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

Chapter 98.1: One White Face, One Red Face (1)

"Mepeilu? What brings you here?" Liana asked with a smile.

She hurried over in a few quick steps, reached out, and naturally linked arms with Mepeilu.

Aust: his expression turned darker. It looked like there was no way to resolve things today.

Mepeilu: after a moment of confusion, she smiled brightly and happily held onto Liana’s small hand.

Olivia: seeing Liana clinging to Mepeilu’s side again, she felt a little annoyed.

Loraviel: her eyes widened instantly, full of envy and jealousy at their closeness.

Sybil: looked completely lost, clearly not understanding what was happening.

Mepeilu: eating popcorn.

"I heard that Aust-nii had business with Liana," Mepeilu said. "So once I finished my work, I hurried over. And just as I arrived, I heard you all discussing something about me."

"So what’s going on? Aust-nii, did you need something important from Liana?"

"Well," Aust said, adjusting his expression, "since you discovered the method to alter magic systems, I thought about how Liana has always been unable to use magic."

"In the Zandewin family’s circles, people who can’t use magic have low status. Now, with the changes in magic theory, it’s becoming even harder for nobles who can’t use magic to maintain their standing."

"So I thought... maybe I could help Liana. I invited Sybil over, hoping we might find the reason she couldn’t use magic."

"But unfortunately, even Sybil couldn’t find anything." Aust sighed.

"I see..." Mepeilu's expression remained calm, her voice steady and unshaken by anger.

This was the most basic rule among nobles: never let personal emotions disturb your appearance in public.

Help? Liana ended up like this—whose fault is it, my dear brother? Mepeilu thought inwardly.

"Really, it must have been a lot of trouble for you, Aust-nii. But there’s no need for you to worry anymore," Mepeilu said sweetly. "I’ll take care of Liana from now on. You can leave it to me."

She placed her hand on Liana’s head and pulled her gently against her own chest.

"I’ll protect Liana," she said firmly.

Just like a small, fiercely protective cat shielding its kitten, refusing to let anyone else get close.

"Of course," Aust said quickly. "I know how capable you are, Mepeilu. You’re so young yet you’ve already achieved so much, even discovering something that could change the world. The future belongs to you."

"But you must be very busy, so I just wanted to lend a small helping hand."

He deliberately lowered his stance, making himself seem humble.

"Thank you," Mepeilu said with a polite smile.

"By the way, by the way!" Liana chimed in cheerfully. "Just now Aust promised he would prepare for you a piece of clothing engraved with high-level spell inscriptions! Once he contacts the right craftsmen, gathers all the materials, and pays the fee, you’ll get to choose the design and even the tailoring yourself!"

Liana had absolutely no intention of letting Aust control the process. She wanted him to gather everything first—then hand it all over to Mepeilu to decide.

"Of course," Aust said through gritted teeth.

Today he not only had to pay Sybil’s fee but also fork out a piece of rare enchanted clothing, and he hadn't even gotten what he wanted. It truly was a loss.

"This... isn’t it a bit much?" Mepeilu said hesitantly. "Clothing with high-level spell inscriptions is incredibly rare. Even for Aust-nii, it’s not something easily obtained."

"It’s fine!" Liana said with a sunny smile. "That was Aust’s promise to me. Even if I don’t need it, giving it to you would be just perfect. Think of it as a little gift from me."

"But... why did Aust-nii promise you such a thing in the first place?" Mepeilu asked curiously.

"Because he wasted my time," Liana said, spreading her hands innocently. "He lied, saying he could help me restore my magic, when he actually couldn’t. So this is just a small compensation."

"This..." Mepeilu’s face showed slight embarrassment. "Even so, the price Aust-nii has to pay is quite steep..."

"Liana, you’re indeed special," Mepeilu added gently, "Even though you’ve shown signs of using magic before..."

She trailed off without finishing the sentence.

"But don’t worry," she said seriously. "Even if you can’t use magic, I’ll still protect you."

"I... I just wanted to give you this as an apology for earlier," Liana said softly. "Was that wrong? If so... I’ll stop. From now on, I’ll listen to whatever you say!"

The two played their roles perfectly—one singing the "white face" (good cop), one the "red face" (pitiful victim).

From Aust’s perspective, seeing Liana clinging to Mepeilu felt completely normal. After all, right now, anyone without conflicting interests would naturally want to cozy up to Mepeilu.

Especially someone like Liana, who had natural advantages. If Aust and Mepeilu weren’t competitors, even he would want to get close to her.

Black lines filled Aust’s mind.

It’s easy for you to say you don’t mind—because you’re not the one paying!

Still, at this moment, he had to act generous. At the very least, he couldn’t let Liana form a truly terrible impression of him—he still wanted to use her later.

