Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess-Chapter 299 - 298- Husband

In the reception hall, aside from Valerie and Austin, three others were seated, deep in a serious conversation.

Austin had planned for this. He had taken it upon himself to wipe out the demons before the council’s warriors could arrive. It was intentional—he wanted to draw their attention and make them realize that someone from Eryndor was involved.

And thankfully, they had taken the hint. That’s why they are here now.

"I don’t get it," Adam said, frowning. "You’ve been seeing more monsters these past few days, and before you even get there, they’re already gone. But what does that have to do with Valerie? She’s been with us the whole time."

To him, it sounded like they were blaming her—and he didn’t like it.

However, one of the council members calmly replied, "The Council has reached a conclusion. The number of demons defeated in such a short time... it could only be done by a high-ranking warrior. And as far as we know, only Miss Valerie fits that description."

Adam frowned. What are they even talking about?

But before he could speak, Austin stepped in, his tone calm yet sharp.

"Hunting demons is an act of honor and courage. Why would anyone even want to deny that?"

His words made the council members pause, visibly uncertain, until the man seated to the left responded, "We don’t know either. But the report we received led us here."

Austin gave a dry chuckle. "Repeating the same thing won’t make it true, officer. And even if Valerie did take out those monsters, it was for the sake of protecting her motherland. What’s so wrong about that?"

Another councilman leaned forward, his voice firm, eager. "We just want to guide her to a place more suited to her abilities. Somewhere she can grow... be refined. There are people who can help her understand what she’s lacking, and how to overcome it."

His enthusiasm made Austin smirk. They’re desperate, huh?

Leaning back, Austin crossed his arms and asked, "And who decided Valerie isn’t perfect already—?"

"Can you not speak on her behalf?" the man on the left snapped, his tone laced with arrogance. "We’re here to hear her opinion, not yours. So just shut—"

SCREECH.

The sound was sudden, eerie.

He stopped talking mid-sentence.

His eyes went wide.

Valerie hadn’t drawn a weapon. She hadn’t even risen from her seat.

All she did... was turn her gaze toward him.

That single, cold glance froze the air between them.

Ice crawled up his legs, climbed his arms, and wrapped his entire body in a thick coat of frost.

His breath hitched. His limbs wouldn’t move. His thoughts were slowing, fogging, like frost biting into his brain.

The other councilman leapt to his feet, startled. Horror painted his face.

Valerie slowly stood, her voice a frozen whisper that scraped against the walls.

"You barged into my house, spoke whatever you pleased. I tolerated that."

She stepped closer to the man now shivering in his seat.

"But insult my husband?"

Her breath steamed in the air as she leaned in, her words soft, merciless.

"Make no mistake... I don’t need monsters to justify blood on my hands."

Those words were enough for the two officers to realize they had overstayed their welcome. Without another word, they decided to leave.

Austin gently took Valerie’s hand and led her to the dining table.

Adam stayed behind, smoothing over the situation with a professional tone, keeping things from escalating further.

Valerie glanced at her Lord and saw him smiling.

Her anger faded slightly, replaced with curiosity. "What happened?" she asked.

Austin looked at her, eyes gleaming with amusement. "I think your father must’ve been a little surprised to hear you casually call me husband."

Valerie blinked. "Wait... did I really?" she muttered, slightly dazed.

She hadn’t even realized it. Maybe it was because, in her heart, she had always called him that. Even after the reset... the word came to her as naturally as breathing.

Austin slipped an arm around her waist and leaned close, his voice low and warm against her ear.

"You looked insanely hot back there... scared me a little. In a good way."

Valerie let out a soft laugh, her ears flushing red as she lowered her gaze with a smile.

They stood there, lost in each other’s eyes, playful silence dancing between them—

Until someone cleared their throat loudly.

"If you two are done flirting," Adam said dryly, "can we eat now?"

Austin felt a little embarrassed. He gave an awkward smile and nodded, trying to play it off.

Valerie sighed softly and shook her head at his reaction.

"Did you send them off?" she asked, turning her attention to Adam.

Adam gave a small nod. "Yes... or rather, they ran off on their own. But I doubt that’ll be the end of it. I’m sure they’ll send someone else next time."

Austin leaned forward slightly and said with confidence, "Don’t worry, Father. We’ll handle it—just like today."

Adam gave him a long look, then slowly nodded, satisfied with the reassurance. With the tension in the air finally fading, the three of them made their way to the dining table, where Anastasia was already waiting for them.

As they took their seats, Adam sat at the head of the table with Anastasia on his left and Valerie on his right. Austin took the seat next to Valerie. The maids entered quietly and began placing breakfast on the table—freshly baked bread, poached eggs, golden pancakes, and a few other carefully prepared dishes.

Just as Adam picked up his fork to take the first bite, Anastasia spoke with a smile, "I made breakfast today."

Her words made Austin glance at her in confusion, but before he could say anything, he felt Valerie gently squeeze his hand under the table. That small gesture told him everything—stay quiet.

"Hm? So that’s why you were up so early?" Adam asked with a warm smile. He cut a slice of pancake, took a bite, and immediately lit up.

"This is excellent," he said, clearly surprised. "Perfectly sweet and soft—just the way I like it."

He reached out and held Anastasia’s hand affectionately, still smiling from the taste.

But then she gave him a playful look and said, "Sorry~ I lied. I wasn’t the one who made breakfast today."

Adam blinked, confused. "Then who did?"

She didn’t answer with words. Instead, she simply tilted her head slightly, her gaze shifting toward the boy seated across from her.

Adam followed her line of sight until his eyes landed on Austin.

"You cooked this?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

Austin scratched the back of his neck and replied a little shyly, "Ah... yeah. I woke up early and had some free time, so I thought I’d help out a bit."

But before he could say more, Valerie cut in, smiling knowingly. "That’s not true. He woke up early on purpose because he wanted to impress you."

Austin turned toward her with a small frown. Why did she have to say that out loud?

Adam let out a soft chuckle and leaned back in his seat. "Well, either way, the food is delicious. You’re a good cook, Austin."

The blond prince gave a quiet nod, slightly flustered but happy. With that, the family settled into their meal, the tension from earlier forgotten, replaced by warmth, laughter, and the comfort of shared food.

.....

"What? She froze you?" Hearing the report from the officer the Council Head frowned.

"Yes, sir...she was not easy to converse with, forget about coming to the Council Headquarters." He responded.

That response made the man behind the table frown in displeasure.

They have been trying to get her under their wing for some time now, but every time she flatly rejects their proposal, saying she wants to enjoy her usual life.

And this time, she even attacked an officer.

This was beyond tolerable.

"What should we do, sir?" Asked another officer, his brows were drawn closer as well.

The man remained silent for a few moments.

Selner was not around and when someone visited her office, they found a note saying,

[I am off to somewhere for some time. Don’t bother searching for me.]

Maybe if she had been around, they could have taken her advice or might have requested her to convince Valerie.

But now they have to think of something by themselves.

He was still thinking when someone suggested,

"How about we use her weakness?"

The head asked, "What do you mean?"

The man stepped forward, "I mean fear is one of the emotions that changes one’s opinion instantly."

"Hmm?" The head frowned as he realized what he was saying here.

Using someone close to Valerie to make her realise the importance of the Council. And once she realises that, she wouldn’t be any more reluctant.

There was risk...but it was worth it. More so, when Drenovar on verge of war with Eryndor.

They can’t let the S-rank become a part of that war.

That’s why, "Okay. Let’s do it your way."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- This Chapter took me 2.5 hours to write. Thanks for reading.

Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnovel(.)com