The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen-Chapter 356: Bet (5)

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

After the Crown Prince had left the waiting room, Shartia looked at me with trembling eyes. Her voice accusing, she demanded to know what I had done. I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head.

“It’s fine.”

“What do you think I’m doing? Just climbing the ladder.”

“What?”

“Hm?”

Shartia stared at me as if I’d lost my mind, questioning what I meant by “climbing the ladder” and how I could act so calm after doing something so serious.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“...Of course, you did!”

“Is that so? I don’t think so.”

Shartia glared at me for a moment, then exhaled a sigh of disbelief.

“You made a mistake in front of the Imperial Crown Prince... do you even realize that? You messed up in front of the future Emperor!”

“Yes, I understand. But is that really a problem?”

“A problem? Of course, it’s a problem!”

I smiled slightly as I opened the paper bag the Crown Prince had left behind, taking out the bread inside and taking a bite.

“Hmm...”

Savoring the bread that felt dry in my mouth, I mumbled softly, “He could’ve brought something better.” It was nowhere near as good as the bread Darbav brought.

“This bread isn’t even tasty.”

“Why are you eating it then?!”

“Hmm... because I’m hungry?”

“Ugh...”

Shartia brushed her forehead, looking at me with trembling eyes as if she were trying to figure out what to do in this situation. Really, there was no need for her to think so hard.

Placing the bag of bread on the bench, I shared my honest thoughts with Shartia.

“There’s no need to overthink this.”

“How can you say that...”

“You used to lecture everyone back in student council meetings.”

“That was because I was the student council president...”

“Haha! And I’m just a guard. A temporary one at that, but I’m doing my best.”

“...”

“If an athlete enters the waiting room of another player before a match, isn’t it reasonable to assume something could happen? My duty is to protect the players.”

“...Sigh. I don’t even know what to say to you.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“That wasn’t a compliment!”

The Crown Prince had looked at me with cold eyes as he left, muttering, “We’ll see.” In my experience, people who say “We’ll see” are rarely intimidating.

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Likes: Yuria, respect, power, freedom...

Dislikes: Ricardo, rivals, politics, oppression...

He was so openly disdainful that I was tempted to throw another comment his way, but I held back since Shartia would probably scold me.

Avoiding getting on the future Emperor’s bad side was something I wanted to do.

Shartia wouldn’t know it, but I was aware of a future where she would become the Emperor of the empire. I had foreseen her enduring countless trials and conflicts to reach that throne. How could I not consider aligning myself with her now?

Honestly, I’d tried to avoid getting involved with the royal family up until now. I hated complicated matters.

Getting entangled with royalty would mean fighting until my head hurt, something I wasn’t willing to handle. To me, royalty was simply an entity that took taxes—nothing more, nothing less.

So... I had tried my best not to stir things up... but that word had slipped out.

“Political marriage.”

Hearing that term by chance had irritated me enough to overcome my distaste. Marriage, after all, should be with someone you love. While I was admittedly a romantic, I wasn’t interested in being forced into marriage. I wasn’t petty enough for that.

The Crown Prince, like so many others, had the tendency of being a “double standard” kind of person, where what he did was fine, but what others did wasn’t.

As much as I wanted to avoid getting close to him, perhaps this turn of events was for the better.

In novels, the male lead Crown Prince was always depicted with traits common to tyrannical romance-fantasy heroes. He pretended not to care, but would go crazy if anyone harmed Yuria. His “tyrant mode” kicked in once he became aware of his feelings for her... and this type of character was wildly popular among female readers.

The mage role was Luin. The dependable male lead was Mikhail. And finally, there was the Crown Prince, who could cover for them in any crisis.

With his striking appearance, solid backing, and the “tough guy” mindset of dealing with anyone who hurt “his woman,” he was an ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ undeniably appealing character. If Luin could be seen as a puppy, the Crown Prince took on the seductive, serpent-like role, slowly ensnaring people with his charm.

Judging by these traits, one could find the Crown Prince attractive, but having encountered him in person, I could confidently say there wasn’t a bigger jerk.

I had no reason to be interested in a man who discriminated heavily between men and women, let alone the Crown Prince, who seemed incapable of real effort. Could he even manage the empire properly?

Anyway, Shartia was worried about me, warning me about the kind of person the Crown Prince was.

“You could end up in serious trouble.”

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“Your family could be hurt.”

