Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 324

Chapter 324: The Tyrant Accepts the Throne’s Challenge

[Kaelren’s POV—Meren Capital—War Chamber, Present Night

A cup shattered against the floor.

Not because Kaelren threw it. Because the hand holding it squeezed hard enough to crack solid glass.

The royal messenger knelt before him—forehead glued to the icy floor, shaking so violently it was a miracle he could still speak. "R–Red Wall Castle has... f–fallen, Your Highness..."

Kaelren said nothing.

Not a word.

He just stared ahead—expression blank, eyes glowing gold like a beast cornered. The silence stretched long enough for the messenger’s breath to tremble with terror.

"...and the one who seized it was—" He didn’t finish.

Kaelren finished it for him. "—the Elorian Crown Princess."

The words dripped from his tongue like poison. A child should not sound that calm. A child should not sound that deadly.

And yet... Kaelren smiled. A small, perfect smile. Cold and bloodless.

He whispered, very softly, "So... the spine of Meren was finally broken by that Elorian princess."

The messenger flinched—not at the words, but at the tone. Because it wasn’t despair.

It was anticipation.

Kaelren stood slowly, stepping down from the throne. His bare feet made no sound against marble even as he crossed the room with terrifying grace. He crouched down in front of the trembling soldier.

"You saw her?"

"N–no, Your Highness... "B—but the reports say she marched through the gate herself—"

"That she led the attack?"

"Y—yes..."

Kaelren chuckled. "She’s bold. Brash. Hungry. Perfect."

His fingers gently—too gently—patted the messenger’s trembling head. "Tell me everything she did."

The messenger swallowed. "She... used starving villagers to riot. The guards hesitated to shoot, and her army stormed in behind the villagers. They... they never had a chance to fight back."

Kaelren went still.

Then he laughed—not joyfully, not sanely, but with the pure fascination of someone watching a weapon evolve. "She used their own sins against them."

His smile twisted—admiring and deranged all at once. "She is... magnificent."

The messenger dared to hope—maybe praise meant mercy.

It didn’t.

SLASH.

A flash of steel—a single movement—and Kaelren’s dagger slit the man’s throat horizontally, clean and painless, as if gifting him relief. Blood sprayed across the polished floor.

Kaelren didn’t blink.

"I don’t need messengers," he murmured, wiping the blade on the dead man’s sleeve. "I need killers."

He stood, eyes glowing brighter with feral excitement.

"Summon General Luke," he ordered the guards. "Tell him to prepare the capital."

He lifted his dagger, admiring his warped reflection on steel. "And tell him to sharpen every soldier, every trap, every blade..."

His voice lowered into a whisper full of obsession—hunger—and thrill. "Because I want to meet her."

A pause.

No softness. No hesitation.

Next words were a promise, "I want to kill her myself, but before that, let’s meet her personally."

Kaelren, the twelve-year-old boy, sharpened his dagger. And whispered her name.

"Lavinia Devereux, It’s time to meet."

***

[Lavinia’s POV—Red Wall Castle—The Next Morning]

I never thought victory could amaze me.

But standing in the secret basement of Red Wall Castle... I understood what real rot looked like.

I stared—frozen—at the mountains of wealth hidden beneath the castle.

Gold stacked to the ceiling. Silk dresses worth fortunes sealed in crates. Weapons forged from the best iron. Rare gems piled like gravel. And behind it all—crates upon crates of grain.

Enough to feed the villagers for years.

Sera’s voice trembled as she walked forward, touching none of it. "Your Highness... I can’t believe they hid this much luxury and food here. While the people starved outside."

Rey ran his fingers through a chest of gold coins—not to admire, but to scoff. "So instead of feeding their towns and rebuilding their lands... the general was hoarding wealth for himself."

My stomach twisted.

No wonder this region never rebuilt. No wonder villagers risked their lives for one bag of grain.No wonder the people here had nothing.

Because their rulers took everything.

Solena flew across the glittering piles like a queen in a treasure cave.Marshi leaped into the coins with a roar of joy, rolling around like a spoiled beast bathing in luxury.

For a moment, I almost laughed—but the amusement died quickly. Because this—all of this—was the reason those villagers nearly killed my soldiers and me.

Haldor stepped beside me, watching me more than the treasure. "What should we do now, Your Highness?"

Silence pulsed.

I inhaled—long and slow—letting the fury settle into clarity.

"Seize everything," I said, voice sharp and calm. "Every coin, every gem, every supply."

Haldor bowed his head. "And the grains?"

My jaw clenched. "Distribute them to the villagers first. Every single family gets food."

Sera nodded immediately. "Of course."

"And the rest of the treasure," I continued, eyes fixed on the gleam of stolen diamonds, "will be used to rebuild what this regime destroyed. We rebuild Meren with their own greed."

Rey smirked like I’d just threatened the earth itself. "That’s the most poetic revenge I’ve ever heard."

I didn’t smile.

Because this wasn’t about revenge.

It was about justice.

I turned to leave—but glanced back once more. To the shimmering piles of gold that once represented power, status, and corruption.

Not anymore.

I had come to answer.

***

[War Chamber—Red Wall Castle]

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