Banished Villainess – Under Observation!

Chloe’s Return

(Chloe is back in the castle now.)

The knowledge of that considerably shook Leddorio to his core. He heard that Chloe passed her time in the convent without any issues, but that the lady had to stay at the church to adjust to her new post as the holy chancellor.

Perhaps it was due to his fixation to that idea that finding the person herself on the balcony that he happened to pass by immediately brought the prince’s feet to a halt. She was dressed in unfamiliar clothes with an overtop robe similar to the one Darck was wearing. It gave a different air of stern compared to that of the royal academy uniform and wore contrary to the lively expression painted on her face.

‘Oh, it’s that wretch!’

It was then that he also noticed Locke standing next to her which made him grind his teeth. The young adventurer returned to the Corundum Kingdom, but he has since then visited the Nansonia Convent to check the two saintesses’ affairs. Not wanting to be found by the two, who now moved from the balcony to sit on the stairs that lead to the floor below, Leddorio found himself hiding behind a pillar to clandestinely make certain of their affairs.

‘Was that really fine? The witch will be worshipped together with the saintess, right? Isn’t that basically being exploited to allow them to get away with everything?’

‘In the world that I came from, we appease spirits that died with resentment by worshiping them as gods. Well, even though her ego did not take over, this is also what she wished for, thinking that it’s about time for her to retire from the role of the villainess.’

Chloe spoke to Locke with calmness in her voice. The ducal lady’s softly flowing black hair had grown longer during the time Leddorio had not seen her. It trapped the prince’s eyes so much that he barely stopped the documents in his arms from being blown by the gentle breeze.

‘What about ‘Chloe?’ Do you feel like forgiving ‘her’ now?’

‘…I wonder about that. Whenever I look back into it, the harassments that ‘Chloe’ did to Momo were truly pointless. None of those would’ve landed her any closer to his highness’ heart anyway. I still hate that side of me, even now.’

The sight of the lady burying herself in her knees gave Leddorio indescribable feelings. Her words made sense to him, but looking back, the lady had always acted as though she had given up on him since her denunciation. It annoyed him somehow for sure, but he doesn’t know if she only abandoned her feelings after remembering the details from a game that differs from their reality.

(She didn’t give up for repentance, did she?)

There is no fault in the feelings she had for him—that’s what the prince had been meaning to tell the ducal lady, but he always finds himself fumbling over his words in thinking how it paints him as though he doesn’t want her to give up her feelings.

Locke gently caressed the hair of the lady who hid her face.

‘Well, how should I put this, she doesn’t mind it at all. I mean the mess she made was more serious anyway. When I last visited her, apparently she even broke the head of the saintess statue and got scolded for it.’

‘What the heck!? Did she do it again!? Why did I even take the fall for her then? Jeez.’

‘Ain’t that right? It did make her better in restoration magic though. Anyway, if she is fine with it, there’s no need for you to worry about it anymore. I’m not gonna say anything about it either anyway.
Although, I’m a little worried that she has to stay there another year for it though.’

‘That’s quite a long time, isn’t it. There are also procedures needed to be taken for her to become the vice-chancellor so it probably includes the preparation time for that too.’

As Chloe was selected to be the Holy Chancellor, Momo was the primary candidate to be her aide, which is a matter of course given that she was chosen as the ‘True Saintess’. However, because she turned into a witch—although temporarily—there was a huge exemption made to that end. It could be said that the royal family’s advocacy for ‘two saintesses’ is working in the right direction.

‘So Momo is doing well right?’

‘Yeah, or rather,’

‘Hmm?’

As Chloe urged Locke, who suddenly found it hard to articulate himself, the man hesitatingly spoke while scratching his head.

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‘She seems to have fallen in love with someone else.

‘Huh? To who!?’

‘…To Director Grace.’

Unexpectedly, to the priest, or so Leddorio thought. The clergyman was now the director of the Nansonia Convent. Momo, who has lost her past-life memories, seems to have fancied the robust parson, more than the gorgeous-looking ‘capture targets.’ Leddorio doesn’t have feelings for the young miss anymore, but that doesn’t prevent him from being surprised.

‘Well, that was quite unexpected but, what’s with that complicated face? Didn’t you say that you would accept whoever she chooses?’

‘I did say that I prioritize her happiness, but not that. Besides, the boss ain’t no good. He is married already and the age difference is too much.’

‘Oh, but the mistress did say that the director was quite popular in his youth. Just let her be, we’re still young. Let us fall in love.’

Locke gazed at Chloe who pleasantly giggled at herself with a look of reproach.

‘You seem pretty amused about it.’

‘Non, not at all. Fufu. Hey, Locke… you told me that not just Momo, you wish for me to be happy too, right?’

‘Well, yeah.’

‘If you keep in believing in me, I might just work towards loving myself. After all, wouldn’t it be quite presumptuous to make him fall for you when you don’t even love yourself?’

‘Yeah… Yeah?’

Chloe’s ambiance took a sudden turn as Lock found himself lost in the conversation. He bewilderedly received the unannounced visit of the lady’s head to his shoulder.

The gentle words that followed were carried by the wind so distinct that they reached Leddorio’s ears very clear.

‘I love you, Locke. My happiness lies wherever you are.’