When the Villainess is in Love

Chapter 3

In the book, Daniel lost his dear friend Herrace because of the two main characters. No wonder he became a villain.

“Now that I have it all laid out like this, all the other characters were just pawns to make Ariel look good.” Or to highlight just how ruthless the male lead was. “And now that I’m here, I can’t just stand idly by while this happens to my favorite characters!”

I hated the misfortune that would befall the characters I was so fond of. I imagined that I’d at least be able to alter the course of the story enough so that I could ensure their safety before it started.

“Lavrov and Ariel are going to fall in love and get married whether or not the other characters play any part in it.”

There was a reason I called the male lead “obsessive.” I just had to make sure he didn’t prey upon my favorite characters… or me.

I detailed everything in the form of a chart, including the characters I wanted to meet, what I hoped I could accomplish for them, and little things I wished I could do with them.

“I’m not sure about one of them, though.”

As I looked over the list of names, my eyes lingered on the name “Daniel.” He was the guildmaster of the Assassins’ Guild, a friend of one of the secondary male leads, and the man who threw one last stumbling block in the path of the two main characters before disappearing. Unlike the three secondary male leads, who were described in detail and who I very much looked forward to seeing, the text had offered only that he had brown hair. His real identity was that of the last surviving royal of a fallen nation that had been conquered by the empire.

“Though I must say, he has an appealing backstory. He’s the only one I’m hesitant to meet.”

That was because I was the princess of the empire that had conquered his homeland. And unlike with the other characters, it wasn’t as though I could do anything for him.

“Hmm, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

It was possible I’d end up meeting him anyway since he was friends with Herrace, one of the secondary male leads I was dead set on getting to know.

If I meet him… “I’ll have to get a glimpse of what he’s hiding under his hood.” As a fan of the novel, I thought I deserved to get a peek.

Wrapping up my planning session, I hummed as I put away my notes.

* * *

“Please rest well, Your Highness.”

“All right, enjoy your day!”

At some point, the two maids, Linny and Irene, as well as the head maid, Emma, were placed in charge of serving me. For the first week after I’d realized I had been transported into a book, I had been in a complete daze. Emma was likely worried that rumors might spread, so that was probably why she had pared down my servants to just Linny and Irene. It was irrelevant—the only thing that mattered to me was my safety and the safety of the characters I liked. But I still endeavored to be nice to the maids, especially Emma. She’s the one who stood at Libertia’s side until the very end.

Emma, who had paused by the door with a puzzled look, finally left the room and closed the door behind her. I was waving after her absentmindedly when a sudden wave of nausea hit me.

“Did I overwork myself?” I wondered aloud. But I’d eaten and slept more than enough. Then I suddenly remembered. “Oh!”

Libertia had told me that the disease in this body would only be cured once my soul had merged with it completely. That’s right. I’m technically still very sick. Now that I thought about it, the novel had mentioned Libertia weakly staggering or nearly fainting when she was alone, even before her illness had been revealed.

“It said that the curl of her lips as she smiled, even as her face grew pale and sweat beaded on her forehead, gave her the look of a tragic but devastatingly beautiful princess.”

I remembered wishing I could grab her arm and support her when I read that scene. But now, that body belonged to me, a girl who was nothing if not healthy. Heh.

“Ugh, this is no good, though.”

If I kept getting dizzy at random, all my plans for the next three months could be ruined. I needed to see the emperor in order to abdicate the throne as well. I guess I have no other choice.

“I need to see a doctor right away.”

It hadn’t just been Emma and the other two maids who had been at my side for the roller coaster of that past week. Rox, the physician, had also been there. I recalled his gentle, elderly face. Hoping that he could help me with these symptoms, I emerged from my room. I marveled at just how normal I felt otherwise as I hurried toward the physician’s office.

“It really doesn’t hurt at all, though. I guess Libertia was right about that.”

The imperial physicians worked in the medical wing of the palace. They were given generous endowments to aid research and provide treatment. The difficulty was balancing medical duties and personal research, but exceptions were given to the private physicians for each member of the imperial family. The princess’s residence also had its own physician who was stationed at the apothecary of the palace. Thankfully, it wasn’t very far from the princess’s room.

