The Villainess Wants To Retire Chapter 30: Gratitude

Caelen’s eyes finally turned to . They burned.

"That you were the fire. That every cry, every corpse dragged from ash is your doing. That the people who whisper you are cursed are not liars, but witnesses."

The chamber shifted. A few heads lowered, others stared openly.

"And what would that achieve?" I asked coolly. "Would my confession rebuild the market? Feed the rchants? Bring back the dead?"

He leaned forward, knuckles white against the table. "It would tell them their queen is not so cruel as to pretend ignorance."

I smiled faintly, though nothing in was amused. "Pretend? I do not deny the flas ca from ."

Gasps rippled, sharp intakes of breath cutting the silence. I let them have their mont before continuing.

"But neither will I stand here to weep like so penitent child. What is done is done. My task is not to wallow in bla but to restore order. That is the duty of a ruler."

"You speak of duty," Caelen spat, "but your fire turns duty into ruin. How long before your flas consu more than markets? How long before the palace itself is ash?"

The council stiffened. His words carried weight, the kind that planted seeds. Dangerous seeds.

"Do you suggest," I asked, keeping my tone low, "that I cannot govern what I have governed for years? That the kingdom still standing beneath your feet is a mirage?"

"You governed with fear," he shot back. "With blood. And last night proves you cannot even govern yourself."

The words struck, sharp and deliberate. For a mont the silence was so complete I heard only the quills stop scratching. The room watched , weighed , waited for to falter.

But I did not. I folded my hands neatly before .

"And yet here I sit. Queen still. Crown still on my head. Fla or no fla, not one of you can move without my consent."

My words landed like iron. The dukes and marquises stirred uneasily. So nodded, almost against their will.

Caelen’s jaw clenched. His eyes, so full of righteous fury, locked on mine. "You make yourself untouchable. But you are not invincible. One day even fire ets its end."

I could tell he was already seething, so I leaned into it. Mostly out of spite of course.

"You speak as if you alone care for the kingdom," I said. "But the truth is, your concern begins and ends with appearances. So long as the people see you beside your darling Ophelia... hands clasped, eyes shining... they believe in your virtue. They do not see the truth, only the picture you paint for them."

A stir ran through the council. Ophelia’s na in my mouth was enough to make them uneasy. Caelen’s face darkened, his composure slipping.

"You dare bring her into this?" His voice was low, dangerous.

"I dare," I replied softly. "Because I wonder, Caelen... if a fire were to touch her, would you be so quick to rush at with sword drawn? Or would you rember that I am the only one in this kingdom who can snuff flas before they spread too far?"

The subtle weight of the words landed, heavy and deliberate. I had not threatened her outright, but the air thickened as if I had.

He rose half from his chair, fists trembling, before the Marquis of Aros cleared his throat nervously. "Perhaps... enough for today."

The eting ended in fractured silence, councilors bowing to as they left, their eyes darting between Caelen and myself. He did not look at again.

I turned toward my chambers, my steps steady though my mind churned. They had read the lists of the missing. So many nas swallowed by the flas. Among them... Sir Caldus. The man who had looked in the eye with that smile as he burned. His na lingered with like ash on the tongue.

I took a sharp turn, thoughts heavy, and collided into soone tall, cold, and solid. My breath caught.

Soren.

His hand steadied before I could step back, his pale eyes studying with that unreadable calm, though sothing darker flickered beneath.

We stood there in silence. Neither of us moved, neither of us spoke. His eyes stayed on , and I hated that I couldn’t read what was behind them.

"It seems we can’t stop running into each other your majesty." Finally, Soren said.

"I’m glad to see you still kicking." His voice was light, almost careless, but sothing in it felt heavier than the words themselves.

Without a word, I walked past him, my steps quick. I was still burning with half-embarrassnt from the council, half-irritation at him, at myself. "You don’t need to concern yourself with , Emperor."

He said nothing. Still, I felt it... his stare, sharp and unrelenting on my back. It pressed into until I stopped walking. I didn’t turn. I didn’t let him see my face. Not while I was about to do sothing that I’d never done in a long ti.

"Thank you," I said, my voice low. "For stopping . For saving them."

I didn’t give him the chance to answer or even enjoy the look on his face. I moved on.

And thankfully he didn’t follow.

I made my way to the second place I had in mind to visit.

The royal stables stood at the far end of the east courtyard. The stone walls were high, the air thick with the sll of hay and warm animals. The guards and stablehands bowed quickly when they saw , but I ignored them and went straight inside.

She was waiting for .

A pure white mare, taller and fiercer than the rest. Her mane fell long, streaked with fire-gold, the sa shade as my own hair when the sun caught it. Her eyes, deep and amber, held too much intelligence to belong to a beast. She was restless, pawing at the ground like she’d been caged too long.

Her na was Solestra.

She tossed her head when I ca near, but the sharpness eased when I reached for her. She pressed her nose into my palm, warm breath spilling over my skin. I pulled dried fruit from my pouch and fed it to her, her teeth snapping quick, eager.

"You’re restless," I murmured, brushing through her mane with my fingers. "I know. I am too."

I leaned close, resting my forehead against hers. She stilled, as if listening.

"We’re leaving soon," I whispered into her ear. "You and . An adventure. Away from all of this."

Her ears twitched. She snorted sharply, as though in answer.