The Abandoned Villainess Takes Everything This Time - Chapter 154

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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154.
Young Lillian was wandering through the Tillard Manor of her memories.
‘This feeling—haven’t I experienced this before?’
Remember, I must remember…!
Young Lillian pressed both index fingers to her temples, groaning, then snapped her eyes open.
‘That’s it. The Prophecy!’
It was identical to when she’d fallen into that prophecy about becoming the Monster’s Bride.
And when she’d been struck by Caspian’s Dark Magic too.
‘But how strange.’
Even now, in this moment, Lillian possessed the full consciousness and abilities of an adult.
In Caspian’s case, he’d used Dark Magic himself yet remembered nothing afterward.
“Tsk, running about so crudely—how unbecoming.”
“…!”
Lillian’s eyes went wide.
Wait. Wait. That voice…?
In the Garden, Iris’s governess happened to be taking a stroll with Iris and Ramio.
“Sister?”
“…It’s Lillian.”
Iris’s governess caught sight of Lillian and let out a snort of amusement.
“A direct-line heir, and she doesn’t even know shame. Look how gracefully our Miss Iris carries herself.”
The servants around them murmured in agreement.
“What can you expect? Half her bloodline is of no account, after all.”
“A direct-line princess who’s a Powerless One, no less.”
Lillian stared at them all levelly.
‘What was that governess’s name again? Brown, I think?’
Lillian recalled a memory from long ago—so much time had passed since then.
Before she’d run away to the North.
When she’d once lashed out at Iris over the embezzlement of Control Stone Artifact business funds.
‘Your governess deceived you for so long, didn’t she? Even the maids passing through my Residence knew about it.’
Young Iris had opened her mouth then.
“Oh, everyone. Please don’t say such things.”
“My goodness, Miss!”
“Lillian didn’t choose to be born the way she was. Isn’t that right?”
“Tch, our kind Miss Iris is far too gentle. Calling such a child sister…”
Young Lillian had been helpless in the face of such words, only crying.
No matter how high Lillian’s station was, what could she do against an adult so much larger saying such things?
‘Lillian, why are you like this? Why are you crying?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing.’
Already a Powerless One, she’d kept quiet, biting back tears, terrified that Father and Mother would suffer for it.
‘Besides, Father himself came from common stock, so he got tarred with the same brush and disrespected too.’
It’s the same even now.
But the current Lillian, whose true self is an adult?
She does not endure.
And if Lillian’s memory serves her right, this is precisely ‘that moment’—
“Hm?”
Lillian tilted her head, her own expression thoroughly grating, if she was honest about it.
“Iris. Grown up or now, you’ve nothing in that head of yours.”
“Huh? What?”
“A branch-line doesn’t get to speak first in front of a direct-line. But never mind.”
I haven’t the time to waste on you.
Lillian turned her gaze away.
“And Brown, you’re one to talk about crudeness.”
“I—I beg your pardon—?”
“I call it crude to siphon away the servants’ wages and hide them away!”
“…!”
The color drained from the woman’s face.
The faces of the servants nearby went rigid.
Had this woman embezzled only Iris’s business funds?
It was always the same—one small theft led to bigger ones through practice.
And humans need practice to evolve.
Not yet knowing the word “embezzlement,” Iris looked confused.
“Governess? What does that mean?”
“Miss Lillian. How could you make such slanderous accusations? Devoted as I am to serving Miss Iris—”
“Oh, and you’ve hidden it in the Safe on the third floor of your quarters, haven’t you? That’s hardly dignified.”
“You…! What outrageous lies—!”
Iris’s governess, unable to contain her fury, reached to seize Lillian’s shoulder.
This governess knew how to hurt without leaving a mark.
But.
‘Yes. I was waiting for you to show your hand.’
Because this path, you see—
‘is the one the Family takes after their regular council meetings?’
Just then, a low voice thick with fury cut through.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The owner of that wrathful voice was none other than—
‘Duke Tillard himself.’
And beside him now stood his wife, the Countess.
“Lillian!? What is this? Exactly whose arm were you reaching for?”
And Father, who stood at Mother’s side in an advisory capacity.
