Too Lazy to be a Villainess - Chapter 349

Chapter 349: When Understanding Comes Too Late
[Lavinia’s POV—Later—Dawnspire Wing—Lavinia’s Chambers]

The hallway leading to my chamber was quiet.

Too quiet.

Moonlight spilled through the stained glass windows, scattering silver and white across the polished floors. Marshi trotted beside me, tail swaying lazily.

I slowed… then stopped.

Because standing outside my chamber door was Osric.

Petting Solena.

Solena perched confidently on his arm like the most traitorous bird in existence.

“What are you doing here, Grand Duke?” I asked, my voice clipped and formal.

Osric turned, immediately bowing. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

His hair was neatly tied, his uniform perfect, and his posture straight despite the faint bruise still fading on his jaw. His eyes, however… were unreadable.

I waited.

He straightened and said calmly, “I was here to follow my oath.”

I paused mid-step.

“Oath?” My brow furrowed. “I thought you…”

I sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “Never mind. But I don’t need you guarding me today. You can go.”

I reached for my chamber door— “Is it because I am no longer useful, Your Highness?”

His voice was quiet.

Too quiet.

It froze me in place. I turned slowly, facing him fully. His face was composed—calm, polite—but his eyes… Cold.

Wounded.

Dangerous.

“Osric,” I said, voice even, “that is not what I meant.”

He tilted his head slightly. “Then why dismiss me?”

I closed my eyes briefly. The last thing I wanted right now was another emotional outburst from him. Not with the nobles watching. Not with Father nearby. Not with my patience hanging by one thread.

I exhaled deeply.

“…Would you like some tea?”

For a moment, he simply stared.

Surprised.

Startled.

Softened.

“Tea…?” he echoed quietly. “It would be my honor, Your Highness.”

Solena made a triumphant sound, as if she chose to escort a dramatic man into my room intentionally.

I stepped into my chamber. Osric followed with measured steps. Marshi plopped down by the fireplace with a groan, already bored.

“You’re strangely polite today,” I said, pouring two cups myself—because the servants were off-duty.

“Am I?” he replied, voice smooth. “Perhaps Your Highness is noticing today.”

I arched a brow. “Or perhaps you’re trying hard to behave.”

His lips quirked faintly.

“Maybe,” he murmured, “Your Highness brings that out in people.”

I didn’t respond. He sat only when I gestured. His posture was rigid—formal—yet his eyes never left me.

Not once.

His gaze lingered with something complicated. Something unspoken. Something that made the room feel smaller.

I took my seat across from him. “Drink.”

He lifted the teacup but paused, watching me with that familiar intensity.

“Your Highness,” he said quietly, “you asked me to leave just now. And now… you offer me tea.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“What changed?”

The air tightened. The teacup in my hand stilled. Solena ruffled her feathers, sensing the tension.

I met his eyes, holding them.

“Nothing changed,” I said. “But you needed calm. And so did I.”

A slow, strained breath escaped him—as if he’d been holding one for days. He lowered his gaze to the cup, fingers tightening around the porcelain.

“…Thank you,” he said.

It had been a long time since I’d heard him say those words sincerely.

Silence settled.

Not hostile.

Not warm.

Just… fragile.

Balancing between an old wound and an unspoken truth neither of us dared to touch. Until he lifted his gaze again and said quietly, “I miss standing beside you.”

A soft ache tugged inside my chest.

But I didn’t answer.

Not yet.

Not when the air between us was this thin. Not while his heart was still bleeding from a past he refused to let go.

I sipped my tea instead.

“Drink, Osric,” I said softly. “Before it gets cold.”

He obeyed. But his eyes watched me with a mixture of longing and loss that made Solena flap her wings irritably—as if she too sensed trouble forming.

And somewhere deep inside the palace… I wondered when everything had become this tangled.

And then—”Have you started liking Captain Haldor now?”

The question sliced the moment in half.

I stilled. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to him, leaned back in my chair, and asked, “Grand Duke… Do you think I am a playgirl whose heart skips from one man to another?”

His composure slipped—just for a heartbeat. “I didn’t mean it like that, Your Highness—”

“I know,” I cut him off gently but firmly. “But still… love only happens once, Grand Duke.”

His eyes flickered.

“My love,” I continued, “has expired its place. It won’t grow again. It’s better if I remain unmarried—just as Papa wants.”

His jaw tightened. His fingers curled around the teacup until his knuckles turned white. He tried—so very hard—to hide the way those words hit him.

