The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 138

Revenge and Counterattack 1

That morning, Marianne entered Liliana's room to wake her up, beaming with a bright smile.

“Liliana-sama, happy birthday!”

Liliana, who was already awake, blinked in surprise. But she quickly understood Marianne’s words and her face lit up with joy. Though her family still sent her birthday presents every year, they were always arranged by the butler. Considering the possibility that they might be imbued with curse magic, she couldn't truly enjoy them. However, the gifts prepared by the servants at the mansion where she lived were always heartfelt.

“These flowers are from the gardener. Shall I place them in your room?”

<Yes, please. Put them in the bedroom.>

As usual, the cooks would likely prepare a lavish feast far more extravagant than normal. Duke Clark would probably begin moving to remove her from the list of crown princess candidates today or in the near future, but the gifts from the servants were so splendid that Liliana almost forgot all about that. Of course, compared to the gifts hastily prepared by her family, these were far more modest. But Liliana didn’t mind at all.

“This one is from His Highness the Crown Prince.”

After finishing her breakfast and changing clothes, Liliana accepted the box Marianne handed her. Accompanying it was a luxurious bouquet of flowers, incomparable to the one from the gardener. Liliana decided to place the gardener’s flowers in her bedroom and put the bouquet from Riley in the adjacent study.

Opening the box, she found a matching pendant and earrings inside. The gold and green hues reminded her of Riley’s hair and eyes. They were simple yet intricately crafted, and their delicate design suited Liliana’s graceful appearance perfectly.

“Oh my, how beautiful. They enhance your beauty so well, Liliana-sama. As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince’s impeccable taste.”

Marianne, flushed with excitement, showered her with praise. Liliana smiled and nodded but didn’t wear them, instead handing them to Marianne to put away in the vanity.

Riley had never given special gifts to any of his other fiancée candidates. In fact, he had been so careful that he never used colors resembling his own appearance when gifting jewelry. But it was already clear that he had chosen Liliana as his betrothed. He must have known about the secret agreement between the king and the duke to remove Liliana from the list of candidates due to her inability to speak, but perhaps he had some kind of plan. However, if things went according to her father’s scheme, Riley’s gift would never see the light of day. A young lady who wasn’t engaged to the Crown Prince could never wear something in his colors.

Unaware of this, Marianne cheerfully suggested, “Shall we have a dress made to match this pendant and earrings?” Liliana, pretending to be mute, only responded with a smile. She silently read the letter from the Crown Prince that had accompanied the gift. The contents were rather ordinary, as if written with the expectation that others might read it. However, it contained more affectionate words, treating Liliana as his fiancée, unlike previous letters.

<Marianne, I’ll write a thank-you letter to His Highness. Has anyone else sent me gifts?>

“Yes, we’ve had a few more new patrons this year, as we’ve seen since last year—”

Since Liliana hadn’t made her debut in society yet, she didn’t receive many gifts. Typically, gifts would come from relatives with sons of the same age, but few dared send anything to Liliana, likely out of consideration for her status as a crown princess candidate. On the other hand, those eager to curry favor with the future Crown Princess had started sending more gifts in recent years. Although Liliana had already sorted out most of these people, thanks to information from both the enchanted mice and Obsidian, it didn’t make the task any less tedious. Upon hearing Marianne’s response, Liliana sighed in exasperation.

(I wish I could just use replication magic and be done with it.)

She imagined using something like the computer and printer from her previous life. If someone like Riley, who put genuine care into his gifts, sent her something, she would agonize over the wording of her letter. But for those merely trying to cozy up to the future Crown Princess, a simple form letter would suffice. While the high nobility could freely afford to use paper and ink, they were luxuries for lower nobility and commoners. The thought of wasting such precious resources on people driven by selfish motives was infuriating.

<I understand. Please make a list of those people for me. I’ll write the thank-you notes later, and send them out when they’re finished.>

“Of course. However, Lady Liliana, there’s no need to rush to write the thank-you notes today. After all, it’s your birthday—please, do as you wish.”

Thank you.

Liliana thanked Marianne for her thoughtfulness. However, even though she was told to do something she liked, Liliana had no real hobbies. Researching magic and curse magic was something she did regularly, in between her lessons on how to be a crown princess. Aside from that, there was nothing she particularly wanted to do. If anything, her current priority was gathering evidence to confirm Duke Clark’s conspiracy, a matter she felt most urgently needed addressing. Even if Liliana were to be removed from the list of Riley’s fiancée candidates, she couldn’t simply walk away from the situation. But even she knew that wasn’t what Marianne had meant by “doing something you like.”

While Liliana was still undecided about what to do, Marianne left the room to tend to her duties. Left alone, Liliana let out a small sigh and began inspecting the gifts that Marianne had arranged for her. Of course, she meticulously checked each one to ensure they weren’t tampered with using magic, curse magic, or poison. Four years ago, Liliana had started learning curse magic from Petra, and after Petra became monitored by the Ministry of Magic, Liliana had continued her studies independently. Thanks to that, her inspection speed had increased over time.

