I Failed to Oust the Villain!

Chapter 2

The First Page - The Past

Valeta Delight first met Reinhart ten years ago at nine years old.

She was Count Delight’s one and only daughter—his pride and joy, or at least, as far as people knew. In any case, one day, after returning from a brief skirmish with a barbarian tribe, Valeta’s father threw a filthy boy at her feet.

“Father...?”

“I found him milling about the battlefield. He’s quite handsome, so I thought he’d make the perfect slave for you,” said Count Delight as he carelessly shrugged off his armor.

Valeta dropped her head, a troubled look distorted her face as she listened to the dry voice of her gray-haired, purple-eyed father. The boy’s clothes were in shreds, especially around the shoulders. He must have been stabbed, Valeta thought. Even at a glance, the girl could tell he wasn’t in good condition. The boy was bleeding profusely and appeared to be suffering from a high fever.

“I don’t need a slave,” Valeta murmured.

“No, you do,” her father cut in. “The future empress can’t have just any slave, but a boy like him will do. Think of him as a shield that you can use to protect your life in times of need.” The tone of the count’s voice implied that this was an order, not a suggestion.

Valeta furrowed her brows. Her lips quivered as she spoke. “But...”

She really hated the idea of having a slave. Even though she had been born and raised in this world, she was still tethered to the memories of her previous life. Because of that, her values were completely different from the people of this world. If anything, Valeta was uneasy around the beautiful, silver-haired boy. She felt a sense of déjà vu as if she had seen him somewhere before.

“Valeta Delight, did you just talk back to me?” The count gave her a cold look. Valeta snapped her mouth shut. Count Delight was horribly obsessed with his daughter. The reason was quite simple: She had been born with the remarkable abilities of a talented alchemist.

Alchemists were rare in the empire, for few were born with such abilities. However, alchemists were essential in the making of potions, so even alchemists born as commoners were guaranteed a position of status. Being born as a commoner was one thing, but Valeta had been born into an aristocratic family. And she wasn’t just any alchemist either—she had the potential to become a top-tier alchemist. She had the potential to be a lucrative commodity, one that could even join her own house and the imperial family together in marriage. In fact, Count Delight was already in talks with the imperials.

“The position of empress has come up more than once,” said Count Delight.

The count was a merchant through and through. Once he had discovered Valeta’s worth, he spared no effort in supporting her.

“But more importantly, the banquet is a week from today. Do try to become acquainted with the crown prince,” he continued. “It’s better than being strangers.”

Valeta remained silent.

“But make sure you talk to the prince too. You never know what’s going to happen. There’s no telling who’s going to become the next emperor.”

Valeta stared at the floor.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Yes, Father. I understand.”

By now, Valeta was used to listening to her father and nodded along as he spoke. Count Delight had envisioned marrying her off to the imperial family for quite a while. Of course, he had decided this without considering Valeta’s feelings at all.

Ugh, if only I were a little older. I’d run away.

Obviously, Valeta’s thoughts were not reflected in her behavior. She was less than thrilled to be used this way, but she was just a child, only nine years old. She had no power, no money, no authority. She couldn’t escape, no matter where she was or where she went, given the current circumstances.

“I’ve put proper shackles on him. He won’t be able to disobey you,” said Count Delight.

“Yes, Father,” she replied begrudgingly.

The boy, who had been writhing around on the floor, on the brink of death, finally opened his eyes. His dazed but stunning ruby eyes searched the room before landing on Valeta. Although it looked like the boy was struggling to breathe, Count Delight only gave him a cursory glance before continuing on in a monotonous voice, as if he were explaining how to use a new toy.

“If he doesn’t listen to you, squeeze this.”

He placed a necklace with a red marble around her neck. The marble was horribly red as if it was made from crystalized blood. Valeta stared down at it.

“I engraved a seal on his heart, so he won’t be able to disobey you,” said the count. “Order him to do something.”

“What? Uh… Maybe later…” said Valeta, shaking her head at her father’s sudden order.

Count Delight gave her a sharp look.

What does he want me to do with someone as injured as him? No matter what she ordered him to do, he wouldn’t be able to stand. She was sure of that.

After a while, Count Delight opened his mouth. “You seem to have a lot to say these days.”

Valeta didn’t want to displease her father. Although Count Delight rarely raised a hand against her, he punished her in other ways that were just as mentally unbearable. He would order her to kill her own pets or lock her in a dark room for days without a single drop to drink. Once, he had even strung her upside down. He didn’t want to hit her for fear of leaving marks that would lower her value, but everything else was fair game, so long as Valeta was at his mercy.

Count Delight was a madman—a madman who had met a madwoman and from their union, begat Valeta. And even at the age of nine, she knew her father better than anyone. He won people’s hearts by providing food and aid to commoners and refugee camps, while, behind the scenes, he was involved in corrupt, dirty work—selling slaves. On the outside, Count Delight appeared to be a father who doted on his daughter. However, inside the mansion, he was anything but.

“That’s why he died.” Valeta remembered reading a line like that in the novel. The count had enslaved the future head of the Magicians’ Tower as a child and thus brought about his own demise.

Hmm, I think the novel said something about a beautiful boy too. But it was only a few lines, so she couldn’t remember what it said.

“Hurry up,” urged Count Delight.

“S-sit,” Valeta said the first thing that came to mind. She stiffened after hearing her own command. It was the only thing she could think of under pressure. The silver-haired boy’s expression grew stormy at her words.

Am I treating him too much like a dog?

Just as she started reconsidering her order, Count Delight reached for the red marble in her hand. Just as his large callused hand clasped around Valeta’s, the boy groaned as if he had just realized something and knelt at his master’s feet.

“Master.”

The boy gave Valeta a broad smile despite the fact that he was struggling to breathe, his shoulder still bleeding. He looked like an obedient dog, but his red eyes flashed dangerously. His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“The boy was extremely beautiful. He had eyes like rubies, fair skin, and silver hair that sparkled in the sunlight. And Valeta fell in love with him.”

Valeta was about to respond with a strained laugh when the passage suddenly popped into her head. She stiffened.

Is this... him? The man who will devour the main character of this world?

“Oh, okay. Um, hello,” Valeta stammered. “Uh... What’s your name?”

“Rein... Reinhart, master.”

This was the future archmage of the Magicians’ Tower, the wicked man who toyed with the main character by giving him meaningless trials, only letting him go when he lost interest.

Valeta remained silent. She was sure that the character’s name was Reinhart.

“He’s your birthday present,” Count Delight said. “Use him well.”

“Yes, Father.”

What should I do… My father has given me a time bomb for my birthday.

Valeta knew there was no internet, nor any similarly advanced technology, in this world, but still, she really wished she could ask the internet what to do.