I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 197: A Very Functional Dictatorship...?

(A/N: To get a better grasp of the city’s size, imagine 90’s Chicago. Yes, it’s huge.)

Evelina and I walked out of the alley and immediately became the center of attention.

Two well-dressed people, suddenly appearing from a random alleyway? And to make it even stranger, this was frontier territory—most people here probably didn’t know our noble titles.

My status as the heir to a marquisate and Evelina’s position as a D’Arclight meant nothing here. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

These people clearly weren’t educated enough to recognise who we were.

As for the obviously corrupt officials or whoever was really in charge? It was still a coin toss whether they’d recognise us. If they did, this would turn into a simple one-day trip. But it probably wouldn’t be that easy.

If they did know, they would’ve already planned a welcoming party the moment this land was assigned to our names, along with the other two princes.

Either they didn’t care, or they just didn’t know.

But the latter was obviously the case. The citizen I’d spoken to yesterday clearly knew they were getting new lords. That meant whoever was in charge should also know there would be new people they’d have to answer to.

The problem was... they really didn’t know who we were.

"Stop. What’s your business here?"

The soldier at the gate stopped us. He wore a simple police-style uniform, the classic blue, with a steam rifle in his hands.

"Step aside. We’re the ones in charge here," Evelina said, pulling a letter from her pocket—likely something she’d found in the study.

"I see," the guard replied. Then he banged on the metal wall and shouted, "Open the gates, we’ve got more of ’em!"

...More of us? So we weren’t the first nobles they’d scared off, huh? Either that, or we weren’t the first nobles they’d bought off or dragged into whatever schemes they were running.

"Enter, and watch yourselves around here."

Evelina ignored him and walked inside.

I, however, wasn’t satisfied. No one should dare talk down to her, even if it was their protocol or their job.

[Primordial Pressure]

"We should be saying that to you."

The soldier’s knees buckled the moment my power descended on him, and we walked through the gate into the center of the city. It was time to take a closer look at what we were dealing with.

I might have lost my [Profaned Prince] ability, but [Primordial Pressure] definitely seemed like a good alternative.

Even if it was a bit... more rigid and less flexible.

***

Now that I was really looking, the inside looked like a normal, prosperous city district.

Not just "normal," either—alive.

The homes were occupied, their windows lit and maintained, balconies lined with hanging plants or laundry swaying in the breeze. Shops stretched down both sides of the street, packed tightly together, their signs a chaotic mix of polished metal, steaming pipes, and cheap painted wood.

Vendors called out deals. Metal shutters clanked open and shut. Somewhere in the distance, a train horn echoed, low and heavy, followed by the rhythmic rumble of tracks cutting through the district.

If I had to describe it...

It was almost just like Eryndor, well... if you took the scale and wealth of the city and the Cold Iron District and just swapped them both vice versa.

From out here, it genuinely felt like we didn’t matter.

The whole district moved along as usual, with people crossing streets without looking at us twice, merchants arguing over prices, workers hauling crates off trucks powered by humming steam cores. Cars and buses ran their routes, some sleek and polished, others coughing smoke like they were on their last legs.

Overhead, thick cables stretched between buildings, feeding energy into street lamps and storefronts alike. Pipes ran along the walls—water, gas, maybe even compressed air—all of it maintained just well enough to keep things running.

Functional.

Efficient.

Profitable.

There was even a railway system cutting through the inner district, elevated tracks casting long shadows over the streets below. A train passed overhead as we walked, its windows tinted, silhouettes barely visible inside.

Of course, only the rich got to use that.

The central district might be walled off, but it wasn’t small. It was an entire ecosystem. Trade flowed in, money circulated, and power sat comfortably at the center of it all.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was a completely normal city.

"This place is bigger than I thought... It’s like half of Eryndor, now that I’m really looking at it," Evelina remarked. "Yeah, we definitely need to manipulate them. It’d be a waste to just destroy everything they’ve built here."

It didn’t take long before we reached the repurposed city hall. Surprisingly, we were allowed in without any trouble. The guards outside barely spared us a glance. I guess they weren’t as strict as we’d expected.

As soon as we stepped inside, we were greeted by a reception hall. A long desk stretched across the room, with ten people working at once—taking calls, shuffling papers, and dealing with visitors.

I even recognised some of them: barons, earls, and even a duke. This place definitely had connections.

"Yes, what do you need?"

A female receptionist spoke up as soon as we approached.

"I need to meet with the one in charge." Evelina produced the letter again.

"Unfortunately, I can’t arrange that. Lord Yvonne is not receiving visitors at the moment," the receptionist said. "If it’s urgent, I can redirect you to Lord Hosuh, his second-in-command."

"That works," Evelina replied.

"You’re not going to force it?" I whispered in her ear.

[Dark Manipulation]

Evelina distorted the air around her mouth, muffling her voice to anyone who might be listening.

"Let’s take things slow for now," she murmured. "As long as we get resources from the second-in-command, we can use them to expand the outer district. Then we slowly close in once they let their guard down."

"We’ll build up the outer district while we slowly leech off them?"

"Exactly."

"I’ve arranged the meeting. Lord Hosuh is currently in his office on the third floor," the receptionist said after a moment.

Well... this was easier than I expected. I guess that despite all the sketchy things going on here, it’s still a functioning city. I don’t know why I was expecting something more... dystopian.