Chapter 7 - The Villainess Needs A Tyrant

Chapter 7 : The Villainess Needs A Tyrant

Now, Maribelle felt like a spectacle at the party.

Tick, tick, tick.

After counting exactly three seconds, Maribelle took her lips from Ethelred’s lips. At the same time, as if time stopped for a moment. (t/n : our reader, please give me your opinion do you want me to use Ethelred, Acelade, Axelade, Esseled or something else since the name in Korean is 에셀레드.)

Kissing the Emperor in the middle of the party. Who knew that she would take on such an unorthodox role? Maribelle retorted to herself.

‘I am the heroine in a drama for the moment.’

She’s the damn female lead of a drama! Thanks to the huge scandal Maribelle just caused, all the attention of the party was on them. Maribelle held her breath along with the crowd.

‘Did it work?’

That was the most important thing.

It was all because of her plan that Maribelle suddenly stole an innocent person’s lips- well she did warn him. What she was planning was the foundation for revenge.

The opportunity to meet the Emperor is not common. Rare, impossible.  Ethelred was hiding even at his birthday party today. What are the chances that he’ll show up at a party again? What is the possibility that Maribelle will talk to Ethelred there? It’s very rare.

The best opportunities can be found in times of crisis.

Maribelle decided to take advantage of this situation in which Ethelred is closest to her and she is even more interested in him. Doesn’t she have information on Ethelred’s quarry? (T/n : Mean something he really want to know.)

But if Maribelle had only planned to “reveal information to Ethelred,” she wouldn’t have had to kiss him.

‘Please, fall for it.’

There is only one reason. Insurance for the social world.

If she blows up a scandal like this, the rumors will take care of themselves. That the Emperor has a hidden lover or that the Emperor is deeply in love and kisses her as if to prove his love in the middle of the party.

‘And there’s Arinel.’

Arinel will be jealous just by watching this scene, and Lorenz will not dare to touch her as the Emperor’s Lady either.

Though it is a very public secret that Arinel loves the Emperor, the fact that Maribelle kissed him, as her older sister, might come back to Maribelle like an arrow. Except for that disadvantage and that wrong information may get Maribelle’s throat cut, it is a very perfect method.

‘Is it time for you to get out of here?’

Maribelle now took her lips away from Ethelred, and the distance between the two was a little narrower than before, leaving only enough gap for a rat tail to pass through. Having succeeded in creating scandals and spilling information safely, it means that it is time to save herself.

Maribelle took a peek at Ethelred and pulled her body back. To be exact, she was attempting to. His arm was wrapped around Maribelle’s waist and she could no longer retreat.

With a narrow gap between them, there was a small voice that seemed to be a threat from a predator, or just from confusion.

“Explain.”

His red eyes were terribly dark. It was too hot to see up close. And the heat was pouring out to Maribelle.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“My sister loves you, Your Majesty.”

Maribelle gave a very good reason. After all, she implied, ‘I’m trying to use Your Majesty as my shield.’ The main reason was that she couldn’t say it blatantly.

‘Even if you get angry, I can’t help it.’

Would it be scary to be dead twice already? Maribelle knew that Ethelred would not kill her easily. Because the information she leaked would be so tempting to him.

‘Will I be tortured?’

How dare you kiss the Emperor? She may be tortured for revealing information because it was not enough to be imprisoned. Maribelle was assuming the worst. Ethelred, who is devoted only to information, may imprison and torture her to reveal the information.

“Is that so?”

The answer in Maribelle’s ear was too naive. Maribelle opened her eyes wide in surprise, and Ethelred’s arm deeply held Maribelle’s waist. Thanks to this, the gap that had been narrow was closed in an instant.

The smile of cruel power. Maribelle was looking at his face. He was more like a statue than a human, his face was not like a human, but his soft touch was very human.

And his human voice whispered.

“Open your mouth. If you’re going to do it, you should do it right.”

Where did the cool look from a while ago go? Ethelred’s face looks as if he is about to swallow her right away. Maribelle turned her eyes explicitly, rather than looking into his deep-seated eyes. At the edge of her vision was Arinel, standing firm.

As originally planned by Maribelle, the drama should have ended at this point, and the actors were to continue their own story behind the scenes. This scandal was just a show-off.

‘Still, this isn’t bad either.’

A kiss for curtain call. It’s okay.

Maribelle put her hand on Ethelred’s cheek with a grim smile. Perhaps this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or an opportunity to push yourself to a cliff’s edge.

Holding the tyrant’s hand was a great danger. It was a double-edged sword to be next to someone who could cut my neck whenever he changed his mind tomorrow morning.

‘I don’t care.’

I won’t die alone. I’m not afraid, because my dear family will be hell first when I fall.

