The Dead Villainess Is Pregnant With The Male Lead's Child (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Along the long corridor, three or four doors lined each side, all seemingly leading to separate waiting rooms.
Veronica entered the third room from the left, guided by an attendant.
As she sat waiting on a plush sofa, a young man with red hair appeared.
At a glance, it was clear he wasn’t someone who’d come to take shoe measurements.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
The man looked Veronica up and down as he spoke.
He was the first person outside the imperial family to address her so informally, leaving Veronica momentarily flustered.
“Are you Thick Owl?”
“That’s right.”
The man’s golden eyes locked directly onto Veronica.
Red hair and golden eyes—his appearance reminded her of someone.
‘Just as I thought, he looks very much like the Empress.’
He was the Empress Sandra’s son from before her marriage, an unfortunate man abandoned at an orphanage immediately after birth.
He had lived his life unaware of his origins until, after the fall of the current imperial house, he discovered that the executed Empress was his biological mother.
In the original story, he would become the hidden mastermind sharpening his blade of vengeance against Killion, who ascended the throne.
‘But at this point in time, he’s just a skilled member of the Information Guild who knows nothing—so it should be fine.’
Veronica removed her wide-brimmed hat with a dark veil and looked straight at the man as she spoke.
“I’m Veronica Boynton, the Princess of this nation.”
“Oh! Now that you mention it, your face does seem familiar—you’re Her Royal Highness the Princess! This is my first time seeing imperial family up close. How fascinating.”
Despite addressing the Princess, the man showed no change in his expression and continued speaking informally.
Since Veronica hadn’t come here expecting grand treatment, she didn’t mind in the slightest.
She widened her eyes and tensed her lips, preparing to say the words she’d been contemplating ever since she’d reincarnated into this world.
“I want to disappear by faking my death—as soon as possible.”
“Her Royal Highness the Princess wants to vanish?”
His golden eyes sparkled with interest.
His deliberation didn’t last long.
“It’ll cost you a fortune, though.”
“I plan to gradually sell off my jewelry. Here’s what I’ve brought for today.”
Veronica took a small box from her handbag and handed it to him.
Inside were a necklace and earrings set with green diamonds—just one among the many accessories she owned.
“I’d prefer you avoid selling them within the country. I don’t want to get caught.”
“What do you take me for?”
The man closed the box with a smirk.
“Fine. I’ll make Her Royal Highness the Princess vanish without a trace from this empire. A grand deception against the entire populace—my heart’s already racing!”
A relieved smile spread across Veronica’s lips.
Just as she’d anticipated, the man hadn’t refused her outrageous request.
Though the assignment brimmed with risks, it was precisely that which clearly appealed to him.
“Here, take this. It’s a communication device.”
Veronica accepted the bracelet the man offered.
The gemstone embedded in it, no bigger than a fingernail, appeared to be a mana crystal.
“We’ll first need to find you a new identity that allows you to blend in. It’s not just about finding one—it also takes considerable time to properly integrate you into that new life afterward.”
Veronica was thoroughly satisfied with the man’s professional approach.
Coming to him had clearly been the right choice.
“Understood.”
“Do you have any preferences for your new identity? I can’t guarantee everything, but I’ll at least hear you out.”
Having thought this through many times before, Veronica replied immediately.
“To avoid drawing attention as a suddenly appearing young woman, staying near the capital seems better than going overseas or to a rural estate. I think I should hide among the crowd. Please focus your search on densely populated villages on the outskirts of the capital.”
Hmm, the man stroked his chin and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll look into it that way.”
“Then I’ll await your contact, Mr. Thick Owl.”
“My name’s Onyx.”
“Yes, Mr. Onyx.”
Thus, the first chapter of Veronica’s escape plan began.
[This is the timeline separator]By the time Veronica stepped out of the shoe shop Charald, the sun had already begun to set.
‘It’s this late already? I’d better hurry!’
Veronica quickened her pace.
She needed to arrive in time for tea—if she was too late, it would be a problem.
Just as she was nearly running around the corner of Mackin Street, she—
“Ah!”
—collided with a tall man ahead, having moved too hastily without watching her path.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”
“My apologies.”
Veronica and the other person apologized simultaneously.
Surprised by the familiar voice, she looked up—and saw Killion.
Though Veronica wore her hat with the dark veil, Killion recognized her instantly.
“Your Highness! What brings you here?”
“Shh! Please drop the ‘Your Highness.’ I’d rather not draw a crowd.”
“A-ah, yes! Understood… M-Miss?”
Killion excelled in every regard, yet he seemed awkward at lying—clearly inexperienced at feigning ignorance like this.
Veronica found even that endearing.
“And what brings Sir Killion here? I sent you a letter saying I’d visit the Duke’s residence today.”
“Did you? It seems our messages crossed paths. I left early this morning for the Alliance Knights’ regular meeting.”
“Oh… I see.”
Veronica silently chastised herself for her own oversight.
