The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 100

One afternoon, as Liliana was having tea in the royal palace’s administrative office, she blinked in surprise at the words of the room’s owner, Crown Prince Riley.

<A martial arts tournament?>

Last year, on her tenth birthday, Riley was assigned a private office where he now worked. Previously, Liliana would only meet him in the salon, but recently, she had been frequently summoned to his office. Additionally, the person escorting her upon arrival had changed from a maid to a guard assigned to the crown prince.

Although she wasn’t explicitly told, Liliana knew that the palace had undergone significant changes over the past six months. She had also picked up that Duke Ealdred was playing a key role behind the scenes. It seemed that the duke had become deeply involved in the government after the monster stampede incident. His skill was undeniable, and many nobles attending the advisory meetings felt bitter about it. On the other hand, some nobles found it agreeable, including Lucian Kennys, the elder brother who had begun serving in place of the Count Kennys, who had lost the use of his left side in a recent assassination attempt. Lucian was just as difficult to manage as his father in different ways. His sharp tongue and relentless maneuvering made him someone Liliana would prefer not to have as an enemy.

“Indeed. There wasn’t much of interest for the visit of Prince Roland, so we decided to match the timing with a previously planned martial arts tournament,” Riley explained, continuing while holding his cup of tea. It seemed the idea originated from a proposal to make the selection trials for knightly assignments more public. Normally, trials were conducted privately to determine which unit a newly appointed knight would join. However, the suggestion was made to hold a grand public tournament, believing it would help expand and strengthen the Royal Knights.

“However, we cannot pit magic knights against general knights directly. While the Seventh Squad’s level might be comparable, any other knight would quickly be defeated by a magic knight. So, we’re considering dividing the tournament into four categories: general swordsmanship, magic swordsmanship, magic, and martial arts.”

<In other words, you plan to allow participants who are not members of the knights?> Liliana asked.

“That’s right,” Riley said with a smile. If the tournament were limited to the knights alone, only the swordsmanship and magic swordsmanship categories would suffice. The addition of magic and martial arts categories meant that non-knight magicians and martial artists could also participate.

“The general swordsmanship category will be open not just to the Royal Knights but to knights from various territories who are confident in their skills. The magic category will be for magicians, and the martial arts category will also be open to mercenaries.”

<Will mercenaries not be allowed in the general swordsmanship or magic swordsmanship categories?> Liliana inquired.

“Well, officially, they can participate. However, I doubt many mercenaries could advance in general swordsmanship or magic swordsmanship against the Royal Knights,” Riley replied.

The knights of the Royal Order were exceptionally well-trained. Even skilled mercenaries would find it challenging to defeat these knights in swordsmanship. Particularly in the magic swordsmanship category, the number of qualified participants was very limited. Few magicians were suitable, with most belonging to the Royal Knights and only a small number in the territorial knights. Though there were rare magic swordsmen among mercenaries, their quality was notably inferior compared to the Royal Knights. Riley had been very pleased when he learned that Austin would join the Second Squad as a magic knight. Liliana had been present at that time and saw Riley praising Austin proudly, with Austin blushing slightly in embarrassment.

In essence, while the magic swordsmanship category would seem to be open, it would likely end up being an internal contest among the Royal Knights.

After hearing Riley’s brief explanation, Liliana nodded in understanding.

<I see. By the way, will there be a prize for the winners?>

“Yes, we plan to award prizes to the top performers in each category,” Riley confirmed.

Liliana sipped her tea with a calm smile. She thought that telling Olga and Gild about the tournament might make them happy. Gild, who generally preferred to avoid involvement with nobility, might decline, but Olga would likely be interested, especially with the prize involved. Unlike Gild, who tended to spend money as quickly as he earned it, Olga was pragmatic and seemed to be saving diligently from the salary Liliana paid.

(I haven’t yet seen Olga fight seriously.)

Although Liliana had often seen Gild in action, she had never seen Olga fight seriously. Olga was always engaged in her guard duties, and while she seemed earnest, Liliana had never witnessed her in a true combat situation. It appeared that Olga could fight using a combination of swordsmanship and magic—essentially, as a magic swordsman. According to Gild, Olga was quite skilled.

It was only natural for Liliana to want to see the true abilities of such a rare and highly skilled magic swordsman. Since Olga did not appear in the otome game from Liliana’s previous life, and Liliana did not know how strong the Second Squad was, her interest in seeing Olga’s full potential was understandable. Perhaps Olga was even stronger than anyone in the Second Squad—Liliana couldn’t help but hope so.

However, if Olga were to participate, it would be wise to arrange a provisional identity for her. The martial arts tournament would likely be attended by her father, Duke Clark, and it could cause complications if it became known that Liliana’s bodyguard had performed well.

“Liliana?” Riley looked at her curiously, noticing her contemplative expression. Liliana offered a vague smile.

