THE VILLAINESS TURNS THE HOURGLASS

Translator: Khan

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

It was a good reaction, so Aria nodded and gave her one more gift. “Take a colorful wagon. I don’t mind the carriage used by me and my mother.”

“… Are you sure?”

“Of course. Did you see me say something empty?”

“Oh, my God, Miss…! I never imagined I would ride such a precious carriage! Thank you so much!”

Even if she was impressed, her eyes were full of tears, so Aria rebuked her to go quickly.

“Yes! Yes! I’ll be ready and get back soon!”

Annie’s hands moved quickly, and soon afterward, she was able to go to pick up Mielle with a gorgeous appearance that was no short of anything, as if she were a noble.

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22. There is no mercy

When returned to prison, Mielle rapidly lost her weight for a very short time. As soon as Cain was brought to prison, he was taken to the Imperial Castle, and all who had been imprisoned were executed and she was alone. Waiting alone for someone to take her out of the dark and cold prison was difficult even if it wasn’t Mielle.

‘Aria said she would send a person right away, but I haven’t heard any news from her for three hours…’

She was worried that no one would come. She was afraid that she might have to live fifty years in this old, dirty, uncomfortable prison. Aria might leave her here.

Mielle crouched roundly. Because it was hard to overcome the cold, worry, and fear. As soon as her face was buried in the arms on her crouched knees, she waited for her only sister to send her a person as promised without betraying her.

Mielle, who had endured such a long cry, believed that a person would come, and waited for the unknown. Suddenly, the tough footsteps gradually came to Mielle, and shortly afterward, the footsteps stopped before her prison.

“Come out.”

Mielle looked up her head in a flash, as she heard a voice.

It was one of the guards who guarded the prison. The guard who furrowed her forehead glanced over Mielle’s shabby and miserable appearance, and said once again, opening the door with a key.

“Come out.”

“… Me, me…?”

“Then, who else is here?”

‘Did Aria send anyone?’ If it weren’t, he couldn’t tell her to come out. ‘Is there anything better than this?’ The joy was as big as the wait was long.

It was not easy to stand up because she had been crouching for a long time, but he seemed to leave himself if she was a little late, and she gave her feet full of power and got out of the terrible prison.

“Who, who is here?”

Mielle, who couldn’t stand the curiosity while walking down the hall, asked the guard. Her steps were painful and bitter, but it was buried in joy and she didn’t care.

At Mielle’s question, the guard answered as if he was disagreeably surprised.

“Lady Mielle. No, you are not a lady anymore, but a sinner, Mielle. Do you think you are still in a position you dare to ask that question yet?”

His tone was pretty harsh and rough. The guard showed great disgust at Mielle who had joined the rebellion. She had been feeling that since she had become a sinner, but her whole body trembled with disgust toward herself. The physique of the guard also played a part.

“Go quietly. You have no right to say.”

“…”

Mielle closed her mouth at the guard’s murderous warning. This was because it was a scary figure that seemed to wield violence if she said something more. Anyway, a little further away, she was able to get out of this damn prison and from the terrible guard. If she would just stick to the side of Aria, she would never have to come back here.

So hopefully, Mielle headed to the lobby behind the guard but hardened without any reaction to the unexpected figure she met there. In the lobby, an unexpected figure was waiting for Mielle.

“You waited a long time. Would you take her right away?”

“Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Annie’s face was so beautiful that the guard blushed a little. The smile she had learned from the side of Aria as she had spent with her, helped her to emit a charm that surpassed her appearance.

‘Why, why is Annie here…? No, is that even Annie? The poor maid became so beautiful like that?’ Mielle, who watched her for a while, looked down and confirmed his miserable appearance.

Her skin and hair were messed with the black dust, and her feet and legs were swollen and worse than the commoner women. Her face would be messy without having to check. Maybe it might have a scar. As soon as her thoughts reached that point, she felt ashamed and humiliated, and she would die right away.

It would be OK if the person were Aria who she couldn’t beat by beauty, but she was worse than Annie who had a freckled face…! So she couldn’t lift her head and hid her terrible face.

Annie called Mielle’s name. “Lady Mielle… Oh, not anymore, because you’re a commoner. Is it right, Mielle?”

Annie omitted the honorific title and simply called her name. Mielle’s body was shocked by not only her appearance but also her tone of speech as Annie imitated Aria, but she didn’t lift her head, so Annie called her again. “Mielle, did you break your neck? Why don’t you raise your head?”

Mielle squeezed her fists and shook her fists, as Annie asked though she knew why she could not lift her head. She wanted to get angry, but it was anger for herself that she couldn’t.

Annie said, mocking her again, “Miele, why don’t you lift your head? I have to check your face so that we can go out together. I can’t take the dirty girl without confirming her face.”

The words that followed were enough to make Mielle more miserable. It would be miserable for Annie not to be dressed up in splendor, but it smashed Mielle’s pride because it came out of her beautifully decorated mouth.

“What shall I do?” Nevertheless, Mielle didn’t raise her head, so Annie asked the guard for help. The guard sighed at Mielle’s pathetic behavior, and he forcibly grabbed her head to look up.

“Yaaah!”

It was so sudden that Mielle screamed, and Annie opened her eyes wide, covering her mouth with a fan in her hand. It was not because of his harsh acts against Mielle, but because of Mielle’s ugly and miserable appearance.

“… oh, my God, I wonder if this is really Mielle.”

“She is Mielle. It’s hard to confirm her because she’s been imprisoned and couldn’t wash, but she is Roscent Mielle.

“It’s hard to believe. Lady Mielle was always beautiful and elegant… as soon as she was degraded her status, she became so shabby like this… Nobody is going to call her a lady now.”

Mielle’s eyes turned red with continued insults. She could bear to be humiliated because she had really sinned, but it was hard to bear the thorny words of Annie, who had been her maid.

“Stop… stop…!”

So when Mielle squeezed out her wet voice, Annie was surprised and asked the guard, “Did, did I do anything wrong? I don’t know why Mielle is crying…!”

The guard shook his head and comforted Annie, “No. Since she entered the jail, she was a little crazy. She was laughing alone. In the meantime, the state seemed to have gotten worse. So please don’t be bothered.”

“I see… She was once the most elegant aristocratic lady in the empire… I admired her the most, but now I can’t find any traces of it anymore and I’m so sorry that she is out of her mind.” The two approached the incredible conclusion, staring at Mielle very pitifully.

The sympathetic eyes ripped Mielle’s pride without leaving any trace.

* * *

“… The procedure is complete with your signature. In the future, you can easily leave or take her at any time with a simple procedure.”

Mielle’s two fists were squeezed in the look of the guard who explained as if she were taking her luggage. However, the reason she couldn’t say anything was that it was insulting but the guard’s explanation was appropriate, and she was also too scared of him.

She was also afraid that she would be put back in prison. It was still painful as he had grabbed her head like a beast’s. Now the Count or Cain could not help her as in the past, she had to deal with all kinds of hostility alone, but she was not confident. That was why she couldn’t resist at all, nor got angry.