Novel The Villainess Will Work Hard For A Good Life After Her Broken Engagement!

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by Akemin, Sep 8, 2017.

  1. Chewy Ragdoll

    Chewy Ragdoll Well-Known Member

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    I love villainess stories and I totally just read all the current chapters in one go. Loving it and can't wait for more. I hope you continue posting on here cause I have no idea what wattpad or rrl is xD
     
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  2. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the support and yes, I'll continue to post the chapters here.

    Wattpad and RRL are websites where writers can post their stories on. This story is posted on RRL as well. You can take a look through the link on the first post in the thread. There may be other stories that interests you! :blob_grin:
     
  3. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    Today's chapter is going to be sweeter than usual~

    Chapter 7 - The Villainess Receives a Present

    “Lady Liliana, there is a letter for you.”

    Seated on the grassy floor under a tree, I looked up from the book I was reading and saw Diana standing over my shoulder. As the hot summer days gradually changed to become milder and the occasional cold breeze reminded me of autumn’s arrival, the weather had finally become suitable for me to sit outside and read.

    Diana handed over a cream coloured envelope.

    “Who is it from?”

    I took the envelope from her and examined the front. In elegant letters, the words, ‘To my dearest sister, Liliana’, stood out in black ink.

    “From brother? Why is he sending me a letter?” I wondered as I opened up the red wax seal.

    My elder brother had returned to the mansion during his month-long summer vacation and had returned back to school around a month ago. Although he would write letters back to the family once a week, it was usually addressed to my parents and not specifically to me.

    “Dear Liliana, by the time you have received this envelope, your birthday would have passed. I feel dejected from not being able to be by your side during the celebration, so at least please let me say it in the letter, ‘Happy Birthday, my sweetest sister’,” I finished, and a cold shiver immediately ran up my back.

    If I had to describe my brother, the easiest person to compare him to was my mother. He was good-looking, charismatic, all-around perfect gentleman and with a hint of black-bellieness.

    For example, even though he knew that I do not suit cute and sparkly items, he never fail to send me such gifts from the capital, resulting in my accessory box having an overwhelming number of cute, lacy accessories I hardly use, as well as my bed being overtaken by an increasing army of soft toys. Most of all, he liked to send items in shades of pink that clashed horribly with my hair colour. He has to be doing it on purpose!

    However, just like my mother, everyone’s impression of him was nothing but the best, and people always praised him to be a well-deserving heir to the March even if he was unable to use magic.

    “Lord Lawrence is as doting as always,” Diana commented as she sat down beside me.

    I made a face. To me, it felt more like borderline harassment.

    “What is the purpose of sending me a letter when he has already sent me a present before this?” I asked as I lifted up the book in my hands.

    When he was not trying to be funny, he would send me books with great taste, like the set I had received for my birthday. It was a story about a commoner who was actually the long lost princess of a mysterious kingdom. On her 15th birthday, she discovered her lost heritage and started on a long journey back to her kingdom. On the way, she met a mysterious talking cat as well as a blind beggar who started to accompany her on her journey. Right now, I was at the part where they were stuck in the middle of a desert with dwindling supplies. It was a real crisis!

    Diana shrugged. “That person’s mind is difficult to read.”

    My eyes darted to another envelope in her hands. “Who is the letter from? Don’t tell me it’s from Sir Donovan?” I asked with a frown.

    “No, it is from my parents,” Diana answered with a wry smile. “Are you still upset about what happened? I thought I have explained to you about the reason for the ‘hand kiss’.”

    “Well, yes. But…”

    After Aedus and Donovan had gone off, Diana had sat down to explain that she knew Donovan from when she was younger. Her father was a Knight in the same platoon as him so they were acquainted with each other when she used to visit the Knight’s training grounds.

    “Even though my father has abandoned his responsibilities of a Baron and thrown himself into his dream of being a Knight, Sir Donovan still treats me like a noble lady. That was the reason why he kissed my hand when we met again.” Diana sighed and continued, “But you can say that he was in the wrong for not considering the fact that I am working as a maid now.”

    While I did know that Diana’s father was a Knight, I was not aware that she had the title of a Baron’s daughter. I guess that explained why she knew so much about the other nobles.

    From what I knew, it was not strange for lower ranking noble families to send their daughters to the household of high-ranking noble families as a way to learn more about etiquette, but I can’t help but wonder if there was really anything to learn at such a far-flung countryside.

    And just a little, I felt a bit lonely about not knowing that earlier.

    “Lady Liliana, I heard that you will be having a guest later. Do you want to get ready first?”

    “Hmmm? Is it Aedus again?” My mouth turned into a thin line.

    “I was not informed.”

    After his first visit, he came another time during brother’s summer break. I could still remember brother’s dark aura when he heard Aedus calling me ‘Lia’. Needless to say, that day was spent with me being on tenterhooks. After he went back, Aedus would send letters saying things like, ‘let me know if you are being bullied!’ and, ‘big brother got your back!’. Although it was all rather amusing, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was anything he could do if I was really being bullied.

    Well, since brother had returned to the Academy, it should be fine this time round.

    I settled back on my spot under the tree and opened up my book.

    “Are you not going to change?” Diana asked.

    “It’s fine. There’s no need to,” I replied simply as my eyes continued down the page. Aedus was a person who does not like to put on airs, so dressing up in front him was only a waste of effort.

    Diana looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding once. “If you say so.” Opening up her letter, she started reading as well.

    A comfortable silence stretched between us, only broken occasionally by the turning of a page. How much time has passed by? As I entered into the world of the hot and arid desert, my sense of time in the real world dulled.

    “‘The Chronicles of a Lost Princess’... How is the book? Which part are you at now?”

    I gave a forlorn sigh. “The main characters have finally managed to escape from the desert. However, they are now faced with the dilemma of who to leave behind as the boat they need to use for crossing the river can only hold two people at a time.”

    “I see... What will Lady Liliana do if you were the main character then?”

    “I will row the boat to and fro twice to get the both of them across!” I said passionately as I held up a clenched fist.

    “Haha,” the voice laughed. “That sounds a lot that you.”

    Wait.

    I froze as I realised that it was not Diana whom I was talking to.

    I turned around slowly and came face to face with a boy with neatly trimmed caramel coloured hair. His azure blue eyes that held a great resemblance to the clear sky behind him twinkled as he smiled and bobbed his head.

    “Good afternoon. It has been some time.”

    “Prince Charles?” I squeaked as I quickly scrambled up to my feet. When I cast a look to my side, I realised that Diana was already standing a short distance away with her hands placed in front of her indifferently. Did she purposely leave me sitting there on my own?!

    While fuming in my heart, I turned back to Prince Charles and gave a curtsy.

    “Good afternoon to you as well.” I tilted my head slightly. “Um, what is your Highness doing here?”

    “I am here to visit you. Did I come at a bad time?” His eyebrows moved to form a slight crease in the centre.

    “Not at all!” I shook my head vehemently.

    Prince Charles gave a relieved sigh. “I asked them to keep my arrival from you a secret because I wanted to give you a surprise. I am sorry if I have startled you.”

    “It really was a surprise…”

    But this kind of surprises was probably not too good for the heart.

    “Liliana, how can you let his Highness stand around like this?” A stern voice came from a distance away.

    “Good afternoon, father,” I greeted. My father approached us slowly with Christian following close behind him. As Christian's eyes met mine, he lowered his head politely and I nodded in acknowledgement.

    Right behind the both of them, four armoured guards followed them with stoic faces. From the familiar blue designs on the armour, they were most likely guards sent to accompany the Prince.

    It seemed like my father had gone to greet the Prince before coming to my house together. That would mean that he was aware of the Prince’s visit prior to this. No wonder he was unusually around the mansion’s grounds today.

    “Your Highness, let us head to the guest lounge,” father said as he held his hand out towards the cylindrical building ahead and started walking towards it.

    “Sure.” Prince Charles smiled and followed his lead.

