Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

The territory of Marquis Einhasil faced an emerald-colored sea.

“Wow, how can the sea be that color?”

This was a very prosperous city where trading ships frequently sailed beyond the horizon.

Come to think of it, this was my first time seeing the sea in this life. The white castle of Marquis Einhasil, where cool sea breezes blew, was like a mermaid’s underwater palace.

‘It’s exactly like the scenery described in ‘The Lady of the West.”

Garnett seemed to have similar thoughts, repeatedly telling me it was just like the novel.

We received a grand welcome as we alighted from the carriage.

“Welcome, Your Grace. And Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Damon, whom I was seeing again after a long time, had now fully become Marquis Einhasil.

He greeted Dad and Luka politely with handshakes and waved at me who was behind them.

“We’ve been waiting. I heard you were unwell, was the journey not too difficult?”

“It was a very smooth journey. Thank you for inviting us like this.”

He patted my head, saying I spoke quite maturely.

The servants efficiently carried the luggage, and we were guided to the mansion by an attendant.

The room I was shown to was decorated in a very neat and luxurious style. The walls of white marble engraved with gold patterns gave an exotic feel.

I flopped onto the bed and said to Garnett, who was unpacking:

“The air here is different. Unlike the busy city of the capital, it really feels relaxed.”

“That’s why many nobles from the capital spend their later years here in the west. Former Duke Gasent also spent his remaining years in the west.”

“Hmm…”

Life in a place like this would flow leisurely and relaxedly day by day.

Why, even in ‘The Lady of the West,’ didn’t the female protagonist wake up after the sun was high in the sky and say, ‘I woke up early today’?

‘It would be great to build a villa here.’

If the president’s magical tool business, currently being conducted in the laboratory set up in the mansion’s annex, becomes a great success, a considerable amount of money will fall into my hands.

Dad said he would give me quite a lot of income as a reward for proposing the business plan and bringing in people.

Of course, it seems they’ve encountered difficulties from the stage of refining magic ore, but… I believed in the president.

Let’s live until the day we can build a villa in the west and live a YOLO life.

As I was making another firm resolution, Garnett’s voice was heard.

“Oh my, miss. Did you pack this many handkerchiefs again?”

“Ah… I heard the west is hot, so I brought them to wipe sweat.”

It wasn’t something to say when cool sea breezes were coming in through the window, but I couldn’t think of any other excuse.

“Just pile them up on that side table.”

“Huh? This is…”

Garnett discovered several bottles of potion in the bag. Since it was a week-long trip, I had packed seven bottles plus one extra for emergencies.

“I brought those thinking I’d play harder and more intensely. You need stamina to play, right?”

“That’s right, as expected of you, miss. But what about this?”

Garnett spoke while taking out a bottle full of supplements prescribed by Stein just in case.

“I really want to play intensely.”

A patient’s journey naturally requires a lot of preparation. Garnett, not knowing this fact, organized them with an expression as if trying to gauge how intensely I was planning to enjoy the trip.

After unpacking everything, we left the room and were guided to where lunch had been prepared.

Sitting in the empty chair in front of the table where everyone was already seated, I noticed a woman next to Damon.

The woman with brown hair and blue eyes smiled and greeted me as our eyes met.

“Hello, Lady Rayes. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

The woman introduced herself as Sarah, the daughter of Baron Lechel, a noble from the west.

About the same age as Damon, and sitting at such an intimate distance…

She seemed to be Damon’s lover, who wasn’t yet married. It must be a serious relationship premised on marriage, otherwise he wouldn’t introduce her to Rayes’ guests.

But more importantly, Garnett and I probably thought the same thing:

‘Is she the incarnation of Ella, the protagonist of ‘The Lady of the West’?!’

From her appearance to her personality and way of speaking, everything was the same. Even the setting of being childhood friends with Damon since they were young…

I suspected that this era’s best-selling romance novel might have been written by someone close to her.

“Take a look around the city later. The clock tower, which is a landmark of this area, is really amazing. And since you came during the festival period, you’ll be able to see fireworks at night tomorrow.”

I was very excited by Sarah’s words. Then Dad spoke to Damon:

“Marquis, how was Kesil dealt with?”

My attention focused on the name I hadn’t heard in a long time. He was the one who had poisoned the former Marquis, so he couldn’t possibly be safe.

“There’s a prison for death row inmates deep in the Mazen Forest. It’s a place that hasn’t been used for over 100 years, but bro… no, that person has been imprisoned there.”

Damon hesitated for a moment, as he was used to referring to Kesil as ‘brother.’

The Mazen Forest was a vast forest spread out behind the mansion. The Einhasil Marquisate had the sea in front and the forest behind.

