The Villainess turns the Hourglass

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

“I don’t know if it’s a difficult request, but… I want you to take good care of Mielle.”

‘Do you want me to take good care of her?’ Aria requested to him to take good care of Mielle, who had been trying to hurt her and sell off the empire, and the audience was embarrassed as if they had heard ridiculous words. Lohan swallowed a chuckle and asked, “Are you in a state of delirium?”

It was a bitter tone, but the majority seemed to agree with him and so did Mielle, who had been defended. Aria would have finally had the chance to cut off her head, but she couldn’t understand why she wanted her own good.

In the meantime, Asher noticed that Aria had not simply asked for Mielle to be taken cared of, and he tried to find out her real intention and asked, “… Why?”

“Mielle is still a child and cannot make a proper judgment, and as you all know, she is good in nature, but she is being poorly guided at this young age. She is too young to be punished. She was just swept away, and if there was a fault…” Aria, who had said that Mielle’s fault was on someone else, paused, stroking her eyes for a moment to wipe away her tears.

As if waiting, Asher asked what she really wanted to say.

“Then who’s fault is it?”

“That would be me, who didn’t take care of Mielle well. I was her sister, but I couldn’t stop her from taking the wrong path… I hope you will take good care of Mielle and give me some of her punishment.”

“…!”

‘What does she mean? How could the Crown Prince punish her?’ As soon as she was done, everyone’s eyes were gathered into one place. They were all looking at Asher.

As they had guessed, Asher frowned and expressed his disapproval, and even if she wanted something else, he also had a grudge against her for saying it.

“And Mielle would not have known the very important things as she was young. If she had sold the information, it would not have been much help. Right, Mr. Lohan?”

This time the arrow went back to Lohan, and as she said, there was nothing important but the secret of Asher, so it was true.

But even so, it was hard to understand if she was really asking for Mielle’s well being in the situation that all the nobles who were involved in this treason would be hanged. Also, Aria and Mielle were not in good terms. In fact, they were trying to kill each other.

Lohan, raising one corner of his mouth, asked, “Are you serious?”

“Of course, and, as you all know, Mielle is mentally and seriously disturbed by various misfortunes at a young age. Some of it is my fault… and I will share her sin. My words are right, Mielle? You did what you were told, and you just sold light information to live without being aware of the situation?”

Mielle stared at Aria, her eyes blinking, not knowing how she would react to her, who was really advocating herself, and she was embarrassed to see it. Her eyes seemed to reflect her embarrassment even at a glance. She was suspicious of whether she was setting a trap that would completely destroy her.

And it was Asher who finally stepped back from her efforts, and how could he not listen to her pleading and try to persuade him? He wondered what it meant, but he was willing to listen to it as she asked,

“… I understand what you’re saying. Don’t worry, everything will be revealed in detail through Lohan’s papers and investigations. If the sins of Lady Mielle are just trivial, then her punishment will be light.”

It would be hard to give Mielle the right punishment since she had said in front of everyone.

Aria hugged Mielle with a happy face. “I don’t know yet what the verdict will be, but I’m glad anyway, Mielle. In the future, this sister will carry you by myself and tell you what is right and wrong, so that you no longer fall into a dangerous path.”

As Aria gently smiled and talked to her, Mielle noticed her intentions. She swallowed and began to shake her head.

“Oh, no…! What the…!”

‘Will you carry me by yourself and tell me what is right and wrong?’

“Then, please reflect on the past until the verdict comes.”

Before Mielle could even say something, Aria hurriedly committed Mielle to a knight and watched her be taken away with a very benevolent smile of a sister.

“I, I…”

Mielle, arrested in the wagon with Isis, was about to shout something but then opened and closed her mouth without any sound with an anxious face because she realized her situation and position. What else could she refute? No matter what she said, it was obvious to be disadvantageous.

She dared to be the longest and closest to the king of another country, and if she did not receive Aria’s help, she could be executed.

The wagons, which had carried all the sinners in the square with such a fuss, disappeared in the opposite direction to the Imperial Castle, and Aria spoke to Asher, who had a disgruntled face somehow, while they retreated the gathered crowd.

“Will you go back to the Imperial Castle? May I join you in the carriage if you don’t mind?”

He had a lot of work to do as he had arrested a large number of aristocrats and rather ready to set up a separate place, but she wanted to finish the conversation while he returned to the Imperial Castle.

“Why don’t we have tea nearby? I have time to drink tea with you.”

Asher read the thoughts of Aria. He broke off his busy time and recommended to have tea inversely.

“Can I join you?”

Lohan pushed his face in as if he wanted to hear the story, but before Aria could answer, the irritated Asher firmly blocked him.

“No, you are done with your work, and you’ll have to get back to your country.”

“… That’s too much. I tried to resist the temptation of treason and took your side.”

“Really? I suppose you’re sorry, but it’s not too bad to break our promise and start a war.”

“What war? That’s not what I said. I wish we could be at peace for a hundred more years or two hundred if possible,” said Lohan with a visibly serious face in response to Asher’s sharp question.

“If you want that, then go back quickly.”

“I see, I see… I’ll see Lady Aria anytime in the future.”

Eventually, Lohan disappeared in the wagon leaving with a meaningful word, and Aria also moved with Asher. Flower Mountain was the best place to share important stories while drinking tea, so Aria took a seat in the private room there and asked Asher after she ordered.

“What’s your promise? What did you promise Lohan?”

First, she had to tell him about her advocacy to Mielle, but as he saw her curious and unbearable face, he replied with a slight smile, “I will tell you, as I’m not going to hide it from you. If he would help me with this matter, I promised to be at peace with the Kingdom of Croa for fifty years.”

“… Fifty years? By the way, aren’t you going to war anyway?”

The relationship between the two of them looked good, and she thought like that. Asher said, smiling at her,

“Well, I’m not sure when or what will happen, but now we’re in good shape, but in the past, there was a history of a long war with the empire, where countless people died and the land was taken away.”

“… I see.”

It meant that Lohan had been afraid of the empire and helped to get rid of the Aristocratic Party for it was the empire that had the most territory and troops on the continent, no matter what the circumstances were inside.

“Well, it’s my turn now, and why did you ask for a favor to Mielle?”

Asher asked, glancing at his watch as he spent his precious and busy time with his unnecessarily scheduled appointment with Lohan. He looked a little impatient, and Aria immediately answered his question.

“If I let her go, she’ll be obviously hanged.”

“I thought you wanted that.”

She had told him all about her past, and he asked as if he was wondering,

“I think it would be nice in the end, but when I thought about it, I was sorry for this opportunity to send her so comfortably.”

“If you say opportunity…”

“If I say ‘position change,’ do you now understand?”

As she said that, her expression became wicked. It looked like she had the toy she had hoped for in her hands. It looked like she was wondering how to play with a toy named Mielle, which would soon fall into her hands.