The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End - Chapter 52

The day after Sophia fell into the sea, The Queen Amiliana arrived at the port of Casals.

Afterwards, Randall told the captains that Sophia had been dropped into the sea by Cedric and that the opera actor McKeel had jumped overboard after her, but he was told that it would be impossible to send a search party into the sea at night.

After reaching the port of Casals, they were told that they could contact Verhund’s army and send out a search party, and indeed Verhund’s army moved as soon as they reached the port – but now, overnight, it seemed hopeless that Sophia was still alive.

After the exchange with Verhund’s forces, Randall returned to the Casals port inn, but could no longer move. His head was blank. He was in a confused state of mind

Kyle’s voice could be heard giving some instructions, while Randall sitting on the couch and holding his forehead down.

Isolte’s crying and the voices of Kyle and Johannes discussing. Everything sounded distant.

How did this happen? Why was Sophia dropped into the sea? What did Cedric have against Sophia?

I don’t know. I don’t know anything – and I don’t want to think about it.

His limbs were trembling, even though he couldn’t think. The sound of his own heartbeat was louder to his ears than the voices around him.

In that dark sea, Sophia……

“What the hell are you doing?”

Randall, who had given up thinking, was hit by a loud bang! and a sudden strong pain on his cheek made him look up.

He looked up to see Orion, his(or her since she is a girl disguising as a man) eyes red and swollen, staring at Randall.

“Sophia has fallen into the sea and you’re sitting there, what are you doing!　If you’ve got time to mourn, go and find Sofia! Don’t be silly! You’re Sophia’s husband! Or what? Are you happy that Sophia is gone? You’ve always been mean to Sophia, haven’t you? Are you happy?　Do you want Sophia to disappear? So you’ll just sit there until Sophia’s death is confirmed…”

“Orion!”

Kyle hurriedly clutched Orion, who was about to grab onto Randall.

“Calm down…Calm down, please. No one, not even Randall, is happy that Sophia is gone. They don’t know what to do. Including me. Anyway, we have to wait for word from Verhund’s army. When we go to the sea, we don’t know where Sophia fell and where she’s wandering. Even if we go there, we’ll still be at a dead end. You know what I mean?

“But…”

“I know it’s hard to just wait. But right now we have to wait.”

“Orion brought down his fist that was raised in the air with no effort. Immediately afterwards, Randall stared petrified at Orion, who clung to Kyle and began to cry loudly.”

I have no choice but to wait

Kyle was right.

But was it was so hard to wait

Kyle takes Orion to the other room. Isolte follows, leaving Randall and Johannes alone in the room.

Johannes offered Randall a towel wet with cold water.

“Master, please cool your cheeks. They are turning red.”

Johannes’ complexion was very pale. He hadn’t slept a wink since the night when Sophia had fallen into the sea.

Randall accepted the towel but stared down at it instead of holding it to his cheek. In the corner of the towel was a small embroidery. This was the towel Sophia had stitched on while she was practising her embroidery. Randall was hardly ever at the Duke’s, but he knew what Sophia was doing through Johannes – because the duke’s servants always talk happily about it. When Sophia arrived, the Dukes of Voltio brightened up.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find your wife.”

Johannes said in a weak voice.

Randall clutched his towel and nodded a small “Oh ……”

On Randall’s behalf, Kyle was present for the interogation of Cedric, a service staff member on the Queen Amiliana.

Kyle was not as calm as Randall, but better than Randall.

Immediately after his capture, Cedric kept his mouth shut and said nothing, but after being handed over to the military in the port of Casals, he changed his attitude when he found out that Sophia was the second princess of Glastona. Cedric had assumed that because he is a Verhund national, he would not be tried under foreign law, but it was a different story when Sophia is a member of Glastona’s royal family. Not only is he guilty of death – hid whole family could be held responsible.

The Verhund forces conducting the interrogation were also turning blue at the prospect of the murder of a princess from another country by their own people – and the ‘murder’ is now being confirmed. “Without a doubt, this is an international issue.”

“I was threatened!” Cedric said loudly.

“Don’t lie to me!” someone from Verhund’s army screamed at him.

Kyle asked quietly, trying to keep his composure as he fought off Cedric’s attempts to unrestrain him. “What do you mean you were threatened?”

Cedric, expecting Kyle to listen to him, began blabbering on as if he had found an ally.

“According to–”

Cedric had committed a petty theft in the port of Avilia in Glastona, apparently on a whim. After gambling with his shipmates, he became lonely and stole a purse from a well-dressed woman.

He was easily caught and was about to be charged with a crime when a woman appeared.

She offered Cedric a deal.

In exchange for his acquittal, she wanted him to fulfil a wish. If he fulfilled her wish, she said, she would let him get away with the crime and pay him a large reward.

Of course, Cedric jumped at it. If he was told that not only would he be absolved of guilt, but he would also be rewarded, how could he not take the offer?

And the woman’s wish was that Sophia should be made dead.

“I didn’t know Lady Sophia was a princess!　If I had known, I would have–*

“It doesn’t matter if the person you’re dealing with is a princess or not, you’re guilty of trying to take one person’s life.’

When Kyle replied in a cold voice, Cedric instantly turned blue.

Kyle quietly approached Cedric, reached for his collar as he was being seized and tightened it mercilessly.

“Tell me. Who asked you to do this? What kind of woman was she? Tell me everything you know.”

Cedric looked up into Kyle’s deep blue eyes, cold as ice, and opened his mouth, quivering and shaking.

“She is blonde – about sixteen or seven.”