Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Protect the Crown

[Lavinia’s POV—Dawnspire Wing—Lavinia’s Chamber]

"Princess... Are you alright in there?"

Ravick’s voice floated through the door, deep and steady as always.

I nearly tripped over my own leg in panic, fumbling with the wardrobe latch before yanking it open. I plastered on the most dazzling royal smile I could manage.

"Sorry! I was... uh... occupied. With something."

Ravick stared at me, then his eyes narrowed slightly as they swept over my chamber, scanning every corner like a hawk.

"His Majesty requests your presence in his office, Princess."

"Yes, of course," I said quickly, stepping aside so he wouldn’t be tempted to wander in. "I’ll just change and come back soon."

He gave a curt nod. "I will wait outside—"

"That’s not necessary, Ravick," I interrupted, waving a hand. "Papa might need you, so you can go. I’ll be there soon."

. . .

. . .

Ravick squinted at me, folded his arms across his chest, and said slowly, "Princess... Are you hiding something?"

Damn it!

My laugh came out a little too high-pitched. "Hiding? Ha-ha-ha... what could I possibly be hiding? Except food. Which I absolutely do not have under my bed right now. Or anywhere else. Nope."

He stared for a beat longer, long enough for the back of my neck to start sweating like a monsoon in Nigeria. I can’t lie to my people—not when they can read me like a book with missing pages.

Finally, he sighed. "Alright. But come soon... before His Majesty decides to come get you himself."

"Yes, yes. Bye-bye!" I chirped, pushing the door closed a bit too quickly.

SLAM!

I leaned back against it and exhaled so loudly I might have alarmed the guards down the hall.

That’s when I realized, in all those palace romance novels, when the heroine hides the love interest in a wardrobe, it’s described as exciting, daring, and romantic. No one tells you about the part where your heart tries to launch itself into orbit every time someone knocks.

"Is he gone?"

The wardrobe door creaked open just enough for Rey’s face to appear—annoyingly gorgeous even after being squashed between my gowns and my winter cloaks.

And because the universe clearly hates me, his smirk was positively glowing.

I plopped onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh, pressing my fingers to my temple. "Hiding a man is a very risky thing to do, you know."

Rey didn’t even flinch. He simply sauntered over and dropped himself beside me, lounging like he owned the place.

"Well... I enjoyed it," he said, as if I’d just given him a holiday.

I shot him a look. "Don’t you think you’re a little too comfortable for someone who just risked his life climbing into a princess’s wardrobe?"

He reached over, plucked a piece of fruit from the table, and bit into it lazily. "Am I?"

I wanted to smack that smug expression off his face. "You’re insufferable," I muttered, waving my hand impatiently. "Alright, tell me what you’ve got."

Finally—business. Or so I thought. He reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope, holding it out with a faint flourish.

"This is all I’ve got for now."

I took it, already bracing myself for some news. But the moment I opened it, my entire body froze.

"What in the hell is this?" I asked, staring at him like he’d just handed me a napkin.

He crunched into his apple again, unfazed. "I told you—this is all I got."

I reached inside and pulled out... a single sheet of paper. I held it up between two fingers. "Just one page? This is it?"

He nodded without shame. "Yes. Her history was so clean and short, for a second I thought she was a saint."

. . .

. . .

I blinked at him, dumbfounded. "I have clearly hired the wrong man for this job."

That, apparently, hit a nerve. He straightened, his brows drawing together. "How can you... That’s all I got in the time you gave me. You think it’s easy to dig up information about someone who’s clearly hiding their past? I had one week, Princess. One."

"Some people," I said sweetly, "get information in two days."

He let out a sharp breath and plopped on the sofa, pouting, clearly offended now. "Some people don’t appreciate how much work goes into digging up a ghost. Anyway, I’ve got my people keeping an eye on her—"

Then, without warning, his voice dropped into something colder. "But there is something I was informed of while they were tracking her."

That caught my attention. "What is it?"

"There was something rotten being delivered to Count Talvan’s mansion."

My brows knit. "Rotten?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. But the strange part is... no one in the Talvan estate seemed to notice. Or smell it."

CLANG!

The blade in my hand gleamed under the sunlight as I smiled sweetly. "Would you like to walk out, or should I personally throw you over the balcony?"

***

[Osric’s POV—Everheart Mansion—Afternoon]

"Osric."

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