The Villainous Young Lady Would Even Risk Her Life for Her Beloved ～ Her Fiancé, the Prince? By All Means, Please Be Happy with the Heroine! - Chapter 1.12

(Even if she says I will bring ruin…)

It’s not like I want to destroy the kingdom.

First, I needed to determine just how accurate Lady Lione’s prophetic dreams were. The kingdom shouldn’t fall—after all, Lydiana Flores is sealed away, and Iris is the one who saves the country. But what if the story’s correction force was at play? So far, I had believed I was safe from that. But could I truly escape my original fate as the Cursed Lady who falls into darkness?

“How accurate are your prophetic dreams, Master Lione?”

“They are absolute.”

Absolute, huh…

“One always sees visions of events that are significant to them personally. For example, I foresaw my homeland’s destruction, my meeting with your fathers, and the eruption of Mount Velos.”

She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, but if I had seen a prophecy of my homeland being wiped out, I think I would be too terrified to sleep ever again.

“When did you see this vision?”

Luca asked, his tone carrying a hint of anger. He seemed tense.

“The night after I first met Lady Lydiana.”

That would have been last autumn, shortly after I returned from our estate. That was when she was introduced as our new tutor.

“May I ask for the specific details?”

Lady Lione silently nodded, then, after a brief pause, began to speak.

“First, I read a newspaper article about Lady Lydiana flying into a murderous rage at the magic academy’s graduation party after her engagement was annulled. The article reported that she had killed many knights and students in her fury.”

So her prophetic dreams appeared as first-person visions from her perspective. That explained why they only showed events personally relevant to her.

“Next, the royal capital was engulfed in flames and reduced to rubble. Wyverns filled the sky, attacking people indiscriminately. And then, atop the tower of the royal castle, I saw Lady Lydiana standing alongside a dragon.”

That scene—! That was definitely in the original story!

It was a tragic chapter where the once-beautiful royal capital was utterly devastated, and countless innocent people perished. But it was also the moment when Iris awakened her true power in order to save Prince Leonhart from danger. In the end, Lydiana was defeated and forced to retreat.

“That was when I died. I managed to take down two wyverns, but the third one got me from behind and bit straight through me.”

“What?!”

Luca and I both shouted in shock.

Well… no wonder she would warn Luca to stay away from me. And it explained why she had no intention of teaching me magic. To Lady Lione, I was the very person who would one day kill her.

(Good. No—wait, this is not good at all!)

But at least she hadn’t foreseen the actual fall of the kingdom. It was close to the final chapter, but…

“So you did not actually witness the kingdom’s destruction?”

Luca quickly followed up.

“Correct. However, given the extent of the capital’s devastation… even though I died, the outcome was clear.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Luca understood it too—this was where it became a gamble.

“Have you told anyone else about this prophecy?”

“No.”

“Why not? If your visions are absolute, shouldn’t you have warned someone?”

“…That is precisely the issue. I was not entirely confident in this prophecy.”

The tension in the air was palpable.

“The vision had cracks.”

Lady Lione’s voice was firm, but she looked uneasy.

“It was the first time this had ever happened, and I struggled to interpret what it meant.”

Cracks? Was it like a fractured screen?

Could it be because I had remembered my past life, causing that future to shatter? Or did her ability simply fail that time?

“Furthermore, after observing you, Lady Lydiana… I simply could not believe that you would ever commit such atrocities.”

“Huh?!”

That exclamation didn’t come from me—it was Luca who was utterly shocked.

“To be fair, up until recently, Lady Lydiana was quite the spoiled noblewoman. She treated her tutors harshly, causing many to resign. She was obsessed with adornments, frequently summoned merchants, and carried herself with overwhelming arrogance. After her engagement to the first prince was arranged, her ego only grew further…”

(Oh my god—stop listing my past misdeeds in front of me!!!)

It was embarrassing. My past self had already become a mild black mark in my history!

“…However, she was never the type to harm people without reason. It was clear to me that she cared deeply for her family. I also knew she trained in secret to ensure she would not bring shame to her name.”

Hearing someone acknowledge my hidden efforts felt… strangely nice.

