Mess with My True Villainess Niece and You're Fucked
“Waaah!”
“Miss, that was incredible!”
“To think you beat Master Abel!”
Hearing the thunderous applause pouring in from all around, I let out a hollow chuckle.
They sure switch attitudes fast.
Of course, they probably never directly tormented or harmed Liriet like Kasdia or Abel did.
But that didn't stop them from playing the role of bystanders to a tee.
Seeing them cheer the moment Liriet beat Abel was almost ridiculous.
“Uncle. I... I won.”
“Yeah, I saw it all clear as day. You did amazing, my niece.”
“Ehehe...”
I stroked the head of Liriet, who came bounding over with bouncy steps, and praised her. She wriggled happily, beaming from ear to ear.
It was hard to believe this was the same girl who'd just mercilessly thrashed her brother without a hint of hesitation.
So the makings of a true villainess were hidden inside her after all.
No, calling it a “gift” would be unfair to Liriet.
It wasn't something she'd chosen for herself.
Just the mindset to cast aside mercy when needed and coldly strike down the enemy before her.
That much was surely one of the raw talents buried deep in Liriet's heart from the start.
It was just that the original story twisted it into a tragic end.
There, the girl who was never chosen by anyone had to use that talent to eliminate obstacles and kill the one she loved.
This time, I won't let that happen.
Not to anyone else. Me.
I was steeling my resolve inwardly when—
“Kuhk...! Kuhahaha!”
Abel, sprawled on the ground, barely managed to prop himself up and suddenly burst into mad laughter.
All eyes in the training hall turned to him.
“So that's it. You're mocking me like this, huh? You've been hiding hundreds of snakes in that belly of yours.”
“B-Brother? What's wrong?”
“Shut up! Don't play dumb! With those innocent eyes, you must've fooled even Duke Craig and Uncle! Trying to avoid my gaze now?”
At the sudden barrage of accusations and blame, Liriet flinched in confusion. Abel, emboldened, even started pointing accusingly.
He looked so deranged that even the great Kasdia could only stare in stunned silence.
“Abel, calm down. What's gotten into you all of a sudden? You're not thinking of petulantly refusing to accept the results now, are you?”
“Yes, I admit it! I lost! But Uncle, do you know how insidious her scheme was!?”
“Scheme?”
I furrowed my brow, feigning confusion. Abel smirked coldly and picked up the hilt of his broken wooden sword.
“See this? The little flower drawn under my wooden sword!”
“That's...”
The murmur didn't come from me—it was Liriet.
It must've looked familiar.
To me too.
And for good reason. That flower pattern was Liriet's habit, her personal mark she drew on her things.
Why would it be on Abel's wooden sword?
Anyone not an idiot could figure it out easily.
“Exactly! She must've swapped her wooden sword with mine at some point! That's why mine broke at the end!”
“What...!?”
“What are you talking about? Why would swapping swords matter?”
“Idiot, what if she'd sawed into it beforehand?”
“Ah!”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Even Oden's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Liriet, clearly caught off guard.
“N-No, Uncle. I didn't do anything...”
Realizing the growing suspicious glares, Liriet bowed her head and pleaded her innocence to me.
I gently pushed her aside—not to reject her, but because it was my turn now, and I didn't want her caught up in it.
“I see. Got it, Abel. So you're claiming Liriet damaged her own sword and swapped it with yours overnight?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Where's your proof?”
“P-Proof? I just showed you...”
Tsking my tongue, I pointed at the flustered boy.
“That might prove the swords were swapped. But it doesn't prove Liriet pre-sawed or tampered with it.”
“What are you saying! Why would she swap swords if not for some trick like that...?”
“It could've been an accident. You both practiced yesterday, left your swords in the training hall. There are over ten wooden swords here. Grabbing the wrong one by mistake isn't strange.”
“That's...”
He couldn't deny it outright.
Because that's exactly what he'd done.
Besides, Liriet and Abel's training times never overlapped.
Abel hated using the same space as her, so he'd go elsewhere if she was there first.
Perhaps rattled by my calm rebuttals, Abel started losing his cool, just as I'd hoped.
“Sh-She took her sword to her room! How could it mix with mine...!”
Gotcha.
Thanks for playing right into my hands.
Smirking inwardly, I exaggerated a puzzled expression outwardly.
“Hmm? That's odd. Didn't Liriet leave her sword in the training hall yesterday?”
“...Pardon?”
His face twisted like he'd been hammered from behind.
I didn't press further and swiftly called a witness.
“Isn't that right, Duke Craig?”
“It is. With the match tomorrow, I stuck around till dinner, investing a bit more time. I saw her leave the sword right there in the hall.”
“Um, excuse me...”
Liriet, who'd been listening, timidly raised her hand.
“Actually, last night, I couldn't sleep from nerves, so I came back to the training hall and took the sword to my room. I thought I'd swing it a bit privately so as not to bother anyone.”
To some, it sounded like she was confirming Abel's claim.
