The Abandoned Villainess Decides to Take It All Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The capital of the Perniès Empire, Meltant.

Returning from the imperial palace, Iris Tillard had a face swollen from crying.

“Hic… sniff…”

Who leaked that article about Karkin Favil?

I got scolded by Her Majesty the Empress!

By normal standards, it hadn’t even been a real scolding.

The Empress was exceptionally lenient with Iris.

“Iris. For a while, mind your conduct.
Many will envy you—the woman destined to marry my son.”

But to someone raised so delicately, it was unbearable.

Me, an S-rank controller, going through something like this!

Beside her in the carriage, Kuern Tillard patted her gently.

“Don’t cry, Iris. Hmm?”
“Hic… b-but… Grandfather was angry too, because of the embezzlement…”
“Oh, he couldn’t truly be angry with you. You know how short-tempered he is.”

Kuern soothed her kindly.

“You’re still learning. Don’t worry too much. I handled it properly with Grandfather.”

Which meant Iris’s nanny and maids had all been executed.

“Thank you… Brother. You’re really the best.”
“But Iris.”
“Yes, Brother?”
“How’s the report on the control-stone business coming along?”

“….”
“It seems a little delayed. Ah—don’t misunderstand. I’m not rushing you. I was just wondering if there were any difficulties.”

“Oh, no! Not at all! There’s just a lot of volume—that’s all!”
“Well, of course. You’re always perfect. No need to worry.”

Iris smiled brightly.

But when Kuern wasn’t looking—

Lillian…!

She bit down on her lower lip, careful not to smudge her makeup.

Even if she ran north, she should’ve finished her work first!

House Tillard had two core businesses.

First: supplying controller manpower.
Second: the artifact business using control stones.

As an S-rank controller, Iris naturally dominated the second.

But Iris lacked innate aptitude.

“Brother… shouldn’t we bring Sister back soon?”
“I understand your concern, but she should stay there a bit longer.”
“Oh, come on, but—”

No, you’re the one who doesn’t understand, you idiot…!

Iris ground her teeth inwardly.

Kuern had no idea that Lillian handled all the groundwork.

Even if he knew, he’d still side with me.

How am I supposed to coax that foolish cousin into bringing Lillian back?

Soon, the carriage arrived at the front gate of the Tillard estate.

At that moment, the long-serving butler came running in a panic.

“Young Duke!”
“What’s with the commotion?”
“It’s an emergency message from Young Master Ramio Tillard—through the communication stone!”

He handed over a green communication brooch.

Kuern frowned.

“Ramio. What’s going on? Didn’t you arrive at the northern villa with Lillian?”

—No!

Ramio snapped angrily.

—Do you know what Lillian did!? She drugged us!

“What?”
—Sleeping pills. Anesthetics—
“…What?”
—Emetics, stomach suppressants—then she vanished!

Did that mean she killed people?

The color drained from both Kuern’s and Iris’s faces.

Lillian was still a necessary piece—for different reasons.

“Ramio. Find Lillian immediately. I’ll speak with the Imperial Knights.”
—Tch… fine. But!

Before cutting the line, Ramio spat,

—That trash Lillian. Don’t expect her to come back in one piece!

Traveling with a woman whose mind had supposedly broken because of her fiancé.

Day five.

Ebren Tarandia folded his arms and observed Lillian Tillard closely.

He had expected her to collapse on the mountain path—

Yet there was nothing to fault.

“…She’s suspicious after all, Your Highness,”
Elias Baltazar said, baffled.

“She keeps staring blankly at the mountains, muttering, ‘Almost there…’”
“……”
“And she keeps… giving things away to the knights.”
“When do people usually do that?”
“…When they’re putting their life in order…”

Ebren smiled—but his brow creased.

Hadn’t she even tried to hand him the brooch?

I plan to live within my means.

I only brought her along because she seemed marginally useful.

He’d also wanted to mildly spite the Second Empress’s faction and the Tillards.

But something else was bothering him.

Why won’t she come closer?

His ability grew increasingly irritable.

Lillian wasn’t a controller, yet she kept giving off a scent.

Whenever he snapped back to himself, his eyes were trailing her retreating figure.

At the center of tonight’s camp, a bonfire blazed.

Ebren stopped at a distance.

Espers had heightened senses—he could hear conversations clearly even from afar.

Jeanne Baltazar awkwardly held out a bowl.

The Shadow whose artifact Lillian had fixed on the first day.

“Um… Lady Tillard? Would you like some soup—no, will you—please eat.”

The Baltazars generally despised Tillards.

They monopolized high-rank controller connections, cutting off Baltazar support.

But—

“Thank you. While it’s still hot… shall we add this too?”
“But that’s—pepper, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I… borrowed—no, brought it from home.”

Lillian generously ground pepper into the camp pot.

The Shadows turned pale.

Pepper was a luxury imported through the Kingdom of Tenevrin.

“Th-this is far too precious—are you sure?”
“…It’s fine. What’s the point of saving it now?”

Her voice was weak.

Not an attempt to curry favor—

Just the tone of someone discarding excess baggage.

Ebren found her behavior increasingly unsettling.

And then—

Surely she’s not planning to break first…?

The voice of destruction, which had always urged him to destroy, grew anxious.

No. She can’t break.
I haven’t even taken her yet.

She’s not a controller.

This is driving me insane.

His condition was insane.
Lillian Tillard was insane.

And yet—it was already too late.

He called out to her as she finished cleaning up the soup.

She looked visibly more drained than days before.

“Lady Tillard. We’ll reach Aeterna tomorrow.”

Then this journey would end.

What would become of her?

But Lillian spoke first.

“Oh—right. I’ll tell you the materials needed to process control stones.”
“…Hm?”
“First, fire-rat tails. Star-flower root harvested under a full moon. Ginseng—”
“Wait, Tillard.”

Ebren cut her off.

“You know the processing method too?”
“…Yes.”
“And why would you—?”

That was a Tillard family secret.

He had intended to extract it eventually.

But he hadn’t expected her to give it up so easily.

Lillian blinked slowly.

Her once-bright eyes were dull.

“There’s no reason not to say it anymore… and it’s the last time.”

The last?

Ebren scanned her face.

His expression vanished—replaced by irritation.

“Stop talking nonsense and go back, Tillard.”

He snapped coldly and turned away.

She’d said she failed in love once.

But would a normal human really give up on life like this?

Thinking something strange is—

No.

His mind descended into chaos.

Ebren spun around.

The lily scent that had faded inside the tent now spread thickly outside.

He started walking—then running.

Outside the tent.

In the darkness, beneath a tree where snow hadn’t fully melted—

Lillian Tillard was crouched down,

eating a poisonous herb.