Too Lazy to be a Villainess

[Talvan Estate—Office—Continuation]

Count Talvan's gaze lingered on his daughter, sharp and unreadable. "The Princess is not… someone easily subdued, my dear," he said slowly, each word like gravel in a wound. "Stop with your nonsense before it gets dangerous—"

Sirella's lips curved into a faint, calculating smile. "What if I prove it, Father?" Her voice was soft, but it carried a steel edge, a challenge wrapped in silk.

Count Talvan's eyes narrowed, the cold flicker of caution passing across his features. "And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?"

She leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting with a hunger for getting the throne. "I have a plan, Father… a plan to end the Princess before she even touches the crown with her so-called divine benediction. To ensure the throne never rests in her hands… but in mine."

The Count studied her, weighing the ambition in her gaze like a blade against a whetstone. A slow, approving smirk formed on his face.

"Then… do it, my dear," he said finally, reclining into the heavy chair with the ease of a man who trusts power over words. "Let us see if my daughter can truly harm the Crown Princess. If you leave even the faintest scratch… even the tiniest mark… I shall assume you are fit to wear the crown. I will see to it that the empire bends at your feet, and the throne itself rests upon your head."

Sirella's eyes sparkled with a mixture of pride and something darker—greed, ambition, and a taste of blood in her mouth.

Count Talvan rose, the weight of his presence filling the chamber. His gaze locked on hers, sharp as a dagger. "But I warn you… disappoint me, even once…" His hand clenched, white-knuckled, on the armrest. "...and I will have no choice but to end your life with my own hands."

With that, he swept from the room, leaving Sirella alone in the faint glow of candlelight.

A slow, deliberate smile spread across her lips. She turned to the portrait of her late Aunt, the ex-Empress, her gaze not resting on her face—but on the crown that adorned it.

Sirella leaned closer, her fingers tracing the golden circlet in the painting as if it were already hers. Her voice was a soft murmur, almost reverent, yet tinged with avarice. "I wonder… how much better it would suit me. How heavy it will feel when it is mine… when the empire bends at my command. Not at Lavinia's command…but mine"

The candlelight flickered across her features, catching the glint in her eyes. Ambition, cold and unrelenting, had a new vessel. And Sirella… Sirella was ready to rise.

***

[Imperial Palace—The Next Day—Morning—Private Garden]

I sank into the plush chair, the fabric soft against my skin. Sera moved gracefully beside me, pouring steaming coffee into my cup and tea for Teacher Evelyn, who sat across the table, composed and serene as ever. Marshi darted around the garden, chasing his mate in delighted circles.

The sunlight kissed the leaves, warm and golden… yet my attention wasn't on the flowers or the playful chaos—it was on him.

"Theon…" I began, arching an eyebrow, my gaze sharp as a cat's.

He shimmered beside me like a glittering star caught in a gale, twirling, sparkling, and eyes blazing as if a comet were about to dive into my teacup.

"I wanted some free time with my teacher, Theon," I said lightly, teasing, letting my words slice through the air. "Why are you here? Did Papa finally release you from that endless mountain of paperwork… or whatever other royal nonsense keeps you from sparkling away from me?"

Theon's grin stretched impossibly wide, chest puffed like a rooster declaring dawn. "I… I ran away, Princess! I simply could not afford to miss a single moment with my wife at… this… stage!" He gestured at himself and then Evelyn with a dramatic flourish, glitter trailing behind him like he'd been dipped in starlight.

I mutter under my breath, "Why do I feel like soon… you're going to turn into a pancake under Papa's fury?"

Then my gaze drifted to Teacher Evelyn, poised and elegant, the picture of composure next to our living glitter bomb.

I tilted my head, a soft smirk tugging at my lips. "Congratulations," I said, my voice softening just slightly. "Maybe this is your first pregnancy, Teacher Evelyn… but I trust you're… experienced enough to handle raising a child without turning it into a royal disaster."

