I Will No Longer Live As Your Villainess

“Your cheek…”

“Oh… That…”

Taishar, who had gone to fetch a scroll containing healing spells, returned to find Laurencia’s left cheek swollen and red. At first, he thought her frail body had caused her to trip and bruise herself. But it was unmistakably the mark of a slap.

“Who did this to you, my lady?”

“Well… I was alone with Illina for a moment, for a reason.”

“And who is Lady Illina? I won’t let this go—I’ll report it to Princess Charlotte immediately.”

“Illina is my half-sister.”

Susanna, trying to suppress her frustration, gently brushed Laurencia’s fiery red hair and styled it neatly. She then brought out a light beige dress, perfect for lounging indoors, and helped her change into it.

“Is it comfortable?”

“Yes, very.”

At the Count’s manor, Laurencia had only worn stiff, coarse dresses that constantly irritated her skin. But ever since arriving at the royal palace, she’d been given soft, adorable, and comfortable outfits.

Since this was her first time wearing such a lovely dress, she moved carefully to avoid wrinkling it. To her surprise, no matter how much she moved, the fabric didn’t crease, which fascinated her.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

Standing before the large mirror in the room, Laurencia twirled twice, a soft smile spreading across her lips.

—Meow!

“Leo.”

“He had a hearty bowl of fish porridge earlier and has been napping ever since,” Susanna said.

“Thank you for taking care of him, Susanna.”

“That’s not the proper way to express gratitude, my lady.”

“You’ve worked hard taking care of him, Susanna.”

“Try to get into the habit of speaking informally to your subordinates, alright?”

Laurencia nodded obediently.

Meanwhile, Taishar hurried toward Charlotte’s reception room. He needed to report to her, fetch Laurencia’s meal, and return as quickly as possible. Upon entering, he found that Adrian had already arrived and was seated beside Charlotte.

“Your Highness Adrian, you’re already back?”

“The teleportation hall makes for a quick trip,” Adrian replied.

“Did you recover the letters?”

Adrian pulled two letters from his coat and showed them to Taishar.

“Just as Lady Laurencia suspected, there were two letters from Lady Illina addressed to Lord Lorirolds.”

“Did Lord Lorirolds give them up easily?”

“As soon as I told him Laurencia would leave him alone if he handed over the letters, he gave them up immediately.”

“What a fool,” Taishar scoffed.

He began reading the letters Adrian had handed him, and with every line, his grip tightened. The contents were so outrageous that he unconsciously crumpled the paper in his hand.

“Marquis Taishar, please don’t damage the letters. That could cause issues.”

“My apologies. I was overcome with anger…”

Taishar straightened the crumpled letter and handed it back to Adrian.

“Charlotte has told me a bit about it—how Lady Laurencia is someone of great importance who was lost to the Poloid Empire.”

“Indeed, I have something to discuss regarding that, and I also heard an intriguing conversation between Lady Laurencia and Prince Luance.”

“An intriguing conversation?” Adrian asked, his interest piqued.

“Prince Luance has apparently been giving Lady Laurencia a potion to drink every day.”

“A potion?”

“Yes. Lady Laurencia even asked Prince Luance where in the royal palace she could get more of it.”

Adrian’s brow furrowed slightly.

“And what was Luance’s response?”

“He told her she didn’t need to drink it anymore and quickly left the room.”

Adrian laughed incredulously and turned to Taishar.

“So, Luance not only lied about the potion being from the palace but also made Laurencia drink it daily? Unbelievable.”

“Exactly. That’s why I suggest investigating it. By tomorrow, the ‘Red Moon,’ the shadow of the Spencer household, will arrive.”

“Then we can begin the investigation immediately,” Adrian said, a smirk forming as he realized they might be able to corner Luance sooner than expected.

After his brief conversation with Charlotte and Adrian, Taishar went to the kitchen and instructed the chef to prepare a special meal for Laurencia.

