I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 68

“Yes, the easiest way is to make use of His Highness the Crown Prince. I’m not sure how long his hot and cold temper will last, though.”

Larissa’s kindly blue eyes sparkled. True to her rise from a commoner to securely holding a position as department head, her strategy was utterly ruthless yet undeniably effective.

“The only way to revoke an imperial command is with another imperial command… that’s what you mean.”

“Yes, Ivonne, exactly that.”

Larissa smiled warmly, nodding deeply in approval, as if she found Ivonne truly amazing.

WIth this, Ivonne could now decide how to proceed. Ivonne, who had hidden her identity as an ancient wizard to avoid political exploitation, was now planning to leverage that very politics.

‘But I wonder if His Highness will still grant my request to resign from the tower master position after I rejected his dance invitation?’

She was a bit worried. Yet, she thought it wouldn’t be too late to reconsider after she had her revenge on Blitzen and Celestia and made preparations to leave. Perhaps by then, she might have another bargaining chip with the Crown Prince.

“Thank you, Larissa. I feel much more certain now.”

“There’s no need to thank me. In this tough world, it’s good to be of help. If you ever face any difficulty or need my assistance, feel free to ask anytime. For example… if you need help escaping the attention from the palace servants after rejecting the Crown Prince’s first dance invitation.”

“Oh.”

Larissa might as well have developed telepathy.

“That would indeed be very helpful. I might ask for it sooner than you think.”

“I’m ready even now. By the time you come to work tomorrow morning, everything will be sorted out.”

While Ivonne laughed lightly, Larissa’s face radiated loyalty. As the head of the Department of Industrial Resources, silencing her subordinates about such a matter seemed trivial to her.

‘Ah, how can such confidence be so radiant and reassuring?’

Ivonne vowed to someday return the favor to Larissa.

Although the situation had turned out this way, there were some regrets.

‘If I go to the Southern Magic Tower, I won’t be able to work with Rix anymore.’

But now that they’re living together, they might be able to share dinner or spend weekends together. There’s no need to hide her abilities anymore, so she can use teleportation magic anytime, anywhere.

‘Come to think of it, Rix seemed to be in a bad mood when we talked about relationships with liars earlier…’

Did Ivonne speak too much from her own perspective? Did that make Rix uncomfortable?

‘…What if he thinks I’m being too old-fashioned?’

She was concerned, but even if that was the case, there’s no changing it.

Once someone has betrayed a relationship with a lie, she cannot keep them by her side. This has become Ivonne’s principle after experiencing painful betrayal.

‘I know I shouldn’t impose my principles on others, but that doesn’t mean I can compromise.’

Just don’t lie in the first place. Ivonne thought it was that simple. Of course, she didn’t want the atmosphere of the weekend dinner to be awkward, so she planned to bring something.

Surprisingly, Rix recovered enough in just one day to dance at the palace. It should be fine to have something greasy today.

Ivonne and Larissa walked down the 4th street, known for its shopping. Then, something in a shop window caught her eye.

“Amethyst.”

It was an antique brooch made of purple amethyst. Recalling yesterday’s dance, Rix hadn’t worn even a single piece of ordinary jewelry.

‘Not only that, but he seemed to be quite uncomfortable with anything constricting his neck.’

Thinking back, even on his first day at work, his collar button was undone, and the cravat that all the servants were supposed to wear was nowhere to be seen. Despite being in charge of managing the imperial family’s internal treasury, perhaps due to the relaxed atmosphere fostered by department head Johann, other employees didn’t point this out.

‘No, maybe it was because he was so unnoticeable that they didn’t even realize?’

Although Ivonne constantly felt an odd tension and an imposing presence from him, strangely, others treated Rix as if he was invisible.

As Ivonne quietly thought about Rix’s usual attire, she suddenly realized something.

‘Wait, wasn’t that the same for the Crown Prince?’

The Crown Prince, adorned in breathtaking beauty but with the world’s most indifferent and weary expression, had also approached her to request a dance with his collar undone, as if he couldn’t bear the constriction around his neck.

A sense of unease suddenly washed over her. The Crown Prince and Rix had many similarities: slightly curly black hair, a sturdy jaw, dazzling good looks, and a voice that carried a raw edge…

‘And those purple eyes, too.’

The original story mentioned that the ‘emperor’s mark’ was very rare. However, Ivonne had encountered beings with purple eyes three times: Rix, the Crown Prince, and the fox.

‘…Maybe my mind’s playing tricks on me.’

No matter how rare, just because they shared the same eye color, it was absurd to think they might be the same person.

‘I must be tired from what happened at the party.’