A Guide to Raising a Villainess-Chapter 126: Bad luck

More than an hour had passed.

It seemed like an eternity had gone by since we learned of the disaster.

Time dragged agonizingly slowly, stretching out like an endless thread between the desperate cries of the workers, the dull, rhythmic blows of the pickaxes echoing in our ears, and the alarming, almost lifelike hum from the depths of the mine.

The dust, thick and suffocating, settled on our clothes, hair, and eyelashes, clogging our nostrils and throats, but no one paid any attention to it.

Everyone was too absorbed in the struggle for life, for pulling those who remained inside out from under the rubble. The air was saturated with the smell of dampness and sweat mixed with the metallic taste of ore, and the light from the torches flickered, casting long, trembling shadows on the walls.

I stood motionless, my hands clenched into fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, leaving red marks, and stared at the black entrance to the tunnel as if it were the mouth of some monster.

My heart pounded in my chest, echoing the blows of the pickaxes, and the most terrible thoughts swirled in my head.

Ruby didn’t leave my side. My niece, her face contorted with the same anxiety as mine, held my hand, her fingers cold and trembling.

She didn’t say a word, but her presence was the only comfort in this endless torment of waiting.

We both knew that hope was fading with every passing minute, but we couldn’t give up.

"Any news?" I asked again when one of the guards approached us, covered in dirt and soot, his face worn out with fatigue and fear.

He was breathing heavily, as if he had just escaped from hell, and his voice trembled when he spoke.

He lowered his gaze, staring at his dirty boots, and I felt the world around me freeze. My heart skipped a beat.

"We reached the collapse site, milady..." he began and fell silent, swallowing a lump in his throat, as if the words were stuck there, unwilling to come out. His silence was worse than any sentence, and I held my breath, waiting for the continuation that could destroy everything.

That silence said more than any words could. It hung in the air, heavy and thick, like the dust that still swirled around us, penetrating our lungs and the stifling atmosphere of the miners’ camp.

It concealed the whole truth—the truth I was afraid to hear, but which I already knew deep down.

My heart clenched into a knot, and my ears rang with the echo. I couldn’t let this silence drag on; it was like poison, slowly poisoning my hope.

"Speak," I ordered quietly, but my voice sounded firm, almost like steel, despite the trembling inside. I clenched my fists even tighter, feeling my nails leave marks on my palms, and looked the guard straight in the eye.

The guard swallowed, and I noticed his Adam’s apple twitch beneath a layer of soot.

He looked exhausted, as if he had just crawled out from under the rubble himself—sweat dripped down his temples, mixing with dust, and his breathing was heavy and ragged.

His hands, usually strong and confident, now trembled slightly as he tried to continue.

"Two miners were pulled out," he began, the words coming out with difficulty, as if each one cost him enormous effort.

"They’re alive, but badly injured. Broken bones, blood... lots of blood. One of the guards..." He faltered, his voice breaking, and a shadow of grief flashed across his eyes. "He died instantly. The rock fell on him like lightning. We couldn’t even get the body out right away."

I felt Ruby next to me shudder slightly.

Her hand, which was clasping mine, tensed; her fingers became icy, and I heard her quiet, muffled sigh—a sigh full of pain and sympathy. Her eyes, usually full of determination, now glistened with tears she was struggling to hold back.

"What about the count?" I asked.

The words came surprisingly easily. Much easier than I had expected.

The guard looked up at me, and in his eyes was that unmistakable expression.

He couldn’t look me in the face, but when he raised his head, his lips trembled as if he were struggling to speak.

The air around us froze. Even the echo of the pickaxes fell silent for a moment, and I held my breath, feeling the world shrink to this moment.

"We found him, milady."

The guard stepped aside, his movements slow. He let the men with the stretcher pass—strong miners whose faces were contorted with a mixture of fatigue and reverence.

When they were brought into the light, the noise around me seemed to disappear.

The count lay motionless. His face was covered with gray dust, his hair was tangled, his expensive doublet was torn and stained with blood. The lantern he had been carrying was broken, the glass scattered into tiny shards.

I moved closer. Too close.

My legs moved on their own, as if guided by an invisible thread, and every step was torture—my heart was pounding so hard that I was afraid it would burst.

One glance was enough to understand: help was no longer needed.

"Cause of death?" I asked, without looking away.

"Collapsed roof," replied the mine manager hollowly, his voice low, full of guilt and helplessness. He stood nearby, hunched over, his arms hanging like whips, and in his eyes I saw a reflection of my own grief. "The rock... left no chance. It fell suddenly, without warning. We tried, milady, but..." He fell silent, unable to continue, and his silence spoke volumes about the tragedy: the futility of human efforts against nature, against fate.

Ruby covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a sob.

A heavy, almost sacred silence hung around us. Even the workers bowed their heads, their backs hunched under the weight of respect and fear, and the air seemed thick, saturated with dust.

I slowly straightened up.

The count came here to prove he was right. To exert pressure. To put me in a vulnerable position.

And in the end, he died on my land. It sounded like some kind of cruel twist of fate.

"Stop all work immediately," I said. "Until further notice."

"My lady..." The manager looked at me in confusion.

"This is no longer a request," I continued calmly, without raising my voice, but with a force that made the air vibrate. "This place has become the site of an aristocrat’s death. There will be an investigation here. And if anyone tries to hide anything, they will be held accountable to the full extent of the law."

I looked at the body.

Now everything was changing.

A lot of things.

"Ruby," I said quietly. "Send a messenger to the capital. Have them report what happened officially."

She nodded, still pale.

When the stretcher was carried away, I remained standing alone at the entrance to the mine.

Cold air drifted up from the depths, like a reminder.

Count Trevern was dead.

And that meant this dispute — and this land — was no longer just a matter of property. Now it was a matter of power, consequences, and responsibility, from which I could hardly escape.

***

After what had happened, everything seemed to lose its former clarity.

The issue with the earl, his claims and pressure, was resolved in the most unexpected and grim way — without negotiations and without a trial.

Ruby and I left the mine that same day. I didn’t stay longer than necessary: the investigation was now in the hands of the royal representatives, and my presence would only attract unnecessary attention. All orders had been given, witnesses had been questioned, and the area had been sealed off.

Staying meant waiting for trouble.

The road home was quiet.

The carriage rocked gently, the wheels creaked as usual, but neither Ruby nor I could find the words. Fields and groves floated past the window, as if nothing had changed, as if no one with power and influence had died on my territory.

"Auntie..." Ruby finally said quietly.

"You do understand that everything will be more difficult now, don’t you?"

I nodded slowly.

"Yes. His death won’t close the issue. It will open it."

Ruby clenched her fingers.

"They may blame you."

"They may," I agreed. "That’s exactly why we have to be at home. There, I have more opportunities to protect myself."

In the end, our journey back took a little over two weeks.

Finally, we were approaching familiar territory.

The carriage turned onto a familiar road. When the outline of our estate came into view, I felt a strange sense of relief—and at the same time, a heaviness settled on my shoulders.

The house greeted us with silence.

Edison and Nura, having learned what had happened, looked at me with concern and restrained excitement. But after such a long journey, I didn’t have the strength to explain anything else, so I decided to postpone all explanations until later.

I took off my gloves and exhaled slowly.

"Today we rest," I said to Ruby. "And tomorrow we’ll start preparing."

"For what?" she asked.

I looked out the window, where dusk was gathering.

"For the accusations. And for the fact that very soon someone will want to take advantage of the void left behind by the count."

I knew only one thing: there was no turning back.

We returned home, but the shadow of what had happened returned with us.

And it would make itself known.