I Became the Villain’s Daughter – Chapter 41

“Who… are you?”

The masked figure didn’t answer. Instead, he simply set down what he was holding.

“Eat.”

His voice was a low growl, almost beast-like. He had brought two bowls of something that looked like thin soup. Next to them lay two meager spoons.

“What are you going to do with us?”

I repeated the question, and he glared at me as if annoyed. I returned his stare without flinching.

“Troublesome.”

With that, he turned his back and closed the door, leaving us trapped once more. The only small consolation was the sunlight streaming through a hole in the ceiling. We relied on that light as we picked up the spoons and began to eat.

My throat was rough, and nothing seemed to go down easily, but I forced myself to swallow the soup.

Once the door opened even once, it could happen again.

But first, we needed to find out where Laon and Lucran were. To do that, we had to sleep well and eat anything we could to preserve our strength.

After finishing the soup, I threw down my spoon.

“…Ugh…!”

My head was spinning again. It seemed I wasn’t the only one—Eveharun, wearing a similar expression, was looking at me.

“Again…”

Had the soup been drugged?

I bit my lip. Of course—it was food from the enemy. Hoping it had been prepared normally had been wishful thinking.

I could feel my strength leaving me once more.

A sleep that felt eternal overtook me.

When I opened my eyes again, it was another repetition of the morning.

Half-dazed, suspended between sleep and reality, I fully woke when I heard the sound of the door opening.

It wasn’t as bright as morning, but the crimson light of sunset filtered through the door. The same person from earlier appeared, and with a casual movement, pushed another bowl of soup toward us.

“Wait…”

Eveharun seemed awake as well. Her delicate voice came from beside me.

“…What happened to my brother, Lucran, and Laon?”

The masked figure glanced at her. My heart raced as I alternated my gaze between the two.

“They…”

The masked figure spoke slowly.

“They were killed and left behind.”

My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t imagine being more shocked.

“…Killed…?”

I repeated, trembling. Were they really dead? My brain struggled to process it.

“Yes. So don’t waste your effort resisting.”

I couldn’t even look at Eveharun. I had no idea what expression she had.

Yet, surprisingly, her voice remained calm.

“That’s a lie.”

“…?”

Startled, I looked at Eveharun. She was as composed as ever.

“Abandoning the duke and the count’s heir just to kidnap two princesses? Doesn’t that calculation make no sense at all?”

The masked figure said nothing.

“Even if it were me, maybe… but there’s no reason to kill Lucran. Among us, the most valuable are Lucran and Princess Rosahill… at least.”

“Exactly.”

It felt as if my paused heart had started beating again. The pounding was so loud it hurt my ears.

“They’re on the carriage in front. They don’t intend to kill them, but it’s best to cooperate. You wouldn’t want your body crippled or your face scarred, would you?”

Eveharun froze.

Assuming it was out of fear, the masked figure turned and seemed to head for the door again.

That was when Eveharun quickly signaled to me.

“…!”

I quickly threw the magic stone I had been holding toward her.

“…?”

The masked figure, noticing something unusual, turned his head toward us—but it was already too late.

“…Lightning.”

The magic stone flashed, amplifying even a single ray of light into an explosive force. The streak of electric magic illuminated the interior of the carriage.

“U…how…?”

The masked figure, receiving an electric shock impossible for a human to endure, gradually collapsed. Eveharun sneered subtly.

“You didn’t know that Princess Eveharun has been a prodigy in lightning magic since childhood, did you?”

That was the end.

Eveharun had been unable to take her eyes off the magic stone yesterday because she herself was a gifted magician. With the amplification effect of the top-tier magic stone I possessed, even magic she hadn’t used in a while executed flawlessly. That formed the basis of our plan: once we knew where Laon and Lucran were, we would rescue them and escape.

‘As expected, this magic stone brings luck.’

Everything had gone according to plan so far.

Eveharun and I exchanged glances and quickly jumped out of the carriage. Fortunately, the carriage wasn’t moving too fast, likely because it was mealtime.

We landed without rolling and immediately crouched.

The masked figure hadn’t lied—it seemed.

Another carriage was ahead of us.

However, the driver of our carriage, unaware of anything, was calmly guiding the horses ahead. Approaching the front carriage would inevitably draw his attention.