With practiced ease, Liliana confirmed there were no issues with the gifts and breathed a sigh of relief. There were quite a few, so the process took some time. But once she finished, there was nothing else to do. She absentmindedly picked up one of the gifts and looked it over.

All the gifts from those trying to curry favor with Liliana were expensive items. If she sold them, she could donate the money to a convent. Regardless, most of them weren’t to Liliana’s taste.

As she pondered this, Liliana suddenly sensed a presence and looked up. Glancing toward the window, she saw a black lion had appeared without her noticing. Liliana smiled softly.

“It’s been a while, Ajulite.”

"Ah, yes, it’s been a while. What’s all this? A mountain of tribute, is it?"

“Tribute? Not at all...”

Liliana chuckled at Azurite’s phrasing.

“These are gifts. It’s my birthday, after all.”

"Birthday? Ah, I see. I’ve heard that humans celebrate the day they were born."

“You don’t have such customs?”

Intrigued by Ajulite’s casual remark, Liliana tilted her head. Ajulite had always said he wasn’t a monster, though he wasn’t human either. Liliana had no clear understanding of what he truly was, but she knew he was a different kind of being. When she had asked him his age, he had only replied, “Time flows differently for me, so it’s hard to say.” It wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t have the concept of birthdays. As expected, the lion nodded.

"No, we don’t. We don’t recognize such a thing as a birthday. We just find ourselves existing."

“Do you have no parents?”

"Parents? You mean beings who give birth to us?"

“Yes.”

For humans, children are born from their parents. For plants, it’s the stamen and pistil, or perhaps division of bulbs. Some species reproduce through spores, and there are countless methods of reproduction. Naturally, there are species that reproduce by splitting. When Liliana asked how it worked for beings like Ajulite, he thought for a moment and then replied, “It varies.”

"Some are born from parents, some just appear naturally, and some split to reproduce."

“That sounds... complex.”

When Ajulite mentioned splitting, Liliana imagined the lion before her dividing into two, and her expression grew slightly uneasy. 

Amused, Ajulite observed her reaction, but he didn’t elaborate on how he was born. Perhaps it was something he didn’t want to talk about. Sensing that, Liliana decided to stop asking.

"By the way, do you have any plans for today?" Liliana asked.

"I don’t have any particular plans for today. I was thinking of taking a nap here," Azurite replied.

"Well then," Liliana said with a smile, "If that’s the case, please keep me company. Since it’s my birthday, I plan to take it easy today."

"Keeping you company sounds interesting," Ajulite agreed readily.

"Then what shall we talk about?" Ajulite’s tail flicked against the floor as he thought. Liliana waited for him to decide. Eventually, Ajulite chose to share travel stories from various parts of the world.

＊＊＊＊＊

Liliana enjoyed her conversation with Ajulite, and before she knew it, the time until dinner had flown by. As night fell, Ajulite said it was his time to leave and flew out into the darkness with his dragon wings, leaving Liliana behind. Liliana watched Ajulite depart through the window and then enjoyed some reading after her meal.

"Hello."

A voice broke the silence, and Liliana looked up from her book. Standing before her, looking down, was Obsidian. Liliana had noticed his intrusion the moment he entered and remained unfazed. Frustrated by his own inability to surprise her, Obsidian’s mouth turned into a frown.

"I wonder when I'll be able to surprise you."

"At least, I think it would be best if you refrained from trying to outsmart me in my own territory," Liliana replied.

"—I appreciate the advice."

Obsidian muttered bitterly with a small click of his tongue, but he wasn’t truly angry with Liliana; he was merely frustrated with his own lack of success. Liliana, understanding this, gave a small smile. However, unlike usual, Obsidian did not immediately take a seat on the sofa. Feeling suspicious, Liliana tilted her head and looked up at him.

"Is something the matter?"

Obsidian approached with a stern expression. He came close enough to cause harm if he wished but remained stationary. Liliana observed him silently until he finally pulled out a small box from under his robe and offered it to her.

"It’s your birthday today, right?" Obsidian said.

Liliana nodded, realizing it was likely a birthday gift. Her eyes widened with surprise as she set her book aside and reached out to take the small box. It was very light.

"May I open it?"

"It’s not much, just something cheap," Obsidian replied.

Even as a skilled assassin, Obsidian had limited funds compared to the nobility. Liliana smiled as she untied the string on the small box. Opening the lid, she found a charming little trinket box adorned with shell beads. It was clearly handcrafted with care by a skilled artisan. Although it was inexpensive for the nobility, it was something ordinary people might find difficult to afford. It was evident that Obsidian had chosen it with some effort.

"It’s very lovely. Thank you. I will cherish it.”

When Liliana expressed her gratitude, Obsidian’s face softened in relief. However, his expression quickly shifted back to a scowl. Liliana then took the trinket box to her vanity and promptly placed her favorite jewelry into it before storing it in a drawer. Obsidian observed her with a complex expression, but Liliana, unaware of his demeanor, returned to the sofa she had been sitting on.

"By the way, I didn’t expect you to know it was my birthday," Liliana remarked.

"Well, when I found out about you, I did some research," Obsidian replied.

It was likely part of his work, and Liliana accepted this explanation without any annoyance.