“Mince thick cuts of beef finely, then combine them with various vegetables. Add a dash of lemon to cut through the richness…”

Though initially flustered by Taishar’s meticulous instructions, the royal chef took on the challenge with pride and created the dish to perfection.

Once the meal was plated beautifully, Taishar carefully placed it on a trolley. The attendant standing nearby was startled.

“Allow me to handle it, Marquis.”

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

The attendant watched nervously as Taishar carefully loaded the food onto the trolley. When the meal was set, the attendant reached out to take the trolley, but Taishar blocked him.

“I’ll push it.”

“Marquis, this is a task for an attendant like me.”

“I won’t repeat myself.”

Unable to argue, the attendant sighed deeply, baffled by Taishar’s insistence.

Taishar, however, paid no attention to the attendant’s thoughts. His mind was entirely preoccupied with taking care of Laurencia.

Should I learn to cook when we return to the Poloid Empire? he mused. Imagining her eating food he had prepared, her small lips savoring every bite, brought a rare smile to his face.

Like a gardener tending to a delicate sapling, the thought of personally providing everything Laurencia needed filled him with satisfaction.

Taishar pushed the trolley back to his quarters, where Laurencia was waiting.

Inside, Susanna had propped Laurencia up with cushions against the headboard and set up a bedside table. She began arranging the food from the trolley onto the table.

“Let’s discuss your studies, Lady Laurencia.”

“Yes, Marquis Spencer?”

“Princess Charlotte and I have prepared some options for you. You can choose whichever suits you best.”

“Options?”

“First: study with me all day. Second: study with me in the morning only. Third: study with me in the afternoon only. Fourth: study with me in the morning and with Princess Charlotte in the afternoon. I recommend the first option.”

Laurencia stared at Taishar awkwardly, sensing his eagerness to spend as much time with her as possible.

What kind of existence am I to this man? she wondered. As the so-called child of the goddess Ella, was she truly so important to him?

She appreciated his kindness, but the way his crimson eyes seemed to look beyond her—as if searching for something else—filled her with unease.

“I’ll push it myself.”

“Marquis… this is a task for an attendant like me.”

“I won’t repeat myself.”

Taishar firmly took the trolley and began pushing it, leaving the attendant to sigh deeply in resignation. The attendant couldn’t understand why Taishar was behaving this way, but there was no way to stop him.

Taishar, however, wasn’t concerned about the attendant’s thoughts. His mind was entirely preoccupied with Laurencia and her needs.

Should I learn how to cook when we return to the Poloid Empire? he mused. The thought of Laurencia eating food he had prepared, her small lips savoring every bite, made his lips curl into a subtle smile.

Like a gardener nurturing a delicate sapling, the idea of personally providing everything Laurencia needed brought him immense satisfaction.

Taishar finally returned to his quarters, pushing the trolley laden with food.

Susanna propped Laurencia up against the headboard with soft cushions and set up a bedside table. She began arranging the food from the trolley onto the table.

“Now, let’s talk about your studies, Lady Laurencia.”

“Yes, Marquis Spencer?”

“Princess Charlotte and I have prepared some options for you to choose from.”

“Options?”

“First: study with me all day. Second: study with me only in the mornings. Third: study with me only in the afternoons. Fourth: study with me in the mornings and with Princess Charlotte in the afternoons. I personally recommend the first option.”

Laurencia looked at Taishar awkwardly, sensing his eagerness to spend as much time with her as possible.

What kind of existence am I to this man? she wondered. As the so-called child of the goddess Ella, was she truly that important to him?

She appreciated his kindness, but the way his crimson eyes seemed to look beyond her—as if searching for something else—made her uneasy.

“Is there no fifth option, like studying with Princess Charlotte only in the afternoons?”

“There is not,” Taishar replied.

Charlotte had offered to assign excellent tutors to Laurencia, but she had declined. She thought it would be better to study privately with Taishar rather than with strangers. Fortunately, it seemed Charlotte’s promise to help with her education wasn’t just empty words.

“Then I’ll choose the fourth option,” Laurencia decided.