Maribelle looked at Ethelred and gave him the most vicious and rugged smile she could. A smile that suits a bad girl who openly took away the man her sister loves.

You’re not the only one who can growl, Your Majesty.

“Just run away. I’ll bite you.”

Maribelle kissed him deeply, and she was branded a woman of power in one day.

*****

However, reality is garbage.

“I never went there to eavesdrop!”

“A guillotine can also accidentally cut a person.”

“Will you believe me if I cut off my ears?”

“Where will you take your cut-off ears and keep them? There is no trash.”

Maribelle was feeling frustrated after a long time. There is no other reason. It is because of Ethelred, the man in front of her. No matter what she says, he blocks everything, so what can she say?

‘What the hell’s wrong with me?’

As Ethelred laughed after riposting her words skillfully, Maribelle shut her mouth tight. She couldn’t even know if seeing a playful smile like that was reality, or if the figure of weighing people’s lives with a still face like a statue was true.

‘Are you trying to test me?’

That’s a headache. Maribelle pressed her temple. She was now in a situation where she had to pass Ethelred’s test, whether she liked it or not.

Because she was caught by Ethelred so she couldn’t get out of it or put it off.

At the party just a moment ago, Arinel finally burst into tears. Because that was the result she wanted, Maribelle played the lover of the century without batting an eyelid.

Her performance was flawless, from her trembling eyelids after the kiss to her eyes falling in a diagonal line.

Meribelle’s performance came to an end because Ethelred snapped his fingers and called a servant.

– Empty the Calende Palace.

Calende Palace was a palace where all four seasons were beautiful, so the emperor only offered it  to the woman he loved the most. It seems that the empress, or the emperor’s council, often took over the palace, but in reality, only the emperor’s favorite empress used the palace.

In other words, emptying the Calende Palace for Maribelle, who is neither the council nor the empress, is an unconventional move.

‘Now all the roads to marriage must be blocked.’

Maribelle realized her position as the official woman of the Emperor. She didn’t think about getting married anyway, so she didn’t feel sorry about it.

‘Is there a sense of betrayal.’

Maribelle glanced at Lorenz’s complexion. How betrayed would he feel when she burst into a scandal with the Emperor after attending the party saying she would find someone to marry.

Although it was a big divergence from the plan, it’s like a good sister, a good brother-in-law, a ping too, and ball too. Everything was good. (I don’t have any idea what this mean ????)

Everything was perfect except that she had to mortgage her own life for all of that.

Maribelle calmly picked up the tea cup. The scent of the tea was too fragrant. First of all, she was grateful that her neck was still attached to her shoulders. However, Meribelle’s goals did not end there. If she’s going to renew her life she better build it from the ground up.

The tea cup, which was deliberately dropped loudly, drew attention.

“Why don’t you ask?”

“Do I really have to ask? I’m anxious because I can understand it myself.”

She hit the nail on the head. Maribelle shut her mouth in a straight line. That’s because she had nothing to say. Maribelle’s change was so impressive, Ethelred smiled softly and spoke instead.

“It’s curious that you didn’t ask, but I’ll answer you correctly. I can’t help but doubt you.”

“But didn’t I explain my innocence a little while ago?”

“You overheard the conversation by chance. That’s a good excuse for a spy.”

With the sharply twisted smile of Ethelred, Maribelle sighed. He was right. She was quite suspicious. Since the person who overheard a secret conversation offered to give information, it would be natural to accuse them of being a spy.

“It would be better to provide proper information to prove your innocence.”

“If you believe that you know that I’m a spy even if I present the correct information, it would be useless. How do I know if you won’t just take the information and then throw me away?”

This time it was Ethelred who was quiet. He avoided answering. Thanks to this, Maribelle realized that she was half right.

‘I’ll fail if I’m incorrect.’

Rather than preserving her life, it was more important whether Ethelred would keep Maribelle on his side. It was life and death for Maribelle.

Then, it’s better to gamble. Maribelle opened her mouth calmly.

“It’s going to be a hassle to kill me right now. Right after the scandal broke it’s known I’m at Calende Palace.”

“I’m the one that brought you.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

Ethelred’s lips were loosened. Maribelle didn’t have to wait for his answer.

“It must be possible to use me, isn’t that right?”

The negotiations did not continue. That was enough.

“Your Majesty, that’s why you’re looking for the Crown Prince. Isn’t it to root out treason? I’ll give you that lead. I came by myself. If you’re trying to figure out the possibility that I’m only half a spy, it may be hard for you to preserve for a long time.”

It was fortunate that there were only two people in the room. If anyone had listened to Maribelle, they would have pulled a knife first. But the person who heard the words that were close to a rant said:

“A three-inch tongue would be the most useful.”

It looks like that when Ethelred loosens up.