The Abandoned Villainess Decides to Take It All Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Elias quickly clasped his hands behind his back.

“…I judged that something noisy needed to be silenced promptly. My apologies.”

“What’s there to apologize for?”

“Then where do you plan to take her next, Your Highness?”

“To my castle, for now.”

Elias’s eyes widened even further.

Will this really be okay…?
Shouldn’t you at least inform Duke Baltazar?

Ebren lowered his lids slightly and glanced sideways.

“Why. Is there a problem?”

“N-No, Your Highness.”

Ebren knew perfectly well he’d just threatened his subordinate over something trivial.

So imprinting really does cause obsession, huh.

Ebren measured Elias again, as if weighing him.

Elias was useful.

It would be a waste to discard him just because he’d shown a bit of attention toward Lillian.

He could learn to control this kind of attachment with practice.

Ebren looked down at Ramio with eyes that had gone strangely empty.

Sometime during all this, Ramio had come to—
and was now trembling violently.

“Y-Your Highness…”

“Oh dear. There’s no need to be afraid.”

Ebren smiled lazily.

Thanks to Lillian, he’d obtained the perfect weapon to strike House Tillard.

He had no intention of wasting such a good opportunity.

“Originally, I wasn’t going to get involved personally. I’m not confident in my restraint.”

That part was true.

He couldn’t afford another unnecessary rampage.

But then again—who hadn’t made a resolution that didn’t last even a day?

“Besides. Everything takes practice.”

“P-Please… spare me—”

“No one’s perfect from the start. Don’t you agree?”

As if savoring the words, he recalled what Iris Tillard had said.

If I’d known she’d sneak off north like that, I would’ve locked her in the basement!

Ebren found himself genuinely curious.

Everything that had driven Lillian Tillard to the point of deciding to destroy herself.

He didn’t need to punish Ramio severely…

He just wanted to know.

Ebren smiled.

Ramio’s skin prickled.

This man was smiling—
but he didn’t blink even once.

“So I’ll make sure your outside stays… properly functional.”

“Y-Your Highness—”

“Shall we talk about that basement idea in detail?”

“Ugh—A-AAAH!”

The next morning, Lillian received the update about Ramio the way one might hear the weather report.

“Your brother has been safely stored away.”

“……”

“He’ll behave quietly until we deliver him to the capital.”

Lillian stared past the villain’s shoulder, into the distant sky.

The sky is clear.

Even though something bloody had surely happened yesterday.

But now was the time—before the original story truly began—to prepare.

Good. I’ve been working on a plan too.

Starting this year, the plot’s turning points would begin exploding one after another.

First:
The Kingdom of Tenevrin’s princess delegation event.

Second:
The election of the High Priest and the selection of the Saintess.

Third…

The villain’s rampage, then confinement.

In the latter half of this year, this man would commit a catastrophe.

Didn’t he blow away half the capital?

Not just casualties—thousands dead.

He would be confined, and the Shadows would be scattered.

But eventually he’d break out and start a war.

The stamina of villains. Always the hardest workers.

No—this was not the time to admire that.

If it happened this year, Lillian would be dragged down with him.

She had to avoid all three mines.

But—

It’s not like the princes’ rivalry just disappears.

War could happen in four years… or next year.

Wouldn’t it be nice if this man and the original male lead just fought “properly,” became emperor, and didn’t start a war?

Tarandia used to decide succession through a tournament anyway.

It had been abolished long ago for being too extreme.

Then let’s revive the tournament…!

Lillian would sever the imprint, then exit quickly.

Perfect.

She decided to activate her most dangerously meticulous trait: planning.

Starting now.

“Your Highness, if it isn’t too urgent… may we visit the temple here?”

“To check your rank and compatibility?”

To measure control power properly, you had to go to a temple.

“That too—but actually, a very important guest has secretly come to this temple.”

“A big name?”

“Yes. The Princess of House Albrecht from Tenevrin should be here.”

Princess Meliora von Albrecht.

The official visit of a foreign princess was the opening event in the original story.

At that banquet, Iris’s “talent” and “humble grace” drew the male leads like magnets…

Anyway.

Tenevrin was called a “kingdom,” but it was nearly as wealthy as an empire.

And the princess was high enough in status to contend for the crown prince position back home.

“She’s suffering from an ability-related illness.”

“Hm. Something so severe the kingdom can’t treat it?”

“She probably can be treated. She just doesn’t want her siblings to find a flaw to use against her.”

And wasn’t Perniès the land mentioned in the holy scripture?

Plenty of people believed prayers “worked better” here than anywhere else.

“So she occasionally crosses the border into the empire.”

“Hah. Sounds like the borderlands are a mess.”

Said the man nicknamed the empire’s mad dog.

“But how do you know all this?”

“That princess is one of Iris’s regular clients.”

A foreign princess and famous figures adored by the heroine.

Which was why it didn’t matter if Lillian died abandoned in the dark.

“Your Highness—House Tillard will cure the princess, then funnel the glory to the Second Prince.”

“And the Second Empress will make excellent use of that.”

“Yes.”

“You sound confident you can cure her.”

“Of course.”

Because the method used to cure her…

was something Lillian herself had designed.

I prove I’m useful, nudge the brothers’ conflict toward something less apocalyptic…
…and then I carve out my escape route into exile.

Lillian still hadn’t given up on her dream.

The Shadows grew awkwardly excited.

Lillian Tillard was staying with their party.

…Why?

“She stopped His Highness’s rampage.”

“And she matched with a ton of our knights!”

“She has to be high-rank. No question.”

“And controllers are rare as it is.”

Then Jeanne cleared her throat and spoke up.

Jeanne had been part of the group watching over Ramio.

“And—did you know?”

His Highness never told her she couldn’t say it, so it should be fine…

“You know Iris Tillard’s control-stone business? Turns out… Lillian Tillard was the one doing it.”

“What?”

The Shadows murmured.

The Tillard control-stone business—
the crown jewel of artifact production, the family’s gold mine.

“No way. Iris is their treasured prodigy—”

“It’s true! Iris herself said it!”

“…!”

“She said we had to bring Lillian back fast, because she needs her to do all the work.”

“Huh. Doesn’t look like it.”

Even though Iris was from an enemy house, everyone knew her reputation.

Beautiful, kind, and flawlessly competent—the Flower of Tillard.

But would someone on the same side lie about that?

Jeanne, enjoying the attention, went on eagerly.

“And then—she made her monster-summoning cousin confess, and bam! She pulled out a recording crystal so there was no escape!”

“Oh.”

“And she turned all their illegal acts into perfect evidence—just like that!”

“Oooh!”

People actually applauded a little.

“…That’s impressive.”

“…She’s nothing like the rumors.”

They’d heard she was a gloomy woman who was useless even to her own family.

But everything they’d seen and heard with their own eyes didn’t match at all—

“Sir Jeanne. And all of you… aren’t you being a bit too soft?”

A gently scolding voice cut in.

The knights turned.

And when they saw who it was, their faces grew a touch awkward.

It was the controller group that had been waiting in the rear during this mission—

and among them stood Margaret Rubelli, the baron’s daughter and chief A-rank controller.