“I don’t have a family. I’m an orphan.”

“Oh... I’m sorry.”

“If you grant me a title later, I’ll forgive you.”

“Are you crazy...?!”

“I’m serious.”

Seeing the worry in her eyes, I responded playfully, shaking my head. I was genuinely fine.

“Really, it’s fine. He’s not even Emperor yet, so I don’t need to worry about him.”

“That’s why you’re doing this... because he’s going to be Emperor...!”

“He might not be. If it comes to it, I’ll take him on.”

“You must be crazy.”

“Well, since my lady has a dream of world domination, aiming for that isn’t such a bad idea.”

“...?”

“Just kidding.”

I gave Shartia a small smile.

“Do you think I would bow to the Crown Prince?”

“...No.”

“Then do you think I would lose to him?”

“...That too, no.”

“Exactly. Though, I could lose. He is the Crown Prince, after all.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m simply bragging about my connections being stronger than he realizes.”

The Desmonts had no love for the Emperor. That sentiment had only intensified after the incident with my lady.

After what happened to her, the Desmonts wanted nothing more than to crush the royals. Darbav, although politically reserved, might jump at the chance to support the third princess over the Crown Prince, given the right moment.

Backing a ruler who valued coexistence over tyranny would be far more beneficial.

Stretching lazily, I said to Shartia, “In the end, it’s the Crown Prince who’ll have to deal with the consequences, not me. There’s no need for you to worry.”

“W-What...?”

“I’m strong, after all.”

Shartia looked at my cold expression and trembled slightly before letting out a deep sigh.

“You... really are hard to figure out.”

“What can I say? That’s just who I am.”

“...”

I cautiously spoke to Shartia.

“That being said, Princess...”

“W-What?”

“Would you be interested in making a deal with me?”

“A deal...?”

Shartia looked at me with trembling eyes.

“Yes, a deal.”

I whispered to her, my words like the devil’s temptation.

“Would you like to defeat the Crown Prince?”

“...”

“Surely, you’re not thinking of refusing help in the name of a fair fight? After all, the Crown Prince must have brought a royal treasure with him.”

“...”

“I believe in your potential, Princess.”

“...”

“I’ll help you defeat only the Crown Prince. Just the Crown Prince.”

Shartia nodded slightly, swayed by the devil’s whisper.

“The next match will now commence!”

The announcer’s voice echoed through the arena.

“I was with Shartia.”

“Not trying to hide it, I see.”

“She’s not the kind of person I’d make bets on.”

“Well, I wasn’t planning to say anything about it anyway.”

Leaning against the railing, I watched as Shartia and the Crown Prince entered the arena.

The Crown Prince gave me a glare, clearly displeased, to which I responded with a casual smile.

“Boss.”

“Yes?”

“What do you think of the Crown Prince?”

“Suddenly?”

Malik looked around, surprised by the heavy question, not expecting me to bring up politics.

“Are you planning to enter the political scene?”

“No.”

“Well, if you ever do, I’d be willing to back you.”

“No, thank you. I’d rather avoid the headache.”

“A shame.”

Seeing no one around, Malik crossed his arms with a faint smile, and then gave his opinion on the Crown Prince.

“He’s an idiot.”

“Indeed.”

“He can’t do anything on his own and relies solely on his title as Crown Prince, convinced he’s the greatest.”

“...”

“That’s how I feel about him. Honestly, during this Holy Sword tournament, I wanted to say a few words, not just to that green-haired fool, but to the Crown Prince too.”

“...”

“Status stops me from saying anything directly.”

I nodded, agreeing with Malik.

“But rebellion is not an option.”

“I’m not planning one.”

“Good. It’d mess up the family line.”

“...”

“Or... perhaps even throw Hystania...”

Malik trailed off, turning his gaze to the arena where the match was beginning.

The Crown Prince approached Shartia with his sword in hand, while Shartia gathered magic in hers.

“Have you given it much thought?”

Shartia, with a serious look, shook her head.

“My brother, who’s of marrying age, hasn’t wed, so it feels unfair for him to force it on me.”

“Ha, I bet he said something strange.”

“Seems that way.”

Shartia smiled, gathering more magic.

“I’ve received an unexpectedly appealing offer.”

As the Crown Prince’s sword reached Shartia...

“...?”

The Crown Prince opened his eyes in the infirmary, wondering how it had all turned out this way.