My Fiancee Was the Villainess of This World

48 – Count Cuckoo’s Regret

The use of teleport gates installed in islands is restricted except in special cases.

This is because if the enemy forces rush into the islands through the teleport gate, there is a risk that the imperial castle will be captured at the moment of misfortune.

So, I stated in my recuperation plan that I would get on a wagon and get out of the imperial castle, and use a teleport gate installed at a little distance away.

Because there could be voices of opposition that the crown prince’s health was in danger, he said he would bring Sir Bertrand, who was the commander of the knights, with him.

Nevertheless, my plan was dismissed as the argument that safety was the top priority was raised, and the recuperation period, which was set at two weeks under the assumption that I was riding a carriage, was reduced to ten days.

… Honestly, rather than my safety, the situation where the high-level manpower is away for two weeks is probably not a good thing.

They couldn’t help but be ungrateful bastards who tried to eat the crown prince down to the marrow.

Still, the shortened period is not the only bad thing.

Thanks to that, the number of people following me and Priscilla’s recuperation has drastically decreased.

“hahahaha, I never thought the day would come when I could recuperate in Istria.”

Martin brought only a bundle of unnecessary books to enjoy recuperation.

Clap.

Sir Bertrand, who was the leader of the knights who gave a sense of reassurance like a thousand horses just by holding the scabbard lightly without saying anything.

“Thank you for saving me, Your Highness….”

So-and-so has been implicated in an incident in which the crown prince could have died if he did something wrong, and has lived a life of being hit and run over and over again under investigation.

In addition to that, two servants to help us and three officials from the finance department who accompanied us at my request.

This was a very simple situation for a companion who came along for the crown prince’s recuperation.

“That… Maximilian.”

“What is it?”

Priscilla’s eyes were directed at the people following us, slightly away from us.

Perhaps the people in the finance department want to ask why they brought it.

“They have suffered quite a bit, so I brought them here to take a rest.”

“Ah… Is it like that?”

It’s not a lie.

The tax investigation of the Count Arbest family is more relaxed than the work of the finance department, so you can take it easy.

hahahahaha!

“Here you are, Maximilian.”

As if they had been contacted in advance through the imperial castle, all members of Count Arbest gathered in front of the gate to greet us.

─ Welcome to the Dawn of the Empire!

I, who was called an idiot and received only uncomfortable glances wherever I went to family, finally got to be treated properly.

I never thought that the first step would become your family.

Isn’t the world so unknowable, Count Cuckoo?

Previously, he looked at him with an expression as if he had met Cheolcheon’s enemy, but now he’s bowing his head with a cold sweat on his face.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Count Arbest.”

“No, Dawn of the Empire.”

“Can I take a little rest in the shadow of the Arvest family?”

“Of course. Please come in.”

I set foot in the mansion, guided by the uncomfortable Count Cuckoo.

‘To live in a place worse than a villa in Jedo….’

The mansion of Count Arbest was, of course, larger than the villa in Jedo.

However, the mansion is so worn out and worn out that I don’t know when it was repaired.

I would rather have a villa in the system where I hung up a lot of luxuries like the mansion of a fortune-teller.

It looks like that piglet was really sucking the bone marrow.

“I will guide you to your room.”

Of course, Count Cuckoo tried to show me the room I was staying in first.

“This is the room.”

It’s probably the best room in Count Arbest’s family.

But I am a body that cannot stay here.

“Take me to Priscilla’s room.”

“… Yes?”

“This is Priscilla’s room.”

The Count glanced quickly at Priscilla and me, then looked again at Priscilla’s hand, which had been placed on my arm.

“… Yes, Your Highness.”

Since it was also a rural area, it seemed that the news of the Hwangseong had not reached this far.

Your bewilderment is very amusing, Count.

As I was twitching the corner of my mouth at that thought, I met eyes with Priscilla, who was following the Count next to me.

I don’t know why, but the corners of Priscilla’s mouth twitched just like mine.

Somehow, he seemed elated.

You’ve changed a lot, Priscilla.

When Count Cuckoo first said that he had come to the Viryong Pavilion, he shrank his body with a very complicated expression.

I headed to Priscilla’s room, which the Count had guided me to, and unpacked the luggage I brought from the Bryong Hall.

“Is this your room?”

“… Will it smell like a country corner?”

“The whole mansion is like that, but it would be different here. Never mind.”

“Whoops.”

I don’t know who I was in my previous life, but it was the first time I set foot in a woman’s room.

So I don’t know what the noble lady’s room in this world feels like.

However, at least, I wonder if there is more of a sense of life than this.

Priscilla’s room was close to the feeling of being used only for sleeping.

To the extent that if this room were cut out separately, it would be believed that it was an inn room.

I don’t know if Priscilla has left her mansion for a long time, but even though she’s still less than half a year old, the fact that she’s in this state means that she has few things in the first place.

It was a room that seemed to have more things than this even for a commoner woman, not a noble lady.

“What a plain room.”

As I said that and glanced around her room, Priscilla caressed the side of her hair with a confused look on her face.

“Let’s go, the Count will be waiting for you.”

“Yes.”

It looks like we’ll have to prepare a more intense welcome ceremony than we planned, Count.

Look forward to it.

