A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

["From the standpoint of culinary expertise alone, the standard of this establishment could be deemed a visual tragedy. Yet, beneath such grievous execution of the culinary arts, the ingredients themselves managed to effortlessly stir my soul, a testament to their extraordinary caliber."]

["In an eatery of such common standing within a modest territory, one would not anticipate the presence of such flawless ingredients. It was only upon further inquiry that I discovered... such ingredients could be procured throughout the Watson territory at prices astonishingly on par with those of ordinary fare."]

["I must confess my initial skepticism, until, at the market of this humble territorial city, I encountered a tomato of such freshness that it moved me to tears."]

The gourmet's article, once published in the capital, caused a sensation that was somewhat… baffling in its intensity.

"Ravenna!"

In the public dining hall of the Tower of Babel, Hendrik cheerfully waved Ravenna over to join him at a table with a plate of vegetables.

Miss puppet paused briefly before sitting quietly across from him.

"The public dining hall has also adopted ingredients cultivated with soil enhancement potions," Hendrik declared with great delight. "How do you find the taste?"

"It is passable," Ravenna murmured, her gaze lowered, responding softly, "I possess no particular standard by which to judge the flavors of food."

"Ravenna , I have not observed your presence in the public dining hall before... Is it to sample the new ingredients, perhaps?"

"...You might say that."

— She would not disclose that it was under the mandate of someone invoking her father's name that she was compelled to partake in three square meals daily.

Accustomed to Ravenna's temperament, Hendrik remained joyous, handing her the newspaper beside him: "Ravenna... we have triumphed, truly succeeded!"

Ravenna glanced at the newspaper, her brow furrowing deeply at the sensational headline dominating the top of the front page.

[From the Tower of Babel, a Peculiar Elixir, a Divine Miracle to Eradicate Hunger?]

Yet Hendrik continued unabated, his excitement boundless: "I have been vigilantly monitoring the situations in both Pelican City and Breeze City... For some reason, Breeze City has not made much noise, but Pelican City... My goodness, their efficiency, not just in cultivation, but in distributing food throughout the territory, is exceedingly high!"

In the middle-aged man's eyes shone the light of fulfilled aspirations: "In just over a month, an entire mid-sized territory is nearly on the verge of eradicating hunger, and furthermore, we provided them with such a minimal dosage of the potion. If we were to supply more, cultivate additional farmland, then the entire empire's hunger issues could—"

"This has deviated somewhat from our projections, Hendrik."

Ravenna interjected calmly, halting Hendrik's torrent of words: "Our initial plan was to confine it to those two cities. Now the entire empire is aware... Do you truly believe this to be advantageous?"

Hendrik paused, then chuckled wryly, massaging his forehead: "You have a point, the situation has suddenly become heated, and this will likely complicate matters for Lord Ansel."

No... The issue lay with Ansel.

Ravenna, gripping her cutlery tightly, fell silent.

In the brief moments of solitude, away from Ansel's influence, she could barely reclaim her former self—rational, composed, capable of clearly analyzing the current situation.

Because in Ansel's company, the pressure she endured... was immense.

She found herself constantly actively contemplating, or being led to contemplate, the events unfolding, rather than considering what Ansel truly intended.

This was, in a sense, beneficial, yet... not entirely so.

Because under such duress, Ravenna had nearly forgotten a principle she had steadfastly maintained—that Ansel was invariably "ill-intentioned" towards her.

Or rather, it seemed she had indeed... relinquished this notion.

For when Ansel played the role of "father," he did so impeccably.

So flawlessly that Ravenna, who had lacked this pivotal figure in her life, craved his guidance, his teachings, yearned for the knowledge associated with "revolution," even under immense pressure.

Even now, as she regained her composure, she recognized this truth, yet felt... powerless to reverse it.

She could not extricate herself from this sentiment, or rather… this was the rational choice Ravenna had made after weighing the pros and cons.

In Ansel's presence, she had no capacity to consider these matters; only as Ravenna could she glimpse the potential dangers that might arise.

The outcome of this game, orchestrated by Ansel, hinged on which of the two cities would ultimately prosper more.

Logically, the development of a city is a protracted process; not a month, but even a year might not reveal significant changes.

Yet... Pelican City was like a chariot pulled by a steed fed an elixir, recklessly and almost madly galloping across the plains.

Too fast.

As if an invisible hand was pulling it towards an abyssal chasm.
Continue your journey on m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

Attracting excessive attention was undoubtedly problematic, yet Ravenna could not articulate precisely why.

Ansel had restrained all extraordinary beings, so none could violently seize this fruit of labor. The unknown issues, the unease she harbored... where did they stem from?

Ravenna silently conveyed a spear of broccoli to her mouth, feeling somewhat relieved that Ansel did not constantly tether her to his side; otherwise, when would she have the time or peace of mind to ponder these matters?

Amidst this relief, Ravenna also felt a profound sense of helplessness.

Even if she could think, identify issues, she was powerless to effect change.

The only one who could alter this course is father—

The thought abruptly surfaced in Miss puppet's mind, and at the same moment, her body stiffened, even the act of chewing ceased.

...Absurd.

She whispered to herself internally, continuing her meal.

But the vibration from the pocket of her white coat interrupted her once more.

This time, Ravenna said nothing, neatly standing up with her plate in hand, disregarding the mostly uneaten food, ready to depart.

"Ravenna? Why depart so abruptly?" Hendrik was puzzled by her sudden leave, "Regarding... the matter in Pelican City, let us discuss further, and perhaps the soil enhancement potion could still be improved—"

"Ansel has summoned me."

With just that, Hendrik could say no more.

He smiled, conceding cheerfully: "Then Lord Ansel's matters take precedence, off you go."

Ravenna nodded slightly, but as she turned to leave, Hendrik suddenly called out to her again.

"…Ravenna."

This middle-aged man, who was both a mentor and a father figure to Ravenna, one of the few significant presences in her life, hesitated for a long time before finally speaking softly, "Are you happy now?"

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p.s. received several reviews these weeks commenting MC "dumb", well...