The Double Life of a Wicked Woman

“My lady, you’re up early.”

It was already high noon, so early, really? How lazy have I been, Elisabeth? Stretching and rising from bed, I heard a hurried knock on the door and tilted my head in confusion.

“My lady, it’s the chamberlain. I think you should see the newspaper urgently…”

“The newspaper?”

At my gesture, Maya opened the door and took the newspaper from the chamberlain’s hands, handing it to me. And on the front page of the newspaper, there was a story about me. Not about Ozburn dancing with the Emperor, but about me dancing with Arahan.

“Witch, Elisabeth Arhelcia. Now she is aiming for the position of Duchess.”

“Saint, Ozburn Luciela, the shameless villain who demanded compensation for her injury.”

“The legendary witch who seduced Duke Arahan.”

“Luciela danced her first dance with His Majesty the Emperor…”

“Ha…!”

I couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh as I recalled the word ‘use’ that Arahan had mentioned yesterday. If a noblewoman danced with someone, there would be gossip. But if someone like me, called a witch and a villain, danced with someone, people would focus more on me than on the Duke dancing. Naturally, the fact that Arahan danced with me would not be because he liked me, but because I seduced him, and he was forced to dance with me.

Since Arahan had never danced with anyone, all eyes were on him, and when the Emperor firmly said, “Arahan, you must dance this time,” Arahan, being a loyal member of the Emperor’s faction and His Majesty’s close friend, couldn’t easily refuse with a simple “I won’t.” So, Arahan used me to comply with the Emperor’s order, deflecting attention from any scandal with another noblewoman and placing the focus on me, the villain, thereby protecting himself.

“Well, that wasn’t a good deal for me at all. Really unfavorable conditions.”

To think that I was used like this just because I sneezed. But sensationalizing Elisabeth was nothing new. The real reason the chamberlain brought me the newspaper in such a hurry, though, was probably because the person involved was none other than Arahan.

“…So what? This kind of thing happens all the time, doesn’t it?”

I handed the newspaper back to the chamberlain nonchalantly and sat down at my vanity, waiting for Maya’s attention. Given Elisabeth’s personality, she wouldn’t fly off the handle over this. In fact, she would probably enjoy seeing herself featured in the newspaper.

She had always enjoyed being the center of attention, so this wasn’t the first time Elisabeth had been featured in the newspaper.

“Of all people, it’s a scandal with Duke Arahan!”

“‘Of all people’? I’m also Anais Vincent’s only granddaughter.”

The emphasis on “of all people” meant that Arahan was the Empire’s only Duke. If we take that meaning, I had a lot to say as well. Elisabeth’s maternal grandfather, Vincent, could have been a Duke but chose not to. Therefore, even though he held the title of Marquis, the imperial family treated his family as though they were on par with the Duke’s family.

In other words, though he wasn’t a Duke, the Vincent family had the honor, wealth, and treatment of a Duke. And Elisabeth, as the only granddaughter of Marquis Vincent, wasn’t someone to be belittled by the term “of all people.”

“…But!”

“The chamberlain can leave now. If my father asks, just tell him I only danced with Duke Arahan.”

“…Yes.”

Once the chamberlain left, I turned to Maya, who seemed unsure of what to do. Having gotten a little more accustomed to Elisabeth’s mannerisms, her way of speaking came out without hesitation.

“I’m going out for a bit. If anyone comes looking for me, unless it’s Grandpa, tell them I’m sick.”

“…Huh?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Should I explain more clearly? If Ozburn Luciela comes, tell them I’m sick.”

“…My lady! What kind of trouble are you planning now!! And telling them to say I’m sick when Lady Luciela comes…!!”

“Why? I’m just teaching the young lady who stepped on my foot a lesson.”

“…Sigh, but my lady, what about the newspaper?… Are you sure you’ll be alright? Maybe you should stay home today…”

“I’ll disguise myself and go out. You can call it a sort of commoner’s game, I suppose?”

In truth, I was trying to return to a life as a commoner. Yes, noble life was just so hard to adjust to.

“Get me some clothes and a wig that men would wear.”

At my absurd request, Maya blinked in surprise for a moment before saying, “Who could possibly change the lady’s mind?” and quickly left the room. She was probably going to get the clothes and wig.

Now that I thought about it, wasn’t the Emperor planning to invite Ozburn to the Imperial Palace soon? I think Elisabeth had once stolen clothes from the tailor Ozburn had ordered from. She then entered the Imperial Palace, wearing the dress, to see Anais. And Ozburn, who had his outfit stolen, ended up wearing the “red” dress Elisabeth had ordered, the one that the Emperor disliked so much.

