Holy Power for a Villainess? - Chapter 04

Chapter 4

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‘What’s with him?’

I couldn’t understand Heinox’s intentions at all.

I had expected him to be offended by my boldness and call me insolent, but instead, the corners of his lips curved deeply upward as if he were genuinely amused.

“Very well. What is it that you wish to learn?”

‘Yes!’

Thankfully, my bold attitude hadn’t displeased him.

Taking the risk had been worth it.

Before Heinox could change his mind, I answered quickly.

“Letters!”

“Only that?”

I hesitated for a moment.

I still couldn’t even write my own name—was it really okay to ask for more? Maybe I should first learn the basics before requesting anything else.

But I soon shook my head.

There was no guarantee he would grant my requests later.

So I began listing everything I thought I’d need for my future plans.

“I wanna learn history too. And geography. I wanna learn instruments too, um… and also…”

Heinox watched me with an unreadable expression as I counted on my fingers while thinking.

Worried I might be asking for too much, I slowly folded one finger down.

“I-If that’s too much… then the instruments can go…”

But even at my timid compromise, Heinox simply stared at me silently.

“I-If geography’s too much too…”

My plan was to seize the business opportunities the heroine would later touch in the original story.

And the first place I needed to reach was the Harken Mine.

The reason I wanted to start there first was because it was one of the few events mentioned before the heroine even appeared in the original plot.

The Harken Mine contained enormous quantities of iron ore, making it essential to House Tanzeric, which defended the empire from neighboring invasions.

‘But in the original story, it exploded during an invasion from the principality.’

The novel mentioned the nearby residents suffered catastrophic damage because of it.

I still didn’t know exactly when the invasion would happen, but I planned to learn geography and eventually visit the mine myself.

‘If this goes well, my unstable position in this house will become much safer.’

If the mine came under Tanzeric control, then naturally the principality’s attack could also be prevented.

After all, House Tanzeric possessed the strongest military force in the empire.

‘How Heinox treats me depends on what I accomplish.’

That was why I absolutely needed to succeed and earn Heinox’s recognition.

If I could gain ownership rights to the mine through his acknowledgment, then even if Heinox eventually cast me out, I’d still have a stable source of wealth.

With desperate eyes, I looked up at him.

“P-Please…”

Ah, this was pitiful.

Even I thought so.

How could anyone refuse a child this adorable, with huge tearful eyes trembling like she was about to cry?

“…Very well.”

As expected.

No matter how cold Heinox was, even he couldn’t resist this.

He wasn’t emotionless—he merely hid his emotions.

“Thank you, Duke!”

When I smiled brightly, Heinox frowned slightly.

Tch.

Would it kill him to smile back?

I felt mildly annoyed for a second, but since the outcome benefited me, I rose from my seat feeling much lighter.

“You’re busy, right? Then I’ll be leaving now. Goodbye.”

I even gave him a proper farewell before heading toward the door.

Then Heinox called my name in a low voice from behind me.

“Roxina Tanzeric.”

“Yes?”

‘Does he still have something to say?’

Since I had no idea why he stopped me, I blinked at him from the doorway.

Then, in a calm tone, he asked:

“You won’t skip lessons, will you?”

“Huh?”

‘Skip lessons?’

I tilted my head at the question.

‘Why would I?’

These were lessons I personally wanted.

That was why I asked for them in the first place.

If I planned to ditch classes and secretly nap somewhere, I wouldn’t have requested a teacher at all.

“I won’t do that.”

“How can I be certain?”

“C-Certain?”

Noticing my hesitation, Heinox firmly added:

“I do not invest in uncertain things.”

Investment?

The unexpected wording caught me off guard.

“What do you want from me…?”

Since he was being this stubborn, I needed some way to prove myself.

But I currently possessed absolutely nothing.

Jewelry and dresses had all been bought with Tanzeric money, so selling them meant nothing.

In other words, whatever price he demanded, I wouldn’t be able to pay it.

‘Calling it an investment? He really doesn’t want to support me, huh.’

At this point, it no longer felt like mere indifference toward Roxina.

Maybe he truly hated me for killing the woman he loved.

Just like Renzard—he simply hid it better.

As I began giving up hope for my education, Heinox suddenly spoke again.

“Bring me a summary of your lessons every day.”

“Huh?”

“Organize what you learned each day and come report it to me personally.”

“But…”

If Heinox assigned me a teacher, then naturally the instructor would already report my progress to him.

So why insist that I come myself?

“If that burden is too much for you, then give up—”

“No!”

Haha.

Duke, you really are impatient.

“I’ll come every day! I’ll come right after class ends!”

“Good. Make sure you are not late.”

“Yes…”

Just before opening the door to leave, I glanced back slightly.

And I was certain—

Heinox was smiling.

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“Something’s weird… I feel like I got tricked somehow…”

As I walked down the hallway, I replayed the earlier conversation in my head.

“He was smiling…”

He’d looked incredibly satisfied.

