Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

Fortunately, Duke Kablos did not mention the past incident.

Rather, he seemed to have become interested in something else as he looked at Lihid and said:

“By any chance… are you Vincent’s son?”

At those words, Lihid’s fist twitched slightly.

“What do you mean? I don’t know anyone named Vincent.”

At Lihid’s words, Duke Kablos said:

“If not, then never mind. You look so much like him that I made a mistake. Well, it’s ridiculous to think that the Tower Master’s great disciple would resemble such a foolish fellow.”

“Haha, why don’t you tell me who that is?”

Lihid asked the Duke, laughing calmly.

“There was someone who, like a rat, peeked at something he shouldn’t have seen… and died. Along with all his family members. Thinking about it, calling you his son was absurd.”

“…”

“I apologize for the brief interruption. I’ll be on my way now.”

“…”

The Duke left like that, and I observed Lihid’s complexion.

“Lihid.”

He clutched his chest and breathed heavily.

It seemed the memory of his family being wiped out while trying to escape had resurfaced.

I held his hand and faced him.

As I let a gentle healing magic flow, I could see him gradually stabilizing.

“Ria…”

Lihid called my name as if he had just come to his senses.

He looked down at our joined hands and said:

“It’s the first time I’ve felt your magic.”

“It’s precious, so I can’t use it just anytime.”

“Until just now, the terrible memories were vividly resurfacing… If it weren’t for you, I might have rushed at the Duke right away.”

“This Vincent person… he’s Lihid’s father, right?”

At my words, he nodded painfully.

“What on earth did he see…”

Moreover, if it was 15 years ago, it was when I was kidnapped.

Though there was no evidence, Kablos was the most likely culprit.

‘What on earth happened in Duke Kablos’s mansion 15 years ago?’

Anyway, since I had only come to show my face as a representative of Rayes, I stood up as the celebration entered its middle stages.

“Lihid, let’s go. We need to manage the herbs we couldn’t finish yesterday.”

“I told you I used my vacation today. I’m not going to the Magic Tower even if I die and come back to life.”

His childish whining with such a big body made me smirk involuntarily.

“Then where do you want to go?”

“Today, after a long time… I should go see my family.”

“…Then I’ll go with you.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Lihid stood up with me, forcing a smile.

As we were leaving the banquet hall and passing through the garden, we ran into Teniel.

“Are you two leaving already?”

He spoke with a voice tinged with regret.

“Yes, we have a lot of work at the Magic Tower.”

Even though neither of us was planning to return to the Magic Tower.

“I see… Next time, please be sure to accept my escort. Take care, my lady.”

Teniel said so and took my hand to kiss it.

I looked down at it with narrowed eyes.

He removed his lips and left with a relaxed smile.

As he was becoming more and more like a snake with each passing day, it seemed like he would seriously cross the line someday.

‘I can’t even tell Luka about this…’

Then he would abandon the war and everything else to come back and knock Teniel down like he did to the 1st prince.

“That bastard…!”

“It’s okay, Lihid. I’ll just wash my hand thoroughly when I get home.”

“If something like this happens again, tell me first. It’s not difficult for me to be your partner.”

Lihid said with an enraged expression.

“Haha, thank you…”

But there won’t be a next time. After the Founding Day celebration a week from now, there won’t be any more official celebrations I’ll attend.

Since Dad and my brothers will all attend the Founding Day celebration, Teniel won’t be able to put me in a difficult position either.

I left the imperial palace garden with Lihid.

The place we went together after leaving the imperial palace was a wide open field.

Yellow flowers of unknown names were blooming everywhere.

Lihid sat down heavily in front of a large tree in the middle of the field.

“It’s been a while, everyone.”

I stood next to where he sat.

“Have you been well? I’m sorry I couldn’t visit often. The evil Tower Master has been working me too hard.”

The tree rustled, as if answering Lihid’s words, as the wind blew.

“This is your first time seeing Ria here, right? I got a little sister. My cute little sister came along to comfort me.”

I took a step towards the tree and placed my hand on it.

“Hello, Lihid’s family members…”

Lihid said that when he was young, he recovered all the bodies of his family members killed by assassins and buried them under this tree.

It was just a small sapling then, but it had grown this big.

It was when I was looking up at the tree.

[The truth you seek is right before your eyes.]

“…?!”

For a moment, I quickly turned around.