Once again, Eveharun solved the problem.

I ran toward the driver. He was masked as well, and seeing me, he panicked and let go of the reins.

“…What—!”

Pretending to flee, I veered to the side. He turned to follow me. That was the moment.

“Lightning.”

Eveharun whispered, and the magic executed flawlessly.

Like the previous masked man, he collapsed without even blinking. Eveharun quickly climbed onto the driver’s seat and calmed the horses.

“Easy, easy… good boy.”

Meanwhile, I opened the door of the front carriage. Luckily, it was a latch, not a key. Had it required a key, we would have had to search everywhere for it.

The door slowly opened, revealing the people inside.

A boy with blue hair sat nearby. He leaned against the wall, exhausted, and looked at us with a blank gaze—but when he realized it was me, his eyes widened.

“…Princess Laila?”

In the corner of the carriage, a boy with light purple hair—Lucran—stood, staring at us in disbelief.

“We came to rescue you. With Eveharun.”

I said awkwardly.

Eveharun, having paused her actions, ran over immediately. Under the bright light, we could see that both boys were wounded, treated roughly compared to us.

Especially upon seeing the handcuffs on Lucran, Eveharun ground her teeth.

“…Magic suppressors. That’s why you couldn’t use any power.”

“I’m sorry.”

“…No, with that level of preparation, it was obvious they were targeting us. It couldn’t be helped.”

“Y-You came to rescue us… I…”

Tears welled in Laon’s eyes.

“I was despairing, wondering what to do…”

While Eveharun attended to Lucran, an overwhelmed Laon hugged me.

“La… Laon?”

She sobbed truly and uncontrollably. I absentmindedly patted her head, feeling as if I had gained a younger sibling I never had.

“Now is not the time to cry.”

Eveharun’s cold, clear voice cut through.

“There are still people in the front carriage to deal with. And I can’t be sure of my magic’s effects—they could rise again at any moment. We need to leave here as fast as possible.”

“You’re right.”

Laon wiped away her tears.

“Did… the masked men have swords?”

“Yes.”

I suddenly recalled he was in the swordsmanship division.

“Do you know how to wield a sword?”

Lucran, in front of me, smiled faintly, an expression I hadn’t seen before. Laon wiped her tears and smiled brightly.

“Yes, a little.”

“Really? Then I’ll grab a sword.”

I leapt from the carriage and grabbed a sword from the second masked man Eveharun had just dealt with. I was a bit nervous, unsure if he was truly dead, but thinking of him as someone who had tried to harm us made me feel more repulsed than sympathetic.

The sword was adult-sized, slightly too big for Laon, but she strapped it to her waist with a serious expression.

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

Laon didn’t answer—only stared straight ahead with terrifying determination.

For context, the carriage was enclosed on three sides with thick wooden walls, and the rear was a metal door.

But these weren’t flimsy boards—the wood was reinforced, thick, and strong. Escape would have been impossible without skill.

Yet…

Laon swung the sword. The blade moved gracefully in accordance with her motions.

Or… had she swung?

She moved so quickly that I forgot to blink, staring in amazement.

The carriage floor was unstable, the motion adding difficulty.

And it wasn’t even her usual sword. Its balance was different.

Yet somehow…

As if by magic, she cut through the wall.

Beyond the diagonal cut, the masked man was visible. The two people on the driver’s seat looked at us in shock.

“H-How!”

They couldn’t finish their sentence.

Eveharun had zapped them again with lightning.

“…!”

Unable to even scream, they collapsed. Eveharun quickly calmed the horses again.

Eventually, the carriage slowed to a stop.

Each of the two carriages had two horses, for a total of four.

Thanks to the lead carriage’s steady pace, it was a good distance ahead of the rear carriage. We could go back for the horses, but time was tight, and we couldn’t risk them rising again.

I climbed onto Laon’s horse, riding with her. Eveharun and Lucran were together, with Eveharun holding the reins in place of the handcuffed Lucran.

“Be careful.”

I heard Eveharun say to Lucran.

Laon snatched the reins.

“Where should we go?”

Eveharun asked me.

“F-For now, just ride as fast as we can.”

I looked toward the distant castle, dimly visible in the horizon.