The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

Aria brought the hourglass with her just in case. If she would do something wrong, her life would be lost.

When she looked down and checked the teacup, there was some clear water in it, since it was melted. She could see it with her naked eye. It was enough poison to kill someone.

‘I don’t know if you don’t know the meaning of the small amount or if you’re going to kill Annie.’

Annie’s sin was not so heavy, but it was foolish of her to simply take Annie’s life just because she had been harassing her.

At Aria’s call for tea-time together after a long time, Jessie and Annie came running, and Mielle poured tea into the teacups pretending to be all right.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a tea time.”

“You know what? It’s because our lady has been busy lately.”

“You must have been sorry for that, right?

“Yes! Nothing can be happier than having tea with you,” Jessie answered merrily, and Annie also burst into laughter, sympathizing.

No one had touched the tea yet because Aria hadn’t drunk it. Mielle had been glancing at the poisoned teacup all the way to see how to get Annie to drink it. While having such a brief conversation, Aria, who was packing the hourglass she had put on the table, overturned Annie’s cup of tea, pretending to have slipped her hand.

“Yipe!”

“...!”

“Annie!” The hot tea poured into Annie’s dress, and the startled Jessie jumped up and examined Annie’s safety.

Mielle was also in a situation she had never expected, so she just stared at Annie who was screaming not knowing what to do.

“Oh, my God! Annie! You need to change your clothes now! Mielle, will you help her?”

“... yes?”

At Aria’s remark, Mielle was embarrassed and asked back stupidly. She had to get Annie to drink the tea, but she didn’t know why she was in such a strange situation.

“Come on! Annie’s going to get burned! Are you saying it’s okay?”

“Yes? Yes, yes...!”

But soon after, at Aria’s scurrying voice, Mielle unwillingly helped Annie out of the garden, thinking, ‘I’m sure Aria has something on her mind.’

“Are you all right, Miss?”

“I’m fine.”

Aria answered Jessie’s worried question with a nod. As if she was relieved, she wiped the spilled tea and cleaned up the table.

‘It’s about time for him to come.’ As soon as Aria thought about it, a servant showed up in the garden on the second floor with Cain. She had said in the letter, “Don’t wait, but just bring him right to where I am.”

Cain was now in a position where he could no longer be active, and he asked her with his facial expression why he had been called into Aria’s mansion.

“You’re here. I invited you because Mielle said she would prepare a tea time like this. Since it’s the first tea time she prepares it, I thought it would be better for you to join us.”

“... I see.”

So when she added the explanation, Cain nodded, saying that he understood.

“Sit down. Mielle’s got a little problem and she’s gone now, but the tea’s now ready.”

Aria, who said so, guided Cain to the seat where she had just been sitting.

“You must have had a hard time coming all the way, and drink tea and relieve your fatigue until Mielle returns.”

It wasn’t a long way from the Imperial Castle to the mansion, so he had no fatigue, but Cain, who blushed at the warm kindness of Aria, nodded calmly without answering.

* * *

“Oh, I almost got in trouble.”

Despite the hot tea that had just been poured in, Annie didn’t get very upset, because it was no other than Aria who had spilled tea. ‘How dare I can be angry with Miss Aria?’ It was obvious that she would not be angry even if she pushed her into the fire.

Moreover, she was wearing a thick fabric interior suit because it was still cold, so she didn’t get any serious burns, and she was sure that Aria would buy a new one, saying, “I’m sorry.” It would be very expensive and luxurious. Annie’s face was bright as if to expect this. Her hands changing her clothes were light and soft.

“Why are you standing there so absent-minded?”

Contrary to Annie, Mielle looked as if she were out of her mind. It was quite a natural response, as she had encountered an unexpected situation just before she had performed a dangerous and insidious act.

There was the same anxiety that something had gone wrong several times in the past, and Mielle was worried if Aria would change her seat, when Annie was not there. However, Mielle tried to make herself feel good, because there was no other way. ‘What else can I choose?’

“I’m all dressed up, so let’s go back.” Soon after, Annie, who had applied medicine and changed all her clothes, said,

Mielle quickly walked as if she had waited. ‘I have to go back quickly. It’s a big problem if you ask for a replacement because your tea is cold while you’re away.’

Fortunately, Annie’s actions and steps were so swift that she could return to the garden without delay, and Mielle’s anxiety gradually subsided.

“Miss! I’ve changed my clothes and come back.”

Annie had been nearly hurt but she was happy. She came into the garden with a big smile but stopped with the same posture as she opened the door.

“... uh?” Then she sounded strange.

‘What the hell is going on?’ Mielle was following Annie so she could check in the garden a step later than Annie.

“...?” When she checked inside, she was so surprised that she forgot to even breathe. It was because she faced Cain, who had no reason to be here. Cain even sat in the seat of the poisoned tea, where Aria had just sat.

Cain, who saw his sister without knowing what was in front of him, greeted her in a very relieved way. “Mielle.”

‘Why is Cain here? And in front of the poisoned cup of tea...!’

Aria, who glanced over the stupidly hardened Mielle who did not understand the situation, asked Annie with a very worried look. “Now you’re here? Are you all right without burns?”

“Oh, yes! Miss! Luckily, I wasn’t hurt. That’s all my dress that was just damaged.”

Annie, who described the dress as “damaged,” which had been only soaked in hot water at best, returned to her seat that had been cleaned up, with a light step.

“Really? I’m sorry. It’s my fault, so I’ll give you a new dress.”

“Hoo, I’m so sorry, if you say that, then.”

It was obvious for Aria to see that Annie was thinking of which dress to ask for, but Annie, who pretended not to be, asked, pointing to Cain sitting next to her.

“By the way, why is he here?” She asked why he was here, who was no longer relevant.

“Oh, I thought it would be better for my brother to join us, since Mielle has prepared this place for a long time.”

As Aria, who answered, took a sip of the tea in front of her, Cain also nodded, lifting the tea naturally in front of him and bringing it to his mouth.

As a result, Mielle, who had been standing in a fool’s way, jumped into the garden, being startled. “No! You can’t drink it! No!”

She shouted that in a hurry, but it was too late. This was because the poisoned tea that she had prepared with all her heart for Annie changed its destination and went down through Cain’s neck.

Clash!

The cup Cain was holding fell to the floor and sounded a sharp rupture, and Cain’s face suddenly turned pale after drinking the tea. The poison of the Inducing Flower, which could kill a human being in the smallest amount if used incorrectly, began to kill Cain as if it had met a long-awaited opponent.

“Yaaah!”

Cough cough!

Annie screamed, startled by the sight of Cain falling sideways, bleeding from his mouth, with the sound of a cough, and Jessie, who had become pale, fell backward.

Faced with a situation that she had never imagined, Mielle approached her brother and began to cry, checking his condition.

“No, brother!”? Brother! Why, why are you here?”

“... Mi, Mielle, ugh... Mielle...”

Cain looked as if he was in a critical situation. All of them stopped breathing and stared at him with astonished faces, as blood was mixed out of his mouth.

“Oh, my God! Somebody! Somebody, help him! Call a doctor!”

Even Aria, who had expected a terrible situation to happen, was speechless for a moment because the amount of poison that had been checked in advance was significant. At the sound of Mielle’s crying voice, Aria rose from her seat in a hurry and asked for help.