Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

Clop-clop, clop-clop-

It seemed our starting point was quite remote, as we spent nearly half a day riding in the carriage toward the capital city.

During that time, we had no choice but to remain in the carriage until the bright azure sky faded into a blazing crimson sunset.

In the novel, the female lead would either use instantaneous teleportation magic for travel or employ a high-speed carriage when headed to official destinations. At this very moment, I sorely envied her.

Seeing my sullen expression gazing out the window, Luka concernedly asked:

“Ria, are you alright?”

I marveled at how Luka could sit through half a day in the carriage without shifting positions even once, likely recalling memories of always traveling in lavish imperial carriages.

“My body is numb. I also get motion sickness.”

I stretched languidly as I spoke. These definitely seemed unlike the carriages nobles used.

My head was pounding as if I had been on a fishing boat for far too long.

“Should we stop for a bit, then?”

‘But this isn’t our private carriage, is it?’

It wouldn’t do to rudely request stopping to rest after the coachman had embarked on this long journey carrying two children of unclear backgrounds.

Stating that I was in a hurry so it was fine, I ended up just lying down on the seat with my sluggish body.

Propriety be damned, I felt slightly better at least lying down.

According to the coachman, we would have to cross one more mountain range to reach the capital, likely arriving tomorrow morning.

“Luka, you should lie down and rest too.”

At my words, Luka reclined his upright back against the seat.

“I suppose so.”

We lay side by side in the swaying carriage, silently watching the scenery pass by the window or gazing upwards.

Only the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves and occasional bumps from the rocky path filled the tranquil carriage interior.

Breaking that stillness, Luka spoke up to me.

“So Ria still intends to meet Duke Rayes?”

I nodded. Returning to the place Laveria’s original body belonged was my aim, though truthfully I wasn’t sure if it would go as intended.

“He’s searching so desperately for her. Having lost my parents at a young age too…”

The Duke had immediately recalled his late wife upon first meeting Laveria.

I likely resembled the deceased Duchess enough for him to want confirmation.

Of this body, my favorite feature were the eyes. Their vibrant emerald hue, untainted by any impurities, had been inherited from the Duchess herself.

Lost in such thoughts, my gaze crossed paths with Luka’s ruby red irises.

“If I turn out not to be the Duke’s daughter, I’ll just follow you instead.”

“Wherever Ria goes, I’ll always be with you.”

Those were reassuring words indeed.

Since leaving the orphanage, this world had felt as vast as the universe to me.

Like when I was first abandoned at the orphanage long ago.

Unlike then, Luka was by my side now.

Though likely an offhand remark from him, it no longer instilled any fear in me thanks to those words.

According to Luka’s explanation, the region we were passing through was called Gesilla – a unique gateway area enroute to the capital. And indeed, his words rang true.

At first, I could scarcely trust my own eyes.

Though a beautiful sunset graced the sky outside, it was studded with countless shooting stars.

Trailing white tails toward who-knows-where, the meteors seemed to paint the rosy sky with wanton strokes.

Astronomers from my original world would have gone wild with excitement researching such a phenomenon.

While undoubtedly a captivating cosmic show, my heavy eyelids kept drooping from sheer exhaustion after the sleepless night and morning’s ordeals.

As my eyelids fluttered shut, I leaned back comfortably with both hands propping my head.

Since we wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow morning anyway, I decided to simply sleep.

I had intended to chat more with Luka before parting ways, but revisiting conversations at dawn was customary on journeys, so I put aside my regrets and closed my eyes.

* * *

Watching the sleeping Ria, Luka felt a pang of guilt intermixed with satisfaction at being by her side.

‘Was that a bit too much?’

Still, seeing how utterly drained Ria was after today’s arduous journey, his resolve softened.

Having regained his sealed memories freed the restraints binding his magic, allowing him to easily cast basic spells like short-range high-speed teleportation.

Of course, in that initial village the teleportation range had been too wide to use magic. But once entering the Gesilla region, it became a matter of his volition.

He had uncharacteristically indulged his desire to prolong their time together, if only a little more.

When it came to anything regarding Ria, Luka couldn’t maintain his usual composure.

It had been that way ever since first laying eyes on her warm smile and outstretched hand at the orphanage.

Luka brushed back his soft brown locks.

Yet as his fingers touched the strands, the brown tresses transformed into brilliant jet-black befitting the most noble – his true hair color.

The amateurish spell concealing his heritage from his kidnappers had been undone, restoring his natural hue.

The gentle breeze wafting through the open window tousled his tidied locks.

Watching Ria drooling slightly in her sleep, Luka couldn’t help but smile wryly.

