I'm in Love with the Villainess!-Chapter 157: Ending A Bloodline

Evelina changed into something more freeing—something the real Fiona would actually wear. If she was going to tie up loose ends for one of her other personalities, she was going to do it right.

A simple short skirt and a polo shirt: one of Fiona’s signature outfits whenever she didn’t have anything important to do, like attending the academy or managing her many businesses in the Cold Iron District.

"So... how does this work?"

Evelina muttered to herself. For now, she was in complete control of her body, but her mind wasn’t satisfied with that.

The Fiona inside her wanted to end things with her own family on her own terms.

"I guess I’ll just..."

Evelina relaxed her mind, trying to make space for something else.

Then—

Flip.

It worked. Soul merging was surprisingly convenient, despite its complexity.

"Never thought I’d be using D’Arclight assets to take care of my own problems."

She smiled mischievously, looking more like Fiona than Evelina. Fiona had just been given temporary reign over this body.

"Although..."

She looked at herself in the mirror.

"Man, I do look beautiful."

She hugged herself, feeling giddy and excited. This was the same body Cael had touched all over, after all. Why shouldn’t she be happy?

Even she was aware of how weird she was acting, though. She was Evelina, and Evelina was her, even if their personalities were merged. There was still a fundamental difference between them, allowing more independent thought than usual.

Most soul-merging described in textbooks was supposed to be for people with the same personality. As for Evelina’s case? The only thing they all had in common was their love for Cael.

Other than that, it was a free-for-all.

At least it was enough to prevent a huge inner war.

"Anyway."

She stretched her arms and arched her back.

"Mother, Father... your daughter is going to repay you."

She grinned.

*** Whitestrake Estates Outskirts - Camp

The Whitestrake estate in the city sat near the far edge of the Eryndor border, allowing the family to continue their shady dealings with minimal interference from the local government.

It wasn’t a foolproof setup, but few people were willing to bother investigating them due to the distance. On top of that, the amount of tax the family paid was enough to keep them tolerable in the eyes of the authorities.

Because of how the Whitestrakes had positioned themselves, Evelina—or rather, Fiona—didn’t need to wait until nightfall to execute her operation.

The plan was simple.

The rest of the kill squad would annihilate the family’s true earldom, while Evelina and a handful of elites would strike the city estate. It was efficient and satisfying.

Perfect for someone whose three personalities all thrived in the underbelly of society.

"Are you all here?" Evelina murmured, seated on a plush chair prepared in advance.

"Yes, my lady."

Five figures appeared around her, each one dressed in a different uniform that would let them move about without arousing suspicion.

One was disguised as an inspector, another as a merchant, one as a farmer, and the remaining two as local law enforcement.

If they were going to wipe the Whitestrakes off the map, the best approach was to infiltrate first and make sure every last member of the family was gathered in one place before the massacre began.

"How was the infiltration?" Evelina asked, sipping from a cup of tea.

"Everyone is present. No Whitestrake has been left unaccounted for. The same has been reported from the other squads," said the one dressed as the inspector.

"We’ve also sabotaged their vehicles. No one will escape," added the two in law enforcement uniforms.

"Teleportation has been taken care of as well," said the one in the farmer’s outfit.

Everything was ready.

Evelina lowered her teacup slowly, porcelain clinking softly against the saucer.

"Barriers?" she asked.

"Done," the one dressed as a merchant replied. "Outer perimeter suppression to muffle sound. Inner distortion field to scramble communication artifacts. Even if someone triggers an emergency relay, it won’t reach beyond the estate walls."

The D’Arclights had multiple artifacts and tools prepared for operations like this; even if not all members of the kill squad were magically attuned, the help of tools was enough to even things out.

And that included suppression artifacts that the D’Arclight had easy access to with their contacts.

"And the servants?"

"As instructed. Non-blood members have been isolated and will be released once it’s over. Memory alterations are prepared for those who saw too much."

A slow smile spread across her face.

Efficient. Clean.

Fiona approved.

Evelina approved.

Even Trish, who had seen governments toppled with rifles and drones, found something satisfying about a controlled operation like this. Surgical. Intentional.

No chaos.

Just consequence.

"Good," she said.

She stood from the chair, smoothing down the short skirt with idle elegance. The movement was instinctual—half Evelina’s aristocratic poise, half Fiona’s casual confidence.

The five elites subtly lowered their gazes.

The air around her had changed.

This wasn’t the academy’s top student.

This wasn’t the D’Arclight heiress.

This was something far more dangerous.

"Begin Phase One."

They vanished without another word.

***

The Whitestrake city estate was lively that afternoon.

Laughter echoed from the main hall. Music played. Glasses clinked together.

Inside, the entire bloodline had gathered for what they believed to be a routine strategy meeting—recent disruptions in the undercity had forced them to reassess their routes and contacts.

None of them knew the true reason they had all been nudged, subtly and expertly, into attending.

Evelina, no, Fiona stepped through the front gates alone.

The guards saw her.

And froze.

Not from magic.

But from presence. A D’Arclight appearing at a secluded estate like the Whitestrakes wasn’t normal.

She walked as if she belonged there.

As if she had grown up within those very walls.

Which she had. Just not in this new body of hers.

One guard swallowed. "State your—"

He never finished.

[Light Manipulation]

A thin thread of light pierced his throat from behind, clean and precise. His body slumped soundlessly, caught before it could hit the ground.

The second guard didn’t even have time to widen his eyes before a blade slipped between his ribs.

Fiona had never been the efficient, emotionless killer type. She was no stranger to taking a life—even her own, if it came to that—but this kind of icy detachment felt foreign, even to her. Evelina and Trish’s influence was clearly starting to seep into her.

"The guards have been eliminated."

The two figures in law enforcement uniforms stepped forward and pulled the gate open for her.

"Good. Proceed to phase two," she said.