence. The remaining distance was slowly decreasing. She carefully closed her eyes the moment he came closer.

 

Their lips slowly overlapped as their warm breaths mixed. It was a sweet and pleasant kiss like candy. At that moment, the cool winter breeze disappeared, and the moonlight illuminating the garden seemed to stop for a moment.

 

* * *

 

Sorel smoothed out the small cloth pouch with his hands. The broken pieces of spice moved around in the bag. Even though he ordered the one with as little scent as possible, the faint scent of wood was spread across his fingertips every time he touched it. A merchant who brought this incense from a distant city said that if he burned it, his scent would diminish as the incense spreads through the air. Sorel secretly sent her maid to her academy to discover her spices, which could have a serious impact on Diane’s illness. She questioned other patients being treated there about the condition, and he was able to find out all sorts of information about the condition. The patient had a relative who was sick, so he naively believed that he was seeking information. She didn’t have any doubts when asked to keep it a secret because he didn’t want to reveal that his relative was sick. Among the scents she found, she chose the one with the weakest scent. It was said that if you breathe in the smoke from burning this, your illness will worsen.

 

Diane secretly used this spice and hid it in the fireplace in the bedroom. Then the symptoms would get worse again for a few days. If anyone found out that she had spices, she would be suspected, but that was okay. All she could say was that she didn’t do it. Because unless there was clear evidence, they wouldn’t be able to prove that she did it. There are more than one or two maids working in her mansion, so it is impossible to accuse the princess without solid evidence.

 

Knock, knock.

 

A frightened voice was heard along with a cautious knock.

 

“Her Royal Highness. There is news from the headquarters of the Knights Templar.”

 

“Come in.”

 

Sorel hid the bag containing the incense in her arms. Her new maid came inside, keeping an eye on Sorel.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

The maid looked at Sorel with an anxious look on her face and informed him of the news she had just received.

 

“Princess, Lord Sheldon sent me a message saying he will be leaving in a moment.”

 

Sorel absently placed her hand where she had kept her spice pouch. She could finally use this.

 

“Tell him I’m leaving now.”

 

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