The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Meanwhile, Ella, the "advisor" of the fourth prince Raymond, was in the Duke's study at the mansion, facing off against Duke Havil and the Duke's eldest son, Allen.

The eldest son, Allen, was a tall, handsome young man with slicked-back dark hair and a look of anger in his eyes.

This was the first time Ella had met her adoptive brother in reality rather than in her memories, but it was clear that her brother didn't want to give her a friendly look.

"Ella, as my sister and a member of our family, you openly supported the opposing faction of the Crown Prince's faction during the royal selection. Did you even consider the honor of the family?!"

“Allen, Ella does have the duties of a saintess after all,” their father, Duke Heville, tried to smooth things over. “Who would have thought that His Highness the Crown Prince would be corrupted by evil spirits?”

“That’s not the point, Father!” But Allen wasn’t buying it. “The point is that she didn’t consult us at all; she acted entirely on her own!”

"Ella must have her reasons..."

"What considerations could there be?!" Allen stood up. "Father, you spoil her too much. She doesn't even consider the consequences her actions will have on the family. Ella, let me ask you, aren't your father and mother good enough to you? Do you know what kind of impact your actions will have on the family??"

"I'm sorry, Father... I was indeed reckless this time." Faced with Allen's reprimand, Ella pursed her lips, lowered her head, and clutched her skirt with her small hands, looking aggrieved.

"All you do is put on an act in front of Father!" Allen was even angrier when he saw the silver-haired girl's obedient appearance. "You caused trouble at the academy last time, and you did it before that at the royal banquet. You put on a pitiful act, but you never learn your lesson. Do you even know what kind of reputation you have among the younger generation of the imperial nobility?!"

"Allen!!" Duke Hevil frowned, and her low shout made Allen tremble.

“Father, but she…”

"Shut up! She's your sister! How dare you talk like that?!"

“I…” Allen’s face flushed red as he was about to speak, but the Duke’s authority made him change the subject. “Father… you, you spoil her too much!”

After saying that, Allen angrily turned around, opened the door, and left.

The room returned to silence.

After a long while, Duke Hevil looked at Ella, whose eyes seemed a little moist, and sighed, "Ella, don't take it to heart. That brat just speaks impulsively."

"It's alright, Father, I can handle this." The girl looked up and gave a friendly smile, but her crescent-shaped red eyes were filled with glistening tears, making her smile seem a little aggrieved and evoking feelings of pity.

“Ella…” Duke Hevil stepped forward and gently stroked his daughter’s fluffy little head. “But I still appreciate you telling me in advance that you would expose the Crown Prince’s collusion with evil spirits during the coronation ceremony. From this point of view, I am very pleased with your growth. However, I don’t quite understand why you deliberately kept this from Allen.”

"Alas, Father, you probably already guessed it even if I didn't say it."

Duke Hevil ruffled her beautiful silver hair and sighed, "So, Ella, you also suspect Allen of being connected with that evil spirit?"

“It hasn’t come to that point yet, Father. I just can’t be sure,” Ella also stood up. “You know I only dare to trust you. If he does too, the Crown Prince might fail if he finds out about my probing method in advance.”

"That's true, Ella, your consideration is very thorough, but do you still have to keep it from him afterward?"

“Yes, Father, there’s no other way,” Ella said solemnly. “Her Highness the Princess should be arriving soon. I’ll have to trouble you to continue acting in the next scene.”

Chapter 100: A Game Within a Game

Ye Xiao and Skadi arrived at the street outside the Hyville Mansion and saw the royal carriage parked in front of the mansion from afar.

"Oh no, did Brother Raymond arrive just in time?" Skadi bit her lip slightly. "He beat me to it."

“Duke Heville is, after all, one of the four dukes, and her stance is the most ambiguous... so prioritizing her over us is indeed the best option,” Ye Xiao said softly.

"Hmph, whatever, we're already here, let's go take a look." Skadi naturally wouldn't give up just because the other party got there first, so she pulled Ye Xiao along and headed towards the mansion's gate.

