I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

There was one more thing that Viscount Wensbury didn’t know.

That was the fact that there was a shadow discreetly following him from the moment he left his mansion.

The black shadow maintained a certain distance, riding a horse and following him closely from the moment his carriage left the mansion. And when the carriage was about to stop in a secluded alley, the shadow quietly approached from a distance.

While hiding his body discreetly in the building’s shadow, a man quietly approached Wensbury Viscount’s carriage, while looking around cautiously.

At first glance, the man appeared to have no connection with Viscount Wensbury. His appearance was neither neat nor noble. He seemed like a mercenary, and at the same time, exuded an aura of strength and danger.

Politely put, he looked like a mercenary, but to put it bluntly, he looked like a thug. The man, who seemed out of place in front of the sophisticated carriage of Viscount Wensbury, looked around cautiously before finally boarding the carriage.

“Hmm…”

The man who had been closely pressed against the wall, avoiding his gaze, moved away from the wall. His dark, black eyes darkened even more at the sight of the stranger entering the carriage.

“Was Viscount Wensbury really a villain?”

Ricardo murmured in a low voice.

Bianca’s explanation about seeking him out contained unbelievable content. The disappearance of Lara, the reconciliation with Maria, and the involvement of Viscount Wensbury in all these matters.

Although Ricardo was prepared to believe anything Bianca said, it was hard to believe that Viscount Wensbury, whom he had admired as a nobleman, was a murderer who killed Maria’s mother and tried to frame Bianca for the crime.

So Ricardo decided to secretly follow Viscount Wensbury himself, without asking anyone else to do it.

In an instant, a small and cute image of Lara flashed through Ricardo’s mind, and he frowned.

He couldn’t deny the unbelievable truth. He had an innocent child to save, and there was someone he loved dearly who desperately hoped he could save the child.

After a while, when the man who had boarded the carriage got off, Ricardo quietly retreated and hid his body in the shadow of the building again.

As the man stepped back a bit, Viscount’s carriage departed. The man started walking in the opposite direction of the carriage.

After briefly considering his options, Ricardo decided to follow the man instead of Viscount’s carriage.

It seemed unlikely that Viscount Wensbury would personally abduct Lara or harm the child himself. Nobles never directly involved themselves in such matters; they gave orders, and others executed them.

Therefore, Ricardo decided to follow the man and stop whatever he was planning to do, believing that by doing so, he could save Lara.

Quietly and stealthily, Ricardo followed behind.

Before long, the man began to act suspiciously again, as if checking to see if anyone was following him.

Then, as Ricardo remembered the path he had taken, he recalled that there was a small alley to the right. As the sound of the man’s footsteps grew fainter, Ricardo quickly detached himself from the wall and swiftly headed towards where the man had been.

When Ricardo leaned out slightly towards the narrow alley, he saw the back of the man. Seeing him pause and stop his steps, Ricardo quickly returned his head to its original position.

One, two, three, four, five.

In five steps, Ricardo heard the man stop his steps. It might have gone unnoticed by an ordinary person, but it was possible for him, with his high level of concentration and sharp senses.

“Okay.”

After a while, Ricardo revealed himself again from the shadow of the wall. And he walked five steps, imitating the man’s strides, towards where the man had been.

One, two, three, four, five.

On the left was the wall, and on the right was the door waiting for Ricardo. It was an easy choice.

Thump, thump, thump.

Ricardo knocked on the door. He knocked rapidly and forcefully, as if there was something urgent.

“What?”

After a moment, the person who opened the door was not the man from earlier but another man. With brown hair disheveled as if he had been leaning or lying against something and a rugged expression, the man scrutinized Ricardo from head to toe.

“Do you know where this place is……!”

“I was sent by the Viscount.”

As if warning him not to be annoying, the man, who was about to say something harsh, closed his mouth at Ricardo’s words.

“Viscount? Why would such a nobleman…?”

The man seemed to imply that he had no connection with noblemen like the Viscount at all, but since Ricardo had already somewhat probed earlier, such denial was ineffective.

