The Villainess’s Road to Revenge

Chapter 1

In the Pursuit of Love

Milvia wished her death would come faster. Her vision was swimming, and she felt delirious. She could feel rivulets of blood running down the back of her throat, filling her mouth with the taste of iron—it made her stomach clench. She wanted to vomit all of it out. Unfortunately, she could not move a single inch of her body.

She was currently strung up on the side of the rampart, wearing nothing but a thin, shabby piece of clothing.

It’s so cold…

The wind felt like sharp little blades all over her skin, and her tattered dress did nothing to protect her from it. Her entire body had begun to go numb. She felt more like a block of ice than she did a human. It was only November, but it felt like peak wintertime in the capital of the Theus Empire.

Milvia managed to move her head just enough to look down at her toes. She couldn’t even wriggle them, no matter how hard she tried. Perhaps they had frozen… Or maybe they’d died already from frostbite. She attempted to twist her body once more to escape from the ropes that were binding her, but they only dug deeper into her skin. The pain was blinding—she would have believed it if someone had told her that the skin was being peeled off her.

“Hu… haauuugh…”

An animalistic sound that was somewhere between a sob and a laugh gurgled out of her throat. She could not form proper syllables even if she wanted to since her tongue had been cut off. The past few days had gone by in a blur, and, truthfully, she did not recall most of it. All she knew was that she had suddenly become the devil incarnate—someone who had tried to kill her own little sister out of jealousy. The funniest part was that she was only aware of this fact because she had overheard a group of knights gossiping under her as she dangled above them.

Relliana Elle Meidier. She was known to be the most pure and noble woman in the world. She was a saintess, and she also happened to be Milvia’s stepsister.

I suppose people will remember me as Milvia Nell Meidier, the monster who envied the perfect woman to a deadly degree.

The worst part was that she had never even thought of hurting Relliana. In fact, she had done everything she could to craft plenty of gold for her stepsister. The only reason Relliana had her stunning new dress, the spectacular shoes that she wore to her balls, and the sparkling emerald earrings—the ones that matched the beautiful shade of her eyes—was because Milvia had worked long, grueling hours to turn pebbles into gold. Truthfully, her entire family had fed on years of her life so that they could live lavishly.

But where are they now? Look at me! I’m being tortured and hung off this rampart without even being told why. They must know that I am being framed. Why are they not coming to my rescue?

She could remember the fateful day when knights had burst into her laboratory and unceremoniously dragged her out. She had been so sure that her stepmother would rush to save her. After all, Relliana had always expressed such gratitude for lifting their family out of poverty. Milvia had only realized that something was terribly wrong when she greeted the next morning’s sun with an empty stomach and eyes that were red from no sleep.

Now it was the fourth night of her suffering. Her throat felt like it was on fire. It was as if she could feel her body deteriorating, which was fairly accurate. Her health had already been in a steep decline from the countless days of sitting in that room turning stones into gold.

Her heart ached when she realized that nobody was coming to help her. Nobody had cared to explain what was being done to her and why. She could only stare at the knights standing below her, who had presumably received orders to guard her, the criminal.

There were moments when she felt like she was being swallowed by a dark, terrible void. And yet the days had crept by, oblivious to her suffering. It was on the fifth sunrise when she finally heard a voice below her.

“Is she still alive?” a man said unhappily, then gave a sharp click of his tongue.

She jolted violently when she heard the voice and did her best to bring her head up to look. The crown prince of the empire was standing below her with a group of men behind him. His blond hair shone brightly in the sun, and his eyes were so blue that they could have been crafted from ice.

Milvia nearly burst into tears. It had been days since somebody last engaged her in conversation. At that moment, she felt a pure, singular joy surging in her heart.

He must know the truth! He has come to prove my innocence!

Unfortunately, her hope did not last long. Though her vision was blurry, she was still able to see the crown prince taking his sword out of its sheath. The smooth metal of the sword reflected the bright sunlight directly into her eyes, making her squint in pain.

“It appears that my dear fiancée is much too kind,” the crown prince said with a snort, glaring up at her. “She said she would forgive you if you admitted to your crimes and tried to repent. I suppose she still has some love for her sister…”

Milvia blinked at him, uncomprehending.

The crown prince continued, “Your little brother feels the same way. You do not deserve such a loving family, in my personal opinion.”

One of the knights who was standing next to the crown prince slipped his helmet off, which had been obscuring his whole face—even his eyes. The knight’s bluish-silver hair shone in the sunlight, and she immediately recognized him. She remembered his face clearly, one with eyes that usually reflected a hint of sadness and lips that were drawn in a stern line.

It was her precious little brother, Estaire. She had been so proud of him for graduating from the Knight Academy at the top of his class and becoming the crown prince’s personal guard. And now here he was, staring at her like a stranger.

“Estaire, if you have anything to say to this woman, you may do so.” The crown prince motioned her brother forward, as if he were being incredibly generous by allowing this.

Estaire took a step closer to Milvia, and his voice was icy cold when he said her name. “Milvia, my sister…”

She strained, eager to hear what he was going to say.

“How could you do such a horrid thing?”

Huh?!

“Don’t you know what a great honor it is to have someone from your family become the saintess? I’m sorry that you could not take her spot, but it only means that Relliana can bring honor and glory to our family in your stead. I still cannot believe you would go that far…”

Milvia desperately wanted to defend herself, but her missing tongue made even that simple task impossible. She screamed internally, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Why are you accusing me of this, Estaire?!

