Taming The Villainesses-Chapter 344.1

(EP-344.1) #1

344 – Spider #1

“Here, try this.”

At my words, Aira parted her lips slightly. Her small, delicate tongue and neat, white teeth came into view as I moved the spoon in my hand toward her.

The soup rippled gently.

I fed it to her and finished by ruffling her hair.

“Good job.”

“……”

Of course, Aira didn’t react. She only blinked at me blankly or glanced around. Watching this, Mirna spoke up.

“The Queen… she’s like a child now. Not sure if this counts as regression, but…”

Just as Mirna said, Aira really did seem like a child.

She couldn’t dress on her own, wash her hands and face, or do anything without someone else’s help.

Come to think of it, wasn’t she like this before?

“Aira, put your arms in here.”

I slipped a long robe over her. If we were to sneak out, we needed to hide her identity to avoid alerting the guards.

Elga said.

“She listens to Theo just fine. But she shakes and pushes me away when I try. Does she think I bullied her when we were fighting earlier?”

Aira, now like a child, refused to let Elga or Mirna touch her. For some reason, she only tolerated me.

I had no idea why.

Well, Aira was always the moody type.

Just then, shouts echoed in the distance.

━We’ve searched the entire palace, but they’re not here! They must’ve already escaped! Split up and check outside! Search the city thoroughly! Lock down the gates!

Rumble, rumble.

A large number of soldiers could be heard rushing out of the palace. Judging by what they were saying, they thought we had already escaped.

Maybe now was our chance to get out?

It seemed everyone was thinking the same thing—we needed a plan to act on it.

Our best bet was the map the Nymph Queen had shown us and the marked chest at its center.

Now that Aira had lost her will, our only real objective was to find that suspicious location and check what was inside.

The question was whether the Nymph Queen would cooperate.

“Alright.”

Surprisingly, she agreed without hesitation.

“Let’s go together. The real problem was the monster guarding the chest. It kept delaying my plans.”

It seemed the fact that we had been able to subdue Queen Aira worked in our favor. She must have been thinking of getting us to deal with the boss monster.

This girl knew this was the best chance she’d ever get. She was sharper than expected.

Then again, without a quick wit, it would’ve been impossible to survive alone in the palace, even with a convenient secret hideout like this.

And so, our odd little party was formed.

Clank, clatter.

The Nymph Queen, now loaded with gear, declared.

“I know the way. Once we reach the underground, there won’t be any more guards. Just follow me closely. We might never get another chance, so let’s not mess up.”

She seemed quite determined.

We felt the same.

This might be our only shot.

We had already crossed the treasonous line by drugging Aira to sleep. Like standing at the edge of a cliff, there was no turning back now.

The problem was… Aira refused to move.

“… Ugh…”

She seemed to have grown fond of this safe zone and didn’t want to leave. She clung to a pillar, growling like someone in a tantrum.

“Uuu…!”

She looked just like a wild animal that’d been wounded and left behind.

To think that the proud Aira would act like this—it was fascinating enough that I almost wanted to record it. But at the same time, I was starting to feel a little impatient.

“Aira-nim, we have to go. We can’t just stay here forever.”

How could I convince her?

Was this the pain of parenting?

Never in my life did I think I’d come to understand the hardships of parents in a place like this…

* * *

“Hey, are you sure you’re good like that?”

Elga checked on me.

It was probably because I was carrying Aira in my arms.

With her arms tightly wrapped around my neck and her face buried in my nape, she was no different from a baggage.

Of course, for mere baggage, she smelled nice, while also felt soft and warm. More than anything, she was light. So light that it was almost hard to believe a person’s body could weigh this little.

I replied casually.

“It can’t be helped. Aira-nim refuses to step outside on her own.”

Carrying her like this was the last resort to get her out of the room.

Surprisingly, Aira, who had looked so anxious earlier, seemed much calmer now that I was holding her. Good thing I’d been working out.

“Hey, you two. This isn’t the time for chit-chat. The coast looks clear—let’s move.”

At the nymph’s signal, we all stepped out the wall.

The palace air reeked of burning as we swiftly navigated through the dark corridors.

We hid from patrolling soldiers, and at times, we even had to take them down. It felt surreal—almost as if we really were traitors.

Still, looking at the bright side, meeting this Nymph Queen had been a stroke of luck.

Her living undetected in this palace for so long wasn’t a lie. She led us through guards’ blind spots and lesser-known paths.

“This is the underground entrance.”

We really made it here without being caught.

If we hadn’t met this nymph, things would have been much more difficult and complicated. No, perhaps more terrible things would have happened.

“Thanks, things went smoothly because of you.”

But when I lightly expressed my gratitude, she clicked her tongue.

“The real job hasn’t even started yet. Our problem starts down there.”

She pulled out a long pin and fiddled with the heavy lock securing the entrance. After a series of sharp clicks, the lock finally came apart and clattered to the floor.

“All right. Everyone, follow me.”

Edit by: faker

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