BJ Villainess

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘As Long As It’s Not Me’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[So exciting, lol.]

In the distance, the sight of the Squire family’s banner held by a troop of magic knights and Raul, who stands at the forefront with his cape billowing, can be seen. Clouds of dust billowing softly. And the massive noise created by dozens of horses dominated the area. The time left until their arrival here was roughly a minute.

“Hurry up and hide, will you? That person is my father!”

Damian looked at me dumbfounded. “Wasn’t I not your personal escort wizard? So, it’s only natural that I stay with you.”

“That’s!”

If only you knew my father thought that you were the cause of the incident where I, harboring a one-sided love for him, ended up fainting in the rain while preparing for the wedding alone! …I couldn’t possibly explain that.

For now, Damian is hidden behind a large wooden pillar, but he will be seen soon. There was no time, so instead of persuading him, I offered a reward.

“If you hide well, I’ll give you a reward.”

At the mention of a reward, Damian’s eyes lit up. “What kind of reward?”

“I have a lot of money.”

“Ah…”

His reaction was lukewarm.

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Professional Instructor’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[Do you think someone obsessed with you cares about money? Just promise to grant his wish.]

“I’ll grant you whatever you wish for.”

Damian quickly accepted. “Okay. I look forward to it, Madam.”

After watching him disappear like smoke, I hurriedly put the picnic mat into my inventory. Meanwhile, Raul was stopping his horse with a “Whoa, whoa!”

“Father, what brings you he—?”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. Raul, having hurried over, inspected me from head to toe before embracing me with a relieved look. A soft voice offering prayers of thanks could be heard.

So this is how a father reacts upon seeing his child safe after a disaster. I must have caused him to worry. Such countless thoughts passed by, leaving me feeling awkward.

“Were you worried?”

“To call that ‘worried’!”

Raul began scolding me harshly after setting me down.

“You should know well what kind of lunatics the Stigmata are! Those scoundrels targeted His Majesty the Emperor himself this time! Do you think they would leave a princess like you alone?”

“No…? They wouldn’t leave me alone, right…?”

I merely answered his question, but Raul grabbed his neck in frustration.

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Cider Pass’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[Talking back legend lol.]

“If you know that, how can you justify not returning to the capital with the emperor? Your father even petitioned the emperor out of concern and sent the army!”

My goodness. Was that all Raul’s doing?

As I blinked in disbelief, the captain of the knights approached us with a discreet smile. “Due to this agitation, His Majesty summoned the lord to stay at the palace until today.”

“What? Why my father?”

Could it be because of me?

Then, Raul clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively at the captain. “Let’s drop that subject.”

“It’s better if the lady hears about it in advance. The incident has led to rumors that the Squire family, pretending to be the act of Stigmata, attempted to assassinate the emperor but then denied it when things went wrong. That’s why the lord was summoned to the imperial palace.”

Such an absurd story, but given the poor relationship between the Squire family and the imperial family, it was a plausible rumor to everyone else. No. More accurately, it’s more entertaining to think that way.

Raul probably predicted even this. It meant he took an extreme measure to protect me, risking the family’s reputation.

The emperor keeping Raul at the imperial palace was clearly out of spite.

The family was also in a situation where they could not rashly act because Raul was summoned to the palace for an unfavorable reason. I was speechless.

“I’m sorry…”

“Enough. It’s all in the past. What you should apologize to your father for is not taking care of your own safety.”

I scratched my cheek and meekly offered an excuse. “The magical animals are protecting me, so it’s safe. That’s why Stigmata couldn’t approach closely and created a dungeon a bit away from His Majesty’s villa.”

Haha. I laughed awkwardly, trying to calm Raul down, but only received sharp glares.

Just then, magical birds passed majestically overhead. “Look at that. This place might be safer than the capital.”

However, my earnest explanation did not convince him at all. Raul started with, “What are you looking at!” and poured out a full-blown lecture, making my ears ring.

I had to cower and get scolded in front of the knights, making a pitiful face. The knights also awkwardly managed their expressions, pretending not to see this place.

Seeing the situation, the captain of the knights intervened. “As Milady said, this area is densely packed with magical animals and is safe. And thanks to Milady staying here, the nearby residents have been able to focus on their livelihoods with much relief.”

