Too Lazy to be a Villainess - Chapter 299

Chapter 299: The Law of the Crown
[Lavinia’s POV — Everheart Estate, Grand Hall, Moments Later]

The silence that followed my words was absolute.

The music had stopped mid-note, the air itself frozen as if the entire hall had forgotten how to breathe. Hundreds of eyes turned toward me—wide, startled, terrified. Even the chandeliers seemed to flicker in warning.

My heels clicked once against the marble. The sound echoed like thunder through the stillness.

“Your Highness—” someone began, voice trembling.

“Silence,” I said softly.

It wasn’t a shout. It didn’t need to be.

The word carried the weight of a command born of imperial blood. And like puppets with their strings cut, every voice in the hall died.

I walked forward slowly—my gown trailing behind me like molten gold, my eyes fixed on the scene that had lit the fuse of my temper.

Sir Haldor. The Captain of my Imperial Knights. A man whose blade should protect the Empire’s borders, whose loyalty was unshakable. And there he was—bowing slightly, a tray in his hand, offering wine to some perfumed court lady who now looked as pale as milk.

A chill spread through my chest—not cold, but sharp, deadly, and controlled.

I stopped before them, every step deliberate and measured. My shadow fell across the trembling noblewoman, who tried—and failed—to curtsy.

“What,” I said quietly, “exactly am I looking at?”

The woman stammered. “Y-Your Highness, I—I only asked for a drink, and he—”

“And he what?”

My tone was calm—too calm. The kind of calm that made thunder hesitate before striking.The music had long died; the laughter vanished. Every noble in the room had turned to stone, their jeweled eyes reflecting only fear.

“A Captain of the Imperial Knights decided to serve you wine?” I took a step forward, the marble beneath my heel echoing sharp and clear. “Or did you command him to?”

No one dared to breathe. The air trembled as I let my gaze drift across the trembling crowd… until it stopped.

On two faces.

Eleania Talvan.Sirella Talvan.

Eleania—the simpering snake with a smile too sweet to trust.Of course.

I tilted my head slightly, voice soft but seething.”Tell me…” I said, my words curling like smoke through the hall. “Whose idea was this? Who dared to treat my captain as a servant?”

The silence screamed.

Sir Haldor stepped forward, bowing. “Your Highness, it’s nothing. I only—”

“Sir Haldor.”

He froze as my eyes met his. The fury beneath my composure could have scorched the world. “Did I command you to open your mouth?”

He didn’t flinch, didn’t lower his gaze—just answered with steady obedience.”No, Your Highness.”

“Then stay still,” I said quietly, dangerously. “Until you hear my next command.”

He bowed low. “I apologize, Your Highness.”

The room went colder.

I turned my attention back to the women, the hem of my gown whispering against the floor like a blade sliding free.

“Now,” I murmured, my voice lowering to a hiss, “who will open her mouth? Or…” My gaze sharpened, “…shall I drag every last one of you to the dungeons until someone remembers how to speak?”

The silence cracked. One of the women broke, voice shaking as she pointed a trembling hand.”It—it was Lady Eleania’s idea, Your Highness!”

Eleania’s eyes widened. “What? How dare—”

The woman continued, desperate to save her own skin. “She wanted a drink, but there were no waiters nearby—so she said… she said we should ask someone else to serve!”

I could feel my pulse pounding, the storm rising inside me.

“So,” I said softly, the word cutting like ice, “you had the audacity to make my Imperial Captain serve you wine?”

Eleania stumbled backward. “Y-Your Highness, I didn’t mean—”

“You didn’t mean to?” I hissed. “You humiliated an Imperial officer under my banner. In my presence. And you dare to hide behind excuses?”

Every eye flickered as if afraid.

The women fell to their knees, shaking. “We—we apologize, Your Highness! Please have mercy!”

I stared down at them, my voice dropping to a low, glacial whisper. “Mercy… is earned. Not begged for.”

Then my gaze shifted—slowly, deliberately—toward the man standing stiffly near the dais.”Count Talvan.”

The color drained from his face as I called his name.He stepped forward, bowing low. “Your Highness, I… I apologize on behalf of my daughter—”

“No.”

The single word sliced through the hall like a drawn blade. The air froze.

“Apologies,” I said, stepping closer, “are a currency for cowards. I don’t need them. I need answers.”

Count Talvan looked up, startled. “Y-Your Highness?”

“Tell me, Count,” I said coldly, “why has my imperial decree not been followed yet?”

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Heads turned. Whispers hissed.

“D-Decree?” one noble whispered.

“Did Her Highness send a decree to the Talvan family?”

Count Talvan’s throat worked visibly as he bowed deeper. “Your Highness… I would humbly ask you to reconsider that decision.”

