The Villainess Lives Twice

The search party found a suspicious man passing through Embankment 9, and after interrogating him, they found two places where explosives were installed.

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They are now searching the area around Embankment 8.

However, the land was vast, and there was a limit to the manpower that could be used.
In the first place, the West was a place where even military defense had given up protecting the boundary.

Owen couldn’t hide his surprise.

“There really were explosives.”

He followed the orders of the Crown Princess.
He also knew that Artizea was Cedric’s political companion and chief aide.

But he didn’t know that explosives would really be found.

Wasn’t they on the way to find the kidnapped Lysia? Even in Venia’s words, there was no mention of exploding the embankment.

But real explosives were found.
Owen couldn’t help but be amazed.

Artizea said, trying to contain her headache,

“I cannot guarantee that we have found all the explosives on Embankment 9 with certainty.”

In the West, weapons and explosives were easy to obtain.
It was impossible to guarantee that there were only two places where the explosives were installed unless the entire land was dug up and checked.

So they had to search for people.
If they hid the explosives, it means that there would be someone to detonate them.

However, there was no guarantee that the person waiting to detonate the explosives necessarily came from outside.

Lawrence was wealthy.
It was not an asset enough to support a noble family from generation to generation, but turning the life of a peasant family upside down was something that could be done with only the money in his sleeve.

So, it would not be an exaggeration to say that all of the people currently living near the embankment should be suspicious.

It was impossible to interrogate them all.

‘If it were me, I would deliberately deploy a stand out person, and actually use a local.’

It’s a small community, so they’ll keep their mouths shut from military inquiries.
Even if there are relatives who behave somewhat suspiciously, they will cover them up.

That didn’t mean that the traitor wouldn’t come out.

Besides, it wasn’t just the Embankment 9 that was a problem now.
She didn’t even know where Lawrence would start, 6 or 7.

She could never find them all in time.

‘Even now, Brother…….’

Artizea thought several times.
In fact, that thought almost took over her head.

But will killing Lawrence stop it?

Now, Lysia was not the only problem.

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If the preparations had already been made, it was highly likely that the work would continue even if Lawrence died.

And Lawrence would have been in control of all of that, rather than entrusting it to someone else.

Unlike Artizea, he had no interest in controlling intelligence and maintaining the loyalty of his subordinates.

But he wasn’t foolish enough not to know that when it comes to important things he must have complete control.
And he knew how.

The information is very partial, and it is only when all the reports have been gathered that it can be put together and completed.

Artizea used to explain her own thought processes and methods to Lawrence.

At first, she wanted to be recognized.
Later, because she was afraid of his suspicion.

She didn’t expect it to be so troublesome now.

‘Does that mean that you are trying to kill Brother?’

Artizea buried her body deep in the armchair and pressed a finger to her head.

As she became the Saintess, it became possible to use her own life force separately.

But is it possible to kill one person’s life with only a fraction of another’s life?

The great magic to turn back time was rather possible.

Once the magic circle was activated, the magic reversed time and devoured and nourished all the life that lived in that time period.

But human life was equivalent.
That’s why she cut her own ten years off and gave Mielle ten years.

‘Then, would I rather turn back time?’

Before Lysia was arrested? Or, before Lawrence disappeared?

She couldn’t.

Artizea has already failed once.
It’s been like that since she’s been living here.

The reason why so many people’s memories come back was probably because the magic was wrong.

Artizea still didn’t know by what law these things were happening.

The magic was definitely wrong.
She couldn’t risk doing it again unless she knew why.

It wasn’t a problem if she were to disappear.

But even if she goes back to the past, if there were no one to stop Lawrence, the same thing will happen again.

Besides, there was too much to lose politically.

If only one became a variable, the situation would be worse than it is now.

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What if not only she returned, but the memories of Lawrence or the anti-Crown Prince faction also came back? What if the Empress remembers? What if the Emperor’s memories come back?

If the sainthood disappears, will Cedric be crowned Crown Prince? If her own existence disappears, will her memories of what happened once in the past also disappear?

Artizea covered her eyes with her hand.

‘No, it really doesn’t matter that I disappear?’

Artizea thought like that for the first time.
Leticia caught the tail of her intricately tangled thoughts.

She suddenly raised her eyes, and Artizea met eyes with Venia, who was sitting on one side of the room sewing her lapel.

Startled, she got up and turned her gaze away.

