The Villainess Lives Twice

Chapter 249

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Proofreader: somnium

Natalia accepted the invitation the next day and came by herself.

She was well aware that she wasn’t very good at relationships.
It was even more so in politics.

Natalia had guessed that Artizea wasn’t calling her purely for friendship.

Bernat even said this,

[“Reply that you will free up time as much as you can for the sake of the Grand Duchess.
And without seeing anyone today, go tomorrow.”]

[“Then why don’t I go today? Because Her Grace told me to visit today or whenever I have time.
Aside from accompanying Your Highness, my business is only for unimportant things.”

[“It’s okay to go there as if you’ve been waiting, but there’s no need to first meet someone else and give the impression that you’ve postponed the Grand Duchess.”]

[“If it’s going to be a political issue that’s important enough to care about, Your Highness, come with me.”]

Bernat shook his head.

[“That is not very wise either.
If I go, it will be a place of diplomatic significance rather than superficial friendship.”]

[“Really?”]

[“You may be asked to make a political decision on the spot.
Before we can confront the Grand Duchess, we need to gather more information about her.”]

[“If Grand Duchess Evron is an opponent to be so careful with, I might get caught up in it.
What are you going to do if I accidentally make a decision that I shouldn’t do?”]

At Natalia’s words, Bernat smiled and stroked her cheek.

 

[“Don’t do it.”]

[“It doesn’t work out as you please…….”]

[“The only reason was to have tea time for the sake of socializing anyway? Talk about gifts exchanged on the day of the welcome ball, or stories of travel.”]

[“Well…….”]

[“If she urges you to make a decision on something important, push it on me.
Can you do that?”]

[“Yes.”]

Natalia was relieved.

She was not really talented in having a political conversation, considering various proposals or situations and taking into account the subtle nuances and expressions of her words and actions.

So, it would have been nice if she could put it all off to Bernat and come here to drink tea and chat leisurely.

Natalia liked Artizea.

She was a picturesque lady who was idealized in the Kingdom of Iantz because of her soft but upright figure and thin but graceful frame.

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‘I hope to see you again as a good person.’

Natalia thought.

* * *

The Prince’s Palace was quieter than Natalia thought.
By this time, she thought it would be overcrowded with people who want to make an impression with gifts.

 

Most of them were really stopped in front of the main gate.

Natalia’s carriage passed up to the garden.
Hayley and Mielle were out to meet her.

“Welcome, Crown Princess Natalia.”

“Thank you for the hospitality.”

Natalia got off the carriage and greeted them.

Natalia’s lady-in-waiting handed Mielle a small, beautifully wrapped box.
It was a gift.

Hayley and Mielle led Natalia to a terrace facing the open garden.

A large awning made of silk allowed sunlight to pass through.
The birch terrace was dyed with the five colors of light created by the awning.

Artizea, who was sitting at the white table, stood up.

“Welcome, Your Highness Natalia.
It was a sudden invitation, but thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting me.
Star of the Empire.”

“The Star of the Empire is not me, but my daughter.”

Artizea spoke and glanced at her side slightly.

Leticia opened her eyes and looked at Natalia as she was held by Marcus.

Natalia bent her body towards Leticia.
And she smiled brightly.

“Hello, Princess.”

It was an overly rude attitude.
But she was cute, so it didn’t look bad.

Leticia waved her arm toward Natalia.
The stranger looked interesting.

Natalia held out her index finger.
Leticia grabbed her finger and shook it wildly.

“Are you shaking hands? Shake hands.”

Leticia smiled again as Natalia waved her finger.

“She’s a smiley baby.”

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Natalia said as her smile stayed on her face.

“I wanted to show her your face, so I brought her with me.
I hope it wasn’t rude.”

“I am well aware that allowing the Princess to meet is a sign of unparalleled favor.”

It was also a sign of trust.
Natalia was well aware of how anxious it was to have a young baby meet with an outsider.

It would be much more for a baby in a position like Leticia.

Leticia, unaware of the complexities of those around her, smiled innocently and pulled Marcus’ hair back.

Artizea suggested a seat.

“Please sit.”

Refreshments came out soon.
The maids lined the table with plates of sweets and cakes.

Hayley brewed tea.
A teacup of hot water was placed in front of Natalia.

Leticia screamed at her and swung her arms wildly.

“An! Ackk! Nackk!”

“No, baby.”

Marcus hugged Leticia.
Natalia asked,

“Do you want some snacks?”

“Yes.
She likes to eat.
She’s probably going to say snacks before mom or dad.”

Natalia laughed at that answer.

“Ours’ first words were very late, and the first thing they said was hungry.”

“Oh.”

“Your Grace.”

Marcus spoke softly while stopping Leticia.

