I’ll Become a Villainess That Will Go Down in History

for you two.
But there were no clues for your whereabouts.
Not even one.
It was like you vanished into thin air.”

“Despite all that, you certainly seemed able to find us easily.”

At my remark, Henry smiles bitterly.

“That’s because the night after you had disappeared, Duke found and captured those three thugs’ employer.”

” “What!?” ” Alicia and I cry at the same time.

To be able to locate the mastermind that very night….
That’s unbelievable! Though, now that I think about it, this is only the second day since we’ve been kidnapped.
Our rescue was quite fast as well.

“Are they still alive? Because I’m going to be the one to kill ’em,” Alicia says very seriously.

…..Does she want to kill them that badly?

After saying that, Alicia stares at Henry closely, searchingly.
Her eyes are filled with sparkling expectation.
Seeing her look, Henry’s expression becomes strained.

“By the time I got there, their employer was already dead.”

A shiver runs through me.
Alicia as well is staring at Henry with astonishment in her eyes.

“It was after he had already divulged everything he knew.”

……Ah.
I see.
So Duke isn’t the sort of prince that you’d find in fairytales.

“So, because the employer was a noble, it took some time to eradicate the so-and-so noble family, which is why you didn’t arrive until just now.”

Duke and Henry both look at me in surprise.

“But, knowing that we might have been in danger, you made sure to send that lot on ahead of you to rescue us, not realizing the full extent of their idiotic incompetence.
And thanks to that, Alicia was nearly killed,” I spit out sarcastically, emphasizing just what I think about all the people outside of this hut.

“Hmm, close.
But I think you were a little off, Gilles.
I doubt these two were the ones to send that group to the rescue.
That was probably the king’s doing.
Am I right?” Alicia questions as if something had suddenly made sense to her.
Somehow, she looks almost happy.

Henry’s expression turns grim as he nods his head.

“What? Why would he do that?”

“Because, in the end, all I am is a sacrificial pawn.
And because this was the perfect opportunity for him to gauge the saintess’s abilities.”

At that, I almost start to doubt my ears.
Would the king really do something like that?

“The one who is destined to save this world isn’t me, Gilles.
It’s the saintess.
No matter how many intelligent ideas I can come up with, that fact will not change.
What’s the point of a good plan if there isn’t a world in which to enact it?” Alicia says off-handedly with a face full of satisfaction…..
Deep down, I’m sure she must be thinking that this is exactly what a villainess should be like.

“It’s true that we took out that family, but Ali’s right.
His Majesty was the one who sent the saintess here,” Henry rumbles darkly.
Next to him, Duke’s eyes shine murderously, a tremendous amount of killing intent swirling in their depths.

He’s the king, so you can’t disobey him? You won’t even try to go against such an insane order? I want to scream at them, but I lock those thoughts away into a corner of my heart.
Screaming at the only seemingly sane people on our side doesn’t exactly seem productive at the moment.

Feelings aside though, just how foolish is the king of this country?

“Honestly, none of that matters to me,” Alicia says.
And judging from her expression, she really means it.
I don’t think she’s just acting, either.

She really doesn’t seem to care at all that she’s just a sacrificial pawn to the higher-ups of this country.
In fact, far from being bothered, she actually looks like she’s excited by the idea.

Sucking in a small breath, Alicia turns to look at Duke.

“There’s just one thing that I’d like to know…..
Who was the one behind all this?”