I hadn’t expected the captain to take my side, so I looked at him with surprised eyes. The captain glanced at me and gave me a subtle smile and a wink. The wink from a bearded uncle was unfamiliar, but I could tell he was favorably disposed toward me.

“Doesn’t the lord also know? When dungeons appear, some people abandon the village and leave. But this time, not a single person did that.”

Raul, hearing the captain make a series of valid points, finally exploded in anger. “Are you, by any chance, promised a better position by Theresa?”

“Yes? No, I simply told the truth.”

Raul, despite his sulking, couldn’t hide the twitching of his lips. It seems he was pleased to hear praise about me from the captain.

When the situation finally settled down, Raul suddenly looked behind me. “But weren’t you with someone? I saw something dark.”

“It was a magical animal!”

Raul raised his eyebrows in surprise. “A magical animal?”

“Yes. That is… a cat.”

In my panic, the only animal that came to mind was a cat.

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Damian, My Golden Child’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[Damian would find this hilarious, lol.]

Raul looked at me oddly but let it slide. “Anyway, let’s go home with your father right now. Staying here any longer will only make you a tasty target for Stigmata.”

His concern was valid, but I still had unfinished business.

“I haven’t finished checking all the magic devices yet. And I need to select magical plants to supply to the imperial family.”

“The imperial family?”

I explained the supply rights granted by the emperor to Raul. As he learned more about what happened between me and Euges, his expression grew grimmer, and eventually, he became quite distressed.

“Then all the more reason we need to take you back to the duchy. We need a plan.”

“A plan?”

“A plan before that guy declares he wants to make you the empress.”

I didn’t think there was any need to worry about that…

Seeing my reaction, Raul clicked his tongue. “It would be wise to heed your father’s words. Do you think a man in his prime could keep a woman like you close and still think straight?”

Ding!

[The Constellation ‘Rofan-Addicted Young Lady’ has sponsored 1,000,000 coins.]

[The more powerful they are, the thinner their patience. Those who have gotten their way by just wanting to tend to act on their desires immediately.]

However, in this world, actions are clearly determined by the level of affection. For Euges to entertain the idea of making me empress, he would need more than three red hearts.

“I’ll be careful.”

With things turning out this way, my return was naturally decided. However, I couldn’t leave just yet.

“I still need to entrust the magical animals here. And I need to have a meeting about the safety measures for the staff; that will take some time.”

Hearing my words, a look of surprise flashed in Raul’s eyes, which soon softened into a gentle smile. “Right. Those are the proper measures for a responsible person. I’ll also look around and supplement anything lacking.”

“Thank you.”

I immediately summoned the main managers, including the general manager, Ched, to communicate the situation. We decided to communicate through magical missives for a while, and I also requested the cooperation of the magical animals.

The last place I visited was my personal laboratory, as I had to pack up my belongings. And I needed time to talk to Damian.

As I was putting things into my inventory, Damian appeared as expected. His expression had turned somber compared to before.

“I wish madam would stay here longer, but that would be difficult, right?” His voice was laced with deep regret.

I responded nonchalantly. “If you want that, I’ll try to persuade my father.”

Damian narrowed his eyes slightly, then sulkily replied. “It’s okay. I want a better reward.”

“What do you want? Naturally, I can’t fulfill any unreasonable demands.”

“I won’t make unreasonable demands. But I don’t have time now, so I’ll tell you later.”

After packing my things, I looked at Damian curiously. “Why? We can talk about it on the carriage.”

“…Does that mean I can come with you?”

“Of course, you should come. It would be dangerous if you were left alone and Stigmata attacked.”

Damian chuckled. “I thought it was safe here because of the magical animals.”

“That’s…!”

I couldn’t refute it because I was the one who said that.

“It’s dangerous on the way back to the capital. Your home is in the capital, not here.”

“That may be, but it’s difficult now.”

“Why?”

Damian approached me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and whispered. “I desperately want to be in the same carriage as you, but I really can’t trust myself to behave.”

He leaned in as if to kiss me. “I don’t want to be hated.” By saying this, he meant that if he were in the carriage, he’d do something to make me hate him.

I pushed Damian away and warned him sternly. “Absolutely do not get on. Absolutely not.”

“Your words make me feel sad.”

Damian, looking not at all upset, followed me out and, before saying goodbye, kissed my cheek.

“See you in the capital, Madam.”