Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

Senia couldn’t believe it.

The snake, which had been out of contact for a while, had finally spoken to her yesterday.

It said that Duke Rayes’s daughter would be visiting the temple for a paternity test, and that it would interfere with that.

‘No, she’s obviously fake anyway, why bother interfering?’

That’s what Senia had thought.

A moth foolishly burns to death, not knowing it’s flying towards the flame.

That’s exactly how Laveria looked in Senia’s eyes.

The first time she started to find her annoying was at the debutante ball.

Although it was frowned upon for Arzenluka to be the partner of a commoner-born Duke’s daughter, she thought it was payback for the help from the Rayes ducal family.

On that day when Princess Rachel nearly lost her life, Senia quietly left the banquet hall after seeing the princess collapse.

Even though she knew she was the only one who could save the princess inside, it was an action without any hesitation.

Senia knew from the snake’s message that the culprit behind that commotion was Viscount Louiscone, an old vassal of Kablos.

Although she didn’t know the reason for trying to kill the princess, she thought she had to implicitly participate in the family’s crime to avoid tarnishing her own reputation.

She treats patients with the same heart regardless of their status.

In front of everyone, while hearing words of praise for herself.

On the other hand, the princess had become a patient, but a patient of no benefit to her.

Rather, it would be better if she died cleanly to avoid being entangled with the Kablos ducal family.

Arzenluka, who was close to the princess, would surely fall into grief.

He would probably blame himself, saying it was his fault the princess died.

Senia imagined comforting him alone as she walked the corridors after leaving the noisy banquet hall.

If she used the power of healing magic to heal the deep wound carved in his heart, would he show emotion towards her?

With a smile on her lips, when she returned to the banquet hall thinking the situation would have settled, the scene inside was completely different from Senia’s expectations.

The princess, who should have stopped breathing, was alive and well, and the commoner-born Duke’s daughter who had been the talk of the town had awakened as a healing mage.

She had saved Princess Rachel.

The fake’s atrocities started from then on.

The commoner-born Duke’s daughter who adored her madly kept trying to imitate everything about her.

It’s human nature to want to constantly imitate someone you admire.

But by the time she realizes that where she’s heading is a realm she can never reach, she’ll already have turned to ashes like a moth burned by fire.

Senia tried to remain detached as she watched Ria make a few more achievements after that.

Because the moment she lost composure, strange thoughts might creep into her mind.

‘What if Laveria is actually real, and I’m the fake?’

Senia flinched and slid down beside the tent.

“That can’t be!”

Whenever such idle thoughts came, the snake’s voice always gave comfort and assurance, but…

-You know, today Duke Rayes’s daughter saved people at the hunting festival. The Duke’s daughter is making me feel more… intimidated day by day.

-Little one, you don’t need to feel intimidated. No matter how well-made, a fake is still a fake.

-But I’m still anxious. You know you’re the only one I can confide in about this, right?

-I know, just confide in me. Never show weakness to anyone else.

Her only friend who communicated well with her among endlessly foolish people.

The snake that had understood Senia’s heart better than anyone for the past 12 years… was dead.

Because it was a being connected to Senia, she could instinctively feel the thread linking them snap.

“Please tell me you can hear my voice…”

When the connection with the snake was cut, her ability to smell different scents according to emotions also disappeared.

She can’t control her emotions.

She had been reading people’s emotions as naturally as breathing, but with that gone, it felt like her hidden true nature was awakening.

Just now, hadn’t she been unable to control her irritation and yelled at the smelly patients she was tending to?

She had fled the tent at their shocked and disappointed expressions.

‘I’m sick of it. This war, this situation…’

She resented her past self who had enthusiastically volunteered for the war and followed a man with excitement.

Crown Prince Arzenluka hadn’t spared her a single glance in the past two years.

If he’d come back injured, she could at least be with him under the pretext of treatment, but he seemed determined not to get even the tiniest scratch, as if he had made a vow to someone.

But soon…

‘The puppet curse that Father placed on His Highness will manifest.’

