The Villainess's Pathetic Ploy (3)
‘I have to protect Zeke.’
That was Iriel's first thought the moment she opened her eyes in bed.
“Miss!”
“Are you alright!?”
The servants and maids crowded around her, chattering anxiously.
“Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Could you all just leave for now?”
Iriel waved them off with her arm.
“But still... you should at least let the physician examine you...”
Her personal maid ventured carefully, glancing at Iriel's face.
“I said get out.”
“Yes, ma'am...”
“Oh, you. Bring me some bread when it's mealtime.”
Iriel pointed at the maid who usually handled her snacks.
“But... you just collapsed. Eating something like that right after waking up isn't good for you...”
The personal maid tried again, but Iriel scowled and jerked her head.
“You think you can get cheeky just because I've been quiet lately?”
“...!”
The maid paled at her words, bowing her head deeply in apology.
“I-I'm sorry!”
“Everyone out.”
With that, she cleared all the servants from the room.
When the maid returned later with bread,
Iriel instructed her.
“Tell everyone no visitors all weekend. You alone bring bread at mealtimes.”
“...Yes, ma'am.”
Crunch—
Iriel chewed on the freshly warmed, crispy bread as she thought.
‘I can't trust anyone right now.’
All the people in this mansion had come from the Yustia family estate.
They'd surely planted one or two spies among them.
No telling who was in league with her aunt.
‘Better if they think I'm heartbroken.’
Now that she'd resolved to help Zeke,
she didn't want even the slightest clue slipping to her aunt.
‘But... how the hell am I supposed to help him...?’
Hella had already come to her, issuing a preemptive warning.
As if to say, don't stick your nose in and cause trouble.
Rushing in blindly could lead to disaster.
“All I know how to do is...”
Nothing useful.
A bit of dagger work she hadn't practiced much since Zeke left.
Eating bread.
An eye for clothes and jewels.
Telling good food from bad.
The imperious attitude of a noble lady.
Forced etiquette lessons.
The petty tricks she used to torment Serena...
Every single one was useless for helping him.
She couldn't even figure out how to apply them.
He'd staked his life for her sake,
and she had nothing to give in return.
A thick wave of helplessness crashed over her.
Iriel squeezed her eyes shut to shake off the negative emotions.
‘Think, come on. How can I help him?’
Nom nom.
Nom nom.
Nom nom.
Iriel chewed relentlessly.
She'd remembered Zeke's past while munching bread before,
so maybe something good would come this time too.
She pondered deeply for a long while,
but in the end, there was nothing she could do alone.
If anything, her emotions kept swinging wildly,
deepening her guilt over Zeke with every bite.
Tears streamed from Iriel's eyes as she chewed.
“Wh-what the... wait, why are you doing this...?”
Once they started, the tears wouldn't stop, dripping onto the bread and soaking it.
His stoic expressions from the past.
The faint smiles he'd flashed.
The words he'd spoken in that low voice.
Those eyes that looked only at her, brimming with deep trust.
- I will protect you, Miss. No matter what.
‘Why can't I think of a plan, but his face keeps popping up? It's like I actually like the guy or something!’
Iriel wiped her tears and shook her head vigorously.
She harbored deep affection for Zeke.
She had no intention of denying that.
But it wasn't love or anything profound.
Just that she couldn't stand someone else taking or ruining her possession.
Sniff—
“Zeke's a jewel. My most prized one.”
Iriel muttered, her eyes red and bloodshot.
Of course, she'd been touched by how stupidly, stubbornly he tried to protect her,
but that was that, and this was this.
It was contradictory for someone who'd fainted just thinking of him,
but Iriel's pride refused to admit it.
‘Ask someone else for help right now?’
She'd considered it, but the moment she left the mansion or sent a letter,
it'd land straight in Hella's hands. Nothing else seemed possible.
“What if I go to academy classes and secretly ask the other ladies for help?”
Iriel recalled the girls she'd been close with.
All from lesser noble houses than hers.
Her followers.
Romie Marquisate, Katrin Marquisate, Ibarok... and so on.
‘But would they really stick their necks out for something this dangerous? It could mean crossing Yustia...?’
She thought of how they'd fawned over her before,
but Iriel couldn't be sure.
Not reliable enough.
To block Hella's moves, she'd need the imperial family at minimum—or another ducal house of equal standing.
‘Imperial family... ducal house... wait!’
Iriel's eyes widened at the sudden flash of insight.
Just then, the maid knocked with evening bread.
Knock knock.
“Miss, I've brought your dinner.”
“Already...? Come in.”
The maid entered.
‘Does Aunt Hella even know about this?’
“What's my Tuesday schedule like?”
Iriel asked casually.
But after crying so much, her voice was still thick.
“Morning has general classes: etiquette, history, magic theory, and math.”
Iriel was infamous for not memorizing her own schedule,
so all mansion staff had to know it cold to answer anytime.
“...”
Iriel waited for the rest.
But the maid just stared blankly.
Before the awkward silence stretched, Iriel spoke.
“...Right. No evening invitations that day?”
“No, ma'am. Evenings are free.”
“...Hmm. Guess I'll have to pick bread myself then. You're dismissed.”
The maid bowed and left.