Taishar’s expression visibly fell at her choice, but Laurencia, in contrast, felt her heart flutter with excitement at the thought of finally learning how to read and study.

“Learning how to read…” she murmured, almost in disbelief.

It felt like a dream come true. Yet, she couldn’t shake her anxiety about how the future might change in unexpected ways.

She wanted to use the power of the amethyst necklace, but with Susanna or Taishar constantly by her side, she never had the opportunity to look into the future. Without foresight, every decision felt daunting.

Still, she resolved to proceed carefully and make her own choices step by step.

“If there’s anything else you’d like to learn, please let me know,” Taishar said.

“Anything else I’d like to learn?”

“Yes. If Lady Laurencia desires it, we can go anywhere, see anything, taste anything, or learn anything.”

Laurencia’s heart raced at his words.

“That would be wonderful.”

“I’ll make it happen,” Taishar said with a gentle smile.

Laurencia looked up at him. His thick double eyelids framed large, round eyes, and his prominent nose gave him a refined, masculine appearance. But when their gazes met, his cheeks turned slightly red. Laurencia tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why he was blushing.

“But first, let’s take care of your hunger, Lady Laurencia.”

As Taishar gestured toward the food on the table, Laurencia’s stomach growled, and she swallowed nervously.

“This is tomato beef stew. It’s tangy and sure to whet your appetite. And this dish here…” Taishar began explaining, prompting Laurencia to swallow again as her mouth watered. There were so many dishes before her that she didn’t know where to begin.

“After finishing these dishes, you’ll also have to drink a cup of cocoa topped with whipped cream,” Taishar added.

“Cocoa with whipped cream? Does it taste different from regular cocoa?”

“Whipped cream makes it much sweeter and more delicious than plain cocoa.”

“Alright, I’ll make sure to drink it all,” Laurencia replied with sparkling eyes.

She couldn’t help but recall the magical taste of cocoa she had tried for the first time recently. The chocolate bread Luance had once brought her had been tasty but left her mouth feeling dry. In contrast, the cocoa Taishar had given her had been warm, smooth, and easy to drink.

“Will I be able to finish all this food?”

“If you’re full, you can leave some behind.”

“But it feels wasteful to leave food.”

“Don’t worry. The leftovers will be eaten by others since everything was served cleanly.”

“Alright.”

Taishar carefully cut a steak into small pieces and placed them on Laurencia’s plate.

She alternated between looking at the food and Taishar before picking up her fork, spearing a piece of meat, and putting it into her mouth. As she chewed, her face lit up.

“This tastes amazing. I’ve never had anything like it.”

“I’ll let the chef know.”

“Yes, please do.”

Taishar continued cutting food and placing it on Laurencia’s plate. Watching her hollow cheeks puff up as she ate made him smile in satisfaction. It felt like feeding a baby bird, and he found himself enjoying the moment immensely.

“Here, this is milk with honey. Please drink it, Lady Laurencia.”

“Thank you, Marquis Spencer.”

“Oh, you spilled some. Let me wipe it for you.”

“I’m sorry for spilling.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I spill milk all the time myself,” he said as he gently wiped the milk from her lips with a handkerchief.

“I’m full,” Laurencia finally admitted.

Though she hadn’t been hungry initially, the enticing sight and taste of the food had tempted her to eat far more than she intended. However, her frail stomach couldn’t handle much and quickly felt full.

“But you ate so little…” Taishar said, clearly disappointed.

Just then, Susanna appeared behind him.

“Step aside, Marquis.”

Reluctantly, Taishar moved away, his face filled with regret.

Susanna removed the cushion supporting Laurencia’s back and began gently rubbing her.

“This will help with digestion, my lady,” Susanna explained.

While Susanna tended to Laurencia, Taishar began clearing the table and placing the leftover dishes back onto the trolley.

—Meow!

Leo, sensing that Laurencia had finished her meal, padded over to her lap and let out a soft cry as he snuggled into her arms.