The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn't This Wrong?

Chapter 14

"Nabet, even if you’re the head maid, you have no right to dictate what I do. Loraviel is mine. What I choose to do with her is my business. Or do I need to report my every action to you?" Liana’s voice was cold.

“...”

Nabet said nothing.

But her gaze—frosty and unwavering—spoke volumes. It was the look of someone who had completely given up.

Liana shut the door.

A sharp pang settled in her chest. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but it couldn’t be helped. This was the role she had to play. No one else could bear this burden but her.

This was the ideal outcome.

By maintaining the same hateful persona as in the original storyline, she ensured that Nabet would focus solely on Eirina.

Nabet's anger was fueled by a misunderstanding—she believed Liana had defiled Loraviel. But that wasn’t true.

With this, the main storyline would continue undisturbed.

As long as Liana properly handled her relationship with Loraviel, she could have Loraviel vouch for her innocence when the reckoning came in two years.

Besides, at this point, there was no reason to believe Loraviel would stand up for her now. Even if she did, Nabet wouldn’t believe her.

The deeper the misunderstanding, the stronger the guilt when it was finally cleared.

That lingering guilt—built up over time—would be enough to make Nabet dedicate herself to protecting her.

Nabet’s issue was now perfectly resolved.

Liana sat at her desk.

Under normal circumstances, she would sleep until noon.

That made this the perfect window to study the books she had taken without drawing suspicion.

...

Loraviel stood before Nabet.

Nabet looked her straight in the eye, her tone firm. "You’re being threatened by Liana, aren’t you? I can help you. I will help you."

But to Loraviel, Nabet was just a maid, while Liana was the eldest daughter of the Venus family.

Even if Nabet wanted to help her, what could she possibly do?

Even as the head maid, she was still only a servant.

To avoid making her own situation worse, Loraviel simply shook her head, rejecting Nabet’s offer.

"Lady Liana hasn’t done anything to me. There’s really no need for this, but... thank you."

Bound by her position, Nabet couldn’t explain everything to Loraviel.

Liana glanced at the food. The presentation was slightly lacking compared to Nabet’s, but she picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks nonetheless.

"Did you taste it?" Liana asked.

"I... I did. No, wait—I didn’t. No, that’s not right either... Lady Liana, please rest assured. I prepared a test batch beforehand, which was approved by Miss Nabet. The portion I made for you was cooked fresh with a new set of ingredients." Loraviel quickly clarified.

"It’s the third rule in the maid’s handbook—I’ve committed it to memory."

A servant is not allowed to eat the same food as their master. If caught, they will be severely punished.

"So, you did taste it?"

"N-No, no! I only tested it—I didn’t actually eat a meal!"

Of course, servants were also forbidden from eating before their masters.

"Open your mouth," Liana ordered.

Loraviel hesitated briefly but eventually complied.

Liana propped her chin on one hand, using the other to bring a forkful of food to Loraviel’s lips.

"How is it?" Liana asked.

"It tastes the same as when I tested it. Nothing strange."

Liana speared another piece with her fork and put it into her own mouth. It was slightly inferior to Nabet’s cooking, but still acceptable. However, the flavor was overwhelmingly bland.

"Lady Liana?" Loraviel finally spoke up, wanting to point out that the fork had just been in her mouth. But it was too late—Liana had already eaten from it. And she didn’t seem to care.

"You seem a little careless," Liana remarked.

"Is there something wrong with the taste?"

Liana shook her head. "The taste is passable. But... haven’t you forgotten something?"

Realization struck Loraviel almost instantly. "The second rule of the maid’s handbook: Before a master eats, the food’s safety must be verified..."

Since she had cooked the meal herself, she had overlooked that step.

"I apologize, Lady Liana."

Liana hadn’t expected there to actually be such a rule. She had only been using this as a setup—she wanted Loraviel to recognize her own talent.

"This will be your only warning. Go eat."

"...Shouldn’t I be punished?" Loraviel was visibly surprised. She had been expecting some form of punishment. The fact that Liana simply let her off unsettled her.

"Do you have some kind of special preference for that?" Liana mused, an idea forming in her mind.

Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity for Loraviel to realize her potential sooner.

"For your punishment, you are no longer allowed to use magic when testing food. You’ll have to rely solely on your own body. That way, there won’t be any risk of magic missing something. If there is something wrong with the food—then you’ll just have to die in my place."