The Guidebook for Villainesses
chapter-23

After Isadora returned to the hotel, Lara came out to the garden in front of the main building and walked slowly.

‘What should I blow up first?’

A vicious and dirty reason that even the Prince could not take his side. The greater her father is criticized, the easier it will be for her mother to get a divorce.

He was a filthy noble, the public opinion of him being a good-natured person was wrong. Not only has he committed numerous crimes, which also include corruption, he also led a disgusting private life. There were so many things Lara knew that it was hard to choose.

Lara realized that fact too late in her past life.

Marquess of Bailey was conspiring through the back door with the Temple of Glory, black money and dirty deals had already been exchanged between them for years. He drove a wedge between prestigious nobles and sold fabricated information in order to establish his power. Feeling inferior to his wife who was far more capable than him, he messed around with poor young women who fell for him only for his face and status.

‘I will blow up each and one of them, one by one.’

To do so, she must gather evidence first and foremost.

Lara could not do it without any solid evidence. She needs to gather evidence so strong that her father would never be able to make any excuses. She will use everything she knows so that her mother can divorce her father without having to spend a dime for alimony.

After strolling through the garden, Lara turned around to return to the entrance of the manor.

“Milady.”

Sebastian, who was about to follow Isadora to work, found Lara and walked towards her.

“Are you going for a walk?”

“I need to gather my thoughts.”

“There’s an invitation for you.”

Sebastian offered the invitation card politely.

Leaf patterns and red wax on a white envelope. Lara’s face hardened as soon as she saw the invitation card, it was all too familiar to her. It was the envelope and wax that the royal family used to send personal letters to the nobles.

Lara forced a twisted smile on her face.

She knew Sebastian was looking closely at her face, but she could not control her facial expression.

“Are you all right?”

“Is it an invitation to a banquet?”

“Yes, it is.”

A banquet for Prince Sidhar will be held soon.

Though it was not an official royal event, a large banquet was to be held for the nobles who supported the Prince. The nobles called it the spouse selection banquet to single out the candidates for the Princess Consort.

In her past life, Lara did not attend the banquet.

Following her father’s opinion, she pretended to be a woman that could only be met in the temple prayer room or library, rather than a banquet hall. It was a wise plan, as Prince Sidhar did not choose anyone at the banquet.

‘There was an assassination attempt on the Princess at this banquet.’

Lara did not know the details because she had not witnessed it herself, but at this banquet, Prince Sidhar’s younger sister, Princess Sonnet, almost died at the hands of the assassins.

One thing for sure; it was the work of the black sorcerer.

The royal family was furious and showed a strong attitude as if they were going to kill all the black sorcerers’ forces. However, ironically, it served as the momentum for Prince Sidhar to work together with them after witnessing their hidden skills before his eyes.

The princess did not die at this banquet.

The knights who were protecting the princess sacrificed themselves to protect her. After the Princess fell on the floor, eight knights surrounded and held her in their arms and directly took the black sorcerer’s attack.

They all died as a result.

‘I need to save them.’

Lara was determined to save them all.

Political gain or relationship with Prince Sidhar is of course important. But there was life in front of her that she could save with just a single warning. She could not just watch from afar when she already knew what was going to happen.

After looking at Lara’s hardened face, Sebastian told her.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. It is not even an important event. We can just make up a story, saying that you’re deathly sick.”

“I will go.”

“Pardon?”

“I will go to the banquet.”

Sebastian flinched.

He knew from Isadora that Lara had a crush on Prince Sidhar for a long time, but not long ago, she started to hate him. Therefore, he was worried that running into the Prince at the banquet would break Lara’s heart.

“Don’t force yourself.”

“I’m not, the Prince is not interested in me anyway. Besides, I have other purposes for joining the banquet.”

“What is that?”

“I want to show something to father.”

That was Lara’s second purpose.

Her first purpose was to save the Princess and the knights, the second one was to humiliate her father.

Marquess of Bailey would surely attend the banquet.

The father who stood by Prince Sidhar and tried to make him king, and the daughter who made contributions in rescuing the Princess when she was in danger.

The people will make a fuss about the father and daughter in the House of Bailey, who both supported different candidates for the throne. Her father will tremble with her betrayal.

Lara decided that she would not stand as a victim, but as a villain in this life.

‘Only then would it be fair.’

Lara finished organizing what she would do with the invitation card that Sebastion gave her.

Then, she took a step closer to him and said to him,

“Sebastian, I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“If the cause for divorce is father, then mother should be the one receiving alimony, not giving it, right?”