Alice asked,

“Can I bring you something hot to drink? How about strong tea with milk and sugar?”

“Strong tea?”

“I learned it from the butler.
Because you like it.”

Alice said cheerfully.

“It’s too much.
It’s late at night, and you’d recommend tea.”

“Even if I tell you to sleep, you won’t listen anyway.”

Artizea pondered for a moment.
But it seemed like she’d rather sleep a little and wake up and it might give her a little bit of a break from her tangled thoughts.

“No.
I’m tired now, so I’d better lie down.”

“Yeah.
Then, I’ll let you go to bed.”

As Alice said so, she glanced at Venia with sullen eyes.
Venia put down her sewing as she hesitated.

Artizea knew that Alice didn’t like Venia.

[“I don’t quite understand.
Shouldn’t you give her a proper reward and send Venia back if she did a good job? Even if you have her, there is no need to keep her right next to you.”]

Alice even said that.

What she said wasn’t wrong.
But Artizea did not explain to Alice why she put Venia close to her.

It was so she wouldn’t forget what she had done in the past.

Artizea thought for a moment.
She didn’t know, perhaps, that the reason she was pushing herself not to forget was because she wanted to forget.

At the beginning of her return, she had no such idea.

From some day on, she became able to hold back her laughter.
It’s probably because her own feelings are about to pop open the lid underneath her heart.

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Artizea was afraid of that.

Alice said that she would go first and make the bedding, and she went out.
Artizea said to Venia.

“You worked hard until so late.
Now go and rest.”

“It’s nothing.
Good night, Madam.”

Venia stood up, and politely greeted Artizea.

Artizea also slowly stood up from her seat.

Then, there was a commotion outside.
The torches stretched through the open window, and the outside was lit in an instant.

“Go and find out what’s going on.”

“Yes.”

A knight guarding the living room answered politely and went out.

But before the knight returned, someone shouted from the outside.

“The Crown Prince has arrived.”

Artizea was startled and froze on the spot.
Far from hearing the news, she didn’t even hear from him.

She thought she would never see him again.

Even when she left the North first, she had thought about the possibility that she would not meet him again.
It was also as she counted the odds of failing while plotting.

When she left this time, she didn’t count the odds of her death.

Because even if the Emperor gave orders to kill her, Cedric would wear the Emperor’s Crown.

It was after everything she could do.
The time to move the boards with conspiracy was already over.

The rest would have to be pushed by Cedric himself and his supporters.

So she had nothing to worry about whether she died or not.

But her own heart was more tormented than before.

She had already had love in her heart before.
So she must feel the same as she was then and now.

Still, it was different this time.
She used to think that she had no time to die because she just knew the joy of being loved, but now it hurts like being whipped.

Her head turned blank.

Artizea thought of running away for a moment.
Of course, it wasn’t specific.
She only thought that she wanted to escape the suffering of the present moment.

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She couldn’t go anywhere and the door opened while she stood tall.

The smell of dust came in.
It was different from the smell of snow and wind in the North.
But Artizea thought the smell was familiar to her.

Cedric stood there with the door open.
Artizea held her breath.

“Because of you.”

Cedric squeezed out a cracked voice without saying hello.

Artizea couldn’t figure out what was going to happen next.

The door closed behind Cedric.
He took off his gloves and threw them on the floor.

It was also familiar.

Artizea remembered the night that had only happened twice.
Her hands and feet were all melted, and she thought of the baby’s wet, soft palms.

But Artizea did not face him, nor did she step backwards.
She stood tall.

He thought the woman here couldn’t be human.

“Why are you here?”

Artizea, she said in an emotionless voice.

“You couldn’t have been in a position to empty the Capital.
Besides, what of the monarch coming to a plague area.”

He was a monarch.
He had to be an emperor on the throne before he was an individual.
He was the cornerstone and he had to be the pillar and the beam, the starting point and the manager of the spinning wheel.

And he himself had to be an instrument serving that purpose.
To do that, he must have been here while being indestructible even if he threw himself into the magic circle.

Cedric outstretched his arms to embrace Artizea.

Between the two of them, there was a gap of two arms

“I came because I deserved it.”

Cedric said softly.

“It was my decision.
Because there was something I had to save.”

Artizea bit her lower lip.

Cedric said,

“Why are you making that face? I am your master, can’t you obey my decision?”

“No.”

Artizea replied that way.
Her hands and feet were cold.