Too Lazy to be a Villainess-Chapter 401: The Ambush

[Haldor’s POV—Same Night—Different Places of Elorian Empire]

"Arrest every one of them."

My voice echoed through the marble corridor as Black Knights moved like shadows, seizing nobles from their chambers, dragging them away before their guards could even draw steel.

Doors burst open, silk robes met iron chains, and titles meant nothing tonight.

This was not a coup.

This was purification.

Grand Duke Osric stood beside a long table in the seized archive chamber, parchments spread before him like the entrails of a beast we had just cut open. His brows were drawn tight as he flipped through document after document.

"...I never knew," he murmured, voice heavy. "I truly never knew we had this much corruption in our empire."

I stepped closer, my eyes following the lines of ink.

"A diamond mine?" I asked slowly. "We have a diamond mine in Eloria?"

Osric nodded grimly. "On the eastern border. Officially, it was declared exhausted five years ago."

He lifted another parchment and placed it beside the first.

"But according to these ledgers... it has been operating in secret. Smuggling gems through Talvan’s trade routes. No tax. No imperial registry. No inspections."

My jaw tightened.

"So while the people paid blood taxes for roads and walls," I said quietly, "Talvan was filling his vault with light."

Osric exhaled sharply. "Not just Talvan. Look here."

He slid another parchment toward me.

House Viremont, House Kaldrin, and House Seress.

Three noble seals and their signatures.

"They financed it," Osric continued. "And in return, Talvan promised them influence once the throne fell."

My fist clenched.

"This isn’t rebellion," I said. "This is a business venture."

Osric met my gaze. "That makes it worse."

A knight entered and knelt. "Your Highness, the western estate is secured. We found foreign currency... an Astreon coin."

My blood ran cold.

"Astreon again..." I whispered.

Osric straightened. "So it is true. They were not just whispering across borders. They were paying for chaos."

I looked down at the parchments again, the truth bleeding through ink and seals.

"They used my name," I said quietly. "They used my blood to justify this."

Osric placed a firm hand on my shoulder. "And tonight, you cut the root of that lie."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Outside, the sound of chains and marching boots filled the palace halls. Somewhere, a noble was screaming. Somewhere else, another was praying.

The empire was awake.

I picked up one parchment slowly.

"These records," I said, "will burn every house tied to Talvan."

Osric nodded. "And the people will finally see who was poisoning them."

I folded the parchment carefully and handed it to a knight.

"Deliver this to the Crown Princess’s office," I ordered. "Every page. Every seal. No delay."

The knight bowed. "At once."

As he rushed away, Osric looked at me with a mixture of respect and something like sorrow.

"You know what this makes you now," he said.

I answered without hesitation, "Yes. It makes me the man who chose Eloria."

Beyond the windows, the city still slept under lantern light, unaware that its noble bloodline was collapsing piece by piece.

And somewhere in the palace, Lavinia was preparing to turn these papers into judgment.

This night was not ending; it was becoming history.

That was what we all believed, but for some reason... My heart would not calm.

It pounded too loudly in my chest, each beat heavy, ominous—like a drum announcing a disaster I could not yet see. The corridor felt longer than before. The torches seemed dimmer. Even the air tasted wrong.

I mounted my horse to return to the imperial palace, the wind tearing at my cloak as if trying to hold me back.

’Something is wrong.’

I could not explain it; there had been no report, no scream, no alarm bell.

Only instinct.

Only fear.

’I just hope nothing goes wrong today...’

***

[Lavinia’s POV—Talvan Estate—Later]

Eleania moved with surprising certainty, pointing to every hidden corner as if she had memorized the house with pain and patience.

"Behind the third pillar," she said calmly. "There’s a hollow space."

Ravick pried it open with his blade. Papers spilled out like wounded birds—ledgers, sealed letters, and contracts written in Talvan’s hand.

"Here too," Eleania continued, her voice steady. "Under the floorboard near the window. He always hid things close to his sister’s portrait... as if guilt needed a witness."

Zerith and the other knights dragged Talvan and Sirella away in chains, their protests echoing down the corridor until the sound disappeared into the night.

I walked slowly through the ruined luxury of the estate, my boots crunching over broken glass and scattered jewels.

A knight followed close behind me.

"Seize everything," I ordered coldly. "Every ornament. Every vase. Every coin that reeks of corruption. I want a full report on my desk by tomorrow night."

He bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Highness."

Eleania stepped out from the hallway into the main living space. Her face looked lighter, exhausted, but relieved.

"Are you done?" I asked.

She nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, Your Highness. There is nothing left to hide."

