Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

‘Just now…’

Senia kept kicking the believers as if they were detestable to her.

For a while, the believers’ suppressed groans echoed through the quiet corridor.

I leaned against the wall and covered my mouth with both hands to stop a scream from bursting out.

And when I finally removed my hands from my mouth, I saw the red sun pattern engraved on my palm.

The symbol of healing mages. It was also engraved on that palm with which Senia was striking the believers’ cheeks.

The two suns rising referred to Senia and I awakening as healing mages in the same era.

‘It was Senia. She was the one who instigated the Sole Saintess Faction believers in the west to try to kill me.’

I thought I was the only one destroying the original story, but Senia was doing it too.

And I couldn’t believe Senia, who had changed so much that I doubted if I was seeing a different person.

Nothing like this was described in any part of the original work!

Not just the original work, but everywhere in reality, people praised Senia’s kind nature.

Senia, still not satisfied, spoke to the bruised believers in a chilling voice:

“You know what? This noble power can be used to kill people too.”

“S-Saintess! Please give us one more chance!”

“We were wrong!”

“I’ll soon be selected as the imperial palace healing mage, and I’ll go to the battlefield to assist him. If that fake isn’t dealt with in the meantime…”

Creak-

That wasn’t a sound I made.

I was still hiding behind the pillar, holding my breath.

“I-I didn’t see anything!”

Unfortunately, a servant passing by had opened the door after hearing sounds from beyond the slightly open door.

Senia smiled sweetly and raised her hand to grab the servant’s head.

“Aaaah!!”

Then, as if using a memory-erasing magic, one of the healing magics, the servant soon lost consciousness and collapsed.

Senia ordered the believers to throw the sleeping servant into the corridor as if it were bothersome.

‘Oh no! Was the original work’s genre thriller, not romance fantasy?’

Feeling like I might encounter the believers if I stayed any longer, I quietly left the place.

* * *

“What did I just see…”

I trudged into the reception room I had finally found, unable to recover from the shock.

“Is it a split personality? Or another ego?”

I couldn’t explain what I had just seen with anything.

Above all, it became clear that Senia was behind the Sole Saintess Faction that had instigated Marquis Zeld to try to kill me.

After realizing that, deep anger welled up.

“What? Two suns have risen in the sky? I’m fake?”

The hardship I went through that day was still vivid before my eyes, and my feelings upon discovering the mastermind couldn’t be described even in 100 lines.

Senia was hiding her true nature. And very well at that.

Maybe she had finally found a form befitting the daughter of Kablos.

“Oh my, Ria! What are you doing here?”

I turned around with a start at the bright voice from behind me.

Then, confirming it was Ensia, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Ensia…”

“Ria, you don’t look well. Are you alright?”

“Haha, it’s nothing. I really wanted to thank you for your help last time.”

“What are you thanking me for between us?”

Ensia said that but still grasped my hand tightly and smiled brightly.

“You said you’ll develop magical tools for use in summer next? I’ll think about functions that could be added to luxury items then too.”

“Thank you so much, Sister Ensia!”

I smiled and hugged her.

Ensia particularly liked it when I called her sister.

I calmed my pounding heart in her warm embrace.

* * *

When I returned to the hall, Luka was nowhere to be seen, perhaps having gone to prepare for the ceremony to start the succession test.

Dad and my brothers also seemed to have left their seats with the nobles who were looking for them earlier.

It was when I was halfheartedly eating the madeleine Ensia had brought.

‘…!’

Senia returned to the hall.

She had certainly been disheveled from beating the believers earlier, but now she was neat and tidy.

I flinched, reminded of the eeriness from earlier.

That’s when Senia spotted me and approached with a bright smile.

“Lady Laveria, have you been well?”

“Yes… thanks to you.”

There were many meanings included in ‘thanks to you.’

It could mean I almost died thanks to you, I thought my heart would stop thanks to you, I learned there’s no one to trust in this world thanks to you…

Seeing Senia smiling docilely like a lamb, I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.

“By the way, young lady, didn’t you almost fall when entering earlier? Aren’t you overdoing it when your body isn’t fully recovered?”

“I’m fine…”

“Did you perhaps come to see who will be selected as the imperial palace healing mage today?”

Senia spoke gently.

She had confidently said earlier that she would be selected.

Therefore, her words were no different from telling me I had come in vain.

“…What if I did?”

Of course that wasn’t the main purpose, but it was one of several reasons.

There were only two candidates, so I couldn’t be absent.

