Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 342

“This is strange. I expected some resistance, or maybe a scream. But it’s as quiet as an egg.”

Could something have happened to Aira? Or was there some kind of bizarre change? I couldn’t help but worry.

“What if we release her? If she goes wild, we can always subdue her again.”

Mirna let out a thoughtful hum at my suggestion. But with Aira motionless and silent, Mirna seemed to have no better ideas. She nodded reluctantly.

“Fine.”

—Mutter, mutter.

Mirna chanted an incantation.

Crack. Crack-crack.

Visible fractures began forming on the paper shell of the egg. Then, at last, one side shattered completely—

Shluck.

Something dark tumbled out through the broken gap and collapsed onto the floor. From behind damp strands of hair, hazy eyes met mine. _{freewebnσvel.cøm}

I’d braced myself for an attack the moment the seal broke, but the sight of her limp figure left me deflated.

She looked like a newborn chick.

A bird with wet, black feathers.

“Aira-nim, can you hear me?”

I snapped my fingers in front of Aira. But she looked vacant, and didn’t seem to comprehend my words.

Elga’s face twisted in frustration.

“Hey, Mirna. She’s completely broken. What the hell did you do? Did you mess with her mind or something?”

“If I could do that, don’t you think I would’ve made things easier? This isn’t my doing—”

Leaving the two to their bickering, I held Aira’s empty gaze.

What came to mind was the Queen Aira from the original story—defeated by the Hunter. After losing to the Hunter's party, she had given up and was ultimately hanged on the gallows.

That’s right.

Despair.

Perhaps Aira let go of whatever semblance of a 'heartʼ she’d been clinging to.

Proud and regal to her core, the queen we knew couldn’t bear the shame of losing to intruders like us. So she fled.

She turned away from what she couldn’t endure, pretending it didn’t exist.

━There's commotion over there! Protect the queen!

━Defend Her Majesty!

The clatter of armor and weapons echoed from the hallway.

Hearing the approaching footsteps of people carrying torches, Mirna, Elga and I frantically looked around in alarm.

“Sir Theo, we need to move!”

I agreed. Hoisting Aira up, I bolted toward the least active path in the familiar interior.

But there were soldiers everywhere.

Cornered in a dead end, Mirna clicked her tongue.

“They won’t surrender the queen quietly. At this point, there’s no hiding the fact that we've infiltrated the palace.”

Do we fight?