Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 398

Chapter 398: Time to Clean the Empire

[Lavinia’s POV—Imperial Palace—Moments Later]

The newspaper crumpled in my hand, not from fear, but from fury.

"Traitor from Astreon," I repeated softly and dangerously.

My voice was calm—but the room felt colder. Theon swallowed, and Ravick stiffened in anger; this was not rumor.

This was strategy.

A blade wrapped in ink. They did not attack Haldor with swords; they attacked him with the one thing more poisonous than magic—public doubt.

I exhaled slowly and handed the paper back to Ravick.

"So," I said, turning toward the window where the city stretched golden and unaware, "they’ve decided to make my husband their battlefield."

Ravick’s jaw tightened. "Your Highness... the streets are already whispering. The nobles will use this to—"

"To test me," I finished coldly. I turned back to them, my voice sharpening like a drawn blade. "They are not questioning Haldor. They are questioning my judgment."

A dangerous smile curved my lips.

"They have tested my patience long enough. It seems..." I said softly, "...it is finally time to take action."

I spun on my heel and stormed toward Papa’s office, fury burning through my veins like wildfire. But before I could reach the corridor, a tall figure rushed toward me.

General Luke.

His face was storm-dark, his jaw clenched so tightly I could hear his teeth grind. The moment he saw me, he stopped.

"You’ve read the headlines," he said. It was not a question.

I stopped in front of him, not because I was surprised, but because I felt something dangerous settle in my chest—cold, steady, and merciless.

"Yes," I said slowly. "I read it."

The words tasted like poison.

General Luke’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His voice shook—not with fear, but with rage.

"They dragged my son’s blood through the streets like a spectacle," he growled. "They used Astreon as a knife and your husband as the wound."

I stepped closer to him, my skirts whispering against the marble floor.

"And you came running," I said softly, "because you found the hand holding that knife."

His eyes burned.

"Yes," he said. "The noble behind the press, the one who funded the paper, the one who paid for the lie."

I felt my pulse slow.

Dangerous.

Deadly calm.

"Name him," I said; he hesitated for only a heartbeat. "... Marquis Veylan. One of Talvan’s inner circle."

Talvan.

Of course.

My lips curved—not into a smile, but into something sharper.

"So," I said, voice lowering, "the rats have stopped hiding in the walls and started screaming in the streets."

I walked past him toward my father’s office, every step echoing like a verdict.

"Then we do not wait," I said. "We do not negotiate. We do not soothe the people with excuses."

I turned back to him, crimson eyes blazing, "We kill the lie at its source."

General Luke stared at me, stunned for a moment.

"You would execute a noble house publicly?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "Not because they insulted my husband."

I stepped closer, my voice dropping into something tyrannical. "But because they dared to turn the Crown Prince of Eloria into a weapon against the throne."

My hand clenched into a fist.

"They want to see weakness," I continued. "They want to see me hesitate because I love him."

I laughed once, dark and cold, "They will see instead what happens when someone uses my love as bait."

And that was when I saw him. Haldor stood at the far end of the hallway, frozen in place, his eyes filled with worry and something deeper—fear, not for himself, but for me.

I walked to him without breaking stride, stopping only when we were inches apart. I lifted my hand and touched his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my palm.

"Are you worried?" I asked softly.

He caught my hand before I could pull it away, holding it against his chest.

"I’m worried about you," he said. "I don’t want to become the reason you suffer. I don’t want to cause you trouble."

My gaze hardened—not with anger, but with certainty.

"You are not my trouble, Haldor," I said. "You are not my weakness."

I leaned closer so only he could hear me.

"You are the reason I choose to become stronger. The reason I refuse to bend. The reason I will protect this empire with my teeth if I must."

His breath hitched.

Then he smiled—small, steady, and resolute.

"Then I will stand beside you," he said. "Not behind you. I will wield a sword with you... against anyone who dares to question your choice."

For a moment, the world shrank to just us, two hearts in the middle of a coming war. General Luke cleared his throat, a proud smile tugging at his lips.

"Looks like," he said, "we should go to His Majesty and plan this properly."

I straightened, releasing Haldor’s hand only to lace my fingers with his again.

"Yes," I said. "We will not react like frightened rulers."

My eyes sharpened. "We will respond like Devereux."

Together, we turned toward the emperor’s chamber. Not as a scandal to be defended, but as a crown to be protected.

***

[Later—Emperor’s Office]

SLAM.

"Then..." I said softly, turning toward them all, "...it is time to clean Eloria."

"Not with mercy. Not with patience. But with fire."

Papa’s smile widened.

"Yes," he said. "This is how an empress is born."

The room felt darker. Heavier, and somewhere beyond these walls, the nobles of Eloria still believed this was a scandal. They had no idea it was an execution list.

***

[Later—Hallway]

My footsteps echoed sharply through the marble corridor, before the tension in my chest could settle, Sera rushed toward me, breathless.

"Your Highness—the headlines—"

"I know, Sera," I cut her off calmly. "They’ve already tried to shake the empire."

She hesitated. "Then... what should we do?"

I stopped walking and turned to her, my expression no longer gentle.

"We do not wait," I said. "You may return to your house later. First, we deal with the heart of this rot."

She straightened instantly. "Yes, Your Highness."

I took a slow breath and continued, "Send a messenger to Grand Duke Osric’s estate."

Her eyes widened slightly. "To the Duke?"

"No," I corrected. "To his fiancée."

"...Eleania?" Sera blinked. "But Your Highness, she is still a commoner. Abandoned by Count Talvan—"

She stopped herself mid-sentence, realization dawning. "...Are you planning to use her to bring down House Talvan?"

A slow, dangerous smirk curved my lips.

"No," I said softly. "I am not using her. I am awakening her."

Sera furrowed her brow.

"She was discarded. Humiliated. Erased from Talvan’s name like she never existed," I continued. "That kind of wound does not heal. It festers." My eyes hardened. "And anger like hers... is sharper than any blade."

Sera whispered, "You want her resentment."

"I want her truth," I replied. "And if that truth destroys the house that ruined her—then so be it."

I turned back toward the corridor leading to my chamber.

"Tell Grand Duke Osric that I wish to meet Eleania privately," I said. "Not as a crown princess."

I paused.

"But as a woman who understands betrayal."

Sera bowed deeply. "I will send the letter immediately, Your Highness."

As she hurried away, I allowed myself one final thought: Talvan had played with blood and rumors. I would answer with something far more dangerous—a woman who had nothing left to lose.

And thus, another piece was placed on the board.