The Abandoned Villainess Decides to Take It All Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ramio clutched both of his eyes.

The itching and searing pain from the pepper were unbearable.

“L-Lillian! You—!”

Right on cue, the black shroud of magic dissipated as its effect expired.

Lillian frantically scanned her surroundings.

Damn. I’m separated from the group.

Even in the darkness of night, the silhouettes of the trees were different.

Ramio must have captured her with that spell and moved her some distance.

I don’t know how far we are, but—!

Lillian hurled herself into the dark forest, running blindly.

If she were caught again, she wouldn’t just be sent to the northern villa.

They’d lock me in the estate until I married Karkin.

Lillian knew this already.

She had no ability, yet her birth was unnecessarily noble.

And House Favil was obsessed with perfection.

They would never give up on her.

Instead—

“Lillian. I’m the only one who’d ever take a powerless woman like you.
So even if I have a bastard child, you’ll keep quiet.
Why? What if the child you bear turns out wrong too?
Everyone agrees on this.
Duke Tillard. Young Duke Kuern. Iris. Even Her Majesty the Empress.
Your opinion doesn’t matter in this world.”

A future that hadn’t even happened yet.

Words from the original story echoed as if they were already reality.

She felt sick—despite never having lived it herself.

Even as she ran, her teeth ground together.

Please—somewhere to hide.
If I get lost out here, the prince’s group won’t find me…!

But just as she spotted a bush she could duck into—

Her right wrist was seized by a brutal grip.

“—!”

“Heh. So you do fight back now, Lillian?”

Ramio glared at her with bloodshot eyes, one hand still clutching the other.

“You think I’d go easy on you just because you’re family— KGH!”

Bang!

A small explosion flashed with a burst of light.

Ramio went flying, rolling across the ground.

“AAAAAH!”

“Hah—like you’re the only one who knows how to use weapons!”

Lillian shouted back, panting.

It was pure luck she’d had time to rummage through her bag while running.

And thank god he can’t leave visible marks on me.

She was still a “valuable commodity” in the marriage market.

Sadly, Lillian herself had no offensive abilities.

But she did have a magic torch that could reach 1,400 degrees.

And it could emit short bursts of flame.

She gripped it like a handgun, teeth clenched.

“Don’t crawl back to me, you damn bastard.”

The camp was in chaos.

An attack had occurred while Ebren was away.

No one was injured—but the woman left behind was gone.

And she’d already been burning with fever, barely conscious.

Lillian Tillard.

There was no scent at all.

It felt the same as death.

He had crossed countless battlefields before.

It had never felt like this.

Yet his heart was pounding faster than it ever had.

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

She should have been easy to despise.

Their long-standing political hostility.

Her foolish devotion to her worthless fiancé.

But hell erupted in his mind.

His power screamed at him—how could he let their possession break before he even touched it?

Find her. Now.

It was confirmed: the injured knight had taken Lillian—it was Ramio Tillard.

She would have tried to regroup with the main party, so she couldn’t have gone far.

While searching frantically, one knight pointed toward the dark mountain ridge.

“Your Highness! Over there!”

At the base of the ridge, barely distinguishable from the night sky, dots of white light flickered.

Before anyone could identify them—

KRRRRIIIK—

A sound echoed, like steel being dragged by claws.

Something no ordinary beast could ever make.

Elias turned, face pale.

“Your Highness—that’s—”

A monster.

And from the source of the howl—

The scent of lilies drifted.

After unleashing another burst of flame from the torch—

Lillian staggered away.

But she didn’t make it far.

Her body finally gave out.

She braced her hands on her knees, bent over.

“H-huh… ngh…”

The fever made her head spin.

The dark forest felt suffocating.

I used a light-emitting tool on purpose…

So the prince’s group could find me.

Then again—

Who says they’ll even come?

She hadn’t read the last page of the original story, but the ending was obvious.

They lost to the original leads.

And died.

That was why she’d treated them as tools to escape across the border.

Living, breathing paper dolls.

They probably saw her the same way.

The only useful tool to extract Tillard information.

As expected.

At least I kept my bag.

Her fake ID.
Her supplies for settling in Tenevrin.

All intact.

I hear water.

Follow a stream, and there’s usually a village.

Regroup there.

Start over from there—

But her overheated body pitched forward.

KRRIIIK— KRRRIIIIK—

The metallic screech made her shudder.

No… that can’t be…

She barely turned her eyes.

She’d checked everything before leaving.

There were no monsters near Aeterna.

Unless… it’s near the northern villa.

That place was known for nighttime monster sightings.

The realization hit just as a massive, wolf-like monster slammed a heavy paw onto her back.

Its claws dug in, drawing a groan from her throat.

A shadow loomed over her pinned head.

“…Damn it. You.”

She recognized the approaching figure.

And spat the foulest curse she could think of.

“You cockroach—”

You little brother bastard…!

Ramio grinned through a bloodied face.

“Hah. I tried being nice and bringing you back, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Lillian struggled under the monster’s paw.

Summoning monsters required forbidden artifacts.

But Ramio used one without hesitation.

“Miss it? This thing loves you, noona.”

“Don’t tell me—you summoned it every time before—ngh!”

“Stay still. If you scar your face, the Favil heir will really dump you.”

Though powerless, Lillian had the most passable face even among the famously beautiful Tillard line.

You couldn’t damage a valuable family asset.

Ramio pulled out a communication artifact linked to the family knights.

“Hey. I found Lillian. I’m bringing her back—”

He never finished.

KRRIIK!

The wolf-monster shrieked.

It leapt away from Lillian as if its paws had been burned.

“What—what the hell is wrong with it—?!”

The monster froze mid-motion.

In an instant, the world turned white.

A soundless world, as if fresh snow had fallen everywhere.

And the monster melted—like snow under sunlight.

“—!”

Ramio slammed face-first into the nearest tree.

As he tried to pull away, a crushing grip smashed his face into the trunk again.

“Such refined manners toward your elders.”

“G-ghk…!”

“Seeing someone’s younger brother behave like this really brings back memories.”