The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn’t This Wrong?

Very soon, Loraviel brought over the refreshments.

She poured hot water into the teapot, letting the heat warm the pot before draining it. Then, she placed the tea leaves inside, pouring in the hot water once more. As the rich aroma of tea filled the air, she evenly poured the tea into a small cup.

After taking a sip right in front of Liana, she refilled the cup and handed it to her.

Liana casually picked up a cookie, extended her hand, and let Loraviel take a bite.

"Hm?" Olivia was clearly startled by the scene before her. What was going on?

Liana, of all people, letting a servant eat before her? Had she seen wrong?

Could it be that the Loraviel she had gone to such lengths to protect had already fallen?

“What? What’s with that expression of yours?” Liana glanced at Olivia, amused.

“Lady Liana, as you can see, I’m completely fine,” Loraviel said after swallowing.

Now Olivia understood.

For a moment, she had thought she was hallucinating due to lack of sleep, but it turned out Liana had merely been using Loraviel as a poison tester.

But weren’t there safer ways to check for poison? What if there actually was poison? Would Loraviel really have to die in Liana’s place?

“Aren’t there more convenient ways? Using tools or magic to detect poison would be much safer and faster,” Olivia questioned.

“This is just a small punishment for doing something wrong,” Liana said indifferently.

Perhaps, in Liana’s eyes, Loraviel’s life was simply not important.

“And if there really was poison?”

“Then… she’d die in my place. Dying for one’s master—isn’t that the highest honor for a servant?”

Technically, that was true. As a knight, Olivia understood that dying for her liege was indeed the greatest honor. But that was only if Loraviel actually saw Liana as her master.

Liana took a sip of her tea, letting the rich aroma linger in her mouth. "You’ve rested enough, haven’t you?"

"You’re being too much!" Loraviel had just begun to rest when Liana ordered her about again.

"It’s fine, Lady Olivia. I’m already well-rested. Let’s try again." Loraviel picked up the wooden sword once more.

Olivia truly hadn’t expected that after everything she had experienced, she would end up getting this frustrated over one person. She grabbed a wooden sword and stood before Liana, preparing to spar with Loraviel.@@novelbin@@

However, very quickly, Loraviel’s wooden sword was sent flying again.

“I have to say, you’re being a bit too harsh,” Liana remarked.

Olivia wasn’t using magic or any external power—just her own combat skills against Loraviel.

But even so, the difference in their abilities was just too vast. Loraviel was, after all, a complete beginner.

“How about this? Loraviel, try using a real weapon, and add magic to it. Our dear Executor shouldn’t have any complaints, right?” Liana smiled.

"Drop the tricks. Even if you hadn’t suggested it, I would’ve agreed," Olivia said, drawing her sword and handing it to Loraviel.

"I can use magic, but I’ll stick with the wooden sword for now." Loraviel had never used a real weapon before, and it made her uneasy.

“Are you looking down on me?” Olivia asked. “It’s not like I’d die at your hands. Just go all out.”

“That won’t do. If the esteemed Executor were to get injured here, that would be quite a problem.” Liana casually pulled out a dagger from who knows where. “How about this? Use this little knife instead. Don’t worry—it wouldn’t even scratch our dear Executor’s armor.”

Loraviel caught the dagger Liana tossed her. Even though it was her first time handling one, it felt unexpectedly natural in her grip.

“Shall we begin?” At Liana’s command, the spar resumed.

Once again, Olivia took the offensive.

Her strikes were swift and relentless, giving Loraviel no time to breathe. However, this time, though still struggling, Loraviel managed to hold her ground.

Olivia was a bit surprised. Though she hadn’t gone all out, the difference between Loraviel now and just moments ago was night and day.

The small dagger danced at Loraviel’s fingertips, parrying Olivia’s attacks. Then, gripping the weapon tightly, a faint blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet.

“Vector Acceleration.” In an instant, Loraviel’s speed surged.

“A speed-based magic? That’s quite rare.” Olivia quickly scanned the area. Though Loraviel had suddenly boosted her speed, she was still a novice and couldn’t yet hide her presence.

Despite trying her best to deceive Olivia with feints, the gap in skill and experience was too great. Olivia quickly locked onto her. "Found you."

"Clang!"

The dagger clattered to the ground, and Loraviel collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily, sweat beading on her forehead.

It was her first time using this speed magic, and the magic consumption was overwhelming, making her feel utterly drained.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

She was still no match for Olivia, but compared to before, the improvement was tremendous.

“It seems like daggers suit you better,” Olivia noted. “And your innate magic is speed… That’s quite suita—” She abruptly stopped herself, realizing that saying "perfect for assassination" wasn’t exactly appropriate. “—a rather rare ability.”

“Not bad,” Liana clapped her hands. “For a first-time user, you handled that little knife quite well.”

This was exactly what a heroine’s stats looked like.

Dagger specialization. (And absolutely not some other kind of "aptitude.")

Even with a weapon she had just picked up, she could wield it proficiently. Even with magic she had never seen before, she could learn it in a short span of time.

Loraviel stared at the dagger in her hand. She didn’t know why, but unlike the wooden sword, which felt heavy and awkward, using this dagger felt effortless, as if the blade was responding to her will.

“Thank you, Lady Liana. Here’s your dagger.” Loraviel picked it up from the ground.

“Don’t give me something a servant has already used. Just toss it somewhere, or keep it if you like,” Liana said with a look of disgust.