“It’s about the child.”

“The child? Oh, come on! What nonsense is this?”

The man grumbled again. He had undoubtedly been instructed to carry out this task very discreetly, making sure not to get caught by anyone.

But his poor acting was almost like confessing that he was lying right now, and Ricardo just stared at him blankly.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Whether Ricardo’s gaze made him nervous or whether he himself knew that his acting was terrible, the man cleared his throat unnecessarily.

“I’ve heard that the child possesses a magical artifact, you know?”

“So what? You want to kill her and dump her in the Shannon River?”

Ricardo almost burst out in anger at the man’s words.

To kill Lara and throw her into Shannon River? Did Viscount really say that? Did he speak of killing that small, innocent child and treating her like garbage?

“The plan has changed.”

Ricardo spoke calmly, suppressing his anger. It was fortunate that he usually had a rather blank expression and rarely showed his emotions; it helped in times like these.

“Changed? Why?”

“I received information that the artifact should not be dealt with in that manner.”

“Oh? Then what should we do?”

“Even if I explain it to you, you wouldn’t be able to handle it, would you?”

Ricardo raised his chin slightly, looking down at him. His expression remained the same as before, but even the slightest movement showed how he viewed the man.

“So, can you handle it?”

Feeling dismissed by the man he was meeting for the first time, the man stepped forward as if to confront Ricardo immediately. Despite the man’s angry voice and unmasked hostility, Ricardo remained motionless.

He even wished the man would attack. Considering what a despicable person he was, treating Lara like garbage and throwing her into the river, Ricardo was eager to break his nose.

“I can handle it, since Viscount sent me.”

“What? Are you a wizard or something?”

The man looked Ricardo up and down. Then he burst into laughter.

The man standing in front of him was obviously a knight to anyone’s eyes. It wasn’t just the tall stature, broad shoulders, and visibly strong muscles that gave it away.

He seemed like a knight who had accumulated training, not backing down when threatened and restraining his anger when provoked. Moreover, his address seemed to imply a certain degree of respect at first, but the informal tone that followed was more natural, indicating that he was undoubtedly a knight of noble descent.

“No, I’m not a wizard.”

Seeing Ricardo state the obvious, the man chuckled once again. He felt like suggesting Ricardo to wear a sign on his forehead saying ‘I’m a knight’ because of how knightly his response was.

“I just have information.”

“What kind of information?”

“The artifact not only reveals its location but also seems to record it.”

“It records? How?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’m not a wizard.”

Ricardo remained expressionless as he claimed ignorance. It was the same method Bianca had taught him.

If you’re not a perfect liar, you’ll mix a bit of truth with your lies.

And if you can’t lie perfectly, you might as well tell the truth.

Since he knew nothing about magic, Ricardo casually claimed ignorance, knowing he wouldn’t be able to answer if the man asked about magical principles.

“My mission is simply to find the artifact and destroy it.”

“Do you know how to destroy it?”

“More or less.”

Surprisingly, Ricardo’s nonchalant explanation instilled confidence in the man. If this man, who looked like a knight through and through, claimed to be a wizard and explained the workings of the artifact, it might have raised suspicions instead.

“Come in.”

Thinking that the Viscount must have sent one of his trusted knights, since he was obviously a knight and knew not only about the child’s existence but also about the artifact they had heard about earlier, the man cocked his head and motioned for Ricardo to come inside.

Thinking about the artifact that records its location, he realized their current hideout might have to be abandoned. If that were the case, they would receive a hefty sum from the Viscount, so it might be worth trying to persuade the leader to find a larger, better hideout.

“What’s wrong?”

As soon as Ricardo entered, the man turned his head. At that moment, Ricardo saw Lara behind him.

With a gag in her mouth, her hands tied behind her back, and her chestnut hair disheveled as if she had been running around and fallen down, she seemed to have lost consciousness.

Ricardo’s eyes began to gleam with determination.

“Smile Love”