This Three-Year-Old Is A Villainess - Chapter 60
***
Back in my room, I glanced at Betty, who was cleaning.
I giggled, and Betty looked a bit bewildered at first but soon joined in my laughter.
“Betty, do yew wike me?”
“Of course! You are my benefactor, a person I admire, and…”
As Betty began to continue praising me, I cut her off with a clap of my hands.
“Thwen, wiw Betty hewp me?” (Then, will Betty help me?)
“Of course. Just tell me what you need.”
“Write something for me.”
“Pwease wite ettew!” (Please write a letter!)
“A letter?”
“Uh-huh. An it’s me and Betty’s secwet.”
At the mention of a secret, Betty’s ears perked up like a rabbit’s.
With eyes wide open, she stared at me, then clutched her cheeks.
“Ahhhh…”
She let out a deep exhale and put both her hands under her chin like a flowerpot.
“I love things like this. Taking on the role of a noble’s confidant, actively participating. Doesn’t it feel like a story from a novel?”
I had expected as much.
“It’s been like this ever since I started inspecting the Young Miss’ food daily for poison.”
“Bwing some papew, Betty.” (Bring some paper, Betty.)
“Yes!”
Betty eagerly fetched a piece of parchment.
I instructed her on what to write while she sat in a chair.
“Compwaint ettew.”
“Com…plaint…letter?”
Betty was surprised, and I chuckled softly.
Yes, I would be writing a complaint letter.
And the one I’ll be reporting is Michelan.
***
A few days later.
The imperial army arrived at the jurisdiction of Daymond within the Astra territory.
With brisk steps, they walked through the garden and grabbed Michelan, who was weeding.
A startled Michelan exclaimed,
“What is the meaning of this!”
“Sinner, Michelan Locke. You are summoned in the name of the Crown Prince!”
“Why would the Crown Prince… What do you mean by ‘sinner’?”
“A complaint has been filed against you for conspiring to commit a crime. You are being transported in the name of Her Highness the Empress Dowager.”
“What?!”
Conspiring to commit a crime? He had never even considered such a thing.
Michelan protested,
“That can’t be true. There must be some misunderstanding…”
However, the imperial knights forced him into a transport carriage.
At that moment, Erylotte came running.
“Mikewan! Mikewan!”
Michelan, who was about to enter the transport carriage, was taken aback when he saw the child.
Erylotte had been particularly attached to him and followed him diligently.
If she tried to stop the imperial knights from taking Michelan away, she’d be branded with the crime of insolence against the crown even before her debut in society. The Empress Dowager would surely intervene.
“Young Miss, I’ll be fine—”
“I wanna go! Impewiaw Pawace!”
“What?”
“Mikewan wanna go to Impewiaw Pawace, wight? This good, wight?” (Michelan wants to go to the Imperial Palace, right? This is good, right?)
Michelan, who was usually reserved, could only stare in disbelief.
‘Don’t tell me, it’s the Young Miss who’s sending me to the Imperial Palace…!’
Of course, he did want to go to the imperial palace.
That way, he could bring back his beloved from the imperial family’s mausoleum from the palace’s forest.
‘But I didn’t think there would be a way…’
How could he possibly dare to think about it.
‘To be accused of conspiracy in order to go to the palace like this…!’
How on earth did the young miss come up with such an idea?
Michelan was so bewildered that he couldn’t say a word.
“Get in there!”
The palace guards forcibly pushed Michelan inside.
From outside through the window the cheerful Erylotte saw Michelan holding his forehead in distress.
The child smiled widely and waved her hands, ‘bye bye!’
.
.
It took three days to reach the palace.
It was thanks to the blessing stone imbued with the [Teleportation] blessing.
Michelan disembarked from the transport carriage.
The palace, grand and magnificent as if built with gold.
The fragrance of incense that the priests burned at noon and midnight in the temple.
‘Ah…’
The imperial palace had remained unchanged.
The passing of time had seemed to stagnate here ever since he last saw her.
Just like Michelan himself.
“Let’s go,” a soldier said.
Michelan obediently followed him.
But something was strange.
The soldier didn’t head straight for the prison but took a different path.
“Please follow me. This is not the way to the palace. This path leads to the forest—”
The forest?
Michelan stared at the soldier in surprise.
The soldier discreetly looked around and whispered.
“I am someone from Astra.”
“Yes?”
“Conrad has ordered it.”
“Conrad, you say…”
Conrad Marshal.
Michelan had heard that name before.
A man who served as the aide to the Duke of Astra and handled information for the Astra Castle.
If Conrad was involved, he could influence the powerful figures within Astra.
“But why?”
The soldier spoke in a hushed tone.
“Conrad ordered me to bring you here.”
“What…”
“I was told to lead you to the Imperial Palace’s forest. I’ll get you out of the palace after your business here.”
Michelan gasped sharply.
“There was only one person who could have instructed Duke Astra’s aide to do such a thing—the same person who knew about his blessing.
‘Young Miss Erylotte—!!’
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
T/N: Shoutout to Msteleo! Thank you so much for the kofi!! (oﾟvﾟ)ノ