It was a close call—if she’d rushed to the Duke’s residence, she still wouldn’t have met Killion.
And to any onlooker, it might well have looked like she’d been stood up.
“But why stop here on your way to the Duke’s residence—and without any guards?”
“Well…”
Caught completely off guard by the unexpected question, Veronica froze for a moment.
In situations like this, an immediate answer was crucial to avoid suspicion—but she’d already missed her chance.
Rapidly gathering her thoughts, she quickly replied.
“I wanted to get you a gift—to thank you for all your help during the recent hunting festival. I got so absorbed browsing that I lost track of time.”
“But you seem to have found nothing you liked—your hands are empty.”
“Oh, that’s… because I don’t know your tastes well enough to choose a proper gift.”
His sharp observation flustered her again.
So she took a desperate gamble.
“Oh! Maybe our chance meeting was fate’s way of giving us an opportunity!”
Veronica immediately linked her arm through Killion’s and cheerfully declared,
“Will you help me pick something out? Having you choose your own gift would be a huge help! And we could turn it into a little street date while we’re at it. What do you say?”
“M-Miss, that’s… I…”
Her sudden proposal—and the sudden arm-link—left Killion’s mind and body stiff as stone.
Veronica looked up at him with an innocent expression and asked again.
It was her secret weapon: a question that carried the meaning of “Don’t you dare refuse.”
“What’s wrong? Are you busy? Did I foolishly hold you back when you have important things to do?”
“N-no, not at all!”
Her tactic seemed to have worked perfectly.
Killion quickly shook his head in reply.
“I’m not busy. Very well—I’ll accompany you. That… street date… sounds good.”
“Yes! This is exciting!”
The phrase “street date” and the whole situation clearly felt extremely awkward to Killion.
It was evident from how long it took his stiffened mind and body to relax back to normal.
Veronica eagerly tugged him along.
“Let’s go into that shop over there.”
The store was filled with charming and curious magical artifacts.
Among the countless items, what caught Killion’s eye was a red rose preserved inside a round glass bottle.
‘Such a deep red… it almost reminds me of Her Highness’s eye color…’
Killion instantly regretted the thought.
Of all the reds in the world, why did his mind have to land on Veronica’s eye color? He wondered what was wrong with his head.
Just as he was about to step away to avoid similar thoughts, his eyes met Veronica’s.
She smiled sweetly and said,
“Do you like that flower? They say it never wilts. Sir Killion, you’re surprisingly romantic.”
“It’s not that… I just… for Miss….”
Killion couldn’t finish his sentence.
A shop attendant, noticing their interest in the item, hurried over.
“This product is very popular among couples! How about getting it together with the blue rose here as a set?”
“Couple’s item…? That’s not….”
Veronica, about to protest that it wasn’t like that, also couldn’t finish her sentence.
The attendant, burning with sales enthusiasm, cut her off once again.
“Imagine—red roses matching Miss’s eye color and blue roses matching the knight’s! Wouldn’t that make a deeply meaningful gift for both of you? What do you think?”
The attendant’s voice rang out like she was narrating a fairy tale.
“There’s one more unique feature about this product—can you guess what it is?”
“…What could it be? Hmm… Does the color change?”
“…I’m not sure myself.”
Both Veronica and Killion shook their heads in response to the attendant’s question.
They’d already been swept up by her persuasive charm.
“Now, don’t be shocked—listen carefully! Do you see the mana crystals inside the glass bottle?”
“Yes.”
As the attendant said, six or so mana crystals, colored to match the roses, sat within the bottle.
Whenever shaken, they rolled about with a gentle clinking sound.
“These mana crystals can store your voice. Just as the flower never wilts, the voice will never fade.”
“Oh my, how wonderful!”
“…That seems to be the case.”
Veronica and Killion were now completely entranced by the attendant’s explanation.
Her sales pitch was masterful at stirring their desire to purchase.
“So, what’ll it be? Shall I wrap these up for you? After purchasing, you can even record your voices in the private room at the back! Isn’t that the perfect couple’s item?”
Hehehe—the attendant’s cheerful laughter echoed through the shop.
As if under a spell, Veronica bought both the red rose bottle and the blue rose bottle.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (127)
What sort of twisted divine message is that ? Seriously
killion is beginning to genuinely like her highness
How did the nobles allow the empire end up in such dire situation. The imperial family are clearly a bunch of cowards. Are you saying that among all these so called talented and honest Nobles, there was none that could keep the imperial family in check?
Inline Comments (416)
"It’s fortunate you’ve finally realized, even if late. You’re simply too dim-wit
I think the Empress character has a narcissistic mother personality — she uses her daughter as a mirror for her own glory and doesn’t see her as an independent person
All the way back to his room, Killion grumbled to himself.
Awww this makes me feel sad for my younger siblings
“Just thinking about how many more banquets I’ll have to attend on this pilgrima
Wait a minute is this the saintess? I didn’t even realize
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VKotaku28
Still mixed feelings about your changing rapport .