043. The Villainess's Pathetic Ploy (2)
“Lucky you, Iriel.”
“Mmm... I’m sleeping fine, so don’t wake me.”
“Do you know what time it is?”
“...Ugh, you’re so annoying. Who the hell are you...? You’re dead if I get up.”
Iriel had gone straight to Hilais Bakery after her outing and slept like a log all the way until the next morning.
She buried her face in the pillow and waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a servant.
I’ll make sure to smack that cheeky maid who dared wake me later, she vowed to herself.
“Hah. I wondered how you were faring after leaving the family, and here you are, living it up. Iriel Yustia.”
Thwack.
The sharp sound of a fan striking a palm.
“!”
Iriel jolted awake at the noise, eyes flying open as she shot upright.
“A-Aunt Hella!?”
She hastily wiped the drool from her mouth and smoothed down her hair, composing herself in an instant.
Iriel Yustia, the duke’s daughter from the Yustia family who feared nothing and lived carelessly as she pleased—there were exactly two people in this world who terrified her.
One was her father, the family head.
The other was his sister—her aunt, Hella Yustia.
Her reddish-brown hair was streaked with white here and there, and her sharply slitted eyes spoke of unyielding stubbornness. Her posture was ramrod straight, like it had been measured with a ruler, betraying her strict personality.
Iriel couldn’t stand tall in front of Hella.
“What brings you all the way here...?”
Her voice came out in a crawl, and the curt reply was immediate.
“What, is this a place I can’t come?”
“N-No, it’s not that, but...”
“You insisted on going to the academy out of sheer stubbornness, so I came specifically to check on your life here... and you look like you’re having a grand old time.”
“...”
“Tch. What a sight.”
Hella scanned Iriel up and down.
Iriel clamped her mouth shut.
She knew from bitter experience that speaking up in moments like this only invited worse insults.
“Your hospitality is abysmal too. It takes an eternity to bring out a single cup of tea.”
Iriel turned her head toward the door.
“Is anyone out there!?”
“Yes.”
“Bring some Hallaren petal tea!”
“Yes, right away.”
Iriel sat across from Hella Yustia at the small table in one corner of the room.
A heavy silence settled between them.
Hella crossed her arms and stared daggers at her.
Iriel clasped her hands together and bowed her head low.
After a short wait, the maid entered with the tea.
Hella lifted the cup gracefully to her lips, then furrowed her brow.
“Even this is subpar. Honestly, what do you expect to learn in a place like this? You should’ve just gotten engaged and learned to be a proper bride...”
Iriel had never once seen her praise anyone or say they’d done well.
Just leave already. Please...
All she could do was pray for this ordeal to end quickly.
“Tch.”
Hella Yustia clicked her tongue in clear disapproval.
Then, as if mentioning something trivial, she spoke.
“...Anyway, I didn’t come here for nothing.”
“Pardon...?”
“I heard an interesting rumor.”
Hella flashed a cynical smile.
“...That you secretly took our hunting dog and snuck him into the academy?”
“!”
Iriel’s head snapped up.
“That’s...! I used the family seal! You said you wouldn’t interfere no matter how I used it!”
“True, so I knew and couldn’t stop it. You pulled off quite the cute little stunt, Iriel.”
“...”
“To think you’d do something like that right after heading to Lamieli, before we could even lay a hand on him. The family head was furious over it. You knew that, right?”
Here we go again.
Iriel forced her lips into a smile.
Aunt Hella always tore her down like this, as if it were the most casual remark.
“I-I’m sorry.”
In such moments, all Iriel could do was apologize.
“...Hmph. Normally, I’d hold you fully accountable. Expulsion from the academy... a nunnery...? Or perhaps an engagement to atone for your sins?”
“!”
As Iriel’s eyes widened, Hella waved her hand dismissively.
“Heh, lucky for you, that won’t be necessary.”
“What?”
“Seems he was planning to leave the military anyway. Probably that Ariel fellow seduced you, the naive little thing, and tricked you into using the family seal. Hah.”
“What do you...?”
