The Abandoned Villainess Decides to Take It All Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Why It’s Infuriating Even When Things Go Well

Karkin Favil stared at Ebren Tarandia with terrified eyes.

Was this lunatic actually insane?

Without even considering the consequences—

“Young Duke. There is a correct answer here.”

“Hhk… huff…”

“And if possible, I would prefer that you give that answer because you want to. Now then. Why did you go to that gambling house?”

“…R-Ramio Tillard called me. So I went.”

“Finally. The right answer.”

“Ghk!”

“I’ll put it back to normal now.”

Ebren straightened the wrist Karkin had raised to strike Lillian.

He had bent it ninety degrees one way—
and then ninety degrees the other—

before calmly restoring it to its original position.

Karkin’s wrist was now perfectly normal.

But Ebren’s mood was not.

Lillian had clearly anticipated it.

That bastard was going to try to hit me.

She had paused for a few seconds to see if he would actually bring his hand down.

When he hesitated—

she slapped him first.

She had chosen not to let herself be harmed.

That had been very well done.

Has she finally developed a little self-preservation instinct?

That should have been something to celebrate.

So why was he this irritated?

…Why had she tried to eat poisonous grass?

Because of trash like this.

He truly could not understand it.

“…What on earth did Lillian ever find appealing about this thing?”

Ebren felt genuinely curious.

She even wanted to see him in her dreams.

Back when Lillian had suffered her awakening fever.

She must have had at least a few pleasant memories with this man.

Thinking that irritated him even more.

Lillian liked jewels.

Perhaps she was drawn to things that sparkled.

Then was it this man’s appearance?

Ebren turned to Elias Baltazar.

“Elias. Do you think Lillian was attracted to this one’s looks?”

“I do not believe so.”

“Isn’t the standard women use to judge men different from the standard men use to judge each other?”

“I will examine him again.”

Elias carefully studied Karkin’s face.

Karkin trembled in humiliation.

A young duke of one of the Five Sacred Houses—

being evaluated for his appearance while lying broken on the floor.

“…Beauty generally results from proportional facial structure,” Elias said calmly.

“Young Duke Favil does not conform to the golden ratio commonly valued in society. Therefore, it is unlikely that either men or women would consider him especially attractive.”

“So you’re saying my Lillian has poor taste?”

“…No.”

Elias immediately corrected himself.

Ebren’s tone had clearly shifted.

He seemed less annoyed about Karkin being unattractive—

and far more offended at the suggestion that anything about Lillian might be flawed.

“Perhaps it is because they spent a long time together and she grew attached,” Elias said carefully.

“Attached…”

“You were engaged for about ten years. That is long enough to grow attached even to a stray cat outside the estate.”

“I see.”

Ten years.

This bastard had been engaged to Lillian for ten years.

About 3,650 days.

“Usually,” Ebren asked slowly, “if that kind of attachment exists, can it be overwritten by spending more time with someone else?”

“That… would likely become possible.”

“Hmm.”

Ebren tilted his head, smiling slightly.

How much time would it take to overwrite it?

At minimum, another ten years.

First he would have to erase the time she had spent with this bastard.

If that happened—

would the place in Lillian’s heart become completely empty?

Ebren found himself wondering.

Suppose someone else filled that empty space.

He imagined himself there.

Another ten years for her to grow attached to me…

Ten years for her to become deeply attached.

Another ten years so that she could no longer leave—even if her feelings cooled.

That meant he would need Lillian for at least forty years.

By then, both he and Lillian would be quite old.

And perhaps—

by that time his ability might want to destroy her too.

Without解除…

Was there any way for Lillian to remain beside him?

Just then, the door to the torture chamber opened.

Late at night, Lovellia Tarandia Perniès de Favil did not so much as blink at the grisly sight.

“First Prince.”

“An honor to see the Empress at such a late hour.”

Ebren smiled pleasantly.

If not for the blood splattered across his cheek, it would have been a beautiful smile.

“Quite a wonderful night, isn’t it?”

Lovellia answered coldly.

But inside she was boiling with rage.

