The Villainess Doesn't Want Love (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
“How dare you!”
Her fist, clenched with excessive force, slammed down onto the vanity with a loud thud.
“How dare that wretched woman smear my dignity?”
Caroline’s face was filled with fury.
Karina, who had previously trembled helplessly at even a single word from her, now dared to defy her.
“Even living quietly, head bowed as though invisible, wasn’t enough for her.”
Caroline muttered under her breath, biting her lower lip.
Perhaps because she’d been betrayed by someone she’d always disregarded, her pride was wounded even more deeply.
“My lady Princess. Merchant Abdul has requested to meet with Lady Karina.”
Nicole, her personal maid, watched her mistress’s expression carefully before speaking.
“Dismiss him. He’s no longer needed. Where would I possibly use an idiot who can’t even handle one simple task properly!”
At Caroline’s icy rebuke, Nicole lowered her head and silently stepped back.
“I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”
She violently yanked a fully bloomed flower bud from the vase decorating her vanity.
“I must teach that arrogant little rat her proper place.”
Gnashing her teeth, Caroline crushed the flower bud ruthlessly in her grip.
Thick, sticky sap oozed between her fingers and dripped steadily onto the floor.
[This is the timeline separator]“Aha ha ha ha ha!”
Karina, lying on her bed, burst into unrestrained laughter until tears welled in her eyes.
The image of Caroline shuddering in humiliation and shame at the banquet flooded her mind, bringing her not just satisfaction but an electrifying thrill.
‘Was this how Caroline felt back then, when she humiliated and tormented me?’
Karina smiled contentedly.
She knew her scheme had damaged the dignity of the ducal house.
Yet she carried out her plan without the slightest hesitation.
The reputation of the ducal family was none of her concern.
‘I’ll repay her exactly what she gave me, then divorce her—that’ll be the end of it.’
Before her regression,
she had endured endless slander, scorn, and scornful labels of being a “villainess.”
Such trivial matters wouldn’t even make her blink now.
‘Now that the haughty Caroline has been publicly disgraced like this, she’ll probably stay quiet for a while.’
“Hah.”
Savoring her satisfaction, Karina exhaled comfortably.
‘Wait—I shouldn’t be celebrating right now.’
Composing her excited thoughts, Karina carefully retraced her memories of what would happen next.
‘What happened after this banquet again?’
But nothing specific came to mind.
Before her regression, after being thoroughly humiliated at the banquet, Karina had secluded herself in her room for a long time.
But that was no longer necessary now.
Nor could she afford to do so.
‘First, I need to find out how I ended up returning to the past.’
The most suspicious thing was clearly the Wish Potion she’d drunk just before regressing.
Karina recalled how she had originally obtained that potion.
‘I definitely got it from a black-market merchant.’
She had mobilized all her connections to track down that clandestine dealer.
Originally, she had sought a deadly poison—
intending to eliminate Lucia, Jeremiah’s prospective new bride.
When she’d asked for both poison and its antidote, the black-market merchant had handed her a suspicious-looking potion instead of the antidote.
‘There’s no antidote for this poison. But I’ll give you this instead—a Wish Potion. Make your wish, then have your target drink it. If you’re lucky, they might even survive.’
It was unbelievable—a potion offered in place of an antidote?
Moreover, the very phrase “Wish Potion” reeked strongly of a charlatan’s trick.
Seeing my doubt, the black-market merchant merely smiled.
‘Do you really need to verify whether it’s genuine? If I recall correctly, you specifically asked for the deadliest poison possible because you absolutely wanted her dead.’
Apparently, it was ridiculous to buy a lethal poison with the intent to kill someone, yet still request an antidote alongside it.
“I drank the potion given instead of an antidote—and ended up back in the past. Isn’t that utterly strange?”
Moreover, Karina hadn’t even wished to turn back time.
Yet, she had returned to the past anyway.
‘If I want to achieve what I truly desire, I need to properly understand what this Wish Potion really is.’
Now that she had traveled back in time, Karina’s greatest advantage was her knowledge of the next three years’ worth of future events.
Of course, she didn’t remember every minor detail precisely.
But she knew the major incidents and catastrophes well enough.
