The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End

As Randall looked out of the train window, he remembered the tourist sights that Sophia had wanted to visit.

If there were no complications, he would have been touring the sights of Verhund with her by now.

‘To be honest, when my uncle told us to go on our honeymoon, I thought it would be a hassle, but when I saw Sophia happily talking about the places she wanted to see, I was glad we decided to go on our honeymoon…..but I never thought it would end up like this. I never thought this would happen’.

‘Witch Marble or …

Is Orion right, is there really a witch called Marble in the forest at the foot of the Magellan Mountains?

And even if there were, could she make an antidote to the dubious love potion? 　if…. if no antidote can be made.…. will Sophia remain like this for the rest of her life?’

He remembered Sophia’s face when she mentioned the word ‘divorce’. He knows it was due to the effect of the love potion….but Sophia said it with a smile, as if it was a matter of fact. Were those words really just the words of a woman blinded by a ‘love potion’? Or did they contain a shred of her true feelings?

Randall could think of a number of reasons why she would choose divorce. Because Randall has never done anything husbandly towards her. He was always angry and cold towards Sophia because he treated Keira badly.

Randall himself did not actually witness Sophia being harsh towards Keira.

‘Maybe … maybe not.’

‘As far as I can recall, Sophia has never been arrogant, harsh or even selfish towards others’.

Keira has always been a proud cousin who was as lovely as an angel, but she was a little bit assumptive – and if everything he has heard so far has been based on Keira’s assumptions…..

Randall turned blue.

If everything Keira said was wrong, Randall would have been blaming Sophia for things she has no idea about.

Of course, he still didn’t know enough to come to a conclusion.

Kyle was right, Randall, who had never tried to have a talk with Sophia, did not have enough information to get an answer.

Randall closed his eyes with his face turned to the window.

‘It’s not Sophia who is arrogant. It’s …… me.’

If he could get the antidote to the love potion…..would Sophia be happy when she regains her sanity?

Would she not resent Randall, wishing she had stayed in love with D’Artano?

Will Randall…..have a chance to start over?

The terminal station Iones is a prosperous coal-mining town.

Thanks to the railway industry, which has been developing rapidly in recent years, many people have moved here from other towns to work as coal miners, and perhaps because of the rapid increase in population, the town gives the impression of being quite crowded.

Even so, the area around the train terminus was clean and tidy, with a large square and a large inn, creating a stylish atmosphere.

A little further down the town, there were residential area with densely packed dwellings in narrow alleys, but most people getting off the train have no other use for the station area than to rest afterwards, either at the nearby tourist attractions or on their way to Saladora. Therefore, it did not matter much how dense the residential area was, or whether the roads were well maintained, except for the convenience of the inhabitants of the town of Iones.

Randall and the others also took lodgings near the station, but the mayor of the town came to them, perhaps having heard from somewhere that Cyril, the first prince, was coming.

When Cyril told them he had business in the forest at the foot of the Magellan Mountains, the mayor immediately raised his eyebrows.

“Your Highness, I wouldn’t recommend that area”.

“Why not?”

“Uhhm, actually, we were going to dig a mine in that area, but the men who went there fell ill one after another with strange illnesses, and we had to stop because we thought it might be haunted. It would have been terrible if the mountain gods had been angered and volcano had exploded”.

“Strange illnesses?”

“Yes. Symptoms vary, for example, sores on the skin like burns, hair falling out one after another, and yes, even men who say their wives ran away”.

“………”

It wouldn’t be a disease or anything to have your wife run away from you.

Cyril was inwardly stunned, but pretended to be a bold prince who could talk and nodded his head with a concerned expression.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“That’s right! The man whose wife ran away became depressed and is now asleep.”

No, so it has nothing to do with his wife running away. Cyril’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. If he continued to stand here, he doesn’t know how much longer he would have to listen to the story of the man whose wife left him.

Cyril broke off the conversation at the appropriate point, turned the mayor away and exhaled.

I don’t believe in god’s curse, but I’m sure there’s something going on.

‘Better to be on the safe side…’

Cyril has never met a ‘witch’ before, but she is the kind of person who makes dubious love potions. She must be a strange woman. With a woman like that living there, anything could happen.

‘Carnelia, ……, you really have done a terrible thing.’

Coincidentally, Carnelia liked Sophia, so the love potion was used on Sophia, but it was probably originally intended for Cyril.

Cyril was horrified and involuntarily rubbed his arm.