Emboldened, he piped up again.
“S-See! She's admitting it!”
Idiot.
He still didn't get that whether she took it to her room wasn't the point.
“I see. Understood. But Abel, how did you know that?”
“......Pardon?”
His dumbfounded reaction was three seconds slower this time.
Like a lag spike.
“From what you've said, Liriet came and went late at night. No one from the main house should've seen her go to the training hall. So how did you know?”
“Th-That was... I happened to see her while taking a walk last night...”
“What time?”
“The time... I don't remember.”
“Liriet, what time did you go?”
“Not exactly, but around ten.”
No sooner had Liriet spoken than an unexpected voice chimed in.
“Huh? Yesterday, Master Abel didn't leave his room after dinner until eleven... Oh!”
It was Medel.
Abel's personal maid.
As his maid, she'd likely stood watch outside his room late into the night.
She realized the inconsistency mid-mumble.
“Medeeel!”
“S-Sorry! I misspoke...!”
Too late—she'd dealt the most dangerous blow to Abel.
As he bellowed furiously, Medel yelped and hid behind the other servants.
“Strange. From your maid's words, you had no chance to spot Liriet outside. So how did you conclude she took the sword to her room and schemed a swap?”
“Kuh...!”
Come on. Ask it. Bite hard.
“Fine! I'll spill everything as is! At least I'll rip off that sly bitch's mask!”
Okay.
It's over.
“Truth is, last night before dawn, I snuck into her room alone.”
“B-Brother? What do you...”
“To teach a disgrace to the Argent name a lesson. I'd gotten a magic scroll from Mother to tamper with her wooden sword.”
“A scroll...? No way?”
Kasdia looked shocked; she hadn't known it'd be used for that.
“What magic was it?”
“Fragility.”
“I see. A spell that eats away at durability. You planned for her sword to shatter that day?”
“Yes! But this snake girl figured out my plan and turned it against me. She swapped our swords to trap me instead.”
“Durability...? Ah!”
Liriet finally caught on with a gasp, but I gestured for her to hold off.
“So you're admitting you schemed first.”
“Yes, that much I admit! But isn't she the same scum!? If she'd noticed the sword was off and revealed it then, or just swapped for a new one, it would've been a fair fight!”
The pot calling the kettle black, huh?
Disgusting, him raging after his own plot.
But today, I'd let it slide.
Because his confession made my plan fall perfectly into place.
“I understand your logic.”
“As expected! I knew wise Uncle would understa—!”
“But you're missing something. Liriet never swapped your scroll-cursed sword with hers.”
“Ah, uh... Pardon?”
Grinning like a third-rate villain, I picked up Liriet's wooden sword from the ground.
“See this? No flower on Liriet's sword.”
“Wh-What's that got to do with anything? She swapped, so naturally...”
Tsk, moron.
“No. If Liriet had really swapped, she'd have redrawn the mark on hers beforehand. And you could've just claimed you drew it on hers to scold her.”
“That's... true.”
“Plus, your story's full of holes. If she was that cunning, she'd have erased her own mark and swapped clean.”
“......”
Unable to retort, he shut up.
I pressed on regardless.
“Why no flower on hers? She swapped it for a new one when she came to the training hall today.”
“Swapped? Why would she...?”
“Earlier, she swung it to warm up and felt something off. Your magic, no doubt.”
Fragility leaves no visible damage but corrodes from within.
Like a person fine on the outside but riddled with obesity, cancer, and diseases inside.
“Is that right, Liriet?”
“Y-Yes. It felt lighter and weaker than usual when I swung it... So I asked for a new one.”
“Yes, I swapped it for her myself.”
The training hall keeper stepped up to corroborate.
“Then why the flower on my sword...?”
“Simple. I drew it.”
“Uncle, you? Why would you—!”
“The answer was set from the start.”
I strode up to him on steady feet, glaring down coldly and growling.
“To make you confess your crime with your own mouth. Did you think I wouldn't notice your petty tricks?”
“Ah...”
Thud.
He crumpled to his knees.
But I wasn't done.
To ensure he'd never mess with Liriet again, I had to break his spirit completely here.
“For the record, besides drawing that on your sword, I did nothing else. I swear on my honor.”
“You mean...”
“Yes. Your defeat was purely by your own skill.”
“Ah, aaah—!”
Pathetic fool.
Sneering inwardly, I poured on the scorn.
“If you'd trained as hard as Liriet, even noticing the sword's end of life, the result might've been different. But what did you do?”
“I...”
“Only schemed from the shadows. You're utterly beaten as a person—and as a swordsman.”
“......”
His head drooped.
Like a wooden puppet with dead batteries, refusing to move again.
“Any objections?”
“None... I lost.”
After his final words, I turned away coldly.
“Uncle...”
Liriet gazed up with a face full of things to say.
I could guess what, but—
Smoothly,
“Sorry for stressing you out. Good work, Liriet.”
I just stroked her head and walked away.