A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Ravenna was bewildered. If it were someone who Eileen had great expectations for, how could it be... her own father, who, despite betraying Eileen, failed to secure a position at the Etheric Academy and is now in such a pitiful state of incompetence?

And if it were someone Grandfather had great expectations for, and also the closest to Grandfather, the one I cannot accept as the murderer...

Miss puppet, shackled in chains, began to tremble, her pursed lips barely concealing the teeth biting down hard on her lower lip.

"Those who were once entrusted with Eileen's great expectations are few," Ansel said with a smile, "and this overlaps with your circle, Ravenna. It shouldn't be too difficult to search, should it?"

"But if we were to fully expose him and bring his crimes to light, leading to his demise, it seems, well... insufficient."

"Shall we continue?"

Ansel's hand slid down to grasp Ravenna's slender and delicate waist, like a snake… that entwines its prey with its tail.

He generously, gently, and magnanimously whispered in Ravenna's ear, "A small price to pay for a clue that brings you closer to the truth."

"I agree—"

"Ah, no, no, not now."

Ansel placed his index finger on Ravenna's lips, looking down at the confused, anxious, and even slightly panicked exquisite puppet in his arms, smiling and saying:

"Answer me after the next seven days."

"The next seven days?"

Ravenna urgently clutched at Ansel's hem: "Why the next seven days? Can't it be now? Ansel... Lord, Lord Ansel, you should know the answer!"

"You definitely... know the answer, I can pay the price, I can... Fa-father, please—"

Her voice grew lower, and the hand that clutched Ansel's hem gradually weakened and let go, until it fell.

The once independent, tenacious, and unyielding genius, in this moment, became so humble and weak in front of Ansel.

The answer was clear; when Suellen handed that terrible clue to Ravenna, her pursuit of the truth had already moved beyond just "the truth."

She was unwilling to accept, unable to accept, that the murderer she had hated for fifteen years, the one who took Grandfather's life and destroyed the last hope, was the person closest to her, the one Grandfather had great expectations for.

That's why she was so eager to obtain a further answer, one that could negate this terrible reality; she was already... on the verge of losing control.

Even so, after a brief loss of control, Ravenna calmed down.

She knew she had no leverage to negotiate, and also knew that continuing to plead would only make Ansel raise the price even higher.

She could only maintain silence in fear, keep composure in panic, and play her... current role.

"Is it difficult to comprehend?"

Ansel raised his eyebrows slightly, lifting Ravenna's chin with his hand, directing her gaze towards the streets of Pelican City, to observe the increasingly distant farmers and commoners.

"Shouldn't your focus be here, right now? This is the moment of change you've longed for, Ravenna. At this critical juncture... everything else can be set aside, can't it?"

The devil's voice penetrated the puppet's ear, cleaving like a blade, embedding into her soul:

"Including your grandfather, even he should not hinder you, not at this time, wasting your energy and time."

"This is your ideal, isn't it? How can you be distracted by a dead person? Am I right... Helen?"

What's most important now...

What's most important now is to observe, ascertain, and ensure the effectiveness of the soil enhancement potion. This opportunity must not be missed, the chance for the empire to embrace the beginning of change, even if, in Ansel's eyes, it's merely a game, its significance is destined to be extraordinary.

Yes... this is what's most important, for that possibility, for that future...

But grandfather, but they—

I could further know the truth, do I really have to wait idly for seven days during this period when I can't intervene in anything?

But I've also waited long enough, why can't I wait now? Father... No, Ansel is right, we cannot let... we cannot let those who have passed affect the present, not even slightly, at this juncture. Even if we can't intervene in anything, remembering every moment of change is crucial.

But that was... that was your grandfather, the one who taught you so much, who told you what to do in the future, how to move forward—

This is what he taught me!

Madness, increasingly oppositional, increasingly tearing madness.

The cold chains wrapped around Ravenna began to sprout sharp iron spikes, deeply embedding into her flesh and bones.

On one hand, there's the anticipation of the beginning of the realization of ideals, such a great situation; on the other hand, there's the terrifying possibility of the death of a loved one, making her unable to stay calm, afraid to think deeply.

And the person holding all this... is, paradoxically, gently, generously, kindly supporting Ravenna, supporting the most solid chains on her, telling her to do what she must, to fulfill her duty as a pursuer.

At the same time... smilingly severing another thing she so desperately seeks.

A bright and exciting future; a cold and nearly despairing present.

They entangle, mix, collide, like two great forces tearing at Ravenna, tearing at... her soul and self.

Should she laugh? In the face of the possibility that someone she holds dearest could be the murderer of her grandfather, should she burst into laughter? How could that be appropriate?

Should she cry? When she has the opportunity to glimpse that grand future, should she weep in despair over personal emotions? That doesn't seem right either.

If Ravenna Ziegler should neither cry nor laugh, nor do this nor that... then what exactly is the entity standing here, and what should she do?

The emptiness in her purple eyes surfaced repeatedly, like tides that rise and quickly recede, so capricious.

"There is only… one thing to do."

The devil's voice arose in her ear.

"Your ideals outweigh everything, right, Helen?"

"...Yes."

The emptiness slowly, completely faded away, replaced by absolute resilience, unparalleled determination. It was as if the genius scholar, who no matter how Ansel plotted or tormented, would never bow, had returned at this moment.

But whose resilience and determination… has she now acquired?

"Yes... Father."

Ravenna gazed at the distant wheat fields, at the bustling entirety of Pelican City.

Yes, this is... the scene she wanted to witness, this scene, more important than anything else.

More important than anything else.

"There is only one task at hand." She responded softly, "Concerning grandfather, I will ask you after seven days."

Miss puppet bowed her head slightly, her voice already very calm: "Please forgive my earlier lapse."

"Forgiveness..." Ansel's mouth curved slightly, "No problem, I didn't mind it anyway, but, I have a small question."

"Please ask."

"Helen, what do you think a father is? Or rather, what elements does the word 'father' encompass?"

"...I, I don't know, Father."

Ansel smiled and patted her head: "Consider it a task I've left for you. Perhaps at some moment, I will ask you again, and I hope by then, you have an answer. Can you do that, my dear daughter?"

He stopped the caress and instead took Ravenna's hand, holding her tender and delicate hand firmly in his palm.

Ravenna did not resist, instead feeling more... calm than ever.

Is it calmness? Ravenna couldn't be sure of her emotions at the moment, but she felt indeed very... very serene.

The death of a loved one, the pursuit of ideals, the path to redemption, the fog of the past... on each of these cold chains entwining Ravenna, each seemed to bear Ansel's mark.

Good or bad, it didn't matter, in this moment, just this moment, the Miss puppet who witnessed her grandfather's brutal death at the age of six, even though she remained vigilant towards him, had not forgotten his attempts to control her, but...

But regardless of whether they are opposed, regardless of whether the intentions are good or evil—

In this monotonous, colorless gray world to Ravenna, Ansel of Hydral, he has always been here.

*