Hella frowned, looking at Iriel with utter pity.
“You don’t even realize you were being used? How dense can you be? Even in the academy, I have my ears and eyes. He joins and doesn’t even acknowledge knowing you? Ungrateful wretch.”
Hella sighed.
“And I even signaled him to gather intel since he was in thanks to you, but no regular reports. None.”
A foreboding premonition began to creep over Iriel.
“Then he picks a fight with the Second Prince, sides with the First Prince’s faction? Gets tangled with Yohayden too... Hah, I never realized. Turns out he’s harboring something very dangerous inside.”
“Zeke isn’t—he’s not that kind of person...!”
Iriel reflexively denied it.
But Hella cut her off, exasperated.
“Sigh, foolish Iriel. If you’re a Yustia, think more coldly. For now, I’m grateful to you. We were on the verge of a major undertaking, and if that dangerous element had been at the center of our plans... it would’ve been a disaster. Better that it’s delayed a bit.”
“...Is that man really that important...?”
Her aunt shook her head.
“Do chess pieces get to decide if they’re important? A piece that doesn’t obey orders is simply discarded.”
“...!”
Iriel shot to her feet, shouting at Hella.
“Zeke belongs to the academy now!”
Thwack.
“Did I teach you to yell like some common harlot in front of your elders?”
Hella dismissed Iriel’s words as worthless.
“We’ll handle that ourselves, so stay out of it. Enjoy your academy life, won’t you? You went to such lengths to escape me. Unless... you’d prefer expulsion and a quiet nunnery life—or an engagement? I won’t stop you.”
Iriel’s eyes wavered.
Thwack.
“That’s all I have to say. Consider this a warning. You understand?”
Hella rose and left through the door.
Creeeak—
Thud.
White steam rose from the still-hot tea on the table.
Zeke... had those intentions from the start?
Iriel couldn’t believe Hella’s claim that the man had planned to betray Yustia and side with Yohayden and the imperial family all along.
If that were true... he wouldn’t have accepted me into his class in the first place.
Of course, Zeke’s attitude had been odd from the beginning.
He hadn’t come straight to her.
He seemed close to Serena Yohayden.
He’d even told her to get lost.
No, something’s off. Something...
Iriel couldn’t shake the nagging doubt.
She cursed her not-so-sharp mind.
Her brain must be low on sugar.
“Anyone out there!?”
“Yes!”
“Slice up some baguette! Lots of sugar on it!”
“Yes!”
Soon, a baguette dusted with white sugar was placed before her.
Crunch, munch—
Iriel sat at the table with a grave expression, chewing the sweet baguette.
What is it? What’s going on?
She sank deeper into thought with each bite.
Emotions surged as she chewed: resentment toward Zeke, then betrayal, sorrow, and endless questions.
She’d thought his actions strange before, but she’d been swept up in the results, never digging into the why.
Probably not a money issue...
She’d given him that expensive magic stone necklace in a fit of anger just yesterday, but that was impulsive frustration.
No, something’s off. Something...
Thinking back, even if she’d handed all his pay to the military, it didn’t match Zeke’s cool, rational demeanor.
Yeah, he could be disappointed in me for that. But... cutting ties with Yustia entirely? Knowing what that means for him...? It’s like... knowing he’ll die...
“!”
Knowing he’ll die...?
Suddenly, Zeke’s words from the past resurfaced, when he’d taught her dagger techniques.
—You’re doing well, miss.
—Heh, this much is nothing!
—Miss, if there’s truly someone you want to protect, what would you do?
—Huh? Bread? Then I’d build a fortress around the bakery!
Pfft.
Zeke chuckled at her absurd reply.
That faint smile from the expressionless boy was enough to make young Iriel’s heart flutter.
What’s this? My heart’s racing a bit? Should I call the doctor later?
Iriel tilted her head.
—Yes. The best way is to gain the strength to protect that person. But if the enemy is overwhelmingly stronger than you, what then?
—Mmm... I’d grab all the bread and run!
Zeke shook his head.
—No. You must keep your distance from bread.