To leverage this advantage, she needed appropriate preparation and precautions.
Karina got up and began preparing to go out.
Suddenly, it occurred to her that being discovered visiting a black-market merchant as the Duchess would bring nothing but trouble.
Since her marriage had been publicly celebrated, someone might recognize her.
She took out a simple outer garment with minimal embellishment or lace and dressed in it, then added a concealing robe on top.
‘With this, no one will suspect I’m the Duchess.’
She checked her appearance once more in the mirror and carefully left her room.
Fortunately, she encountered no one while passing through the long corridor, descending the stairs, and reaching the front door.
‘Looks like I won’t have to deal with any annoying complications.’
If any maids or staff had seen her like this, explaining the situation would have been extremely troublesome.
Just as Karina sighed in relief and reached for the mansion door to step outside, she froze at an unexpected sight.
A carriage stood waiting right in front of the mansion door, and the ducal household staff lined up in a long row from the entrance all the way to the carriage.
‘Oh no!’
Her timing couldn’t have been worse.
The only time servants lined up like this in front of the entrance was when Jeremiah was about to leave the mansion.
‘I should’ve come down a bit later.’
Stepping out now would be practically announcing the Duchess’s outing to the entire household.
Karina quickly turned to slip back inside, closing the slightly opened door again.
But just then, her eyes locked directly with a man standing behind her.
“…!”
“You were about to go out?”
Of all people, it was the very person she least wanted to encounter.
[This is the timeline separator]Peaceful countryside scenery flowed past the carriage window.
Karina, staring blankly out the window, shot a sidelong glance at Jeremiah seated across from her.
“At the very least, shouldn’t you tell me where we’re going?”
Her secret plan to visit the black-market merchant had ended before it even truly began.
She’d bumped straight into Jeremiah right at the mansion entrance.
When Karina tried to brush it off by claiming she just wanted to stroll around town alone, Jeremiah snapped back:
‘The Duchess wants to wander the city streets by herself? I’m sure the thieves and kidnappers lurking everywhere will be thrilled.’
‘Don’t you have even the barest awareness of your own status as Duchess?’
Ultimately, unable to fabricate a convincing reason to leave alone, Karina was half-forced to accompany Jeremiah.
“You really won’t tell me where we’re going?”
“I already said it’s an inspection tour of the village.”
The northern region of the Empire was barren and desolate, yet immensely vast.
Thus, the cities and villages governed by the ducal family were divided into four sectors—north, south, east, and west—for administrative clarity.
“So which village, then? You’re not inspecting every single area today, are you?”
“You’ll find out when we arrive.”
Jeremiah answered without looking up from the documents in his hands.
She hadn’t expected him to willingly reveal their destination, but his curt reply still left her in a sour mood.
“This is incredibly inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient?”
Jeremiah lifted his head slightly and glanced at Karina.
This was the ducal family’s personal carriage—reserved solely for the Duke himself.
Drawn by six horses, it featured plush cushions, soft rugs, and dignified interior decor, making it the epitome of luxury.
If even this carriage was “inconvenient,” nothing else in the world would feel comfortable to ride.
“I’d honestly be more comfortable riding in a cargo cart.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“It’s unlikely to happen, but if we ever need to go somewhere again, it’d be better to take separate carriages.”
“You must be bored if you’re spouting nonsense like this.”
“Does it sound like I’m just saying it out of boredom?”
“I’m busy right now, so please refrain from speaking to me unless necessary.”
Jeremiah returned his focus to his documents.
Silence blanketed the carriage.
It felt as if she’d plunged into deep water—her breath grew tight and stifled.
Just as she considered jumping out of the carriage altogether, Jeremiah casually remarked in passing,
“I received a report about what happened in the dining hall yesterday.”
Ah—the incident where the maids had given her food scraps.
“So what about it?”
“They said you’ve been tormenting the maids over the tiniest trifles, as usual.”
Karina swallowed a bitter laugh inwardly.
‘So they’ve all agreed to pin it on me like that, have they?’
“Is that what the maids claimed?”
“If you want to be treated like the Duchess, then act like one.”
“And what exactly does ‘acting like a Duchess’ entail?”
“It means don’t behave like someone frantically losing control over her subordinates.”
