I Awoke as an Imprisoned Villainess - Chapter 44

You lost

Cromwell Glosshimmel had indeed resigned his claim to the throne in disappointment and despair and retreated to this barren northern land.

However, there was only one saving grace for him at that time.

It was that he was allowed to marry the woman he loved.

She loved flowers. She was the one who laughed at him when he was chased to the north, saying, “All I need is you”. The one who found delight in rare plants made to bloom by magic rather than jewels or money.

When that person, who was like a flower, gave birth to a new life.

His brother, who had become the crown prince, and sister Olivia, arrived with many gifts to celebrate.

~~~~~

“Brother. I-I’m truly…truly sorry about my sister-in-law. I never thought it would come to that”

His Majesty said in a voice that sounded as if it was choked out of him.

“Since sister-in-law is pregnant in the north, she must be warmed up. With that, my father prepared a special tea for her. If brother knew it was from father, it wouldn’t be accepted. We thought so, so we gave it only to sister-in-law, saying that it was from father”

His Majesty’s eyes reddened as he said, “…I never thought that it would be poison to abort the child”.

When His Majesty repeated that he was sorry, the grand duke opened his mouth, holding the sword fiercely.

“Were you so foolish as to think father, who hated me so much, would be pleased at the birth of my child? —That’s not the case! At that time, your wife was showing signs of pregnancy. If a child was born to me, who should have been the king, it would affect your right to the throne. You thought so, didn’t you?! Because if you don’t take the throne, everything will be taken away from you like this, and you’ll be trampled over!”

“No! For me and Olivia, father wasn’t like a devil…”

The grand duke said in a cold tone to His Majesty who was teary, “I see”.

“—My wife, who had lost a child and was heartbroken, still didn’t mention you guys until the last moments of her death. I only learnt of it like a fool, at the funeral of my father, the king. …I still regret to this day that I couldn’t put him through that pain”

“Surely, that old man is regretting in the depths of hell by now”, laughed the grand duke.

“The next king will be Violet. A magician which that old man detested. How does it feel to have your beloved sister and son killed for it?”

“Brother…”

Drooping his head, His Majesty desperately pleaded with the grand duke, “Please”.

“Please, I beg you. Do not touch Johannes or any of the others. …It was my fault”

“—I wanted to see that face. The face of remorse”

He murmured quietly at the king’s words, and held up His Highness with the hand that wasn’t placed over my neck.

“But, if you really feel bad, you too must lose a child”

“—I beg you. Please stop!”

“It was your father who taught me that those who do not take the throne must be trampled underfoot”

Then, the grand duke began to recite some incantation.

After being immensely moved by the story, which was so cruel, I took a breath at the sound of his voice and gripped my trembling left hand which was trembling once again.

—Still, no, that’s why we cannot afford to lose His Highness!

As I turned my attention to Violet sama, who had begun chanting a spell in response to the grand duke, and to Claude sama, who had a stance as if to protect His Highness, I pressed my left hand, which was full of Bita Bita berries, towards the grand duke’s mouth.

“—gh! Gh, ugh…!”

It is a bitter Bita Bita berry which even a small piece of the berry is painfully bitter.

I took advantage of this opportunity to get away from the grand duke, and rushed to the vicinity of Claude sama and Violet sama, forgetting myself.

Immediately, Violet sama chanted a spell toward the grand duke, and a beautiful magic circle appeared. From there, a bolt of lightning gushed toward the grand duke.

But the grand duke, his face contorted, brushed his hands away. The lightning became tiny particles that rained down mercilessly all over the area. I wondered if I would get electrocuted if I got hit. I was so scared that I held my head in my hands.

Violet sama, probably to avoid hitting people around her, clicked her tongue, and the magic circle disappeared. As she was about to cast a new spell—my feet were getting covered in ice at a frightening speed.

“—Sophia!”

“Uwah, it’s cold…eh, ah, hot! It’s hot!”

Violet sama clicked her tongue and shot a blazing flame at my leg. I was half crying as I smelled my clothes being scorched, and the ice that still did not melt.

Distracted by me, the right half of Violet sama’s body also froze.

“You’re wide open, Violet”

Still frowning, the grand duke pointed a fingertip at His Highness. A golden flash of light shot toward His Highness, which Claude sama repelled with his sword, but the grand duke said, “If you defend twice, you won’t have that sword”, and another flash of light shot out.

Claude sama was able to repel it, but the sword still broke with a clatter. He smiled at Claude sama and pointed his finger at him again.

“—Please, please stop already!”

At that moment, Lily sama, who had been sitting and trembling until a moment ago, clung to the grand duke’s arm. The flash of light went off direction, and the grand duke angrily shook off his arm and pushed Lily sama away.

“Let go of me!”

At that moment, dozens of huge chains entangled his body—As if he couldn’t bear the weight anymore, he collapsed to his knees on the ground.

“—You lost. Cromwell Glosshimmel”

Violet sama said, her pale blond hair fluttering in the wind.

“How dare you humiliate me this much?”

Violet sama glared at the grand duke with a cold fury.