Yose The Villainess Speaks Not: Volume 1

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-7183-9586-2
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

Reihe: The Villainess Speaks Not

They tried to silence her, but she doesn't need a voice to twist the odds in her favor.
When Liliana wakes up in the body of an otome game villainess, she knows it's do or die. As the daughter of a duke and a candidate to marry the crown prince, she faces constant threats from assassins and her father's political enemies. Worse still, a fever has left her mute, unable to call for help or use magic to defend herself.
Or so they all think!
One quick attempt is all it takes for Liliana to shatter the common sense of her world, which dictates that incantations are mandatory for spellcasting. Now, all she needs to do is escape the grim destiny that awaits her. Though her foresight can only take her so far-the game doesn't start for another seven years-nothing can stop a six-year-old armed with erudition and cheat-level magic.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Yose, Kei

Weitere Mitwirkende

Miyuki, Ruria

Adam

Leseproben

Liliana’s eyes sparkled as the spellbook she had just been reading floated back to its shelf seemingly on its own. Magic was supposed to be impossible for humans without incantations, yet she made it look effortless. She stared at the bookcase for a moment before surveying her surroundings.

Liliana blushed—an unusual occurrence for her—and began channeling her mana again. She wrapped a book on the table with its invisible flow, adjusted the refraction of light, and applied another of the spells she had just read about.

The confirmation of her hypothesis brought a smile to Liliana’s face. Illusion spells were supposed to be exclusive to dark magic, yet she had produced one using nothing but her affinity for wind.

At that moment, a six-year-old girl shattered the common sense of her world.

? ? ?

A week after she had started practicing magic in secret, Liliana received a letter. She read it in her room, with a pen and paper beside her so she could communicate with Marianne. As the handmaiden set some tea on the table, Liliana looked up and showed what she had written.

A guksi was a wooden cup, a popular gift for commoner households with newborns. Simple yet thoughtful, it was meant for weaning foods—and later for tea or alcohol when the child came of age. It wasn’t popular among nobles and royals, however.

Marianne looked surprised at first, having been hired by House Clarke around the same time as Mikal, but then she smiled warmly. She was likely also in disbelief that Liliana would know a stableman was about to become a father.

Conscious of her handmaiden’s reaction, Liliana returned a weak smile and continued writing:

Marianne read the note, then nodded firmly. “Yes, he should certainly be pleased.”

Liliana beamed and began writing detailed instructions for the patterns to be engraved on the guksi. The handmaiden would only need to take them to an artisan; from there, the item would be delivered to Mikal as a gift from her lady.

Liliana wrote.

“Yes, without issue,” Marianne replied. “The presents themselves are being stored in another room—except for the potted lily of the valley from the mistress, which the garden keeper is caring for. I have a list of the letters of gratitude that have been sent so far.”

Liliana had fallen ill the day after her sixth birthday, and while no celebratory banquet had been held, she had still received gifts and letters from the butler and housekeeper on behalf of her family. She had looked at them but hadn’t had time to send thank-you letters, which was why she had entrusted the task entirely to Marianne.

A quick scan of the list confirmed the handmaiden had arranged everything flawlessly. She was clearly talented, despite her young age. Calmly observing Marianne, who was several years her senior, Liliana concluded that her skill was most likely the result of the education she’d received from Marquess Kenneth.

Next, Liliana showed Marianne the letter she had just been reading. The handmaiden looked momentarily at a loss, then seemed even more puzzled when she saw the name of the sender.

“Am I truly allowed to read this?” she asked. The letter was from Duke Clarke, Liliana’s father.

The letter Liliana had received for her birthday hadn’t been in the duke’s handwriting, but this one was. Despite the long gap since she had last received correspondence from her father, it expressed no concern for her condition—only a brief, matter-of-fact message.

“‘If your voice doesn’t return in four years, your status as candidate for the crown prince’s fiancée will be revoked,’” Marianne read in shock. She clearly hadn’t intended to speak aloud; the words had simply slipped out.

Without her voice, it was only natural that Liliana would lose her candidacy—yet the letter also instructed her to continue her education as crown princess for the next four years. Most surprising of all was the final line: She was to have an audience with the crown prince the following day. How well could their conversations possibly go, given that she couldn’t even speak? Liliana couldn’t hide her astonishment, and neither could her handmaiden, who nodded with a sigh.

“Yes, my lady. I understand exactly what you wish to say.”

However appalled they might have been by the duke’s greed, they had no right to refuse him.

“My lady—per the master’s orders, you will need to depart early tomorrow morning. You might wish to decide now which dress you intend to wear.”

An audience with the crown prince required considerable preparation. Marianne gathered the letters scattered across the table and tucked them into a nearby drawer. Then she bowed and departed, no doubt heading to the dressing room to fetch outfits and accessories for her lady to choose from.

Liliana brought her tea to her lips, and its mild aroma made her smile.

From what Liliana remembered of the otome game, her in-game self had been thirteen at the start and sixteen at the time of her execution. If things went well over the next four years—that is, until she turned ten—her relationship with Riley would be a thing of the past by the time the game began. The actual outcome would, of course, depend on how determined her father was to make her a crown princess, but for now, it was at least something of a relief.

Liliana’s plan was precisely why she would rather immerse herself in books than meet with Riley. She could even have spent the time reading more of her uncle’s memoirs, which she had found in the library, and searching for the hidden rooms and passages around the estate mentioned in them.

In the game, Liliana had likely fixated on Riley only because of Duke Clarke’s influence. Having regained the memories of her past life, the current Liliana felt no such attachment to the crown prince.

“My apologies for the wait, my lady,” came Marianne’s voice. She had returned with another maid in tow, carrying clothes and accessories.

Liliana inspected the lineup. Her in-game self had favored alluring and extravagant garments, so she made a point of showing interest in simple, high-quality attire instead. She wanted to take every opportunity to carve a different path for herself and change her fate.

? ? ?

Early the next morning, Liliana boarded a coach and departed the estate. Her handmaiden Marianne was staying behind, replaced by two escorts hired by Liliana’s father.

The estate, located on the outskirts of Hudore, the royal capital, had once been the residence of Liliana’s uncle, who had died young. It remained uninhabited for years after his passing, but when Liliana turned two and became a candidate for the crown prince’s fiancée, it was refurbished as her new home.

Liliana’s father, Duke Clarke, moved frequently between his mansion near the royal palace and his various domains. Her mother and brother lived in an estate in the Duchy of Fortier. Her uncle had owned many estates but had little taste for luxury, which was evident in their design. Liliana’s was the plainest of them all, though even it dwarfed the homes of barons and viscounts.

Liliana lamented, gazing forlornly through the gaps in the curtains of the coach window. The sky was so clear that she could almost feel it mocking her. If she made even one wrong move, her escorts would surely report it to her father. He treated her like a tool, while her mother outright loathed her. How could she ever find comfort in such a family?

Despite her lack of appetite, Liliana nibbled on the sandwich Marianne had thoughtfully insisted she bring. It would see her through to the evening, even if no refreshments were served during her audience with the crown prince.

It was afternoon by the time the coach reached the palace. After crossing several moats, it passed through the gate and came to a halt at the restricted disembarking area. Liliana greeted the familiar palace guards, signaled her escorts to wait, and let one of the maids lead her to the parlor.

“Please wait a moment,” the maid said, bowing gracefully.

As the first maid left, another arrived with snacks and tea for two, setting them neatly on the table. Liliana...