People’s style really doesn’t change. How could she be so insistent on the red dress? Even though the Emperor hates it, she wouldn’t even consider changing it. Maybe she purposely ordered the dress from the tailor to make Ozburn look bad.

‘While I’m out, I should visit the tailor shop that Ozburn frequents. Going as Elisabeth might not be as favorable, but in this disguise, it might be more helpful.’

Before long, Maya returned with clothes suitable for a servant and placed a short, layered brown wig on my head. Wow. Elisabeth’s beauty really suits everything!

“My lady, this should be fine, right?”

“Yeah, my silver eyes are a little problematic, though… Well, if I wear a hat, it should hide them a bit.”

Elisabeth’s silver eyes were quite charming, but when she was expressionless, they could be intimidating. Even in disguise, they stood out. While the silver hair could be hidden with the wig, there was no way to conceal my near-white eyes. I’d have to wear a hat and pull it low to keep my eyes from showing.

Sigh, of all things, my silver eyes were unique in the Empire. Elisabeth Arhelcia, the villainess, was the only one with such eyes.

“What on earth are you planning to do with all this disguise? I’m really worried…”

“Hm… It’s fine~ I’m just going to look around. As you said, it’s a bit chaotic outside, so I thought it’d be better to disguise myself.”

“Sigh… But you must return before sunset, okay?”

“Got it.”

With Maya’s help, I finished my disguise and slipped out of the mansion, walking through the marketplace. This must be what life in the medieval era looked like, as I’d only seen it in history classes. Noble ladies walked gracefully, carrying parasols, or the carriages sped through the streets without any speed limits, carelessly endangering pedestrians. At this rate, they might end up hitting someone.

Hiiiiing~.

As I continued walking, I heard a sound that clearly came from a carriage suddenly stopping. Turning toward the noise, I saw a stopped carriage, a crying child in front of it, and a woman trying to comfort the child. The nobleman in front of them was furious.

Ah, I had seen this kind of scene before. Should I get involved? This wasn’t in the original story, so I was a little confused. Elisabeth would never care about something like this. She would probably side with the nobleman and punish the child. Of course, I wasn’t Elisabeth right now, but in this disguise… there was really no need to get involved.

Yeah, I didn’t need to intervene. But as I stood there, stunned by the nobleman’s unreasonable behavior, I couldn’t help but run to the child and mother, stepping in between them.

Slap!

The sound of the slap was sharp and painful. My stinging cheek hurt, but what really made me angry was the nobleman’s ridiculous behavior.

“…Ow.”

“What are you doing!? Who do you think you are!?”

I couldn’t say anything, unsure how to respond to the nobleman. As the nobleman raised his hand toward the child, I was reminded of my father, who would hit me whenever he drank. That’s why I hastily moved, but I never imagined I’d be the one to take the hit.

“…!! Are you okay!?”

The child’s mother, shocked, spoke to me, but my aching cheek wasn’t easing up. The nobleman seemed just as furious, his stomach protruding like a mountain, but his narrow heart was far from generous. He began swearing at me right in front of me.

The memories of being beaten as a child were engraved in my mind, like a permanent trauma. No one understood that better than I did. I swallowed hard and started to assess the situation. Okay, it was fine that I took the slap for the child, but now what should I do? Even if I report this to the police, the nobleman would probably get away with it. Sigh, I should at least get the child to safety.

“Hm… It’s fine. Haha, this happens often…”

I gave the child’s mother a signal to take the child down another path, and she bowed her head in gratitude before backing away, trying to comfort the child who was still frightened.

“Looks like you’re a servant, but you dare interfere in my business!? Do you know who I am?”

If only you knew who I am, you’d regret slapping me, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. Not with the man standing in front of me.

His deep black hair was calm and composed. I hadn’t seen his face clearly yet, but I was sure he was handsome. There was something about his aura that screamed, I’m handsome. Though his build didn’t seem particularly imposing, his sharp attire and well-groomed back suggested his usual demeanor and character.

“No… You…!!”

The nobleman, who had seemed so threatening, now took a few steps back, surprised. Who was this person that made him so scared?

“I’ll inform the guards and have them take this man away.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

‘Your Excellency…?’

The title “Your Excellency” is usually used for someone of a rank above Marquis—like a Duke, Grand Duke, or Marquis. But more than that, I feel like I’ve heard that voice somewhere before…?

“Are you alright?”

The mysterious man turned his body to look at me, and as soon as I saw his kind voice and face, I realized.

“No, why are you here again! Minister!”