    As we headed to the house, I sneaked a glance at the boy beside me. Did he grow taller? During the first time I saw him, he should be around my height, but he was now slightly taller than me. The last time I saw him was only close to three months ago, boys do grow faster than girls.

    Even now, I could still remember the dread in my heart as I travelled to the Royal Palace. This time round, although my heart still jumped, I was able to feel much calmer than before. Was it because I had gotten used to slightly noisier days since Aedus and the four children started visiting me?

    Upon entering the building, we headed straight to the lounge on the second level.

    As my eyes went over the people seated on the sofa and standing around the room, a strange feeling started to rise in my chest. This was the first time I had so many people present in the lounge. Even when Aedus and the four children came to visit, they were usually seated in the indoor garden.

    As Diana placed cups of tea on the table, Prince Charles smiled and asked, “It has been some time since I have last seen you. How have you been doing?”

    “I am doing fine. How about you?”

    “I have been busy with many things, but every day have been very enriching.”

    “I see.“

    “The weather's great today, isn’t it?”

    “Yes, it is.”

    “It is going to get cold soon. Please take care of yourself.”

    “Yes, I will. The same to you as well...”

    This is strange. This is definitely strange. Although the boy in front of me had his usual warm smile, the content of our conversation was not going anywhere at all.

    Prince Charles seemed to realise the oddness of our conversation as well and scratched his face lightly.

    “Haha… How do I say this?” To my surprise, Prince Charles’s eyes wandered over the place as he opened and closed his mouth uncomfortably like he had difficulty voicing out something.

    Now that I notice, he seemed to have dark eye circles below his eyes. Was he having trouble sleeping?

    My father watched the two of us quietly before he could not take the awkwardness any longer and gave a helping hand.

    “Your Highness, you mentioned earlier you have something you wish to give to Liliana?”

    Prince Charles’s shoulders jumped a little at his words.

    Something to give me?

    A faint blush started to appear on his face and his eyes avoided mine. “Yes. I have something for you.”

    Placing a hand into the breast pocket on his coat, he took out a tiny blue box around the size of my palm covered with soft velvety material.

    “Lady Liliana, this is for you,” he said quietly as he held out the box to me.

    I took the box gingerly.

    “Thank you. But what is this for?”

    “This is meant to be your birthday present. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete it earlier to pass it to you on your birthday.” He gave a sad expression that resembled a small animal.

    For some reason, the reactions Prince Charles had today were all adorable and unlike what I had seen previously.

    “Can I open it now?”

    He nodded and looked at me anxiously.

    What kind of present was it for him to have so much difficulty giving it to me? Could it be something embarrassing? I swallowed a lump in my throat. I felt like his nervousness had spread to me as well.

    With care, I took off the top of the box.

    Inside the box was a hexagonal crystal pendant around the size of my little finger attached to a golden chain. Golden wires wrapped around the pale yellow crystal in a spiral, securing it in place.

    I took out the pendant and held it up against the light.

    “Beautiful…” I breathed.

    As I turned it around slowly, iridescent flecks in the colours of the rainbow flashed across the interior of the translucent crystal. I had never seen a stone of this colour before.

    “Excuse me. May I take a look?”

    Diana unusually showed interest in the pendant and stepped forward.

    As I held the pendant in front of her, her grey eyes narrowed meaningfully as she glanced over to Prince Charles and back to the crystal.

    “Isn’t this great, Lady Liliana? You received such a wonderful gift.” Diana’s voice gave off a hint of laughter as the corners of her mouth moved up slightly.

    “Thank you for the present!” I gave a brilliant smile and bowed my head in the direction of the Prince.

    Prince Charles gave a sweet smile. “I am glad you like it.”

    “The crystal is really beautiful. Is it a rare stone?” I asked curiously.

    Upon hearing my words, the faces of the people around me changed.

    What was with this reaction? Was it a mineral that had a special meaning? It is not like it is a diamond ring! The truth is, for a moment I had wondered if it was an engagement ring. But as expected it was not, because Liliana had never received an engagement ring from the Prince in the light novel.

    Or was it a stone so rare that it was it supposed to be common knowledge? But I’ve never studied about geology!

    “Instead of saying it is rare… It should be ‘one of a kind’?” Father gave a wry smile.

    “Is that so?”

    I guess I need read up on geology after this.

    “The crystal has a Protection spell cast on it. If you wear it close to you, it will automatically cast a barrier when you are attacked,” Prince Charles explained.

    I looked at the crystal lying on my palm. It felt quite amazing that something that tiny had such a function.

    “I hope I won’t have the chance to use it then,” I replied jokingly.

    Prince Charles gave a troubled smile. “Well, it is just a precaution.”

    “I wish to thank you for giving such a thoughtful gift to my daughter.” The corners of father’s lip curled up into a genuine smile and the crease between his brows lightened.

    Out of the blue, the sound of a conversation between a child and a man floated up through the open window.

    “Hey, you. What are you doing here?”

    “Um, I-I’m sorry!”

    “Stop! Don’t run!”

    The voice of the man should belong to the guard left at the doorstep. However, the voice of the child sounded oddly similar to Sally. Could it really be her? I thought the children were all busy helping out with the harvest?

    “Diana, can you go down and take a look?” I hurriedly asked.

    Diana bowed and excused herself, “Please pardon me.”

    Father just frowned as he watched Diana exit the door.

    A while later, the door was knocked on before Diana opened and entered. This time, a small figure peeked out from the back of her skirt.

    The girl with strawberry blond hair tied into two pigtails looked at the people in the room with frightful eyes. When she saw me, her blue eyes lighted up.

    “The child had wandered near the building. She says that she is looking for Lady Liliana to return something to her,” Diana said calmly. “Do you have something for Lady Liliana?” she turned to the child hiding behind her and asked gently.

    It was not the first time Diana had seen Sally as the four children had come over a few times since I first invited them. However, it was the first time my father see her so I was unsure of how he would react.

    I stood up and walked over to the young girl.

    “Sally, I thought that you need to help out with the harvest? And what is that you have for me?”

    “My father said that I am too young to help out so I was left behind.” She took out a square book from her back and passed it to me with two hands. “I-I wanted to return the book I borrowed.”

    “Ah, I see. Have you finished reading it?” As she had felt left out that the other children could go to school, I have been teaching her some words in my free time and lending her some of the picture books I used when I was young.

    Sally nodded and beamed, “Yes! I have finished reading it!”

    “That’s great. Read it to me the next time, alright? I have some guests today so I will play with you another day.”

    Sally lowered her head. “I am sorry for disturbing you.”

    “You are Sally? I have heard about you from Aedus.”

    I turned my head back to see Prince Charles smiling as he stood up and walked over.

    “You know Brother Aedus?” She asked curiously.

    Prince Charles laughed. “Did Aedus ask you to call him that? He did say he has always wanted a younger sister,” he mused. “I am Charles. If you don’t mind, can you call me Brother Charles as well?”

    “Would that really be okay, Prince Charles?” I quickly cut in. Even if he was joking, because Sally was still at an impressionable age, she was really going to start calling him ‘Brother Charles’ if this went on! I don’t want to imagine what will happen if it was found out she was calling the Prince of the country so affectionately!

    “Prince?” Sally’s eyes went round.

    “If you are the prince, are you here to save Lady Liliana from monsters?”

    Sally! What are you saying!

    While my mind went into full ORZ mode, I gave a chuckle as I covered my mouth. “Hahaha. Sally, are you still going on about me being trapped in a tower by monsters?”

    “Prince Charles, it is just the imagination of a young child. Please do not mind her words,” I continued smoothly.

    To my surprise, Prince Charles just smiled and patted her soft strawberry blond hair.

    “I hope I can become a prince who can save Lady Liliana from monsters,” he said softly.

    “But because I can’t be around her all the time, I need your help to protect her. Will you help me?” He held her small hand as he looked into her eyes.

    Sally nodded excitedly. “I will! I want to protect Lady Liliana as well!”

    Hah… The Prince was really kind to go along with a child’s words like this.

    Behind me, I heard a deep sigh that echoed mine.