“Lillian? Are you all right?”
The breathtaking beauty who’d given Lillian her face opened her eyes wide with concern.
…Her heart swelled with longing.
But then Brown fell to one knee, her voice plaintive.
“Forgive me! Young Miss Lillian appears to have taken a fever, and I was merely trying to escort her inside!”
“That’s not true.”
Lillian answered clearly and firmly.
“Iris’s governess did something wrong. I was about to correct her, and she tried to strike me.”
“Lillian Tillard.”
Duke Tillard’s eyes flashed with terrible fury.
“Are you attempting to slander a retainer of mine?”
“Father! You can’t speak to her like that!”
“Be silent!”
“But—!”
“A worthless creature like this is fortunate I’ve let her live at all.”
Mother and Father trembled with shame.
This was Lillian’s rank.
But Lillian regarded Duke Tillard with studied blankness.
The Lillian of this time would have wanted to quickly escape by saying, ‘I was mistaken,’ and moving past it.
‘But I am no longer afraid of you.’
Because through her experiences in the Convergence, she had already seen the true nature of her grandfather.
‘Later, I shall express regret for all that has passed—’
This man would come to wish for Lillian’s return.
Having lived through such a thing, she felt not a shred of fear.
Lillian bowed with perfect propriety.
“No, Your Grace.”
Her words came out clear and measured—not quite as polished as when she was older, but steady nonetheless.
“I swear I had no intention of slandering your retainer.”
Astonished murmurs rippled through those watching.
“Ah, no…”
“When did Miss Lillian ever…?”
They were shocked—after all, she’d always been judged for her conduct inferior to Iris’s.
“As a direct-line heir, I was removing someone who sought to plunder the Tillard Family’s assets.”
“…Pardon?”
“Brown not only coveted the servants’ funds, but has been quietly siphoning away subsidy money from the Controller personnel operations as well.”
Speaking from a child’s body left her breathless.
But she had to present the evidence too.
“Your Grace! Please have the Safe in her quarters examined!”
“Mm…”
Somewhat taken aback by her confidence, the Duke’s expression darkened.
“…Very well. Search her quarters immediately.”
“Y-Your Grace!”
The governess’s face went ashen.
Caught completely unaware, she would be finished—trapped utterly.
‘Then the person who’d been covering for Iris will be gone.’
At that moment, a panicked voice came from behind.
“Sister?”
Iris asked, her voice trembling with tears.
“Sister, why are you doing this…? So cold……”
“……”
“Sister, you’re not like this……You’re not a bad person……”
Lillian ignored her.
‘This never happened before.’
If this moment ends and she goes back, what else will change?
For now, she’d do whatever she could while she had the chance.
* * *
Several hours later.
Lillian sat between Mother and Father, eagerly enjoying snacks.
Kuern was there too.
Lillian made a point of licking a candy pointedly in front of him.
Being scolded by an adult for the first time, he’d completely fallen to pieces.
‘Jealous, are you? Are you?’
Kuern, who hadn’t helped when his sister was being mocked, was utterly devastated.
‘You knew the Brown woman was tormenting Lillian? And yet you did nothing! And you call yourself her older brother?!’
‘But—Mother…!’
‘Honestly, you thoughtless things.’
Indeed, children’s upbringing required strictness!
Then Father reached over and stroked Lillian’s hair.
“Our daughter is so kind.”
“Hehe.”
“I just worry so much that strange people might take advantage of you……”
“……Ah, ha ha.”
Hearing it in the plural made her wince slightly.
‘Ah, they’re going to cause a scene again saying I’ve disappeared…!’
And this time, there wouldn’t be just one Eunjeok to worry—there’d be two.
‘Even if it’s a matter of creating distance out of anger….’
Lillian didn’t want to needlessly inflict emotional strain on others.
‘I can only hope the time gap stays small.
In any case, there remained one critical question.
‘Why am I seeing memories from this point in time?’
Lillian of this era couldn’t use Control Ability.
That meant storing memories in a Jewelry Artifact was impossible.
‘But if someone could store memories like this, they’d be recognized by the Family as a capable user.’
No such user existed in this era.
Then who had stored this era’s memories?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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