From her wispy silver tresses reminiscent of a fairy, to those warm emerald eyes that seemed to ensnare all who gazed into them, to her childishly sweet voice calling his name – there wasn’t a single aspect of this girl that failed to endear itself.

He couldn’t fathom why his heart was so drawn to her.

In the span of life he could recollect, had there ever been someone who offered kind words, a warm hand, a sincere smile as she did?

Was it because she was the sole existence to have ever done so for him?

The more he dwelled on her significance, the deeper his feelings grew.

To the point of impatience, even.

As Luka carefully draped a blanket over Ria’s shoulders, he whispered:

“I’m being selfish.”

Luka snapped his fingers.

In that instant, the coachman yawning as he led the horses let out a scream.

“Wh-What…! What is this?!”

The passing scenery outside suddenly blurred incomprehensibly from sheer speed.

The trees and grass swept past were violently shaken by the gale forces.

Unaware of the magic imbued on the horses and carriage, the coachman could only shriek in awe at the inexplicable spectacle.

Luka swiftly snapped his fingers again to muffle the coachman’s cries, preventing Ria from waking amid the commotion.

In the blink of an eye, Duke Rayes’s territory that should have taken overnight now loomed before them.

As the brilliant white ramparts symbolizing the Rayes estate came into view in the distance, Luka dispelled his magic.

Unable to overcome the residual inertia, the carriage continued soaring several dozen meters before finally halting.

Noting the absence of shooting stars outside, they had undoubtedly arrived at Duke Rayes’s domain.

Leaning his head out the window toward the coachman who still trembled gripping the reins in shock, Luka commanded:

“Regain your senses and proceed onward.”

“A-Ah… Yes, yes!”

The coachman had initially presumed them as merely servant children, expecting to squeeze out some extra fare by dragging out the journey at a leisurely pace. Unexpectedly, these rascals possessed inexplicable powers.

High-speed teleportation magic was an experience common folk coaching carriages could scarcely encounter.

“Haha, so even experiences like this await in life…”

Muttering dazedly, the coachman gave a ‘Hyah!’ and set the horses trotting once more.

It was still early evening, with the sun yet to fully set.

* * *

“Ria, you need to wake up now.”

“Mmm, Luka?”

Ah, had I overslept? I needed to wake the kids on chore duty today…

Recalling how the last child left on duty had gotten severely scolded because I failed to rouse them, I started to jolt awake.

“Luka, what time is it?”

I raised my heavy eyelids to ask.

“Around seven, I’d say.”

“Seven is still early morning…”

“Seven in the evening.”

“Huh??”

At those words, I bolted upright. But as I looked around, I fell speechless.

“Wha…”

This wasn’t my room. Instead of the familiar wooden ceiling coated in cobwebs from the past twelve years, this was an elegant yet antiquated ceiling adorned with all manner of exquisite patterns and decorations.

Even the chandelier hanging in the center resembled a blossoming flower. I couldn’t tell if I was still dreaming or not.

The modest little room I typically shared with ten other children for our nightly slumbers looked nothing like this.

Our blankets had been faded old things, not plush silk embroidered with beautiful needlework like these.

As those thoughts crossed my mind, I noticed Luka seated beside the chair next to my bed.

I gasped in shock.

“Luka. Your hair…!”

It had turned jet-black. The once brown-haired pretty boy now exuded an undeniably regal aura befitting royalty.

He was even dressed in a shirt styled like young noblemen.

It seemed he had bathed to tidy his tousled appearance from trudging through the forest, even grooming his formerly unkempt locks. His handsome features practically seemed to radiate light.

Grateful to have developed an immunity to such visuals, I gingerly reached out to ruffle his hair as I always did.

The cuts and scratches on my hands from tearing off plaster had already been treated.

‘Hmm, same feel despite the color change.’

When brown, his hair had looked as soft as a puppy’s fur. But now as sleek black tresses, touching them made me feel like I should be paying a fee for the privilege of such refined quality.

Even so, amid these unfamiliar surroundings, Luka was the sole remaining constant from what I knew.

As I stroked his head, Luka met my gaze and said:

“Ria, are you alright? You didn’t wake up even after the carriage arrived, so I brought you to a room first. You must have been exhausted enough to sleep like the dead and not stir even when carried.”

“Arrived, you say? So we’re currently at the Duke’s estate?”

“Yes. Duke Rayes’s estate.”

No sooner had Luka finished speaking than a rap on the door preceded it swinging open inward.

I stared wide-eyed.

There stood a blindingly radiant man with pure silver hair and deep azure eyes.

At a glance, I recognized exactly who he was.

The head of the Rayes Duchy – one of the founding nobility that had ushered in the Greffin Empire and now defended its eastern borders. That was how he had been described in the original story.

“So you’re awake.”