But as soon as they entered the Duke's mansion with the servants leading the way, a noisy argument erupted from the inner living room.

“Father, I’ve already said it. This guy only considers his own gains and losses from his own perspective and doesn’t think about the family’s interests at all.”

"You keep talking about family interests, but have you ever considered my feelings?!" The voice that said this contained anger, but also had a charmingly coquettish tone.

“It’s that woman, Ella Hayville, again!” Skadi recognized the person speaking just by the tone of her voice.

"Your Highness and the Holy Maiden are truly like oil and water," Ye Xiao joked.

"Don't even mention it! I've disliked her ever since before that duel!" Skadi pouted. "She bullies her classmates because she's the daughter of a duke, and now that she's a saintess, she's even more arrogant. I really don't know how anyone can like someone like that."

Ye Xiao scratched his head.

“Allen, Ella, watch your words! His Highness the Prince is still here!” This time it was Duke Havil who spoke. “I apologize, Your Highness Raymond, for this family matter has caused you such an embarrassment.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright, Your Grace,” His Highness Raymond’s voice came from inside.

Skadi and Ye Xiao stood facing each other in the corridor inside the mansion, until the servant who had led the way hurriedly ran into the living room to inform Duke Havil that there were new guests again.

"The Princess has come to visit? Oh, God of Light, so it's already this time? Ah, Your Highness, if you mind... Alright, Paul, quickly go and invite them in. They're already in? In the corridor?? No, why did you just... sigh!"

Hurried footsteps sounded, and Ye Xiao nudged Skadi's shoulder with his arm before whispering, "Your Highness, if the Holy Maiden provokes you later, please try to appear as angry as possible."

"Ah? What..."

The next moment, Duke Hevil appeared in front of Ye Xiao and Skadi. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Greetings, Your Grace," Skadi offered a forced apologetic smile, "Is Brother Raymond in the inner hall? I apologize, it seems I've arrived at an inopportune time..."

“No, Your Highness,” Duke Havil took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “My problem was that this was the time we agreed on, but some unexpected circumstances arose…”

Skadi had arranged a visit with Duke Hevil the day before, but Prince Raymond and Ella only informed the Duke of his upcoming visit this morning.

"Father, what do you mean by this? What do you mean by 'emergency'?!" Ella's voice came from the living room. "His Highness Raymond is very busy. Isn't it a sign of respect for our family to visit on the first day of the royal selection? Is there a problem?"

Prince Raymond, who was in the living room, was also somewhat dissatisfied with the Duke's words. After all, he was a member of the royal family, and the phrase "unexpected situation" made it seem as if he was an accident and shouldn't have come at all.

Although he hadn't arranged to see Duke Havil beforehand, which was considered impolite, Ella had assured him that morning that she could persuade her father, so he changed his destination to come to Duke Havil's mansion at the last minute.

Meeting Skadi by sheer coincidence was truly unexpected.

The representatives of the two factions in the royal election were already irreconcilable, and it seems inevitable that they will clash in the struggle for the support of the Haywell family.

However, Raymond then noticed that only Skadi and Ye Xiao had entered the hall, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

With the seemingly cunning Commander Isaac absent, these two guys are easy to handle.

Although the sickly knight was rumored to have defeated the High-Ranking Sword Maiden, he was just a traveler from another world, probably just there to be Skadi's bodyguard. He probably knew nothing about royal election politics.

As for Skadi, he knew all too well how little his good sister was capable of swordsmanship.

Moreover, he also has Ella as a trump card, which means that he is almost certain to win Duke Heville's support.

“Ella, please don’t get excited,” Duke Hevil seemed somewhat helpless. He usually had a dignified demeanor, but he seemed at a loss when facing Ella. “The arrival of Your Highnesses is an honor for our family, and I am very fortunate that our family has received such attention from Your Highnesses.”

"However, since both of you happen to be here at the same time, I think it would be better to discuss some things openly and frankly."

