TAVHAAN 02

Lillian Tillard saw her future at the age of twenty.

To be precise, she realized that the contents of a book she had ‘read in her past life’ were her own life.

The protagonist of this world was her cousin, Iris.

An S-class Controller who suppresses rampaging supernatural beings, warm and beloved by all—Iris.

In contrast, Lillian, though a direct descendant, was powerless.

Lillian was mocked for being gloomy and consumed by inferiority.

And then, in the year she turned twenty-four.

‘I die right at the start of the ending.’

It was during the ‘Crown Prince’s War’ when the banquet hall collapsed, and debris was about to fall on Iris.

So why did Lillian die instead?

Because she blocked it and died in Iris’s place.

The usefulness of the villainess, bogged down by inferiority and only holding others back.

It was all for the sake of such a dramatic plot device.

At that moment, her biological brother, her cousin (younger male cousin), her grandfather, her fiance..

And Iris.

‘Sister is already done for! We need to get out of here now!’

In the end, Lillian died alone in the darkness, bleeding out.

Lillian, who in her ‘past life’ had a subtly fiery temper, gained an epiphany.

If I keep living like this, I might just kill someone, won’t I?

So she made a decision.

‘Let’s meticulously plan to completely detach myself from those people.’

Thus, after returning, she spent a month carefully crafting her plan.

It was time to begin the next phase.

“Lillian! What is this about breaking off the engagement!”

Along with her grandfather’s roar.

Snow-white hair, a square jawline framed by a white beard. A build like a warrior.

Grandfather, Duke Erick Tillard, hated Lillian intensely.

‘Ugh, if she even consumed her own parents, she should at least be intelligent!’

He was adept at freezing people’s blood with his disdainful ‘Ugh Ugh’ sounds.

But now? There was no blood left to freeze.

“How have you been conducting yourself, that the Young Lord would throw an engagement annulment in your face!”

“It seems his love for Iris is too important, Grandfather.”

“What did you say? You insolent…!”

Beside her grandfather, Iris sobbed pitifully.

“Grandfather, this is all a lie. I, I would never do such a thing with the Young Lord…!”

“Ugh, stop those tears, Iris. You are destined to be the Crown Princess!”

“Ye… yes…!”

Iris smiled through her tears.

“Sister, please find it in your generous heart to forgive the Young Lord too… Who else would take Sister if not the Young Lord?”

“Do you have the leisure to worry about me?”

“Why wouldn’t I worry about sis—”

“Didn’t an embezzlement issue blow up in your business? I heard the loss was around a thousand gold.”

“……Huh?”

Iris flinched slightly.

Supernatural beings without a dedicated Controller must purchase control-stone artifacts.

Those made by an S-class Controller like Iris commanded premium prices.

‘But she dumped all the work on me, didn’t she?’

So how would she know if there was embezzlement?

“Sister, what are you talking about? In front of the whole family—”

“That nanny of yours has been deceiving you for a long time, right? Even the maids passing by my quarters knew about it.”

“What, what!”

While Iris was reeling from Lillian’s attack, the watching branch family members began to whisper.

“Was there really embezzlement?”
“That nanny has served this family for years—”
“So Lady Iris didn’t know her nanny was doing that?”

Iris’s lips trembled.

But then, a voice reprimanding Lillian was heard.

“Lillian. Why are you embarrassing Iris like this?”
“Sob, Kuern brother…”

It was Kuern Tillard, the Young Lord.

Lillian’s biological older brother, which meant he was useless.

With his platinum hair, glasses, and delicate features, one might call him a ‘refined beauty.’

But his essence was that of a bat.

Kuern patted the sobbing Iris and said,
“Don’t cry, Iris. Come now, Lillian. Apologize immediately.”
“……Young Lord.”
“Huh…?”
“Even if this embezzlement is handled internally, taxes must be re-filed. Then Her Majesty the Empress will find out.”
“That is—”
“And if Her Majesty knows, doesn’t that mean her political opponents could find out too?”
“……!”
“I was merely afraid our family would be put in danger.”

The Second Empress,Lobelia Tarandia Fernies de Pavill.

The aunt of Lillian’s trash fiance, Kar Kin Pavill.