"It’s fine," Aust said, forcing a smile. "I should cooperate with Liana. Besides, I’ve already imposed on this castle for quite some time."

"When everything is ready, I’ll inform you, Mepeilu."

"Alright," Mepeilu replied, her smile polite but distant.

"Then I’ll take my leave," Aust said.

He understood perfectly well that with Mepeilu here, he had no further opportunity to maneuver. Better to cut his losses now.

"Take care, Aust-nii," Mepeilu said politely as she sent him off.

Once Aust left, the others who didn’t know the full truth also needed to clear out. After all, Liana had something important to discuss with Sybil.

"Since you’re here, Mepeilu," Liana said, turning to her companion, "Olivia, please take Loraviel back."

Liana didn’t feel comfortable sending Loraviel back alone. The estate was large, and if Loraviel got lost or ran into suspicious people, it could be dangerous.

"I understand," Olivia said flatly.

She was never particularly fond of Liana anyway, so she didn’t linger, quickly leaving.

Loraviel, however, looked visibly disappointed.

"...I understand, Lady Liana," she said quietly.

After sending them off, Minoga spoke up.

"So... am I next? What excuse are you going to use to kick me out?"

Liana rolled her eyes and marched straight into Sybil’s room without answering.

Once inside, she made sure the doors and windows were securely shut.

Then she sat down in a chair, threw her legs up on another chair beside her, her pale calves crossing at a lazy angle, creating a beautiful, unguarded scene.

"Let’s start," Liana said. "I’ll begin by telling you about the forbidden drug I was made to take."

"Liana..." Mepeilu frowned slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes.

After all, anything involving forbidden drugs should only be discussed with people one absolutely trusted.

Liana herself hesitated a little. She hadn't originally planned to reveal this to Sybil.

But what choice did she have now?

Sybil had already sensed the forbidden drug. If Liana stayed silent, the investigation would only become more troublesome for her.

"Sybil was my mother’s student. I believe I can trust her."

Or rather... she already knows. Whether I trust her or not, I have no other choice.

Mepeilu followed up smoothly, reinforcing Liana’s decision. It was important to maintain a show of confidence to make Sybil believe them completely.

"Alright," Mepeilu said. "I’ll trust your judgment, Liana."

Though inwardly, Mepeilu couldn’t help harbor a few doubts. The circumstances were too strange.

Still, even with those doubts, she chose to support Liana.

"Does the princess also know about this matter?" Sybil asked, her face showing slight emotion.

It seemed what they were about to discuss wouldn’t be simple.

"Miss Sybil," Mepeilu asked calmly, "how exactly did you realize this?"

"During Lady Liana’s physical examination earlier," Sybil explained, "I vaguely detected traces of the drug. After all, Your Highness, I once used this very drug when treating you, so I’m particularly sensitive to it."

So that was it. Mepeilu understood now.

It wasn’t that Liana trusted Sybil completely—far from it. It was simply that Sybil had figured it out on her own, forcing Liana to cooperate.

"Lady Liana," Sybil asked gently, "why did you take the forbidden drug? Were you forced?"

"How could I have known at the time what it was?" Liana said lazily, already beginning to craft her story.

"Who made you take it? Didn’t you feel anything strange after consuming it?"

"As for who..." Liana shrugged. "There’s no solid evidence. It’s just my own unreliable testimony. Saying anything wouldn’t matter."

"And strange feelings? There weren’t any."

Truthfully, Liana wasn’t counting on Sybil to do anything for her. As long as Sybil treated today's events as if they had never happened, that was enough.

"You felt nothing? Lady Liana, how long exactly were you taking it?" Sybil pressed.

"About three years," Liana said after thinking it over.

"Three years?!"

Sybil’s voice suddenly jumped an octave.

That shouldn’t be possible. If Liana had been taking forbidden drugs for that long, she shouldn’t even be alive!

"What did you say?" Mepeilu jumped to her feet at Sybil’s exclamation, startling Liana so badly she nearly fell.

Fortunately, Minoga reached out and caught her.

"What do you mean? She wouldn’t be alive?" Mepeilu asked, her voice sharp with panic.

"Please, Your Highness, allow me to explain." Sybil forced herself to calm down.

"My teacher once told me," she continued, "that she had developed a prototype antidote... but disappeared before it could be fully tested."

"And now... Lady Liana."

"Do you still have any of the forbidden drug you took?" Sybil asked.

"Any left?"

Liana shook her head. All of it had been thrown away by Minoga.

At that moment, Minoga pulled a small vial from her sleeve.

"Looks like it was the right decision to keep one," she said calmly.

Sybil took the vial, poured out a single pill, and smelled it.

"This is definitely the forbidden drug," she ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) confirmed.