“She seems bored, so I’ll go for a walk in the garden.”

“Please.”

Leticia groaned as she moved away from the refreshment table.
She was ready to weep.

Half of the escort knights followed him.

Seeing Natalia’s concerned face, Artizea gave a bitter smile.

“It will be fine soon.
She likes to play outside.”

“You need to trim the garden a lot.
It’s only good for adults now.”

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It was a quiet and beautiful garden, but the bushes were too deep for a baby to play.

“Yes, it’s a palace that hasn’t been used for a long time, so I’m cleaning it up little by little from the outside.
We would have to cut down a lot of trees.”

“I wish you could leave that tree behind and then put a swing on it when the pPrincess walks later.”

Natalia pointed to a large tree nearby.

And with a feeling of nostalgia for a moment, she recalled the Royal Palace of Iantz.
She hasn’t been away for less than two months, and already misses her children.

With a smile on her face, she glanced at the garden.
Artizea quietly looked into her gaze.

Hayley pours hot water from the teacup and pours the red tea.

Mielle unpacked the box Natalia had brought in front of Artizea.

Inside was a small pottery the size of a fist.
When the lid was opened, a sweet scent spreads.

There was a soft yellow liquid inside.

Mielle said, savoring the scent.

“I think it has a very good ambergris scent.”

“You know well, Lady Keshore.”

“I think it smells a bit like the sea.
But is this perfume?”

“I don’t even know if it can be used as a perfume or not.”

Natalia answered honestly.

“They said you could use it like this.”

She took the pottery on the table and lightly touched the underside of the lid.
Then a small hole was opened in the lid.

“If you put it in a living room or something like that, it has a very pleasant scent.”

“Once again, the items of the Kingdom of Iantz will be very popular.”

Artizea said with a smile.

On the outside of the pottery, elaborate and beautiful patterns were drawn with lyre and blue flowers.

The image overlapped with silk embroidery, the new work of the Kingdom of Iantz.
It symbolizes wealth.

Besides, spices were very expensive.
Ambergris was more expensive than gold of the same weight even as a raw material.

There was no better way to show off their wealth than to put it in such beautiful pottery and put it in the living room to let the fragrance linger.

Placing it in the parlor of the Imperial Palace, where all the attention of the Empire is now concentrated, would have a very good publicity effect.

‘Prince Bernat is wise.’

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When considering the distance and national power, the Kingdom of Iantz was not something to be wary of.

If it was the Eimmel Kingdom, once national power had been sufficiently accumulated, they would look elsewhere to expand their territory.
It goes without saying that Cadriol was militant.

But it wasn’t the Kingdom of Iantz.
She was well aware that it was far more likely for them to accumulate capital and undermine culture than to wage war.

Bernat was also cautious and competent.

It was not bad for such a person to become the King of an important neighboring country like the Kingdom of Iantz.

It was no longer a problem that he wanted to support Grand Duke Roygar.

Rather, it was better that way.
She can lead the relationship while this side has the upper hand.

A bird chirping was heard somewhere.
A fragrant light scent mixed with the gentle breeze.

The scent of the pottery placed on the table mixed with it and softly colored the air.

Natalia said,

“I wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you?”

Artizea tilted her head.

“You accepted my mother’s headdress.
I don’t think I’ll be able to greet you properly that day.”

Natalia said awkwardly.

“In my own way, I was just trying to get the Grand Duchess to come out of trouble, but I got more help.”

“What do you mean? Like you said, it suited my hair perfectly.”

Artizea answered calmly.
It was because the ornaments themselves were not very important.

The important thing was to show off their friendship in order to balance the Kingdom of Iantz and the Eimmel Kingdom.

But Natalia shook her head.

“The invitations and letters are already piling up.
In the Iantz merchants, which has a branch here, they asked for permission to make products like those ornaments.”

Even if the Kingdom of Iantz was wealthy, not all places were like that.

Natalia’s hometown was a poor place.

At one time, high-quality gems were produced, but now the mineral veins were being depleted.
As the output dwindled, the money dried up in the village.

However, there is a possibility that a new industry will be created there.
This will lead to revival.

In addition, the fashion of the Imperial Capital’s social circle spreads downwards and in all directions.

Gem pebbles aren’t that expensive.
It meant that there was a possibility of making ornaments that could even be sold to common people.

effe’s note:
So Leticia was actually screaming for 까까 which is a Korean baby-word for snacks.
All kinds of snacks, be it cookie, puffs, or anything.
I couldn’t find the english baby-word for snacks? I thought yumyum? But yumyum has a more general sense to everything food-like, instead of general snacks and it sounds very modern lingo.
So ‘ack’ it is, pardon me if that sounds odd >.<