    I turned back and saw my father looking at the scene with a wry smile. No doubt he was thinking the same thing as me.

    Just as I was going to turn around, something froze me to the ground. For just a moment, eyes burning with animosity pierced through me. However, it lasted only for a second. Before I could take a good look, the storm that raged beneath the eyes had returned back to calm waters.

    I became confused. Who was the animosity directed towards? Could I have seen it wrong?

    “Sally, your father will be worried if he returns and finds that you have disappeared,” Diana reminded as she patted her back.

    Sally nodded obediently. “Okay. I will go back now.”

    After the young girl had left the room, Prince Charles and I went back to our seats on the sofa.

    Prince Charles looked much happier and relaxed as compared to before.

    With a confident gaze, he took out a rectangular flat leather case from his pocket.

    “The truth is, apart from passing you the necklace today, I am here to hand this to you as well.”

    After opening up the case, he showed the contents to me.

    “Tickets to… ‘Princess Cecilia and her Knight’?”

    “Yes. They have adapted the novel into a theatrical act. Would you like to come with me to the show next week?”

    This world also had the concept of adapting popular novels into other forms of media?

    I nodded fervently. It was ‘Princess Cecilia and her Knight’! Plus it was going to be my first time watching a theatrical act!

    Ah, but…

    I glanced at the golden-haired man sitting beside me who had a serious look on his face.

    “The location is not too far from here,” father said he leaned towards me to study the ticket. “Very well. If you are interested then you may go.”

    “Thank you.” Prince Charles smiled. “I will make the necessary arrangements to ensure Lady Liliana’s safety.”

    “No, there is no need for that. As the town is within our land, we will make the arrangements for the security.” Father looked at the pepper-haired man who had been standing a distance away. “Christian, I will leave it to you to make the necessary arrangements.”

    “Certainly, my Lord. Please leave it to me,” he replied with a hand over his heart.

    Father looked at the sky outside before asking, “Your Highness, if you plan to reach the next destination before the sun sets, it should be about time for you to leave.”

    Prince Charles gave a disappointed expression. “You are right. I will make my leave first then.”

    Looking at me, he explained, “Although I would like to stay longer, I am currently out on a visit around the country to see how the harvest is going so I am only able to stay here for a while. If I do not reach the next town before night falls, the minister bringing me out is going to make a big fuss.”

    Father gave a wry smile. “You will see Liliana again next week. Please resist until that time comes.”

    “Haha. That’s true,” he replied as the sides of his face became slightly rosy.

    After saying farewell, I was once again left alone with Diana in the house.

    I sank back down into the sofa and held up the crystal pendant against the light. The iridescent flecks sparkled as the I changed the direction.

    “Congratulations, Lady Liliana,” Diana said as she observed me from the windowsill.

    “Hmm? For what?”

    “For getting a date with the Prince.”

    I studied the smile on her face. Yep, she was definitely teasing me.

    “Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was most likely Lord Aedus who suggested that.”

    Only Aedus would know that I like ‘Princess Cecilia and her Knight’. Plus, in the light novels he was always the one secretly helping the Prince and the heroine get together, so it was probably him trying to play cupid.

    Too bad he got the heroine wrong though.

    Diana raised an eyebrow. “You do remember that the both of you have an engagement, right?”

    “Of course.” There was no way I could forget something that could determine my life and death!

    “I feel sorry for the Prince,” Diana said flatly after a while.

    “I don’t understand what you mean by that,” I replied casually before I turned to focus on the pendant again.

    The crystal's pale yellow colour looked similar to the warm sunlight shining through the windows.

    A theatrical act and a chance to go to town...

    “I’m really looking forward to it!”

    Back to the Table of Contents
     
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  4. Vemmy

    Vemmy Well-Known Member

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    Thank you for the chapter! Just when I feel like it's life's going to be smooth, some slightly sinister things pop up and suspense starts building....
     
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  5. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    About time for some action!:blobhero:
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2017
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  6. haniaj

    haniaj Well-Known Member

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  7. PamelAxiah

    PamelAxiah Well-Known Member

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    Wow.. Its getting more serious. Love how lia misunderstand with his brother siscom to her and not realized that the prince care about her. Wonder who have a bad vobe coming that lia felt
     
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  8. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    I almost wrote a plot hole in this one ROFL (actually not funny :sweating_profusely:). Please let me know if you see any grammatical errors! :blobsalute:

    Chapter 8 - The Villainess Goes to Town

    “Time passes really quickly, doesn't it? You have been working here for around three months already. How have you been adapting to the life here?”

    “I am doing very well thanks to the help I have received. Thank you for making me feel welcomed!”

    As footsteps approached me, the sounds of happy conversation drifted into my ears.

    “It is natural for the servants to help each other. Glad you are adapting well.” The voice of the other woman sounded like a mother looking over her child affectionately.

    “Hehe…” A woman’s tinkling laughter tinged with embarrassment rang out. “Actually, I have been asked out by a guard today. He had a sudden day off, so we will be going to the harvest festival in town together.”

    “Oh, my! Who is the young lad who has acted so quickly?”

    “Ah, he is…”

    The young woman stopped in her words as the tray she was holding bumped into me lightly. It seems like my wallflower act was perfect.

    “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” she asked anxiously as she bent forward.

    I adjusted my wide brim hat which had gotten crooked and shook my head.

    “I’m fine. Please do not worry.”

    “Red hair?” the young woman voiced out questioningly when her eyes caught my red hair peeking from under the hat.

    Beside her, the older woman who had been talking to her turned pale. In a quick motion, she bowed deeply to me, almost knocking over the glasses on her tray and grabbed the other woman by her wrist.

    “We are very sorry for the impudence, L-Lady Liliana! Please pardon us!” she said quickly as she tugged the other woman away. The other woman cast glances of confusion at me but had no choice but to follow the older woman, almost tripping over her feet in the meanwhile.

    Not as if I would eat her up. I couldn't help but give a tired smile as I watched the two of them walk away so briskly it felt as if something was chasing after them.

    “Lady Liliana, the guards informed that Prince Charles will be reaching soon,” a maid looking to be in her early twenties with brown hair bunned up neatly informed as she walked towards me from the entrance of the main building.

    “I see. Thank you.”

    The maid’s name was Grace, one of the personal maids to my mother. She had been the one taking care of me for the past two days while Diana went back to visit her parents in the capital, Moressley, for around two weeks. It seemed like that was one of the things discussed in the letter sent by her parents. It was not the first time Diana had returned home so I was fairly comfortable with the other maids replacing her for the short time.

    Right before she left, Diana expressed regret about not being able to see me off when I went for my first date with the Prince and even gave explicit instructions to Grace on the hairstyle and clothes coordination. If she was so excited, she should just take my place! I was fine with anyone as long as I could go out and have fun.

    I stood against the wall of the foyer as I adjusted my hat again. My hair which was usually tied in a half up had been completely bundled up with intricate braids and almost fully covered by the hat. The trip today was to be done incognito, hence my mother had decided to cover as much of my eye-catching hair as possible. The itinerary for the day was going to be Prince Charles and I travelling to the town via horse-drawn carriage, stopping for lunch at a restaurant before attending the show, and returning back to the mansion on the same day. My parents were very cautious about me being found out to be the daughter of the Marquis and had forbidden me from exploring the town on foot.

    It was a pity but I guess this was better than nothing!

    “His Highness has arrived!” The strong voices of the guards outside hollered out.

    I straightened up and walked towards the entrance with Grace following behind me.

    A plain brown carriage without an embalm stopped at the carriage porch. My father had arranged for an unmarked carriage from our family to pick the Prince up from the villa he was staying early this morning.

    Prince Charles alighted from the carriage in a smooth and dignified manner. Different from his usual attire, he was wearing a simple long sleeved white shirt with a dark blue vest and matching blue pants. Although it was still good quality, it was very different from the coats with intricate threading he usually wore.

    “Good morning, Lady Liliana.” His lips curved up into a warm smile as his azure blue eyes met mine calmly.