"Good," I said, turning toward the exit. A slow smirk touched my lips. "Then we shall leave."

She looked at me, saying, "Yes, your highness."

I glanced back once at Talvan’s shattered estate. "Now, the real fun has just begun."

Eleania nodded, understanding, and we stepped out into the night. The torches of my knights lit the courtyard in harsh gold. Horses waited. Armor gleamed. The air felt strangely heavy, as if the sky itself was holding its breath.

I mounted my horse and reached a hand down for Eleania. She took it and climbed up behind me.

"Stay close," I told her quietly.

"Yes, Your Highness," she replied.

***

[Lavinia’s POV—Later—On the Way to the Imperial Palace]

The road back to the palace stretched dark and silent before us. Talvan’s estate burned behind us in memory, not in flame. Ravick remained there to finish the cleansing, while I rode ahead with only a small guard.

Eleania clung to me from behind, her hands trembling against my cloak and somehow the night felt wrong.

Too quiet.Too empty.

Then—WHOOSH!

Something sharp tore through the air.

"Aah!" Eleania cried out as her body jerked against mine.

"YOUR HIGHNESS—IT’S AN AMBUSH!" a knight shouted.

Horses reared and screamed. One stumbled sideways as shadows poured from the rooftops and broken garden walls like living darkness.

Black-robed figures leapt down. Magic ignited in sickly colors—green and silver, twisting unnaturally in the air. It did not feel like Elorian magic.

It felt... foreign.

I drew my sword in one motion as another arrow screamed toward us.

CLANG!

Steel met steel, and sparks flew as I knocked it aside.

"Form a shield line!" I commanded. "Protect Eleania!"

The knights surrounded us instantly. Blades clashed. Spells cracked against barriers. The night exploded with sound.

I twisted in the saddle. "Eleania, are you alright?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Her grip tightened on my robe. Her head slumped against my back.

"I... I don’t know, Your Highness..." she whispered weakly. "I feel... dizzy..."

My heart dropped, and I glanced at her arm. The wound was small. Barely a scratch.

Too small.

"...Damn it," I muttered.

My eyes widened in horror as I realized.

"Poison," I hissed. "The arrows are poisoned."

Another blast of magic struck the ground near us, forcing my horse to stumble.

"Get her away from here!" one knight yelled.

But before we could move—the air shifted. A chant rose from the shadows.

Not loud.

Not frantic.

Calm.

Deliberate.

A green sigil flared beneath my horse’s hooves.

"What—?!" I gasped.

The ground collapsed inward like a trap. I grabbed Eleania tighter as we fell—only to feel arms seize me from behind.

Cold. Strong. Inhuman.

A spell wrapped around my body like chains of light. The knights screamed my name. "YOUR HIGHNESS!"

A black-robed figure appeared before me, face hidden behind a silver mask, and that voice and those eyes felt way too familiar.

"The Crown Princess comes with us," he said softly. "By order of faith."

I raised my sword—but my arm would not move. Poison was spreading through Eleania, and magic was sealing me in place.

"Touch her and I will burn you all into ash," I snarled.

The masked figure tilted his head. "That is exactly why you must come."

A blinding flash of green light erupted, and the world shattered into wind and silence. The last thing I saw was my knights fighting desperately...and Eleania collapsing fully against my back.

Then—darkness swallowed us whole, and the road to the palace was left empty.

***

[Somewhere in Eloria—Unknown Location]

When I opened my eyes, pain followed, not sharp, not loud, but heavy, like chains wrapped around my bones. My vision swam, blurred by dizziness and magic residue. The air smelled unfamiliar—old stone, incense, and something bitter beneath it.

A familiar room, but I could not name it.

My head turned weakly to the side. Eleania lay beside me on the cold floor, unmoving. Her face was pale, lips parted slightly, and chest rising and falling too slowly.

"Eleania..." I tried to speak.

My voice did not obey; panic surged through my veins. Then I saw them; four figures stood before us.

Shadows wrapped in robes, one of them stepped forward, and the torchlight revealed a silhouette I recognized far too well.

A voice spoke—calm, amused, and unmistakably familiar, "...It seems she is waking up."

My heart lurched.

That voice.

I knew it.

Even through the fog of poison and magic. I tried to lift my head. My fingers twitched. My vision sharpened for only a moment—just long enough to see their faces clearly.

And understand... I had been taken somewhere, I know.

Then the weight returned, and my limbs failed. Darkness claimed me again.

And the last thing I felt was certainty—this was no ambush.

This was a planned plan, someone knew we were about to hunt all the nobels and that someone is very closer to me.