A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

“Yes, Morgana, you asked for it, and Raon and Jayden wrote the whole thing!” “I’ll have to thank them. Percy must have had a hard time dispensing and storing the herbs.” “It’s not hard at all, it’s fun.” 

With that, Morgana headed for her room.

 

As soon as she entered, she saw the piles of papers on the table.

 

Raon had organized them beforehand.

 

As she gently, gingerly picked up the papers, Percival’s fingers twitched. His lips twitched as if he had a lot to say, and Morgana asked gently.

 “How have you been?” 

Scared to ask, he blurted out.

 “There’s been a lot of people coming to the store every day!” 

True to his word, the numbers in the little ledger were staggering.

 

For a moment, I thought my eyes were deceiving me and counted the numbers again. The larger ones were underlined.

 

‘There is no Count Aestiva.’

 

Countess Marleau was not the kind of person who would be curious about herbs.

 

She seemed more like the kind of person who lived for her good taste.

 

With all the jewelry and fancy dress she wore, herbs would have been the last thing on her mind.

 

‘I wonder if Count Mellorwart would bite for a love potion…’

 

One would think that a man who would go so far as to kidnap would be curious.

 

I wonder if Lady Marleau brings his gift of paintings to Guinevere instead.

 

They were good as long as they talked to each other and lived.

 

I’d always heard that siblings were good as long as they lived and breathed each other and occasionally checked in on each other.

 

Morgana patted Percival’s head, who seemed to be eagerly awaiting the compliment.

 “We’ll have to start whittling down the VIP list soon. Percy, do you have the medicinal tea you prepared?” “Yes!” “Let’s make it available for sampling in the store starting today.” 

The tea they sampled had the effect of loosening stiff muscles.

 

It was not overpowering, but it had enough potency and light flavor to make even the nobles curious.

 

Percival counted the samples, folding his tiny fingers together as if he were counting them.

 

His chubby cheeks twitched with delight as Morgana handed him the dessert she had packed for him on the way.

 

Watching Percival hug the box of desserts tightly, forgetting to count, she silently asked for a favor.

 “Oh, and if any of the guests show any interest in the medicinal tea, will you please tell them?”  “Is this all there is to herbal tea?” 

Percival chuckled at the question from a woman who appeared to be a maid in a noble family.

 “The teas sold in the VIP have a much wider range of benefits, including clearing your head and relaxing you!” “Only for VIPs?” “Yes! The teas are only sold once a month, and only to VIPs.” 

Percival stammered and stuttered in response to the maid’s question.

 

Jayden, the guard, looked at her, and his voice trailed off.

 

He gingerly fiddled with the hilt of the sword at his waist, keeping his eyes on Percival and the maid.

 

When the maid, who had been chatting for a while, left with a large purchase of herbs, Jayden rushed over to Percival and asked,

“Did everything go well? No swearing?” “Oh, it was just a normal question, that’s all?” “That’s weird, that can’t be right.” “Is she dangerous?” “I suppose so. She’s a servant of the Count of Aestiva, who is notorious for his thuggery.” 

The only mercenary in Raon to buy herbs without a fuss from the Countess of Aestiva, the one person in the entire mercenary army who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

 

Jayden stared in disbelief at the door through which the maid had exited, his eyes narrowed in arrogance.

 

The carriage the maid rode in was headed for Count Aestiva.

 

The Count’s maid, seeing the enormous amount of herbs, sighed heavily and asked.

 “Lily, are you sure about this?” “Yes. I’ve tasted them, and I can feel their potency, so I think this is the tea Lady Marleau is looking for.” “Well, I’m glad you were able to get it. I’ll bundle up the herbs, and you can show the Lady over.” 

At the maid’s instructions, Lily bowed her head in silent acknowledgment.

 

For a moment, she frowned, briefly feeling a headache.

 

Seeing this, the maid asked worriedly,

“Are you having a headache again? Your headaches are persistent.” “It’s just from not sleeping, let it rest and it’ll be fine again.” 

