Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Her Silence, Again

[Osric’s POV—Imperial City Streets—Later]

"Huff... huff..."

My breath came out in sharp bursts, white against the cold night air. The streets blurred past me—stone, shadow, and flickering lamplight merging into a dizzying rush. I didn’t think. I didn’t stop.

Fear clawed at my chest, raw and suffocating.

I didn’t even bother to change. I was still in my nightshirt, boots half-fastened, and my hair disheveled. None of it mattered. The only thought pounding through my head—over and over—was her name.

Lavi.

My legs screamed, but I didn’t care. The palace was far—too far—and still, I ran like a man being chased by death itself. Solena soared above me, wings slicing through the night. Her cries were sharp, urgent, and desperate.

"Please," I muttered under my breath, "please, let her be all right."

And then—

"—My lord!"

A familiar voice cut through the air. I turned sharply to see Aldric, the captain of Everheart, galloping toward me on horseback. He pulled hard on the reins, the horse rearing and snorting clouds into the frozen air.

He jumped down instantly, eyes wide. "My lord, what happened? Why are you—you’re still in your nightclothes—?"

"I need your horse."

He blinked, startled. "What—?"

"I said, I need your horse, Aldric!" I barked, my voice breaking between panic and command.

He froze for only a second before thrusting the reins toward me. "Take it! But tell me—where are you going?"

I swung up into the saddle, barely steadying my breath. "The Imperial Palace."

Aldric’s eyes widened, but before he could ask more, I kicked the horse forward. It surged beneath me, hooves pounding the cobblestone streets. The wind lashed my face, cold and cruel, but I didn’t care.

Every beat of the horse’s hooves matched the rhythm of my thoughts.

Please don’t tell me she found out. Please don’t tell me she remembered everything. Please... don’t let her break again. She has already broken enough in her last life. Not again...please.

Solena flew ahead of me now, a streak of gold and white against the dark sky, guiding the way.

"I’m coming, Lavi," I whispered hoarsely, the words tearing from my throat. "Just hold on, please..."

***

[Imperial Palace Gates—Minutes Later]

The Imperial Palace gates came into view—towering, bathed in pale moonlight, their silver edges glinting like a cruel mirage.

Beautiful. Distant. And horribly, impossibly silent.

Something in that stillness made my heart plummet. The world itself seemed to hold its breath.

Then—I saw it.

A carriage. The imperial carriage. Horses pawing the ground, their reins trembling as if sensing the despair in the air. Palace guards swarmed the steps, servants shouting over one another, and amidst the chaos—I caught sight of Sera.

Her face was streaked with tears, her voice raw as she screamed.

"CALL THE IMPERIAL DOCTOR—RIGHT AWAY!!"

My stomach twisted. My breath hitched.

And then I saw him.

His Majesty.

He stepped down from the carriage, his usual composure shattered, his eyes hollow—the same look he had the day he lost her in our past life.

And in his arms... Lying limp, lifeless—was Lavinia.

The world stopped moving. The cold wind cut through my clothes, through my skin, and through my soul, but I couldn’t feel any of it.

"No... no... no..." The word tore from my throat, barely human.

I slid off the horse—but my legs gave out. I hit the ground hard—THUD—stone biting my knees, my palms scraping, but I couldn’t feel a thing.

"Lord Osric!"

Voices blurred, hands gripped my shoulders, trying to pull me up, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t. My eyes—my eyes were fixed on her.

On her.

My light. My laughter. My everything.

Why was she in his arms like that? Why was she so still?

Tears spilled freely before I even realized I was crying. My breath came in ragged gasps. "W-What happened...? What—why—Lavi..."

My voice broke. My hands trembled uncontrollably.

The Emperor didn’t answer. He just stood there, clutching her tighter to his chest, his expression utterly destroyed. His lips moved, but no sound came out at first—only the faintest whisper of a man barely holding himself together.

He turned and strode inside, the folds of his cloak trailing behind him like shadows, Lavinia’s pale hand dangling from his arm—the same hand that used to tug at my sleeve, that used to wave at me with a smile.

***

[Osric’s POV—Imperial Palace—Emperor’s Chamber—Later]

Lavi. Lavi. My Lavi.

Ravick stood nearby, his sword still at his hip—but his hands trembled. Ravick, the man who could face an army without flinching... looked afraid. His face was drained of color, his jaw tight, and his eyes locked on Lavinia’s still form.

Ravick’s head lowered, his voice hoarse when he spoke. "Princess... found the truth. She dug the truth with her own hands."

For a moment—everything stopped.

The air left my lungs. The floor beneath me vanished.

She found the truth. Lavi...really found the truth.

Those words slammed into me like a blade straight to the heart. My knees nearly gave out, and I clutched the edge of a nearby wall just to stay upright.

No...no...no...

That means—She remembered. She remembered everything.

The betrayal. The abandonment. The choice I made.

She knew now... that I had once chosen someone else over her.

My vision blurred. I pressed a trembling hand against my chest, but it did nothing to steady the thunder inside.

"She... she knows..." I whispered, my throat tightening painfully. "She knows I left her... that I failed her again..."

Ravick didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. His silence was enough.

I turned my gaze back to her—my princess, my dearest, my love and my salvation. Her chest rose faintly, barely there, her face peaceful in a way that tore me apart.

My knees hit the floor beside the bed. My trembling hand reached out, hovering inches from hers, terrified to touch her—terrified that if I did, she might fade again.

"Lavi..." I breathed, the word breaking like glass. "Please... wake up. Don’t shut me out again. Not this time..."

The Emperor stood at her side, silent—his expression hollow, his eyes glistening under the lamplight. For once, we shared the same fear. The same unbearable pain.

And then he spoke—his voice barely a whisper, yet heavy enough to shatter what little composure we had left.

"I... never wanted to hold her pale body again."

The words slipped from his lips like a confession, fragile and breaking. Ravick’s breath hitched beside me, and my heart clenched so violently it hurt to breathe.

The room fell quiet again—no sound except the rustle of curtains and the uneven breaths of those who loved her.

Somewhere deep in my chest, a memory burned—the last time I saw her like this. The night she died in His Majesty’s arms.

And for the first time in this life, I realized... Fate hadn’t given us another chance to love her. It had given us another chance to lose her again.

The gods must be cruel to let us relive the same sorrow twice.