“Hah.”
Karina let out a weary sigh and offered a weak, humorless smile. His words weren’t even worth responding to.
“I’ve already issued appropriate punishments and disciplinary actions to the staff according to their offenses.”
“No doubt you have.”
Karina’s reply closed the conversation, and oppressive silence resumed.
Just as her patience was about to run out completely, the carriage fortunately arrived at their destination.
As she stepped out, Jeremiah issued her a warning:
“Individual actions are strictly prohibited during the inspection.”
Karina scoffed inwardly and ignored him.
[This is the timeline separator]Outside the village, several knights who had been waiting in advance joined them as they stepped down from the carriage.
“Recently, a large influx of outsiders has caused numerous minor disturbances.”
“That’s typical for this season. Increase the security patrols.”
“Two days ago, mercenaries hired as escorts by merchants got into a sword fight with local thugs. The merchants are pleading for leniency, insisting they desperately need those mercenaries for protection.”
“No exceptions will be tolerated. Punish them strictly according to the law.”
“Understood.”
While receiving reports, Jeremiah surveyed the town.
The northern territories governed by the Colesburg ducal family formed a vital trade route that merchants traveling to the eastern Kingdom of Ferdin had to pass through.
Despite the towering, treacherous mountain ranges infested with monsters, traders still chose this route for its unique regional specialties.
Especially after large-scale monster hunts, merchants from all over the continent flocked to the north
to acquire monster hides, cores, horns, eyes, claws, fangs, and other byproducts.
Equipment and goods crafted from these monster materials were highly sought after—not only by mages but even by nobles.
Yet, Karina’s eyes showed unmistakable boredom as she observed the bustling street full of lively activity.
‘Then why did you even drag me along here?’
She wanted nothing more than to find the black-market merchant as quickly as possible.
She couldn’t understand why Jeremiah insisted on dragging her along for a routine security inspection.
As the group moved slowly through the town, scrutinizing security measures, they eventually entered the noisier central marketplace.
Compared to the quiet outskirts, the marketplace offered at least something worth looking at, making the inspection slightly less dull.
The street stalls, initially lined with monster parts and hides, gradually transformed into displays of curious and wondrous goods deeper inside.
Karina unconsciously turned her gaze toward them.
‘Fine. Go ahead and conduct your inspection however you like. I’ll just do some browsing.’
Once her attention shifted, she found plenty of interesting things to look at:
delicate porcelain dolls, mysterious glass crafts that changed color depending on the viewing angle, fluffy yarn balls wrapped in soft threads, and ribbons tied into intricate knots of all shapes and sizes.
Karina happily browsed the stalls, her heart fluttering with delight.
Just as her attention was captivated by one particular stall, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“…!”
Startled, she looked up—it was Jeremiah. His brow furrowed, he stared at her with clear displeasure.
“Have you already forgotten what I said?”
Karina recalled his words just before stepping out of the carriage:
‘Individual actions are strictly prohibited during the inspection.’
“I wasn’t acting individually. I was following you diligently the whole time.”
Probably.
She shook off his hand as she spoke.
It wasn’t a lie—after all, she hadn’t deliberately sneaked off down a side path.
“Don’t get distracted. Stay close and follow properly.”
His words instantly sparked a surge of defiance within Karina.
Just as she opened her mouth to retort,
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the earth, sending a plume of smoke surging into the sky.
Karina jumped in alarm at the blast nearby.
Just before the billowing cloud of dust engulfed them,
a strong hand yanked her wrist. Pulled suddenly into an unfamiliar embrace, a quiet voice whispered in her ear:
“Stay still. Just remain like this for a moment.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Chapter Comments (10)
Inline Comments (160)
She slowly approached and opened the door.
Keep it close were coming up with ideas on how to get rich 😆
Jeremiah’s well-shaped eyebrows twitched into an uncomfortable angle.
😂 good keep twitching
“I can help you—with the Duchess’s divorce.”
And then get with him.Even though he’s hiding things, he still seems more honest and trustworthy than the duke at this point.
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I love when it’s just them
i’m really hoping for divorce next chapter
why did I unlock all the chapters? I wish I didn’t do that because he’s irritating me.