Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

On the way from my room to the dining room, I encountered several diligent servants starting their day early.

Among them were those who looked at me curiously and others who gave me distrustful looks.

And…

‘What’s with that old man…?’

In the distance, unable to approach me but gripping the doorframe while looking at me with tears in his eyes, I strangely stared at him as Garnett told me:

“He’s Head Chef Shrimp.”

“Ah…! Finally, I get to see him in person!”

For some reason, after hearing those words, his curled mustache looked like shrimp whiskers, and his stylishly swept back reddish-brown hair resembled a shrimp’s carapace.

“The shrimp soup yesterday was so delicious!”

It really was delicious.

Especially the fried shrimp head cubes used as a topping were the best.

I gave him a thumbs up. Then Head Chef Shrimp, who had been clinging to the kitchen door like a fish caught in a net, overwhelmed with emotion, lost his grip on the doorknob and fell to the floor, shedding tears.

Seeing my bewildered expression, Garnett laughed and said:

“Head Chef Shrimp has worked at Rayes his whole life, but he rarely received praise from the masters. This might be the first time since he heard it after the late Madam.”

As if unable to stop himself, Garnett looked at Head Chef Shrimp with an amused smile and followed me into the dining room, closing the door behind us.

Dad and Miller were already seated at the breakfast table that Head Chef Shrimp had painstakingly prepared since early morning.

“Good morning, Dad, Brother Miller.”

I greeted them both and took my seat. Dad still looked as tired as the other day, but he managed to smile at me.

‘His sharp demeanor from that time seems to have mellowed completely.’

Miller had a refreshing cool water scent, perhaps having just showered after sword practice.

“Mm, delicious!”

I said as I ate the cocktail shrimp salad. The toppings and homemade dressing were exquisite.

At my words, the sound of someone sobbing loudly came from the kitchen.

“I’ve already recruited the knight squad. First, they’ll rescue the 20 or so children at the orphanage, then interrogate the director to locate the children who have already been sent away and dispatch the Shadow Knights there.”

Dad had made preparations and formulated a strategy per my request.

“Currently, the noble faction has their blades pointed at us, so this operation mustn’t reveal Rayes’ involvement. Officially, Ria and the Crown Prince ran away from the orphanage, and Rayes’ knights found and brought them to the Ducal estate, so there should be no issue.”

He said to Miller, cautioning him not to get too excited and make a big fuss over this.

“I understand, Father.”

From this day forward, all the children must be guaranteed safety. We have to rescue them from the clutches of the notoriously evil Kablos. It won’t be an easy task, yet the father and son Rayes are undertaking it solely because of my request…

“Dad, Brother, thank you. Thank you so much.”

At my words, they both smiled at me.

“We’re just grateful you safely escaped the orphanage and came here.”

Miller, sitting next to me, patted my head.

“I’ll go to the orphanage too.”

“Are you sure? There must be that woman you were afraid of. Of course, she can’t lay a finger on you, but just seeing her could be distressing.”

Miller made a fair point. I was afraid of seeing Layola again.

Instead of crying out loud when upset, I’d dash out furiously, so I still didn’t know how to cry audibly.

But I have to face her, for the children’s sake and my own.

“Yes, I’ll go. I need to break this vicious cycle.”

* * *

The knight squad was recruited and the carriages prepared in no time at all. I boarded the carriage Dad and Miller rode in.

Rather than the casual attire I saw at the Ducal estate, their fully dressed appearances were breathtakingly handsome visuals that left me in awe.

“Miss, I’ll ride in the carriage behind you.”

Garnett said, closing the carriage door for me.

In the quiet carriage, Miller took my trembling hand in his. I hadn’t realized I was clenching it so tightly. Returning to that place I had frantically escaped from half a day earlier was no easy feat.

But holding his warm, sturdy hand helped calm me down.

The carriage enchanted with high-speed magic raced so swiftly that the scenery outside became distorted.

* * *

The distance Luka and I had taken half a day to traverse passed by in an instant. After a brief rest at the midpoint Gesilla region, we set off again and arrived at the Camille Forest where the Troy Orphanage was located in less than three hours from leaving the Ducal estate.

‘It was this easy all along? And I went through all that hardship…’

Recalling my ordeal then, I let out a long sigh and surveyed the lush greenery of the forest surrounding us.

Despite having lived here for 12 years, the forest entrance still felt unfamiliar since I had never ventured outside the orphanage grounds.

Papers that were either portraits or wanted posters of Luka and me were plastered all over the trees lining the path into the forest.

There was no way Kablos had revealed our identities to lowly servants like Layola, and they knew the Troy Orphanage was little more than a prison, so they must have left it unattended.

Layola must have been quite flustered by this unprecedented situation, which was evident.

She used to sing every day about how Luka would be sold off as a perverted nobleman’s servant while I’d be the twentieth concubine of some provincial lord, so the orphans escaping must have been utterly shocking for her. Just imagining Layola’s bewilderment was satisfying.

While I still didn’t know the way through the forest, Miller, who had already been here yesterday, unhesitatingly guided us straight to the orphanage.

I had thought I could endure it, but facing the orphanage again made my breath catch as if I were trapped back inside.

“…That’s the entrance over there. It connects to the director’s quarters, and the children should be in the room beyond.”

Dad gave a nod and, drawing his sword from his waist, swung it as if to knock down the door.

Bang-!