Upon hearing this, Prince Raymond raised an eyebrow. "The Duke is quite right, Sister Skadi. Although we are rivals in the royal selection, we should still observe the proper etiquette as members of the royal family."

The implication was that if Skadi rejected the proposal, it would be unreasonable of her to do so.

Skadi pursed her lips. Logically speaking, she had made an appointment, but this guy showed up unexpectedly. At this point, she should obediently go out to comply with the rules.

But she really couldn't find a way to refute the Duke's words without revealing her dissatisfaction, given his slick agreement with them.

She couldn't help but glance at the duke, who looked helpless but was actually shrewd and calculating, and even suspected that Duke Heville had deliberately invited Raymond over at this time for the sake of both sides' interests.

Ye Xiao remained calm, and Skadi herself had no other choice but to accept the Duke's invitation and take a seat.

"Hehe, since you've agreed to negotiate, why don't you discuss your proposal with the Duke?" Prince Raymond said with a smile as he watched Skadi sit down on the other side of the sofa.

"Huh? Why am I the one to present the proposal first?" Skadi squinted at Prince Raymond.

“We’ve already discussed our proposal with Father. We can’t waste everyone’s time again because of you, can we?” Ella said disdainfully to Skadi beside Prince Raymond.

“You…!” Skadi’s blood pressure fluctuated slightly, then she glanced at Ye Xiao—she was a little undecided.

The Duke, who was waiting for the best offer, certainly wouldn't speak up for her. However, Raymond seized the initiative by keeping his own plan a secret. If she were to publicly present her proposal in front of her opponent, there would be an information gap in the subsequent negotiations.

"It's alright, Your Highness..." Ye Xiaocai said softly to comfort her, but Ella, who was sitting on the opposite sofa, seemed to notice the exchange of glances between the two. She immediately covered her mouth with her small hand and said in a coquettish voice, "Oh, Your Highness, why do you need to ask a servant for the opinion of such a small matter?"

"Hey, I was just saying that your servant looks so familiar. Isn't this the man I abandoned?"

"A defeated opponent picked up a toy I discarded and put it together as a pair, tsk tsk, are you guys really not here to put on a show for me to amuse me?"

Chapter 101 Open and Covert Mocking

Looking into those bright red eyes filled with a mocking gaze, Skadi's blood pressure, which she had managed to control, instantly spiked.

"Ella Hayville!!! Don't you have any manners at all?!"

“A nobody is a nobody, why are you getting so worked up?” Facing the eldest princess, whose face was flushed red, the silver-haired girl laughed heartily. “With such a narrow mind, you think you can compete with our Prince Raymond for the throne?”

“Oh, Your Highness, calm down… calm down…” Ye Xiao grabbed Skadi’s trembling shoulders, then looked at Duke Hevil with a somewhat gloomy expression, “Your Grace, we have come to visit your esteemed residence with sincerity. Is this your way of treating guests?”

“Ella! Her Highness is also a guest of the royal family. Even if you are on a different side, you cannot speak like this!” Duke Heville’s face also showed a slight displeasure.

"That's why I say, Father, you've spoiled her rotten." Allen, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "What does this have to do with magnanimity? How can you humiliate a noble's dignity like this?"

Noticing Allen leaning towards him, Ye Xiao, who was comforting Skadi, smiled slightly.

The fish is hooked.

He certainly didn't intend for Ella to torment Skadi for his own amusement, but rather to use this method to draw Allen's attention to Skadi's "emotional" behavior.

A king who is easily emotional is obviously not a qualified king, but he is definitely a king who is easy to control.

On the surface, this conversation was about Duke La Hireville's support, but in reality, Ye Xiao wanted to use Allen to lure out the smugglers at Samuel's clinic.

After the death of the First Prince, this force went back into hiding. Even if Allen, the eldest son of the Duke, who had a close relationship with the First Prince Evans, did not have direct contact with the Samuel Clinic, he must have had some close connection with the First Prince's faction.

