A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"Duke of Wyvern is a cautious man," Malver smiled.

"Everyone knows about Lord Ansel's, um... 'brainwashing' abilities." He made air quotes with his fingers, which drew a cold glare from Nerilia.

Although he didn't finish his sentence, Marlina understood Malver's implication.

"So... it's not about executing him for his betrayal, but to convince the Grand Duke that the information wasn't deliberately leaked by Mr. Ansel?"

Marlina murmured, shifting her gaze to the other two individuals.

"Therefore..." Her voice was dry, "this count and his entire family must die."

"Quick thinking," Malver applauded. "But... it's not necessarily required."

"... Not necessarily?"

"Executing the entire family is Ms. Nerilia's opinion," Malver said, crossing his arms. "It's not mine. There are many ways to convince the Grand Duke without resorting to this."

Nerilia's cold, cruel gaze brushed past Marlina's face and landed on Malver.

"But this is the most direct and effective method. I have no interest in wasting extra effort on such trash."

Marlina looked at Belleconte, then at the bound woman and young man, and asked, "Mr. Malver, what is your plan?"

"Me? It's simple. Have Belleconte confess his crimes at the city gate of his own fief and then commit suicide in front of all his subjects," Malver shrugged.

"A loyal warrior, taking his own life out of guilt for betraying his current master, fits his character. There's no need to involve his wife and child."

After observing the hanging woman's ordinary, even somewhat below-average face, Marlina asked softly after a moment of silence, "Does Count Belleconte have only this one wife?"

Malver, slightly surprised, replied, "Yes."

Then, the three of them fell into silence, with only the sound of dripping blood echoing on the top platform.

"So... Lady Nerilia, Mr. Malver, am I to be the one to pass judgment on Count Belleconte?"

"Yes."

Malver smiled, "If you agree with my approach, they will be healed, forget everything, and be sent back to their territory. Someone will then find Count Belleconte, and it won't be long before he makes the right choice."

Nerilia said indifferently, "If you choose to side with me, they will wake up immediately, the blood-forming spell on them will fail, and they will die in fear from blood loss, paying the price for their betrayal."

"A simple test of opportunity."

The woman's condescending, judgmental gaze left Marlina with nowhere to hide.

"See which side you fit, which path you should take."

Marlina remained silent, her gaze somewhat wandering.

She had made more ruthless decisions before—like concealing the coal incident during the Great Cold Wave from Seraphina, which resulted in consequences a thousand times more cruel than now.

But at that time, Marlina had no choice, because she knew that if Seraphina's willfulness and self-centeredness were not corrected with enough ruthlessness, it would grow into a fatal problem under Ansel's indulgence, eventually causing even greater trouble.

But now, she had a choice: to address the matter at hand with moderation or to use the most brutal and violent means to make the betrayers pay.

Mr. Ansel... what would he think?

Marlina's wavering gaze passed through the suspended family of the Count and fell on the bustling scene of Hydral City through the transparent clock.

The contrast and absurdity between the distant beauty and the present bloodshed made Marlina subconsciously clench her fists.

If it were Mr. Ansel... he would never do such a thing.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Only the betrayers should be punished. No, the Countess and her son should also be punished, but not to this extent.

Following Ansel's line of thought, Marlina's mind suddenly cleared.

She was indeed right; this was undoubtedly the choice Ansel would make—because he had never committed evil from a purely violent standpoint, how could he possibly punish out of pure loathing and hatred, implicating the innocent?

"I... support Mr. Malver."

Marlina no longer hesitated. With Ansel as her "support," her resolve was unwavering.

"If I can make the decision, I hope the life of Count Belleconte's family is as Mr. Malver described."

A passionate smile spread across Malver's face as he applauded sincerely, "You made the right choice, Miss Marlina, trust me."

"Thank you."

Marlina smiled, "I just believe that if it were Mr. Ansel, he would certainly support your proposal."

The man's smile grew even more radiant than before, clearly showing that Ansel's praise and recognition brought him far more genuine joy than any encounter with an unknown beauty.

"Well... hahaha, perhaps, perhaps."

He said this without a hint of modesty, his self-satisfaction evident.

Nerilia, after gazing at Marlina for a long time, showed a hint of disappointment.

She took out a lady's cigarette from her pocket, lit it silently, and walked down the stairs by herself.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Marlina, who was also looking at her.

The girl's hesitant eyes seemed to ask:

Why go to such lengths? This isn't what Mr. Ansel would want.

Nerilia read her thoughts and sneered with disdain.

"What a lotus."

She said no more and turned to leave.

"Ms. Nerilia—"

"Don't chase her; she won't pay you any more attention."

Malver's voice came from behind Marlina, "Ms.Nerilia is just that kind of person. She doesn't mean to target anyone specifically, so don't take it to heart."

"I'm not, I just..." Marlina said softly, "I just want to know why Ms. Nerilia is so..."

"People from Shadewell have that kind of personality. You'll get used to it as you interact with them more."

Malver led Marlina down the clock tower, informing her that someone would soon handle the matter with Count Belleconte's family.

After leaving the clock tower, he continued to walk with Marlina towards the Grand Plaza of Flowers, explaining, "After reviewing your profile, I knew you were more suited for our Garden. Your learning ability is astonishing, growing to this level through self-study without a formal mentor is remarkable."

Though he said this, Malver's expression didn't convey any genuine admiration, something Marlina was well aware of—it was just his social niceties.

So... in Mr. Malver's "Garden," am I just an ordinary member?

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