Chapter 23

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Villainess Imprinted with the Male Lead 30

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"!"

What? My bedroom?

One word particularly jumped out at him.

What the hell is this woman talking about?

Richt didn't even notice his ears turning red as his eyes darted about frantically.

「Using the artifact to come and go from the bedroom would let us exchange items without anyone seeing, and it'd save us a ton of time.

Just like how I've been sending a maid to Lordwell Street periodically, you could signal me whenever you want, and I'd visit your bedroom. The artifact has return magic on it too...

You know, like during rut.」

Rut.

It was meant to help him understand, but Luciana had hesitated a bit before writing that word—even the ink was smudged there, unlike the rest of the letters.

"...Ha."

Staring at it, Richt found himself swept up in a strange feeling too.

Was it because it reminded him of that day, buried deep in his mind? Whatever it was, it wasn't welcome.

「By next Wednesday, you should be reading this letter.

If you agree with my idea, send a signal like last time.

Around 11 p.m. would be good, just like before.

If there's no signal by Friday, I'll take it as a no and send the maid back to Lordwell Street instead.

I'll be waiting.」

That was the end of Luciana's proposal.

Richt set the letter down with a thoughtful expression, silent.

"...If it'll save time, there's no reason to refuse."

The reasons differed, but their shared interest in breaking the imprint was still valid.

Saving time wasted on pointless trips might even hasten the completion of his research.

Richt accepted Luciana's idea without much resistance.

His expression, though, was far from pleased.

Rustle.

He picked up the letter he'd tossed back on the desk and reread it from the beginning, scrutinizing every line.

As his scarlet eyes scanned downward diagonally, his brows furrowed more and more.

Luciana Leslie.

By the time he reached the end, where her name was written, Richt was beset by a single question.

'Why isn't there anything about the gemstone?'

"Did she not notice it?"

No way.

Remember, he'd placed the gem right there in plain sight when the box was opened.

If she'd received the package properly, she must have seen it.

"...Ha."

As he mulled it over, Richt suddenly became aware of himself and gripped the armrest hard.

"Ridiculous. Why the hell do I even care about that?"

Whether Luciana was moved by it, found it creepy and threw it in the trash—it had nothing to do with him.

He forcibly yanked his thoughts away from drifting toward his mate again and irritably stood up.

Richt went to the fireplace and burned Luciana's letter right away, leaving no trace.

"Instead of wasting time on nonsense, I should call off those orders."

Leaving the study, Richt headed for the training grounds.

"Captain, what brings you here?"

Spotting Richt, Even stopped checking the knights' form and hurried over.

"Where's Rick?"

"Ah! I'll fetch him right away."

Even dashed into the training grounds and soon returned with Rick in tow.

"Good work. Resume training."

"Yes, sir!"

Richt sent Even back, then quietly called Rick aside to a corner.

"You have something to say?"

"No more trips to Lordwell Street."

"...Pardon?"

Just this morning, he'd been told to go early. Now suddenly no need?

This was the guy who'd always complained about how annoying the errands were.

Before Rick even realized he was disappointed about the mission being canceled, his mouth moved first.

"Why not?"

"What?"

"...! My apologies."

He realized his impertinence and bowed his head hastily.

He was just a loyal knight to his lord—meant to obey orders and nothing more.

'So why...'

He'd always been so devoted, so this slip-up left Rick deeply flustered.

"You look disappointed. Did they smear honey on Lordwell Street or something?"

"N-No... Of course not."

"Anyway, that's all the message. Spread the word. Thanks for handling the runs till now. Dismissed."

"Yes, Captain."

As he watched the duke leave, Rick was lost in other thoughts.

A woman with orange-tinged brown hair dotted with freckles.

Why had that maid's face suddenly popped into his head?

'What a hassle to the end. Well, won't see her again anyway.'

Maybe because it was winter. He felt oddly empty.

'But why'd I say that?'

Why? Such insolence. It wasn't like him at all.

Rick ruffled his hair, reflecting on his weird self today, then returned to his spot.

A week had passed since sending the letter to Richt.

"Almost 11 p.m. now..."

Whether he'd go along with it was anyone's guess, but just in case, she'd packed everything needed and was waiting.

About five minutes later, right on time, the mana stone lit up.

"Was worried he might refuse."

The signal meant Richt had considered her proposal positively.

"First time meeting face-to-face since rut?"

Come to think of it, they hadn't parted on good terms that day either.

What could she do about the male lead's personality? Richt wasn't one to apologize anyway.

"Best to break the imprint quick and bail."

For her mental health, no more wasting emotions on nonsense.

Putting stray thoughts aside, Luciana grabbed the box and miscellany, then channeled mana into the artifact.

Flash!

Arriving in the bedroom, Luciana blinked away a bit of dizziness.

"So this is how we'll communicate from now on?"

"!"

A low, settled voice tickled her ear.

She whipped her head toward the sound. There sat the duke on the bed in his usual shirt attire.

He rose casually and approached her where she stood on the soft rug.

Her outfit was the same as before. White chemise and beige shawl.

"..."

He stared for a moment, then abruptly turned his head away with an inscrutable expression.

'What? Suddenly?'

Luciana had just set the box on a nearby square table and shot him a glance.

'Huh, his face looks...'

Her chick-like eyes lingered on the duke's sharpened jawline.

He'd seemed especially edgy today, and sure enough, Richt had slimmed down a bit these past few weeks.

'Lost some weight. Been busy?'

Makes sense. In the original story, he was never the idle playboy type.

'But why am I even noticing this?'

Luciana cleared her throat lightly and pointed to the box Richt had prepared.

"Didn't request any materials this time."

"I know. Just in case."

He slid the box toward her slightly, then nodded at a Boston bag that clashed with his loungewear.

"What's that?"

"Ah! This..."

Opening it revealed stacks of papers inside.

"Take it for now."

What she handed over was a memo outlining the research plan.

"As for the current progress... I've been experimenting steadily, but the process is long, so solid results will take more time."

"I see."

Richt said little, but Luciana seemed a tad concerned about his reaction.

For solo research, it was impressive progress, but the urgency gnawed at her... and the results felt like circling the same spot like a lost kid.

"Still, we've narrowed the scope a lot! Oh, that's why..."

She pulled a sheet from the box and grabbed the quill she'd brought.

"Now that we've got a rough direction, we need to dive into the details."

"Sounds like it'll be a long talk. Sit first."

"Ah, yes."

Richt pointed to the chair beside him and sat; Luciana followed suit.

"To do that, I have a few questions."