Too Lazy to be a Villainess-Chapter 42: Armor, Etiquette, and Royal Overreactions

I was munching on cookies and flipping through a picture book, clearly enjoying the moment like a retired noble on vacation.

"Princess... Would you like to go for a walk?" Nanny said gently.

"Hmm..." I looked up, crumbs on my cheek.

"The weather is nice today," she added with a smile.

I stood up dramatically. "Really?"

Nanny nodded, and then Marella popped into the room like a cheerful puppy. "How about we play ball, my princess?"

I chuckled. Marella was always excited whenever games were involved.

"Alright, let’s have fun!" I raised both my hands up in excitement.

***

AT THE PALACE GARDEN

"C’mon... let’s go!" I tugged on Osric’s hand like a determined merchant trying to sell a slightly broken magic lamp. Osric, who was now nine and somehow built like a baby bear, didn’t budge.

"Let’s play, Osric!"

But he didn’t move an inch.

Seriously? What does he eat? Iron?

His feet stayed planted, facing the palace’s east wing. "Lavi... I can’t. I have sword lessons with Master Leto—he said if I’m late again, he’ll make me polish armor for a week!"

Before I could even respond with a dramatic gasp or a bribe of cookies, he dashed off like a soldier fleeing laundry duty.

I stood there.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Alone in the battlefield of fun.

"...Hmph." I puffed my cheeks and glared down at the ball in my arms. "Fine then. I’ll play without you!" I yelled after him.

I bet this is how it starts. First he abandons me at nine; next he abandons me in the future, like in the novel.

Nanny patted my head gently. "It’s okay, Princess. We can play with you."

I nodded with the dignity of a tiny queen and dropped the ball like I was starting a war. I gave it a noble kick toward Marella.

Of course, that traitor ball bounced, spun mid-air like it had a mind of its own, and veered off in the opposite direction. What did I ever do to deserve this betrayal?

I stood still, wind dramatically blowing through my hair like I was in some tragic opera. "What luck," I muttered.

Marella panicked. "It’s okay, Princess, I’ll get the ball—"

"No!" I raised a hand like a knight swearing an oath. "I shall retrieve the ball myself! Since I am the one who kicked it."

I waddled off like a determined duck, muttering under my breath. "Where did that traitorous ball go...? Ugh, I’m never trusting rubber again."

And then—I spotted it. Near a tree. "Aha! Found you!"

I lunged, but the ball slipped away again. "Seriously?! Are you enchanted or just rude?!"

I chased after it, my short legs moving as fast as they could. But before I could catch it, a tall shadow stretched across the sunlight like a dramatic curtain drop.

The ball rolled to a stop beside a pair of very serious, very polished dark boots.

I looked up. Waaay up.

Ravick.

He was holding the ball now, his gloved hand making it look like a squishy grape in a bear’s paw. "Here you go, Princess," he said, his voice deep and calm.

I blinked at him. It was the first time seeing him this close. His silver armor gleamed, very knightly, very intimidating—but his face wasn’t scary or cold. Just quiet. Kind, even.

I smiled. "Thank you."

He blinked, then nodded, returning a tiny, shy smile. A very rare species of smile. He then turned to leave.

"Wait!" I reached out without thinking, grabbing the edge of his cloak. It was warm and heavy and felt like...safety.

He paused, turned around, and knelt down to my level like a proper storybook hero. "What is it, Princess?"

Wow... this man is so handsome.

"Would you like to play with me?" I asked.

He tilted his head slightly, raising a brow. "Play?"

"With the ball," I said quickly, holding it up with both hands like an offering. "Just for a little bit! I’m bored alone."

Ravick stared at me, quiet. Was he going to say no too?

"...Alright," he said at last, with a single nod.

I blinked. "Really?"

"Yes, Princess."

He stood tall like a tower, and I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt. "Yay!"

And then, we walked to where Nanny and Marella were.

"Oh, Lord Ravick?" Marella gasped, and both Nanny and Marella bowed, saying, "We greet Lord Ravick."

He nodded and then...

"Alright, let’s play," I said with lots of excitement.

Without waiting, I ran a few steps ahead and placed the ball down. "Okay! You have to stand over there! No—more to the left. No, no! That’s too much! Back a little. Yes! There!"

He followed all my instructions with that same quiet expression, never questioning me once. When he was finally in position, I gave the ball a gentle kick. It rolled toward him. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

He stopped it with his foot.

"Now you kick it back!"

Ravick hesitated. "But I don’t want to hurt you by accident, princess."