While she had been busy managing the aftermath of the Beginning of Spring Ball, he had done this?

“If you had not caused such a disturbance at this late hour, we would not have needed to meet like this.”

“It would have been the same if House Favil had educated its children properly.”

Lovellia narrowed her eyes.

Looking at her bloodied nephew, irritation flickered across her face.

Tch… of all things to get caught for.

He was supposed to become a powerful right hand to help raise Prince Kyle to the imperial throne.

Instead—

he had simply handed more evidence to the Shadows, who were already under the First Prince’s control.

But—

“Haah. Using your duties as an excuse to commit another ‘mad act,’ are you, Prince?”

“….”

“Seeing this excessive suppression, it seems you still have not changed.”

Lovellia aimed directly at his weakness.

The man with the Power of Annihilation who could never ascend the throne.

No matter what he does, I can frame it as self-destruction.

A madman.

Someone whose every action could be dismissed as excessive.

“Ah. So this is a mad act.”

Ebren shrugged casually.

“Beating a man who insulted one’s fiancée sounds like something a normal person might do.”

“…!”

“What do you think, Second Empress?”

For the first time in a long while—

Lovellia had no answer.

Has this bastard truly become attached to that powerless girl?

A Tarandia, who supposedly had no heart—

attached to the most worthless butterfly of all?

Meanwhile, Karkin looked desperately toward his aunt.

Surely she wouldn’t abandon him because of that bastard prince—

But Karkin failed to understand something.

Lovellia cared far more about House Favil’s honor than about Karkin himself.

And she was already under pressure because of Marquis Somnis.

“…For now, we will leave Karkin’s punishment to the First Prince.”

“A-Aunt!?”

“And I trust you will remain rational enough not to inflict excessive punishment.”

Lovellia turned away.

Rescuing her foolish nephew was far less important than controlling the political damage.

She said quietly to her attendant,

“First, make sure the story about the First Prince and Lillian spreads no further. I will observe the situation for a while.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And if any article is published, Karkin’s name must be removed at all costs.”

“Yes, but—”

They had already paraded nobles through the capital like a festival procession.

Lovellia replied coldly.

“Was it not said that Ramio Tillard was the true culprit?”

Someone had to take responsibility for failing to control their grandchildren.

And more than anything—

she was furious that the Tillard family had known nothing about Lillian’s situation.

“It would only be fair if they suffered some loss as well.”

Meanwhile — House Tillard

Loud laughter echoed through the Tillard estate.

The one laughing was Duke Elric Tillard.

But no one there was foolish enough to believe he was actually amused.

“Hahahaha!”

At dawn that day, the duke read the newspaper now spreading through every street in the capital.

The veins on his temples bulged.

Another Shock! Are the Five Sacred Houses Truly Stable?
Following Young Duke Karkin Favil—Now Another Young Noble!?
Ramio Tillard, the “Youngest Imperial Knight,” Once Famous for His Charm!
Secretly Using a Forbidden Monster-Summoning Artifact…
Possible Record-Breaking Expulsion from the Imperial Knights!

“There is nothing to answer. Get out.”

Kuern Tillard was terrified of his grandfather.

Honestly—

it might have been easier if the duke had simply struck him.

“How did you fail to stop this?!”

“T-that is… I d-didn’t know Ramio had returned…”

“You didn’t know he came? And you call yourself the young duke?!”

Now the duke’s fury truly erupted.

He snatched the paperweight from his desk and hurled it.

Unfortunately—

it struck Kuern squarely in the forehead.

“Ugh!”

“House Favil is entangled in this disaster as well, and you’re telling me you knew nothing?!”

The newspaper also mentioned Karkin and his companions.

But what angered the duke most was something else.

Compared to Ramio—

the article had given far less space to Karkin.

If the Tillard family alone looked like this—

it was obvious how others would interpret the situation.

“And the First Prince raided the place as if he had been waiting for it. We’ve been made complete fools!”

How much bail would it cost to retrieve his grandson now?

“And Lillian…!”

Engaged to that prince!

The duke felt as if he might die just from shouting the name of the granddaughter he had once considered utterly worthless.