So, the eldest princess's loss of control when she should have been trying to win over the nobles will definitely be noticed by this guy.

Ye Xiao had already suspected that Samuel's Clinic needed to support a royal faction to achieve some unknown purpose, otherwise they wouldn't have cooperated with the Crown Prince.

The First Princess's faction had only just come into their view, and they might still be observing whether to make contact. Skadi's current actions were actually sending them a signal through Allen: "I'm also easy to control, come find me."

Judging from Allen's initial support for their side, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the people from Samuel's Clinic should come looking for Skadi soon.

Afterwards, in a heated debate among the three parties regarding their respective proposals, Ella won Duke Havil's overt support for Prince Raymond.

What was said during that time is not important, because this outcome was an inevitable result that Ella and the Duke had already privately decided.

With the addition of the Heville family, Ella's status within Prince Raymond's faction naturally rose to a higher level.

Of course, this infuriated poor Skadi, because Ella kept making sarcastic remarks during the negotiations, and although Duke Hevil was trying to stop her, it clearly didn't have any good effect.

So much so that as soon as the eldest princess returned to the carriage, she couldn't help but kick the floor and curse wildly: "That wretched woman, that wretched woman, I'll tear her mouth apart!!!"

"Ahem, calm down, Your Highness..." Ye Xiao patted Skadi's shoulder apologetically, "It's clear that the Duke doesn't know what to do with that guy either... But thank you for trusting my reminder. You really showed enough anger. We've actually achieved our goal for this trip."

"Huh?...What reminder?" Skadi was stunned. "I'm really angry!!!"

"Alright, then you'd better take care of yourself." Ye Xiao had thought Skadi's behavior contained some acting skills, but it turned out to be all genuine emotion.

This is still not enough. As a king, one must not show one's emotions, and even if one is really angry, one must still appear calm and dignified.

It seems that even if there are no plans, we should still let Elado provoke Skadi and train the future queen's temper.

Ye Xiao comforted Skadi while thinking to himself.

……

At the Duke of Havil's residence.

After seeing Princess Skadi off, Duke Havil feigned anger and called out to Ella, "Your Highness Raymond, I need to speak with Ella for a few minutes. You may leave if you have other matters to attend to."

It was already close to noon, so Prince Raymond was in no hurry and told the Duke that he could wait for Ella in the hall.

Ella and Duke Hevil returned to the study, closed the door, and set up a soundproof array. The Duke's feigned anger immediately vanished: "It really is just as you said, daughter... But did Princess Skadi really communicate with you privately? She looked so angry that it didn't seem like she was faking it. I was afraid she would rush up and hit you."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Father," Ella said with an innocent smile.

“Alright, I hope Princess Skadi won’t mind.” Duke Hevil returned to her desk. “But I noticed that you always bring up Princess Skadi’s guard when you’re making sarcastic remarks. I think he has some connection with Princess Skadi. He probably doesn’t know about this. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to bring up unrelated people like this?”

"Father, are you referring to that knight? Don't worry about him, he's my boyfriend and knows about my plans."

“Oh, that’s fine then.” The Duke nodded.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that the Duke suddenly realized he seemed to have heard something terrible: "Wait! What did you just say?!"

……

The time comes in the afternoon.

Ye Xiao and Skadi's group then traveled in a carriage to the Duke Albert's mansion.

With the Royal Election Council meeting just six days away, their schedule was packed with visits from door to door, and they certainly didn't have a moment's rest in the afternoons.

"It's so annoying. That bitch intercepted our first store this morning," Skadi was still berating Ella for her crimes to Ye Xiao in the car. "Who on earth likes that bitch..."

"...By the way, what was that about her saying you were the man he dumped?"

Ye Xiao, who was drinking water, choked. Why did the eldest princess suddenly change the subject?

"That's a long story. My guild, the Seven Stars Guild, was previously an adventure guild that cooperated with the Holy Maiden."