The Villainess turns the Hourglass

Translator: Khan

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

He should be glad that the person he loved was doing well, but it was strangely regrettable. And he was annoyed.

“Your Highness Asterope. A report has arrived that outlines the situation in the south. Shall I let him in?”

“…”

“… Your Highness?”

So he was in no condition to focus on his work at all, even though things were going to explode even if he just slept a little and worked. ‘I’ll have to do it as soon as possible to meet Aria…’ He couldn’t concentrate on his work because of the thought on this and that, so all he had to do was go over the documents at a slower pace than usual.

“… Let him in.”

“Yes.”

It was only a long time after the servant informed the visitor and Asher’s permission fell. Clearly, if he received those documents, it would increase the number of jobs that he could no longer escape, but there was nothing to be done about it.

“You don’t look so good, Your Highness. Is there anything wrong?” Lane who brought the report examined the visibly bad face of Asher and asked.

‘It’s not been so long since you got married but you’ve already had a damned face. You have been madly in love with each other, and you can’t have hated the Crown Princess overnight, and what’s going on?’ As Asher did not answer his question as he furrowed his forehead, Lane let all the servants step back and asked him why,

“I’ll help you if I can. I have to stay in the capital for a while anyway.”

“Really? Then will you go over the documents for me?”

“… Yes? If so, I will.”

As if annoyed more by the answer, Asher threw the pen on the desk. It was because Lane answered that he would, as knew he couldn’t. ‘Does the Crown Princess know the bad temper of the Crown Prince? I’m sure she may not know.’ Lane quietly thought of why Asher was angry.

‘He has been busy all the time but all of a sudden he’s so irritated that he asks me to work instead…’ Lane could reach a conclusion without much thought. It was because he had experienced it several times before.

‘He is dissatisfied with the fact that he’s too busy with work and can’t see the Crown Princess often. In addition, he would have heard rumors that the Crown Princess is doing very well in the Imperial Castle. No matter how high an aristocrat her father is, she is loved by all, even though her mother is a lowborn prostitute. Compared to Isis, who was a candidate for the Crown Princess before Aria, the difference between them is like night and day.’

Nevertheless, all the attention of the empire was on Aria, and he could not help but hear it even if he didn’t want to. So he could find a very appropriate conclusion without having to worry too much.

It was obvious that the disappointment of not meeting Aria and the jealousy of those who would be meeting her on his behalf. It would be a strange feeling for the Crown Prince, who only knew about his work, but that was all he had. In the very familiar state, as he had done, Lane came up with an alternative as usual.

“Do you want me to go and see her?”

“What?”

“I am talking about Her Highness the Crown Princess. I have nothing to do until you go over the report and give me the following instructions anyway. I can pretend I am the flaneur walking around the Imperial Castle because You Highness can’t go.”

“…”

“It wouldn’t be too bad to pretend to be a servant. Not many people know my face.”

‘I’ve already had such a record several times.’ It was nothing new. It was Lane’s responsibility to follow Aria and report on her condition. So, when the Crown Prince had misunderstood Aria as Mielle, he had been the first to know who she was.

“… Report every hour.”

“Yes, sir.”

Eventually, as usual, Asher’s permission fell, and Lane left the office straight away. He hummed, saying, “I should use a trick to relieve his feelings at once.”

* * *

“Oh, my God, aren’t you Mr. Lane?”

“No, I am not Mr. Now just call me Lane.”

Aria welcomed him with delight on Lane she met after a long time. She greeted him with a bright smile as if she were an angel who had come down from heaven.

‘Due to her beauty, there is no wonder for the Crown Prince to be worried.’ Lane gave Aria a smile back, thinking that he understood Asher’s feelings a hundred times.

“I am afraid if I come here for nothing as you are busy.”

As he said, Aria, surrounded by a group of noble ladies, looked really busy. They were all wives of noblemen who were quite high in the position in the empire. Now that the new Crown Princess was crowned, they deserved to come, whether it was a test or a friendship. As Aria tried to introduce him, Lane began to introduce himself more quickly.

“I stopped by the Imperial Castle for a moment on my master’s errand. I’ve known Her Highness the Crown Princess for a long time, so I’ve stopped by to say hello. This is Pino Lane.”

“I see.”

“Somehow I’m used to that name.”

“So am I. Pino… Pino… where did I hear it?”

Aria opened her eyes in a circle at the introduction. She asked him if he was still hiding his identity. It was about time that he would reveal his identity. It was also a question of why he had not yet been identified while he had been actively traveling around the empire.

“By the way, did you hear the rumor?”

“The rumor?”

“Yes. Rumor has it that a new designer is in the spotlight to make a very beautiful and fresh dress.”

“Is there someone like that?”

“Yes. The Crown Princess must know her.”

“Does Her Highness the Crown Princess know this woman?”

‘She knows someone like that.’ Everyone’s eyes were on Aria.

‘When did he hear such rumors?’ It was only a few days ago that she had decided to support and sponsor her. When she had chosen a wedding dress, the designer had said thoughtless words without knowing who she was, and Aria intended that the designer would pay a price for that, but how did he get the news?

Aria, who looked askance at Lane with that look, naturally confirmed Lane’s words with a face that he must have an underhand scheme.

“… Yes. Well… maybe it’s the designer I’ve been eyeing on… I decided to invest in her this time.”

“Oh, my God. If there were such a designer, I wish you had told me before.”

“It’s not too late now. Please go ahead and tell us what kind of designer she is.”

Lane, who brought up a topic that would draw the ladies’ attention at once, naturally went into between them and sat down. He didn’t ask for permission, but it was quite natural.

“She’s still unknown in the capital, but she’s quite a well-known designer in the south.”

In order to hold out among the ladies a little more, Lane began to tell them what he knew. There was nothing much to hide. The designer had been also delighted after she had been invested by Aria, and she had made a boast of herself here and there as she could not hide her joy.

It was not long ago, but there were already a lot of rumors in the south. What she had been favored by Aria meant that she had been recognized for her ability and at the same time she had the opportunity to make her name known throughout the continent. So how could she not brag?

Lane, who thought it was lucky to hear that as he was coming up from the south, gave them the information moderately and took a sip of the tea in front of him. Then he handed over the baton to Aria. Lane did not come here to chat, but he wanted to watch Aria from a little distance and get information from her.

“… She is scheduled to visit the capital later, so I’ll formally introduce her to you then. You may be disappointed because she is still a little inexperienced.”

“That’s not impossible. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“I think so too. The more people who make beautiful things, the better.”

“Yes, I’m so glad that we have a wise Crown Princess who knows a lot of things we don’t know.”

They did not seem to have come for the test, but they seemed genuinely fond of Aria. They could not have hated her because she was the one who had brought them up to this point, who had been quietly oppressed by the Aristocratic Party in the first place.