The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 69

"It's just a coincidence."

"But that coincidence can be easily turned into a deliberate reason."

"…Is Prince Ryan the one planning this?"

I deliberately brought up Ryan's name, knowing that as his confidante, Leticia wouldn’t easily admit to his wrongdoing.

If she was here as Ryan’s agent, all of this could be part of a scheme to intimidate or pressure me.

Leticia, who had been quietly enduring my suspicious gaze, nodded calmly.

"Yes."

…That implied she wasn’t here under Ryan’s orders.

"He will dig deep into this. Along with it, rumors about the magician you’re supposedly harboring will spread."

"…A magician, you say."

"Yes, Prince Ryan said he saw one."

It seems his reaction to Ethan the other day wasn’t just an impulsive act—he had figured out Ethan’s true identity right away.

I pressed my temples, groaning as the impending rumors began to weigh on me, causing a headache.

"After the rumors spread, soldiers from the palace will be dispatched unexpectedly… and there will be an inspection. And the documents they find will likely be falsified."

There was no need to falsify documents. The fact that only the Etwar Marquisate’s mine maintained a steady output while all others decreased would be enough to raise suspicions.

"When the output from all other mines is consistently decreasing, but only the Etwar Marquisate’s mine is unaffected, people will start asking questions. The royal family, the nobles who covet expensive magic stones, even the commoners—they’ll all take notice."

"…"

"And at that time, a hidden mine belonging to the Etwar Marquisate will be ‘discovered.’"

I blinked in surprise.

There was no hidden mine belonging to the Etwar Marquisate, at least none that I was aware of.

But I couldn’t be sure.

Given how few meaningful conversations I’d had with the marquis, how could I know if he had found a new mine or what the family’s internal affairs were like?

Leticia, knowing how distant my relationship with the marquis was, offered further explanation.

"There isn’t actually a hidden mine. But there are plenty of traces across the kingdom where the royal family has searched for new veins."

The royal family wouldn’t have just stood by as the output from the mines dwindled.

They would have sent people to search for new veins.

"They’re determined…."

If they falsified information about a new mine, no matter how cautious the Etwar Marquis was, he wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

It was an issue that didn’t exist suddenly appearing.

"Yes, the royal family and Marquis Ephekl want the downfall of the current Etwar Marquisate and its mines."

I had expected them to scheme, but not on such a grand scale.

'Though they wouldn’t have just sat back and done nothing….'

Given the strained relationship between the marquis and me, it would have taken time for me to fully grasp the situation.

"…So, Leticia."

I stared at Ryan’s confidante, who had just spilled all the plans to me.

"Why are you telling me this?"

She had claimed she couldn’t betray Prince Ryan. Yet here she was, standing before me, revealing all the plans that Ryan and Marquis Ephekl had painstakingly prepared.

Now I knew what was coming and could prepare for it, possibly even turning the tables on Ryan.

I had to be cautious.

She might have come here to act as a double agent, mixing truth with lies to gain my trust, only to betray me again in the end.

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Should I trust her?

Or should I remain skeptical?

"The reason is…."

Once my maid, who had ultimately betrayed me and left, now the leader of the underworld merchant guild, looked at me with the same eyes she had on the day I first welcomed her.

"I think this is an unfair situation for you, Lady Marceau."

"…Prince Ryan saved your life, and he’s always been on your side."

By revealing these plans to me, Leticia was proving how much she cared for Ryan.

"So, what reason do you have to betray him?"

Having been betrayed once before, I was even more cautious. It felt like walking on thin ice.

Leticia nodded quietly at my words.

"I overlooked everything the prince did under the guise of gratitude, and I intended to continue doing so. I believed he was always right."

Her words were in the past tense.

"Until I spent time with you, Lady Marceau."

"…."

"During the year I served you, I experienced countless inner conflicts."

This was unexpected.

"I had to brainwash myself into believing that the prince was always right, even as he ignored my opinions and did as he pleased."

