Chapter 8

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: The Villainess Imprinted with the Male Lead: Chapter 17

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"Gasp! C-Captain?!"

Just as the commotion was dying down, the atmosphere froze in an instant due to Richt, who had appeared without a sound.

"Hostess? What nonsense are you spouting."

Even in the depths of winter, he had come out wearing only a single shirt, his expression as icy as thin frost on the frigid weather.

"Looks like I've been too lenient lately, and all of you have lost your minds. You even have time to ogle such ridiculous things?"

"W-We apologize, sir!"

Why was that? The moment he was about to step into the training grounds, the word "hostess" made an unwelcome figure pop into his head.

Those sparkling eyes, glimmering like they were drizzled with sweet syrup.

Thump.

The instant he recognized those round eyes, his heart began pounding again.

"...And I'd only just calmed it down."

Richt let out a rough breath upon discovering his body reacting to Luciana once more. His mood was foul from the near-miss of that day's events being exposed and from his unruly condition.

"You'll have to pay for flapping your mouths so carelessly."

"W-Whatever the punishment, we'll gladly accept it!"

Richt silently jerked his chin at them, and the knights stripped off their upper garments on their own and began running laps around the training grounds like their lives depended on it.

While this unexpected hellish training was in full swing...

"C-Captain? What in the world is going on?"

A woman with silver bobbed hair came rushing out, belatedly noticing the uproar.

"Where have you been? Things have gone to hell without you here."

"...I'm sorry."

To be fair, Even had been overseeing the new recruits' sparring as vice-captain, but it was true she hadn't kept the knights in check, so she bowed her head in shame.

Even glared at the knights peeking warily from afar as she awaited Richt's orders.

"I need someone to head out for an external investigation. Three people. They'll have to move discreetly."

"In that case..."

Finally getting to the main point, Richt asked Even's opinion on candidates for the new mission. Though he held the position of captain, Even handled the detailed management of the knights in his place amid his internal and external busyness.

"The first one that comes to mind is Fon. He's cautious, perfect for that kind of job."

"Not a bad choice."

"I'll carefully select the rest and report back."

"Make it quick. Oh, and starting tomorrow, the entire knight order will train at dawn. They seem to have energy to spare, judging by how they're yapping instead of practicing their swordsmanship."

"Yes, Captain. Leave it to me. I'll make sure to warn them properly too."

What on earth did they do to piss off His Excellency?

Even swallowed a sigh aimed at her headache-inducing subordinates as she saw Richt off.

"Hm..."

It had already been a week since Richt had given her the research journal.

Just like the past seven days, Luciana was spending today at her desk as usual.

However, she wasn't immersed in analyzing the research records like before.

Luciana had roughly grasped the research conducted in the old Cassio ducal house over the past week.

The reason she was taking separate time now was to write a reply to Richt before diving into full experiments.

"As expected of old research, it's mostly materials that aren't used much these days. The combinations are lacking too."

For example, vine rotta stems—used in nearly every experiment—were far more effective as juice than dried and powdered.

"With this combination, using petals instead of stems might be better."

Luciana tapped her lips with her pen as she organized her thoughts.

"Since the goal is severing the imprint, it seems they approached it from a mental affinity angle... For the starting phase, I should ask him to procure things more effective than the existing materials."

Luciana began drafting a letter to Richt while looking over the material list she had compiled late into the night before.

"Hm... Leaving it too curt might not do."

Among the materials she was requesting from the duke were some pricey items, making her conscience prick a bit unnecessarily.

"A little courtesy won't hurt. Better to add some pleasantries than feel uneasy."

"Greetings, Your Grace. This is Luciana Leslie.

As full winter sets in and the days grow quite chilly, I hope you've been well.

I've meticulously reviewed the research journal you sent. As it's old research, after all..."

"I'll await your reply... That should about do it?"

After checking for any errors, Luciana sealed the letter with wax and placed it in the box.

Having sat at her desk for days on end lately, her body felt stiff and heavy.

Luciana stretched with a weary face before locking the box meticulously with the key.

Click click.

"Alright, done."

For now, until the materials arrived, she was free?

"Uwaa... I'm so tired."

She had worked hard, so she'd turn in early tonight.

Luciana staggered to her bed and fell asleep immediately, without anyone telling her to.

"Mary, could you head back to Lordwell Street No. 128 without delay again?"

As soon as day broke, Luciana made the same request as before.

When she apologized for making Mary go every week from now on, the spirited maid shrugged it off, saying not to worry and to just leave it to her.

"Here, this is a personal thank-you from me."

"Ah! Can I really accept something this precious...?"

"It's not just for the errand. I was planning to give you a modest gift for the new year anyway, though it's already well past then."

Mary's eyes went wide at the emerald accessory that matched her own eye color perfectly.

The small earrings, seemingly crafted with meticulous care, used high-quality gems that screamed expense at a glance, yet their simple design made them wearable even for a maid like Mary without feeling out of place.

"Miss...!"

Emeralds weren't Luciana's usual gem of choice, so it was clearly prepared specially for Mary. Her eyes were as vibrant a green as summer foliage, after all.

"The miss... prepared this... for me...!"

Realizing this, Mary teared up as if she might throw herself into an embrace right then, gazing at the bashfully smiling Luciana with eyes full of emotion.

"Glad you like it. Then, I'm counting on you. I need to go see off my brother now."

"Don't worry! Just trust in this Mary!"

"Let me know if anything happens."

"Yes!"

Luciana left her fired-up maid behind and walked down the corridor from her bedroom.

"Still, it'll be a whole week before I get a reply."

It'd be nice if someone invented a magic that could just send items directly.

"I know this is the best way to avoid detection by others, but time keeps ticking... and I have no idea when rut might hit."

Of course, she wouldn't be idling until the materials arrived, but waiting still left her uneasy.

"Luci!"

As Luciana bundled her cape tight against the cold wind and stepped out the entrance, she spotted Lorraine in the distance, instructing the servants on various tasks.

With their parents out as well, it looked like they were about to depart.

"Brother!"

Luciana set aside thoughts of research for the moment and ran to Lorraine, whom she wouldn't see for a while.

Whoosh!

Lorraine's eyes softened as he patted Luciana, who had flung herself into his arms.

Like her, he smiled with affection for his family and reluctance at the parting, then teased playfully.

"Luci, you hardly showed your face lately. Always holed up in your room—I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

"That's..."

With no room for excuses, Luciana averted her gaze in lieu of a reply.

She knew it was just banter, but sensing the hidden disappointment made her feel guilty inside.

"I won't see his face for at least a year, after all."

Thinking that, she regretted not spending more time with her brother, only to shake her head again upon recalling the reality that gripped her ankle like a vice.