Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Villainess Laura (2)
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“Miss, but still, dinner together…”
“No! Why should I have to meet some mere baron’s brat? Tell him to get lost.”
“Then, the meal…”
“Tell him to bring it himself!”
“…Yes, understood.”
The conversation, draining just to overhear, came to an end. The sharp-featured woman approached with a weary expression.
“You heard that, right? It seems dining together won’t be possible.”
“…”
No wonder she seemed so venomous. If the lady of the house was that unreasonable, anyone would end up sharp-tongued.
The woman’s bitterness was understandable, but that didn’t mean I could tolerate the duke’s daughter hurling abuse.
It seemed necessary to humble that haughty attitude just once.
“Guard?”
“Yes.”
“The letter you sent me clearly stated that anything goes, as long as it doesn’t mar the lady’s face or compromise her chastity. You’re aware of that, correct?”
“Yes, I am.”
I glanced sidelong at Rainy, who stood beside me.
As expected of my soulmate, Rainy understood my intent without a word and nodded in firm agreement.
With the approval of a former saintess like Rainy, there was nothing to hold back now.
“So, we’re free to discipline the lady as we see fit?”
“…Yes, as long as it doesn’t threaten the miss…”
“No need to worry about that.”
Rainy had the excuse of illness, but the lady had no such circumstances.
That meant I could go all out without reservation.
A spoiled child needed a firm scolding to set them straight.
***
Mastain Ducal Family.
The family that guarded the northern borders, where snow fell year-round and demons lurked nearby. For generations, those born of this bloodline were gifted with innate talents.
Laura von Mastain, the beloved second daughter of that very Mastain Ducal Family, possessed a heaven-sent aptitude for magic.
At age seven, she wielded 1st-circle freezing magic. Now, at eighteen, she commanded 5th-circle spells and had already earned fame across the continent.
But she had one fatal flaw.
‘Having to dine with some mere baron? Disgusting.’
An extreme sense of elitism regarding her status.
To her, commoners were little more than speaking beasts.
Low-ranking nobles got barely enough regard to be treated as people, but she still shunned them intensely.
That was why she rejected the invitation from a baron—the lowest of nobles—without a second thought.
She’d rather starve than eat with the likes of him.
So thought Laura.
***
“Yumi, the food?”
“They said it’ll arrive soon.”
“Hmph. As expected of an inferior baron’s house. The room’s a dump, and now the food’s taking forever.”
Laura punched the blanket in irritation.
Yumi, standing beside her and watching, seemed like she had something to say but opened her mouth only to close it again.
Unfortunately, Laura didn’t notice.
“Well, at least it smells nice.”
The only thing Laura, who had grumbled endlessly about the room—worse than the academy dorm she’d dismissed as trash—actually liked was the faint lemon verbena scent wafting through the air.
The first pleasant smell since arriving in this territory, fresh and sweet in a way that perfectly suited her tastes.
So she rolled around on the bed, savoring it.
*Knock knock.*
A knock came from outside.
“The food?”
“I’ll check.”
Yumi glanced nervously at Laura before opening the door.
Beyond it, Laura spotted Raden smiling as he held a silver tray laden with food.
‘He’s handsome…’
Never imagining the food would be brought by Raden himself, Laura assumed it was some good-looking servant and wiggled her toes toward the desk.
A signal: put it on the desk and get out.
But despite her toe signal, Raden didn’t leave. He just stood there smiling.
Laura felt rage boiling at this man who clearly wasn’t getting the hint.
She swallowed her anger once while looking at his face, then conveyed her intent aloud.
“Put it on the table over there and get out, you commoner.”
When Laura came on this strong, servants always fled in terror, so she naturally expected the man before her to do the same.
But Raden didn’t comply with her order. He just kept grinning and started approaching.
‘What… what’s this?’
For a mere commoner to ignore her lofty command infuriated Laura—and sparked a twinge of fear.
A burly, grown man silently smiling as he closed in on her, still just a girl—it was a frightening scene.
“Yumi! Kill that bastard!”
