Too Lazy to be a Villainess novel Chapter 335

Chapter 335: End of the Meren Line

[Lavinia’s POV—Uphill Pursuit—Sunset Bleeding Into War]

The world narrowed into one thing.

One name.

Kaelren.

The sky bled red as the sun dipped behind the jagged hill, shadows stretching like claws across the ruined battlefield. My horse tore through the mud, hooves slamming into the earth with the force of a war drum.

Every breath tasted like iron. Every heartbeat hammered like a blade against bone. We rode toward the uphill—toward the last rat cornered in his own collapsing kingdom.

"Princess—!" Arwin yelled behind me, barely keeping up.

"Stay close!" I commanded without turning.

My shoulder burned—bleeding freely, soaking into the reins—but I didn’t care. Pain was a whisper compared to the roaring fire inside my veins. The hill loomed ahead, sharp and steep, the rocks stained with the blood of fleeing soldiers. The air was thick with smoke, dust, and the scent of fear.

I could smell it.

His fear.

The cowardly prince ran somewhere ahead. Hiding behind stones. Behind trees. Behind the corpses of his own men.

Pathetic.

I urged my horse faster; the beast responded like it shared my rage.

"HAAA!!" I roared, spurring it higher up the slope.

Zerith cursed behind me. "Princess—slow down—!"

"No."

The word cracked like thunder.

No hesitation.

No pause.

No mercy.

The path narrowed, twisting through scattered boulders and abandoned weapons. My eyes scanned every shadow, every crack, every trembling shrub.

He was here.

Somewhere.

"PRINCE KAELREEEEN!!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the rocks like the cry of a predator.

The wind swallowed the sound, carrying it across the dying battlefield.

I smelled movement. Heard a faint scuffle.

There.

A flicker of motion behind a crooked tree farther up the slope.

My lips curled.

Found you.

"Forward!" I leaned low against my horse’s neck, forcing every last ounce of speed out of it.

Arwin and Zerith followed, but they were slower—everyone was slower. Only I moved like death chasing its final debt.

A scream echoed above us—someone’s voice, terrified.

"A-AAAAHHH—!! D-Don’t come! Don’t—!!"

Kaelren.

Definitely Kaelren. I felt a violent, vicious satisfaction twist through my chest.

"The coward finally screams," I muttered, pulling my reins sharply.

The horse skidded to a halt at the top ridge. I swung down in one fluid motion, boots slamming into the dirt.

The wound at my shoulder pulsed—hot and sticky—but my grip on my sword did not waver.

Not even a fraction.

Haldor jumped off his horse behind me. "Your Highness—!"

"Stay back." My voice was cold, quiet, and dangerous. "He’s mine."

We climbed on foot now—the final stretch too steep for horses. Rocks cracked under my boots. Dust swirled around my ankles like smoke rising from a pyre.

Another scream.

Closer.

"I SAID STAY AWAY!!!"

I tilted my head.

"Found you," I whispered.

The next step felt like stepping into destiny. I moved fast—a blur of red cloak, tangled hair, and dripping blood—until I reached the last ridge.

And there he was.

The prince of Meren.

Kaelren.

Mud on his knees. Blood on his cheek. Crown crooked. Eyes wide with pure, naked terror. Cornered between two massive boulders, nowhere left to run.

He froze when he saw me.

Completely.

Utterly.

Paralyzing fear rooted him to the ground.

"...you..." he breathed.

I stepped forward, sword lowering slightly—but not enough to be kindness.

"Yes, me...the crown princess of Eloria," I said.

He scrambled back, slipping in dirt, hands shaking violently. "S-Stop! Don’t come closer—DON’T—!!"

I kept walking.

Step.

By step.

By step.

Each one deliberate. Each one promised the end.

"You chased me?" Kaelren shrieked, voice cracking. "YOU—YOU CHASED ME UP HERE!?"

"I didn’t chase you," I corrected, expression flat. "I hunted you."

His breath hitched.

"H-Hunted—?!"

"Yes."

He scrambled backward until his back hit rock. No escape. No exit. No soldiers left to hide behind.

Just me.

Just him.

I shoved my sword into the ground beside him—CHAK!!—leaning forward, my voice low and lethal.

"Get up."

He shook his head frantically. "D-Don’t kill me—!"

"Stand. Up."

He trembled.

But he obeyed.

Slowly.

"And now..." My voice dropped into a dark purr. "...it’s your turn to turn into dust."

"No, Kaelren," I continued, eyes narrowing. "I followed you because you killed my innocent people."

"You poisoned my river," I growled, stepping on his hand, forcing him down. "You almost killed thousands of my people just to lure out my soldiers. It’s you who wanted the war, and you should’ve been ready to face the consequences."

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