I put my fists on my hips. "I’m not that small!"

"You are," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "But I’ll be careful."

His kick was so soft, the ball barely made it halfway before stopping.

"Hmph," I stomped over, picked it up, and trotted back. "You kick like a baby bunny."

There was a beat of silence... and then he chuckled.

Woah. Look at that—the scary knight laughed. Freely!

Just like Papa. Dangerous and ruthless from the outside—but extra soft on the inside.

Like a lava cake. With armor.

And from that day on, Ravick started playing with me every day. At first, it was just ball-kicking. He always stood exactly where I told him, even if it meant being half-blinded by the sun.

Soon, we moved on from kicking the ball.

"Let’s play tag!" I announced one morning, pointing dramatically like a queen declaring war.

"...Tag?" Ravick echoed, like I’d just asked him to do a pirouette in armor.

"Yes! You have to catch me! But you can’t run too fast, okay? That’s cheating!"

He hesitated and smiled. "Alright, Princess."

"Ready... set... GO!"

I bolted off like a wobbly duck on a sugar high, squealing and laughing, looking back every five seconds to make sure he was chasing me.

"Princess, be careful—you might fall."

And... I nearly did. But he caught me effortlessly, lifting me like I weighed less than a feather.

I stared up at him.

"...Are you made of stone or clouds?" I whispered.

He blinked. "Armor."

I giggled.

And then there was the time I tried to teach him how to skip.

"Yes, like this!" I jumped with both feet, arms flailing like a confused bird. "Now you try!"

He stared at me. "Princess... it’s not really my thing to play."

I squinted at him, unamused.

He sighed softly, then gave a small nod. "Alright, I will do."

And he did. Without arguing.

That was his charm. Quiet, serious, but so very there.

Whenever I fell, Ravick was there to pick me up. If I got even the tiniest scrape, he looked ready to storm the heavens. When the ball rolled too far, he’d retrieve it in five seconds flat and return it like a noble offering.

And then today, while I was still deciding what to play, he arrived.

"Ravick... Let’s play."

He smiled gently. "Sure, Princess. But first—His Majesty has summoned you to the meeting room."

Ugh. Why there?

"Alright," I sighed dramatically. "Let’s go."

***

Meeting Room,

I walked with Ravick toward the meeting room, dragging my feet just a little.

Seriously... why does Papa always call me there? Can’t we meet in a normal place? Like the garden?

The guards straightened and opened the grand doors with a heavy creak. I peeked in, then waddled inside with Ravick behind me.

"We wish to receive relief from your kingdom, Your Majesty," a man said, bowing deeply in front of Papa.

He looked different—taller hat, layers of shiny cloth, and something sparkly on his shoes. Definitely not from here.

Papa sat on the throne and just nodded his head and hummed. He glanced sideways at Theon and said, "Theon... Send whatever the Kingdom of Vellmira needs."

Vellmira... Oh, right! I think that kingdom’s been having problems. There was a grain shortage...maybe he’s from there?

Papa didn’t even blink much.

I toddled closer and reached out to him. Without a word, Papa scooped me up and settled me on his lap like I was some treasured artifact. Comfortable seat, 10/10, would sit again.

My eyes met with the man from Vellmira, and to my surprise, he bowed deeply and smiled. "I greet the next ruler of the Elarion Empire, Princess Lavinia," he said politely.

Then—then! He had the audacity to reach for my hand to kiss it.

It was just a normal royal greeting. I’d seen it in books. Marella said it was tradition. Like, proper royal etiquette. A normal thing. Nothing weird.

Except Papa’s arm snapped around me so fast I actually squeaked. One second the man was leaning in, and the next I was halfway buried in Papa’s chest like a squirrel hiding from a hawk.

I blinked, confused. Then I looked up... And oh no.

Papa’s eyes were sharp. Cold. Dangerous.

And Ravick?

Ravick was standing behind the throne, hand on his sword, glaring like the man was attempting an assassination, not greeting.

The poor ambassador from Vellmira was frozen. Probably regretting his whole life. I swear I saw sweat.

Thankfully, Theon—bless him—stepped forward with the speed of a man who wanted to live. "Let’s... discuss what we can assist with," he said, quickly taking out the poor man before he got turned into a pancake.

Silence.

He scowled. "How can you let other men touch your hand like that?"

"Papa," I said, very seriously. "That’s the way people greet princesses. Even we do that."

There was a brief silence, and he was furious.

And then...

"I should ban that kind of greeting in this empire."

"WHAT?!" I gasped loudly.