TVRWS 12

So, there are 7 official destruction paths with a 1 that was added by a DLC making them 8 in total. Four of those are my own destruction while two belong to each of the other two Villainesses. One of them is Edith Black.

From the game, Edith is a ruthless character much different than the haughty Vivian. Vivian is a lady through and through who values the traditions of the Noble Society and worships the customs of that community. However, Edith was raised in a family of Royal Agents and Disciplinary Knights, no other noble would want anything to do with the daughter of such a dangerous family. More to that, Edith was engaged to Richard Windsor son of the Knights Commander which means she is just moving from an Intelligence Family to a War Family.

In the route of both her brother and fiancé, Edith appears in her long black coat with a sword at her waist and a string glare that causes shivers even beyond the fourth wall.

For her brother Edmond, she refuses the Heroine as her family can't just accept a marriage candidate whose background is questionable and she will send attackers after the Heroine which will cause her brother to get injured saving the Heroine, this and that will happen until House Black issues an order for Edith to withdraw before sending her to the Disciplinary Hall which is a nightmare to any noble.

As for her fiancé, she claims that the Heroine is a danger to the stability of the kingdom and uses the same method to scare away the Heroine except for this time it is Richard who appears and he who gets injured, the retaliation of the Knights will be swift and the engagement will be called off, Edith's fate was to withdraw in her family never to appear but years later as a nun in a monastery.

Compared to her actions, banishment is a very light punishment. For heaven's sake, Vivian gets to die in the four scenarios after some mere bullying. Life… truly unfair!

My remembrance of those memories regarding Edith took place in the auction's deals room where Valentine and I were sitting after he just informed me of the investigator who will be sent to question me about the Murder of the Baron's Son. Valentine was eating the Cupcake almost losing himself in its softness and deliciousness, this guy is a lost cause.

"Edith Black… I understand. Thank you, Vale. Now finish this off before my maid comes with the tea." I said.

"Om, ysh! Hmm! Gsh hus fning? Stabyyy! Hmm!" (Oh, yes! Hmm! This has a filling? Strawberry? Hmm!)

"Exactly, see how much I value our friendship?" I replied.

"Ammyin! Vian, ou aa ta bst!" (Amazing! Vivian, you are the best!)

"Oh! Thank you."

Was this a healthy friendship just now? No idea. Anyway, Valentine was done with the cupcake and wiped the traces with a handkerchief.

"I'll get you your painting… and we'll never speak of this ever again."

"Thieves' honor."

He returned the indifference look as soon as Esme arrived with the tea set and Logan entered the room based on my signal. A minute later, the painting arrived.

It was called "Ladies of the Woods" as it portrayed three ladies bathing in a river with their long hair entwining with the river. The scene was beautiful and the colors were vibrant as if the image was a hazy version of reality, it was easy to understand why Van Barbosa was one of the most successful painters of history with his dream-like imagination.

Still, those ladies of the woods were somehow mystical something like fairies or elves, their ears were obviously pointy but not that long. Avalon is sure a magical place.

"Thank you for conducting business with our auction house, Lady Vivian. The door is this way." As soon as the transaction ended, Valentine disdainfully showed me out.

Jerk!

I didn't shy out and collected the Painting in the Spatial Bag. Sure as hell Valentine's eyes widened seeing me walking around with such an artifact, sadly I'm not planning to stick around and entertain him that's why I walked towards the door followed by Logan and Esme but as I walked out of the room, I found my half-brother Robert was blocking my way.

***

The situation was alarmingly alarming in taking the worst possible scenario just from the kickoff. Vivian and Robert, despite being an older sister and a younger brother, they were the unmixable mix and the unsolvable solution. Robert hated Vivian to the bone and Vivian found no reason for his hate so she was pleased to provide him with as many as she could.

"What are you doing here, you wretched woman? How dare you show your face in public after the shame you brought to our family?" Robert was so much not holding back anything.