She was also the mother of the ‘original male lead,’ the Second Prince Kyle.

“But Iris’s face is more important than everyone’s safety. Just as you said, brother?”

Kuern’s face flushed bright red too.

Because ‘everyone’s safety’ included their grandfather.

The branch family members glanced around and muttered awkwardly.
“The business dealings with the Pavill aren’t just one or two.”
“My, to think that far ahead…”

The looks directed at ‘Lillian’ changed slightly.

They had always treated her like a pathetic bug, so they must have been a bit surprised.

Bang!

Grandfather slammed his fist on the table.

“Huh, enough noise! Deal with Iris’s nanny. And you, Lillian!”
“Yes, Duke.”
“Apologize to the Young Lord immediately. Go to him and ask to retract the annulment!”
“Yes. However, I will do that one month from now.”
“What did you say…?”
“According to Imperial law, once an annulment is signed, retraction is only possible after one month.”

Grandfather’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Was this girl ever this clever and composed?

“Since the annulment was due to the Young Lord’s fault, I will not chase after him immediately for the family’s honor.”
“Yes!”
“Therefore, with your permission, I will recuperate at the northern annex.”

The Duke closed his mouth.

Originally, when something like this happened, Lillian would beg and sob, pleading not to be sent away.

A wretched, powerless granddaughter.

But he was seeing such a calm demeanor for the first time.

Ironically, his pride, Iris, was flustered and making a fuss.

“Aah, no! Sister must stay here—!”
“Tch. Iris, be quiet!”
“Ugh…!”

Iris could only roll her eyes frantically, flustered.

Lillian pretended not to notice.

While you smiled benevolently and elegantly, I did all the work you were supposed to do.
Won’t you be a bit stressed while I’m gone?

‘I’d like to see that a little, but not enough to bet my future on it.’

In her ‘past life,’ Lillian died alone in a hospital room.

Life was shorter, and death was closer than she thought.

So now, she had no time to wait for such people to repent.

“I will take my leave now. Farewell, everyone.”

Preparations for Lillian’s move to the annex were swift.

Lillian was the ‘direct princess of the Tillard Ducal House.’

Yet, surprisingly, no close maids followed her.

Having such things was a luxury for a powerless person, they said.

Instead, her cousin (younger male cousin) was attached to her.

“Ugh, annoying. Do I really have to escort someone like you?”
“……”
“I just joined the Imperial Palace Knights not long ago! And I have to use my annual leave too!”

Bright platinum hair, cat-like green eyes—Ramio Tillard.

He was Iris’s younger brother and the youngest knight in the Imperial Palace Knights.

And.

‘Forget Lillian! Protect Lady Iris!’

He was one of those who left her behind in the ‘original story.’

Ramio intensely despised his powerless older cousin.

Even now, at a rest stop while drinking tea, he was hurling insults.

It’s proper not to bother even a dog while it’s eating.

Lillian felt sorrowful.

“You’re the defective one, so why do I have to get dragged here just because Pavil cheated?”
“……”
“Hey, Lillian. Aren’t you answer—”
“Hey. How’s the tea, Ramio?”
“Ugh, what about the taste of the tea… Ugh?”
“My, seems like it tastes good.”

Surprised, aren’t you?

Where would you get to drink tea blended with sleeping pills for money?

“I put a lot of other things in there too.”
“Ugh, cough cough!”
“The touch of my hands is quite nice, right? Reminds me of when we were kids.”
“Yo, you…!”
“When I baked cookies, you used to eat them so well…”

Lillian watched this scene happily, her face like a blooming flower.

It wasn’t just Ramio who covered his mouth and collapsed.

“Ugh, gag.”
““Ugh…….”
“My, my eyes…”

All the guards who had drunk the beverage either slumped or collapsed onto the dirt ground.

She wasn’t worried about them talking. They had their own misdeeds too.

“Still, thanks to you, I could come safely all the way near the border for free.”

Good work, trash.

Lillian stood up from her seat, murmuring wistfully.

Why would she go to that horribly disliked annex?

‘I have to defect to the Kingdom of Tenebrine, where the powerless aren’t discriminated against.’