The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn't This Wrong?-Chapter 41: The one who should apologize is me

On the second day of Mepeilu's visit to the Venus Estate, Liana woke up in bed.

Loraviel had already brought her favorite pastries and tea.

“Put it on the table.” Liana rubbed her head. Her long golden hair was messy from sleep.

“You should go train for the day.”

Liana wanted some time alone to think. If Mepeilu hadn’t uncovered the truth, then the plot should proceed as it originally had. But if she had, then the story was about to change.

She could count on Mepeilu’s help for now, but from here on, Liana would have to write her own story. And she was still just an ordinary person who couldn’t use magic...

“Lady Liana, do you feel unwell?” Loraviel asked, noticing her furrowed brows.

“I already told you to go train.”

Her tone was harsher than usual, a reflection of her poor mood.

“...Understood.”

Loraviel hadn’t heard that commanding voice in a month. It was obvious that Liana was in a truly foul mood.

After Loraviel left, it wasn’t long before there was another knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

Liana, already annoyed, opened the door.

“Mepeilu?”

“I just saw your maid leave. I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

Mepeilu’s voice was soft, almost pitiful, like a guilty lover seeking forgiveness.

“...”

Honestly, this trick was effective—but Liana refused to be swayed.

She had assumed that after yesterday’s awkward scene, they wouldn’t meet again anytime soon. At least not for a while. Had Mepeilu already found out the truth?

“It wouldn’t be wise to close your door now, would it?”

A sudden voice came from inside the room.

Liana frowned.

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“Great Judicator, do you make a habit of barging into people’s rooms?”

It was Minoja.

“Or are you planning to search my room again? Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s nothing left for you to find.”

Minoja was sitting in a chair, casually eating the pastries Loraviel had prepared for Liana.

“Oh, the cookies are broken. How unpleasant.”

Liana: Silently resigned.

“What do you want? Speak quickly, I want to sleep.” Liana yawned.

“...May I come in?” Mepeilu asked.

It was early in the morning, and there was no one else outside.

If anyone saw Mepeilu standing at Liana’s door looking like a forlorn lover, their hearts would surely melt.

“...Fine.”

Judging by Minoja’s attitude, she had probably succeeded.

And honestly, Mepeilu’s pitiful expression was hard to ignore.

Mepeilu quickly stepped into the room and locked the door behind her.

“...Why are you locking the door?”

The moment Liana turned around, Mepeilu lunged forward, wrapping her arms around her.

“I’m sorry, Liana. I was so foolish...”

“Ugh, again with the apologies? If you’re really sorry, then—”

“I’ll give you everything you asked for.”

Mepeilu cut her off before she could finish.

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“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

“...Tell you what?”

Liana immediately realized—Mepeilu knew.

“Do you really not trust me that much? I know everything now! You weren’t trying to make forbidden drugs. You were trying to make an antidote, weren’t you?”

A short silence followed before Liana sighed in resignation.

“So you figured it out after all.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You had three years—you had plenty of chances to tell me, didn’t you?”

“Calm down first, okay?”

“Liana, it’s fine. I had the whole night to think. I won’t do anything reckless. Just trust me. Please... just tell me everything.”

Mepeilu’s voice was almost pleading.

Seeing her like this, so anxious and vulnerable, Liana’s heart ached.

“...Are you still blaming yourself for what happened?”

“You were sick at the time—that’s why you couldn’t be there for me. Why would I blame you for that?”

“Shouldn’t the one to blame be Countess Ruth? She’s the one who orchestrated all of this, isn’t she?”

“Besides, it was my choice not to accept your help. I’m the one who pushed you away. It wasn’t that you didn’t reach out to me—it was that I refused to take your hand. That was my own decision.”

“I should be the one apologizing.”

“...Three years ago, while you were sick, Countess Ruth made her move against me. Though I suppose ‘move’ isn’t the right word.”

“Back then, she was acting as my guardian. Slowly, she dismissed all the servants around me. She was the only one who stayed by my side, comforting me.”

“I was naïve enough to believe she cared about me. That she was taking care of me because my parents were gone. That she kept me company when you were too busy.”

“But all that time, I held onto the belief that my parents would come back.”

“...Until one day, Countess Ruth gave me a strange medicine.”

“I didn’t question it at the time. I trusted her. She had been so kind to me—I never suspected anything.”

“So I drank it without hesitation.”

“And when the next magic evaluation came, they said I had no magical potential at all.”

“It was strange, wasn’t it? I had been able to use simple spells before. But I never even considered that Countess Ruth was behind it. Because when she heard the news—she cried.”

“She held me and sobbed. She worked tirelessly to find doctors who could help me.”

“But now I know... those tears, those doctors—they were all part of the plan.”

“And that was when you found me.”

“But for some reason, I couldn’t control myself. I lashed out at you.”

“Again and again. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop myself...”

“But fortunately, a little over a month ago, something changed. For some reason, I missed a dose of that drug. And for the first time in years, I felt... clear.”

“That’s when I realized just how badly I had screwed up.”

“I knew I had caused you so much trouble. Just standing next to you would put you at risk.”

“So I didn’t want to tell you.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Because I knew—you would help me. No matter what. Even after everything I did to you.”

“But I hurt you so deeply.”

“All this time... I should have been the one apologizing.”

“I’m sorry, Mepeilu.”