    “Good morning to you as well, your Highness,” I returned the greeting with a curtsy.

    Apart from Grace and myself, some of the other servants who were around the area had gathered in the foyer with curious eyes. I could understand their feeling as it was rare for a Prince of the country to appear in front of your eyes.

    “Are you the only one around today?” he asked as he looked around.

    “The Lord and his wife are out today. Something urgent had come up so they are attending to it. I give their regards in their absence.”

    From a time unknown to me, the pepper-haired gentleman was already standing beside me with a gloved hand over his heart.

    Prince Charles gave a worried look. “Would it be fine for Lady Liliana to go out?”

    Christian nodded his head calmly. “Although it is regrettable they are not around to greet you, the Lord and the Madam say to enjoy yourself without worry.”

    “However, the Lord has left a message for you.” Christian took out a piece of paper from the breast pocket of his swallowtail coat and held it out with both hands.

    Prince Charles read the message before nodding and returning it to him. “I understand.”

    Turning to me, he smiled. “Shall we go now, Lady Liliana?”

    “Yes,” I responded with a nod.

    “Lady Liliana, please enjoy yourself,” Grace said as she bowed her head with her hands placed in front of her.

    As it was a low profile trip, the ones on the carriage were just the two of us with the coachman and a footman seated beside him. Even the guards following us were to keep a distance behind and maintain hidden so as to not draw attention. I do wonder if there was a need for so much caution though.

    Beside her, my eyes were drawn to Christian who had taken out his pocket watch and was looking at it with fond eyes. If I did not remember wrongly, that watch was a gift from his wife and it contained a picture of her and his two daughters. As he got married late, I heard that his daughters were only 15 and 14-year-old respectively.

    As my eyes met Christian’s, I smiled and asked, “Mr Christian, how are your wife and daughters doing recently?”

    His dark eyes betrayed no emotion as he replied, “I have been so busy recently I have not seen my family for a while.”

    My forehead creased slightly. Christian did look much more haggard than usual for the past week with a grey pallor and eye bags under his eyes. Was my father overworking him?

    “That won’t do. You have two daughters and a wonderful wife waiting for you at home. Although work is important, spending sufficient time with your family is even more important.”

    His hands around the pocket watch tightened. “... Perhaps.”

    Ah… It seems like my words had only made the atmosphere worse although I was just trying to show concern. I guess I had pried too much into his private life.

    “I will go and meet them soon. Thank you for your advice,” Christian suddenly said in a steady tone as his eyes pierced through me. Although he had always been stoic with few expressions, his dark eyes held an intensity that made my palms turn sweaty.

    “A-Alright.”

    “Lady Liliana?” Prince Charles prompted gently from the sides.

    His voice startled me and my eyes quickly shot towards him.

    “Yes, let’s go,” I replied quickly. When I casted a glance at Christian again, his face had already returned to his usual stoic expression. Well, I had to admit I am never too good at reading other people. After shrugging inwardly, I turned and started walking towards the carriage.

    The footman and the coachman were already standing beside the horse-drawn carriage. The coachman tried to hide a yawn as he rubbed his bleary eyes. Beside him, the footman did not seem to be much better with a lax face as he stood on one leg lazily. Were they going to be okay? We will not crash into a tree right? I suddenly had some worries.

    … This was pretty silly if I was to think about it again. Could it be something to do with the way I died in my previous life?

    *****​

    The ride to the town where the theatrical act was held at was a two hour journey. Once we exited the mansion’s grounds and entered the main road, it became fairly busy with peddlers on their caravans and farmers with carts of wheat and vegetables passing by us. I had briefly overheard from the conversations between my parents that the harvest this year was going to be good, and it does seem to be so from the happy faces of the people.

    I looked at the scene with sparkling eyes as it was all fresh to me. Occasionally, Prince Charles would explain to me where we were at or what the people were doing.

    “By the way, I did not see the black-haired maid by your side today,” Prince Charles asked out of the sudden.

    “Are you talking about Diana? She is away visiting her family for two weeks,” I replied as I met his blue eyes.

    Prince Charles turned his head to look out of the window and rubbed his chin. “Hmm, is that so?” His blue eyes floated back to me and smiled before he asked, “How long has she been serving you? You seem to be very close to her.”

    “We have been together for around 3 years. Well, although she has a very scary face, she is actually quite soft-hearted and gives in to me a lot. Instead of a servant, I think of her more like a friend.” I emphasised the word ‘friend’ intentionally. To be honest, I didn’t like people referring to Diana as just a ‘maid’. Her existence to me was so much more than just someone taking care of my needs.

    “Mmm… I see.” Prince Charles nodded lightly and did not ask further questions.

    What was the reason for asking me all this though? While I was still feeling curious about his interest in Diana, his eyes lighted up.

    “It seems like we are here.”

    I looked out of the window to see a line of people and carriages queuing up from a large wooden gate that seemed to be the entrance into the town. The town was surrounded by a grey stone wall that most likely stretched all around the town. I was unsure about other towns, but this was common for the towns in our domain as the activity of vicious wild beasts was higher than other domains. Hence, there was stronger need for protection in the event of any attacks.

    Guards wearing lightweight metal plates went through the papers of people diligently before allowing them to enter. When it came to our turn, the guard-in-charge widened his eyes at the papers before resuming a stern face. My parents had already made the necessary arrangements so there were no issues with us being allowed to enter the town. In fact, the guards even gave a sharp salute before directing us through the gates.

    The town was situated in the north-west portion of our land near to the land of a neighbouring noble. As expected for a town next to one of the main road that was leading from our neighbouring country, Breusia, the streets were lively and lined with stalls. From food stall wafting delicious scents to peddlers selling exotic wares, there was no end of interesting sights. Along the sidewalk, children holding skewers of meat and vegetables wandered around with their parents beside them as they munched happily.

    Which reminds me, it should be around lunchtime. I wonder what we are going to have for lunch today.

    While having such thoughts, Prince Charles asked, “Lady Liliana, there is an errand I need run. It will not take a long time. Can you wait for me on the carriage later?”

    “I don’t mind,” I replied casually.

    After passing through the lively street, the carriage went into a quieter street with well-paved stone pavements. From the look of the buildings around us, it seemed to be a street catering to wealthier customers. A while later, the carriage stopped in front of a shop with a golden sign. From the shop front, it looked to be an expensive jewellery shop.

    I looked down my chest where I could feel a faint coolness coming from the crystal under my dress. With instructions from my mother, I had been wearing the necklace day and night since I received it. I didn’t really mind as it was relatively small and light. When I was bored, I would take it out to admire the multicolored flecks in the crystal as well.

    As Prince Charles went inside with the footman, I remained on the carriage as agreed.

    I looked outside the window leisurely. As the traffic was much lesser, there was not much to see as compared to before.

    Ah, that girl’s hair looks white from the light reflecting off her silver hair, I thought lazily.

    Silver hair? I sat up straight. Just like red hair, silver hair was a fairly uncommon hair colour in this world. However, that was not the reason why I was alarmed - it was because the heroine of the light novel series had silver hair as well.

    Apart from being a cheerful and lively girl who can get along with anyone, her looks were also top notch. Long and silky smooth light silver hair that gleamed in the sunlight, a pair of bright amethyst eyes decorated with thick silver eyelashes - just from the colour scheme itself, you could tell that she was a character deserving to be the heroine of a story.

    I squinted as I tried to take a better look at the young girl who had just walked past the carriage.

    Her waist-length silver hair was braided loosely behind her and on her arms was a weaved basket filled with loaves of bread covered with a pink handkerchief. Her height was around mine and her head was lowered as she walked forward while looking around. She seemed out of place on the streets with her coarse and simple clothes, and the truth was that there were a few well-dressed passersby giving her odd looks.

    “Is that her? Is that really her? Why is she not turning around?” My voice grew high pitched as anxiousness built up in my heart.

    It would be strange if she was the heroine because the heroine stayed in a small village and not a bustling town. But how many girls of similar age and silver hair were there?

