The Abandoned Villainess Decides to Take It All Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The esper–controller contract was finalized without issue.

Two copies were made, each party keeping one.
Since the contract was sworn in the name of the Creator God, even this simplified form carried full authority.

And Ebren became certain of one thing.

Lillian Tillard is definitely not normal.

You could tell just by the way she openly declared she’d be saying “crazy things.”

She was still very much at risk of breaking.

You can’t become someone else’s lifeline and then kill yourself, can you?

If anyone was going to destroy her, it would be him.

Besides, a year would pass quickly enough.

Until then, close surveillance was in order.

Ebren nodded to himself.

“By the way, I had your cousin tied to a tree. He looks rather decorative.”

“Wow. Is there a painter among your men? I’m terrible at landscapes.”

“Sadly, I hadn’t planned for this journey to be artistic.”

Ebren sighed—he wasn’t even pretending to be disappointed.

“The problem is, even truth serum didn’t work. We need to find out where that monster-summoning artifact came from.”

“If Your Highness handles it personally—”

“You saw it yourself. I’m not very good at restraint.”

“Oh dear. Then, Your Highness.”

Lillian smiled with professional confidence.

“If you grant me the chance, I’ll make my dear little brother confess—cleanly.”

At Ebren’s order, the Tillard captives were gathered in a forest clearing.

As instructed, Ramio—who had the most information—was bound separately.

Elias and the others followed orders to the letter.

They didn’t tie him neatly to the base of a tree.

They hung him upside down from a thick branch instead.

“Aaaah! Let me down!”

Blood rushed to Ramio’s head as he struggled.

Elias didn’t even draw his sword—he simply lifted the sheathed blade and tipped Ramio’s chin up with it.

“…You’d be wise to confess before this goes any further.”

“Hah! I’ve got nothing to confess!”

Buying a monster-summoning artifact was blatantly illegal.

But Ramio was smug.

“Tch. You can’t even kill me!”

“….”

“Touch one hair on my head and it’s war with House Tillard!”

And under the pretense that the First Prince and House Baltazar had assaulted him without cause.

After all, he’d merely been searching for his missing sister.

Elias’s jaw tightened in irritation just as footsteps approached from behind.

“Still no progress?”

“…Your Highness!”

Ramio swallowed hard.

The First Prince’s faction had always been weaker than the Second Prince’s.

That was why Ramio had always mocked them—
high rank, hollow substance.

But facing this man in person was terrifying.

And worse—

Why is Lillian here too…!?

She clearly wasn’t being treated as a prisoner.

Seeing her walk in step beside the First Prince sent a chill crawling up his spine.

Lillian didn’t spare Ramio a glance. She turned instead to Elias.

“Sir Elias. I know how to make Ramio confess—without removing an arm.”

“…!”

“House Tillard engraves a spell on the inside of the wrist—one that allows only our family’s controllers to share information.”

“…So once you touch it, he’ll be forced to answer?”

“Yes.”

Ramio ground his teeth.

She was right.

The Tillards used a secrecy spell to protect sensitive information—one that resisted confession magic, drugs, everything.

Elias hauled Ramio down to the ground.

Still flushed from being upside down, Ramio sneered weakly.

“Wow. Selling out your own brother to change your fate?”

“……”

“You can’t even do it, though!”

It required Tillard controller power—and Lillian was a powerless failure.

But Lillian smiled brightly.

“Even with all that blood rushing to your head, you got one thing right.”

“What?”

“I am planning to sell you very carefully and improve my life.”

She twisted Ramio’s wrist inward.

“What are you—!”

“That’s why you should’ve stopped after the sleeping tea.”

Press.

Lillian’s thumb pushed down on the engraved golden hexagonal sigil.

In that instant, Ramio realized—

His life was over.

Back in the capital, Kuern paced restlessly through the Tillard estate.

‘Lillian incapacitated thirty knights and escaped.’

That was all he’d heard—nothing since.

She has to still be alive.

The thought that she might be too damaged to be offered to House Favil was more frightening than anything else.

It was a waste, but in that case, death would be preferable.

She was useless anyway…

Then—finally—

The small brooch on his desk, a communication artifact, flickered to life.

Kuern raised his voice in relief.

“Ramio!”

—…Uh, brother.

“Why did you take so long? Where’s Lillian?”

—I found her!

“Found her? Where?”

—Haha, well… she didn’t get far. I caught her before she caused trouble.

“Tch. Tell her to stop trying to get attention like this.”

Kuern scolded irritably.

As long as the “marriage commodity” wasn’t damaged, it was fine.

Or at least as long as the family could handle it internally.

—B-Brother, um… about the monster-summoning artifact…

“What about it?”

—I broke it. Could you give me some allowance to buy another?

“Ramio! I told you to handle those carefully!”

Kuern had been the one to buy those artifacts for him.

He knew they were illegal.

But Ramio was destined to become a royal knight commander.

If such talent wanted “training equipment,” why stop him?

“I’ll buy you another. Just come back properly—His Grace is starting to—”

At that moment, Iris took the ring from Kuern’s hand.

“Brother, let me speak to Ramio for a moment. I’m worried.”

“Oh. Of course. Bring it back when you’re done.”

“Yes.”

She answered sweetly.

But the moment Kuern left, her tone snapped.

“Ramio! Hurry up and bring Lillian back!”

—Iris? Wait—

“Do you know how much work I have piled up for her?!”

Iris whispered urgently.

Unlike with Kuern, she didn’t bother flattering her younger brother.

After all, there was no such thing as a gentle older sister.

—S-Sister, wait—

“If I knew she’d pull a stunt like running north, I’d have locked her in the basement!”

—Stop—ghk!

“This is driving me crazy. The shop’s already a mess.”

Iris bit her nail.

She’d barely managed to cover up the embezzlement.

And now it was time to start planning a new product line.

“…I need Lillian back to handle the new designs. It can’t reach Grandfather’s ears.”

—Sis…

“That’s her role, isn’t it?”

She smirked, recalling Lillian’s usual behavior.

“So clumsy. And completely talentless.”

—……

“Enough. Just grab her and come back.”

Iris cut the call, irritation thick in her voice.

Useless. Can’t even answer properly.

Still, venting all that bottled-up anger made her feel much better.

After the call with the capital ended,
Lillian watched Ramio’s expression change with keen interest.

Pale—then red—in the span of seconds.

“You… you—!”

“Sir Elias,” Lillian asked calmly,
“was that clearly recorded on the sound crystal?”

“…Perfectly.”

The clearing fell silent.

Ramio’s breathing turned ragged.

Ebren watched Lillian closely.

She didn’t look triumphant.

She didn’t look angry.

She looked… relieved.

As if something long lodged in her chest had finally been removed.

Lillian met Ebren’s gaze.

“That should be sufficient leverage, Your Highness.”

“…Indeed.”

Ebren smiled faintly.

House Tillard had just handed him its throat.

And the blade?

Was held by the woman they’d thrown away.