But I saw it.I always saw it.

“Then what about the heir?” Osric asked quietly. “After you… the Devereux bloodline needs someone to continue it.”

I smirked. “You sound like an old uncle, Grand Duke.”

Despite everything, he huffed softly.

“And you,” he murmured, “sound like a tired grandmother.”

Silence.

Then—”Pfft—!”

A small, unwilling laugh escaped me.

And his lips curved—just faintly—but real. For a moment… a breath… a sliver of time… It felt like the Osric I once knew had returned.

Soft. Warm. Teasing.Human.

And a quiet ache echoed in my chest.

Where did everything begin to break? Was it the day I moved hierarchy for Haldor?

…No.

No—it started long before.

It began the day he knelt for her. Eleania. The cause of my death in another life. The poison that fractured everything.

It all went wrong from that moment.

I cleared my throat, pushing the past away.

“You did very well during the war, Grand Duke,” I said softly. “And since you now hold that title… your responsibilities have grown.”

He nodded once, wary.

“So,” I continued, setting my teacup down, “I want to free you from the oath you took on your coming-of-age ceremony.”

His reaction was explosive. Osric stood so abruptly his chair scraped sharply against the marble.

“YOUR HIGHNESS!”

The outburst rang through the room.

Marshi lifted his head. Solena glared. The air turned razor-sharp.

I exhaled. “Please sit down, Grand Duke.”

His jaw worked. His throat bobbed. Then slowly—reluctantly—he sat. I folded my hands in my lap.

“Do not misunderstand,” I said calmly. “I am not severing ties between us. Your position ensures we will always work together. But as Grand Duke… you cannot carry two duties at once. You cannot be a grand duke and my protector at the same time. This will burden you and overwork you.”

His gaze lowered, and he sighed heavily.

“I don’t want to free myself from the oath,” he admitted, voice low. “But… you are right, Your Highness.”

I smiled—soft but firm. “Thank you for understanding.”

He nodded. Then something bitter twisted in his expression.

“You know I have enormous responsibility as Grand Duke,” he said quietly. “And yet… you moved the entire imperial hierarchy for a mere captain.”

The old Osric would’ve been scolded instantly. But today… I didn’t raise my voice.

“Osric,” I murmured, “how would you feel if your officers… the people of your dukedom… were insulted?”

He froze.

Because he understood.

Completely.

“I would take a stand for them,” he said slowly. “Because—”

“Because insulting your officers,” I finished, “is equal to insulting you.”

He inhaled sharply.

“That,” I said firmly, “is exactly why I moved the hierarchy.”

His eyes widened slightly—shocked that I spoke without hesitation. Without apology.

“I meant no offense to you, Osric,” I continued. “But I believe imperial soldiers deserve more respect. They fight for us. They bleed for us. And when they are disrespected…”

My gaze hardened.

“…I will move the world if I must. I do not regret moving hierarchy for Haldor.”

Osric’s breath faltered. He lowered his gaze, shadows flickering in his eyes.

Pain.Acceptance.Jealousy.And something else—something that had been brewing for far too long.

The silence that settled between us was not gentle. It was heavy.

Full of memories.

Full of regrets.

Full of things we could never go back to.

And for the first time…

Osric whispered, “…I understand, Your Highness.”

But understanding had come too late for both of us.

Too late to fix what was broken.Too late to erase the hurt.Too late to change fate.

I inhaled slowly, letting the weight of our history settle like dust on the table between us.

“…You can leave,” I said gently. “Take a rest. You have done more than enough during the war, Osric. And I will make sure you receive everything that you deserve.”

He looked at me then.

Not as a Grand Duke.Not as a subject.But as the man who once stood by my side—before pride, jealousy, and destiny tangled everything beyond repair.

A faint, hollow smile curved his lips.

“Have a good sleep, Your Highness,” he murmured.

I nodded.

He stood—not with the confidence he once had, but with the weary dignity of someone finally accepting a truth he cannot fight.

Osric simply closed his eyes once… and then turned.

The door shut behind him with a quiet click.

A small sound.But it echoed like an ending.

I exhaled—long, slow, and heavy—and collapsed onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling as the weight of everything finally settled onto my chest.

“Loving…” I whispered to no one, “…is really, really hard.”

The ceiling didn’t argue. And the silence pressed close, curling around me like a question I wasn’t ready to answer.

Because love—my love, his love, the love—has truly ended today.