Lily’s face contorted with pain as she realized the truth of the statement, but her expression quickly returned to calm.

 

The maid gestured with her chin at the sacks of herbal bottles that were constantly being moved from carriage to manor.

 “I’ve heard rumors of the herbs’ effectiveness in the kingdom these days. Why don’t you buy some and try them?” “The tea was fine when I sampled it briefly, but I’ll buy some later when I get off work.” “I’ll ask our Count for a bottle. I’m sure he’ll approve since the painting was delivered safely to the palace this time.” “Thank you.” 

With that, Lily bowed and quickly walked down the hallway of the mansion.

 

It had been a long time since she had slept properly, thanks to her recent nightmares.

 

She was so tired, her body was limp, and she felt exhausted.

 

‘I guess the rumors of the herb’s potency are true.’

 

Lily was surprised at how much more relaxed she felt.

 

Even though she had only tasted a sample of the herbal tea, she was already feeling much more refreshed.

 

‘This is why everyone is lining up to buy it.’

 

Standing outside the door, Lily took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

 

Instead of an answer, she heard a tearing shout.

 “Did you get it?” 

Lily pushed open the door and entered, her head bowed in silence.

 “They say the tea is only for the VIP, which is opening soon.” 

A moment later, a teacup flew by.

 

Lily’s shoulders slumped in surprise, and then, clang. The cup hit the wall and shattered with a loud clatter.

 

Bam

, a small shard grazed her hand, cutting it.

 

But there was not a hint of guilt in Marleau’s eyes.

 “I shouldn’t have to go all the way out there and buy a tea made of herbs or something, where does a princess get such crap?” 

The man sitting across from Marleau’s forehead shook his head and crossed his arms.

 “You’re sure it’s medicine? Why don’t you go kill some servant, so the princess can lose some of her favor? What the hell are you doing here?” “Shut up, brother, you could have delivered the painting instead.” “Tsk, I can’t even ask you what kind of tea it was, and your mouth is still open.” 

Clicking his tongue at the sight of his sister, Mellowart leaned back haughtily on the couch.

 “That tea is the only reason you haven’t gotten the cheeks of the other maids, and it’s working wonders.” “I don’t know if it was the tea!” “You kept your temper in there? Don’t be ridiculous.” 

As much as she hated to admit it, Marleau knew it.

 

It certainly made her feel better, mind and body.

 

This angered her father, Count Aestiva, greatly.

 

He threatened to send her into exile if she couldn’t mend her relationship with Guinevere.

 

Marleau was disgusted with herself for giving in to a mere herb, but she had no choice. She waved her hand at Mellowart in annoyance.

 “I’ll go get some when the invitation comes, and get out of my room, you’re a nuisance.” “And while you’re at it, get some mandragora extract.” “What?” 

Marleau gritted her teeth and glared at Mellowart in front of her.

 

Her brother’s gaze was dry as he looked down at her, arms folded in a gesture of mock seriousness.

 “If this potion is guaranteed to keep your temper in check, it’s not guaranteed to be a love potion, and who knows if I’ll draw my sword if the Princess feels love for even a moment?” 

That was one of the rumors that came about because Excalibur wasn’t being taken.

 

It was ridiculous, but it seemed to be the only thing that would restore the pride that had been gnawed away by the herbs.

 

Marleau clutched her forehead in annoyance.

 “All right.”  

Morgana smiled at the newly delivered papers.

 

The proudly underlined name of Marleau Aiestiva caught her eye.

 

I knew they’d come back,

‘I see. Once you’ve had a taste of it, you’re bound to want it again.’

 

Morgana took the day off work to bring home a new white lightbulb bird.

 

As the bird perched on a branch and chirped, Morgana held up a luxurious piece of parchment.

 “Here, this will be the invitation you will deliver.” Chirp, chirp!  

The bird responded as if it understood.

 

Morgana scribbled down the invitation.

 

The gold-ground ink glistened and glittered on the parchment, giving it an air of luxury.

 《VIP Invitation to Tir na Nog》