Chapter 3: The Villainess and the Chest-Enlarging Potion Incident

A homemade cookie.

Its surface is uneven and rough, betraying its amateurish make, but the glimpse of chocolate peeking through looks sweet and tempting.

Why is she offering this to me?

Unable to grasp Lia von Elevess’s intentions, I stared blankly at her.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she cleared her throat with a small cough.

“Sir Knight, if you stare at a lady’s face like that, don’t you think it might make me a little shy?”

Her words left me momentarily dazed.

A lady?

Lia von Elevess, the budding villainess destined to become the empire’s most notorious, dares to call herself a lady?

That statement is practically an insult to every lady in existence.

I was about to correct her but swallowed my words with great restraint.

I don’t know why Lia von Elevess is acting like this, but if I let my guard down just because she’s being friendly, she might reveal her true colors soon enough.

So, I decided to play along with her whims for now.

“My apologies. I gratefully accept the cookie offered by Lady Elevess.”

I took the homemade cookie from her and quickly inspected its surface.

Just in case—though unlikely—it could be poisoned.

Pretending to be casual, I examined it closely, but it seemed perfectly fine on the outside.

…Alright, time to taste it.

Crunch, crunch.

“Sir Knight, is it to your liking?”

I was ready to praise it regardless, but there was no need. Despite its rough appearance, the cookie tasted surprisingly good.

The rich aroma of brown sugar filled my mouth with the first bite, revealing impressive baking skills.

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“Oh, good! I’m glad it suits your taste, since I made it myself.”

“…You made this yourself?”

It wasn’t made by one of the Elevess family’s chefs?

Caught off guard, I looked up in surprise, and Lia von Elevess smiled shyly.

“I heard my escort knight was arriving this afternoon, so I woke up early this morning to make these in a hurry.”

“…”

It sounds pathetic, but men are inherently weak to the words “homemade cooking” from a woman.

For a moment, I almost found Lia von Elevess adorable.

But just before I let my guard down, I reminded myself that in seven years, she’ll be the empire’s worst villainess and snapped back to reality.

“I see… So, you woke up early to make these homemade cookies… for me.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Lia von Elevess spoke in an unusually cheerful tone, but I was too busy worrying about what to offer in return to fully listen.

After all, I’d just eaten a homemade cookie made by Lia von Elevess, the heiress of the renowned Elevess count family.

In the world of nobles, where give-and-take is common courtesy, I need to offer something equivalent to avoid breaching etiquette.

In other words, I need to give her something as a return gift right now—but the problem is, I didn’t bring anything.

Since the Elevess family is responsible for my room and board, my possessions are limited to the sword at my waist and a wallet with emergency cash.

Gifting a sword to a noble lady who hasn’t come of age is against etiquette, and handing over cash… well, that’s just asking for trouble.

While pondering what to offer, I reached into my pocket.

My fingers brushed against something hard. Pulling it out, I saw it was the healing potion my brother gave me.

“Wow, what a pretty potion. Sir Knight, what does it do?”

It didn’t seem right to give her this, so I started to put it back, but Lia von Elevess’s eyes lit up with interest.

I paused awkwardly, hiding the potion bottle in my palm.

“Uh, well, it’s a potion that enhances the body’s natural healing abilities…”

“Natural healing…!”

Lia von Elevess’s eyes sparkled.

“Sir Knight, if it enhances natural healing, could it make me taller?”

“Well, I only know it boosts healing. I wasn’t told the specifics, so I can’t say for sure…”

Her face slightly flushed, she stepped closer.

“Could you give me that potion?”

“…What? This?”

“Yes, you said it enhances natural healing, right? I want to drink it because I want to grow taller.”

To be fair, Lia von Elevess isn’t exactly tall.

According to the story, she’s about a finger’s width shorter than Stella, who’s 162 cm, so maybe around 160 cm at best?

Even by the time she meets her downfall at twenty, her height doesn’t change, so it’s set in stone that she won’t grow taller than 160 cm.

But there’s no way the current Lia von Elevess would know that and ask for the potion.

She probably just wants to grow taller and become an adult as soon as possible, like any childish kid.

“…”

Handing over the potion isn’t a big deal. But this potion is one I put in my mouth and spat out, only to have my brother magically put it back in the bottle.

If I give it to her and she somehow finds out it’s a potion I spat out?

I don’t know for sure, but it’d likely cause a disaster or something close to it. So, I tried to hide the potion back in my pocket—

Grab.

“…Sir Knight?”

Lia von Elevess clutched my sleeve.

Her small hand gripped tightly with surprising strength.

“Did you not hear me? I said I want that potion…”

She probably thinks she’s restraining me, but it’s just a young girl’s strength.

For someone like me, trained since childhood, shaking her off would be easy.

But she’s not just any girl—she’s Lia von Elevess, the future notorious villainess.

If I brush her off carelessly, she might reveal her true nature and start tormenting me.

For now, I decided to avoid rash actions and try talking.

“Lady Lia von Elevess.”

“Just call me Lia. That’s what people close to me call me.”

“Miss, please calm down and listen to me.”

She twitched her eyebrows, clearly displeased with being called “Miss.”

But as an escort knight serving a noble lady who’s practically my lord, I couldn’t call her by her first name.

So, I continued without changing the address.

“There’s something I didn’t mention. This potion actually has a major side effect.”

“What? A major side effect? What do you mean…?”

Trailing off, I quickly racked my brain. What’s a good excuse to keep Lia von Elevess from drinking this potion?

Saying it causes a serious illness is too obvious, and saying it brings bad luck is nonsense.

It’s absurd for an escort knight serving a noble lady to carry such a dangerous potion, right?

I needed a plausible excuse—something realistic that would absolutely prevent Lia von Elevess from touching it.

As I pondered, my eyes fell on her flat chest.

…Yes, that’s it. This excuse will work.

I cleared my throat, meeting her gaze.

“It makes your chest grow larger.”

“…My chest?”

“Yes, this potion enhances natural healing. But its effects are so potent that if a young girl drinks it, it causes a fatal side effect: her chest will grow excessively large in the future.”

People unfamiliar with this world’s unspoken rules might think, “How is that a side effect?” But it’s a big deal.

Noble ladies, who frequently attend social events, must wear clothing that flatters their appearance.

But women with overly large chests often struggle to look good in anything.

Why? If the dress is tailored to the chest, the waist looks too wide and bulky.

If it’s fitted to the waist, the chest area is too tight, creating an embarrassing look.

Thus, for a noble lady, a large chest is a disadvantage, not an asset.

So, I assumed Lia von Elevess, raised with noble education, would recoil and refuse it.

…But.

Whoosh!

Hearing my words, Lia von Elevess’s eyes widened, and she began rummaging through my pocket with rough hands.

Startled, I instinctively grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Miss, what are you doing?”

“Starting today, you’re my escort knight, Cain Reinhardt. From this moment, don’t move a step. That’s my first order.”

“What? What are you talking about…?”

“Ugh! Why is my knight so talkative? No more words—just hand over that chest-enlarging potion right now!”

“W-Wait, Miss? You can’t, you shouldn’t…”

Bang!

At that moment, the reception room door burst open.

The head servant from earlier, along with several neatly dressed maids, rushed in with alarmed expressions, looking around.

“—Lady Lia! We heard loud noises from inside. Are you alright…?”

They froze upon seeing Lia von Elevess, who was rummaging through my pocket with her hands.

Then.

Lia von Elevess, who in seven years would become the empire’s greatest villainess, seemed to plead with her eyes alone:

‘Please, don’t say anything—!’