"Hola hola hola, little Robbie! What's with the sudden outburst!" Vivian may have never wanted to see him at all, but seeing him like that activated her provocative attitude in one go.

"Don't you dare belittle me!" Robert raised his finger at her face but a sudden cold feeling overwhelmed him out of nowhere.

Looking back behind Vivian, there was a tall man with long messy brown hair and sideburns. It was Knight Logan giving a death glare to him.

Bronze Knight as Robert maybe, the difference between a Silver Knight and a Bronze Knight maybe one rank but the gap of power is clear. Logan would eat Robert and lick his bones dry if not for the fact that he is the son of the count.

But amidst this feeling of victory, a voice sounded causing Vivian to feel like a bucket of cold water was poured down on her.

"Will you please stop bullying Robert?"

Vivian finally noticed that Robert wasn't alone, this girl was standing not too far from Robert approaching through the hallway.

The Heroine, Matilda.

Walking in her long blue silk dress, there was no doubt that the Heroine looked charming and pleasing to the eyes, Robert's attitude and airs immediately turned 180° from the pain in the ass brat to the noble young man.

"Lady Matilda."

"Lord Robert, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am fine."

The scene of the saint-like maiden checking on the hurt noble boy was sickening to Vivian, she never stood Matilda for that disturbing attitude she has that is devoid of dignity and shame which made her get this intimate with multiple guys who half of them were already engaged.

"Matilda." Vivian spoke the name of the heroine as a gesture of saying don't you dare act in front of me like that.

Dashing and domineering, Vivian's personality could overwhelm many people and her presence was hard to ignore in her current state of mind. This is full-on Lady Vivian of House Moore with all her attitude and arrogance.

"Lady Vivian." Matilda stood against Vivian withstanding the domineering villainess.

"What do you want?" Vivian asked with an interest growing lesser as time passes.

"I am here to make a proposition."

"Not interested."

Vivian realized what's going to come and she clearly has the right all the right to say and say not so she bluntly refused.

"Vivian, what you have done today is far too reckless! Just because you were jealous of Vivian and wanted to compete with her, you wasted a lot of our house's money on the [Spirit Lotus], Father will be infuriated." Robert spoke gloating for his sister's blunder.

Vivian almost wanted to smack his loose mouth but she chose sarcasm.

"Little Robbie, you are as cute as you are dum-dum. My dear little brother knows how to talk business now? Absolutely adorable." Vivian spoke as if she is addressing a child.

"You!" Robert lost his composer immediately.

"Lady Vivian, this is no way a lady should behave!" Matilda stood up between Vivian and Robert.

"Frankly, that's none of your business how I address my little brother and come here, how in the world have this little boy figured out that I wasted a lot of money when he has no sense of the money he wastes?" Vivian took the question in a circle.

"Be thankful that Lady Matilda is kind and looking out for you after what you have done to her. Hand out the [Spirit Lotus] and the Temple will compensate us for what you paid for…" Robert went out on a fit of rage as he spoke loudly at Vivian not realizing how Matilda's face beside him looked like.

"Pft!" Vivian covered her mouth and let out a short muffled laugh.

To think they tried to use Robert against her, if she doesn't know how easy Robert can get infuriated then how can she still be called Vivian.

"What are you laughing at?" Robert felt bad about the mischievous act of Vivian.

"You can't be serious, little Robbie? Adorable! The Temple will pay us for the [Spirit Lotus]? Are you even knowledgeable about the situation? Please tell me you have already met with the Temple Knights from earlier with Matilda over here and struck a deal that you will make me hand over the [Spirit Lotus]."

Vivian's words caused Robert's ears to turn red, there where the Villainess could no longer stand to keep it in.

"Hahaha! Absolutely adorable!"

"What are you so on about?" Robert was fed up with belittlement.

"I am here on Father's behalf to purchase the [Spirit Lotus] for our house, brother. Please don't tell me you promised the Temple Knights something and you are… my goodness! This is so much fun."