***

After enjoying the luncheon prepared by the count.

I immediately gave the count a present.

“Are you talking about a tax audit? ?”

“This is advice, not a tax investigation, Count.”

“….”

“Don’t be so wary. Didn’t you come to Biryonggwan before and ask for financial help? I was worried because it wasn’t just one or two pennies. So I brought in experts to give you advice while you are coming to recuperate, so I hope you can receive advice with a comfortable mind.”

As I said that, I took out a check from the bank run by the Trista family.

People who saw the amount written on the check that was taken out of my arms let out a gasping sound.

That’s right, it’s a story that could have been brought out for such a small amount.

The count, taken aback by the bizarre situation, momentarily looked at him with a very disrespectful gaze.

It was an unspoken protest as to why they were trying to dig up the secret they were supposed to carry to the grave.

I gave the Count a sneaky shrug and, with a seemingly casual expression, handed him the check.

The Count looked down at the check in his hand, then at Priscilla, who clung to me with a very complex expression.

“….”

The count’s face was so distorted that it was difficult to describe.

Apparently, in his imagination, the existence of me must be a piece of trash who covets the body of a woman who has not even been married, and tries to break off her marriage by bursting into scandal before becoming emperor.

‘Love-hate is complicated.’

While showing anger close to hostility towards the imperial family, did he put on such a desperate expression the moment he thought that Priscilla would be abandoned by me?

“… I will follow your will.”

From noble mtl dot com

I assigned officials from the Ministry of Finance to the Count.

They are competent.

A little digging through the papers will quickly reveal a bizarre amount of blanks.

It won’t take too long.

Perhaps if you look around, they will come out like candy, and the Count will give up everything and give it up.

Perhaps the conclusion will not be reached before the end of today?

The Count bowed to me and left with the officials of the Ministry of Finance.

It felt like the count’s back as he walked away looked exceptionally small today.

Don’t look like that, Count.

Doesn’t it make me feel like a villain?

To think of it like that, the expressions of those who thought it was an ordinary recuperation and followed it became truly profound.

In particular, Priscilla’s expression was truly miserable.

Priscilla was a pretty quick-witted guy.

You must have noticed a moment ago that the reason I ran amok at the auction house was my father.

It must be a very complicated state of mind.

“Priscilla.”

“Yes, Maximilian.”

“Watch it.”

I also did it because I had a thought.

“Yes.”

Unlike a moment ago, Priscilla’s eyes contained firm faith.

“Will you show me to the drawing room?”

“Yes, Maximilian!”

First of all, I should explain the situation.

I decided to lightly explain the situation in Priscilla’s reception room.

“Count Arvest came to me and asked for money.”

As soon as I spoke plain facts, eyes flew in, as if asking me to tell you the next story.

So I looked at someone and opened my mouth.

“Whatever. How much do you know about the bonds of souls?”

“Yes? Why did the soul bond all of a sudden… Umm, soul binding is a divine magic technique that is usually used to prove blood ties by using the resonance of mana waves. Mana is the power that comes from the soul.”

That’s right.

I know it well because I also looked for related materials after the meeting with Count Arbest.

“How accurate is that?”

“Reliability is quite high. However, variables often arise depending on the situation.”

“What is a variable?”

“It is a variable enough to affect the soul. Umm… In a special situation like your current highness, I wonder if reliability will drop a lot—”

So-and-so, who continued to say that, looked at Priscilla with her eyes wide open as if she noticed something.

When someone reacted so violently, Priscilla and Sir Bertrand seemed to realize why I had suddenly mentioned the bond of souls.

Priscilla had been ordered to keep quiet about the dark mana dwelling in Priscilla’s body, so Martin, who didn’t know anything about it, was the only one who tilted her head.

Yes, in special circumstances, reliability is greatly reduced.

That’s the reason I confidently led Priscilla to this place.

The day I hid Priscilla behind her back in my dream and fought against the monster.

… The black shadow wrapped around the monster’s body was a phenomenon that originated from Priscilla.

Priscilla had awakened two types of mana that day.

I still don’t know if it was originally born with that mana and then awakened, or if it was a scheme planted by the shadow of the end.

However, the important thing is that there were enough variables to affect the binding of the soul.

What if you tried to bind souls at that time?

Maybe everything will go as I thought.

Now all I have to do is wait for the officials from the finance department to bring me evidence to support my idea.

Actually, it’s almost a certain situation, but even if it’s not, it doesn’t matter that much.

There was a great change in the mana that comes from the soul.

If you use Soul Binding in such a situation, the reliability will drop significantly.

So even if Priscilla doesn’t really have a blood relationship with Count Arbest, it’s okay.

Even if my father and I try to bond our souls right now, there will be a response that we are not related by blood, so it is enough to insist on believing in the bond of souls with such ambiguous reliability based on this.

No matter what the outcome is, the clergyman’s obscene behavior can be easily questioned just by grasping the cash flow of Count Arbest.

Yes, it doesn’t matter what the outcome is.

As I was drinking tea with such a mindset, the sunset began to set through the window before I knew it.

And finally, those who had been waiting arrived at the drawing room.

With the information I was waiting for in my hand.

According to the data they brought—

It was six years ago that Count Arbest’s financial situation began to change markedly.