Yes, back then, Lydiana had been quietly working hard. Unfortunately, despite having magic, she wasn’t a natural genius.

“And recently, I heard that Lady Lydiana herself requested to break off her engagement with the first prince. That is yet another inconsistency with my vision.”

That’s right! I would never go berserk over an annulment and commit mass murder!

“And today… when I saw how you wished to share beautiful things with others, how you showed concern when I spoke about my past… I found myself even more uncertain. Could someone like that truly commit such acts of cruelty in the future?”

In the original story, she did. So I couldn’t deny it outright.

But I had no intention of ever becoming that person.

Yet, if I had already appeared in an “absolute” prophecy, I couldn’t afford to be careless.

Luca and I exchanged glances, silently confirming our decision.

“Master Lione, I have an idea about what caused the cracks in your prophecy.”

I had made up my mind. Carefully choosing my words, I began to speak.

I had no way of knowing how she would react.

Would she believe me and become my ally?

Would she dismiss me as delusional and grow hostile?

Even if she believed me, what would she do next?

Or worse—would she spread rumors and turn the entire kingdom against me?

(No… that wouldn’t happen.)

After all, she had stayed silent for an entire year.

A prophecy of the kingdom’s downfall was no trivial matter. Yet, instead of warning anyone, she had kept quiet and merely watched me.

(Why? If your prophetic dreams are absolute, why do nothing?)

Even with the uncertainty of the cracks, she had done absolutely nothing.

She should have been desperately trying to change the future, just like me.

When I finished speaking, Lady Lione’s eyes widened in astonishment. She then folded her arms, deep in thought, taking her time to process my words.

Finally, she spoke.

“…I see. Lady Lydiana, I agree with your hypothesis—for the most part.”

So… she believed me.

For now, at least.

“Regaining memories of a past life… I see. If knowledge powerful enough to alter a prophetic dream were introduced into this world, then it might explain the cracks. It prevented the prophecy from being absolute.”

Good. The notion of prophecy being absolute had just been overturned.

However, Lady Lione still wore a serious expression.

“That said, we cannot afford to be careless. The prophecy was only fractured, not completely broken. As long as it remains intact, the possibility still exists.”

“Lydiana would never destroy this kingdom!”

Luca immediately leaped to my defense.

“Forgive me, I misspoke,” Lady Lione corrected herself. “The article in my vision reported the massacre of students, but I never actually witnessed it. There is a possibility that the article itself was misinformation.”

Misinformation… That was certainly plausible. There were plenty of people who would love to see a duke’s daughter fall from grace.

“Moreover, the Lydiana I saw in the capital was simply there. I did not see her take any action herself.”

Well… If someone was standing atop a tower with a dragon at their side, they would definitely look like the mastermind.

And it wasn’t as though my innocence was proven yet. If I hadn’t actually been responsible for the destruction, then… what had I been doing at that moment?

“Master Lione… did you ever consider taking action against me? If things continue as they are, you will die.”

It might have been a cruel question to ask, but I needed to know if she had any plans. No matter how indirect, I didn’t want to be responsible for someone’s death.

“Are you asking me to kill a child for a crime she has yet to commit?”

Her voice was calm, devoid of anger or judgment. As if the thought had never even crossed her mind.

Perhaps, to her, this was simply a matter of principle.

“Besides, even if I tried to harm Lady Lydiana, I would end up dead regardless.”

“That… is true.”

“In a way, I have spent these past months believing that I am guaranteed to live for at least eight more years.”

Was that meant to be reassuring?

“…There were times in the past when I tried to defy my visions,” she admitted.

Her gaze drifted into the distance, lost in old memories.

“But none of my attempts ever succeeded. In hindsight, this is the first time I have had this much time before the foreseen event comes to pass.”

Then, she turned back toward me, the corners of her lips curling ever so slightly.

“And besides… never before have I met someone who knows how this kingdom’s future is meant to unfold. My life is precious to me, after all. Why not try changing fate for once?”

A faintly amused glint flickered in her eyes.

“Especially when I have two exceptional students at my side.”

That last remark made me unexpectedly happy.

Perhaps today’s greatest takeaway was realizing that Master Lione’s ever-sullen expression was simply her way of hiding her embarrassment.