As I looked at the empty space with a surprised expression, Lihid asked:

“What’s wrong?”

“You didn’t say anything just now?”

“Uh, nothing at all.”

It was a voice I heard after a very long time.

[Souls are contained in the tree. With your power, you should be able to read their memories…]

Souls are contained?

I could tell whose souls they were without being told.

They were Lihid’s family members.

I muttered ‘No way’ and placed my hand on the tree, letting a small amount of magic flow.

Then, someone’s hazy memories were drawn like a panorama.

In the memory, a man was running through the forest, panting heavily, leading his family members to escape.

I was so surprised that I immediately removed my hand from the tree.

“Ria?”

At the voice calling me, I turned around in confusion.

“Lihid… I might be able to find out the truth you’ve been wanting to know.”

“What do you mean…?”

Lihid soon spoke as if he had realized something:

“Come to think of it, you said there’s a magic that can read memories among healing magics. Don’t tell me you read my father’s memories from the tree…?!”

I nodded.

“I didn’t know I could read the memories of someone who’s already dead.”

I took out the amplification artifact I always carried with me.

It was a gift from the Tower Master, and I had been using it in situations where I needed to use magic from time to time.

After letting a small amount of magic flow into it and amplifying it to some extent, I placed my hand on the tree again.

“I’ll look at the memories for you, Lihid.”

“You…”

I closed my eyes and read a man’s memories while manipulating the magic leaking from the artifact.

* * *

Vincent was Duke Kablos’s capable butler.

He had been busy day and night cleaning up after the numerous crimes committed by the Duke.

‘That day’ was no different from usual.

Vincent was managing the mansion as always, moving throughout it.

And as he was about to climb the stairs, he heard a child’s cry from somewhere.

There was only one child in this bleak Kablos ducal mansion.

It was Senia, Duke Kablos’s youngest daughter. However, the child’s room was far from here.

Vincent felt strange and stood in front of a gloomy room at the end of the corridor where the child’s cry was coming from.

When he carefully opened the door, he saw a cold room that was not a place for a child to be.

“Waaah! No, I don’t want to!!”

Through the crack in the door, he heard the child’s cry and a familiar voice.

“In any case, I hate how noisy young ones are.”

Vincent doubted his eyes.

Was it a dream? Was he seeing things?

The crying child was the Duke Rayes’s daughter who had suddenly disappeared with her nanny two days ago, causing an uproar in the Empire.

He could tell just by looking at her distinctive silver hair.

And next to her, Senia was sleeping soundly.

Duke Kablos reached out his hand to the crying Duke Rayes’s daughter.

Then, wasn’t he extracting a white, seemingly sacred power?

Soon, that swirling power was absorbed into Senia, who was sleeping next to her.

“What a monstrous amount of magic power. To think it still overflows this much even after taking this much.”

Vincent couldn’t fathom what on earth he was doing.

However, one thing he could understand was that he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

He had seen Duke Kablos commit all sorts of illegal acts before, but this was different.

Duke Kablos only had Count Menders, his right-hand man, by his side.

At that moment, the Duke suddenly turned his head.

At the same time, Vincent covered his mouth with both hands and left his position.

The Duke looked at the slightly open door crack and smiled viciously.

Vincent left the mansion as if fleeing, pushing away the servants who approached him, with his face pale white.

It was certain.

For a fleeting moment, Duke Kablos’s snake-like blue eyes had turned towards him.

Even though he had been loyal to the family for his entire life, he couldn’t live after witnessing such a thing.

Not only kidnapping Duke Raye’s daughter, but transferring the child’s magic to Senia!

With a face soaked in fear, Vincent hurriedly returned to his family home and fled with his family members.

He ran through the deep forest with his wife and two young sons.

However, it was only a matter of time before they were caught up by the assassins sent by Duke Kablos.

First his wife, then his eldest son were attacked by the assassins.

Holding the hand of Lihid, who was just over ten years old, Vincent continued to run, pushing through the trees.

He soon thought that at this rate, both he and his son would have no chance, so he grabbed Lihid and said:

“Lihid, hide yourself in these bushes. I’ll come back to find you soon, so you must stay still without moving.”

“What about you, Father?”

Lihid asked, whimpering.

“I’ll shake them off and come back. I love you, Lihid.”

Vincent left Lihid’s sight like that and never returned.

* * *

“…”

I removed my trembling hand from the tree.