The Villainess’s Road to Revenge

Chapter 5

The maid jumped. “Ah! Lady Milvia!”

“You said the room is ready?”

“Yes, yes, my lady!”

Bonny looked like a loyal dog as she stood there with an expectant look on her face. Milvia snorted to herself, then smirked when she imagined how Relliana would react once she discovered that the bedroom had been turned into a storage space.

“Okay. Bonny, do you remember the flasks on my desk that I told you to move earlier? I want you to store them in this room instead.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Very good. Here is a little reward for your hard work.”

Milvia picked up a small hand mirror from the vanity and gave it a few waves. Immediately, the wood and glass began to turn into gold. Bonny watched the transformation with greed flowering in her eyes.

“Thank you, Lady Milvia!”

“Make sure that nobody sees it, including Mother and Relliana.”

“Of course, my lady. I will make sure to keep it a secret from everyone.”

“Good. There is one last thing that I require. I will give you an even purer piece of gold if you can bring it to me without anybody finding out. How does that sound?”

The gold that Milvia had been giving to Bonny so far was partially mixed with other metals. The maid was likely aware of this as well, since she had seen her fair share of jewelry while tending to Relliana and her stepmother. Immediately, Bonny rushed to the door to close it, then approached Milvia again.

“What is it that you need, my lady?”

“Listen very carefully…” Milvia leaned closer to the maid to whisper her request. She surprised herself with just how elegant and sweet her own voice sounded.

Once she was done speaking, Bonny nodded confidently. Then the maid carefully hid the golden mirror in her dress and trotted out of the room.

After a moment, Milvia sighed in exhaustion and walked to the other room. She headed straight for the bed and slumped lifelessly on top of the covers.

How did I manage to make it this far? I’m so tired…

Sleep was threatening to overtake her. It made sense that she was so tired, considering everything she had been through. Although she was comfortably lying in bed, it felt like her close encounter with death had only happened minutes ago. It was actually incredibly strange that she was still able to hold conversations, ask for what she wanted, and craft a plan in her current state.

Her mind drifted to Estaire, the little brother who she had always been so proud of.

Did you know the truth, Estaire?

Milvia had forced herself to produce purer gold in order to pay for his education. Although Estaire had been talented, she knew that it wouldn’t be enough to become the personal guard of the emperor or the crown prince. Such an achievement required a noble status and hefty bribes, so she had broken through the barrier to the Second Manifestation—all for her little brother.

Oh, Estaire… Please tell me that you weren’t a part of that plan. Milvia sighed and wrapped herself in the expensive cotton sheets. She felt a bit more comfortable after hugging her own shoulders and curling up into a small ball.

I can’t remember the last time I got to sleep in such a warm bed… She didn’t like the cold. She was tired of pain. All she wanted was to be happy.

However, her eyes snapped open just two hours later when a strange feeling gripped her heart. She bent over with a series of hacking coughs. When she opened her eyes, she saw blood staining her sheets.

Oh…

She could only stare in shock. Her time was already coming to an end.

* * *

After the revelation, Milvia did not get a wink of sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she became painfully aware of her own suffocating mortality. Her golden line of time was essentially a visualization of the years she had to live, and the end of the line was turning black and crumbling. This could only mean one thing—the end of her life was swiftly approaching. Once the line disappeared completely, her new life would come to an end.

I wonder if I’ll ever get to achieve my revenge in this body. It’s so frail and weak… She sighed and stared at the blood that had hardened on the duvet. Unfortunately, she had no way of getting rid of it herself. After a moment of contemplation, she decided to turn the duvet over so that it looked like she had simply menstruated. Then she laid back down, knowing that Bonny could deal with it later.

Nobody could know of her illness or the fact that she had one foot in her grave. She was planning on spending every last second that she had left on her revenge.

She tossed and turned until morning finally found her. The manor was completely silent, which made sense. Most aristocrats began their day after the clock struck noon. It was usually only the employees who bustled around in the morning hours. However, Milvia decided that she would make the most out of this particular morning. She couldn’t afford to waste any of her time lying around in bed, and she had something to do before her stepmother and Relliana woke up.

After a moment, she found herself standing in the room with Bonny buzzing around her like a busy bee.

“Would you like me to tie the ribbon for your hat under your chin?” asked the maid.

“Go ahead.”

“What about your waist strap? Would you like me to tighten it? Personally, I don’t think it’s really necessary—your waist is already so thin…”

“No, don’t tighten it. I hate the feeling of being suffocated.”

“Of course, my lady. Would you sit down for me for a moment? Let me wipe your shoes one last time.”

A few hours earlier, Milvia had given Bonny a chunk of gold. Apparently, the maid had managed to change it into money somehow, because she had brought back everything that Milvia had asked for. There was a wide-brimmed hat that was decent enough for an outing, and a veil that she could drape over it to cover her face. Bonny had also bought a wool dress for the cold weather and a pair of leather shoes.

Although they were all ready-made, cheap items that were more suitable for a noble lady from a poor family, Milvia knew that Bonny had done the best she could in the short time she’d had. It also helped that Bonny had a good eye for choosing an outfit that went together well in terms of color and shape, and that she put a great deal of effort into making sure everything looked nice. Milvia thought that it was a rather stylish, classic look.

She carefully studied herself in the mirror as Bonny tucked a dagger into the folds of her dress. “Last but not least… This is just in case anything happens, my lady.”

