A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 699: Ecstatic Joy - I

The raven-haired girl who called herself Crow the Ninth raised her head, calmly regarding the two petrified girls before her. In an unnatural, seemingly forcibly distorted raspy voice, she said:

"As per Mr. Ansel’s instructions, I am here to guide the refugees to a secure sanctuary on your behalf."

"You..."

Ravenna glanced at the ashen-faced Seraphina, who seemed at a loss for words, and spoke for her: "Are you... Marlina?"

"I am Crow Number Nine, directly under the command of Shadewell’s leader, Lord Crow," the dark-haired girl replied, reintroducing herself instead of answering Ravenna’s query. "You may address me as Crow the Ninth, or simply Nine."

Gazing at this girl before her—so vastly different from the gentle, white-haired girl she remembered—Ravenna found herself momentarily speechless.

Her feelings towards Marlina had always been complex; she acknowledged the girl’s loyalty to Ansel but abhorred her misguided, self-righteous misdeeds.

After the events at Dispute Fortress, Marlina had abruptly vanished from Ansel’s side. Ravenna had questioned Seraphina about it, but her answers were vague. Judging by Seraphina’s evasive demeanor, Ravenna surmised she likely hadn’t seen much of Marlina either.

Their last encounter had been after leaving the administrative building housing the Garden. Since then... Marlina had seemingly vanished, and Ansel never mentioned her.

Little did she expect that upon their next meeting, Marlina would have... transformed into this state.

A dangerous appearance, exuding an inhuman aura, as if entwined with an ominous curse.

"Third stage..."

Ravenna murmured. "You’ve become an extraordinary being during your absence? How did you manage that?"

"That is a secret of Shadewell," Nine bowed slightly. "I must beg your pardon, but I cannot disclose such information."

It seemed Marlina had undergone significant changes, both externally and internally.

Ravenna intended to inquire further, but before she could speak, Seraphina suddenly gripped her wrist.

"You say, you’ll lead them to a sanctuary?"

Seraphina, still pale-faced, fixed her gaze on the shadow-enshrouded Nine, enunciating each word. "Are you certain you won’t simply bring them back into the inferno?"

Faced with such a sharp, almost caustic inquiry, Nine remained unperturbed. "Mr. Ansel ordered me to assist you both. If you require me to terminate them, I shall comply."

"Seraphina, Marlina’s crediting Ansel for the rescue."

"Hm?" The sprinting Seraphina paused momentarily, then replied quizzically, "So what? Let him have the credit... or rather, shouldn’t it be his credit anyway?"

"...You truly are sisters."

Hearing this, Seraphina’s expression instantly cooled. "I don’t know her. Don’t speak nonsense."

Realizing her words were perhaps too harsh, she redirected the conversation by criticizing Ravenna: "What’s gotten into you anyway, Ravenna? You used to always wear that dead expression, and now you’re loving small talk. It’s weird."

"Is it strange? I don’t think so," Ravenna responded calmly, showing no signs of displeasure. "It’s because I’ve experienced the pain of misunderstanding and losing family, Seraphina."

Recalling the harsh words she had once spoken to her parents, the cold and even hateful attitude she had shown, and the years of misplaced resentment, Ravenna’s gaze dimmed.

"If it weren’t for Ansel," she said softly, "I might never have been able to face them again in this lifetime."

"And Ansel cares about you, so I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did."

"I haven’t made any mistakes!" Seraphina retorted loudly. "She’s the one who made mistakes! She—"

"Don’t rush to state your viewpoint," Ravenna interrupted. "My thoughts back then were no different from yours now, and that’s why I was wrong... Even if it’s just a little, try to consider if your sister might have had her reasons. I don’t believe you truly want to sever ties with her from the bottom of your heart."

This time, it was Seraphina who fell silent.

Ravenna patted her shoulder, her voice gentle:

"If you say I’ve changed, indeed I have. The longer I spend with Ansel, the further I move away from the Ravenna I once was."

Ravenna didn’t deny her transformation. In fact, as she spoke these words, she seemed somewhat happy.

After a fleeting silence, amidst the howling winds, Seraphina’s whisper carried:

"Indeed, I’m becoming better, and so are you... We’re both improving by Ansel’s side."

"Yet why... why has she, once so kind and smart, now become... so terrible?"

*