A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 

And lately, he’s been receiving quite a few invitations.

 

Somehow, even those with whom he was not on good terms have been in amicable contact.

 

Today’s invitation was no different.

 

The Marquis of Medrall, one of the leading figures of the aristocratic faction, had been on poor terms with him for several years.

 

He had been looking down on the powerless Duke of Fay.

 

It was strange that the Marquis would suddenly invite him to a gathering he hadn’t participated in before.

 

At the beginning of the meeting, familiar faces greeted him.

 “The Duke has been looking much better lately.” “That’s because he’s at ease.” “Haha, of course.” 

He smiled, though the words were unintelligible.

 

As he did, the Marquis approached,

“Long time no see.” “I am more surprised at your unexpected invitation.”

(Fay)

 “My wife has been very temperamental. What…” 

His tone made it sound as if the Marquis had invited him because of Madame Medrall.

 

Since they rarely saw each other, he asked dubiously.

 “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Marquise except at royal banquets.”

(Fay)

 “Ah, the tea you’ve been marketing lately. My wife is very fond of it.” “Tea…, you mean?”

(Fay)

 “Yes. Tea leaves with special properties. They’re amazing. I didn’t even realize you were developing such a thing.” 

Tea leaves? Developing?

 

I didn’t understand what he was talking about.

 

The Marquis Medrall didn’t seem to notice his bewilderment, his gaze elsewhere as he swirled his wine glass casually.

 “So. That, the tea… is a little difficult to attain. Hmm.” “…” “I apologize if I was rude before. I have my moments of immaturity.” 

From his stern face, Marquis Medrall thought he had offended, and then he added.

 “Avalon is in turmoil enough as it is, with all the bad blood between the Houses.” “… I’ll give that some thought.”

(Fay)

 

I felt like I needed to know what was happening to move this conversation forward.

 

Duke Fay gave a curt bow and quickly returned to the mansion.

 “Barton! Where is Barton?”

(Fay)

 

Barton looked up from his papers at the urgent call as he entered.

 “Yes, sir, what can I do for you?” “I heard a strange commotion today at the Marquis’s gathering. Tea leaves. What was that all about?”

(Fay)

 “Ah, that.” 

Barton looked surprised, but he knew it was coming.

 “Actually, it’s Lady Morgana’s tea leaves you asked me to collect. She wanted to sell them, so I helped her distribute them a bit.” “Why would you do that with the family name on it? I never gave you permission!”

(Fay)

 

Without the permission of the Lord of the Manor. Duke Fay was dumbfounded and speechless.

 

Barton was nonchalant about the whole affair.

 “His Excellency has given us permission to proceed.” “What? What do you mean!”

(Fay)

 “I’m pretty sure your signature is on the authorization.” 

Barton pulled a finely folded document from his breastplate and handed it over.

 

I roughly snatched it out of his hand and unfolded it to see that it was indeed a sales authorization.

 

It was even signed in my handwriting at the bottom.

 

Duke Fay was in disbelief, and his hand trembled as he held the permit.

 “How could this be…”

(Fay)

 “This is the exact eleventh page of the approval documents you requested for the succession ceremony.” “Why did you put this in the middle!”

(Fay)

 “I’m so sorry, but perhaps you didn’t read and sign the documents…” 

Barton said he was sorry, but there was no hint of guilt in Barton’s brazen expression.

 

He knows he’s at fault, and he keeps his mouth shut.

 

Just as the Duke of Fay was about to go off the deep end, Barton smiled brightly.

 “Well, you’ve done yourself a favor, and it’s helped cut through all the nonsense about whether Fay’s powers are real or not.” “Don’t you know what she did? She poisoned my tea!”

(Fay)

 “I vetted them all before I shipped them out.” 

Barton rummaged through the papers on his desk and held out a stack to him.

 “Look. These are the proceeds of the sale. Miss Morgana took only a fraction of it.” 

He held out the papers, and I stared at the huge numbers.

 

Without realizing it, he had accumulated this much money.

 

How and why?

 

The Duke of Fay stared blankly at the unreadable papers, confused.

 

In front of him, Barton spoke calmly, 

“She says you’re important as the only family she has left.” “What?”

(Fay)

 “That’s what Lady Morgana said.” “What a rascal she was to behave like that.”

(Fay)

 “Haven’t you learned, and besides, you never sought her out, and when you did, you treated her with disrespect.” 

The Duke of Fay was at a loss for words for a moment.

 

When he remained silent, Barton shrugged his shoulders and replied.

 “I brought her some books, and she picked up the manners and etiquette right away, though I suspect it was all due to a lack of education.” “Education…”

(Fay)

 “She said it was fine for tea leaves to be sold without her name on them. She lamented not being able to call you father.” 

Duke Fay stared at the papers in silence. He remembered the day he called Morgause after the fight.

 

Morgana, who had always called him father, called him Duke for the first time.

 

Staring at the paper, the Duke turned to Barton.

 “So, where is Morgana now?”

(Fay)

  

‘Hehehe…’

 

Morgana giggled as she looked at the drawer full of gold coins.

 

This must be what money tastes like. Gold, gold, gold!

 

The tea leaves that had sold like wildfire had brought her riches.

 

Morgana tapped her pen against the paper, calculating.

 “Broker’s fee for exile to Britain, rental of carriage to get there. That should be enough to live in luxury. The rest is for living expenses…” 

Morgana clapped both hands over her mouth, overwhelmed with excitement.

 

Joy leaked through the crevices of her palms like a dolphin’s sonar.

 “I have… it all!!” 

Morgana clasped her hands together, writhing in uncontrollable delight.

 

The recent events on Avalon had been so horrific that the broker’s value had been rising by the day.

 

Morgana’s eyes had been squinting at the price every day as it rose further and higher.

 

But Morgana did it anyway. Now she just needed to set a date!

 

A date to flee unnoticed by the Duke of Fay’s people!

 

‘The Duke and my two sisters would risk their lives for the succession.’

 

How dare the Duke of Fay be absent from the crowning of Avalon’s new king.

 

Everyone would be trying to look their best, so I thought I’d use that as my starting point.

 

Once they’ve all left for the succession ceremony, the ducal residence would be relatively deserted.

 

There would be orders to guard Morgan, who would remain alone, but most of the people in the manor were already on her side.

 

No one would suspect her of wandering the grounds under the guise of picking tea leaves.

 

‘I’ll take advantage of that!’

 

A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

 

Good, I should maintain my normal appearance to avoid suspicion for the time being.

 

According to the schedule, the afternoon would be the time to pick tea leaves to dry.

 

Barton had set aside a small area near the mountain behind the annex for me to pick in peace.

 

It’s close enough to walk to and from the annex, but not strictly inside the Fay household, which makes it a more favorable location.

 

A short walk from the annex was the south wing.

 

Upon arrival, the first thing I saw was the outer perimeter of the garden from the entrance.

 

This made it easy to keep tabs on the Duke of Fay and her sisters when they went out and returned.

 

‘It doesn’t look too awkward for me to be near the garden.’

 

I might as well take a few herbs with me, just in case.

 

Morgana strode out of the hallway, her stride a little lighter.

  

Avalon was often called the Land of Eternal Life.

 

The realm without shadows. The Kingdom of the Immortals.

 

It had many names, but they all meant the same thing.

 

‘The most powerful kingdom.’

 

Most of its royalty excelled in swordsmanship and magic and were far beyond the average person.

 

In such an Avalon, there was a man who had killed all 32 imperial

descendants and ascended to the throne.

 

Along with Morgana, the two main villains in the original and Avalon’s sole heir to the throne.

 

It was the 21st prince, Kellive Avalon.