Secret Love Affair between a Former Saint and a Dark Hero - Chapter 92 - Who is the Villainess?

As she caught their stunned expressions, she offered a sweet smile, then lifted the hem of her skirt slightly in a graceful bow. A gesture refined and elegant — just as the Iora they had so carefully crafted was meant to be.

“I must be off to those oh-so-important Saint lessons now, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take your frustrations out on me over the Crown Prince and Arcanda — things I have nothing to do with. It’d be troublesome if my overworked brain failed and ruined a lesson, wouldn’t it? Especially when Father’s hanging on to his position at the palace by the skin of his teeth, like a good little lapdog. How could a good daughter possibly ignore that? Now, I’ll go study like a dog too, hmm?”

“…”

That shy voice of hers carried not even the faintest trace of defiance, making it all the more bewildering to those who heard it. Iora gave her dumbstruck family a playful wink, then turned on her heel with a flourish.

* * *

The girl laughed like a child.

She was holding a piece of paper, beaming so brightly that those who passed by couldn’t help but wonder — had she perhaps received a love letter from the Crown Prince?

But no. That wasn’t it at all.

“Oh no, what do I do? What do I do! This is too fun!”

The blonde girl was leaning over not a letter, but a thick book. The book’s cover was unlike anything from the Empire — finely crafted, with intricate patterns far too delicate and complex to be native. The color, the texture… it was exotic and unfamiliar.

Its title, written in an unknown language, might have been interpreted by some as:

<The Saint’s Flower>. With reverence, the girl lovingly brushed her hand down the spine of the book.

“It’s truly a perfect world. How could anything be this perfect? Haa…”

She whispered, her voice melting with bliss as she smiled in rapture.

The part she was reading at that very moment had especially captured her heart.

「The villainess’s jealousy was so relentless it became exhausting to witness. But only Saint Arcanda seemed untouched by it. Her petty actions were plain for all to see, yet Arcanda simply smiled shyly and whispered:

‘No, Iora would never do something like that.’

Everyone blamed Iora. When she tore the saint’s dress, when she splashed wine on her, and finally, when she orchestrated her kidnapping!

To the noble girl who had lost even her sense of self to jealousy, no words of condemnation could reach her.

Even Crown Prince Ovid, whom she secretly loved, had shuddered and pleaded.

‘Please, just stop.’

‘I’ll kill them.’

Her burning gaze was fixed on the departing couple.

That curse-like whisper reached Arcanda as well. You still hate me. Even now.

In the brief glance she cast back, Arcanda’s eyes were full of pity and regret for the other girl.

‘I wanted to be friends with you, Iora.’

Whispering the words she could never say aloud, Arcanda leaned against the crown prince who supported her. But she was the saint. She was the crown prince’s fiancée. There was nothing Arcanda could give to Iora, who so desperately longed for what she could never have.

“Do you feel sorry for her, too? Do you think maybe…”

The Crown Prince whispered as he looked down at Arcanda with a gaze full of pity and sympathy.

When Arcanda met his soft gaze directly, her face burned hot.

Suddenly, she remembered what had happened last night with Vigros, and guilt surged through her. As she entered the empty corridor, Arcanda clenched her fist tightly, then acted. She lifted her heel and brushed a kiss against his cheek.

“…!”

“My… my first kiss was with him.”

Though she had kissed Vigros in the heat of the moment the night before, it hadn’t been her intention.

As she shyly lowered her eyes, Arcanda peeked at the Crown Prince, who was staring at her with an intense and fiery gaze. Soon, a hot, passionate kiss enveloped her lips.」

“This is my future. The heroine everyone loves. The beloved Arcanda!”

The girl’s golden eyes gleamed with greed.

It had been several years since she had been reincarnated into this cursed novel world, but she had adapted smoothly, successfully playing the role of the kind and gentle Saint Arcanda.

She had built a friendly rapport with the Crown Prince over numerous encounters, and while she hadn’t met Vigros yet, she had made thorough preparations for their eventual meeting.

With a frantic allure, she vowed to make sure no one saw through her.

‘It’s going so smoothly.’

It was truly an easy world. With just a single glance and a few kind words, anyone would fall for her.

It didn’t matter whether they were young or old. Everyone who looked upon her was utterly mesmerized.