The Abandoned Villainess Takes Everything This Time - Chapter 26
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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26.
Lillian thought the villain was like a ‘warm iced americano.’
A bit more destructive, but similar in that contradictory elements were mixed together.
‘Sometimes calculated, sometimes impulsive.’
Just when you’d think he had no interest in others, sometimes he was endlessly persistent.
Just like right now…
They were having a spectacular argument in the villain’s room at the temple.
For a whole 30 minutes.
“We clearly made an agreement, didn’t we? That I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”
“I was never hurt, Your Highness. So this isn’t a breach of contract.”
“Ah? Then what about bleeding from getting hit by that pebble earlier?”
“Your Highness, we’re going in circles right now.”
The problem was their engagement contract that also served as an ability user-Controller work agreement.
Lillian treated it like an equipment management manual.
She was the equipment side, but anyway.
In such manuals, the important things were damage compensation, amounts, and operating methods, right?
But she never thought the pebble deflected by the count’s snake tail would spark such a big argument…
“But Your Highness. Look at this.”
Lillian pointed to her temple where she’d been injured.
Contrary to how much it had hurt when torn, it was completely healed now with no trace of the wound.
“Thanks to the priest here, you can’t even tell there was a wound, right?”
She discovered a good point about visiting the temple after so long.
You could find someone to heal you instantly with divine power.
“The traces have disappeared. So there’s no evidence to support a contract violation.”
There was a reason Lillian desperately insisted she hadn’t violated the contract.
What if the person acting like this now wasn’t the villain?
‘I would have thought he was worried about me.’
If that were the case…
She would have honestly said that yes, it hurt. That she was a bit scared then.
And thank you for worrying about her.
But since this was a contractual relationship with the villain, she kept insisting she hadn’t violated anything.
“Huu.”
Finally, the villain let out an irritated sigh.
He crossed his arms and stared out the window for a while.
With his long silver hair roughly tied back and his face scowling, anyone would see a sensitive beauty.
…Though to Lillian, he just looked like a loan shark deep in thought.
But after a few seconds.
“…I’ll admit it. I was careless.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t know the imprint would be like this.”
“In what way?”
Lillian perked up her ears too.
After all, wasn’t imprinting an obsolete custom in Perniers?
‘No one’s done it since hundreds of years ago, right?’
Only two things were certain.
If they imprinted each other, the Controller could only use their power for that one person.
And the ability user had to devote everything for their Controller.
They didn’t know the detailed effects on each other.
The villain approached Lillian.
“…It’s ridiculous, but even if you spill a single drop of blood, I get irritated.”
His hand brushed against her pink hair, almost but not quite touching.
“Even the slightest scratch affects my judgment.”
Judgment – so he did have that.
“Regardless of whatever I was thinking about right before that.”
“…! Then what you did to that count earlier…”
Lillian recalled what had happened then.
It was fortunate he was a villain – if he’d used such excessive force in the capital, it would have been chaos.
But to think that was all because Lillian got grazed by a pebble.
‘This imprinting thing is scarier than I thought…?’
The ‘ability of annihilation’ already came with destructive impulses as a chronic condition.
It was truly the worst combination.
Pacifist Lillian, who wanted to prevent war by having only the original male lead and villain fight ‘fairly,’ sensed this seriousness.
The villain sighed.
“And it’s not comfortable for me either, having my emotions fluctuate like this. It’s not something I chose.”
“Hmm. I suppose that’s possible.”
Lillian reluctantly agreed.
Well…
Having your heart extracted was pitiful enough, but if that heart went around getting hurt, that would be irritating…
Right, my heart should become the boss of whatever area it goes to fight in.
It shouldn’t get hit by others.
“I can’t exactly lock you up somewhere either.”
But confinement wasn’t the answer either.
Lillian smoothly changed direction from the dangerous topic.
“Then I’ll also be more vigilant from now on and do my absolute best not to get hurt.”
“…”
“I’ll avoid stepping forward like I did this time as much as possible.”
The villain looked quite unconvinced.
“Does the young lady hate losing money to contract violations that much?”
“Says the esteemed prince who wants to extort fines from imperial citizens.”
“…Fine, just hold my hand.”
“Are you about to go berserk again?”
“The imprint is reacting because you got hurt and I’m going crazy. Hurry up.”
“Yes, yes.”
Lillian grasped the large hand with both of hers and sighed.
This felt like Perniers’ creation god – no, the mountain spirit – was asking her.
Lillian, Lillian.
Do you want the golden one?
Do you want the silver one?
Or is this bronze one yours?
‘No, mountain spirit…’
None of them are mine and I don’t need any of them.
But she felt like the silver one had been tossed into her hands with the comment that she was ambiguously kind.
* * *
This damn imprint.
Evren remained in a state of peak irritation.
As Lillian said, the scar had completely disappeared. It was worth terrorizing that frightened priest.
But even so, when he recalled the memory of Lillian getting hurt.
The rage he’d felt then would suddenly surge up again.
He knew people called him a mad dog.
But this was the first time he’d experienced such torment.
He wanted to feel better somehow.
Evren gripped Lillian’s hand tightly.
“Tell me about artifacts.”
“…?”
“You feel good when you do that, don’t you.”
Evren urged her in a low voice.
She had been so delighted when fixing the princess’s artifact this time.
He wanted to be soothed by that same feeling.
“Hmm, nothing comes to mind right away if I do that….”
“Start from the very first thing you made.”
“Ah, beads. The first thing I made was weaving crystal beads together-.”
Lillian spoke while searching through her memories.
Emotions flowed in through the small hand he was holding.
His heart, which had been chaotic with irritation, confusion, and anger, gradually calmed down.
Instead, emotions like milk foam rippled through Evren’s heart.
‘I suppose this is the kind of emotion one feels when recalling good memories.’
He felt like he could live.
Just a little bit….
‘I’ll need to keep Lillian Tillard in a good mood.’
A room for Lillian in the castle is needed anyway.
‘I should add a workshop tailored to this woman there.’
Besides, from what I saw this time, she didn’t go anywhere when she was concentrating on making something.
That was perfect.
* * *
Meanwhile, Margaret was receiving a frightening scolding from Elias.
“Guiding the Count of Tenebrin to the workshop. What on earth were you thinking?”
“Sir, that was…! I, at that time, didn’t know-.”
“Not knowing doesn’t make it acceptable, Margaret!”
The reprimand wouldn’t end.
“You nearly ruined the opportunity for Miss to create a connection between His Highness and Tenebrin.”
If Lillian hadn’t perceptively noticed it was broken.
If she had unknowingly repaired the necklace and given it to the princess as is.
The princess would have suffered the same pain the count experienced.
And if word of such an incident happening on Empire soil reached the kingdom….
“…Could it be that your arbitrary judgment was perhaps due to pride.”
“….”
“Until now, Miss has been the only Controller who could stop His Highness’s rampages.”
“….”
“Surely you weren’t weighing your own pride against His Highness’s life?”
She had even less to say.
Margaret hung her head in shame.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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