The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End - Chapter 82

　As Randall had expected, Manara was Karana’s sister, A Selkie.

She was surprised that she had not expected to find Karana’s sister so easily, but the problem was not solved just because she had been found.

According to Manara, her sealskin had been taken by Viscount D’Silva, as expected.

Manara apparently liked to take walks on the coast in the town of Caesars on a beautiful moonlit night, and often visited the beach. One day, she was discovered by Viscount D’Silva, who took the sealskin she had hidden behind a rock and hid it away.

Manara cannot return to the sea without getting the sealskin back, but there is no way that Viscount D’Silva will give it back to her, and it will not be easy to get it back from him.

 “No wonder I didn’t know about Viscount D’Silva’s marriage. There was no way he could say that he forced a Selkie to become his wife. By the looks of things, the Duke probably doesn’t know either.”

　Cyril frowned.

Manara covered her face with her hands and bursted into tears. Deprived of her sealskin, Selkie’s tears did not crystallize, but trickled between her fingers and fell onto the bed where she layed.

“I want to go back to the sea…”

Of course, Sophia wanted to return Manara to the sea. The storm of a angry dragon god was terrifying, but most of all, she felt sorry for the poor woman who had been forced to become a wife by a man she didn’t like.

“We’ll just have to find out where he hid the sealskin.”

“Yes. But if Manara, who lived with him, doesn’t know about it, then maybe it’s not in the house.”

‘You have a point. Viscount D’Silva is a coward. He wouldn’t hide it in a place where it could be easily retrieved. D’Artano, you are good at treasure hunting, aren’t you? Go find it.”

“Easy for you to say.”

D’Artano shrugged his shoulders, and Cyril grinned.

“If you find it, I will refrain from hanging you.”

“… Are you serious?”

“Of course.

To Cyril, who spoke aloofly, Sohia couldn’t tell if he was serious or just joking, but D’Artano was surprisingly calm

“If you let me investigate it freely, I’ll do it,” Including my people, of course.” D’Artano said

” Are you going to ravage the town with pirates?”

” I’m not going to destroy the town. I said freely. There’s some annoying people wandering around this town, and I’d be happy to do something about it.”

“Saladora’s navy?”

“You got it.”

Cyril ruffled his hair.

“Okay, but give me some time.”

“We can’t wait much longer, right?”

“A day is all I need.”

“I understand.”

‘I wonder what he’s going to do.’ Sophia was worried, but D’Artano, who was sitting next to her, smiled at her as if to say it was all right, so she decided to trust him and keep quiet.

Unexpectedly, Randall and the others found her, but this was probably a blessing in disguise.

No matter what it takes, they must return Manara to the sea before the dragon god’s wrath explodes.

Sophia turned to the anxious Manara and smiled to reassure her.

     After leaving Manara’s room, Sophia was brought by Randall to the balcony of his room. Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to set, and the bright red, fiery-colored sun was slowly being sucked beyond the horizon.

　D’Artano said he was going out to call his friends. She wasn’t worried about being left behind, but she was still a little sad.

With her arm on the balcony railing, she wondered if D’Artano had already gone out to the sea, to his friends, when Randall suddenly thrust out his fist and surprised her.

     Randall opened his fist in front of Sophia, and a red coral hair ornament appeared from within. It was a pretty hair ornament carved out like a flower.

Sophia looked at Randall and said, “You’re giving this to me…?”

“I bought it in this town. I bought other things too, but this one looks the best on you.”

Sophia was surprised. This was the first time Randall had given her something as a gift. She accepted the gift with a nod, and the red coral glistened in her hand, reflecting the light.

Sophia looked up at Randall as she fixed the ornament on her hair.

“Does it look good on me?”

“…yeah.”

Sophia was surprised again when Randall smiled and nodded.

“What’s wrong with  Randall?”

In Sophia’s memory, Randall was always grumpy and pouty, never smiling kindly at her. She wondered if he had eaten something strange. Or maybe that’s why he wasn’t feeling well?

　The Randall in front of her was so “abnormal” that she started to assume  such a thing.

“It’s a little off.”

Randall said and reached for Sophia’s hair to fix the position of the hair ornament.

 Sophia whispered a thank you and turned her head to look at Randall.

Her face was hot.

It was probably a good thing that the sun was shining. Her face might have been bright red now.

 “Tell me if there’s anything else you want.”

“Ah. It’s okay, I guess…”

That’s weird. It’s too strange. Because Randall was so kind. And Sophia was also strange. Why was she so thrilled to be with Randall? She was in love with D’Artano, and she was thinking of divorcing Randall.

“Sophia.”

Sophia looked up in surprise when Randall held her hand and his face, illuminated by the setting sun, had a serious expression on it

‘Sophia, I’m going to get you back, I promise.”

“You mean the manara. Yes, we’ll get her back to the sea.”

“No, I don’t.”

She nodded her head, thinking he was talking about Manara, but then Randall tightened his grip on Sofia’s hand and shook his head. Sophia wondered what he meant, but in the end he didn’t tell her the answer and wouldn’t let go of her hand, so she held hands with Randall for a while and looked out at the ocean.

‘…Strange Randall’

Randall hates Sophia. So where is the man who cherished Keira, the original heroine of “The Snows of Glastona,” and always called Sophia a fake princess? He currently looked like a different person.

‘His hands are so big…’

Randall’s big hands held Sophia’s hands. They were big, warm, and a little bit rugged.

Sophia should have wanted to break up with Randall and live with her beloved D’artano… why? She didn’t want to let go of his hand, So she squeezed Randall’s hand back.

　　　　　☆

　Deep, deep,  at the bottom of the sea…

The selkies roosting in the underwater ruins all had frightened expressions on their faces.

“Is Marana still unable to return to the sea?”

The eldest of the selkies tapped the walls of the ruins with his fin.

From far below the ruins, there was a constant vibration and sound that was like an earth tremor, and you could feel the dragon god’s anger growing stronger by the day.

“It’s all right…! I’m sure she will come back.”

Karana looked up at the surface of the sea with the dull black eyes of a seal.

‘All right. I’m sure she’ll be back.’ She could only pray, but the human girl she had met on the island had promised to find her. So, she waited, believing in that. That’s all she could do.

‘Please, please be in time!’

Karana heard the earth shaking as if the ruins were about to be destroyed at any moment, and she headed to her usual island again today with a piece of crystal to pray.