The Villainess is on a Quest - Chapter 62

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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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Episode 62
Philip stayed at Odin’s side, striving by every means to lift the restriction on his entry to the Imperial Palace.
All power was wielded within those walls. Especially for one who harbored ambitions for the throne, such a restriction was akin to breaking both wings from a bird meant to soar freely.
He poured forth promises—that he would become a different man, that he would never disappoint again, that he wished to follow his father into politics—but Odin remained unmoved.
Having gained nothing from his efforts, an infuriated Philip drank heavily and returned to his private residence.
“What do you mean leaving the child there!”
“Ah!”
Drunk as he was, he had assumed Leina would manage to bring Sonelopi back on her own.
Her role, after all, was to broadcast to high society who the true master of the household was.
But when he woke early the next morning and read the newspapers, Philip was appalled.
Not only had Leina failed to demonstrate anything—she had suffered public humiliation, and worse: she had abandoned their young child and departed the Imperial Palace first.
“Darling, please, calm yourself. This is all because of that woman from the Orion Kingdom—!”
“You foolish wretch!”
Leina tried desperately to explain that the fault was not hers.
Surely her husband, once he heard the full account, would understand her position.
But his reaction was the opposite of what she expected. His face flushed with anger, and he hurled everything within reach, his voice rising in fury.
The servants throughout the estate could hear him, and Leina felt both shame and fear settle into her chest.
Such harsh looks had turned toward her only once before—before Sonelopi was born.
“Can you not even grasp how foolish and stupid what you’ve done is!?”
“Dar—darling! Your words are too cruel!”
“You left Sonelopi behind, and that’s what you have to say for yourself! What will all the other nobles think of us? They’ll see us as negligent, unfit parents!”
There was no greater shame than exposing household troubles to the world.
Worse still, that event had been attended by every notable noble in the realm. The thought of how they must have perceived him only stoked his rage further.
What infuriated him most was that the child had been taken not by Leina’s friends or close associates, but by his half-brother Kleid and Aine.
“Go and bring the child back at once!”
Sonelopi was the only leverage Philip possessed against Odin. Without her, Odin might well have severed ties with them entirely.
Though he had many children, Sonelopi was his only granddaughter. Without her in hand, Philip could not predict what Odin might do.
“Fetch her before you lose even your title as Imperial Concubine!”
At those words—the possibility of losing even that—Leina’s face turned ashen.
Finally grasping the gravity of the situation, she heard Philip out and rushed from the house.
She had no real abilities to speak of; the position of Imperial Concubine was all she had to show for herself.
“Your Highness, where should I direct us?”
“Where? To the Imperial Palace, and be quick about it!”
“As you wish.”
The thought of losing it terrified Leina. She barked at the Coachman to bring the carriage round immediately.
The Coachman frowned at her tone, but Leina’s mind was elsewhere entirely.
‘What if Sonelopi is injured? What if she dies?’
Leina was consumed with fear. What if Aine and Kleid saw Sonelopi as an eyesore and killed her in secret? Then what would become of her?
Would she still be able to exercise influence within the Imperial Palace as she had before? What of her reputation in high society?
Most terrifying was the thought of Philip waiting at home. If he blamed her for everything, she could not imagine what he might do to her.
‘Curse it, why couldn’t you just stay put and return on your own! You’re old enough, for heaven’s sake!’
* * *
Until the moment they arrived safely at the Chester Mansion with Sonelopi, everything had seemed as though it would end well.
Odin had promptly granted them all rights, including Custody Rights over the child, and with that, every basis for accusation disappeared entirely.
Yet the moment one believes all is finished is precisely when disaster strikes.
“Upon examination, we found old scars scattered across the young lady’s body.”
According to the physician, her vitality is in a severely imbalanced state. Her immune system has been gravely compromised—even a common cold could prove dangerous.”
When they returned to the estate and conducted an examination to assess Sonelopi’s condition, all present were horrified.
The child’s physical state was far worse than what met the eye.
“Such damage cannot occur overnight. These are unmistakably the result of prolonged starvation and repeated beatings.”
Upon hearing this report, Aine clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her brow furrowing deeply.
How could the child’s own parents—their own flesh and blood—do such a thing to someone so small?
The absurdity of it was so overwhelming that she bit her lip, but she exhaled slowly and steadied herself.
“What’s done cannot be undone. Please take special care of the child. Let her know happiness again, not the suffering she has endured, but a life befitting her years.”
When Aine thought back to that moment with Sonelopi, she found her mind drifting to Wilhelm, whom she had met in the royal palace.
From their first encounter, his condition had been grave, his life hanging in the balance until she met Kleid.
As those memories returned, Kleid knelt before the saddened Aine and took her hand.
When their eyes met—his clear and blue—all her attention fixed upon him.
“We will do everything we can. From now on, we will make certain the child knows happiness.”
He was right. A collapsed tower cannot be restored, but if one does not surrender, there is virtue in building anew from the foundation, without haste this time.
Building a sturdy tower, carefully constructed so that Sonelopi might grow into a remarkable woman.
“I wonder what Wilhelm is doing right now?”
“Holding her hand tightly, afraid she might be frightened—he’s fallen asleep beside her.”
“He’s a wonderful boy. With everything that’s happened to him, he should be overwhelmed, yet he thinks of others. That’s truly admirable.”
“Surely that’s all thanks to you.”
Hearing Kleid’s words, Aine laughed softly.
By now only the two of them remained, so Aine spoke without restraint.
“I’ve spent so little time with that child—could I really have influenced her?”
“I’m told her mother is very close to you. Surely she wouldn’t have refrained from speaking of you.”
Was that true? Aine’s thoughts drifted to Leixi—her beloved friend, Leixi.
Living in such chaos, she hadn’t even had time to think of her.
Now that a moment of quiet had come, and she remembered Leixi after so long, Aine felt her mouth turn bitter.
“I wish I could go back to before this war.”
At least back to when she was still alive. Those days when they had time to spare, sitting together reading books and chatting—they had been so very happy.
“I wish I could grant your desire, but regrettably I cannot.”
Sorrow dwelt in Kleid’s eyes. Aine paused, wondering where it came from.
And seeing him regard her fully, Aine smiled tenderly.
“We’ve all stained our hands with much blood. Yet even in that, the most precious thing I’ve found is meeting someone like you.”
The words seemed to strike him—Kleid’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth and closed it again, searching for words.
Rather than grow impatient, Aine waited for his answer. At last, he spoke.
“You were on the brink of victory. Had it not been for Wilhelm’s situation, the kingdom would have sung your praises as a hero for ages to come.”
“I don’t pursue honor or power. I seek only trust, loyalty, and things of that true importance.”
She reached out and touched his cheek. Warmth bloomed across his pale skin beneath her fingertips.
“I trust you don’t think me a shameless woman who kisses anyone, simply because I kissed you once before.”
“I have never harbored such a thought, not for a moment.”
Before his words had fully settled, Aine drew him into a kiss—not the sudden, fleeting thing of before, but something unhurried and tender, stretching into a long, shared moment.

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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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