Chapter 28

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Villainess Imprinted with the Male Lead Chapter 35

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“Have you been well?”

Her large eyes crinkled like blooming petals the moment they met his.

It was a fresh, fragrant smile that suited the season when new life was sprouting, but Richt gazed at Deborah with the same impassive expression as if viewing a black-and-white world.

“I told you not to act like you know me. Already forgotten?”

“Pardon? Ah……”

His cold gaze alone was enough, but Richt displayed an even sharper attitude than necessary.

Was it because he detected the clear fondness in her eyes as she looked at him? True to his descent from a race that bonded with only one lifelong mate, he instinctively felt repulsed and grew endlessly colder.

“I-If I offended you, I’m sorry. I just got carried away because I was happy to see you……”

Has something bad happened to him?

He’d always been prickly, but his icy tone stabbed like thorns, treating her like a pebble underfoot.

Tch. A simple nod would suffice, but he always has to respond like that.

His indifferent gaze peeking through his naturally falling black hair seemed to emphasize the distance between them.

She’d persistently approached him and shown her interest all this time, yet how could he remain so steadfastly unmoved?

Deborah stared at Richt, who showed no sign of opening his heart to her, her face falling into a glum expression. But she quickly pulled herself together.

It’s too early to give up! Running into the duke like this today is such a stroke of luck. And I still have more to say, right?

Pumping herself up with determination, Deborah clenched her fists and looked up at Richt with sparkling eyes.

“Um, Your Grace!”

“……”

Richt’s brow furrowed slightly at her refusal to back off despite his warning—in fact, she seemed even more spirited.

“Would you be my honorable partner at the upcoming Spring Festival……?!”

She’d finally said it!

Deborah, who had blurted it out without taking a breath, clutched her pounding chest and trembled.

Her flushed cheeks and tightly shut eyes were adorably endearing, like a girl confessing her first love.

……Why isn’t he answering?

She cautiously peeked through slitted eyes, her purple irises gradually coming into view.

She’d worried he might ignore her and leave, but fortunately, Richt simply watched silently, still standing there.

“Not worth responding to.”

“……!”

Though her heartfelt partner proposal was brutally rejected.

“Wh-Why not?!”

Startled by his curt response, Deborah unwittingly raised her voice.

He doesn’t have to accept, and I figured since he’s the duke, he might flatly refuse……!

But to reject it without even a second’s hesitation……?

Ah! Could it be……?

As she drooped her lips like a dejected puppy, lost in dismay, a sudden possibility flashed through her mind.

Clasping her hands together prayerfully, Deborah asked cautiously in a voice laced with anxiety.

“Have you already promised to go with another partner……”

“Enough.”

Richt’s face hardened the instant she uttered the word “partner.”

“!”

Deborah could only clamp her mouth shut like she’d been silenced. His quietly glaring eyes issued a low warning.

It’d be best not to open her mouth again.

His crimson eyes, devoid of even a speck of mercy, seemed to glare fiercely at her.

Hurt by his colder-than-usual treatment, her puppy-like eyes quickly welled up with tears.

“Ah…… I-I’ve kept you too long, Your Grace. You must be busy…… I’ll be going now.”

Her instincts screamed not to hold Richt any longer.

What’s going on? Why……?

Her heart pounded as if she’d swallowed poison. Deborah bid farewell without knowing what she was even saying and left the scene.

“Miss……!”

As she bit her lip and retraced her steps, her maid, who’d been waiting with a worried face, hurried over.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s head back.”

“……Yes, let’s go quickly.”

Deborah forced a smile for her concerned maid and quickened her pace.

Getting turned down by Richt wasn’t a one-time thing, so why did it never get any easier?

Swipe.

……She’s already gone.

Deborah glanced back just in case, but the tall man with black hair was nowhere to be seen.

Turning her gaze forward again, she mulled over what had just happened with a confused expression.

Did I say something wrong?

She couldn’t pinpoint it, but something felt off.

Even that day, it wasn’t this bad…… His cold gaze, everything feels subtly different.

The last time she’d seen Richt’s face was at the year-end ball a few months ago.

He’d exchanged a few words and shooed her away back then too, but his tone hadn’t been this sharp.

……Something’s wrong.

Feeling uneasy about Richt’s suddenly changed demeanor, Deborah boarded her carriage.

Today was the day Luciana visited his bedroom once a week.

Through their repeated meetings, the two had naturally settled on 11 p.m. as their appointment time.

Still some time left.

Richt, who had finished his work early and was waiting, looked at the invitation that had arrived a few days ago.

A lion symbolizing the empire’s valor, crossed by two swords representing strength and wisdom.

Idris von Odellia. The sender was none other than the Second Princess.

“All elegant words, but it’s no different from a threat to attend.”

Richt clicked his tongue in annoyance after skimming the contents.

Just as winter had the year-end ball and New Year’s gala, the empire—like most nations—traditionally held major social events each season.

As noted at the top of the invitation, the Spring Festival was the highlight of spring, followed by the Founding Festival in summer, and the hunting tournament and thanksgiving ceremony in fall.

The Spring Festival was characterized by its focus on unmarried nobles. Married individuals could attend, but they were barred from direct participation like dancing or voting.

The woman voted as the most beautiful received the title of “Goddess of Spring,” though lately it wasn’t held in as high regard as before.

Still, the allure of being deemed the pinnacle of beauty drew hopefuls.

Most nobles attending the Spring Festival, however, were there to scout marriage prospects befitting their status or to spend sweet time flower-viewing with fiancés on the cusp of matrimony.

After all, wasn’t the enduring vitality of high society rooted in finding suitable partners for successful marriages?

The Spring Festival, held in a gentle outdoor breeze amid colorful blooming flowers, was an event eagerly awaited by those dreaming of romance or calculated alliances.

This unique character—geared toward unmarried nobles—was evident even in its hosting.

While the empress typically oversaw imperial social gatherings, the Spring Festival alone was uniquely managed by an unmarried princess.

Normally, the First Princess would oversee it, but she married an allied kingdom’s king last year.

As a result, preparations naturally fell to the Second Princess.

“Tch.”

Suddenly, Richt recalled an absurd conversation he’d had with Idris in the past and clicked his tongue again.

On a dull ball night like any other, as he planned to make a brief appearance and leave, she’d grabbed him and asked:

“Duke Cassio, there’s a rumor going around high society that you’re impotent. Is it true?”

She’d casually voiced what no other royal would dare utter.

She’s the type to summon people to the palace daily and lap up cheap gossip without discrimination.

As a duke of the realm with some minor private audiences with the Second Princess, Richt was well aware of her un-royal quirks.

Her eagerness for his participation in the Spring Festival she oversaw, and her desire for him—the mere sight of whom stirred commotion—to grace her playground willingly. She’d always loved spectacles, after all.