The S-Class Hunter Doesn’t Want To Be A Villain Princess

Chapter 18

 

“Oh my goodness, my eyes aren’t mistaken, right?”

“Those two are dancing!”

“Weren’t they enemies?”

 

The Crown Prince Ishir and the shame of the Marchius Family are dancing!

In an instant, the atmosphere at the party became lively. However, there was one person who maintained their silence.

It was Cedin Anshirad. It was then that Cyril approached him.

 

“You’re going to stare a hole in them, Sir Cedin. Do you perhaps have any interest in my sister?”

 

Upon hearing those words, Cedin’s face darkened even more.

Oh, was it a mistake? Cyril quickly tried to rectify his blunder.

 

“It’s a joke, just a joke.”

“…I heard you have reached the highest level of sword expert. Congratulations.”

 

Cedin offered his greetings politely.

 

“Ah, well, it’s not like I did anything, you know.”

“…Yes?”

“Rene didn’t say anything?”

“So, are you saying that the lady raised Master Cedin to the highest level of sword expert?”

“Well… kind of.”

 

Cyril laughed awkwardly and drank the entire bottle of champagne. At that time, people began to flock to him one by one.

 

“Master Cyril! Can we talk for a moment…”

“What do you mean? Young master should come with me first…”

“Come now, just a moment. Could you please stand in line?”

 

Cyril’s complexion turned blue, and he ran away from the approaching crowd. Cedin, who was left alone, looked in Rene’s direction.

 

The secret to raising a sword expert from an intermediate level to the highest level? He had never heard of such a secret.

If it were true, it was understandable that nobles would gather. Not just the nobles, but people from across the continent would undoubtedly come.

It wasn’t that Rene wouldn’t be able to handle it, but… It was true that he was worried.

 

‘It would be a problem if it was a lie, and it would be a problem even if it was true.’

 

How are you going to handle it? He pondered as he wiped the flowing champagne.

 

“Are you enjoying the party?”

 

Rene had been greeting guests from a distance and now returned to Cedin.

 

“My Lady, I… heard about it.”

“Is that so?”

“What’s going on? Is there really such a secret technique?”

 

Rene stepped on a piece of champagne glass that had fallen at Cedin’s feet with her shoe. The shards scattered in all directions, making a cracking sound.

 

“Were you curious about that too?”

 

Somehow, there was something almost mocking in Rene’s question, and Cedin blushed.

 

“You’ll find out from now on if it truly exists.”

 

However, Rene didn’t say this with a hint of mockery. She spoke with a touch of bitterness.

 

“My lady.”

 

Cedin tried to stand next to Rene, but someone beat him to it.

 

“Could you give way today, Lord Anshirad?”

 

Ishir lightly pushed Cedin aside and stood next to Rene. Cedin had no choice but to step back.

 

‘To the lady, rather than just a mere knight… The Crown Prince seems to suit her better,’ Cedin thought.

 

Cedin regretted for the first time that he had refused the title.

Ishir turned to Cedin triumphantly and placed his hand on Rene’s shoulder.

 

“What’s this? You won’t move your hand?”

“It’s for our operation.”

“That’s ridiculous. Remove your hand before I break all five fingers.”

 

Rene, who had suddenly found Ishir standing next to her, frowned but didn’t bother to make a big deal out of it. As he said, it was really time for the operation to begin.

 

‘I’ll put up with it for a little while.’

 

She tapped her champagne glass with a teaspoon, drawing the attention of the people.

However, there was no need for that. From the moment Ishir’s hand rested on Rene’s shoulder, everyone was fixated on the two of them.

 

‘…I hate to admit it, but it works.’

 

Rene casually glared at Ishir, whose hand was casually draped over her shoulder, this son of a bitch, and declared in a soothing voice.

 

“You’ve waited long enough. Now, shall I explain why all of you are here?”

 

And also the reason why I went to such lengths to invite all of you this way.

