Villainous Lady, The Obsession Begins

“Haha.”

Esadien couldn’t believe he was about to drink something like this, but it was as if the bottle was tempting him, as if it were written “Drink me!” on it. Eventually, he poured the transparent liquid into his mouth, completely ignoring the old woman’s warning.

“However, if you drink more than one drop, don’t forget that there are side effects.”

Nothing could be worse than being rejected by Minuelle, so he thought. With that in mind, he gulped down the transparent liquid without even considering that there might be side effects. And at this moment, the lovesick Third Prince, who had missed his chance at love, thought of Minuelle once again.

‘Minuelle won’t reject this look.’

He truly meant it when he said that he could endure any wounds as long as he was by her side. That’s why even if he had to look like a beast, he had to find Minuelle. 

Esadien didn’t even think about breaking the curse or the side effects that had befallen him. But the path to Karinen’s mansion, where he thought he could find Minuelle even with his eyes closed, was full of obstacles. 

First, he had to escape from the Imperial Palace, which was a problem. Even when he was human, the walls were high, but now that he was a beast, what could he do? It was a stroke of luck when he discovered a hole in the wall after wandering around.

‘Phew…..’

As soon as he stepped outside the palace, Esadien was already exhausted. He was tormented by his empty stomach and sore insides, but all he could think of was seeing Minuelle as soon as possible.

‘This is…. the north gate of the Imperial Palace.’

Esadien knew the direction and ran with all his might.

There were beings watching him in the dark with twinkling eyes.

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Esadien Roquette, the Third Prince, is gone!

Lafesch was intrigued by the news, but simply not being swept away by the rapidly changing situation was burdensome.

Viscount Celeste, whom she had thought who thought was a fool, was not a fool, let alone a good man.

When Lafesch became an imperial maid, didn’t she ask the Crown Princess to arrange a position for her in exchange for being close to him?

As it turns out, the poisoning incident was actually orchestrated by Viscount Celeste.

“When you’re having tea together with the prince next time, I’ll put this in your cup.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. It will only cause a slight stomachache.”

“But why would you do that for just that much…”

“You just need to do as I tell you.”

At that moment, the familiar look of a fool was erased from Viscount’s face.

Although she was forced to do something because of his cold eyes, Lafesch was originally second to none in caring for her body.

To her, Viscount Celeste looked like nothing more than a self-harming abuser or a fortune-telling criminal.

Lafesch gritted her teeth.

‘What’s the point of saying you’ll send me to the Eastern Villa after the coming-of-age ceremony, if you’re just going to die?’

However, even though the threat of self-harm and poison was gone, Lafesch was still not at ease as now the sons who followed in the footsteps of the Viscount were eyeing her hungrily but unable to devour her.

“How many dresses and shoes do you buy every month? Sending you to the villa? Who’s paying for your living expenses? Sell some of your clothes if you have to.”

One guy was a stingy person.

“I remember you laughing when I was embarrassed by father.”

The other one was a mischievous guy.

“Our youngest, if you don’t have a lover, should we get married? Just kidding~”

And the last one was a disgusting pervert.

‘I have to find the Grand Magician and get out of this house quickly.’

However, even that fell through and didn’t work out.

“I already have a disciple.”

There was suddenly an unexpected contender in a position that Lafesch had thought was rightfully hers as a disciple of the Grand Magician. And it was an eye-catching figure, sponsored by Minuelle no less.

It seemed to Lefesch as though the world was enclosed by walls with Minuelle’s name written all over them. 

Esadien, Theodore, the Emperor, and the Crown Princess all fell in love with Minuelle Karinen.

What means did she use to give the title of the first disciple of the Grand Magician to her person now?

‘What the hell is that girl!’

However, there was one positive aspect to Esadien’s disappearance: sympathy for Lafesch began to grow within the social circle.

“You were used in a love fight between the Prince and the youngest Princess of Karinen. It’s so pitiful.”

“Did they call off the engagement?”

“Well, the Prince did not sign the engagement annulment until the end. I don’t know what that means.”

But even though it was a small consolation, Lafesch thought it would be good if her reputation improved even slightly with sympathy.

But it didn’t last very long either.

However, it didn’t last long. One of the reasons was that the class of noble ladies, including the Marchioness of Dione, and the young ladies who had just made their debut in the social world were not happy with Lafesch.

However, the biggest reason was the appearance of the second prince, who stepped on the land of the Preseria Empire after a long time.

Austin Roquette, the unlucky prince who grew up in the enemy country and was hated by his father since he was young.

“Nevertheless, you have grown up wonderfully and now you are the ambassador of Preseria. How great is that?”

Despite the praises from the ignorant people, if anyone knew even a little bit about how venomous he was, they would only smile bitterly. The problem was that there were far more ignorant people than those who knew better.

“Yes, there was another prince!”

Lafesch was one of those people. She heard that Prince Austin said he had no one to meet. That meant there was still a chance for Lafesch.

“You usually propose a contract marriage to someone like him, right?”

All the couples who had contract marriages that Lafesch saw were happy. Moreover, since she didn’t know what kind of person the Second Prince was, keeping her distance through a contract was considered a good idea. 

