Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 343

Unlike our prickly first encounter, the Nymph Queen turned out to be quite talkative, chattering on endlessly.

“This box here? I took it from the palace’s kitchen. When you stack two of them together, it turns into a bed. Amazing, right? And if you press this button, rainwater from the roof flows down through this sand-gravel filter into this cup.”

“Truly remarkable, Your Majesty.”

Perhaps she was pleased with being treated like a queen. Or maybe she was just happy to have someone to talk to after so long. Either way, she freely shared details we hadn’t even asked.

From that, it's safe to say that she had been living alone in this hidden space for quite some time. Days? Months? No, it seemed even longer than that.

I decided to ask.

“So, what brings Your Majesty to reside in this place? Someone as capable as yourself surely must have a grand and perfect plan.”

Did she like my flattery?

The nymph let out a long hmm through her nose and narrowed her eyes. Then, as if making a decision, she began rummaging through the box.

What she pulled out were the papers and maps she had hastily shoved away earlier.

Rustle—

She spread them out on the makeshift box bed and began piecing them together.

Even Mirna and Elga, who had been grumbling about her “childish queen act,” fell silent and focused.

Perhaps it's because they were curious about the Queen of Hearts at the center. Though, the maps and sketches were scribbled messily—it was really like a child’s drawings.

The nymph queen said.

“I’m searching for treasure. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ I think I was trying to steal something from the palace... but when I came to my senses, I was badly wounded and wandering through the halls.”

She paused, murmuring that she had been lucky to find this place. Her blue eyes were slightly cloudy, as if she could still feel the pain from back then.

That’s when Elga spoke up.

“So, you’re a thief who sneaked into the palace, got caught by the guards, got beaten and now you can’t fully remember what happened?”

It was a reasonable theory.

But the Nymph Queen clearly didn’t appreciate it, snapping at Elga with a glare.

“Hey, who said you could speak?”

“Tch. You really are a pain.”

Elga shrugged and sharply turned her head away. It seemed that the headstrong nymph and the equally headstrong Elga were too similar to get along.

Or maybe... they actually looked a bit alike?

As I studied their faces, Mirna interjected.

“So, the thing you’re looking for is located at the spot marked in the center of this map. Can you tell us what it is, Y-Your Majesty?”

Her acting was awkward, but the Nymph Queen was more generous than expected.

“You’ve got a keen eye. That’s right. Whenever I had time, I scoured every corner of the palace to remember why I came here. And I learned many secrets.”

The secrets of the palace.

At those words, Mirna’s gaze turned more serious.

“What kind of secrets?”

“Well, for starters, there’s a massive labyrinth beneath the palace. And deep within it, a terrifying monster is guarding a magnificent chest.”

A labyrinth, a monster, and a chest.

It sounded just like a dungeon.