The Abandoned Villainess Decides to Take It All Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Pepper! Pepper!

Those who had served the House of Tillard the longest were laughing.

They were already trading ideas about how they’d “teach her a lesson,” words spilling easily from their mouths.

A woman with no special abilities—one who could scream all she wanted and still have no one in the family believe her.

It was bad enough that even someone who asked how far they planned to go hesitated.

“Uh… is that really okay? What if His Grace the Duke—”
“It’s fine. As long as there’s no evidence. We already got permission from Young Master Ramio—”

They never finished the sentence.

Ebren signaled with his hand, and in the next instant, swordsmen leapt down the slope.

“B-Block them!”

The Shadows bared their teeth and swung their blades.

“You bastards!”
“Talking trash in front of your master!”
“Eat this too! Choke on it!”

A Tillard knight who had been watching the sudden melee staggered back in panic.

In his hand was an emergency artifact meant to call for reinforcements.

“Reinforcements! Reinforce— AAAAAH!”

His scream cut off abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, his wrist was gone.

Watching this, Elias spoke quietly to Ebren.

“…There was no need for Your Highness to step in.”

“That’s enough.”

There was no need to use the Power of Erasure.

Ebren knew the Shadows alone were more than enough to suppress them.

But the moment he heard their obscene talk, a sharp ringing filled his ears.

They insulted what’s ours.

Ever since that brief contact with Lillian, his mind had been spiraling.

It had been a very short touch.

There had been a refreshing clarity, as if the tangled power inside him had been neatly straightened.

But that harmless sensation was immediately overwhelmed by something stronger.

Soft. Sticky. Making his muscles tense tight—

And then Ebren’s green eyes darkened.

The scent that had been stimulating him nonstop suddenly vanished.

Lillian swallowed dryly.

She didn’t know how grateful she should be that she’d forced herself not to lose consciousness from the fever.

“Ugh…”

She was clearly staring up at the inside ceiling of the tent.

Physicians and knights were moving around busily.

I was attacked.

In that moment, she’d barely managed to keep hold of the bag she treated like a lifeline.

It had been a split-second decision—but a very lucky one.

And now—

She blinked once, and the surroundings changed instantly.

Where… am I right now?

Everything she’d seen during dinner was gone.

The troublesome tree.
The bonfire used to cook the soup.

All of it.

Instead, there was only darkness—no light at all.

Wait.

This was illusion magic—used to trap prey.

And the voice behind her—

“Damn, you’re hard to find.”

Cold sweat slid down Lillian’s back.

Already? This fast?

“Looks like messing with people is fun for you, huh, noona?”

“……”

“Say something.”

Lillian forced her stiff neck to turn.

A familiar platinum-blond man was approaching.

His face was twisted with irritation, like a spoiled delinquent.

“…Ramio.”

“Hah. When you said you’d go north quietly, I wondered what you were planning.”

“……”

“Obviously you were thinking of running away halfway.”

Ramio grinned.

“But I was surprised. Didn’t think you’d have the brains to hire mercenaries like that.”

“…?”

“How much did you pay them? They were pretty good.”

Mercenaries?

Lillian narrowed her eyes.

This idiot… he doesn’t know they were with Prince Ebren.

It was pitch-dark, and the prince’s group wore black—easy to mistake.

This might actually work out.

It would hide her trail longer.

And expose Ramio’s incompetence.

“Alright. Let’s end the hide-and-seek. Come quietly while I’m still feeling generous, noona.”

Ramio smiled kindly.

The same smile people praised as befitting an elegant knight.

Lillian had fallen for that smile countless times.

No—she wanted to fall for it.

Once… long ago.

Back when they played together, shared sweets.

Before Ramio decided it was time to “grow up.”

Don’t come near me. You’re disgusting.
Ramio, why? Why are you doing this?
You’re powerless, remember? They said I’ll catch it if I stay close to you.

That cruel rejection had already marked the end of their relationship.

Lillian just hadn’t realized it then.

But now, she let go of it completely.

Looking at the family member who still thought she was trembling in fear, she let out a small laugh.

“Why would I go with you? I’m not brain-damaged.”

“…What?”

“Didn’t catch that? Your ears already shot, kid? Making me repeat myself.”

Ramio snapped, raising his voice.

“You’ve lost your mind running around outside? Get over here. Now.”

“Why? So you can make me your maid again? Isn’t the only reason you came because your work’s piling up?”

Was it only Ramio’s work?

Kuern.
Iris.

The reason they were praised as the “perfect Tillard siblings”—

Was because Lillian had been dying under the weight of their errands.

They never treated her like family.

But they had no problem using her like a servant.

Why?

Because she was the only powerless one in a controller family.

They dressed me nicely so I wouldn’t stain the family’s reputation.

Broom.
Clock.
Tablecloth.
Candlestick.

And Lillian.

Her role in the family was no different from an object.

But the current Lillian sneered at the frozen Ramio.

“Does the captain of the Imperial Knights know? That the youngest knight can’t read a single document unless he works his cousin like a maid?”

Ramio’s shoulders trembled.

“Shut up!”

“And Grandfather donated a lot of money too, didn’t he?”

Clap.

Lillian clapped mockingly.

“You’re lucky you were born a Tillard, huh? If you hadn’t been born into a family that could bury everything with money—how would you even be living now?”

“Ha!”

Ramio let out a laugh like a furious beast.

“No matter what, I’d never live like you, you filthy parasite.”

“Funny. You only escaped being trash by a hair’s breadth yourself. You know that, right?”

It was a fierce exchange.

But inside, Lillian was growing anxious.

Ramio’s favorite trick—this magic smoke screen.

It was effective.

But it had a clear weakness.

About five minutes…

She kept talking just to buy time.

Running here was pointless.

Attacking the caster didn’t work either—this spell ran on a fixed duration.

I get one chance.

The moment the magic began to fade—

There! An opening!

Lillian suddenly pulled out a glass vial she’d hidden in her sleeve.

Ramio scoffed at first.

“What’s that supposed to—!”

But the moment the black powder hit his eyes, a sharp scream tore out of him.

“AAARGH!”

It was pepper.

A luxury spice brought across the border.