Vivian was having the fun of her life, Robert was getting his blood pressure over the top and Matilda's usual smile was replaced by silence.

"Are we done, Robert? Matilda? Then excuse me." Vivian wanted to walk past the two but she felt a presence behind her.

"Not so fast!"

Glancing back, Vivian's expressions crumbled. This time, it was a whole new animal to deal with. The son of the knight's captain, Richard Windsor.

Calmly, he approached Vivian from behind.

"You showed a lot of disrespect to Lady Matilda just now, Vivian. Quickly apologize." Richard said imposing his Knight Aura at the powerless and defenseless Vivian.

"Windsor, don't push your luck!" Vivian replied with a strong glare back at him.

This was no longer a words situation, Richard Windsor is not just a member of the Heroine's Entourage but the most person Vivian despises after the Prince. He was the one who pushed her on her knees in the academy in front of everyone. If she was capable, his head wouldn't be fixed to his shoulders anymore.

"Still not apologizing?" Richard walked to hair raising the same hand, saying the same words and having the same thoughts and intentions.

That's Richard Windsor, a brute who hasn't learned much about words. Vivian is completely powerless against this kind but you know who isn't?

*Crash*

His presence was kept down since the start of this confrontation and he stood back as Vivian ordered but as soon as she was in a pinch, he automatically moved.

Richard Windsor found himself being pushed from the face and pinned on the opposite wall with the hand he was intending to lay on Vivian twisted behind his back.

It was all too sudden. One second, Richard was having his way with the situation the Logan showed up and handled him in one second. Richard's mind could barely process what happened since this point onward. Above him, Logan was showing a very scary side, he would avoid unnecessary conflicts but when the time of causing trouble comes, Logan was happy to spare the world a piece of his mind now that the ones that bullied his lady are trying to pull something against her once again.

Richard took a glimpse of Logan and saw someone larger and stronger than him pushing him to submission. Logan has a strong appearance with broad shoulders and big limbs but his facial features and messy hair were more that of a mountain bandit rather than a Knight.

Both Robert and Matilda were shocked by Logan's sudden action and took a step away unconsciously.

"You! Who… are… you?" Richard spoke as if he was going to breathe fire anytime soon.

"Knight Logan in Service to Lady Vivian Moore." Logan replied calmly, "You were about to lay your hands on my Lady."

"Get… your… hands… off… me!" Richard's eyes were about to turn red while saying so.

"No can do."

"I SAID…"

"Knight Richard, the First Clause of the Knights Doctrine." Logan said something incoherent.

"Get your filthy hands…"

"I said, the First Clause of the Knights Doctrine, Knight Richard!" Logan tightened his grip on Richard.

"… Ugh! Loyalty… Loyalty to the Realm, the King, the Lord." Richard said.

"Second Clause of the Knights Doctrine! Let me hear it, Knight Richard."

"… I… I shall harm no child, no elderly, no woman, cut no tree and take no life, never discriminate based on class or gender… never break my word."

"Knight Richard, the punishment of Breaking the First Clause is Death on the Spot, the punishment for breaking the Second Clause is Disgrace. As a fellow Knight, I am authorized to bring down the punishment of Breaking the Second Clause on you. Do I commence or do you Concede?"

"…"

Logan alone was handling the whole situation with Richard but Vivian was worried, she could tell that there was someone at the end of the hallway and that is probably Prince Liam watching the situation from afar and controlling the strings the same way he always does things.

He sent out Robert and Matilda to seize the [Spirit Lotus] quietly and when it failed, he sent Richard to put Vivian in place. She was already aware and seeing that the Richard card is burnt, the Prince shall retreat to come up with a countermeasure for Logan later on.

Vivian sneered.

"Logan! Let go of Lord Richard at once, I command you as your Lord." Robert pointed fingers and shouted at Logan.