    Doubts started to surface in my heart.

    Should I go and check if she is the heroine? What if she really is the heroine? Wouldn't meeting me so early on ruin the flow of the story? After all, in the story, the heroine only met Liliana when they were in the Royal Academy.

    But if it is just a peek? Just a question on her name?

    My curiosity finally got the better of me.

    I quickly shouted to the coachman in front of me, “I am going to go out for a while!”

    Hearing that there was no reply, I decided to open the door myself and stepped out carefully. When I walked to the front, what greeted me were the loud snores of the coachman. It seemed like he had fallen asleep while waiting for Prince Charles and the footman to return.

    At least he did not fall asleep while driving the horses…

    But that was not the reason why I came out! I quickly spun around to look for my target.

    “She didn’t go too far right?”

    Luckily, the girl was still in sight as it was a straight street.

    I gathered up my courage and looked left and right to make sure the road was clear before I ran across the road.

    “E-Excuse me!” I called out as I cupped my hand around my mouth.

    The girl in front of me continued to walk forward without turning her head back.

    “Excuse me! You! The girl in front!” I panted as I held my hat in place to prevent it from falling off. Gosh, how long is she going to make me run? Is she really unable to hear me?

    “Please stop! The girl with the silver hair!” I finally managed to squeeze out at the top of my lungs.

    The girl finally stopped in her tracks and turned around as she pointed a finger at herself with wide eyes. Her attitude softened slightly when she realised the person calling her was me.

    Round amethyst eyes that were brimming with energy and a fair complexion that seemed unsuitable for the child of a commoner. From the way her eyes drooped slightly while she smiled and the dimples on her cheeks, there was a strange sense of familiarity. That was, of course, because I had seen the illustrations of her when she is seven years older.

    “Yes? Are you calling me?” she asked as she looked about, seemingly surprised that someone had called out to her on the streets.

    I continued to run forward until she was three steps away from me.

    “What is your name?” I asked after a moment of hesitation.

    The girl looked puzzled and changed her balance from one leg to the other. “Um…” Her grip on the handle of the weaved basket tightened before she answered, “My name is Valeria.”

    Valeria.

    It was a name that meant ‘to be strong’; aptly chosen by her parents for their daughter who will grow up to become the next Queen of the country.

    Of course, that was not all.

    It would be naive to think that the King and his ministers would acknowledge the daughter of a commoner to be the future Queen of the country just because she and the Prince fell in love.

    That’s right, where was the fun if the heroine of a story was not someone a little special?

    Unlike normal magicians who either had a Plus or Minus charge and could only cast spells with a magician of the opposite charge, the heroine was able to cast spells with both types of magicians. She was found to have both Plus and Minus charges and the last time a person with this unique constitution was found was on a person hailed as ‘Saint’ alive over 100 years ago.

    As I remained silent, the girl hunched slightly and asked softly, “I’m sorry… This is my first time coming to this town so I am not sure if I have done something wrong…”

    “Hmm? What are you talking about?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

    “Ah.” My eyebrows moved up as I understood the reason behind her words. “No, I just wanted to confirm something,” I continued in an as assuring way as I could. Even though it was impossible to recognise me as the daughter of a noble, I probably still looked like the daughter of a rich merchant with my high-quality clothes. I could understand her anxiousness of being called out by such a person without reason. It was my fault for not thinking about her position.

    “Well, thank you and sorry to take up your time. I will make my leave first then!” I said lightly as I spun around to take my leave.

    Now that my curiosity has been satisfied, it was time for me to withdraw from the stage until the curtains rise at the Royal Academy!

    Ignoring the mutters of, “huh, is that all? Is it okay like this?” coming from behind me, I skipped back to the carriage where the coachman was still fast asleep. Without anyone knowing, I went back to my seat and waited patiently for Prince Charles to come out from the shop - or at least that was how it was supposed to be.

    The moment I turned around, my sight was filled with the form of a dark-coloured carriage that completely covered the carriage I was riding on on the opposite side of the road. Before I could react, an arm stretched out from the depths and pulled me into the interior of the carriage. A piece of sweet smelling cloth was pressed roughly over my mouth and nose, stifling the scream from my throat.

    A high pitched scream rang out from behind me before it was muffled forcibly.

    Valeria!

    I attempted to pull away and kicked my legs about frantically, but my efforts were futile as I was pushed onto the floor face down. My arms were pinned behind me with a heavy weight and a sharp pain shot from my ankle.

    However, the weight behind me lightened unexpectedly with a deep grunt of pain.

    “Curses! What was that?” A deep raspy voice hissed.

    I tried to get up but found that my body had gotten stiff and was unable to move as I liked. Was it the strange scent on the cloth? My attempts only allowed me to wriggle limply on the floor.

    “Are you trying to die? He told us she has something on her,” a second male voice said in a displeased manner before a heavy thud of someone landing beside me was heard.

    “Why are there two girls here?” The man with a deep raspy voice sounded out from behind me in confusion.

    “Aa Eaa Aa…” I tried to scream again but even my vocal chords were not cooperating and I ended up giving a weird groan. My tongue accidentally touched the cloth and bitter taste filled the inner roof of my mouth. My stomach churned from the disgusting taste and I felt like hurling up. The impulse was only held down by sheer will.

    “Who knows? We will just grab both!” the other man snapped before the sound of the door closing was heard.

    “Aye, sir,” the owner of the raspy voice said with sarcasm as I heard the sound of hooves clopping on the stone floor and the floor of the carriage started trembling. From the laidback attitude of the two men, the struggles we had tried to put up were obviously not in their eye.

    Was Valeria okay? My heart grew cold as I thought about the silent girl that was lying beside me. Have they done anything bad to her?

    Apart from having paralysing functions, the sweet scent on the cloth seemed to have sedating purposes as well. As my eyelids grow heavier, my brain worked to keep track of what had happened so far.

    The heroine wandering around an unfamiliar town, kidnapping...

    Right before my consciousness turned black, the pieces finally clicked in my mind:

    It seems like I had stumbled into an event.

    Back to the Table of Contents
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2017
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  9. PamelAxiah

    PamelAxiah Well-Known Member

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    Is it supposed turned his head?
     
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  10. RubiKaria

    RubiKaria Well-Known Member

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    Please post at wattpad, there alot of villaness otome story there and my reading list already collect more that 150 stories. some even make to top 20 on hot list. I big fan of there genre hehehe
     
  11. RubiKaria

    RubiKaria Well-Known Member

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    I'm new here and this is the first novel I read here and I enjoy it very much and the quality is very good too :D thnks dear author hehe. im little overwhelmed and confuse the story, the chapter and the comments seem all over the place. do we have bookmark feature for this novel???
     
  12. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    Thank you for the comment! :blobsmilehappyeyes:

    I'll recommend to view the story at RoyalRoadLegend if you find the formatting confusing here. It's a site similar to Wattpad where you can make comments, reviews and participate in polls (when I have them :blob_grin:).
    Link: http://royalroadl.com/fiction/14114/the-villainess-will-work-hard-for-a-good-life

    If not, you can press 'watch thread' at the top right hand corner of the page, below the title, to get updates when I post new chapters.
     
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  13. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    Yes! I have corrected the typo. Thanks for pointing it out.
     
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  14. RubiKaria

    RubiKaria Well-Known Member

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    thnks for the tip. it helps alot :D
     
  15. PamelAxiah

    PamelAxiah Well-Known Member

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    I never find any good stories in wattpad about otome. That why usually i read in NUF
     
  16. RubiKaria

    RubiKaria Well-Known Member

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    Some are good. but the quality is mostly amature and the story never had ending lol. my fav is from CryinOutloud , and AiraCHolmes books Entitled. I read alot of otomegame books and now I confuse who is who haha
     
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  17. PamelAxiah

    PamelAxiah Well-Known Member

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    That's the minus from wattpad. Sometime the author just left tge stories that it hard to find a complete story
     
  18. Ruyi

    Ruyi translator at CG

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    Ohhhh finally caught up. What a twist, so she met the heroine early? I wonder if the kidnapping was part of the original otome as a flashback/plot event as well? So exciting~

    And all that backstory about the Pluses and Minuses just makes me wonder what kind of magic affinity our resident MC has. She can't be just a simple + or -, right? 0 u 0

    You're doing a great job with the characters, pacing, and plot! Keep it up! <3

    P.S. The RRL cover art is nice too! She actually looks less 'villainous' than what I imagined, but very pretty!
     
