The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 62

The reception room of Marquis Rosan’s residence estate was lavishly decorated. The furniture, murals, and ornaments were all brand new, and there were plenty of flowers arranged that morning, some of which were decorated with ribbons bearing the imperial crest.

Compared to that, the bouquet of flowers Lysia had brought felt so simple that she couldn’t help but feel small in comparison.

Glancing to the side, she saw Alphonse calmly sipping tea. He didn’t seem to care about the room’s grandeur at all, which made Lysia feel a little embarrassed.

The butler, looking somewhat apologetic, spoke up.

“It seems you’ll need to wait a little longer. The lesson is not yet finished…”

“I have come too early. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t unusual to wait. It was expected for those of lower status to arrive first. Lysia didn’t mind much.

However, as the time passed, she began to fidget, and she stood up. Alphonse looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Where are you going?”

“Just… a moment…”

Lysia hesitated, feeling awkward about saying she was going to the restroom. Fortunately, Alphonse understood and nodded.

Lysia carefully stepped out of the drawing room. From the entrance, she could already tell the house wasn’t very well maintained. There was no one waiting in the hall either, even though there should have been a maid or servant for guest reception.

If she was another guest, she might have gotten angry at being ignored, but Lysia didn’t think that far.

She looked around the hallway but couldn’t find the restroom, so she ventured further inside.

Then, she heard an unfamiliar sound.

Whick!

Lysia instinctively froze in place, startled by the sound. Then it came again.

Whick!

The closest comparison she could make to the sound was the crack of a riding crop. She had been told to never use one excessively, but she couldn’t imagine that a horse was inside the mansion. 

She never would have imagined someone would use a riding crop to punish another person. Curious and confused, she headed toward the source of the noise.

As she was about to retrace her steps, realizing she was moving around someone else’s mansion without permission, she suddenly heard a muffled cry.

“Please… forg…”

The sound was accompanied by sobs, and Lysia froze in place.

Crash!

Something fell, and the sound was now much closer.

“Pathetic. Stand properly.”

Through the door, Lysia recognized Lawrence’s voice. Panicking, she opened the door.

Thud!

At that moment, Lawrence kicked a young servant and locked eyes with Lysia.

“Ah.”

His previously cold expression softened slightly. Lysia turned pale with fear and rushed to the servant who had collapsed on the floor.

“Are you alright?!”

“I’m, I’m fine…”

The beaten servant, his mouth and cheek swollen, tried to speak but struggled. The red marks on his face looked like they were from a whip. Indeed, Lawrence was holding a short riding crop in his hand.

“What is this?”

Lysia raised her voice. Lawrence didn’t seem particularly flustered as he had a calm expression and gave a faint smile.

“I’m sorry. I heard you arrived, but it felt awkward to stop the scolding halfway.”

“This isn’t scolding! You’ve beaten him to a pulp! And with a riding crop, no less!”

Lysia couldn’t believe it. If he had thrown a punch out of anger or frustration, she might have tried to understand. She knew there were sometimes harsh punishments in some households, but this wasn’t punishment.

Lawrence frowned slightly at her reaction.

“Don’t worry about it, Lysia. It’s none of your business.”

“How can you dismiss this as ‘none of my business’?! Lord Lawrence, is this who you are?!”

She shouted with a pale face. 

She had always thought he was a bad person, and Artizea had said as much. He was rude, spoke cruelly, and acted however he liked. But until now, she could tolerate it, thinking it was just something he did to her. She even thought, though embarrassingly, that maybe it was some kind of special treatment.

But she hadn’t known he was capable of this. Not even an animal should be treated this way.

The servant weakly grasped her arm, as if begging her to stop. Blood from the wound in his swollen eyes mixed with the tears falling down his face.

“I… I’m sorry…”

“Get out of here.”

Lawrence, who was getting irritated, spoke coldly to the servant. But the servant couldn’t get up from the floor.

Lysia immediately stood and blocked his path, fearing Lawrence might kick the servant again.

“I told you, it’s none of your business, Lysia.”

“It is my business.”

“Don’t make a fuss. Go sit quietly in the reception room. I’m treating you kindly enough.”

Lawrence moved towards Lysia with an expressionless face. He then pulled out a handkerchief. She stepped back in surprise.

He laughed lightly.

“Why, Lysia? Are you afraid I’ll hit you too? I won’t. You’re not like that lowlife.”

He reached out with the handkerchief, as if to wipe away the bloodstains and tear streaks from Lysia’s hand and sleeve.

She jerked her hand away. But she couldn’t step back. The servant was still sitting there behind her.

Lawrence sighed and gave up on wiping her hand. With a smile on his face, he spoke in a gentle voice.

“I thought you came to see me, not to meddle in my house.”

“Did you treat Lady Tia like this too?”

“Tia?”

Lawrence tilted his head, confused as to why Artizea’s name came up. His handsome face looked innocent.

That’s when the sound of hurried footsteps echoed.

“Lysia!”

Alphonse rushed into the room through the open door. When he saw the scene inside, he furrowed his brows. He had heard Lysia shouting and had pushed past the butler to rush over, but he couldn’t understand what was happening between the two of them.

“Lysia? Lord Lawrence?”

“Sir Alphonse, please help me.”

Lysia spoke first. Only then did Bill, who arrived a bit late, pant heavily and protest.

“You can’t just wander around like this! Hah!”

“Please, take him with you!” 

Lysia shouted again. Lawrence scowled this time.

“Who says so?”

“Excuse me.” 

Alphonse said as he confidently stepped toward Lysia and checked the disheveled servant. He then effortlessly hoisted him over his shoulder.

Bill spoke in a trembling voice and dark face.

“This, this is Marquisate Rosan’s business. You have no right to interfere as a guest.”

“I’m taking him with me for now.”

As Bill had said, a guest had no right to intervene in the matter of a servant being punished in another’s house. And the situation hadn’t been fully assessed yet. But from what it looked like, this was less punishment and more outright assault, so Alphonse decided to follow Lysia’s words.

“Put him down.”

Lawrence ordered Alphonse. Lysia shook her head and shouted again.

“I’m taking him! And I’ll report this!”

“To whom? Are you going to tattle to Cedric? That kid doesn’t have the power to punish me.” 

Lawrence sneered.

“Lord Lawrence is not even human.”

Tears welled up in Lysia’s eyes. She felt wronged and angry.

Alphons signaled for Lysia to leave, and as she stepped toward the door, Lawrence called out to her again.

“Lysia.”

“…”

Lysia didn’t answer and quickened her pace outside. Alphonse sighed inside, but for now, his priority was to take the servant to a place where he could be treated.