I Will No Longer Live As Your Villainess

“It’s because she was confined to such a small space that we couldn’t find her.”

“We’ll have to bring Lady Laurencia to the Polaroid Empire.”

“However, there’s one issue.”

“What issue?”

“Lady Laurencia… she distrusts people. That is, all of us. If we try to bring her along by force, she might disappear without a trace. We mustn’t attempt to take her against her will.”

Taishar recalled Laurencia’s smile. At first glance, it appeared bright, but her violet eyes told a different story—they revealed only wariness and caution.

Aside from that, no other emotions could be seen. The only time she let her guard down was while eating potato soup, shedding tears and revealing her vulnerability.

Seeing her like that made Taishar feel an inexplicable pain, as if his chest was tightening. The sorrow was so overwhelming that, if not for Susanna’s presence, he might have cried alongside her.

Susanna’s angry words echoed in his mind:

“I never knew it was possible for a human body to survive on just skin and bones. When I asked Lady Laurencia what she eats in a day, she said it’s either a single bowl of fish soup or oat porridge. On special days, she might have potato soup. That’s it!”

Although the healing scroll had cured the bruises on her body, the emotional wounds remained, festering deep inside. Those wounds had likely robbed her of the ability to trust others.

“If Lady Laurencia comes to understand my sincerity, she may open her heart. Until then, I will stay by her side.”

It was only natural for Laurencia to distrust others and keep her distance. Taishar knew he had to remain close yet quiet, patiently waiting for her to lower her guard and approach him willingly.

“I plan to serve her wholeheartedly.”

Taishar hadn’t come up with a specific plan for how to help Laurencia. However, he was determined to let her experience joy, feel a variety of emotions, and smile sincerely.

“I’m just relieved we found Ella’s divine child, even if it was late. Honestly, I thought you were being kind to her because you fell for her at first sight.”

“Do you think I fell for Lady Laurencia at first sight?”

“Of course. Anyone would say you acted like a man smitten at first glance.”

“Did I really come across that way?”

Charlotte nodded with a smile. Taishar let out a short cough, his ears tinged slightly red.

“I don’t understand. According to Her Majesty the Queen, Ella’s divine children are supposed to be both exceptionally beautiful and incredibly powerful. Capturing someone like that should be impossible. How could anyone bring her here and confine her? Could Lady Laurencia’s father truly be Count Paul Heredian? I have so many questions.”

“No matter how beautiful or powerful Ella’s children may be, they have a fatal weakness.”

“Taishar, there are many who covet Ella’s children, so we serpents must protect them well.”

“And what might that weakness be?”

“A wicked bug can secretly climb the tree, burrow into the bark, and slowly rot it away until the tree eventually dies.”

“Love.”

Recalling his father’s words, Taishar sighed deeply. His father, Magus, had told him that Musila was the last remaining child of Ella.

Musila, with her fiery red hair and navy-blue eyes, had possessed extraordinary power.

“Love? Did I hear that right? That kind of love? You’re saying love is a fatal weakness for Ella’s children?”

The thought of Count Paul Heredian’s household abusing Lady Laurencia, and then Prince Luance showing her kindness, only for Laurencia to fall in love with him—it was a nightmare even to imagine.

Taishar clenched his fists tightly. His father’s words rang true: a wicked bug could rot the tree from within. Before the sapling was tainted, it had to be treated, transplanted into fertile soil, and nurtured properly.

“What kind of powers does Ella’s child possess?”

“I don’t know the specifics.”

Taishar was determined never to reveal Laurencia’s abilities to anyone. According to Magus, the powers of Ella’s children varied depending on their eye color. Among them, the child with violet eyes wielded the powers of wisdom and foresight.

It seemed Laurencia herself was unaware of her abilities. However, both Count Paul Heredian and Prince Luance must have known her true nature. They were undoubtedly scheming to take her by any means necessary.

Moreover, if her power of foresight became known, staying in the Ishter Empire would be far too dangerous.

If Laurencia awakened her abilities and used them wisely, all would be well. But if not, the serpents’ duty might compel them to uproot the tree—a possibility Taishar refused to entertain. No matter what, the sapling must be nurtured properly.

“We must protect her well, Marquis Taishar.”

“Of course, Princess Charlotte. Not only will I protect her, but I will also care for Lady Laurencia with all my strength. I will show her that this world has beautiful places and good people.”

Feeling a sudden dryness in his throat, Taishar drained the cold tea on the table in one gulp.

“I can’t shake this uneasy feeling. I must go to fetch Lady Laurencia.”