“Thanks.” Milvia took one last glance at her reflection and decided that she looked good enough. “If anybody asks about me, tell them I went to buy some dessert or something because I was overwhelmed with stress.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Good girl. If you do exactly as I say, I might even buy something for you on my way back.”

Milvia walked out of the manor to find a public carriage that Bonny had summoned for her. She climbed inside and asked for the coachman to take her to the city. She had already crafted a basic version of the skin cream and totoba oil and let them mature—all after the bloody incident from last night. She only had to buy some of the more special ingredients and find a dress to wear to the banquet.

Now that she had gotten a second chance at life, she was determined to show everybody that she wasn’t to be underestimated. In order to achieve such a feat, she would have to make an incredible entrance that would be remembered for days on end. While most noble ladies had their debut at age seventeen, she had lost her father instead. Naturally, the event had been delayed until it never happened, which meant the banquet would be her first true introduction to high society.

“Where to, Lady Milvia?” the coachman asked from where he sat.

“Take me to the Jin District.”

The coachman’s hesitation was palpable, even though she couldn’t see him. “The… Jin District? But… that place is…”

It made sense that he was so shocked. The capital had many back alleys that intersected and joined each other like a large spiderweb. The Jin District was among them, and it was widely known as the darkest, most dangerous one. It was home to the poorest of the poor, and it became stacked full of frozen corpses during the winter—the darkest stain of the empire where thieves, murderers, and even human traffickers thrived. Despite all of this, Milvia had to go there.

That’s where I’ll find Madame Salvache. She was a genius who had been expelled from the Sewing Association for creating dresses that were too provocative and unconventional. Although she was a stubborn and picky old woman, Milvia knew that she was one of the best in her industry.

Above all else, I know that her dress style will look the best on me. Milvia still had no idea how her stepsister had managed to find Madame Salvache, but Relliana had worn one of her works on the day that she became the saintess. It was a pure white dress that had several aesthetic tears and holes in it, which reflected the designer’s peculiar style. The public had loved the dress—they thought the design reflected the suffering that a saintess went through.

Milvia leaned her back against the rattling carriage seat and closed her eyes as she recalled the memories of that fateful day. She knew exactly what she wanted—a completely black version of that very same dress.

***

The word “jin” meant “pitch black” in the ancient tongue. When Milvia stepped out of the carriage and stood at the entrance of the Jin District, she realized that it had been aptly named. Almost everything in her sight was nearly pitch black.

Behind her, the coachman was muttering in concern. “I really don’t think a noble lady like you should be hanging around here. It’s freezing cold, too… It’s dangerous around this part of the city, lady, I’m telling you.”

What a kind man, Milvia thought to herself, but then gave the coachman a wry glance.

He flinched, then snapped the reins.

“Hyah!”

He looked chagrined as he turned the carriage around to leave, as if he was thinking that he shouldn’t have said anything.

What’s the saying? “No sane man walks into the Jin District of his own free will”? To be fair, she was not exactly in her right mind either. As the carriage began to pull away, she placed a hand on its back panel. Immediately, a portion of the wood turned into gold. Although it was not very pure, it would probably make the coachman’s life a bit easier if he cut it out and sold it. She figured the gold would be safe for the time being. The coachman himself had no idea that it was there, and nobody else would be able to guess that the dark yellow stain on the wood was actually gold.

Although the coachman had simply expressed some of his concern, nothing more, Milvia still thought he deserved a decent gift for it. Not even her family had ever bothered to worry about her, after all.

She remained standing in the same spot long after the carriage disappeared from view. The people who had been sitting further inside the alley began to slowly rise to their feet. Their eyes gleamed with a threatening light, as if they were telling Milvia that they would pounce on her as soon as she stepped into the darkness.

Just as I thought… Walking in there alone is incredibly foolish and almost certainly fatal.

Milvia sighed. If she was being honest with herself, simply coming all the way out here with her disgustingly frail body was a great achievement. It would be much more productive to hire some bodyguards with her gold, instead of crying over how she couldn’t protect herself. Fortunately, the street that intersected the alley of the Jin District happened to be home to several guilds. She would be able to hire just about anybody she wanted, ranging from mercenaries and elementalists to mages who had been exiled from their order—and Milvia knew exactly who she wanted.

Perhaps I’m wrong, but I’m almost certain that I’ll find him here. Milvia thought quickly, recalling the numerous conversations that Relliana had engaged in with many different noble ladies. Two men had usually been their topic of discussion—the crown prince and another mysterious man. The former typically received their admiration and affection, while the latter was the object of fear and awe.

According to them, this man had a peculiar way of thinking, and he despised anybody who had a habit of whining. He was drawn to incidents and commotions like a moth was to flame, and he acted in ways that couldn’t be understood through any kind of logic. Apparently, he was also incredibly self-centered, selfish, and cold-hearted, “a total maniac,” as the ladies whispered. He was the man that Milvia was looking for.

She had done something completely illogical as the first step of her search, which was how the mysterious man supposedly acted. She knew that she was being foolish, but she didn’t care. I’m going to die anyway, aren’t I?

At that moment, she heard a rough voice call out to her.

“Hey, lady! You come here alone?”

A group of thugs was approaching her—perhaps they thought that she was lost and unsure what to do. Or perhaps the liveliness of the crowded street had allowed for those useless thugs to blend into the crowd and wander up close to her.

I suppose they exist somewhere between light and shadow, like city rats… Milvia frowned lightly and did not grace them with a response. That would be a waste of her energy.