Lady Jeria had tried to kill the young Crown Prince using Kablos.

Kablos pretended to cleanly dispose of the Crown Prince standing before him, but in reality, he had placed a puppet curse that would manifest when he turned seventeen and confined him in his subordinate’s orphanage.

It was to manipulate Lady Jeria in the palm of his hand later…

The Crown Prince escaping the orphanage on his own was unexpected, but the curse was still in place.

The snake had told Senia about this fact and said:

-You can use the puppet curse to erase the feelings the Crown Prince has for the fake. Here’s how…

“It said I just need to destroy the necklace that His Highness cherishes more than his life.”

Soon the curse will take effect, and if she saves him when he’s writhing in pain, their crossed fates will be put back in place.

She will take revenge on the Duke’s daughter, who will have lost his protection, as soon as they return when the war ends.

Her throbbing headache seemed to ease as she sorted out her thoughts.

Senia stood up again and waited for her longtime childhood friend, Essil Claire.

She would use him, who foolishly yearned for her without even pretending to seek her heart, only able to look at her.

Just then, she saw a man with blue hair coming out of the meeting room last.

“Essil!”

Senia called his name with a bright smile.

Essil, upon seeing her, approached with a noticeably brighter expression.

“Senia, what brings you here? You who never left the temporary infirmary.”

At Essil’s words, Senia almost cracked her smile.

She didn’t like him specifying her whereabouts as if it were natural.

‘The place I should be is not that smelly place, but by His Highness’s side!’

However, Senia desperately hid her true feelings and soon shed tears.

“Senia!”

Essil grabbed Senia’s shoulders as she suddenly started crying and said hurriedly:

“What’s wrong? Is someone bullying you?! Who dares to…”

“It’s not that, Essil.”

“Then!”

“Sniff, you know, right? That I love His Highness…”

“…I know.”

Essil knew. Nevertheless, as Arzenluka’s servant and Senia’s friend, he tried not to harbor petty jealousy.

“Actually… Duke Rayes’s daughter has placed an evil curse on the necklace His Highness cherishes more than his life. It’s a curse that makes him unable to move his body, so he could be in danger at any time. I’ve been so worried I can barely sleep lately…”

“What…?! Who on earth said such a thing…!”

“Is that important, Essil? It’s my word, so you should naturally believe me. I’m confiding in you for the first time.”

Essil, not noticing Senia’s sudden change in attitude from sorrowful crying, still looked confused.

“Hah… I’m a healing mage. I can sense ominous powers.”

“But that necklace is said to have a reinforcement magic on it that can never be undone. How on earth…”

Reinforcement magic.

Senia furrowed her brow.

Now she couldn’t distinguish whether Laveria had tricked His Highness or His Highness had bound himself to Laveria.

Senia looked at Essil with coldly settled eyes and said:

“Essil, you’re a transcendent who can use sword energy. I’ve heard sword energy can destroy even steel.”

“But that’s too dangerous…!”

“If it’s not destroyed, His Highness will be in danger. First of all, His Highness is thoroughly bewitched by the fake duchess, so he must never know we’re trying to destroy the necklace.”

“…”

“Essil, you can do it. Just imbue a small dagger with sword energy and snap it off.”

Senia hugged Essil, smiling prettily like a flower.

“You can do it. If you can ease my worries, I think I might be able to like you more.”

“Senia…”

Hearing Essil’s heart beating rapidly, Senia smiled, lifting the corners of her mouth.

* * *

Late at night, the knights guarding the front of the Crown Prince’s tent met an unexpected visitor.

“Lord Essil, what brings you here in the middle of the night…”

“His Highness said he had something urgent to discuss and called for me.”

“But we thought His Highness was sleeping now…”

“I’ll go in and check for myself. He called for me at exactly this time, what can I do?”

“Th-Then we should go in first and…”

“It’s fine. Has His Highness ever blocked the entry of his generals? It’s not something for you to worry about.”

Essil passed by the knights and entered the tent.

It was a night when the moon shone particularly blue.