Chapter – 04
The villains of romance novels and the reincarnated capitalist humans had one thing in common.
They loved human utility.
“If someone’s useful, you keep them; if not, you throw them away.”
Even in ancient times, didn’t the Creator say something similar?
“Heartless Tarandia, gullible Baltazar, greedy Pavil, rampaging Boliber… and Tillard, flitting between them like a butterfly with her false smiles…”
The five families blessed by the gods…
Ah, and yes, that is love.
Because when you love, you criticize your children from the very first page of the scripture.
Anyway, the five families had very… strong traits.
The humans of the Tarandia royal family were already heartless, so expecting blood or tears was pointless.
…Which is why, right now, she was being dragged by a villain like a canary in a mine.
“Don’t be too scared, Miss Tillard.”
The villain smiled, his beautiful eyes crinkling.
“Since we’re going the same way anyway, it’s not uncomfortable for you, right?”
“Oh hohoho, not at all, Your Highness. I’m just so glad we’re together.”
“I’m glad we feel the same way, Miss. Let’s get to know each other this time.”
The life of a noble was not unlike the highly developed social maneuvering of a small business owner.
And just like in business, one misstep could get you killed.
“Right now, I’m alive, but if I fail to prove my usefulness, I could die.”
But you can’t risk your life for a madman.
So Lillian discreetly glanced at the black-uniformed knights escorting him.
The Shadows.
A special mobile unit tied to the Baltazar family, maternal relatives of the First Prince.
This group only took orders from the First Prince.
The First Empress loved the Emperor very much.
But Tillard had intervened again.
She allied with the Pavil family and slandered the First Empress…
“The First Empress dies of heartbreak.”
The villainous First Prince naturally lost ground in the power struggle.
“No wonder Tillard hates me.”
But?
As the Creator said, “The Baltazars of the land are known for being easily deceived.”
“Kindly put, they’re compliant toward others.”
So it was possible to gain at least a little trust.
And what’s an essential trait of a noble lady or a small-business owner?
Carefully watch and seize the chance to survive.
By evening, the first opportunity presented itself.
One of the Shadows preparing the campsite suddenly got annoyed.
“Ah—!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hah, my artifact is broken.”
A woman Shadow, her dark eyes and teal hair tied high, removed a ring and muttered.
“Damn. Must have been scratched by some monster.”
A glint appeared in Lillian’s eyes.
Jeanne Baltazar.
A branch of the Baltazar dukedom and a well-known expert even within this group.
Lillian summoned her courage and approached. Remember: crisis equals opportunity.
“May I take a look?”
The Shadows glared at Lillian.
Ssshh, ssshh.
Some drew and sheathed their swords in a threatening gesture.
And Lillian liked it.
Ah! They’re all so reliable.
Mercenaries were rarely trustworthy in either skill or character.
But receiving the protection of these skilled knights for free, all the way to the border?
That was more than worth easing her caution.
Lillian took a magic torch and a bottle of resin from her bag.
The torch could reach 1,400 degrees without fuel; the Shadows flinched.
“Does a noble lady’s bag usually contain that?”
“From a holy family, yes.”
“But still, she’s a Tillard.”
Yes, that Tillard—the pinnacle of artifact control.
And amusingly, Lillian was directly descended from that family.
No matter how much the Shadows complained, the words of the daughter of such a high-class, trashy family from the first page of scripture could not be ignored.
Lillian carefully removed the ring from the reluctant Shadow.
“You’re using a ring artifact, I see?”
“Ah… yes, well…”
“There’s a crack, but luckily the internal circuits are intact.”
If the circuit was broken, that would cost money—and could cause backlash from the power of the artifact.
But this was manageable.
Lillian’s hands moved quickly.
First, wrap it with resin.
A clear adhesive to prevent the accessory parts from falling off.
Then heat it gently with the torch to set it.
This was the limit of emergency repairs she could do on the spot.
“It’s all I can do here. You can have it properly repaired in the city later.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lillian smiled faintly.
“This is all I can do anyway…”
It was enough to earn her a place at dinner, she hoped.
Then a lazy voice came from behind her.
“Hmm, so you have this skill?”
There it was. The villain’s trademark passive-aggressive question.
An incredibly beautiful woman tilted her head and smiled.
“Wasn’t it your sister Iris who runs the artifact business?”
“That’s right. I only have a few tricks.”
Lillian lowered her eyebrows, smiling faintly.
Until they reached the border, this was Lillian’s concept:
Seem useful, but not too useful.
Too useful, and you’ll be exploited. Useless, and you might die.
“Haha, impressive. Why not just come to me instead of running away?”
“Oh my, Your Highness, why say that? Even if it’s just flattery, my heart flutters too much.”
Do I look like I’d be fooled?
Male leads in romance novels are merciless to women other than the heroine.
Especially this one, who hated arrogant humans the most.
If we claim to hate the same fools, and try to team up, he’ll immediately suspect us and kill us.
Just wait a little longer.
There’s still plenty of sleeping medicine in this bag!
Late at night, the campsite was dark.
“Hrm. Hrm.”
Evren hummed softly.
At his feet lay the remnants of a killer, torn apart by his ability.
At the right moment, his closest aide, Elias Baltazar, the black-haired swordsman, emerged from the darkness.
“…Your Highness, are you alright?”
“I was having fun with the guest the Empress sent.”
Monopolizing the control stones—how unfair.
“Your Highness. Do you really trust Lillian Tillard?”
“Well, why not? She knows the control stone veins.”
“But—”
“I’ll just watch for a few days. No harm done.”
If she lies, he can give her time to fix her life.
By the way…
“Do fiancées usually do this when they’re fooling around with another woman?”
Evren had never been human in emotion.
He could smile sweetly, but… hmm.
He didn’t really know the difference between people and objects.
So when human psychology mattered, he relied on his aide Elias.
“…He’s famous for loving his fiancée for ten years, isn’t he?”
“So?”
“If that person becomes involved with a cousin, his mind could easily go astray.”
Evren smiled and squinted.
He really didn’t understand.
“But… this time, you moved the controllers to the back?”
“Yes. Kept distance so it wouldn’t be uncomfortable.”
“…”
“Your Highness—?”
“Hrm… nothing.”
Evren shook his head briefly.
The ability of annihilation was one of the most destructive powers.
And yet, since earlier, that instinct had been whispering:
…A good scent.
There’s a controller I like.
I want to touch. I want to possess. I want to destroy.
Every time he saw Lillian Tillard, he felt that voice.
It made no sense.
Shall I test it a little?