‘…Huh?’

What’s going on? Is this finally my fantasy experience as a 15-year-veteran reincarnator…?

How did such destructive force come from that slender sword, shattering the door into unrecognizable pieces?

“Oh my! What’s going on here?!”

Inside was Miss Layola, sitting in a rocking chair and reading the newspaper as usual.

Her room looked incomparably more luxurious than the rest of the shabby orphanage interior I had seen.

The teacup in her hand had been sent flying by the shockwave, shattering against the far wall.

Spotting us, she let out a shrill yell:

“You people, what is the meaning of this?! Do you know whose property this orphanage is?! I won’t let you off!”

With an indignant tone, Layola grabbed a sword that had been decorating the wall – a crude, thick longsword that paled in comparison to Dad’s blade.

As a former mercenary, Layola skillfully wielded the massive sword as she stepped out of the orphanage quarters.

“Ghaa!”

Letting out a thunderous battle cry, she swung the sword at Dad, who easily deflected it as if swatting away a piece of paper without the slightest waver in his stance.

“I was told not to kill until we find where the children are.”

Thankfully, he remembered my words.

The wrath in Dad’s icy navy blue eyes looked ready to tear Layola apart at any moment, but he seemed intent on honoring my request.

Clink, clank!

The clashing and swinging of swords began, but the outcome was decided in less than three minutes.

Miller shielded my eyes at the very moment Dad’s blade pierced Layola’s side, so I didn’t see the process, but her scream close to a shriek alone made it clear who had the absolute upper hand.

‘The Mad Wolf of the North.’

That was undoubtedly how Dad had been known on the battlefield before the Duchess became pregnant with Laveria.

His swordplay flowed cleanly and without any excess movements. Even against the challenge of Layola’s wild, unrestrained longsword swings, it seemed effortless.

Having studied the sword in my distant previous life, I could recognize what level he was at.

Though over a decade had passed since his retirement from the front lines, he was still in top form.

When Miller removed his hand from my eyes, Layola was fortunately still alive, slumped against the outer orphanage wall.

The tyrannical despot I had always looked up at and felt my heart sink whenever facing was now crumpled before me, making the past 12 years feel futile.

“You…Ria?!”

Layola finally recognized me as I approached her closely.

Unlike my former self, who always had messy hair tied up high and clothes constantly stained with milk from caring for infants to toddlers, I now presented the perfect appearance of a noble lady, leaving Layola bewildered.

“You bitch! Where have you been?! And what’s with those fancy clothes!”

She berated me, seemingly forgetting her own precarious state with barely functioning speech.

“Did you bring these people here too?!”

“Yes.”

I uttered a single cold word in response.

“You ungrateful wretch! After I fed you and gave you shelter all this time…!”

Slap-

With a sharp cracking sound, Layola’s head whipped to the side from the force of my backhand slap.

“Is that really how you think?”

I stared straight into Layola’s wavering eyes and stubbornly asked.

But she could only sputter, unable to answer.

While I confronted Layola, Miller and the knights rescued the children from inside the orphanage.

I briefly counted their numbers with a glance.

Terry, Paul, Darren, Ben, Kalik… Having generally looked after all the orphans, it was easy for me to recognize them.

Including the infants, all twenty were accounted for.

The children seemed both flustered by the sudden situation and in awe at seeing the outside world for the first time in years.

“Huh? Sister Ria!”

Among them, Terry spotted me.

“Y-You there, you noble scum!”

Layola cried out at Dad.

“What is the meaning of this?! And those children over there! What do you want with those useless brats who do nothing but eat food?!”

The nerve of her…!

Slap-

I couldn’t help slapping Layola again, this time hard enough to sting my hand.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

My voice was chillingly cold, enough for even Miller to check on my state in concern.

Anger had welled up beyond my control.

“…What do you know? Ben is really talented at cooking, and he enjoys it too. Darren has a knack for calculations, so he’ll make an excellent accountant someday. Terry is skilled at healing, so he takes care of the sick children.”

I caught my breath and continued speaking incessantly. Useless brats who do nothing but eat?

They each had shining potential beyond anything else!

Who was she to trample all over them so wantonly?!

Indignant tears welled up and spilled over, completely beyond my control.

“Jake, who you sold off as a mining slave, dreamed of becoming a knight! And sister Serine was good with her hands and wanted to freely open her own tailoring shop someday, she said it every single day!”

These children all had the right to freely pursue their dreams.

And in this run-down excuse for an orphanage, they each nurtured their unique talents in hopes of being helpful to one another in what little way they could.

I grabbed Layola’s shirt and spoke directly in her face, holding her gaze unwaveringly.

“Do you remember little 5-year-old Eria who accidentally stepped on your foot?”

On one bad day when Layola was in a foul mood, Eria made that mistake and was harshly scolded and called a good-for-nothing brat just for it.

“Because of you…”

Eria, who originally had a frail constitution as an epileptic, was so traumatized by the incident that her condition worsened, and without timely treatment in the dire environment, the unthinkable happened – she passed away.

Every year on Eria’s death anniversary, everyone at the orphanage would fold paper flowers and place them on her bed, since as captives, they could never see real flowers.

Even that contorted, fearsome face I used to dread was now staring back at me in terror.

Finally, one of my tears fell and landed on Layola’s disfigured face.

“The most worthless, good-for-nothing scum around here is you.”