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 1.26

The residence of the Knight Commander, the Olden family estate, was located at the edge of the noble district. Though unadorned, the mansion exuded elegance and a sense of dignity, perfectly befitting a prestigious lineage of knights. The estate was vast, with most of its grounds seemingly dedicated to training fields.

“I sincerely apologize!”

The moment I stepped out of the carriage, Helga, the captain of the Fifth Knight Order, greeted me with a deep bow, almost prostrating himself in apology.

“Oh, no… please, there’s no need—”

“My foolish younger brother acted on his own. I apologize for making you come all this way. If you wish, I can arrange for you to be escorted home immediately.”

Without even listening to my response, he kept bowing repeatedly. Beside him, Wilhelm, who had been beaming with satisfaction earlier, now looked downcast. It seemed this had been his decision alone.

“I will visit later with my father to formally apologize!”

“Now, now, calm down, Captain. We really don’t mind at all.”

My uncle looked over at me as if expecting me to agree. He was clearly excited about Luise’s situation, having been practically giddy in the carriage on the way here.

“Thank you so much!”

Wilhelm’s face lit up instantly.

“Hey! I—ah… no, I mean, I simply cannot allow the Flores family to be dragged into our family’s internal affairs.”

The formidable captain, who commanded an entire knight order, was now flustered beyond belief.

“Lady Lydiana?”

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, Luise peeked out from the house.

She looked puzzled for a moment, but her expression quickly shifted as she grasped the situation.

“Brothers! You are making far too much of this. I am merely sparring with Father for a short while! There was no need to call upon the Flores family—this is far too excessive!”

“Well, the thing is…”

The concern wasn’t so much for Luise, but rather for the Knight Commander himself. However, I couldn’t explain that just yet.

“What is going on here?”

The head of the household, Glenn Olden, the Knight Commander, had just returned home and was now staring at us in surprise.

“It’s fine. We came because we wanted to!”

Before another round of apologies could begin, I spoke up first.

“…My deepest apologies… but to be honest, I’m relieved. I cannot say for certain how this will unfold.”

Luise scoffed, clearly still brimming with determination.

The training ground we were led to had been tidied up beforehand, with large targets and heavy shields stacked neatly to the side.

Luise was not wearing armor but rather a refined yet practical outfit resembling the formal attire knights wore when not engaged in battle.

“It suits you!”

“It’s a hand-me-down from my brothers.”

She looked at herself with an expression of pure delight, as if she had been dressed in a beautiful gown. Seeing her like this, it was hard to believe she had a berserker mode.

My uncle positioned himself beside the Commander, while I remained near Luise. Though we were quite a distance apart, her brothers stood beside me as well, watching attentively.

“Luise! Today is only to observe your condition. Do not overexert yourself!”

“I understand! I will do my best to earn Father’s approval!”

Her brothers, clearly concerned, tried to dissuade her, but Luise paid them no mind. Instead, she focused intently on the wooden sword she had just been handed.

Finally, father and daughter stood facing each other at the center of the training ground.

“Luise, are you truly prepared for this?”

“Isn’t it a little late to ask that? If I don’t do this, who else will avenge my brother?”

Both of them smirked fearlessly at each other. The air was tense, but the resemblance between them made it almost amusing.

“No magic. We will assess your swordsmanship alone.”

“Understood.”

A transparent defensive barrier shimmered in front of me. Despite being this far away, they had already activated a protective spell—it was clear they were taking this extremely seriously.

The moment Luise took her stance, the air around us grew taut. I felt a shiver run down my spine, experiencing something completely unfamiliar.

I was supposed to be the villainess, yet here I was, feeling unsettled. Was this fear? There was something ominous, something malevolent in the atmosphere.

“Her expression… has changed, hasn’t it?”

No one answered my question. Everyone was too focused, watching the two intently.

Luise moved first.

With a powerful step, she lunged toward the Commander.

He reacted instantly, shifting slightly backward while swinging his sword in an upward arc, absorbing the impact of her strike.

