THE VILLAINESS IS A MARIONETTE

CHAPTER 6

“We need to reinvestigate the assassination attempt on the Imperial princess,” Rezef said, untying the strings of his cape.

He looked like his soul had been drained out of him. Rezef turned to his adjutant, Zenon Evans.

“How many times have we orchestrated the downfall of some noble? Choose someone among them with a family to support—someone who would willingly face the guillotine in exchange for money.”

“As you command.”

Zenon Evans thought that Rezef was acting rather strange. The prince often looked tired or irritated after visiting Cayena, but Zenon had never seen him look so dispirited before.

“…Also, place more people around Princess Cayena. Monitor her every movement.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The more Rezef thought about it, the stranger it was.

Rezef had always thought that Cayena was under his control. Could it be that it was the other way around?

He thought not. She wasn’t smart, sensible, nor wise enough to do so.

‘Then, is someone near her giving her advice?’

It could have been Count Hamel, but why would he reveal his own weaknesses to Rezef like this?

Before Zenon left to carry out his order, Rezef called to him again.

“Find me information on Olivia Grace.”

“As you command.”

Zenon left. Rezef’s head was a mess of thoughts, and he ran his hand through his hair.

“What are you really up to, Cayena?”

The emperor was old and sick. He was as good as dead, already. Though he had children born out of wedlock, Rezef and Cayena were his only officially acknowledged children.

The only other person with a claim to the throne was the emperor’s half-brother, Archduke Heinrich.
Ordinarily, Heinrich would have no claim to the throne at all, as he was a bastard child, not recognized by the church. Furthermore, he suffered from an incurable disease, and nobody paid attention to one who only had death in his future.

But suddenly, a young aristocrat appeared, calling himself Heinrich’s son. His name was Yester Heinrich.

After being claimed by the Archduke, Yester quickly positioned the Archduke’s mother to be the empress, and he was thus recognized as a potential legitimate successor to the throne.

People talked, wondering if the emperor’s old age or illness had caused him to act so irrationally. But that hadn’t been the case. It was Yester who manipulated and ruined the emperor by taking control of the family of the emperor’s lover, Catherine Lindbergh.

“To think that he would take her hostage…”

The emperor, instead of leaving Catherine and her family to their doom, legitimized Archduke Heinrich.

“If only I had an army…!”

Rezef felt his anger flare every time he was made helpless by Archduke Heinrich’s so-called family. Family? It was more like a gang.

Rezef had been thinking of using Cayena to send Archduke Heinrich into hell, but the events of today forced him to revise his plan.

Rezef had spent a long time breaking in Cayena. He had slowly tied her hands and feet, made her reliant on him for everything until she couldn’t do anything on her own. He thought he had succeeded, but that was before he talked to her earlier today.