“…Milady.”

Sebastian took off his hat and swept up his hair.

He was put on a spot.

For him, Lara is still as fragile as a little girl, so he could not easily talk about it when Lara brought up the topic of her parent’s divorce.

“About that… Well, yes.”

“If they reach a satisfactory agreement for their divorce, they can divorce without interference from the royal family or temple and without going to the noble court, right?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“I’m an adult now, so I can decide who I want to live with and neither side can force me to do that.”

“Of course.”

“Great.”

That was enough for Lara.

Lara would make sure that her father would have no choice but to sign the divorce documents willingly.

Sebastian swept away his anxious heart when he looked at Lara smirking.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Lara decided to meet Eunice and Ximena first.

They have become rapidly close after the incident the other day. They agreed without hesitation when Lara asked them to accompany her to order the dress that she will wear at the banquet.

“Lara!”

The two ladies arrived earlier than the promised time.

“Look at these!”

Eunice walked into Lara’s room with a red face and put down the luggage that she had in both her hands.

Following Eunice, Ximena walked in with a big box.

Lara asked them with her eyes wide open.

“What are those?”

“I went through a boutique that I always frequent. It’s a good thing that you look good in primary colors.”

“What?”

“The dresses. When will you finish ordering it and when will you finish waiting just for it to be done? There are many prettier ready-to-wear clothes these days.”

Eunice approached Lara and made her stand up.

Then, she took out a dark, vivid blue dress from the luggage that she brought and put it against Lara’s body.

“As expected, my eyes are perfect.”

“Eunice.”

“Ximena! Give me that.”

Ximena opened the lid of the box and pulled a hat out of it.

It was a summer banquet hat decorated with colorful feathers and lace.

But the brim was not that wide to cover the sun. A thin lace was added to the brim, which covered the forehead and hung slightly from the eyebrow, making it more of a decoration rather than for outdoor use.

“You’d better wear a small hat to emphasize your voluminous hair. But at the same time, you need to be glamour… You should wear it like this to be cool.”

“Lara, you bish. You really look good in primary colors.”

The two ladies were very excited.

After matching all sorts of dresses, underclothings, shoes, and hats, they picked the blue dress, small brim hat, glossy shoes, and also a black lace parasol and gave them all to Lara.

“…Wear this?”

“Wear this and let’s get out to order more clothes. Rather than an uncomfortable and big dress, casual but powerful clothes look better on you. If you want to be the talk of the town, don’t ever wear an ordinary dress.”

Eunice’s views were reliable.

The young noblewomen frequenting the arena have so far led the fashion of the young people in Hautean. Eunice and Ximena have stood at the peak of being fashion leaders. Lara wore her dress just like how the two people told her to. Konny ran over and helped her get dressed.

Konnie said in admiration to Lara, who stood in front of the full-body mirror after finished her preparation.

“It weirdly looks good on you!”

“Really?”

“Rather than pretty, you’re more like cool. I mean, I have told you this before. Angel-like clothes do not look good on you, milady. It was so funny because it looked like you were covered in a blanket.”

As expected of Konny. She would never say something like her lady is the prettiest in the world, even as lip service.

When Lara nodded, Eunice and Ximena approached her with trembling looks.

“Hey, your maid is no joke.”

“I like that she’s honest.”

Afterward, they got into Eunice’s carriage and headed to the mall.

Eunice and Ximena summarized the shop they have to go to and the designer they have to meet instead of Lara who knew nothing about luxury shopping.

“Do you have money?”

Eunice asked. Then, Ximena frowned as if she just listened to something that did not make sense.

“Are you afraid that Madam Thousand Gold Isadora did not give any money for her one and only daughter to go to the banquet?”

“Hey, who knows about that? Usually, the merchants teach their children to be their successors from an early age. They intentionally give little pocket money so their children would know the importance of money…”

Looking at the two quarreling as soon as they got on the carriage, Lara said with a vague smile.

“I didn’t get pocket money from mother. But her secretary.”

It happened that morning.

When Lara decided she would attend the Prince’s banquet, he took her wallet and filled it with checks.

“You will need a dress to go to the banquet. Madam Isadora said that if she had to give the money for alimony, then let’s just use it to our heart’s contents.”

No, I will make sure mother does not need to give alimony.

Lara refused and said that she was fine without the money, but Sebastian went to work straight away, making her wallet on the verge of exploding today, too.

It was 2,000 gold.

It seemed that her mother and Sebastian had set a standard of 2,000 gold every time they gave Lara pocket money.

“I have a lot of money.”

Lara said.