"Also, the Duke’s residence in the Fortia Territory was a bit noisy. I remembered your birthday gift because—was it Philip, the butler?—he was preparing it, which jogged my memory," Obsidian explained, sounding slightly defensive.

Although it might have been a point of dissatisfaction for a typical young lady, Liliana accepted it without displeasure.

Obsidian had been asked to gather evidence of Duke Clark’s schemes, which meant he had frequently infiltrated both the Duke’s residence in the capital and the Fortia estate.

"Oh, and recently, something unusual happened," Obsidian said.

"Unusual?" Liliana tilted her head in curiosity.

Obsidian nodded.

"For some unknown reason, the Duchess left the Fortia estate," he said.

"Mother left?" Liliana was surprised by the news. She recalled that her mother wasn’t scheduled to attend any evening events.

"Yes, she headed to the Duke’s residence in the capital. It seemed rather sudden, and she appeared quite tense," Obsidian added.

Obsidian didn’t know the exact reason for this, but it was unusual for her mother, Belinda, to go to the Duke’s residence, which was considered a significant event. Liliana had known that her parents’ relationship had been extremely strained since her childhood, with her mother avoiding her father. The idea of her mother heading to the Duke’s residence was nearly unthinkable. Yet, Belinda had indeed left the Fortia estate, suggesting there must have been a compelling reason for her decision.

Liliana’s expression darkened as a sense of unease settled over her. If Belinda arrived at the Duke’s residence, it would mean that her father, Abram, her brother, Clyde, and her mother, Belinda, would all be there together.

Obsidian absentmindedly glanced outside. The sun had set, and night was approaching.

"I think she’ll arrive by this evening. It should be any moment now," he said.

"—What did you say?" Liliana’s voice was low and tense.

Obsidian looked at her in surprise, but Liliana was too preoccupied to notice.

A memory surfaced in Liliana’s mind. In the otome game from her previous life, Clyde and her mother did not appear. She had died of illness when Clyde was fifteen, which meant this period was right. However, Belinda was not yet ill, and a sense of dread filled her as her heart raced.

—Was Mother truly ill and died of illness?

Liliana had no fond memories of her mother. She had been shunned and called a monster. Before regaining her memories, Liliana had felt suffocated by this treatment, which had seemed normal to her at the time. As she interacted more with Clyde, the disparity in treatment between him and herself had become more apparent.

That was why Liliana had no strong feelings for Belinda. Even if she were not dead from illness, she would not feel a desire to help her. When Marianne rushed to the ailing Baron Kennys, Liliana had given her a magical pendant to protect her maid. Her feelings then were entirely different. Although Marianne was someone she wanted to protect, she had no such desire for Belinda.

However, the situation was different for Clyde. He had built a good relationship with Belinda and had tried to mediate between her and Liliana. He was also aware of the guilt he felt over the disparity in treatment between himself and his sister.

(If it wasn’t a natural death…)

――What if Clyde’s father killed his mother right before his eyes?

Given that his father, who assassinated Duke Ealdred, might not hesitate to kill our mother. It’s highly likely he has already committed four murders without leaving evidence: his biological father, his in-laws, and Duke Ealdred’s first wife. Someone who has already broken the taboo of murder would not hesitate to commit it again. If deemed necessary, Duke Clark would dispose of even his own kin without hesitation.

However, Clyde is unaccustomed to killing. While he practices swordsmanship, he likely has never witnessed someone being killed before his eyes. He has also never encountered a monster stampede. It’s easy to imagine the mental state he would be in upon witnessing his mother being killed by his father.

The Clyde from the game is different from the Clyde of reality. The game version was more devious and cunning than the brother Liliana knows now. He viewed the world with resignation and cold detachment. Even so, he hesitated to punish his sister until the end. Ultimately, he chose to pass judgment, but he struggled between his feelings for his family and his hatred, with the heroine supporting him.

If the death of his mother, Belinda, was the catalyst for his change in personality――

――It could very well lead to his own downfall.

Liliana unknowingly exhaled the breath she had been holding. Though there was no concrete proof, her intuition whispered that it was certain.

Obsidian had mentioned that Belinda would likely arrive at the Duke’s mansion soon. If that were the case, there was no time left. Hesitation would be fatal. So, Liliana quickly glanced at Obsidian and thanked him.

"Thank you for informing me, Sid. I have urgent matters to attend to."

With that, she excused herself with a smile, though her expression was tense. Without waiting for Obsidian’s response, Liliana used a teleportation spell silently.

“Eh, Miss!?”

Obsidian, who was momentarily stunned, stared in shock, but by then, Liliana had already vanished. Left behind, Obsidian muttered a small "Ah, well" and covered his face with his hands.

He had a hunch about where Liliana might have gone. However, he didn’t understand why she was so frantic. Scratching his head, Obsidian sighed softly.

“――Should I go as well?”

He might be told he wasn't needed, but he was concerned. Without hesitation, Obsidian stood up and quickly went out through the window. He blended into the night’s darkness and headed toward the capital.

—-

ToC

Chapter 139

(T/N: From today onwards daily two chapters will be released!)