The Villainess

CHAPTER 20

-Two days before Victoria's Birthday-

ROWAN TROTTED inside her room. Tori immediately knew what he was doing in her room. After all, Tori only assigned Rowan two tasks. The first task is to ensure the safety of her beloved KANON camera developer. The second task is to secure all the letters from the Information Guild since her dear KANON camera developer had already sent her a message about his development the other day. Then the letter that Rowan was carrying came from the Information Guild.

From Prince Corean specifically.

Four days after their meeting, Tori was only waiting for the letter to arrive. This only showed how Prince Corean loved his mother.

His only weakness will be his downfall in the original plot. That's why I must connect to his weakness, to secure his life before he can claim the throne.

Queen Aurina was the second queen to be married to King Elphaim Eckrett. The just king loved his first queen, Queen Iliya, the first prince's mother. The first queen was also the Vesta candidate from the noble faction. When the first queen died from the plague, Prince Lauren was only two years old. The aristocrats took this chance and pressured the king to marry their Vesta candidate, the second queen, Aurina. Two years after their marriage, the second queen gave birth to Prince Corean.

The Vestas were the noble ladies that were both selected by the two factions to compete for the seat of the next queen. To be the Vesta from the noble faction was the primary goal of Sabina. This was the reason why she wanted to be the only heir to the Rozenreff Duchy. If she would be the next successor to the powerful Rozenreff Dukedom, her illegitimacy would not be questioned anymore.

Aside from the Hunt for the Elysian Crown to select the next king, the Vesta Challenge would be held to select the queen who would become the factions' pawn to take control of the Empire.

The noble faction did not feel any animosity or desire for the throne from the second queen. Her teachings to the second prince which were not to draw any attention and to hide his true talents had deeper reasons and it was only revealed in the original plot when the second prince was dying from the second great plague. The noble faction viewed Queen Aurina as a meek queen and a puppet who's been long disposed of by the aristocratic faction. That was the reason no one felt threatened by the second prince. What they didn't know was the fact that behind the closed doors of Queen Aurina's palace, she was just waiting to strike for her son.

It is just both pathetic and lame that she could not save his son from the second great plague.

But not this time, no one is dying without my permission.

"Thank you, Rowan." Ruby eyes met his cobalt ones. Rowan's gentle smile surprised her, but she immediately masked it by smiling back at him.

Rowan, are you my loyal subject now? Are you loyal enough to help me destroy your actual family? Behind her smiling face, wicked questions lingered.

Rowan bowed, "I will prepare the usual carriage, Lady Tori." He knew what to expect from the letter. They would need to go leave the Rozenreff estate covertly. During the months he spent with Tori, he already knew that behind those gentle smiles laid a beast ready to devour anything on its way. And Rowan was ready to lay his life down for the beast. He would betray the Empire himself if need be.

"You have my thanks, Rowan. You may go now."

Tori waited for Rowan to leave before opening the letter that she was waiting for. And as she was expecting, he arranged a meeting for her and his mother. And they would meet in the Turvy. The queen leaving her royal palace was something that only Lady M and Prince Corean only knew aside from her and the queen.