TAVHAAN 04

4

There is a commonality between romance novel villains and ‘past life’ capitalist humans.

Namely, they greatly appreciate human utility.

‘Keep them alive if they’re useful, discard them if they become useless.’

Didn’t even the primordial Creator God say it?

‘The heartless Tarandia, the gullible Balthazar, the greedy Pavill, the raging Boliver.
And the hypocritical Tillard, flitting between them like a butterfly…’

The five families blessed with the god’s love are…

Ah, by the way, that is indeed love.

Because he loves them, he starts off the scriptures by calling out his own children.

Anyway, the five families have very… very strong inherent traits across generations.

You shouldn’t expect blood and tears from the heartless imperial humans of Tarandia.

…Which is why I’m currently being dragged off like a canary in a coal mine, caught by a villain.

“Don’t be so scared, Lady Tillard.”

The villain smiled with beautiful, gracious eyes.

“We’re just heading to the same destination anyway. I’m not an inconvenience, am I?”
“Hohoho, of course not, Your Highness. I’m so delighted to be accompanying you like this.”
“I’m glad we agree, my lady. Let’s get closer through this opportunity.”

The life of a noble was no different from the highly developed social life of a self-employed person.

The part where a single misstep could lead to death was also the same.

‘I’m alive for now, but if I don’t adequately prove my utility, I could still die.’

However, one can’t bet their life on a madman.

So, Lillian subtly glanced sideways at the knights in black uniforms guarding him.

‘The Shadows’.

A special mobile unit to which the Balthazar family, the maternal family of the First Prince, belonged.

They were a group of supernatural beings who served only the First Prince’s commands.

The First Empress loved the Emperor deeply.

But here, the Tillard were active again.

They allied with the Pavill and diligently slandered the First Empress…

‘The First Empress died of a broken heart.’

Naturally, the First Prince, the villain, was put at a disadvantage in the power struggle.

‘Of course a Tillard like me is hated.’

But?

As the Creator God said, the ‘Balthazar of the Earth’ were famously gullible.

‘Put nicely, it means they are soft toward others.’

So, gaining a bit of trust should be possible.

Also, what are the essential virtues of a noble lady and a self-employed person?

It’s to watch carefully and then seize the opportunity for survival.

As evening gradually approached, the first such opportunity rolled in.

A Shadow preparing a tent for camping got annoyed.

“Ah—!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ha, my artifact is broken.”

A female Shadow with black eyes and indigo-blue hair tied high grumbled, taking off a ring.

“Damn it. Must have been scratched by some damn monster brat.”

A glint entered Lillian’s eyes.

‘It’s Jeanne Balthazar.’

A branch member of the Balthazar Ducal House, and a famous powerhouse even within this group.

Lillian gathered her courage and approached. Let’s not forget, crisis is opportunity.

“If it’s alright, may I take a look?”

As soon as Lillian finished speaking, the ‘Shadows’ looked at her menacingly.

Swish, swish.

Some even slid their swords in and out of their scabbards, as if threatening her with the motion.

For reference, Lillian was thrilled.

‘Aah! Everyone is so reliable.’

Mercenaries were actually hard to trust in terms of character or skill.

But like this!

Getting free escort by knights with proven skills all the way to the border?

This is too good. It was worth easing their guard appropriately.

Lillian took out a magic torch and a bottle of resin from her bag.

The moment she pulled out the torch that could reach 1,400 degrees Celsius instantly without any fuel, the Shadows flinched.

“Does something like that come out of a normal noble lady’s bag?”
“They’re from a Sacred Family.”
“No, but still, it’s the Tillard.”

Yes, those Tillard. Aren’t they the pinnacle in the field of control artifacts?

And, ridiculously, Lillian is a direct descendant of that family.

No matter how colorful and varied the ‘Shadows’ were, they couldn’t ignore the words of a daughter from a high-class trash family mentioned from the first page of the scriptures.

Lillian eventually pried the ring from the reluctant Shadow.

“You use a ring-type artifact?”
“Ah… yes, well.”
“It’s cracked, but fortunately the internal circuits are intact.”

The circuits were broken? Then that would require paid repair.

It’s a big deal, enough to cause backlash and draw blood.

But, something like this?

Lillian’s hands began to move busily.

‘First, coat it with resin.’

The transparent adhesive that prevents accessory parts from falling apart.

‘Then, just heat it slightly with the torch to harden it.’

This level of first aid was the maximum she could do on the spot.

“This is all I can do here. You can get it properly repaired in the city later.”
“Huh… Ugh, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”

Lillian smiled faintly.

“After all, this is all I can do……”

She believed this much would earn her a share of dinner. Right then, a languid, low voice came from behind Lillian.

“Hmm, you had such a skill?”

It appeared. This villain’s patented passive-aggressive question.

An incomparably beautiful beauty tilted her head and smiled.

“Wasn’t it your sister, Iris, who runs the artifact business?”
“That’s right. I only have a few petty tricks.”

Lillian smiled faintly, lowering her eyebrows.

This was Lillian’s concept until reaching the border.

Seemingly useful, but not overly so—a useful kind of useless.

If she seemed too useful, she’d be exploited; if useless, she could be killed.

“Haha, still impressive. Why don’t you stop running away and just come to me?”
“My goodness, Your Highness. Why would you say that? Even if it’s an empty compliment, my heart is racing too much.”

You think I’ll fall for that?

The male leads of romance novels are utterly merciless to women other than the ‘female lead.’

Especially this man hates those who greedily overstep their bounds the most.

‘If I said let’s be on the same side since we hate the same kinds of people, he’d immediately find it suspicious and kill me.’

Just endure a little longer.

There’s still a ton of sleeping pills left in this bag!

Late night, at the campsite with all fires extinguished.

“Hmm. Hmm.”

Ephraim was humming softly.

At his feet lay the remnants of an assassin’s clothing, vanished due to his supernatural ability.

Just then, his closest aide, the black-haired swordsman Elias Balthazar, appeared from the darkness.

“…Your Highness, are you alright.”
“Me? I was just playing nicely with the guest the Empress sent.”

It’s really too much, monopolizing the control stones like that.

“Your Highness. Do you truly trust Lillian Tillard?”
“Well, what does it matter? She says she knows about control stone veins.”
“But—”
“Will watching her for a few days be a loss?”

If she’s lying, we can just give her time to arrange her own demise.

By the way.

“Do people normally go this far when their fiance plays around with another woman?”

Ephraim was born without human emotions.

He knows how to smile prettily, but, um.

He doesn’t well understand the difference between people and objects.

Therefore, when he needs to understand human psychology, he relies on his aide, Elias.

“…She was famously in love with her fiance for ten years.”
“So?”
“The possibility of such a person losing her mind upon learning of her fiance’s scandal with her cousin is quite sufficient.”

Ephraim smiled while furrowing his brow.

He still didn’t really get it.

“But… this time, we’ve pulled the Controllers to the rear, right?”
“Yes. We’ve secured distance so they won’t be inconvenienced.”
“…”
“Your Highness—?”
“Hmm… It’s nothing.”

Ephraim shook his head briefly.

The ‘Ability of Annihilation’ was the most destructive among all supernatural abilities.

And yet, that instinct had been whispering since earlier.

…She smells good.
There’s a Controller I like.
I want to touch. I want to have.
I want to break her.

It seems that voice is heard every time he sees Lillian Tillard.

It makes no sense.

‘Shall I test it a little?’