Like a predator lazily full after a pleasant meal…

“Miss!”

Smack!

“Ah!”

The moment Anne shouted, my head slammed straight into the wall.

“Ughhh!”

Apparently I’d hit it much harder than expected because pain rang through my entire skull.

“Miss! Your forehead is bleeding!”

‘Bleeding?’

Just as Anne said, blood was indeed running down my forehead.

“I-I’m fine…”

“What the heck?”

An irritating voice suddenly sounded nearby.

“Why is she here?”

Looking up, I saw Renzard approaching with obvious annoyance written all over his face.

“I clearly told you to stay in your room…”

‘Ah…’

Suddenly, my head felt like it was splitting apart.

Anne’s face and the bustling servants around me warped strangely before my eyes.

The spinning vision made even my stomach churn.

“Urgh!”

“Miss!”

Leaving behind a clearly flustered Renzard—

I blacked out.

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“She should’ve woken up by now, so why is she still…”

“Please wait a little longer. She’ll wake up soon…”

Anne’s voice and another unfamiliar voice echoed faintly around me.

“Ugh…”

“Miss!”

The moment I groaned, Anne rushed to my bedside.

“How is your head feeling?”

“It hurts…”

It still hurt.

But at least my vision had stopped spinning.

“Sir Melepu, why is she still in pain? You said she’d be alright…”

“Lady Roxina, how many fingers do you see?”

Melepu held up two fingers.

“Two… ugh!”

“And this?”

This time he held up five.

“Five…”

After hearing my answer, Melepu nodded lightly and patted Anne’s trembling shoulder reassuringly.

“It seems she’s suffering some aftereffects. A few days of rest should help, so try not to worry too much.”

“Thank you very much, Sir Melepu.”

Anne repeatedly bowed until Melepu finally left the room.

“Anne.”

“Yes, Miss?”

“How long was I asleep?”

“About half a day.”

“I see…”

That had been unbelievably stupid.

I couldn’t believe I’d walked straight into a wall.

Embarrassment washed over me belatedly, and I slowly pulled the blanket upward—

“Hey! Idiot Roxina!”

“Renzard! Don’t talk like that!”

Voices echoed from outside the room.

Renzard and Chedman.

“Roxina, I heard from Melepu that you woke up. May we come in?”

What the heck?

Since when was he this considerate?

But then I remembered the smile Heinox had shown earlier.

Maybe, since the original story hadn’t begun yet—and Roxina hadn’t fully become the villainess—there was still a chance to build a closer relationship with them.

You know.

Without being mistreated.

Since Heinox had granted my request, maybe Chedman had softened a little too.

Thinking that, I nodded toward Anne.

When she opened the door, both Chedman and Renzard entered.

“Roxina. Are you alright? I heard you hit your head pretty badly.”

“Brother, not just badly—she went bang! She couldn’t even see a wall right in front of her! Isn’t that hilarious?”

“Renzard.”

Even after Chedman’s warning, Renzard’s mocking tone didn’t stop.

Ah.

So my hopes really had been pointless.

“She’s so dumb even her actions are stupid!”

“Renzard!”

Chedman shouted at him for going too far, but I quietly shook my head.

“It’s okay. It’s true that I got hurt because I didn’t see where I was going.”

“See? Even she admits it.”

Renzard puffed up proudly at my self-deprecating response.

“I can’t believe someone like you is a Tanzeric.”

He looked me up and down before frowning.

“You don’t resemble Mother at all. Maybe Father just picked up some random kid that looked like him and—”

Until now, I’d silently listened to all his insults.

But that final sentence snapped something inside me.

“What? Picked up?”

There were things you could say and things you absolutely shouldn’t.

As someone who had grown up in an orphanage in my previous life, hearing the phrase “picked up” instantly struck a nerve.

“W-What?”

Even Renzard noticed my changed attitude and looked startled.

But I didn’t stop.

“That insults not only the Duke… but also the Duchess who gave birth to me.”

Thankfully, my childish pronunciation only slipped slightly.

If I’d sounded too babyish even in a moment like this, I would’ve become a complete joke.

“Watch your mouth.”

“W-What?!”

After briefly faltering, Renzard immediately shouted back, furious that I’d pushed back against him.

“Who do you think you are, ordering me around?!”

His neck had already turned bright red.

“It’s your fault! Everything is your fault! Mother died because of you—!”

Before he could cross the line completely, Chedman stepped in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Roxina. You must be tired, so please rest.”

Then he dragged out a still-fuming Renzard from the room.

“Ha…”

Anne, who had quietly remained in the corner the whole time, finally approached cautiously.

“Miss… are you alright?”

There was obvious guilt in her eyes for not stepping in.

But I had no intention of blaming her.

I knew very well she wasn’t in a position where she could interfere.

So I forced a smile.

“Yeah. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Seeing me smile, Anne also lifted the corners of her lips despite her lingering sadness.