Seeing that Kesil was still alive, it seemed Damon wasn’t the type of character who could easily make the decision to end a life.

However, contrary to what I had thought, Damon continued:

“Since this year is still the mourning period for the former Marquis, we decided to execute my brother next year.”

“That’s the right decision, Marquis.”

The reason he hadn’t killed Kesil yet wasn’t because of any brotherly affection, but simply because the mourning period for the former Marquis hadn’t ended.

As I was wondering about Damon making such a decision when I had thought him weak, my gaze went to Sarah beside him.

Perhaps she had changed Damon to be stronger?

As they conversed, Damon would ask Sarah for her opinion, and Sarah would give advice.

“I heard you’re promoting a land reclamation project below the Kento River. However, will the territory’s people be willing to leave this prosperous city to pioneer the barren land below the river?”

“As you said, Your Grace, I too was worried about that point and while discussing it with Sarah, we came up with a plan.”

When Damon gave Sarah a look, she nodded and said:

“When a new village is built by the pioneers of the Kento River, we plan to grant land use rights to self-employed farmers according to their pioneering efforts.”

Seeing them discuss the western development project plan with Dad, gathering opinions without one side dominating, I thought Damon had found a good match.

‘Maybe because they’re childhood friends, they communicate well and seem very affectionate.’

Looking at the two of them naturally reminded me of Luka.

He would now be having lunch at a place prepared by the imperial faction nobles of the west.

To the imperial factions in each region, the Crown Prince appearing in a situation where they were in hot water due to malicious rumors spread by Jeria would be like a ray of light.

Just as pouring buckets of water when a mansion starts to catch fire, the news that Luka would be taking the final stage of the imperial succession test had somewhat subdued the resentment towards the imperial family that had briefly flared up.

“Ria, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

At that moment, Miller beside me asked.

“Ah, suddenly seeing those two reminded me of Luka and me. They say they’re childhood friends, right?”

At my words, Miller and Drehan’s hands stopped for a moment.

“Seeing them respect each other and get along well despite knowing each other for such a long time, I thought we should learn from them.”

I meant that I should reflect on pinching Luka’s cheeks all the time, even though I had gotten used to it now.

However, Drehan and Miller were unable to speak, their faces somehow struck with shock.

* * *

I got into the carriage leaving the mansion.

Dad and Damon stayed at the mansion to discuss the future management of the Marquisate, and I decided to look around the city with Sarah.

Sarah smiled gently at me as I kept looking out and exclaiming in admiration from the carriage, which Drehan, Miller, and Garnett had also boarded.

“Has Sarah lived here all her life since birth?”

“Yes, I’ve never left the west, so I’m actually longing for the capital.”

“Come to the capital with Damon next time. After you get married!”

At my added words, Sarah’s face flushed slightly as she nodded with a smile.

As I had thought when I first saw her and Damon, they were dating with marriage in mind, and they said they would get married soon.

Since they were already engaged, she said she was currently staying at the Marquis’s mansion.

However, according to Garnett, who had quickly become friends with the maids of the Marquis’s family…

-They’re being ostracized in the west?

-I heard rumors are circulating that the status of the Marquis’s fiancée doesn’t match his background…

She said there would be discrimination against the young engaged couple because there were many old nobles in the west.

Even though it was the Einhasil Marquisate representing the region, I was sick of nobles who judged not only status but even background.

We would be able to know the truth at the party this evening.

The downtown of the Marquisate where we alighted with Sarah was as developed as the capital.

I was walking around sightseeing with my hat pulled down when I let out a pure exclamation at what Sarah pointed out.

“The clock tower…! I’ve become a successful fan!”

“This must be the clock tower where the lady and the baron confirmed their feelings for each other!”

I kept nodding to Garnett, who spoke with a fervent voice, clasping her hands.

A huge clock tower stood majestically with its back to the sea.

They said the bell attached to the top rings three times at midnight, just like in the novel.

They said there would be fireworks tomorrow, and I resolved to come back here with Luka.

I wanted to show this famous place to Luka, who hadn’t returned to the mansion yet.

As we were looking at another famous spot, a beautiful fountain, and walking around with our mouths full of food, it happened.

A gust of wind blew my hat up into the sky.

“Ah, wait…!”

I ran frantically in the direction the hat had flown.

Otherwise, it seemed like it would soon be swept away by the crowd and become unfindable.

Perhaps because it was a city by the sea, the wind was quite strong.

After finally picking up the hat that had fallen to the ground far away, shaking it off, and putting it back on, I tried to retrace my steps.

But…

“Huh?”

Why do all the streets look the same…?