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  19. Akemin

    Akemin Well-Known Member

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    Chapter 9 - The Villainess in a Cage
    In a classroom dyed red by the setting sun, I sat at my desk and quietly read as I waited for a friend to end her club activities. An occasional summer breeze blew through the open windows, carrying the scent of a newly mowed lawn.

    “I can’t believe this! Why did Valeria choose the Prince even though Sui is so much better?”

    Beside me, I heard grumbles coming from my friend who was also waiting with me. I looked up from the manga I was reading to see her putting her chin down on her desk with her arms stretched out in front of her. The top of her short-sleeved sailor uniform lifted up slightly at the front, revealing the top band of her skirt. In her hands was a copy of one of the volumes of ‘Resonant Hearts’. She tucked her long black hair behind an ear before she flipped to the next page of the novel.

    I grinned and replied mischievously, “You are the one who dug yourself into this hole by shipping the heroine with the second male lead. She is obviously going to end up with the main male lead.”

    She lifted up her head and stared at me. A fire seemed to burn in her eyes as she argued, “But don’t you think it is frustrating? Even though he is working so hard and love the heroine just as much, he is never going to be together with the one he loves just because the author decided to place him as a ‘second male lead’!”

    “I don’t know. I am quite happy with Prince Charles and the heroine getting together.” Her impassioned words made no difference to me when it came to my favourite pairing.

    “Ahhh! You are so cold when it comes to things like this! Understand my feelings a little!”

    Watching the class idol whine because her ship fell apart was pretty comical. Even though she was a top student and popular, she was also a huge otaku like me. I was intimidated by her aura at first, but we were now close friends with lots of shared hobbies.

    Ah, but ‘now’ might not be accurate any longer.

    I glanced down at the manga in my hands. The page I was reading now was showing a scene where the heroine of the story was at a hospital visiting the male lead who was knocked down by a car when saving her. As the male lead lay on the bed in comatose, the heroine held his hands as she wept while imploring him to wake up. On the next page, the hands of the male lead moved, much to the surprise of the heroine. With a reassuring smile, the male lead lifted his hand and placed it on the heroine’s fluffy hair, comforting her and saying that everything will be fine. And they all lived happily ever after~

    This was a common trope in the shoujo mangas I read, and it my favourite kind of happy ending. However, there was something about it today that made me feel an insurmountable sadness.

    I took a deep breath and clenched my fists. Lifting my head up again, I asked cheerfully, “So, how have you been doing? Is everyone still doing well? Did you manage to get into the university you wanted to get into?”

    “And did Sensei finally get married?” I added in the last question with a quick laugh.

    However, the girl sitting in front of me just continued reading her novel without replying to my questions. Her tranquil dark brown eyes reflected the words of the novel as she put in all her concentration into the story.

    Against the background of the setting sun, the scene was just so blinding my eyes unconsciously heated up.

    “Hey, you can’t hear me anymore?”

    What replied was the sound of a page turning.

    “Even if it is just a consolation, can’t I at least have a comforting reply? My dreams are sure harsh,” I murmured as the scene started to fade into darkness.

    How nostalgic. It had been some time since I had dreamt about my previous life. In my previous life, I had a close friend who was also a fan of ‘Resonant Hearts’. Although we had lots of things in common, one of the things we were never able to agree on was the pairing in the series.

    The character ‘Sui’ was the same age as the heroine and also a commoner. He was a servant working in the Remington Household and went to the Royal Academy together with Liliana. However, instead of serving Liliana, he scorned her and made no attempt to hide his disdain. If it was the usual, Liliana would have gotten rid of him for offending her. However, Liliana was forbidden to touch him as he was a magician highly regarded by her father.

    As a servant under a special contract of service, he held status in the household and was the only one amongst the servants who dared to openly go against Liliana. Even when Liliana bullied the heroine, Sui was the first person who realised and protected her from some of Liliana’s vicious attacks. However, unknown to the both of them initially, the Royal Academy was not the first time Sui had met the heroine.

    Was the reason I had this strange dream because this ‘incident’ was the first time they had both met?

    “Pue?”

    A strange high pitched animal cry slowly woke me from my slumber.

    “Pue, puee!”

    Something had started jumping on my chest excitedly accompanied with squeals.

    “Hmmm… So that thing can touch her without getting electrocuted?”

    Hearing a human’s voice stirred my consciousness further and I was finally able to open my heavy eyelids. What greeted me was a dull grey ceiling with tattered wallpaper behind rows of steel bars. Flickering orange light from the torches on the walls lighted up the surroundings dimly and there was a damp and musty scent in the air.

    Wait. Steel bars? My mind finally recognised something strange about my surroundings.

    My eyes traced the steel bars around the thickness of two fingers stretching from side to side before I exhaled long and slow and came to a conclusion - it seemed like I had been thrown into a cage.

    And my ‘thrown’ wasn’t even a metaphor because I definitely felt as if I had been tossed and turned around in a washing machine. My body was aching and I could distinctly feel a sharp pain coming from my right foot. That must not be something good. Not only that, my head was throbbing terribly and my mind felt as if a thick fog had invaded it.

    “Pu pu pue!” Something was jumping on my chest again. Although it was not heavy, the weight was significant enough to cause my head to hurt with each thump.

    I tilted my chin down and came face to face with a black ball. To be more precise, it was a ball of black fur with two long ears and equally dark eyes. It raised two front paws as it sat on its round bottom and tilted its head while looking at me. It looked exactly like a rabbit, except that there was a black, fog-like aura wrapping around its body with tendrils floating out. The tendrils curled and uncurled as if it had a life of its own.

    My mind blanked out at the unusual sight, but I soon connected the dots.

    “A magical beast?”

    “Oh. You’re awake,” a boyish voice sounded out from my front. A hand stretched towards the animal on my chest and lifted it off before tossing it out of the cage in a swift movement.

    “What are you doing?” I sat up immediately and exclaimed. I winced slightly at the pain from my ankle but bit my lips to resist crying out. When I looked up, I saw a pair of cerulean eyes looking at me blankly.

    A boy with unstyled and messy dark blue hair sat in a corner of the cage with a knee up. “I didn’t think you would like to get more bruises from the jumping. Anyway, these guys are much hardier than they look,” he replied as he pointed at the direction he had thrown the animal.

    I turned my head and saw the animal twitching its ears inquisitively a distance away. It does look to be fine. After looking at us for a while, the animal seemed to lose interest and hopped away before entering a crack in a corner of the wall.

    “Isn’t that a rabbit?” I wondered out loud. Apart from the black aura and tendrils curling out, it looked exactly like a rabbit. However, it was identifiable as a magical beast because all magical beasts in the world were black with a black aura enveloping their body. But the ones I read about in the story were all much more vicious or majestic. I’ve never heard of a magical bunny!

    “Huh? You have never seen them before? These guys are pretty common. They can be found in most sewers and dark places,” the boy said with a raised eyebrow. “But they are usually very shy and don’t approach people. Looks like that guy liked you.”

    The boy turned to me and asked as his blue-green eyes gleamed with curiosity, “So what’s your name, Miss Magician?”

    How did he know I am a magician?

    Before I was able to ask anything, he gave a twisted smile and explained, “I overheard the conversation between the guys who brought you here. You sure brought them grief with whatever is on you. They could not touch you without being electrocuted.”

    Was that the doing of the necklace Prince Charles gave me? I raised my hand to clutch the crystal I was wearing under my dress. Who would have known that it would come in handy so quickly? Did I accidentally raise a flag when I said I hoped not to use it?

    The boy gave a small smile upon seeing my action.