In her fear, Laura urgently called for her guard, Yumi.
“…Miss, that man isn’t a commoner. He’s Baron Raden. I can’t just kill him.”
With those words, Yumi averted her eyes from Laura’s.
Seeing Yumi turn away sent chills creeping up Laura’s spine.
Magic was the art of creating something from nothing, defying the laws of science, so its users required exceptional imagination.
Even a spoiled brat like Laura, hailed as the empire’s top magic prodigy, naturally possessed keen imagination.
That imagination pieced together the scene: Raden grinning and approaching despite her order to leave; Yumi pretending not to notice; her expulsion from the academy; her father the duke’s constant anger.
It all coalesced into one horrifying thought.
‘No way… Did Father really abandon me?’
Laura knew people’s gazes toward her weren’t kind.
But with her status as the duke’s daughter and her unmatched magical talent, she’d never imagined being discarded, no matter the disdain.
At worst, she’d figured a few years of seclusion before slipping back to the capital.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if she’d truly been thrown away like trash to some backwater baron?
‘No.’
Laura drew on her mana.
First, she’d take down Raden, who approached with that lecherous grin.
No normal thoughts hid behind an expression like that.
The moment he took one more step closer, she’d blast his head off with magic.
*Clink.*
The tray and metal lid collided, producing a clear ring.
The silver tray Raden held revealed its contents: tomatoes, lettuce, bell peppers, green peppers, chilies, garlic, broccoli, cucumbers, and more.
The ultimate weapons to cure picky eating—even making a crying child stop in their tracks.
For Laura, who was notoriously picky, they were a nightmare.
“Wh… what is this…”
Laura stammered, at a loss for words.
Just moments ago, her mind had been set on obliterating Raden, but the sight of those glossy green horrors erased the thought entirely.
All that remained was terror.
Gazing softly at the frozen Laura, Raden spoke.
“The meal you’ve been waiting for, Lady! I specially filled it with foods that’ll make you healthy just by eating them, all for your well-being. Enjoy!”
“Y… Yumi… this can’t be right…”
Laura searched desperately for Yumi, who always took her side, her face half in tears.
“…”
But Yumi turned her head away, ignoring the pleading eyes, and stammered.
“Wow… these are really good for your health. You can feel… Baron Raden’s concern for you, Miss…”
“…”
The betrayal from Yumi hit Laura like a shockwave.
Yumi, who had always supported her no matter what, now turning her back…
“Now, Lady, eat up.”
Urged by Raden, Laura tentatively grabbed a tomato—one of the horrific ones.
“Eek.”
She recoiled at the dreadful texture and dropped it.
To her, these were foods no human could eat.
And Raden, who had brought not one but a tray full of them…
Was a demon.
“Eek, demon! Get out!”
Instinctively, Laura hurled a pillow at him.
Raden easily dodged and smiled gently.
“Are you angry, Lady?”
“This isn’t food for humans!”
“They’re all good for you. Just try one.”
“Absolutely not!”
Faced with Laura’s fierce resistance, Raden scratched his head, then picked up the tray.
“Haha, that’s a shame. If you don’t like it, Lady, I’ll take my leave.”
“Huh? Really?”
Laura, braced for all-out war with Raden, felt deflated as he retreated so easily.
“Yes, I have no intention of forcing you. If you don’t want it, don’t eat.”
“Th-then get out right now!”
“If you get hungry, come find me. I’ll prepare something anytime.”
“Yeah, not eating.”
“…Well, if you don’t want it.”
Raden gathered the food with a calm expression and left the room obediently.
Elated at vanquishing the demon, Laura forgot Yumi’s betrayal and crowed triumphantly.
“Yumi, I beat the demon!”
“Ah… yes…”
Despite her victory, Yumi’s lukewarm response made Laura tilt her head.
At that moment.
*Grrroooowl.*
A massive thunderclap echoed from Laura’s stomach.
For the first time, the unfamiliar sensation of hunger struck her, who had never gone without a meal.
Only then did she realize she hadn’t eaten all day. Her face drained of color.