Never Die Villain

"So, as I was saying, my younger brother—"

As they continued walking through the palace corridors, Aleksei abruptly stopped mid-sentence as someone had stepped into their path.

"Ilya."

Ilya looked up.

"Anastasiya."

Aleksei immediately composed himself.

"Lady Anastasiya." He offered a courteous bow before flashing his usual smile. "It’s a pleasure to see you again. I was walking around the palace when Cousin Ilya and I happened to run into one another by cha—"

"You’re late."

She cut him off without so much as sparing him a glance, her eyes never leaving Ilya.

"You were supposed to arrive with me yesterday," she said. "How did you manage to reach Belozero an entire day later?"

"This and that happened."

"This and that?"

Anastasiya took a single step closer.

"And because of ’this and that,’ you completely missed yesterday’s welcoming ceremony."

"My Lady, if I may expl—"

Aleksei tried to interject once more.

He was ignored.

Before Ilya could answer, Anastasiya reached forward, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him down just enough that only the two of them could comfortably meet each other’s eyes.

"Listen carefully."

Her grip tightened.

"The Winter Assembly is held every year," Anastasiya continued. "But this is one of the rare years when every subsidiary branch has managed to answer the summons."

She held his gaze without the slightest hint of emotion.

"The elders of Volnograd, Karsk, Morozsk, Vysota... every branch is here. None of them had to remain behind to deal with border skirmishes, monster incursions, or winter relief."

She gave his collar another tug.

"Do you understand what that means?"

"...."

"For once, the entire family is under the same roof. So I’m asking you... no, I’m warning you..."

"...."

"Don’t make a scene. Just this once."

"...."

"Behave yourself."

The corridor fell silent. Standing a short distance away, Aleksei watched the exchange with an awkward smile, wisely deciding that interrupting Lady Anastasiya for a third time would probably end very badly for him.

"Sure."

"I don’t need your ’sure.’" Anastasiya let out a slow sigh. "I need your guarantee."

She released his collar, though only so she could fix the wrinkles she had just made herself. For a moment, she pinched the bridge of her nose as though trying to suppress the headache that always seemed to occur whenever they spoke.

"...Perhaps it would be easier if I simply explained it."

"...?"

"This year," Anastasiya said, "Father will formally invest me as the heir to the Grand Duchy."

"...."

"Every elder from every subsidiary branch will witness it. Every branch house will acknowledge it. Once the ceremony concludes, there will be no room left for speculation."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"You understand what that means, don’t you?"

"...."

"For years, there have always been those who insisted the Grand Duke’s successor should be a man."

Anastasiya’s expression never changed.

"To them, the fact that I’m Father’s legitimate child has always mattered less than the fact that I’m his daughter. As long as you existed, they had someone they could rally behind. Whether you wanted the throne or not was irrelevant. The fact that you were Father’s son was enough."

Another sigh escaped her lips.

"This ceremony ends all of that. From that day onward, every branch of House Belozersky will leave this palace knowing the same thing."

She took one final step closer.

"That the Grand Ducal throne belongs to me, and no one else."

"...."

"So don’t do anything," Anastasiya said. "I refuse to let anyone use your existence to question Father’s decision."

"I understand."

"Good."

She looked away for a moment before speaking again, her tone less hostile than before, though only by the smallest margin.

"Mother is waiting for you in her room. She insisted on helping you change into your formal attire herself, so don’t keep her waiting."

"Alright."

There was nothing else to say.

The fewer words exchanged between them, the better, because Ilya had long since learned that there was little to gain from arguing with Anastasiya.

No matter what he said, she had already decided what kind of person he was years ago, and nothing short of a miracle would ever convince her otherwise.

As he turned to leave, Aleksei finally seized the opportunity to speak.

"Uhm... Lady Anastasiya, since you’re already here, I was actually hoping we could—"

"You’re still here?"

For the first time since arriving, Anastasiya’s gaze shifted away from Ilya, and onto Aleksei.

"I was under the impression I made myself perfectly clear the last time House Karskin approached Father."

Aleksei scratched the back of his head, forcing out an awkward laugh.

"My Lady, I wasn’t going to bring up the engagement this time. I just thought that since the Winter Assembly had everyone together—"

"I rejected it."

She cut him off so cleanly that the rest of his sentence died in his throat.

"I rejected House Karskin’s proposal then, and my answer hasn’t changed now. There won’t be a marriage between us, there won’t be another discussion, and there certainly won’t be a second opportunity for your elders to convince themselves I’ll reconsider."

Aleksei’s smile became increasingly strained.

"I... I wasn’t trying to pressure you."

"I don’t particularly care."

Her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"The Karskins will never become the Grand Ducal House through marriage, and I’m not interested in entertaining fantasies that only invite unnecessary rumors. So stop approaching me whenever we’re under the same roof."

Her eyes briefly turned toward Ilya before returning to Aleksei.

"And while you’re at it, keep your distance from him as well. The last thing I need during my investiture is people whispering that House Karskin has suddenly decided to stand behind Father’s illegitimate son."

The color drained from Aleksei’s face.

"My Lady... I never once thought—"

"I said I don’t care."

Without another glance, Anastasiya continued down the corridor, leaving Aleksei standing there with his mouth half-open, the words he had been trying to say never finding their way out.

Only after she disappeared around the corner did he let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples with an exhausted smile.

"...She somehow manages to reject me more harshly every year."

"If there’s anyone capable of getting through Anastasiya," Ilya replied, "I’d assume they were using black magic."

Aleksei burst into laughter.

"Hahaha... maybe." He shook his head. "But I suppose that’s part of her charm."

"...Charm?"

"She says exactly what’s on her mind, never leads anyone on, and never leaves room for misunderstandings." Aleksei shrugged with a helpless grin. "Sure, it hurts, but at least I always know where I stand. There are plenty of women who’d smile to your face while giving you false hope. Lady Anastasiya has never been that kind of person."

"...Alright, man. If you say so."

Thinking Aleksei had probably gone crazy, Ilya turned and continued down the corridor.

The sounds of the Winter Assembly gradually faded behind him as he made his way deeper into the residential wing of the palace, eventually stopping before a familiar wooden door adorned with the silver wolf crest of the Grand Ducal House.

Then he raised his hand and knocked against the door.

"Mother. I’m here."

——Ah! Ilya?! Ilya is that you?!

Footsteps echoed from the other side.

——Ah! Ilya?! Ilya, is that really you?!"

The door flew open.

The moment their eyes met, the tension that had weighed heavily over Ilya ever since returning to Belozero finally eased.

Whether it was Anastasiya, the elders, or the countless relatives gathered for the Winter Assembly seemed to fade into the back of his mind, because standing before Mariya, none of those things mattered.

Without another word, Ilya gently took her hand before lowering his head and pressing a respectful kiss against the back of it.

"I’ve returned, Mother."

Mariya’s lips slowly curved into a warm, affectionate smile as she lightly brushed a few loose strands of hair away from his forehead.

"Welcome home, Ilya."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!