But the fact that there was a chance didn’t necessarily mean that she would be able to meet the Second Prince. The parties that Austin attended were always crowded, and Lafesch had to turn her steps away while looking at only his back.

“When on earth will you get that chance? What if we run out of money?

“You tend to trust your face too much.”

“Hey, little sister, if that fails, do you want to become the second wife of your brother? Just kidding~.”

Every time, she had to endure the persecution of her brothers, who she didn’t even relate by blood with.

On one such day, when the same thing was repeated, Lafesch just went into the terrace after seeing the surrounded Second Prince.

“What am I living for, chasing after such worldly wealth and glory?”

Lafesch was tired of the banquets and Minuelle. She sighed and leaned on the railing, thinking about how she would have to endure more insults from her brothers tomorrow.

In front, there were lights far beyond the darkness, and behind her, there was the sound of music playing.

The atmosphere inside the bustling party was convoluted, and she was enveloped in a strange mood, one step away from the lively atmosphere. Along with a sigh, tears naturally welled up in her eyes.

“Me too… Me too! I also wanted to live well.”

If you possessed a ropan, you would be living well. I don’t understand why I’m the only exception, why I have to struggle and suffer like this.

She wished she could go back to her original world, where life was much better.

A handkerchief was offered to Lafesch as she cried more and more sadly.

“I felt the same way. Life is so complicated, isn’t it?”

“When did someone start standing by me? Startled, Lafesch turned her head trembling, and discovered an unbelievable person.

“What… Huh? Se- cond…. Prince? Kkeuk!”

Before Lafesch, who was startled, realized it, there was a person standing in front of her. It was no other than the Second Prince, Austin Roquette. Surprised and taken aback, Lafesch let out a gasp, and Austin smiled brightly and put his finger to his lips.

“Enough with the greetings, can you lend me a seat next to you for a moment? There’s no empty terrace, you see. I also want to rest for a bit.”

That was just the beginning.

After that, every time she attended a party, Austin would come to the terrace where Lafesch was.

But whenever she thought about bringing up the topic of contractual marriage, somehow, the topic would shift like a snake slithering over a wall.

What Austin usually brought up was the story of Esadien.

“I heard that the person he often met was Lady Celeste.”

Lafesch became terrified. She had experienced enough interrogation for hours when her father died without even knowing anything.

“Um, I, I did meet him briefly… but that’s all. And before the Third Prince disappeared, him… um… pursued Lady Karinen, right?”

“Yes, I heard about that.”

“Yes. And I heard that Lady Minuelle Karinen left for the northern territories around the time the prince disappeared.”

“The northern territories…”

Through Austin’s fingers covering his mouth, a muffled sound flowed out.

“Did you hide it in your front yard?”

“Pardon?”

“No, I was thinking about something else.”

Lafesch felt a little irritated at the thought of someone having different thoughts in front of her, but considering the appearance of the prince, she could tolerate his arrogance to a certain extent.

Blonde hair that seemed to shine even in the darkness, skin that had been roughened by living in a desert country. His kind-looking green eyes shimmered with a strange charm every time he smiled, and even a tiny teardrop-shaped birthmark, as if made with ink, added to his attractiveness. 

He was a handsome man with a delicate and elegant atmosphere, somewhat different from Esadien’s delicately beautiful and ascetic atmosphere.

“Excuse me, Your Highness…..”

Now it’s time.

When Lafesch was about to bring it up, Austin started talking again.

“Oh, right. I meant to ask Lady Celeste yesterday, but I forgot.”

“….what is it?”

It was simply a moment when Lafesch’s voice contained displeasure.

“Do you know that you have a talent in magic?”

“How, how do you…..?”

“You knew it, too.”

Was Prince Austin also a magician?

It wasn’t unreasonable for Lafesch to think that way, but Austin had simply borrowed the power of tools.

“There is a magical tool that can detect magical power.”

What he took out of his pocket was a women’s pendant. It was in the shape of a leaf and shone brightly even in the dark.

“Oh, it’s beautiful.”

“It’s a family heirloom. It’s now glowing because it’s detecting your magical power.”

“….”

“Because it’s shining this much, it means you have quite a bit of magical power. Why didn’t you learn magic?”

She thought she would become the disciple of the Grand Magician. But since she couldn’t explain the reason why she thought so, Lafesch just made up a suitable excuse.

“I only found out recently. The Grand Magician confirmed it…. confirmed it for me… He said that the admissions for the magic school this year had already finished, so I was considering taking the exam next year.”

“With this level of magical ability, you would have been a prime candidate for becoming the Grand Magician’s disciple.”

“Unfortunately, he just took on a new disciple recently.”

“It seems like the timing didn’t work out… That’s too bad.”

Austin stood with his arms crossed, gazing into the distance, lost in thought for a while. After some time, he seemed to have made up his mind, and he opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Well, Lady Celeste.”

“Ah, yes.”

“If you want, I can recommend someone with great power in the Chitrum. He has been looking for a disciple for a long time…. if you’re interested, I can introduce you.”

Lafesch couldn’t hide her excitement.