Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 393

Chapter 393: The Plan and Un-invited Guest

[Talvan’s POV—Talvan Estate—Continuation]

"...So," Sirella asked softly, circling closer to my chair, "what is the next plan, Father?"

I leaned back, fingers tapping lazily against the armrest, eyes half-lidded with amusement.

"The festival," I replied.

She blinked. "The Lantern Festival?"

"Yes," I said, smiling slowly. "The most sacred night of Eloria. The night when the people believe the empire glows with hope."

I let out a quiet laugh.

"And after a week," I continued, "the Crown Princess will receive a piece of news that will shatter that glow into ash."

Sirella studied my face, clearly enjoying the darkness in my expression.

"Father," she said lightly, "I am very curious how you plan to turn Eloria’s most beloved festival into a nightmare."

I smirked.

"Oh, it will be beautiful," I murmured. "Next week at the auction house, something will arrive."

She tilted her head. "Something?"

"...Or someone," I corrected calmly.

Her lips parted in anticipation.

"That presence," I went on, "will carry a truth twisted just enough to look like betrayal. Not too obvious. Not too clean. Just enough to poison the crowd."

I stood and walked toward the window, looking out at my estate as if I already saw Eloria burning beyond it.

"The auction house is where nobles whisper," I said. "The festival is where commoners listen."

I turned back to her, "And I intend to connect those two perfectly."

Sirella smiled. "So the empire itself will turn against the throne."

I nodded slowly.

"They adore their Crown Princess," I said. "They fear their Emperor. They respect their dynasty."

My eyes darkened. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"That is exactly why they will hurt them." I stepped closer to Sirella. "Because devotion turns into rage faster than hatred ever could."

She whispered, "And the Crown Prince?"

I laughed softly.

"He will stand in the middle of it," I said. "Confused. Surrounded. Questioned." My smile sharpened. "And the people will begin to ask themselves... why the throne chose him."

Sirella’s eyes glowed.

"You are turning their love into a weapon."

I inclined my head slightly.

"No," I corrected. "I am simply reminding them how easily love becomes blame."

I returned to my chair and sat slowly.

"No matter how tyrannical the Emperor is... no matter how feared the Crown Princess becomes... they are still rulers who cannot ignore their people." My fingers tightened slightly on the armrest. "And this time, their own people will strike them."

Sirella exhaled slowly, almost reverently.

"Father... this will break the empire."

I smiled.

"No," I said softly. "This will teach the empire who truly owns its future."

I lifted my gaze to her.

"And when the lanterns rise into the sky..." My voice lowered. "Eloria will finally understand that even light can be used to blind."

The fire crackled behind me.

And in its reflection, I did not see a noble. I saw a man preparing to watch an empire bleed...while believing it was smiling.

***

[The Next Day—Haldor’s POV—Training Hall]

The echo of steel faded as I lowered my sword.

Sweat slid down my neck, my breath steady but heavy. Training had always been my refuge—where thoughts could not speak louder than muscle and instinct. Yet today, even the clash of blades could not drown the noise inside my head.

I wiped my face and walked toward the resting area.

Then—a shift in the air.

Not a sound.

A presence.

I stopped without turning.

"...What is the matter?" I asked calmly.

From the shadows behind the pillars, he appeared—the same man I had trained, trusted, and paid to exist where others could not. He bowed low.

"I have gathered the information you asked for, Your Highness."

I turned slowly.

"Speak."

His voice dropped. "It seems Count Talvan is planning something... dangerous."

My brows furrowed. "Dangerous?"

"Yes. His movements suggest an operation tied to the Lantern Festival."

My jaw tightened.

"And?"

He hesitated, then said the words that made the world feel heavier. "...The people of Astreon are involved."

My eyes widened. "So... Astreon truly—"

The sentence died in my throat. The empire of my blood. The land I had never walked. The name that now followed every shadow around me.

"Have you confirmed their presence?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," he replied. "Two individuals. Staying outside the capital city. At a roadside lounge near the eastern trade path. Their language was unmistakably Astreon."

My chest tightened.

Not rumor.

Not an assumption.

Presence.

I reached into my coat and placed a pouch of gold into his hand since I knew he would meet me today.

"I want the name of the lounge," I said calmly. "And everything they speak about."

He slipped a folded paper into my palm. "It is written here."

I closed my fingers around it slowly.

"You have done well," I said.

He bowed again and vanished as if he had never existed.

I remained still. The paper felt heavier than a blade.

I opened it slowly.

"...So," a lazy voice echoed behind me, "are you planning to go alone, Captain?"

"This is not a game, Zerith."

"I know," he said calmly. "That’s why I want to join."

I looked at him carefully. "You understand this could cost you your rank. Your life. Your name."

He shrugged lightly. "I already chose my side when I chose to follow you."

Silence settled between us.

Then I nodded slowly.

"Fine," I said. "But from this moment, we move as shadows."

His grin widened slightly.

"Good," he replied. "I was getting bored of sunlight."

I turned toward the exit.

"Then prepare yourself," I said. "Because Astreon has stepped into Eloria’s breath."

***

[Late Night—Outside the Imperial Palace]

The palace gates closed behind us with a dull echo.

I urged my horse forward, the black cloak blending into the night, the wind pressing cold against my jaw. Zerith followed close behind, his silhouette steady and silent.

"The city looks calm," he said at last.

I scanned the streets, the lanterns glowing softly, merchants closing their stalls, and guards laughing in small, careless circles.

"Yes," I replied. "That’s how it always feels before a storm."

He rode closer. "Do you know why Astreon—an empire that never meddles in others’ affairs—has suddenly begun to circle ours?"

I kept my eyes ahead. "I don’t know. And I have no interest in knowing."

He tilted his head. "No curiosity at all?"

"All I know," I said quietly, "is that whatever their reason may be... it does not give them the right to place their shadows in Eloria."

Zerith was silent for a moment. Then he spoke again, softer. "What if they have a very valid reason?"

I turned slightly, just enough to see his profile beneath the hood.

He continued, almost thoughtfully, "Perhaps Eloria wronged Astreon once. Or perhaps... we took something precious from them."

His words lingered longer than they should have.

I did not answer.

The sound of hooves filled the space between us. But inside me, something shifted. Because his voice did not sound like a question.

It sounded like justification.

I tightened my grip on the reins and rode forward without slowing. Behind me, Zerith kept speaking.

"History is never one-sided, Captain. Sometimes the empire that believes it is innocent... is only innocent in its own story."

I said nothing.

Yet the unease crawled higher in my chest. Was it my imagination—or did Zerith sound as though he was already choosing where he wished to stand?

The city lights blurred ahead.

The night grew heavier.

And for the first time since leaving the palace, I wondered—not about Astreon.

But about the man riding behind me.

I urged my horse faster, and the silence that followed felt far more dangerous than any enemy we had yet to face.