The Villainess is Tired of Everything-Chapter 67

Nevertheless, he had achieved his original goal of visiting the Etwar Marquisate—delivering the magic stones and speaking with Marceau.

Although she didn’t seem entirely pleased, the fact that she had re-entered society meant they were bound to cross paths again.

‘There will be more opportunities.’

The Etwar Marquisate would soon face danger, and Ryan planned to step in and help Marceau, appearing magnanimous.

‘But first, I need to deliver the magic stones to the Marquisate of Epekle.’

Today was the day to supply magic stones to the Marquisate of Epekle, as per their contract.

Initially, Ryan had intended to deliver them himself, but after his encounter with Darcy, he changed his mind.

A compulsive need to outshine Darcy and prove his worth had taken hold of him.

There was no time to waste, yet someone still needed to deliver the stones, so he summoned Leticia under the pretext of checking in on her.

"Your Highness."

"It’s been a while."

Leticia greeted him as the magic stones were loaded, and the two sat facing each other in the carriage.

"Have you been well? I heard you’ve found a new hideout for the magicians."

"I can’t tell you exactly where, but yes. I plan to attack it soon."

"Please be careful. …By the way, I heard you visited Marceau today."

The conversation naturally shifted from the first topic to Marceau.

"Has the news spread that quickly?"

"I am your information network, after all."

Leticia still believed in the Ryan she knew.

She believed that Ryan wouldn’t trouble Marceau anymore, especially since rumors had already spread in society acknowledging Marceau’s change.

"Yes."

But Ryan’s reply was too casual, leaving her at a loss for words.

"…Why did you do that?"

"Because I can."

Leticia began to doubt if the man before her was truly the same person who had once saved her life.

"Oh, and Leticia, there’s a magician at the Etwar Marquisate."

"A magician?"

"Yes, a child. I don’t know how they brought him in, but it didn’t seem legal. When you spread the next round of rumors, include this information."

"…Is that really necessary?"

Ryan planned to spread more negative rumors about Marceau to bring down the Etwar Marquisate and claim their mine.

Leticia was supposed to add weight to these rumors, using her connections in the underworld.

"What could we possibly gain from spreading such rumors?"

"It could destabilize their position. They’re trying to gather support for the second prince."

Ryan, who never hesitated to destroy anyone who wasn’t his ally, sometimes seemed reassuringly ruthless.

‘But Marceau…’

Wasn’t she different?

Leticia questioned the man she once trusted. Ryan no longer seemed like the person she had known.

‘Has he changed, or is this his true nature?’

Leticia knew that Ryan’s dealings with the Marquisate of Epekle revolved around magic stones.

She also knew that these dealings were secured by exploiting the Marquis’s weaknesses.

There’s a line that should not be crossed as a human being. Leticia had always believed that Ryan respected that line.

But lately, Ryan seemed more like a beast that had abandoned its humanity.

Why had he changed so much?

‘No, perhaps it’s not Ryan who has changed but me.’

Maybe spending time with Marceau and witnessing how much she had worked to change over the past year had influenced Leticia as well.

Even after discovering that she was a spy, Marceau hadn’t exploited her but had simply let her go, and that had left a mark on Leticia.

Marceau didn’t deserve this treatment. Neither did the Etwar Marquisate.

They say you can’t change someone’s mind.

But now Leticia had to admit that this premise was wrong.

At least her perception of Marceau had completely changed. Both her thoughts and actions toward Marceau had transformed.

People can change.

Marceau Etwar had truly changed.

‘I have to stop my lord.’

As soon as she stepped out with the boxes of magic stones in hand, the waiting servants took them inside.

Leticia stood before the Marquisate of Epekle, but her mind was on the Etwar Marquisate.

‘I’m going to try.’

She decided to visit Marceau. She would reveal what she knew to prevent Marceau’s downfall.

That was the path Leticia believed was right, even if it meant going against Ryan.

She wasn’t sure if Marceau would believe her, but…

Leticia decided to trust in the Marceau she had come to know.

Cloaked in a mantle, Leticia deliberately delayed her entry into the mansion.

The path leading to the back door was secluded, with no servants in sight, but Leticia knew that after Kaysen escorted Leshuan, he would likely look up at her window before leaving.

Leticia was aware that Kaysen supported the second prince, Darcy.

If information reached Darcy through Kaysen and Marceau learned of it, there was a higher chance that Marceau would believe her later.

And so, Leticia deliberately made herself visible.

However, Kaysen wasn’t the only one who saw Leticia meeting with Ryan that day.

Leshan had seen it too.

Past midnight, the mansion was quiet.

Leshan should have been asleep, but she found herself awake, her thoughts weighed down by concerns about the Marquis of Epekle.

‘Lately, Grandfather has been looking more and more exhausted.’

Every morning, seeing the Marquis dozing off during breakfast made her worry about his health.

She had been on her way to bring him some rosemary tea to help him relax, noticing that the light in his study was still on late into the evening.

She had also intended to bring some tea to Kaysen, who had been helping her with her exercises lately.

‘Who is that?’

She hid behind the corridor wall. A cloaked figure moved through the mansion with familiarity.

‘An assassin?’

"Leshan, what are you doing here?"

Kaysen approached, spotting her.

Leshan raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. Kaysen quickly fell silent.

Together, they began to follow Leticia.

Leticia, aware that someone was following her, left the study door slightly ajar as she entered.

By the time the two following her were close enough to listen in, the conversation between Leticia and the Marquis was already well underway.

"…The Etwar Marquisate’s reputation will be ruined."

"Yes. The fact that their mine is the only one maintaining similar output will be the perfect evidence."

‘…What is this?’

Leshan stood frozen in place.

"The Etwar Marquisate will soon be finished."

"Satisfactory."

"Be sure to remind Prince Ryan of our contract."

"He wouldn’t forget it."

Leshan struggled to calm her pounding heart and labored breathing.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing from the grandfather who had always prided himself on living an upright life.

"…Leshan."

"Be quiet, Kaysen. I need to wait."

Her voice was unusually firm, and Kaysen fell silent.

Leshan took a deep breath.

She didn’t know all the details, but it was clear that her grandfather was involved in a plot to bring down the Etwar Marquisate.

And Ryan seemed to be involved as well.

Leshan let out a bitter laugh.

‘I thought they had acknowledged Marceau’s change.’

She felt a deep sense of betrayal from both the Marquis and Ryan. Ryan had even spoken with her just recently.

She had trusted them.

But that trust had been shattered.

‘We won’t leave your side, Leshan.’

Her parents’ words, spoken before they had passed away, echoed in her mind like a haunting nightmare.

Leshan leaned against the wall, listening to the rest of the conversation.

"Make sure the magic stones are handled properly."

Hearing the Marquis emphasize the magic stone mine made her want to cry. She stood quietly, waiting for the mansion’s intruder and her grandfather’s collaborator to leave the room.

Leshan clenched her fists to stop her trembling hands.

She had spent her life avoiding fights like this. She found such conversations uncomfortable and frightening.

"Kaysen, go back. I need to speak with my grandfather."

But she realized she couldn’t keep living that way.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… It’s something I have to confront."

Avoiding the problem had led to the fallout with Marceau. She didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.

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And this time, the person involved was her only family. She had to step in, out of love and concern.

Leshan entered the study to find the Marquis still reviewing documents.

"There’s still more to discuss… No, Leshan?"

The Marquis, who had expected to see Leticia, looked up and was taken aback by his granddaughter’s presence.