However—

Luise’s wooden sword, which seemed to have been knocked away, immediately came slashing down again from above.

At the very last moment, the Commander managed to block the attack before it struck his body.

But the sheer force of the blow drove his own sword into his own torso.

(Is that really okay!?)

No, there was no way that was okay. Even an amateur could tell.

What was most shocking was that Luise had done it all with just one hand. She had overpowered a man of such stature with a single-handed grip.

The Commander managed to twist his body and escape, but Luise did not let him go. She continued her relentless attacks while he narrowly evaded. Their exchange of offense and defense continued, gradually driving the Commander closer to my uncle.

“Shouldn’t we stop this soon…?”

“Yes.”

It was dangerous. Everyone could see that. Just as the onlookers began to move, the Commander was sent flying, crashing into the protective barrier in front of my uncle.

“Ah… his sword!”

The Commander’s sword was now in tatters.

And yet, Luise raised her own sword, ready to strike again.

“Luise! That’s enough!”

Her brothers shouted at her, but she didn’t stop. Whether she didn’t hear them or simply refused to listen was unclear.

I saw the corners of her lips curl upward.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Who was I looking at right now?

“Look out!”

Someone screamed.

At that moment, another protective barrier formed in front of the Commander.

It seemed my uncle had cast it.

(Uncle can use defensive magic too!?)

There was no time to process that thought.

Luise struck at the barrier repeatedly, over and over again, trying to break through.

This was not normal.

Was that really Luise?

A fundamental question surfaced in my mind.

“Shall we end this?”

“Yes, please.”

My uncle conjured yet another shield, this time surrounding Luise entirely.

She swung her sword wildly, trying to break free, but after one final strike—her wooden sword shattered.

Only then did she finally go still.

“Lydia, could you tend to the Commander?”

I hurried over and cast healing magic.

A full-body scan revealed that several of his ribs were fractured, and one had punctured an internal organ.

The thought of what could have happened if we hadn’t been here sent chills down my spine.

And yet, he remained composed. Truly, his title as Knight Commander was well-earned.

The protective barrier still surrounded Luise like a cage.

She simply gazed blankly up at the sky.

My uncle exchanged a glance with her brothers before finally dispelling the shield.

◇◇◇

“It’s a curse.”

“As expected.”

Sitting in the Olden family’s guest room, my uncle, the Commander, and I discussed the events of the day.

The weight of the conversation made the atmosphere heavy and somewhat stifling.

“Do you have any idea where this originated?”

“Yes… In our family, once every few generations, a child is born with power like Luise’s. The last recorded case was five generations ago.”

Five generations ago… how long was that?

A hundred, maybe two hundred years?

Would that place it during the Great War?

“Thanks to them, our family has risen in prominence time and time again. However, each one has met a tragic end.”

So does that mean Luise is doomed to the same fate?

I hated the thought.

“In the end, they are unable to suppress their destructive impulses. They either perish at the hands of their comrades in a desperate struggle, destroy themselves through their rampage… or they are sealed away.”

Sealed away!?

This was the first time I had heard of someone actually being sealed.

I wanted to ask more, but now was not the time.

“Are you familiar with Jed Olden?”

“The great hero of the last war?”

Oh, I knew about him.

A famous historical figure.

“He was sealed away—until three years ago, when the seal was broken. We immediately set out to defeat him, but… even after losing one of my sons in battle, we failed to take him down.”

The Commander lowered his gaze.

This was a deeply painful memory for him and his family.

“Then… if I may ask, what happened to him?”

“He was sealed away once more. But the seal will not hold for long. We will have to fight him again soon.”

My uncle seemed lost in thought for a moment, before suddenly flashing his usual mischievous smile.

“Would you entrust this matter to me?”

“…What?”

“In return, I ask that you secure His Majesty’s approval for our previous request.”

The Commander fell silent, then slowly nodded.

“…Understood. That would be a great relief to us. Please… take care of my daughter.”

The Knight Commander bowed deeply.