My eyes narrowed. “I would have,” I said, my tone low and sharp as steel, “until today.”I took a step forward, and the crowd instinctively stepped back. “But after what I’ve witnessed—your daughter’s arrogance, her disrespect to my captain—I see now why my decision was correct.”

He raised his head just slightly. “Your Highness—”

“From this moment,” I said, my voice rising with cold authority, “I hereby command you—Count Talvan—to disown your adopted daughter, Eleania Talvan.”

The words struck the hall like a thunderclap.

Gasps erupted. Fans dropped. Someone audibly whispered, “Disown?!”Another voice—”That’s too harsh! I wonder what she did before!”

But Count Talvan did not flinch. He straightened slowly, his jaw tightening. “Your Highness,” he said evenly, “with all due respect, for a mere Imperial Captain, such a punishment—disowning my daughter—is too severe. I believe you should not act in haste.”

A low, dangerous silence followed.

I tilted my head slightly, lips curving into something that wasn’t quite a smile.”Haste?”

The word rolled off my tongue like poison wrapped in honey.

I took another step closer, the hem of my gown whispering against the marble like a threat. “You think I’m acting in haste, Count Talvan?”

He met my gaze with forced calm—no tremor, no fear.”I apologize, Your Highness,” he said, voice low but steady. “But… disowning my daughter for a mere captain seems a hasty decision.”

The hall froze.Even the air stilled, thick with tension.

Papa didn’t move—not a twitch, not a breath—but his gaze burned into me, silent, curious. He wanted to see how I’d handle this.

I smiled. Slow. Dangerous. “You said… for a mere captain?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied, a hint of defiance threading through his voice.

“Then allow me,” I said softly, “to correct your misunderstanding.”

I turned slightly, my voice rising, cutting through the air like steel on glass.”From this moment onward,” I declared, “the Captain of the Imperial Knights shall stand second only to the Crown Princess in rank.”

Gasps erupted across the hall. Fans snapped shut. The nobles looked at one another in disbelief.

“From today,” I continued, my tone smooth but merciless, “every one of you—noble, count, or duke—shall bow to the Imperial Captain before you dare address me.”

Count Talvan’s eyes widened, his face draining of color. “Your Highness—you cannot—”

I turned back to him slowly, cutting off his words with nothing but a glare.”Cannot?”

My voice was quiet. Too quiet. The kind that makes the skin crawl.

“Tell me, Count Talvan,” I said, each word laced with ice, “what title did you earn by birthright?”

He swallowed hard. “I… I am a Count of the Western Province—”

“And I,” I cut in sharply, “am the Crown Princess of the Elorian Empire. Daughter of Emperor Cassius Devereux, Sovereign of the Nine Realms, chosen heir to the throne that your ancestors swore their blood to.”

I stepped closer, so close he could see the reflection of his own fear in my eyes.”Do you truly wish to lecture me on hierarchy, Count?”

He faltered, bowing his head. “I—I meant no offense, Your Highness—”

“My word,” I said coldly, “is not a request. It is law.”

The chandeliers trembled.The air in the hall felt heavier, sharper—as though the marble itself was bowing beneath the weight of the command.

I turned to face the crowd, my voice ringing with royal authority.”Let it be known that rank is not given by birth, but by worth. And today, the worth of loyalty and honor stands above the arrogance of title.”

My gaze slid back to Count Talvan, pinning him in place.”You disrespected one who serves the throne with his life. You questioned my decree. You questioned me.”

I leaned forward, my whisper slicing through his trembling composure. “Pray that my father doesn’t see that as treason.”

The man froze, his breath catching in his throat. Around us, the crowd dared not move—even the chandeliers seemed to flicker more carefully.

I turned slightly, my gaze finding Sir Haldor. His usual composure had cracked just enough for me to see it—surprise flickering behind those disciplined eyes.

Without a word, I crossed the marble floor to him. The hem of my gown brushed like flame over glass as I stopped in front of him.

Then, before the stunned audience, I reached out and took his hand—firm, unflinching. The gesture was deliberate, defiant, and royal.

My gaze swept once more to Count Talvan. “Follow my decree,” I said, my tone quiet but lethal, “and disown your adopted daughter before midnight.”

A collective gasp rippled through the hall.

“Because if you don’t,” I continued, each word slow and merciless, “I will strip you of your title myself.”

For a heartbeat, no one moved. No one even breathed.

Then, I turned on my heel, my gown flaring behind me like liquid fire. “Let’s go, Sir Haldor.”

And we strode toward the great doors. The nobles parted like waves before a storm—silent, wide-eyed, and too afraid to whisper.

As the doors opened and the cold night air swept in, I didn’t look back once.