The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn't This Wrong?

Chapter 21

Very soon, Loraviel brought over the refreshments.

She poured hot water into the teapot, letting the heat warm the pot before draining it. Then, she placed the tea leaves inside, pouring in the hot water once more. As the rich aroma of tea filled the air, she evenly poured the tea into a small cup.

After taking a sip right in front of Liana, she refilled the cup and handed it to her.

Liana casually picked up a cookie, extended her hand, and let Loraviel take a bite.

"Hm?" Olivia was clearly startled by the scene before her. What was going on?

Liana, of all people, letting a servant eat before her? Had she seen wrong?

Could it be that the Loraviel she had gone to such lengths to protect had already fallen?

“What? What’s with that expression of yours?” Liana glanced at Olivia, amused.

“Lady Liana, as you can see, I’m completely fine,” Loraviel said after swallowing.

Now Olivia understood.

For a moment, she had thought she was hallucinating due to lack of sleep, but it turned out Liana had merely been using Loraviel as a poison tester.@@@@

But weren’t there safer ways to check for poison? What if there actually was poison? Would Loraviel really have to die in Liana’s place?

“Aren’t there more convenient ways? Using tools or magic to detect poison would be much safer and faster,” Olivia questioned.

“This is just a small punishment for doing something wrong,” Liana said indifferently.

Perhaps, in Liana’s eyes, Loraviel’s life was simply not important.

“And if there really was poison?”

“Then... she’d die in my place. Dying for one’s master—isn’t that the highest honor for a servant?”

Olivia was a bit surprised. Though she hadn’t gone all out, the difference between Loraviel now and just moments ago was night and day.

The small dagger danced at Loraviel’s fingertips, parrying Olivia’s attacks. Then, gripping the weapon tightly, a faint blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet.

“Vector Acceleration.” In an instant, Loraviel’s speed surged.

“A speed-based magic? That’s quite rare.” Olivia quickly scanned the area. Though Loraviel had suddenly boosted her speed, she was still a novice and couldn’t yet hide her presence.

Despite trying her best to deceive Olivia with feints, the gap in skill and experience was too great. Olivia quickly locked onto her. "Found you."

"Clang!"

The dagger clattered to the ground, and Loraviel collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily, sweat beading on her forehead.

It was her first time using this speed magic, and the magic consumption was overwhelming, making her feel utterly drained.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

She was still no match for Olivia, but compared to before, the improvement was tremendous.

“It seems like daggers suit you better,” Olivia noted. “And your innate magic is speed... That’s quite suita—” She abruptly stopped herself, realizing that saying "perfect for assassination" wasn’t exactly appropriate. “—a rather rare ability.”

“Not bad,” Liana clapped her hands. “For a first-time user, you handled that little knife quite well.”

This was exactly what a heroine’s stats looked like.

Dagger specialization. (And absolutely not some other kind of "aptitude.")

Even with a weapon she had just picked up, she could wield it proficiently. Even with magic she had never seen before, she could learn it in a short span of time.

Loraviel stared at the dagger in her hand. She didn’t know why, but unlike the wooden sword, which felt heavy and awkward, using this dagger felt effortless, as if the blade was responding to her will.

“Thank you, Lady Liana. Here’s your dagger.” Loraviel picked it up from the ground.

“Don’t give me something a servant has already used. Just toss it somewhere, or keep it if you like,” Liana said with a look of disgust.