"Please, let's be civil. Release him sir Knight so we can talk." Matilda took a gentler approach towards Logan.

"Oh, please! Richard, you are no Lord over anything so please keep it down. And you, commoner girl, my Knight is of a higher social standing than you. Move aside the two of you right now, you have wasted my time long enough." Vivian said so haughtily.

In this situation, Matilda had no choice but to move aside from Vivian's way yet Robert had the social standing to do so being Vivian's male brother.

"We are not done talking." He said.

"You want to embarrass yourself and your friends more? Go ahead." Vivian said and winked at Logan.

Logan knew Vivian's evil thoughts for tonight and decided to play the full role of the henchman of the Villainess. He pressed on Richard's head and pushed him down on his knees.

"Bastard, you dare!" Richard was never humiliated this much in his life before but seeing the look on Vivian's eyes as she looked down on him and seeing the stiffened expression on Matilda's face, there was no way they won against Vivian at the first time on this rate.

She is not the broken young lady they expected to be dealing with, it's a demon incarnate from the cold disdainful look in her eyes.

"Vivian, you will regret this." Robert could no longer tolerate what was going on.

"Make sure to return home tonight, Little Robbie. I'm sure dad will be eager to talk with you. Let's go, Logan."

Vivian walked past Robert who could no longer stand his ground in front of his tyrant sister. They weren't prepared for her to be this aggressive and the fault is his. He told the Prince that Vivian was broken and reduced to a husk of her former self once she locked herself in her room for three days. But this Vivian now, she was lawless and didn't fear offending house Windsor by reducing Richard to this sorry state.

Matilda remained silent and took a deep breath while Vivian, Logan and Esmeralda walked away. Vivian may no longer be the Prince's fiancée but she still hits hard if not harder. To a certain Prince who watched the whole situation from a distance, Vivian started to look more like a problem.

"Is that what it is? Being someone whose back is against the wall?" Edmond Black asked.

The Prince tilted his head and hummed analyzing the scene he just saw.

"Is it me or something has changed about her?" Prince Liam mumbled.

"… Ehem!" Edmond cleared his throat as his reply no matter how he tries to put it, it will be a bit rude. In other words, he wanted to say "No shit?" or anything similar.

Liam got the gist of it and smiled. Of course she changed after he dumped her, any woman would change after such humiliation but this change was different. Prince Liam could swear that the Vivian he used to know was more of a person who educates people about their place to respect society's rules which always bored him as he had to maintain the reputation of the good-natured decent Prince. The Vivian he knew was someone who didn't go well with modesty or such things.

However, this Vivian was more of a bandit. She seemed to uphold her values as a lady but she was enjoying it just now. Belittling Robert, talking Matilda to her place, forcing Richard to kneel to her the same way he once made her kneel.

Humble, modest, decent or whatever all that was, the Prince was clearly unamused with Vivian's behavior yet very welcoming to the comeback of the fallen.

"Very well."

His tone was no longer easygoing and friendly, it turned cold and very arrogant.

"Teach Vivian her place. Make her learn what it means to be outside the good blessings of the Royal Family." Prince Liam spoke.

"Oh! Fine fine, I'll get it done, Your Highness." Edmond replied as he seemed dejected, he didn't really want to do it.

"Don't lax on me now, Edmond." Prince Liam glared.

"Worry not, Your Highness. I'll just tell our men to look the other way. I don't even need to do much." Edmond found an easy solution to the situation and covered his yawning mouth.

For a diligent man, his behavior was contradictory to his reputation but apparently, the Prince was okay with it.

Still, the Prince's haughtiness and Edmond's laziness all disappeared when they felt a certain presence coming near them.

"Here you are, your Highness, Lord Edmond."

"Matilda." "Lady Matilda."

Prince Liam and Edmond turned to the one who came towards them with warm faces. It was the one Vivian knows as the Heroine, Matilda. Behind her, both Richard Windsor and Robert Moore appeared with two dejected faces. They seemed like they would break anything from anger.