Teacher Evelyn blinked, a small, amused smile touching her lips. She glanced at Theon, who was still practically vibrating with sparkly excitement, and chuckled lightly. "I suppose you're right, Princess. With… this one around, it shouldn't be too difficult to raise a child."

I leaned back, letting a small laugh escape me. "Not too difficult? You've clearly underestimated the… full circus effect Theon brings to everything. Including babies."

Theon struck a dramatic pose, glitter scattering in the sunlight. "Princess, I am the star of this place! And this… this child will have the best father in the galaxy. Fear not, it will be sparkling perfection!"

I stared at him flatly, blinking once. Then---

"THEON!!"

As if on cue, the earth trembled—or maybe that was just my papa appearing, his presence suddenly filling the garden. Theon flinched, eyes wide as saucers, and instinctively shot himself into the nearest bush with all the grace of a cannonball in a swimming pool.

Before he could settle, Papa's hand clamped down on his collar like a vise. "How dare you skip your work and wander around my daughter!" His voice was a whip cracking across the garden.

Theon wiggled violently, glitter shaking off him like sparks from a fire. "Your Majesty! My wife… my wife is here! As a good husband, I must… I must—"

"SHUT UP!" Papa roared.

Before Theon could even flinch, he dragged him out of the bush with terrifying precision, Theon's legs flailing like a windmill in a storm. "You shall not leave your office without all your paperwork complete!"

Theon squeaked, trying to wriggle free. "Your Majesty… my wife… she needs me! I… I demand one year of maternity leave!"

Papa's hand swung with the speed of a hawk—THWACK!—and Theon's glittery head bounced slightly from the impact. "There is no leave for you! Not weekends, not weekdays, not even imaginary holidays!"

Theon flopped, dangling from Papa's grip like a confused star caught in a storm, yelling, "No…! Your Majesty! You… you cannot do this!"

Everyone stared at Theon with a flat expression. Gardeners, maids, knights and even birds.

I leaned back, sipping my tea with deliberate calm, and muttered, "Well… that's one way to make sure he never runs off again."

From across the table, Teacher Evelyn chuckled, the sound soft but warm, like sunlight through the blinds.

"I truly wonder… how you manage to bear with him, teacher?"

She glanced at me and leaned forward, eyes twinkling with a secret mischief. "You see… where there is love, no matter how ridiculous, how utterly chaotic, how completely unhinged a person might be… we still choose to move forward with them. And you must know that too, princess. Am I right?"

I blinked, a little thrown off.

Her gaze sharpened, glinting like sunlight off steel. "And yes… I am talking about you and Lord Osric, Princess."

I nearly choked on my tea. "…H-How did you—?"

She smirked, lips curling like she'd just unlocked the universe's biggest secret. "I am your teacher, Princess. I know what rumors are pure rubbish and what… is reality wrapped in very thin layers of drama."

I felt my cheeks heat up, a blush creeping into my skin like wildfire.

Evelyn leaned in even closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "So… tell me. How is it really going? Has Lord Osric confessed? Have you two… kissed?"

I swallowed, my blush deepening, ears tingling. "Th-That's… private."

Her smirk widened like the horizon at dawn. She sipped her tea with the most infuriating calm imaginable and whispered, "Ah… so you did."

Then, leaning back, she folded her hands elegantly and continued, her voice calm but cutting through the air like a velvet dagger. "Now… I do wonder… what will happen when the Emperor finds out that you… are in love. After all, he banned dates in the palace precisely so that you would not fall for anyone."

A nervous smile tugged at my lips, though my fingers tightened slightly around the teacup. "Yes… that… that does frighten me too. I suppose… Osric still has a long way to go before he earns papa's full trust—and, of course, his approval."

Evelyn's eyes softened as she nodded, a rare warmth beneath her usual composure. "All the best, Princess," she said, her words carrying the weight of quiet encouragement.

I exhaled, letting the tension in my shoulders ease, though my mind was already spinning with thoughts of Osric, papa, and the chaos when the papa finds the truth of me and Osric dating.

The empire might tremble that day.