As he left the drawing room, Taishar’s heart pounded unpleasantly in his chest. The unease felt like an arrow piercing his heart, as though something terrible had already befallen the sapling he was meant to protect.

As Taishar’s long legs quickly strode down the hallway, an unwelcome face appeared in the distance—one he had no desire to see at the moment.

“Marquis Spencer.”

“Prince Luance.”

“I’ve heard that the Paul Heredian household has taken Loa… I mean, Lady Laurencia… to the imperial palace.”

The saying that life isn’t full of only good things came to mind. Just as good events are often followed by bad ones, today proved that adage true. This situation was the perfect example.

Taishar thought to himself, If only this place were a battlefield, I could eliminate the nuisance standing before me without hesitation. Unfortunately, the current setting was not a battlefield but the grand hallway of the Ishter Empire’s palace.

“Marquis Spencer. Where is Loa?”

Seeing Luance call Laurencia by her nickname with such affectionate concern was almost unbearable. But Taishar held back. He had to hold back.

“Where have you taken Loa? Please don’t take her away from me.”

Taishar’s crimson eyes widened briefly before a faint smile bloomed across his face.

“What kind of relationship do you and Lady Laurencia have, Your Highness?”

“I don’t see why my relationship with her is relevant. I’m asking you where she is, Marquis Spencer.”

Running a hand through his hair, Taishar stepped closer to Luance until they were so near that each could see their reflection in the other’s eyes.

“Why are you looking for her? Don’t look for her, Prince Luance.”

“Marquis Spencer.”

“I’m not joking. I’m asking you to stop looking for her.”

Luance tilted one corner of his mouth in a crooked grin, then let out a loud laugh.

“You should answer while I’m still smiling like this, Marquis Spencer. I’ll ask again—where is Loa?”

“Let me make one thing clear: I will never send her back to the count’s estate, Your Highness.”

At Taishar’s firm and icy refusal, Luance’s previously calm demeanor shifted, his expression betraying his discomfort.

“Now I understand. Our dear Loa must want to return to the count’s estate, and you’re the one preventing her from going back. I’d like to know why you’re stopping her from returning to her home.”

Luance’s lips twisted as he spoke in a low tone, but Taishar remained unfazed by his provocations.

“Why did you take Loa by force and confine her? What’s your reason, Marquis Spencer?”

“Prince Luance.”

Taishar leaned slightly toward Luance. Until now, he’d believed that Laurencia’s distrust of people stemmed solely from the abuse she’d endured. But through this brief conversation, he realized abuse wasn’t the whole story.

Luance’s way of speaking was manipulative—designed to obscure the issue and shift blame. His words eroded confidence, sowed self-doubt, and made it impossible to discern right from wrong.

It was horrifying. The Paul Heredian household had tormented Laurencia physically, while Luance had cornered her mentally, instilling guilt for things she hadn’t done and stripping her of her self-esteem.

Through this exchange, Taishar finally understood why Adrian, Luance’s half-brother, regarded him with such wariness. Luance had a natural talent for creating deeply rooted misunderstandings.

“May I offer you a warning, Your Highness?”

“Are you saying you’re going to warn me, the second prince of the Ishter Empire?”

Luance met Taishar’s piercing crimson gaze, which seemed as sharp and overwhelming as a giant serpent tightening its coils around its prey. A shiver ran down Luance’s spine.

“What kind of warning would that be, Marquis Spencer?”

“Do not anger a serpent.”

Taishar was furious—unmistakably so.

“Never again address Lady Laurencia by her nickname so affectionately in my presence.”

With those words, Taishar took a deep breath and straightened his posture.

“Lady Laurencia will never return to the count’s estate.”

“How dare you…”

“If you were close enough to call her by a nickname, then surely you knew she was being abused. Why did you let it happen?”

“And that’s why I made her a countess.”

“The abuse continued even after that. Hearing ‘how dare you’ from someone who failed to stop her suffering is almost laughable. If you have even a shred of conscience, you’ll stop looking for her. You might see my words as a warning, but they’re actually the greatest courtesy I can extend to you, Your Highness.”

Meanwhile…

Laurencia stood by the reception room door, her hand on the doorknob. Illina hadn’t moved an inch, only standing there with tears streaming down her face.

Laurencia sighed in disappointment at Illina’s defeatist behavior. The conversation hadn’t even started, yet she was already crumbling.

Illina kept repeating, “This is impossible… This can’t be happening,” as though stuck in a loop.

A bitter laugh escaped Laurencia’s lips.