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 1.27

“You look like you have a lot of questions.”

As the carriage swayed, I could tell that my uncle was thoroughly enjoying himself.

“I’ll answer anything you want to know.”

“Who exactly are you, Uncle?”

No, seriously—who was he?

It wasn’t just that there was no information on him in the original story. His existence itself had been deliberately hidden. There were no portraits of him, not only in the mansion in the capital but even in his own territory. Even distant ancestors had their portraits displayed, yet not a single one of him.

“I am Luke Flores, former heir of the Flores family. I was disowned and spent years wandering the world—that’s who your dear uncle is.”

So Uncle, not Mother, had originally been the heir.

“I need more details.”

“I specialize in healing magic and defensive magic. Offensive magic isn’t really my strong suit. My first love was an older female knight, and I prefer coffee over tea.”

Oh, this world has coffee? I’d love to try some.

“I only just found out today that you can use defensive magic. I thought only Aunt Lily had that ability in our family.”

“Haha! I never meant to hide it. I just never really needed to use it in the capital.”

Specialized magic could only be used by those who inherited the right bloodline. Among them, defensive magic was relatively common, making it a trait that many noble families possessed.

While defensive techniques could be substituted with other types of magic, true defensive magic was a great advantage for joining the knight order. And when developed to its highest form, it became sealing magic—the same kind that Iris had used on Lydiana. However, only a select few could reach that level of mastery.

“Do you know a way to help Lady Luise?”

“I have an idea, yes. I still need to investigate, so I can’t save her immediately.”

“I’ll help!”

“Haha! I was counting on it. Let’s do our best.”

Thank goodness… there was hope.

Seeing my relieved expression, my uncle responded with renewed enthusiasm.

“She’s an important friend of yours, Lydia! Let’s do our best!”

The word friend made me feel oddly restless.

Luise might be the first female friend I had ever made in this life.

“And… Uncle, what exactly did you ask the Commander for?”

“That’s a secret until everything is settled!”

“You said you’d answer anything!”

Following my uncle’s instructions, I began making frequent visits to the Olden estate.

My role was to investigate the details of the “curse,” while my uncle searched for a way to break it.

But even after more than a month, there had been no progress.

“The only ones who know about this ‘curse’ are the reigning monarchs, the heads of the Olden family, and the afflicted individuals themselves.”

Because of that, unfortunately, I couldn’t rely on Jefpedia.

Though, honestly, if I got desperate enough, I might find a way to ask the right questions and get some answers.

Luca, meanwhile, was sulking because I hadn’t been spending time with him.

Prince Leonhart had also been genuinely shocked that I had made a female friend.

How rude.

“This handwriting… it’s terrible to read!”

“I apologize…”

Luise had been subdued ever since she learned the full extent of her circumstances.

Of course she was—she now understood what kind of fate awaited her.

Right now, we were reading through old records left behind by previous heads of the family. Some had terrible handwriting, making deciphering their notes quite the ordeal.

The current head, the Commander, had already read through everything and neatly compiled the relevant information.

He must have been desperate to save his daughter.

“Lady Luise! It’s fine! As long as you don’t pick up a sword, you’ll be okay!”

At least in the original story, Luise had never shown signs of berserker rage.

I didn’t know what happened after the story ended, though…

“I hate what I become… My future holds nothing but despair… and yet, I crave the sword.”

Tears dripped onto the diary of a head from seven generations ago.

I understood her desire to cry.

I might be sealed away in the future, too.

“Do you remember what happened while you were fighting?”

“…My body moved on its own. And after that, I just… I wanted to destroy everything. Everything. Even if it was my father.”

Her uncontrollable urge for destruction aligned exactly with past records.

At first, the afflicted could restrain themselves as long as they didn’t hold a sword.

Eventually, the compulsion consumed their entire mind.

And in the end, they sought to destroy everything in existence.

(This sounds like a progressive disease…)

The fourth-generation head had already documented such cases.

And from the notes, it was clear that the curse had existed even before the third generation.

Unfortunately, this was as far as the records went.

And worse—there was one particularly ominous piece of information.

(A cursed one always appears when disaster is about to strike the kingdom.)

A mage’s betrayal.

A war with a neighboring country.

The rise of the Dragon King.

A monster stampede that reached the capital.

A war between the Earth Dragon and the Sea Dragon.

The Great War.

And this time… the Calamity Lady, me.

(Ugh… I don’t like being included in this lineup…)

The Commander was planning to report this to the king today.

“I am the symbol of calamity for this kingdom… truly, a ‘cursed one.'”

She cried while laughing bitterly at herself.

It hurt to hear that, given that I was technically the cause of this era’s calamity.

“How utterly offensive! The people before you saved this country from those great disasters! The name is simply terrible! From now on, I shall call you ‘The Knight of Salvation!'”

I dramatically furrowed my brow and raised my voice in mock indignation.

In truth, all of the “Knights of Salvation” had perished after their respective calamities.

They were nothing more than disposable pawns for the kingdom’s survival.

How cruel.

“Lady Lydiana… uuhh… WAAAAAHHH!”

Luise finally broke down, sobbing like a small child.

She had been holding it in all this time.

Of course she had.

Anyone would despair if they were told they were destined to go mad and die.

Even I, who was supposedly meant to be sealed away, would hate it.

I gently rubbed her back, sitting beside her until she calmed down.

“What happens if a calamity doesn’t occur?”

I didn’t want to be the Calamity Lady, either.

“And even if one does… what if Lady Luise never picks up a sword?”

“Do you think… that’s even possible…?”

She blew her nose as she replied.

It seemed crying had helped her feel a little better.

I already knew the answer to the second what if.

Even if Luise never picked up a sword, the kingdom wouldn’t fall.

It would take heavy damage, but it would survive.

(In the original timeline, the Olden family must have never let her touch a sword. There was no tea party back then, either.)

No matter what, I still lacked information.

The origin of the curse was still unknown.

The only source left… was the royal family.

The Commander would have to handle that.

Or so I thought—until…

“The Knight Commander has been placed under house arrest. He’s also been banned from entering the palace. What happened? Lydia, do you know anything?”

Luca’s report forced me to rush straight back to the Olden estate.

“They reprimanded me harshly for keeping silent for three years. It was inevitable… But I wasn’t able to obtain any new information.”

Luise wasn’t here.

If she had been, she would have blamed herself.

“For the kingdom, it’s reassuring to have a ‘Knight of Salvation’ at the ready, after all.”

I couldn’t hold back my sarcasm.

“Yes. Just like the heads before me… the time has come for me to sacrifice my child for the kingdom.”

His bitter smile was a mirror image of Luise’s.

One life weighed against many.

A rational choice, yet unbearable for those involved.

“I will go.”

“I cannot allow you to do that!”

“I’m doing it anyway.”

Maybe I was being childish, but I was angry at all the adults around me.

I couldn’t forgive myself for not fighting back.

“Lady Lydiana! …Thank you…!”

I never knew what to do when adults cried.

I have already altered the fates of so many people. What difference does it make if I change Luise’s fate as well?