TBVL 03

The Villainess Who Was Betrayed Is Looking for Someone to Have Her Back – Chapter 3

My hands trembled uncontrollably.

It was the aftermath of the sudden violence.

“…And yet you hit me? You?”

“You’re a criminal, lower than anyone else in this world.”

“Haha.”

There was only one reason I had quietly remained imprisoned here.

My own stupidity.

Like a fool, I had still believed in them. I thought that one day they would kneel before me, apologize, and beg for forgiveness.

The emotions and bonds built over more than ten years had blinded me and turned me into an idiot incapable of taking action.

I raised my hand and grabbed Calix’s jaw roughly, pulling his face close to mine.

“At the very least, you shouldn’t have resorted to violence, Calix.”

“Mmph… mmph!”

“If you’re not even going to kill me.”

That’s right.

There had been a reason they kept me alive.

I shoved another paralysis potion into Calix’s mouth. His eyes widened as he tried to resist, but the potion slid down his throat in an instant.

“Now get out. I have some thinking to do. And fix the roof before you leave. Otherwise, I’ll end up getting soaked by the rain and die here. Understood?”

“Mmph! Ngh!”

I rolled the large man across the floor until he reached the doorway.

Dragging him outside took some effort, but it was manageable.

“And give Rigreto my regards.”

“Tell him I hope we never meet again—not even in our dreams.”

The lingering attachment that had clung to me finally snapped away.

It felt like being cured of an incurable disease—one that even my perfect potions had never been able to heal.

After sleeping for a while, I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed, both physically and mentally.

There wasn’t a single sound outside.

Lying in bed, I stared at the neatly repaired ceiling and muttered,

“I knew it… Their accusations weren’t nearly harsh enough. Calling me a traitor…”

Now that I was certain of my innocence, I had no intention of continuing to dance to their tune.

Why had they framed me?

Why did they have to reduce me to this?

I still had no answers.

But there was one thing I did know.

There was something they could only accomplish by keeping me locked away here.

Something so important that they had to slaughter the goose that laid golden eggs—

The goose that willingly offered them potions and every precious thing they wanted with just a few scraps of affection.

There also had to be a reason they couldn’t simply kill me, even though my existence only got in their way.

“Yeah…”

I forced the corners of my mouth upward.

“Then maybe it’s finally time I really betrayed them.”

I was leaving.

For the first time in two years, my resolve was absolute.

I’d done more than enough to fulfill whatever obligations I once believed I had.

I’d already been branded with crimes I never committed.

So what difference would a few more make?

Compared to charges like attempted murder or attempting to assassinate royalty, escaping prison was practically child’s play.

This time…

I would be the one abandoning them first.

I sprang to my feet and rushed outside the cabin.

Before escaping, I intended to test the strength of the barrier that kept me imprisoned.

But then—

“Ugh…”

“…What?”

I heard something I shouldn’t have.

A human voice.

No one but me should exist here.

Without permission, no one could possibly enter this place.

So why…

Remaining on high alert, I carefully looked around.

The sound was coming from nearby.

“Hng… ugh…”

Not far away, I spotted a black-haired man collapsed on the ground, soaked by the rain.

Was Calix still here?

“You bastard. Stop pretending and get lo—”

…Wait.

Calix’s hair was dark green.

Then this man was—

“What? Who are you?”

“Your Grace. The Empire lost the prisoner.”

“And?”

“They believe he escaped into the eastern forest of the Grand Duchy.”

“And?”

Harun, the sole aide to the Grand Duke of Wintergarten, was beginning to understand what it meant to age by the day.

Looking at his indifferent master, he burst out in frustration.

“Can those Imperial idiots do anything right?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Well… half your blood comes from over there, so— Ah!”

The moment the Grand Duke shot him a sharp look, Harun immediately shut his mouth.

His master was usually indifferent, but anything related to the Empire made him unusually sensitive.

Which was hardly surprising.

“So you’ve finally decided to hand in your resignation. I’ve been waiting.”

“As if. I’ve already decided to devote my entire life to serving Wintergarten.”

“For someone so devoted, your mouth is remarkably reckless.”

Pretending to clamp his lips shut with his fingers, Harun watched as the Grand Duke sighed before motioning for him to continue.

“They say the fugitive is a serial killer.”

“There are already more than ten victims.”

“He’s insane.”

“The Empire has requested our cooperation.”

The Grand Duke of Wintergarten, Cedric, tilted his head slightly.

“That can’t be all.”

Looking uneasy, Harun repeatedly opened and closed his mouth before finally sighing.

Cedric frowned ever so slightly.

Whenever he did, the beauty mark beneath his left eye twitched faintly.

Though he would never admit it aloud, Harun was convinced that if his master had remained in the Empire, countless nobles would have spent sleepless nights suffering from lovesickness.

“Stop acting like a dog that needs to relieve itself and spit it out.”

“…You won’t get angry?”

“So it’s something worth getting angry over.”

“Very well. I’m prepared. Go on.”

Only then did Harun continue.

“…They said they’ll pay a reward if we capture the criminal.”

“A chest full of gold bars.”

“And if Your Grace personally captures him, they’ll add another chest.”

“Aren’t they completely insane?”

“A reward…”

Cedric’s voice sank low.

“They’re treating Your Grace like some hired mercenary. Shall I send them a reply telling them to get lost?”

“And what exactly would you write?”

“What else? I’d tell them to screw off.”

At that, Cedric chuckled softly and waved his hand.

“Forget it.”

“I’d rather not watch you lose your head.”

“Lord Cedric!”

“They’re offering money to a poor land where even grass struggles to grow.”

“I should be grateful.”

Harun’s face twisted as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Are you serious?”

“What if I am?”

“It’s not as though we have many options.”

Supporting his forehead with one hand, Cedric let out a weary sigh.

Ten years had already passed since Wintergarten had declared its independence as a Grand Duchy.

Ten years since his name had changed from Cedric Esteban to Cedric Esteban Wintergarten.

The Grand Duchy of Wintergarten truly lived up to its name.

The Winter Garden.

A harsh land where no fresh sprouts emerged, no flowers bloomed, and no fruit ripened—

Only withered remains survived.

“Tell them we’ll cooperate.”

“…Pardon?”

“Did they provide a description?”

“Your Grace… forgive me, but are you feeling unwell?”

Cedric smiled gently, his eyes curving.

“Then would you rather go?”

“I’d gladly go instead!”

“No.”

“Two chests of gold bars.”

“Quite generous.”

This was something only the Grand Duke himself could do.

To the ruler of a land that stubbornly refused to prosper, pride was a completely useless luxury.

“But Your Grace… what if the curse—”

“If I don’t earn something, everyone under my care will go hungry.”

“I have far too many mouths to feed.”

Muttering those words, Cedric set off with Harun seeing him off.

The sky was dark, as though rain could begin at any moment.

And that day…

He never returned to the Grand Duke’s castle.

A handsome man suddenly fell right in front of my house.

It had been so long since I’d seen anyone other than Baneta and the group that brought me supplies that I was still in a daze.

Come to think of it…

It had been two whole years.

I had no idea how he managed to get inside the barrier, but I couldn’t just leave him there.

If I did, I’d probably be disposing of a corpse before long.