 

“Perhaps everyone came to congratulate my older brother, Cyril, for achieving the highest level of sword expert. So, I’d like to raise a glass to Cyril first.”

 

Rene winked at Cyril and raised her glass.

Cyril responded with a forced smile, then lowered his head.

 

“Everyone asked me a lot of questions today. Especially about how Cyril managed to ascend from an intermediate to the highest level as a sword expert, two ranks up.”

(T/n: Uhm, I think I made a mistake on the rankings, I’ll rectify it next time. So, it’s supposed to be ‘highest level’ instead of ‘advanced’, considering its two ranks up from intermediate. But I’m not really sure if I translated that correctly, since I didn’t read ahead and the rankings were not mentioned clearly yet.)

 

She glanced briefly at Cyril and Cedin before continuing.

 

“I’ve heard rumors going around that I am the secret behind this technique.”

 

She was actually feeling terrible at the moment. While it was natural for people to prioritize their own interests, could there really be not a single person curious about Lian?

 

‘All this time, they criticized Rene not because they genuinely cared about Lian but because they simply needed someone to blame.’

 

And because Rene was weak, they wanted to trample her in any way they could. She glanced down at the glass shard at her feet. It was like Rene in a way—transparent and beautiful but easily broken.

 

“The rumor is true.”

 

But some things just don’t get simply crushed; they leave behind dangerous remnants like this.

 

“Is that really true?”

“But it can’t be real…”

“It must be a lie!”

 

At her words, the murmuring and commotion among the people began to grow louder. Rene remained silent for a while, enjoying the waves, until someone with a status lower than hers dared to ask her outright.

 

“Well then, why not share that technique with the rest of us?”

“Why should I? What’s in it for me?”

“…!”

 

Her resolute refusal was causing an even greater uproar than before.

 

“I cannot share this secret with just anyone. Isn’t it? It is an opportunity to reach the ‘highest level’?”

“Certainly, if Lady Marchius’ words are true, then I agree that it can’t be shared with anyone. But shouldn’t you at least explain how we can trust you?”

 

According to what she learned from Cyril, reaching the highest level in this world was truly a remarkable achievement. To the extent that it could elevate a commoner to the status of a noble almost instantly.

 

‘But then, why is Cedin still a knight all this time? He’s a sword master, after all.’

‘Originally, the Empire did want to give him the title of a Marquis, but Lord Anshirad chose to remain a knight. A wandering knight, at that.’

‘What? Why?’

 

From Rene’s point of view, she couldn’t understand why Cedin kicked the fortune that rolled in. She, of course, didn’t have a strong desire for honor, but she wouldn’t refuse to give it if offered.

 

‘That I have no idea. You should ask that yourself.’

‘I thought so.’

 

The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Rene did her best to ignore Cedin, who was only focused on her, and she pulled Ishir to stand beside her.

 

“My lady…?”

“His Highness will prove it. That what I said is true.”

 

Silence fell for a moment at those words, but that silence was just the calm before the storm. As soon as someone broke the silence, people swarmed Ishir like a horde.

 

“Your Highness, is this true?”

“So, did Your Highness become a Sword Master thanks to Lady Marchius?”

“What is this secret?”

“Have you seen it yourself?”

 

Ishir skillfully handled them, smiling at each person. Even Rene, who was no novice when it came to dealing with people, marveled at his finesse.

 

“Now, please don’t trouble Your Highness too much and focus on me again. I won’t completely hide the technique. I’m willing to share it with a select few, but there’s a catch.”

 

She paused after saying this. Meeting Ishir’s eyes was a bonus.

 

“A catch…?”

“I will accept only those who are willing to meet my conditions.”

“What are the conditions?”

“The truth.”

 

Rene spoke in a very soft voice, but everyone still heard her words.

 

Truth.

Could there be anything as chilling and frightening as that word? She smiled like the truth itself.