    “In any case, welcome here. We are in the same boat so we should work together if we can. My name is Sui. What is yours?”

    “I am... Liliana,” I replied cautiously. I could clearly see the resemblance between the boy in front of me and the character seven years later. With blue-green cerulean eyes, dark blue hair and effeminate features, he looked like one of the dolls my brother had gifted me.

    If he had longer hair, he might look even prettier than the heroine… Ah!

    “By the way! Did you see another girl brought together with me?” I leaned forward asked hurriedly. Right before I passed out, I was sure that they had taken Valeria as well.

    “You are kinda strange. The first thing you ask about is somebody else?” Sui gave a wry smile. “Anyway, she’s over there,” he replied with a tilt of his chin.

    I twisted my body in the direction. In the worn out room filled with wooden crates, there was a figure on the floor that I had missed out when I first glanced around. Half covered by a brown blanket, there was a girl lying on the floor limply with her hands tied at the wrists in front of her.

    “Valeria!” I rushed to the steel bars on my knees as the cage was too small for me to stand up and grabbed them. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I thought of the worst case scenario.

    In the story, the heroine visited a fair at a large town with her mother when she was small to help out at the booth the bakery they were working in had set up. One of their patrons ordered some bread to be delivered and the heroine was requested to help with the delivery. However, on the way, the heroine met with some slave traders who eyed her for her unique hair colour. Although Lorzelea had forbidden the usage of slaves, their neighbouring country, Breusia, still utilised a slavery system, and children with eye-catching colours were particularly liked by the aristocracy.

    At the slave traders’ hideout, she met Sui who was also captured and made an alliance to work together to escape. However, while travelling in the caravan, the slave traders were attacked by wild beasts. In a moment of desperation, Sui discovered that Valeria has magic with awakened charge and managed to save the both of them in time by using magic. They managed to get rescued by a passing travelling merchant and before parting ways, Sui told Valeria to keep her powers hidden if she does not want to get taken away from her family. Valeria then subsequently covered her hair with a cloth until a fateful day when her mother was attacked and it was found out by the rest that she had magic.

    However, that would all be nothing if the heroine dies now.

    “Valeria! Are you okay? Please wake up!” My body grew stiff as I watched the limp and pale figure on the ground.

    Was it because I had accidentally stumbled into the event? Was it because I had called out to the heroine? Could this have been avoided if I had just stayed on the carriage?

    “Hey. Don’t shout so loudly. It will be troublesome if the guys came in,” Sui crawled over and hissed. “And your friend is fine. She was awake earlier. She is just asleep.”

    His words cleared my mind and I focused on the limp again. Now that I see carefully, her chest was moving up and down peacefully. It seems like I had been too hasty.

    I sat back down on the floor and took a deep breath to calm myself down.

    She is the heroine after all. There was no way for her to die so easily.

    “Have you calmed down now?” the boy asked after a while as he observed me.

    “Yes. Thank you,” I replied as I felt my heartbeat slowing down to a more normal pace. I met his cerulean eyes and asked with a solemn face, “Can you tell me more about what is happening?”

    Sui gave a thin smile. “I was wondering when you will ask about that.” He gestured towards the steel bars around us and continued, “You can probably guess, but you have been kidnapped by slave traders. The both of you were brought in around early afternoon. It is probably around evening now. I have been in this town for a few days, but they have been very secretive and quiet with information in front of me so it is hard to figure out their next step.”

    “But just to confirm, we are not in Breusia, right?” he questioned as his eyes bore into me.

    I shook my head.

    “What are they planning bringing me all the way here?” he muttered as he chewed on his thumbnail. It was unmistakably a bad habit of his, as his nails were jagged and uneven with the skin on his fingers peeling.

    “Are you okay?” I was unable to keep silent after studying him closely.

    Under a plain white shirt and brown three-quarter pants were bone-thin limbs. Although we should be the same age, he looked to be shorter and smaller than me with unhealthy looking skin. Most of all, his cerulean eyes had a murkiness in them that made my blood run cold.

    The boy’s cerulean eyes lighted up with a strange gleam at my question. “Are you sure you know the situation you are in? Are rich young misses these days all as thick as you?”

    “Instead of asking about others, why don’t you take a look at yourself first? You look way worse than me,” he said as he gave a wry smile.

    I glanced down at my sky-blue baby doll dress. I had to admit I must look awful with my dress all dirty and slightly tattered at the edges. Even my hands and legs were dirty with scratches here and there.

    “They had to drag you into the basement so you are probably going to have some bruises. You should have been awake to see how pissed they were for getting electrocuted every time they touched you. That really brought tears to my eyes.” Sui chuckled as he recalled the scene, seemingly in a better mood.

    With a grin on his face, he asked, “So what kind of spell are you using?”

    “Spell?” I echoed stupidly. Despite being thrown off by his change of mood, I quickly recovered and replied, “I’m not using any spell in particular.”

    “There is no need to be so secretive with me. I told you we are in the same boat, right? Both of our aims is to get out of this place so the more open we are with each other the easier this will be. If it makes you feel better, I can start first. I am a Minus magician, how about you?”

    “I don’t have my charge yet.”

    “Really? Then what is the thing that is electrocuting them?” Sui looked unconvinced at my answer and frowned.

    “Uh, um. It is probably from the necklace I am wearing,” I replied as I brought out the necklace from under my dress. “It is supposed to protect me from attacks.”

    Sui leaned forward to take a better look at the pale yellow crystal.

    His eyes narrowed slightly. “A magic crystal that has a strong protection spell imbued into it? Who exactly are you? This is not something just a wealthy merchant daughter can get hold of,” Sui asked as his eyes swept over me with suspicion.

    “It was a gift to me,” I answered uncomfortably.

    “Hmmm… Is that so?”

    As he stared at me relentlessly, I looked away awkwardly. It would be troublesome to reveal myself as the daughter of the Marquis. In the first place, I was not even supposed to exist in this scene.

    “Are… Are you alright?” A soft voice called out from behind me.

    My shoulders jumped at the gentle but timid voice, and I immediately twisted my head around.

    “Ah, here is another idiot.”

    Although she was still pale, Valeria was standing up and looking in my direction with worried eyes. It seemed like she had woken up when we were talking.

    She took quick steps towards us and sat down in front of me.

    “Are you feeling alright? Is there anywhere that hurts?” she asked anxiously as she looked all over me.

    While I was still taken aback by her concern, it was Sui who answered on my behalf, “Her right foot is sprained. It has gotten slightly swollen but it should be fine if we get it treated later. These guys won’t want to let their goods get defective so they will definitely treat it.”

    How did he know my foot is sprained? It had been throbbing since I woke up, but I was sure I had not talked about it.

    Valeria’s face darkened at his words, but she soon brightened up as she met my eyes. “Although this is all scary, let’s do our best to get out of this, alright?” she said cheerfully.

    Was this the power of a heroine? I opened my mouth slightly. The only reason I was able to remain calm was that I knew what was going to happen next. But how is she able to remain so optimistic even when faced with such an impossible situation?

    “Ah, although I have introduced myself earlier, I think it is better if we do it again. My name is Valeria. What is yours?” she asked with a friendly smile.

    “I am Liliana.”

    Her dimples on the side of the cheeks showed she gave a bright smile. “So you are Miss Liliana! Nice to meet you!”

    “You can just call me Liliana.” Her light-heartedness had rubbed off me, and my lips curled up into a small smile as well.

    Just then, Sui’s eyes became sharp as he cut in between us. “Shush. There is someone coming.”

    However, his words were too slow as heavy footsteps stopped outside the door.

    “Is our sleeping beauty finally awake?” a raspy voice causing chills to run up my back called out from the opposite side of the door.

    The door opened with a creak to reveal a stout man with unkempt dark brown hair. His face twisted into a toothy smirk as he rubbed his right arm.

    “Thanks to you, I still can’t feel anything on my right arm. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

    “Why don’t you let us go?” I replied back stiffly.