When I knocked and stepped inside, the old physician, dressed in his light green uniform, greeted me.

“Your Highness? Is something wrong?”

The elderly man’s gentle face took on a look of surprise as he realized who had just entered. We shared a warm smile as I stepped closer. Princess Libertia had most likely never met this physician, as she had taken every precaution to avoid word of her illness getting out. But I didn’t really care—it didn’t matter whether anyone found out about this illness, since I was going to follow my whims and escape from this palace in three months’ time. So, I didn’t care if he knew about the illness. If anything, I really needed his help, so he had to know.

I spoke softly as the physician gave me a worried look. “I wish to receive a Ranua inspection. Is it possible to get one immediately?”

The Ranua inspection was basically like a thorough medical exam in this world. It was able to detect anything wrong with the body, and only a physician skilled enough to control their mana in such delicate ways was able to perform one. But any physician working at the palace had to be skilled enough to carry out the inspection. Libertia’s illness was something that could only be detected via this inspection. In the book, she had apparently only gone through this inspection once as a child and never again.

“Of course. But Your Highness, are you unwell? It would be best to start by telling me your symptoms,” Rox explained cautiously.

I gave him the same friendly smile I had shown Emma. I began by detailing the more run-of-the-mill symptoms. “Nothing ails me in particular, but I seem to have far less energy. I get tired so easily.”

“I see.”

He didn’t seem particularly concerned yet. But what I said next changed that.

“And… I coughed up some blood.”

“Wait. Did you say you coughed up blood, Your Highness?”

He gasped when I showed him my bloodied palm. The blood was evidence of the first memory I had regained of Libertia—her as a one-year-old toddler.

The three days had elapsed since I had dreamed about her. I had decided to tell him about the bloody coughs because I needed to handle the symptoms that followed blood loss. I needed to let Rox know about this—regardless of whether I trusted him or not. I needed relief from these symptoms, and I needed a proper diagnosis from him once he had discovered the illness. Now that I was going to be coughing up blood every few days, I needed his help, after all.

“But I haven’t noticed anything else wrong.”

As I spoke with a faint smile and unconcerned tone, Rox, who had been listening closely to my words, began to look very solemn.

“Please, take a seat.” The physician had seemed so calm thus far, but he quickly led me to a chair.

As I followed him, I added a question I had forgotten to ask, “Will it take long?”

“About half a day, Your Highness.”

“I see. I’m sorry for giving you such a lengthy task.”

“It is my duty, Your Highness. Please do not apologize,” Rox said, shaking his head with a serious expression.

Then he began his thorough inspection. I waited for him to discover my illness. He would probably insist on prescribing a painkiller, but what I really needed was some sort of preventative measure against sudden bouts of dizziness due to anemia. Maybe he has iron supplements.

Hours later, I watched out the window as the sky bled crimson before darkness finally fell. “Is it finished?” I asked, having enjoyed watching the sunset.

Rox remained silent.

“It’s all right. Speak plainly,” I insisted.

The old physician pressed his lips together in a tight line. Upon my insisting, he mustered up the courage to speak, but he hesitated and stopped himself. This repeated a few times before he looked at me with wide eyes and let out a pained sigh. “How…”

“Hm?”

He paused again, sighing deeply before a determined look crossed his face, and he rose. I sat there, stunned, as he hurried to close all the windows and lock the door.

Wh-what is he doing?

Once he was done, he dragged his chair across the room until we sat face-to-face. Only then did he begin to speak, looking somber. “How have you been coping this whole time, Your Highness?”

I blinked at him for a moment, confused, before I realized he had to be referring to the pain I was numb to right now. I guess he has no way of knowing that I can’t feel any of the pain.

As I racked my brain for how to answer, Rox continued, “The official name of this illness is rafaelis, also known as the Angel’s Doll,” he said in a low whisper only I could hear.

He appeared so serious that I found myself leaning in to hear him better.

“I’m positive you’ve heard of it. ‘The day the Winter Queen came, blue flowers bloomed over the hills.’ It’s from the poem by Vlaware.”

I froze, my face crumpled.