Taming The Villainesses

Chapter 340.1

(EP-340.1) Of Hearts #9

340 – Queen of Hearts # 9

Rumble, crash!

Lightning and thunder roared without rest. The sky poured rain as if a hole had been torn open, showing no signs of stopping.

Even though morning had arrived, it was as dark as midnight or the early hours of dawn. Just as I was beginning to wonder if it would flood, Elga spoke up.

“Come to think of it, it rained like this before. The whole place was a muddy mess, and we had to pump water out of the sewers all the time.”

Elga knew more about this time period than anyone else. Since neither I nor Mirna had been in the capital during that time, it was only Elga who had been by Aira’s side.

“Aira was so much sharper back then. Like a rose with nothing but thorns. You’ll get pricked if you get too close.”

This was before I met Aira. It was said that Aira was so unpredictable and terrifying that even her cousin Elga was afraid to approach her.

“If Aira doesn’t remember anything, just like I did earlier… things could get really difficult. I don’t know why we’re sent back here….”

Elga trailed off.

Beside her, Mirna, who had been meditating, added a few words.

“It’s simple. This was the period when the inner Ars Nova exerted the greatest influence over Queen Tarantera.”

According to Mirna, the great magic had anticipated our arrival and deliberately set the stage it was most confident in.

In other words, this place was its home ground.

That meant we were stepping into battle with a built-in disadvantage. But I wasn’t too worried.

If I were alone, that would be one thing. But with Elga and Mirna by my side, a mere home advantage wouldn’t be insurmountable. At least, that was what I believed.

“So, how long is Mirna going to pose like that?”

“Shh, Elga-nim. Let her focus for now.”

Both Elga and I watched Mirna as she meditated. In front of her was a box. I didn’t know for sure, but it seemed like she was trying to do something with that.

Then, at last, Mirna’s eyes snapped open and she opened the box.

Clunk, creak.

Inside lay flowing garments.

They were maid uniforms—black with white accents. I recognized them immediately as it was the attire worn by regular court servants.

Elga seemed to realize what she was looking at as well, and soon clicked her tongue.

“Iyah~, you really just pulled clothes out of an empty box. I mean, if we can do whatever we want in this dream, why even bother waking up?”

Elga’s words made a lot of sense. If there were a perfect world where one could live however they pleased, who wouldn’t want to stay?

However, Mirna gracefully wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and shook her head.

“That’s a foolish idea. In the end, this place is nothing but an illusion. If we stay too long, it will start affecting our real self. So it’s important not to delay things.”

This imaginary world technique was usually used by those who held an intense longing for reality, those who had a reason and the will to wake up and continue living in the real world.

Like Elga.

After all, she had a child in her womb.

Those like her had a reason to return to reality rather than remain trapped in some dream.

“Anyway, we’ll use these outfits to enter the palace. Sir Theo and Lady Lioness know far more about the situation inside than I do, so I’ll be counting on you.”

I nodded at Mirna’s request.

“Leave it to us.”

Rustle, rustle.

Mirna and I quickly changed into the maid and servant uniforms. As we stepped outside, the rain was still pouring.

Elga said.

“I’ll tell them I have business in the palace. You two follow behind me, then figure out how to split up. Got it?”

With the plan roughly laid out, all that remained was to put it into action.

Under a gloomy sky, we trudged through the thick mud. Before long, familiar streets came into view.

The road leading to the palace.

But the wooden stakes planted along the path, and the people bound to them were unfamiliar sights.

━P-Please, just a little food…

Prisoners sentenced to stoning.

I didn’t know what crimes they had committed, but the kingdom used to have a lot of public executions. Even if corpses littered the streets, no one batted an eye.

“This is awful…”

Mirna covered her nose against the stench of death and shook her head.

Was this the first time Mirna had seen something like that? Well, at this point in time, she was probably living a peaceful life in the church city of Gracia.

“For something like this to be happening in the kingdom while I was away… I didn’t know. If I had known people were suffering like this….”

Mirna seemed to feel a bit guilty for having turned a blind eye to the kingdom’s affairs. But Elga, who was walking ahead of us, spoke in a slightly curt tone.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t. If you’d tried to confront Aira, you’d probably be hanging there with them right now. Anyway, get ready—we’re almost there.”

At last, the tightly shut gates of the royal palace came into view.

The proud grounds of Angmar’s royal palace were now adorned with the corpses of beasts…? No, their mutilated forms made it difficult to identify them.

Still, the stench of blood and decay clung to the air—it just couldn’t be washed away by the relentless downpour.

The guards standing amidst this carnage were unreadable, their faces looked obscured beneath the weight of their heavy helmets.

Just then, Elga stepped forward and spoke.

“I am Elga Von Lioness. I have business in the palace. Open the gate.”

* * *

“It feels like a massive graveyard.”

Mirna, who had been silently following behind Elga, finally spoke. I couldn’t help but agree with her words.

The palace was different from the one I knew. As Mirna described, it was dreary and gloomy, just like a cemetery. A land for the dead, not the living.

The maids and servants we passed didn’t greet us. They moved lifelessly and their faces were void of expression, like walking corpses. Because of that, Mirna and I had to act just like them.

“We should go see Aira first. Though honestly, I really don’t want to meet her at this point in time.”

Elga was clearly hesitant. However, she didn’t stop walking….

Before long, we arrived at the throne hall, where Queen Aira was seated.

Edit by: faker