Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176: A Scroll, a Flash, and the Universe

[Lavinia’s Pov—Imperial Palace—Banquet Hall]

"Let’s go, Osric," I murmured, my fingers curling around his warm hand.

"It’s time," he replied softly, the corners of his lips lifting into a small, reassuring smile.

The double doors swung open with a slow, deliberate creak, letting in a wash of golden light from the banquet hall. Marshi trotted beside me, his paws clicking against the marble floor, his silken fur brushing against the hem of my gown.

Solena was perched up on him, proudly.

We stepped forward together—Osric’s hand still clasping mine—as though the air itself parted for our passage. Every conversation died. Heads turned.

Eyes widened.

Gasps slipped through painted lips.

The scent of roses from the hall’s towering arrangements mingled with the faint chill of the corridor behind me, making the moment feel suspended in time.

"By the stars... she’s breathtaking tonight," a woman’s voice trembled in awe.

"Look at the way her gown shimmers—it’s like moonlight was stitched into the fabric," another whispered, her words curling through the air like smoke.

A sharper voice, hushed but laced with excitement, murmured, "And she’s holding Lord Osric’s hand... so the rumors are true?"

"I’d wager we’ll hear of their engagement news before the night ends," came a reply, filled with knowing satisfaction.

What nonsense are they spouting?

Their whispers chased after me, a quiet storm of curiosity and speculation, but I kept my gaze forward. The chandelier light danced across the polished floor, the train of my gown trailing like liquid silver, and Osric’s thumb brushed gently against my knuckles.

Every step was deliberate. Every breath was measured. And though my face bore only a serene smile, inside my heart beat like the ceremonial drums awaiting the start of something that could change everything.

And then...

"Lavinia."

Papa’s deep voice rolled across the hall like distant thunder. He stepped forward from the dais, every inch the emperor, his dark cloak swaying behind him.

Osric bowed respectfully, but before I could even react, Papa’s large hand firmly separated mine from Osric’s like peeling apart a scandal in progress.

The glare he shot Osric could have melted steel. Or at least wilted a bouquet.

Without missing a beat, Papa linked his arm with mine, the iron grip of a man who had just declared, "Over my dead body," without actually saying it.

"That," he said with a proud, booming voice that echoed across the banquet, "was a spectacular entrance, my child."

I smirked, tilting my chin up just enough to make my nose look even higher than my royal status."Hah... I knew that! I am a walking diva, Papa. Anything I do is spectacular."

Papa blinked at me. Once. Twice. And then—he chuckled, that rare, warm rumble. "Shall we go?"

I felt heat creep to my cheeks, but I still managed to nod with dignity. "Y-yes."

We walked together, the emperor and his crown princess, side by side, toward the throne. My gown’s golden cloak trailed behind me like a living flame, my head high, my every step saying this is my stage.

And then—out of the corner of my eye—I saw her.

Eleania.

Standing among the crowd, like a thorn tucked into a bouquet of smiling courtiers. At her side was Count Talvan’s daughter, Lady Sirella, whose smile was just a little too sweet to be genuine.

Oh, she came too.

Our eyes met.

Her smile didn’t change, but her gaze... oh, that was not the look of a friend. That was the angry glare of a woman who had lost either a crown, a man, or both.

For the briefest second, my brow twitched.

But then—I lifted my chin a fraction higher, turned my head away, and moved forward without giving her the satisfaction of a second glance.

Tonight was mine.

And no amount of glaring could dim my crown’s shine.

Papa led me to the dais, the entire hall’s attention locked on us. He took his place beside the throne, raised a hand, and began in that deep, commanding voice that could hush a battlefield.

"Thank you... all of you... for coming to celebrate my only, precious daughter’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony. From Today, she is going to enter the damn—"

I jabbed his side with my elbow.

He coughed, correcting himself without missing a beat. "—enter the... society."

And yet his gaze swept over the hall like a predator scanning prey.

"As the next empress of this empire, you will serve her... honor her... and show absolute loyalty to her."

And then... his voice dropped, slow and sharp enough to slice through silk.

"And... should any idiot... foolish enough to think himself worthy... dare to pester her with a marriage proposal..."

"I will personally... remove his head... from his shoulders... and hang it—."

Papa blinked down at me, completely unfazed. "But I didn’t even start yet."

"Then... I present to you... the Crown Princess of the Elorian Empire—my daughter, my pride, my blood—Lavinia Devereux!"

"We greet Her Majesty, the Crown Princess!"

His voice dropped lower, eyes glinting like a man about to casually conquer a small country."...I have brought you every treasure in this kingdom. And if there was one I couldn’t find—rest assured, I took it from someone else."

Gasps rippled through the hall—some shocked, some impressed... and some just nodding like, Ah yes, typical Emperor Cassius behavior.

He beamed like I’d just handed him an award for Best Emperor in the History of Over-the-Top Gifting.

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