Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 299

Chapter 299: The Law of the Crown

[Lavinia’s POV — Everheart Estate, Grand Hall, Moments Later]

The silence that followed my words was absolute.

The music had stopped mid-note, the air itself frozen as if the entire hall had forgotten how to breathe. Hundreds of eyes turned toward me—wide, startled, terrified. Even the chandeliers seemed to flicker in warning.

My heels clicked once against the marble. The sound echoed like thunder through the stillness.

"Your Highness—" someone began, voice trembling.

"Silence," I said softly.

It wasn’t a shout. It didn’t need to be.

The word carried the weight of a command born of imperial blood. And like puppets with their strings cut, every voice in the hall died.

I walked forward slowly—my gown trailing behind me like molten gold, my eyes fixed on the scene that had lit the fuse of my temper.

Sir Haldor. The Captain of my Imperial Knights. A man whose blade should protect the Empire’s borders, whose loyalty was unshakable. And there he was—bowing slightly, a tray in his hand, offering wine to some perfumed court lady who now looked as pale as milk.

A chill spread through my chest—not cold, but sharp, deadly, and controlled.

I stopped before them, every step deliberate and measured. My shadow fell across the trembling noblewoman, who tried—and failed—to curtsy.

"What," I said quietly, "exactly am I looking at?"

The woman stammered. "Y-Your Highness, I—I only asked for a drink, and he—"

"And he what?"

My tone was calm—too calm. The kind of calm that made thunder hesitate before striking.The music had long died; the laughter vanished. Every noble in the room had turned to stone, their jeweled eyes reflecting only fear.

"A Captain of the Imperial Knights decided to serve you wine?" I took a step forward, the marble beneath my heel echoing sharp and clear. "Or did you command him to?"

No one dared to breathe. The air trembled as I let my gaze drift across the trembling crowd... until it stopped.

On two faces.

Eleania Talvan.Sirella Talvan.

Eleania—the simpering snake with a smile too sweet to trust.Of course.

I tilted my head slightly, voice soft but seething."Tell me..." I said, my words curling like smoke through the hall. "Whose idea was this? Who dared to treat my captain as a servant?"

The silence screamed.

Sir Haldor stepped forward, bowing. "Your Highness, it’s nothing. I only—"

"Sir Haldor."

He froze as my eyes met his. The fury beneath my composure could have scorched the world. "Did I command you to open your mouth?"

He didn’t flinch, didn’t lower his gaze—just answered with steady obedience."No, Your Highness."

"Then stay still," I said quietly, dangerously. "Until you hear my next command."

He bowed low. "I apologize, Your Highness."

The room went colder.

I turned my attention back to the women, the hem of my gown whispering against the floor like a blade sliding free.

"Now," I murmured, my voice lowering to a hiss, "who will open her mouth? Or..." My gaze sharpened, "...shall I drag every last one of you to the dungeons until someone remembers how to speak?"

The silence cracked. One of the women broke, voice shaking as she pointed a trembling hand."It—it was Lady Eleania’s idea, Your Highness!"

Eleania’s eyes widened. "What? How dare—"

The woman continued, desperate to save her own skin. "She wanted a drink, but there were no waiters nearby—so she said... she said we should ask someone else to serve!"

I could feel my pulse pounding, the storm rising inside me.

"So," I said softly, the word cutting like ice, "you had the audacity to make my Imperial Captain serve you wine?"

Eleania stumbled backward. "Y-Your Highness, I didn’t mean—"

"You didn’t mean to?" I hissed. "You humiliated an Imperial officer under my banner. In my presence. And you dare to hide behind excuses?"

Every eye flickered as if afraid.

The women fell to their knees, shaking. "We—we apologize, Your Highness! Please have mercy!"

I stared down at them, my voice dropping to a low, glacial whisper. "Mercy... is earned. Not begged for." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Then my gaze shifted—slowly, deliberately—toward the man standing stiffly near the dais."Count Talvan."

The color drained from his face as I called his name.He stepped forward, bowing low. "Your Highness, I... I apologize on behalf of my daughter—"

"No."

The single word sliced through the hall like a drawn blade. The air froze.

"Apologies," I said, stepping closer, "are a currency for cowards. I don’t need them. I need answers."

Count Talvan looked up, startled. "Y-Your Highness?"

"Tell me, Count," I said coldly, "why has my imperial decree not been followed yet?"

"D-Decree?" one noble whispered.

"Did Her Highness send a decree to the Talvan family?"

My eyes narrowed. "I would have," I said, my tone low and sharp as steel, "until today."I took a step forward, and the crowd instinctively stepped back. "But after what I’ve witnessed—your daughter’s arrogance, her disrespect to my captain—I see now why my decision was correct."

"From this moment," I said, my voice rising with cold authority, "I hereby command you—Count Talvan—to disown your adopted daughter, Eleania Talvan."

Gasps erupted. Fans dropped. Someone audibly whispered, "Disown?!"Another voice—"That’s too harsh! I wonder what she did before!"

But Count Talvan did not flinch. He straightened slowly, his jaw tightening. "Your Highness," he said evenly, "with all due respect, for a mere Imperial Captain, such a punishment—disowning my daughter—is too severe. I believe you should not act in haste."

I tilted my head slightly, lips curving into something that wasn’t quite a smile."Haste?"

He met my gaze with forced calm—no tremor, no fear."I apologize, Your Highness," he said, voice low but steady. "But... disowning my daughter for a mere captain seems a hasty decision."

I smiled. Slow. Dangerous. "You said... for a mere captain?"

"Then allow me," I said softly, "to correct your misunderstanding."

I turned slightly, my voice rising, cutting through the air like steel on glass."From this moment onward," I declared, "the Captain of the Imperial Knights shall stand second only to the Crown Princess in rank."

"From today," I continued, my tone smooth but merciless, "every one of you—noble, count, or duke—shall bow to the Imperial Captain before you dare address me."

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