"Are you alright, Matilda? I heard you ran into… Vivian Moore." The Prince said all caring.

"It's alright, your Highness. It is my fault I went to find her while she was having a hard time anyway. I know it was a request from the Temple to Lord Robert and he asked for my help with Lady Vivian but I should have known better instead of causing trouble to Lord Robert and Lord Richard as well." Matilda said apologetically.

"No, I am sure these gentlemen are alright. Don't worry about them." Prince Liam said glancing at both Richard and Robert.

The two seemed to have received some damage from running into Vivian and Logan but they soon erased their dejected looks once the Prince and Matilda turned to them.

"I'm alright. Being her younger brother, I am used to that attitude of my sister, I apologize on behalf of my house for any word she might have hurt Lady Matilda with. I hope that one day, my sister sees through her mistakes." Robert said with a warm smile.

"Oh! Lord Robert, you are so kind." Matilda said.

"I don't feel bad at all being bested by a better knight. I won't lose next time if we clash." Richard Windsor followed with a calm domineer.

"Alright, Lord Richard. Please be careful." Matilda replied.

"Your Highness, Lady Matilda." Joining the conversation later, Valentine spoke out as he came.

"Valentine, you were the one handling the trade with, my Sister?" Robert asked.

"Yes… you guys are really reckless to try to make a deal about the Lotus with Vivian in this place." Valentine said.

"You could have helped, you know!" Robert said with an upset tone.

"No, I could. This is regarding something we sold and my interference will make my family look bad. Also, neither I nor Vivian were the ones handling the Lotus' trade." Valentine said.

"??" The others were alarmed to the last thing he said.

"You mean…?" Richard Windsor asked quietly.

"House Moore handled the Lotus with my House. Also… Vivian was playing you the whole time. She isn't carrying the Lotus."

Valentine's revelation caused the others around him to almost want to kill something. Matilda, Robert and Richard were handled by Vivian so badly and now realized that Vivan was playing them all along. This was all because Matilda met her contact with the Temple of Saints who asked her to ask her friend of House Moore to negotiate about the Lotus which Robert almost promised to give them

"I'm sorry… if not for my selfish request, I would have never put anyone in this situation." Matilda said.

"No, it's alright." Robert hastily calmed her down before she gets consumed by guilt.

"Yes, it was not something we can do anything about anymore." Richard followed.

"How about this?" Prince Liam clapped his hand, "There is a small banquet after every auction held by Vale's family. I heard of some specialties of house De Clare that would make the best chefs in the whole Kingdom chew their fingers in envy. Shall we?”

“Of course, everyone is welcome. I’ll show you the banquet and head to my duties.” Valentine said.

“Lord Valentine is not joining?” Matilda asked.

“Fair lady Matilda, nothing would warm my soul like joining you and the lords here on the same table but I’m afraid I am not a good eater.” Valentine declined.

“That’s to be expected. I still don’t get how the De Clares manage to survive on that strict diet. Still, being fit and graceful are your people especially.” Robert said.

“It is indeed.” Prince Liam eyed Valentine up and down with judging eyes. The Prince was fit and all but Valentine was in a whole different league.

“Hahaha!” Valentine laughed it off then pointed towards the hallway, “This way, esteemed guests. I’ll be your host for the night.”

Valentine kept it to himself but he was unamused especially by Robert and Prince Liam. He didn’t really like how Matilda was getting close to those two. Thinking of her, she was the only reason he endured this group of people who annoy him the most.

“I’ll be off for my duties.” Edmond seemed to be taking his leave.

“As we spoke, Edmond.” Prince Liam said.

“Consider it done, Your Highness.”

Feeling uneasy, Valentine watched Edmond as he speaks. This so-called diligent guy only leaves the shadow of the prince when it is up to no good. Something wrong was about to happen.