 

“Come to me only if you’re ready to tell the truth. I’ll take care of the rest.”

 

People hesitated, torn between believing Rene’s words or not, and they had no choice but to step back. In the midst of this, there was one person who didn’t miss the opportunity amidst the turmoil.

 

“Oh, Lady Marchius, is this another lie?”

 

The bait got caught.

 

Rene turned her head toward the source of the voice. There was someone she had kept a close eye on all along but had never revealed outwardly.

 

Thalia Cyprus.

 

‘She’s mentioned in the diary five times, and mostly as someone who irritates or provokes Rene. I don’t know what her motives are, but she’s quite clever.’

Rene observed Thalia as she spoke.

 

“She’s all lies, nothing but lies every time she opens her mouth. Isn’t that Lady Marchius’ specialty? Why are you all so easily fooled?”

 

At Talia’s words, the people who had been rushing toward Ishir and Rene began to turn away. It was as if only then did they suddenly remember Rene’s actions up to this point.

 

“I don’t know how Your Highness was fooled by Lady Marchius again, but everyone, please stop being fooled.”

“When did you say I lied, Lady Cyprus?”

“You’ve said you had nothing to do with Lady Lian’s death, but it turns out you were significantly involved, to the point that it’s mentioned in her will.”

 

It was the first time Lian’s name was mentioned at the party. Even the whispers seemed to freeze at the mere mention of her name.

 

“That’s strange. I’ve never said I didn’t.”

“…Yes?”

“You’ve been saying it all along. That it’s me who sent the assassin. Lady Cyprus conveyed my words to others herself, so you should have remembered her. Isn’t that right?”

 

Thalia appeared flustered. It was true that she had conveyed those words.

 

People looked back and forth between the two, their expressions changing from indifference to interest. So far, Rene had been on the receiving end of it all, and it was quite astonishing to see her making a stand this time.

 

“That was in the past, and this time, it has nothing to do with the death…!”

“Did you hear it yourself? Did you hear me claim that with my own mouth, did you?”

“…”

 

Naturally, she didn’t. After Lian’s death, Rene was immediately imprisoned in the underground dungeon. How could she have heard anything?

 

“I’m curious. So when exactly did you hear that? That I claimed that I had nothing to do with Lian’s death?”

 

Of course, she must have heard it before, perhaps when Rene had secretly confessed to Lian that she wasn’t responsible for all those assassination attempts.

 

“…I must have been mistaken.”

“No, it’s not a mistake. The Lady of Cyprus is a very smart person, so she wouldn’t have confused something like that, right? You heard it personally, the moment when I said I had nothing to do with Lian’s death.”

“It was a mistake. I apologize. I must have been a little confused.”

 

Thalia seemed to have regained her composure and spoke firmly. She even graciously apologized to the people around her. Even though it was Rene who should have been apologizing.

 

     [The <Lord of Vile Blood> prepares a blood-soaked blood potion.]

     [The <Monarch of Waves and Healing> says that the boiling water is ready.]

     [The <Emperor of Enticement> suggests using <Beelzebub’s Smile> to make them gain a lot of weight.]

 

“I will accept your apology. Then, please make sure Lady Cyprus can keep your mouth shut so you don’t make any more mistakes.”

 

[Cyril Marchius’ favorability rating increases by 30.]

[Cedin Anshirad’s favorability rating increases by 50.]

[Ishir von Lambdish’s favorability rating increases by 100.]

 

‘What is this again…?’

 

Why did her favorability ratings go up every time she cursed someone?

 

---

 

Rhenae Fang’s thoughts: So sorry for the long wait, I had some rl issues with the added stress from preparing for my quizzes and exams last prelims, so I don’t really have the energy to do my projects, especially this time I’m preparing for another exam for midterms. Thus, I will be updating irregularly, and I won’t be fulfilling my promise of once a week, I don’t even know if I can fill up the delayed updates I owe but let’s see. Again, I’m so sorry.