The Villainess turns the Hourglass-Chapter 16: A New Meeting, Part VIII

‘What is this feeling…?”

There was also a strange feeling from his warm palms. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar sensation. It was very faint, but it was something that he had felt before somewhere.

‘Where the hell did I…?’

He couldn’t understand that feeling since he had no relation with Count Roscent’s family.

As he looked absentmindedly at his hand, his comrade asked him, “What do you want to do? Should I put a man on her?”

“No, I already know what family she’s from. First, we’ll raid the casino. If that rumor truly spreads, the viscount will run away, and we must quickly subdue him.”

“However, we are still lacking information, and our plan is also not perfect.”

“An incomplete plan would be better than Viscount Lupre disappearing into the night.”

It would be quite a hassle if Viscount Lupre were to run away to a foreign country. It would be much better to miss him in the country, if they were to miss him.

“This could also be a mischievous prank from an ignorant young lady.”

“Even so, we have to account for it just in case.”

Even if the rumors were a lie and he made his surprise attack on the casino with insufficient information and planning, there was no risk aside for the fact that things would be a bit cumbersome.

However, if what Aria had said had been the truth, and while they were formulating a plan, the viscount ran away? Then, they would need to request aid from the neighboring countries. It would be an annoying, cumbersome and even shameful endeavor. Therefore it was much better to finish matters within the country.

All because of a girl who was certain that the casino would be destroyed. On the surface, the casino was breaking record sales every day, but the girl knew otherwise, that the casino would fall. That was a fact that no one knew but himself and those of his man who would participate in the casino’s ruination.

Though she had said that she had heard the rumor about Viscount Lupre, from the full details she had given, she had to have known the inside story. He had to hurry.

“Then, for when shall we set the date?”

“Today.”

“Today… Do you mean today?!”

“Yes. In one hour, gather and deploy all we have. We will attack immediately since we don’t know when he’ll escape.”

‘Today’s a bit difficult…’ his comrade said to himself, but after seeing the man’s determined expression, he bowed his head. “… I understand. I will prepare for it right away.”

His comrade moved quickly after being given the order and soon disappeared from his sight. The man looked at his hand and checked the remaining warmth. Though it had mostly disappeared, Aria’s expression of when she turned around was still vivid in his mind. Her cat-like figure made him feel strangely excited.

‘This is not the time.’

But this was not the time for him to immerse in such sentiments. He needed to catch the culprit and solidify his position as quickly as possible. After erasing Aria’s face from his mind, and her warmth from her hand, the man quickly disappeared into the darkness.

***

Aria returned home and thought to request the countess fire the two knights that had escorted her immediately, but decided against it since she thought it might be a good opportunity.

They had not only failed to protect their master, but also had not even tried to. They had to be ashamed of their cowardly and disgraceful actions, for abandoning their duty as a knight of loyalty at the cost of their lives.

If this was known, not only would they lose their titles as knights, but they might also end up spending their entire lives under the disgraceful label of having abandoned their master in the face of danger, certainly a weakness and an embarrassment that they would not want to be exposed. That was why there was no better chance of controlling them than now. It was the chance to bite and suck their blood like a leech. She vowed to drain their blood until only their dead shells remained.

A slave with a weakness worth ten million times more than a knight who had sworn his life. Aria smiled at the escort knights, who looked as if the world would collapse on them. Waiting for the cruel disposal of the Grim Reaper, their bodies hardened from that unexpectedly friendly smile.

With the help of one of the knights, Aria dismounted from the carriage and opened her mouth, speaking clearly and calmly, “It had been a long time since I had gone outside, so I ended up in that rough state. This is why commoners are no good. They’re too violent and unable to measure their strength.”

Entering the mansion, the knights followed Aria, swallowing hard. It was inevitable that she would consider the punishment that would follow if she was speaking of the unsavory incident that had just happened. The knights nervously followed her to her room since the order to disband had not yet been given.

Aria’s room was located on the third floor, since she had wanted a room with the best view. While they climbed up the stairs, the servants and maids bowed to Aria and the knights.

Aria, who had not replied to them before, carefully responded to each and every one of their greetings, delaying the time to their destination. As the number of times she stopped walking increased, the lips of the knights waiting for their life or death sentence dried up, and their hands trembled. Soon, they arrived at Aria’s room, and as soon as Jessie finally walked in and closed the door, Aria opened her mouth slowly. It was only for a moment, but it was like time had stopped for the knights.

“In addition, my guards could not keep their bodies, let alone me, protected,” Aria said as she sat on her soft sofa.

The knights’ faces fell with pale expressions. The management of the knights was in the hands of the count, but if there was a valid reason, a representative could temporarily take over the position.

Now that the successor, Cain, was absent, the person next in line was Aria’s mother, the countess. If it was her, she would certainly kick them out. No. No matter who it was, they would not let them be. ‘Who would want to keep knights that failed to protect their master?’

The two knights resolved themselves to the punishment that was to come. If that day’s mistakes were revealed to the world, they determined themselves to hide away for the rest of their lives. The answer was pretty much set, but the final sentence was yet to be given, so the two knights silently waited for Aria’s next words while keeping their eyes on the floor.

“Well, you couldn’t help it because the opponent was extremely skilled.”

Aria beckoned Jessie to pour her some water. Jessie, who put the box with the hourglass on the floor, hesitated a little before pouring the water into a cup.

Aria, who held that cup in her hand, said, “So, I’m thinking of overlooking this, just this one time. It was unavoidable.”

“…!”

“…!”

It was harder to determine who was faster, as both of them raised their heads at the same time. They blinked as if what they had just heard was a hallucination. They thought that they had to have heard wrong. Even the merciful Mielle would certainly fire them, so there was no way that Aria would show mercy.

“By the way,” Aria raised the cup to her mouth and when she slanted the cup, the water from the cup ran down her throat. Gulp! After taking a sip and putting the cup down on the table, she resumed, “The water is a little lukewarm. Is there anyone who could bring me some cool water?”

“…!”

“…!”

Both knights rushed out of the room before she finished speaking. Jessie’s hand, which missed the timing, hovered in the air. Not knowing what to do, Jessie looked alternately at the door the knights had gone through and at Aria.

When Aria saw that, she leaned back on the sofa and laughed, saying, “Jessie, you should go out for a moment as well.”

“Yes? Oh, yes…” Embarrassed, Jessie moved the hourglass box she had put down on the floor to the table before leaving Aria’s room.

As soon as she had left, Aria pushed the landscape painting on one corner of the room aside, and pushed the wall with no pattern once more. Then, a handle made of iron popped out with a snap, like a lock being unlocked, from what once had looked like a simple wall under the frame.