Leticia smiled bitterly, revealing her true feelings.

"But you truly did change, Lady Marceau."

She revealed her thoughts for the first time, not because of Ryan’s orders, but because of her own beliefs.

"…The way you treated me, the time we spent together—it was nothing like the rumors. But Prince Ryan, blinded by his arrogance, refused to acknowledge this."

Until now, I thought Darcy was the only one who had noticed my change.

"And recently, he tried to justify his arrogance by returning to your estate."

"…."

"While planning your downfall, he told me everything was for the sake of justice, that the prince had the right to do this."

The loyal servant who had only ever apologized to me was gone.

"The master I chose to serve isn’t someone like that."

She renounced Ryan.

"I couldn’t just stand by and watch as he made the wrong choices and became corrupted."

Her eyes were filled with firm resolve.

"I intend to stop him."

"…."

"I know you have no reason to trust me. I was once a spy, so it’s only natural that you’d be suspicious. But if you can’t trust me…."

She pointed to herself.

"Please believe in the loyalty I showed when I told you I had nothing else to offer except my apologies the last time we met."

Then Leticia bowed her head.

"Please, help me."

Leticia hadn’t changed. She was still loyal to Ryan, still his person.

That’s why I had no choice but to believe what she told me.

There was no deceit in her eyes when she said she wanted to save Ryan. But it was strange to think she recognized that I had changed.

‘I thought no one had noticed.’

The changes that went unnoticed while I was trying so hard, finally showed results after I had let everything go.

In any case, if I wanted to save the Etwar Marquisate, I had to address this issue.

I wouldn’t let things proceed according to Ryan’s or the royal family’s wishes.

'But I don’t want it to end like this.'

Leticia hadn’t come to me purely to solve this issue for my sake. She was here for Ryan.

Even if I chose to trust her, that fact wouldn’t change.

If I let things go as they were, I’d feel like a pawn in her game, and I didn’t like that.

'So, I need to use her too.'

Most of my bitterness toward Leticia had faded. I didn’t want to take revenge on her.

"Then in return for my help, there’s something I want you to do, Leticia."

I decided to make full use of her abilities as the leader of the underworld merchant guild.

"Be my source of information."

Leticia widened her eyes in surprise before laughing. While she had already shared a lot by revealing Ryan’s plan, she was the one who had come to me with a proposal, and she was the one who had laid all her cards on the table first.

She had willingly handed me the upper hand.

I wasn’t so merciful as to let that go.

"Understood."

She nodded without hesitation.

As I looked at her relieved expression, I thought that perhaps Leticia had considered this possibility from the start.

'…Maybe.'

Perhaps this was her way of offering me a chance to use her, as a form of apology.

Leticia couldn’t stay long. As the leader of the merchant guild, she had many responsibilities, but more importantly, she had to avoid Ryan’s watchful eye.

This meant we couldn’t talk for long.

I also needed time to think about this matter.

After sending her off, I sank into deep thought.

How should I handle this situation? The first person who came to mind was the Etwar Marquis.

‘He needs to know the truth.’

Regardless of our awkward relationship, this was a matter that concerned the survival of the Etwar Marquisate.

However, it felt awkward to relay this information directly, so I decided to pass it on through Darcy later.

It would be more natural for Darcy to convey the news to the marquis.

It didn’t make sense for me to be aware of such information.

If necessary, I could speak to the marquis myself, but I didn’t want to create a situation where we had to face each other.

‘It’s awkward dealing with the marquis.’

I preferred the distance we had now, where we were only aware of each other’s existence.

‘If they want to forge the mine into belonging to the Etwar Marquisate, they’ll need our family’s seal….’

The official seal on all our family’s documents had been passed down in the marquisate for generations.

It was kept securely in a vault to prevent it from being stolen. Made of magic stone, it couldn’t be easily counterfeited….

‘Or could it?’

I groaned as I remembered where the seal was made.