Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 260

Chapter 260: The Darkness that Blinds

[Lavinia’s POV—Within the Void]

The silence pulsed. A heartbeat made of nothing. Or maybe... my own. I wasn’t sure anymore.

It was cold here—not the kind of cold that bit at your skin, but one that sank straight into the soul. Every breath, if it could be called that, felt heavy, like inhaling shadows. I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed; darkness looked the same either way.

"Am I... dead again?" I whispered.

No one answered. The words fell into the void and vanished, swallowed whole. Just like me.

I hugged my knees tighter, curling smaller, as if I could disappear into myself completely. My hands trembled against my legs. Even here, even in nothingness, I could still feel—the ache in my chest, the sting in my throat, and the echo of his voice.

Papa...

That word should have been a comfort, but it burned. Because if I reached for it—reached for him—I might have to remember everything else too.

The moment I remembered who I truly was. The blood that tied me to two worlds that would never accept me. The faces of those who had once loved me... and those who had watched me die.

Tears didn’t fall here. They couldn’t. The void drank everything before it ever reached the surface.

"I don’t want to go back," I murmured to the dark. "It hurts there. Everything hurts."

The darkness stirred faintly—almost as if it listened.And then it answered.

A ripple, faint and soft, brushed across the emptiness. It wasn’t sound, exactly. More like... thought. A whisper made of shadows.

"Then stay."

I froze. My eyes darted around, though there was nothing to see. Only darkness—endless and heavy. But that voice... that wasn’t the voice of the void. It was too warm. Too human.

"No..." I whispered, shaking my head. "That wasn’t the darkness."

My throat tightened. "Who... who is it?"

Silence answered. A long, suffocating silence that pressed against my chest like a weight.I swallowed hard, forcing a shaky laugh. "I guess... my ears were ringing." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Then—

"Lavinia..."

The voice came again. Soft. Gentle. A melody that drifted through the dark like a memory of sunlight. I shot to my feet, my heart pounding. The nothingness beneath me rippled like water.

"Who’s there?!" I called, my voice echoing far, far away.

There was no answer. Just that silence again—deep, unbroken.

And then, slowly, the voice spoke once more. "Do you really want to stay here?"

I didn’t answer. My throat locked. I could feel the words I wanted to say clawing at the inside of my chest, but they wouldn’t come out.

Finally, I whispered, "Can I not even stay here?"

For a moment, there was nothing. Then, softly—almost like a mother humming to a restless child—came the reply:

"My dear... You can stay here if you feel safe. No one will lie to you. No one will leave."

My breath caught. It was tempting. So tempting.

The darkness wasn’t cruel—it was safe. It didn’t ask for anything. It didn’t demand that I be strong, or forgiving, or brave. It just was. It let me hide. It let me rest.

And for a moment, I thought maybe that was enough. But beneath that calm whisper, something else stirred—faint, distant, but unmistakable.

A heartbeat. Not mine. Steady. Strong. Familiar.

Papa’s.

The sound pulsed faintly through the void, and I turned toward it without thinking. The air trembled—or maybe it was me.

Before I could take a step, the voice spoke again. "Are you sure you want to stay here, my child?"

The words froze me where I stood.

That tone—tender, soft, almost loving—made something deep inside me twist. I clenched my fists.

"Don’t call me ’my child’," I said, my voice shaking. "Only Papa has the right to call me that."

A soft laugh answered—fragile and sad. "But... you are my child, my dear."

I blinked, frowning. "What?"

And then... the darkness shimmered. Like a veil lifting. From within it, light unfurled—pale and soft, rippling through the void like the first dawn after endless night.

A woman stepped forward.

She wore a flowing white gown that glowed faintly against the shadows. Her hair, long and dark as midnight silk, framed a face I knew by heart—though I had only seen it in faded portraits.

Eyes—green like emerald leaves glistening in morning dew—looked at me with warmth that felt achingly familiar.

My breath caught. My heart stuttered.

"Mo... Mother?"

Her lips curved into a gentle smile, so full of affection that my knees nearly gave out.

"I see..." she whispered softly, stepping closer. "So my sweetheart recognizes me."

***

[Emperor Cassius’s POV—Imperial Palace, Dawn]

The healers had begged me to rest, but how could I? My daughter—my precious daughter—still lay motionless, her chest rising and falling in fragile rhythm. A faint shimmer of magic pulsed around her, soft as moonlight, but it wasn’t ours. It was hers.

SLAM!!!

Three figures stood framed in the light of the rising sun—tall, cloaked, regal, and unmistakably elven.

"MY PRECIOUS!!!"

The thunderous cry belonged to none other than Thalein, the ancient Lord of Nivale, Lavinia’s grandfather. His usually serene composure was gone—his eyes wide, his voice breaking as he hurried forward, robes billowing behind him.

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