—Why? I don’t wanna... Does that mean I can’t eat bread at all?
—What I love can sometimes become a fatal weakness to my enemies.
—Bread has no weaknesses!
—I once met someone who fought desperately to protect another, knowing they would die. That person ultimately saved their family with their own life.
Iriel couldn’t grasp Zeke’s words—they were too complex.
Why distance yourself from what you love, like bread?
Shouldn’t you hold it tighter and protect it?
Mmm. No matter how I think about it, I don’t get it.
More than that, Iriel wondered if Zeke had something as precious to him as her bread.
—So, Zeke, is there someone you love but want to stay away from?
—...
But the black-haired boy didn’t answer, merely gazing at her with lonely eyes.
*
Iriel paced the room, biting her nails.
Forcing her unused brain into gear made her forehead throb, but she couldn’t stop now.
So what does that have to do with anything!!!
She recalled Zeke’s past words, but connecting them to the present was a struggle.
For now, it’s a given that Zeke will be dealt with.
But why?
Because he deviated from an important plan and sided with the imperial family or Yohayden.
She needed the reason.
Why had he done something so reckless?
“Zeke left the military... He must’ve been entrusted with something major in Father’s plans...”
Right after taking the academy instructor post, Zeke hadn’t come to her—he’d been with Serena.
Grind.
Thinking of that flower-headed idiot made Iriel’s teeth grind.
“Right, Zeke knew how much I despise Serena...”
And why tell me to get lost in front of her?
Like drawing a clear line.
“Wait... I used the family seal, didn’t I? Me.”
...Even if Zeke refused, could he have stayed in the military?
No matter the orders from her father or aunt, it would’ve been impossible.
The family seal she’d obtained through layers of coincidences held command priority over the family head’s orders for Yustia affiliates.
A rare treasure used to pull Zeke out.
Because no other way would get him discharged. I had no choice.
Lightning struck in her mind.
The moment Zeke left the military... he’d already deviated from Father’s plan...?
Iriel didn’t know the details of her father and aunt’s schemes.
But Zeke had told her once: those who outlived their usefulness or knew too much ended up dead.
And...
Hella’s words echoed.
—...Hmph. Normally, I’d hold you fully accountable. Expulsion from the academy... a nunnery...? Or an engagement to atone?
Whether soon or late, Zeke’s death was inevitable—just a matter of timing.
And the cause traced back to Iriel.
What should Zeke have done then?
Suddenly, his actions started making sense.
Why not come straight to her? Why go to Serena, whom she hated?
Why associate so blatantly with the power players he despised?
As if he’d planned it from the start.
Distancing himself... from me...
Her father and aunt wouldn’t go easy even on family if they disrupted their plans.
The nunnery and unwanted marriage weren’t idle threats.
—What I love can sometimes become a fatal weakness to my enemies.
Chills raced across her skin.
Make her detach emotionally, so she’d feel no guilt.
Draw eyes to the high-powered imperial family and Yohayden house.
Her sin would seem lighter by comparison, and the family would let it slide.
His single death would end it all.
This idiot man!!!! Who does that!!!!!!!
Urk. Nausea welled up.
Iriel bit her lip hard.
If anyone bore the greatest sin, it was Iriel Yustia.
She’d issued an irresistible command and pulled him from the military.
I’m the one who sentenced him to death.
All for my selfish whim—to have him at the academy, by my side, looking after me.
Thud.
Her legs gave out.
Her head spun dizzily.
She collapsed into her seat, burying her face in her hands.
Despair filled her chest; guilt made her tremble.
Tears welled in her red eyes, dripping down her chin.
“N-No... Zeke, no... No... It’s my fault. All my fault... So please...”
Distancing himself from the one who doomed him to death...
Even using his own demise to protect her to the end.
What was she to do with this foolish man?
Her chest tightened painfully.
She couldn’t breathe properly.
Why?
Why?
Don’t you hate me?
—So, Zeke, is there someone you love but want to stay away from?
—...
“Ah...”
Iriel clutched her forehead and slumped to the floor.