The Guidebook for Villainesses

<There’s a saying that God feeds on faith.>

The God of Fate spoke to Lara on her night visit to the sanctum.

With a long candle in hand, Lara was walking around the sanctum, lighting the candlelights that had gone out. Most of the priests were fired and there was no one to manage the sanctum candlelights. She thought it would be better to either reduce the number of lights or move the God statue.

“So did you feel good? Because people suddenly gathered and prayed to you?”

<I’m a God who doesn’t need faith. But the others are different, they’re all thanking you.>

Back in the banquet hall, The God of Fate said; if the people took good care of the saintess, the Gods would return to this land someday. They remembered his words and spread them around. So those who visited the temple searched for almost all the Gods in the records.

Lara had a lot of questions about the Gods.

“Do I have to build a lot of karma to meet them?”

<Not for all of them.>

Somehow his voice was mixed with laughter. Lara looked at the candle wax that fell on the floor and looked up.

“What should I do?”

Lara asked.

<This is my house. And most of what you are curious about is recorded in old artifacts. It’s not difficult to answer your question, but I think it’s better to find out yourself.>

God was right. Finding and using already existing records had nothing to do with karma. Lara nodded and lit up all the candles surrounding the sanctum. Then, after bidding good night to God, she went out of the sanctum.

Now it was time to find artifacts that the priests had hidden and stored for a long time. It was hidden by the most greedy and insidious people on the continent so it would be fun to find one by one.

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While Lara was reforming the temple, Acerus was steadily locked up in his bedroom and devoted himself to recovery. He had been frustrated for a while after learning that he had been Valac’s vassal. Surprisingly, the one who managed to raise him up from bed was Lara’s friend, Eunice.

“Come again? Who’s here?”

“Lady Eunice Dvonn from Hautean.”

“Who?”

“Lady Eunice Dvonn is… How many times have I told you not to drink with a girl alone? Huh? You’re a beast with self-control smaller than my fingernails…”

The aide constantly grumbled, he was fed up with the situation. Even if Acerus was the Crown Prince, the aide looked like he would hit him if things went awry. The aide had seen many women who had spent the night with Acerus come visiting without notice and gave themselves airs as if they would be the Crown Princess.

“What should I say this time to send her back? Should I say that Crown Prince Acerus is having a good time with another woman? Or that Crown Prince Acerus has become a eunuch after fighting the demon…”

“Tell her to come in!”

Acerus gave a shriek.

If the aide could, he wanted to send Eunice back using the second reason. However, when he saw Acerus’ reaction being a little different from his usual one, he kept his mouth shut.

Acerus had been lying idle without washing or shaving for the reason being that he was a patient. Now, he finally got up and headed for the bathroom. Then, he came back from washing and shaving in an instant and called his lady-in-waiting and changed his clothes.

The aide asked.

“Were you dumped?”

“What?”

“You won’t be having this kind of reaction otherwise…”

“Stop bullshitting and bring her inside.”

“What do you mean bullshitting…”

“Do I look good?”

Acerus asked his lady-in-waiting out of the blue. The lady-in-waiting who was putting a shirt on him held back her smile and barely nodded.

“Yes, Your Imperial Highness.”

“Am I smelly?”

“A little, Your Imperial Highness.”

Acerus was at his wit’s end. He asked the lady-in-waiting to bring his perfume. But the lady-in-waiting rebuked by reminding him of the time when he said he would get a rash if he sprayed something like that, and that all the perfumes were removed at his order.

“I’m Eunice Dvonn.”

Eunice appeared then. Guided by the aide, she walked into Acerus’ bedroom. Her long hair was neatly pleated and she held a gift for her visit in one hand.

“Welcome.”

Acerus said solemnly. He straightened up his shoulders, stuck out his chest, and had his hands clasped behind his back. Knowing that was Acerus’ basic posture to show off his pecs, the aide closed the door and left the room with the lady-in-waiting with curse words on his mouth.

“I heard that your wound was serious, so I took the liberty to visit you. Your Imperial Highness… are you okay?”

Eunice asked.

Acerus seemed to have a hard time to even stand still. He was in a basic pose to show off his pecs but his body was trembling and he looked like he was about to collapse.

“I’m okay, this much injury is nothing. A warrior shouldn’t be afraid of getting hurt.”

“But you’re the Crown Prince.”

“Pardon?”

“You, of all people, should be afraid of getting hurt. You’re the one who should shoulder the Tarragon Empire. Weren’t you taught that your body is not yours alone?”

Nagging words poured out of Eunice’s mouth. Acerus looked at her curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Eunice, are you worried?”

“No.”

“I think you are.”

“No way. You’re a warrior. You shouldn’t be afraid of getting hurt. That much injury would be nothing to you.”

“Because my body is not mine alone.”

Acerus smiled proudly, returning what Eunice had said. He had a face as if daring her to nag at him again.

Eunice’s lips curled.

“As a delegate of Hautean, I wish you a speedy recovery. I will take my leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“My business here is over.”

“Well, mine is not yet.”

Acerus grabbed Eunice’s arm as she was about to go out. Then, he spoke in a solemn and low voice.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Did I do anything wrong that night? I don’t really remember, but didn’t we…hit it off?”

“You don’t remember?”

Eunice asked. Acerus smiled contentedly when he realized that, unlike him, she remembered what had happened that night.

“Eunice, so we…”

“It ended just as a one-night stand.”

“Pardon?”

“Why should we repeat something that you can’t even remember? I’m already satisfied, so let's forget about it at this point. Let’s not get all clingy.”

Unlike Acerus, Eunice did not seem to have any regrets at all. She even warned him not to hang on to her.

Acerus grabbed Eunice and said.

“I remembered. You said you liked my pecs.”

Eunice’s eyes widened.

“Why do you only remember that?”

“I was taught to forget insults and remember only compliments.”

“Who taught you that?”

“My dad.”

What the hell did the Emperor of this country teach his son?

While Eunice was stunned, Acerus spoke again.

“We did things out of order. I will ask for a proper relationship this time, would that be okay?”

“What are you talking about? There’s no such thing as a proper order between man and woman. Who decided that?”

“Then what do you want me to do? If you’re going to tell me not to get clingy, why are you even visiting me in the first place?”

“Didn’t I already tell you that I’m here on behalf of the delegation?”

It was such a strange thing. Acerus had so much dating experience that he was called the best playboy in the Empire, and Eunice was a person who enjoyed free relationships so much that there was no one she had not met in Hautean. When those two met, everything creaked from the beginning to the end.