    “Haha! Funny, aren’t you?” the man let out a loud derisive bark of laughter. “Do you really think we will let you go after all the trouble we went through?”

    His eyes swept to Valeria who was still sitting beside the cage. Valeria shrunk back at his gaze and stiffened her back.

    “This girl is your friend isn’t she?” His smile on his face grew even more twisted as he approached us.

    “What do you mean?” I asked calmly as a bad feeling rose from my stomach. “I have only just met her.”

    The man sneered. “Then I guess it wouldn’t matter to you if she died?”

    In a swift movement, he lifted Valeria up by the back of her dress with his left hand and reached into a pouch on his waist with his other hand and took out a short knife. With a shaky hand, he held the knife next to her neck.

    My blood drained from my face. However, I knew that he was just testing me so I forced my voice to remain steady as I answered, “Is it really okay to hurt her? Wouldn’t her value decrease if she is injured?”

    The man laughed. “What a brave girl we have here. Much better than the crying ones we often have, I’d say.” Then, he cast a look of contempt at Sui. “And I see our brat here has helpfully given some background information. I have no idea what you are plotting but it is about time you give up.”

    Sui gritted his teeth at his words but did not make any reply.

    The man only laughed at his reaction. He jiggled Valeria slightly like she was a doll and grinned. Valeria’s face was as white as sheet and I could see that she was trying her best not to scream.

    With the tip of the knife still pointed at her, the man asked, “Why don’t I make a deal with you? Get rid of whatever is on you that is protecting you and this girlie here lives. If not, she dies.”

    I clenched my fists. If I was to take off my necklace now, it would mean giving up my only mean of protection. However, if I don’t take it off, the man might really kill Valeria, and that was something not allowed to happen.

    Anyway, they are going to get attacked by wild beasts later and we will be saved by a passing travelling merchant so it was all going to be fine, I convinced myself.

    “Alright, I will take my necklace off,” I said evenly as I reached behind my neck with both of my hands.

    From the corners of my eyes, I saw Sui glower silently at me as he gripped the cloth on his pants tightly.

    I could understand his unhappiness as he was probably hoping to obtain the necklace for himself. Something that can protect you from getting attacked is really very precious after all. When he comes to my house later, let’s try and ask the Prince if it was possible to get something like mine for him as well.

    The stout man watched me like a hawk as I removed the necklace and held it in my hands. However, instead of demanding me to hand it over to him, he gave a bone-chilling smile.

    “You know what, I have changed my mind.”

    I stared at him with incredulous eyes. “What?”

    “Do you know what I like more than brats who don’t cry?” he asked in a low whisper. That was, of course, a rhetorical question.

    “I love those who cry as they plead and beg me to stop.”

    With a hand that was still trembling, he lifted his knife high above his head. In that moment, the silver blade glinted red from the orange light emitted from the torches on the walls, as if it had already been dyed in the colour of blood. From the smug grin on his face and the dangerous glint in his eyes, I could tell that he was serious.

    The box that had been holding in all of my emotions cracked.

    “NO! STOP IT!”

    I screamed at the top of my lungs as my eyes watched the knife move down in a slow motion.

    The tip of the knife was pointed directly at Valeria’s smooth white throat, and it would mean certain death if it got embedded inside.

    Except that the knife never reached its target.

    With a giant ripping sound, the ceiling cracked and white plaster fell down together with hundreds of black creatures onto the man and Valeria like a waterfall. Although they were starting to resemble an army of black ants, I could recognise that they were the black rabbit-like magical beasts.

    “What on earth!”

    While cursing in a language that I did not know, the man dropped both his knife and Valeria like hot potatoes before his face grew pale at the black creatures swarming on his body and around his feet. Like an endless torrent, more and more black creatures flowed into the room through the crack in the wall and from the ceiling, all the way out of the door. As some of them sink their teeth into on the man’s clothes and skin, he flung them away in a panic before running out of the room with some still on his butt.

    Ha! Serves you right!

    Sui was the first one who reacted.

    “Valeria! Give me the knife!”

    Although the black magic beasts had attacked the man, they avoided the cage and Valeria like a rock in the middle of a river. Valeria searched around her feet for the knife amongst the black furry bodies and managed to kick the knife towards our cage.

    “Good job. Now your hands,” Sui said as he beckoned for Valeria to come towards him.

    Deftly, he cut away the ropes tying her hands together.

    Valeria rubbed her wrists in relief before smiling and asking energetically, “What should I do to get the both of you out?”

    Just how is she able to smile right after almost dying earlier? I thought my heart was going to stop!

    Sui shook his head. “The key is with the men, and this cage is enchanted with a spell that prevents me from using magic. What you need to do right now is to run away.”

    He pointed at the enlarged crack in the wall where black creatures were still pouring through.

    “That hole should be large enough for you to go through. It should lead towards the sewers. The men will probably move out from here now so you just need to hide for around an hour or so before coming out at a more populated place.”

    Valeria paled and asked desperately, “But what about you guys? Am I going to leave the two of you alone and run away by myself?”

    “Yes, because you are our only hope to get help if you can escape,” Sui rebutted with a scowl.

    Valeria bites her lips before nodding with a determined expression. “I will go and get help!”

    Seeing the girl who was ready to bolt off anytime, I quickly cut in, “Um, please wait!”

    While two pair of eyes turned to me, my brain worked furiously as I tried to think of a way out. In the story, Valeria was supposed to be with Sui when the caravan was attacked but it wasn’t like I could tell them, “Don’t worry guys, we'll be fine because some wild beasts will attack us later and we will be saved! (๑´ڡ`๑)”.

    Ahhh, what am I supposed to do now?!

    As I held my head between my hands, a pale yellow flash of light caught my eye. Ah, I still have that! My eyes lighted up and I held out the necklace in my hands towards Valeria fiercely.

    “Take this! There is a spell on it. It will protect you as you escape!” If she really had to run away, at the very least, I wanted to make sure she would be safe.

    Valeria widened her eyes. “Is this really okay? Isn’t it something important?” She asked uneasily.

    “It’s fine! And if you need to go, you better go before they come back!”

    With my incessant pushing, Valeria finally took the pale yellow crystal from my hands and placed it around her neck. “I will definitely come and save you guys!” she said as she clenched her fists.

    “Alright, alright, just go!” Sui seemed to have finally gotten impatient with us and waved her off as he threw a pointed look at the open door.

    Valeria cast one last look at us before crawling into the hole. Luckily, it was just the right fit for her. And miraculously, the black magical beasts avoided her once again as she climbed down. It seemed to be a slight drop, as I heard the sound of something landing on water before I heard the sound of footsteps running away.

    I heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed like Valeria had run away successfully, and even if the men want to chase after her, it was going to be impossible for them to crawl through the hole.

    “You do know how stupid that was?” Sui said bitterly as he went back to sit down in a corner of the cage.

    “I can try and get you something similar,” I replied casually as I sat down as well.

    “Huh? Do you know what are you talking about?” Sui furrowed his brows as he leaned on the steel bars.

    Seeing the boy’s dubious face, I just smiled and shook my head. “It’s okay. You will understand late-”

    Out of the blue, a wave of light-headedness hit me and I fell limply to my side before I could even finish my sentence.

    “Hey! What happened?” The boy crawled over to my side and patted me vigorously on my shoulders.

    I lifted a hand weakly as I tried to form words with my mouth. “I think that…”

    Sui chewed on his nail as he muttered to himself, “Is it the after-effect of the drug they used? It shouldn’t be deadly but her face is way too pale for it to be normal. But there is no way they will take any chances of hurting her permanently…”

    “Um… The truth is…” I interjected his train of thoughts apologetically. If I thought about it logically, there was only one very good explanation for my loss of energy.

    “I have not eaten anything since the morning, so I am probably just famished. Hehe.”

    And with the stormy face of a beautiful young boy in front of me, I splendidly fainted again.

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  20. PamelAxiah

    PamelAxiah Well-Known Member

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    Wow.. Wonder the prince reaction when he realize the necklace is with heroine not with Liliana
     
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