“Lady Rayes, I’m worried you might be shocked later, so let me tell you in advance.”

Senia put her hand on my shoulder and whispered as if she felt sorry for me.

“The imperial magic department is all made up of nobles. The imperial palace healing mage they choose won’t be you. After all, your origins…”

“Ah, because I’m a commoner?”

What nonsense is she talking about.

I removed Senia’s hand from my shoulder and said.

The nobles around us who were secretly listening to our conversation suddenly focused their attention on my words.

Senia seemed flustered when I spoke loudly while she had been whispering quietly.

“Thank you so much for your concern, Senia. But please don’t worry too much. Even if I’m not chosen due to my origins as you said, I…”

I don’t care at all. I’ve already had my unemployed life taken away by the Tower Master.

…I kept those words to myself.

Instead, I covered my mouth with my hand and spoke.

I didn’t forget to put on an expression as if I was deeply heartbroken.

“I’ll be fine. But I’m worried about you too…”

“What on earth are you worried about…?”

“Kablos is a descendant of the ancient Magic Kingdom that used black magic. That nature is the opposite of healing magic based on sacred power. Then is there no problem with Senia’s origins?”

I spoke innocently.

Simultaneously, everyone around was shocked.

Ensia beside me looked at me as if proudly watching a well-taught student.

“…”

I continued speaking as if really worried:

“If both of us are disqualified, will the position of imperial palace healing mage be left vacant?”

I think I heard someone mutter that the Duke’s daughter must be an idiot.

Of course, I knew well that it wouldn’t be left vacant.

I also agreed that Senia would soon occupy that glorious position.

However…

‘I believe in repaying what I’ve been dealt.’

I just did the same since she brought up my origins first.

Now there’s no reason to play along with that masquerade anymore.

I also had a strong desire to unmask that fake face because it was so detestable how she had spoken of friendship to me.

Senia trembled, not knowing what to do with the rising anger.

If this wasn’t a banquet hall, but a secluded place like earlier, she would undoubtedly have slapped my cheek.

In the original work, Senia took considerable pride in her family.

Although it was a villainous family, it was one of the three Ducal houses and no one could treat her carelessly.

But she hated the roots to the point of having a fit.

Because it felt like the only flaw to her who had built countless fame as the imperial palace healing mage.

“Come to think of it, I thought Lady Kablos would naturally become the imperial mage…”

“Isn’t House Rayes more of a prestigious family that has produced more imperial palace healing mages than House Kablos?”

“Though Lady Rayes is a commoner, she must have awakened because she received the bloodline of the Ducal family.”

“Then there might be variables in today’s selection too.”

A commotion arose around us.

Senia spoke with a distorted smile:

“I appreciate your thoughtful heart, young lady.”

“It’s nothing. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

At that moment, a bright light flashed before my eyes.

“…!”

A ‘mark’ had appeared on the back of Senia’s hand.

However, no one around seemed to notice this strange phenomenon.

Not even Senia herself.

‘I should… absorb that, right?’

If not now, there might not be another chance.

She would undoubtedly volunteer for the battlefield soon after becoming the imperial palace healing mage.

Although it was quite unpleasant to hold that hand that had been swinging fists mercilessly, there was no choice.

“Shall we shake hands in goodwill before the selection?”

I quickly grabbed Senia’s hand before she could answer.

Abruptly, just like when she gifted me the seal in the west.

I let a tiny amount of magic flow through our clasped hands.

At the same time, I felt a hot sensation flowing into my body, just like when I absorbed Luka’s mark.

But…

‘What’s this?’

I felt a very strange sense of déjà vu.

Senia removed her hand as if striking mine away and said with a cold expression:

“You’re more reckless than I thought.”

“Just like you did to me in the west.”

“…”

“Lady Rayes! What is this disgraceful behavior?”

At that moment, a group of young ladies who had been watching the situation approached us.

They were those who often associated with Senia.

“Are you feeling inferior because of your lowly origins? Apologize to Lady Senia immediately!”

“For what?”

“For speaking carelessly about her family and touching her recklessly! We can’t bear to watch any longer!”

“Lady Senia worried about me first, so I just did the same. Everyone around here heard it.”

“Such vulgar way of speaking…”

Slap!

At that moment, her face turned to the side with a loud friction sound.

“Ensia…!”

Ensia, who had been listening quietly, had struck the young lady’s cheek with a swing that seemed like she had some experience in disciplining in the past.

It was so intense that her body staggered.

“Sister…!”

I called out to Ensia urgently.