Creak. Thud.
Iriel touched her cheeks, checking if her teary expression had shown.
“...She doesn't know Zeke's swordsmanship elective is that evening?”
Right—if Hella knew, she would've mentioned it when she visited.
That class had Second Prince Rosnante Leonine,
Yuri Gilbert from the earl house tied to the First Prince,
and... even Serena Yohayden.
‘Come to think of it, all the other students filled out applications and gathered for Zeke's class...’
But not Iriel.
On the last day of his demo lessons,
she'd dreamed of their childhood basement memory the night before and sought him out in a daze, no plan.
She'd learned by chance they were one short for the class minimum.
‘So I impulsively signed up as an elective. And then it was the weekend right after.’
So even the mansion staff didn't know yet.
Only Zeke and the classmates did.
‘Can I use this...?’
The first face in Iriel's mind was the silver-haired girl.
‘If I just hint at it, she'll definitely try to protect Zeke...’
Her woman's intuition screamed it.
Serena harbored deep feelings for Zeke.
Grind.
Her teeth ground as she pictured the girl blushing crimson in Zeke's arms,
but soon Iriel smirked leisurely.
“She has no idea I went to him to protect me. Zeke's so cruel...”
Convinced it was her, not Serena, Iriel no longer resented him.
It even felt more natural, thinking of his thorough past self.
‘He probably acted that way on purpose in front of me. Ha. Zeke, you...’
A swell of superiority filled her chest.
She tapped her lips with a finger.
‘But if I tell Serena Yohayden he's just pretending to protect me... she won't help, right?’
That'd be a shame.
She wanted to see that smug smile crumble in despair.
‘Better keep it secret. That way she'll fight desperately for him.’
Iriel felt no guilt using Serena.
‘Next up, the First and Second Princes...’
Seduce them?
The thought crossed her mind, but she shook her head.
Plenty viable with time,
but she had to pitch them Tuesday.
Even for Iriel, conquering them in a day or two was tough.
‘Hmm... what to do? Even if the First Prince is tied to Zeke, knowing Yustia's after him, he might back out.’
But Iriel knew nothing of diplomatic proposals or smart deals.
Just that bigger sums worked for favors.
Her current funds seemed too paltry to buy them off.
‘Half gone to tuition, and the rest spent on this and that...’
Money might not even sway princes to cross Yustia,
but Iriel was sure more cash would tempt them.
‘Ah, that necklace!’
Size of ten common mana stones, beautiful shape, rare red hue.
Invaluable by rarity.
She'd given it to Zeke on impulse while tipsy, but regretted it on the way home.
‘Father pulled it from the treasury after I beat Serena three times, praising me.’
Yustia's hatred for Yohayden was beyond imagination.
So he'd joyfully handed it over, caring nothing for her petty or dishonorable methods—as long as she crushed Serena thrice.
‘With that, I could move even the Second Prince, not just the First.’
If it saved Zeke, Iriel would gladly part with the necklace.
Zeke was her prized jewel, after all.
‘So I need it back.’
Asking for a gifted item back bruised her pride,
but knowing Zeke's coldness stemmed from resolve to save her,
Iriel vowed to swallow her pride for him.
‘But later... I'll collect on making me beg the flowerhead like this. Zeke. And the necklace too!’
Three days later, Zeke's class time.
“Um... the necklace I gave you three days ago... could you give it back...?”
She stammered to Zeke.
“Gone.”
Zeke cut her off curtly.
“What!? Why!”
“Used it.”
At his cold words, Iriel stared with wavering eyes, bit her lower lip, and tears streamed down.
She'd stepped up first to help,
yet he rejected her outright.
He'd probably sensed her intent.
Keeping his distance again, protecting her.
As if saying stay out of it.
‘What the hell did you use the necklace for!’
Even that lame excuse sounded heartbreaking to her.
‘Why... why do you insist on shouldering it all alone...? I'm offering to help, Zeke.’
Squeeze.
‘Don't you trust me? Still see me as that childish, foolish Iriel?’
Her fists clenched.
Seemed trading the necklace with the princes was off the table.
‘I won't let you die, Zeke. At least Serena Yohayden—I'll use her for you!’
Huff.
Huff.
Iriel gasped for breath.
The training was brutal.
Enough to make her want to quit right then.
Far tougher than learning daggers from him before.
But she couldn't give up.
It was natural for Zeke to push her away now.
Of the five students, Serena alone sat comfortably, meditating.
The others ground their teeth at the sight, but not Iriel.
She could feel how he was forcing himself to seem cold toward her.
After he was dealt with by the family,
it was clear he meant to spare her guilt and pain, even a little.
‘You think making Serena rest easy while you torture me like this will make me detach from you? I see through it now!’
He poked the others with bread, tormenting them,
but never touched her, his face complex.
‘Right—no matter how much you pretend to hate me, you can't bring yourself to hit me. Zeke.’
Iriel grew more certain by the second.
She gritted her teeth harder and pushed her body.
Sorting out what to say to Serena after class—and to Zeke separately.
‘I absolutely, absolutely won't let you die like this. Zeke.’
At some point, Zeke's eyes gazing at Iriel flashed blue.
“Huh?”