A guttural groan escaped her lips.

I didn’t do anything! I’m innocent. Please, you have to believe me…

Milvia began to struggle in earnest, hoping that, somehow, Estaire would understand what she was trying to say. As she twisted and turned, the tiny shards of glass that were embedded in the ropes tore through her skin, reopening the wounds around them. Pus and blood began to flow from her scabs.

Although she had been in pain even when she hung limply against the rampart, all of her movement now made it feel like she had been doused in lava. Despite the renewed agony, she couldn’t stop, though. She had to prove her innocence.

A disapproving scowl found its way onto the crown prince’s face as he stared at Milvia.

“So you still refuse to admit to your crimes?” he spat out.

Milvia would have snorted in disbelief if she could.

Crimes? What crimes? It appeared that they were forcing some absurd narrative onto her after deciding—without her—that she was a criminal. But she knew she was innocent. She was sure of it. Moreover, she didn’t even know what kind of assassination attempt she had apparently ordered.

Suddenly, another voice rang through the air. “Y-your Highness!”

There was a woman approaching them from a distance. Her sparkling silver hair swayed in the wind behind her as she frantically ran over to them. Simply put, she was lovely. Her skin was soft, and a set of large, doe-like eyes gave her an innocent look. She looked like a proper noble lady, which was in stark contrast to the bloody, stripped Milvia hanging on ropes like a broken rag doll. It was Relliana, and she was wearing a new dress that she had bought with the gold Milvia made.

The crown prince gave Relliana a stern look. “Did I not ask you to stay away from this place?”

“B-but… she’s still my sister, Your Highness! I couldn’t bring myself to forsake her,” Relliana said in a pitiful voice.

Although a part of Milvia knew it was a trap, she could not help but feel a spark of hope in her chest.

I knew that you would help me, Relliana. Tears began to pool in her eyes again. Apparently, she had not shed all of them, after all. She could feel a painful throbbing in her chest.

However, the crown prince simply gave Relliana a cold shake of his head. “That woman tried to kill your mother. I understand that they are not linked by blood, but that is still a vile and unforgivable crime. Just think of how your mother is still confined to her bed!”

“But… Your Highness…” Relliana begged tearfully.

What did the prince just say I did? She did not understand a single thing that was happening. It felt like she was witnessing some cheap play unfolding in front of her.

Milvia’s mother had passed away when she was very young. When Relliana and her mother came to fill that void, Milvia had tried her best to be kind—she had even gone out of her way to create gold for them. On top of that, her stepmother had treated Estaire like her own son, meaning that Milvia truly had no reason to possess any ill intent toward her.

So why in the world would I try to kill her?

The crown prince shook his head again and said, “What is going to stop that vile woman from trying to kill you as well? Executing her is the only way to put a stop to her evil ways. Moreover, she practiced alchemy! There is no room for such despicable witchcraft in this empire. I shall make an example out of her.”

His cruel words sent icy stabs into her heart. Relliana fell into his embrace with a gut-wrenching sob. However, she glanced up at Milvia as she did this, and she had a sly smirk on her face. The expression only lasted a couple of seconds, but Milvia was sure of what she’d seen—she was hanging right above her, after all.

Did she just… smile? For a moment, all of Milvia’s thoughts faded into nothing. Then an intense heat began to rise in her chest. At that moment, she could only think of one thing.

What if she…

No, it cannot be.

It must not be true…

But what if she did?

Suspicion began to war with the last remaining bit of faith that she still held. She was still staring at Relliana, shell-shocked, when she saw words forming silently on her stepsister’s pretty lips.

Just

die

already.

It took a few seconds for the truth to hit Milvia. Then she opened her mouth to release an outraged scream that was more animal than human. Even she had never thought that she could produce such a terrible noise.

“I do not see any hint of regret in that woman,” said the crown prince. “She attempted to murder her own family members and disrespected a member of the royal family. Not only that, but she practiced witchcraft, which means the witch execution law is applicable as well. I will ensure that she receives the punishment she deserves. Perhaps she will repent as the crows eat her alive.”

Relliana gasped in what seemed to be horror. “Your Highness, no!”

He gave her a stern look and said, “You can plead all you want, but I’m afraid you will not change my mind. Such an evil woman deserves a terrible punishment.”

Upon hearing the crown prince’s words, Milvia began to tremble and then laugh, feeling like she’d just lost the last trace of her sanity. An evil woman? She had not done anything wrong. Her stepmother had asked her for gold, so she had made it. She knew that she would receive more compliments and words of kindness if she made more, so she made as much as she could. She had felt like she was truly part of the family whenever she saw the happy smiles on their faces.

I just wanted to be loved. Was that too much to ask for? Desperation and anger burned in her throat. She coughed up globs of blood, which splattered on her dress, staining the fabric black.

“Prepare the crows,” the crown prince said coolly, then turned around.

Relliana pretended to hesitate for a moment, but soon raced after him. She still had a smile on her lips, though, which made Milvia wonder why everybody was ignoring it.

“Release them,” commanded the crown prince once he got to a certain distance.

The knights opened the giant birdcage, and a swarm of black birds with glinting eyes flew out. They were special crows that had been trained to feast on living flesh.

As the birds descended upon her, Milvia began to shake with laughter, which soon turned into guttural sobs. The dark beaks began to peck at her, ripping into her skin. However, the greatest pain came from her broken heart at the realization that she had been betrayed. She felt like she’d been pierced through with a twisted, jagged blade.

She had recently told her family that she could no longer create any gold.