<It sounds quite exciting. I am quite eager to watch it now.>

“Yes, me too. It’s a rare opportunity for the knights to showcase the results of their training,” Riley said, nodding. “It should be quite a good thing.”

<I’m sure everyone will be enthusiastic about it> Liliana agreed, then asked about something that had been on her mind.

“Who is scheduled to accompany Prince Roland? Since he will be visiting the Clark Duchy, I believe it would be appropriate for both my brother and myself to extend our hospitality.”

“Indeed, Clyde has mentioned that as well,” Riley replied, narrowing his eyes. Normally, the duke and his wife would handle the preparations for entertaining foreign dignitaries, but Liliana was not inclined to leave everything to her parents. Although her father would eventually oversee things, Clyde was responsible for scheduling the inspection, and Liliana wanted to be informed. Despite having little direct interaction with her parents, her brother had recently instructed her to attend to necessary hospitality matters.

Riley, who seemed to have spoken with Clyde, answered without suspicion.

“Currently, it is confirmed that Lord Dolmill Butler will attend. Strangely, he is listed as an aide, but he is actually a deputy prime minister. There is also a chance that Princess Edith might come, but that is still uncertain.”

Riley added that Liliana should keep this information in mind due to the security implications. Liliana acknowledged this, fully aware of its importance. Nevertheless, she stifled a sigh.

(There will be some troublesome individuals, it seems.)

Dolmill Butler was a highly skilled man known as the young right hand of the emperor. He was reputed to always exceed expectations without displeasing the temperamental emperor. His intelligence-gathering abilities were said to surpass even the emperor’s.

In his early twenties, and possessing great looks, he was reportedly the object of admiration from young ladies in certain countries. However, he was said to be completely uninterested in women, remaining impassive and unresponsive regardless of how many beautiful women pursued him.

Recently, it was a young assassin captured through curse magic who had provided Liliana with detailed information about Butler and the internal affairs of the Yunatian Empire. The details were so thorough that it seemed she knew more about the neighboring country than her own.

Princess Edith, who might also be a guest, was a name Liliana recognized. She furrowed her brow slightly. She concluded that the familiarity was due to mentions in discussions about Obsidian. Liliana then continued her conversation with Riley, engaging in casual chat.

*****

“So?” 

After returning to her residence, Liliana was greeted by Obsidian’s cheerful grin. Since declaring that he would serve her, Obsidian had been frequently visiting Liliana, engaging her in various conversations. Despite not being given any specific instructions, he often brought back information he thought she might find interesting. Today, it seemed he had followed her secretly to the palace.

Liliana had no intention of restricting Obsidian. He likely had his own affairs to attend to, and she was fine with him acting freely as long as he did not kill or harm others recklessly. In fact, she had given him magical tools to use when summoned, though it seemed that day was still some time away.

“So, what about it?” Liliana replied to Obsidian’s question with another question. Obsidian seemed to find this amusing, laughing softly to himself.

“The martial arts tournament. Are you going to participate in the magic division?”

“Of course not.”

“Why not? If you entered, you’d undoubtedly win.”

While Liliana was confident she would easily win if she entered the magic division, she cast an exasperated look at Obsidian.

“I have no desire to draw attention to myself. And if there are prizes, it would be inappropriate for me to claim them.”

“True.”

Obsidian, though somewhat disappointed, seemed to accept this. The tournament offered substantial rewards for top finishers, which, while not significant to Liliana, were highly coveted by the participating knights and mercenaries. It was not a venue for wealthy nobles but for knights and mercenaries—especially those skilled but not overly wealthy.

“If there was an assassination division, I’d definitely be first place.”

“A division for assassinations is hardly something the royal family would host in their martial arts tournament.”

“I was just kidding.”

Obsidian appeared to enjoy engaging with Liliana, even in trivial conversations. As Liliana sensed his mood improving, she inwardly tilted her head. While she was pleased he had chosen to serve her, she still did not fully understand why he was so friendly—or rather, why he seemed so attached. Nevertheless, it was far better than being met with hostility or hatred. She also knew she would not get a satisfactory answer if she asked him directly.

“Will you inform your guards about the tournament?”

“I plan to notify them once the public announcement is made.”

Liliana nodded easily. She had no intention of spreading information that had not yet been made public. Obsidian seemed to understand this as well.

“Oh, by the way, I have a favor to ask.”

“Hm?”

Liliana had been contemplating this for some time. She knew Obsidian was highly skilled and had been deciding whom to have him investigate first—what was most urgent. After much consideration, she finally made up her mind. No matter what choice she made, whether she would regret it could only be known in hindsight. Therefore, she decided to have him investigate the matter she had been most concerned about but had been unable to clarify.

Obsidian raised his head with a look of satisfaction. Noticing this, Liliana made her first official request.

“Could you find out who is employing Nicholas Bergson?”

“—The Minister of Magic, I see. Understood.”

Obsidian grinned, and in the next moment, the most fearsome assassin in history vanished from his chair.

—-