A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

The lord and lady of Hydral Manor, currently residing in the alchemical fortress soaring ten thousand meters above the imperial capital, leave only the future Hydral and his pact head to grace the garden's tea table.

Meanwhile, Miss Seraphina, who boasts the combined powers of two pact heads and considers herself the preeminent among them, sits cross-legged on her chair, her puffed-up demeanor oddly endearing, tempting one to pinch her cheeks in affection.

Across from her, a delicate and charming girl sips her tea with a calm that, while not particularly graceful or serene, possesses a straightforward elegance that is uniquely captivating.

—If only she weren't seated in Ansel's lap.

Behind Ansel, Marlina watches her sister, who seems to be grinding her teeth, with a helpless, silent sigh, then gazes with enviable admiration at… Miss Helen, in Ansel's embrace.

She is to be Ansel of Hydral's second, oh, to be precise, third pact head.

"Father, according to the plan you provided, the energy output duration of the Model Seven Universal Ether Furnace has now reached nine seconds and thirty-six hundredths, with an amplification rate exceeding one hundred percent," Helen stated, placing her teacup on the table and resting her hands demurely on her lap.

"Indeed… only you are our singular hope."

Ansel patted Helen's head, "Nine seconds and thirty-six hundredths? I thought it might last even longer."

"It could be refined further, but there's no need," Helen responded, shaking her head.

"The true development of the Universal Ether Furnace is a matter for the future. Currently, my focus is solely on one thing."

Her normally dull purple eyes ignited with a fervor that even made Seraphina shudder.

"To clear the… obstacles for you."

This was indeed the key to her ultimate victory in that wager.

— A turn of events not even Ansel had anticipated.

The young Hydral's fingertips brushed gently against Helen's tender cheek. The once cold and indifferent woman now obediently and dependently pressed her face against Ansel's hand, a look of tranquility washing over her.

"Helen," Ansel began, "I never imagined you would win the final wager in such a manner." Leaning against Ansel's chest, Helen softly replied, "Father, how did you think I would proceed?" The Universal Ether Furnace is an ambition etched into the souls of "Ravennea Ziegler", recognized by both Ravenna and Helen as the decisive standard for victory.

Yet, logically, in the face of Ravenna, who had been diligently cultivating for three years, Helen had no chance of winning.

"I thought you would seek my assistance," Ansel chuckled, "but you have proven far more exceptional than I imagined."

Ravenna had the advantage of accessing the myriad secret tomes preserved through centuries of Hydral heritage—an advantage granted by Ansel.

For the sake of "fairness" in the wager, Ansel could certainly afford his daughter a similar advantage.

Helen's advantage, however, was that she truly had Ansel's support, placing her future hopes in him—naturally, he was obliged to respond.

Yet simultaneously, should Helen beseech Ansel's aid in a duel so "sacred" to these twin souls, it would represent an unbearable humiliation for the spirit of "Ravenna Ziegler." Conversely, if Helen were indeed to do so, it would signify her complete readiness to annihilate her former self, to extinguish that... soul of yesteryears.

However, Helen exploited the self-destruct mechanism of Nidhoggur's linked data system to precipitate the collapse of Ravenna's Universal Ether Furnace, an eventuality Ansel had not anticipated.

"She should not have erred thus, yet she... she holds you in utter contempt," Ansel remarked, before a chuckle escaped him: "She scorns such a 'degraded' version of you, so dependent on me. It seems she no longer regards you when it concerns matters related to me."

"Would she rather endure the torment of self-destruction, face the catastrophe of a life in ruins, than allow her feelings... even the slightest contact with me…"

The youth's eyes slightly downcast, he murmured softly.

As a witness, as the embodiment of the same soul, Ravenna could empathize with everything Helen endured.

Yet, she failed to detect the lethal hazard Helen had planted in Nidhoggur—a question easily answered, for clearly, when thoughts of "doing everything for Father" surfaced in Helen's mind, Ravenna must have voluntarily severed her perception.

She had the courage to withstand the despair Ansel brought upon Helen, to confront the truth of that illusory life, yet she was unwilling to accept another "self's" fervent and sincere affection for Ansel.

Oh… the irony.

Ansel could even imagine the look of disgust Ravenna would have upon sensing Helen's feelings for him.

And it was precisely this extreme dichotomy in their feelings towards Ansel that led Helen to a victory Ansel had never anticipated.

As Helen herself said, everything was for her own version of Ravenna, yet in the end, was defeated by Helen's attachment to Ansel.

Ansel wanted Helen to prove her loyalty by destroying her past beliefs, but in their final confrontation, Helen presented an even more impressive response.

With Ravenna's deep-seated indifference towards Ansel as a backdrop, her thoughts and actions had far exceeded Ansel's expectations.

From then on, Ansel truly possessed a "daughter" with the same talents as Ravenna Ziegler, yet utterly loyal to him.

Three years of meticulous planning had now reached their culmination.

"However, if Helen intends to clear obstacles for me as your goal, and does not plan to wear the ring of the pact head until you achieve this goal."

Ansel chuckled as he caressed Helen's cheek: "That might take a very long time."

Across from him, Seraphina unhappily snorted, almost outright saying "Don't you dare mimic me, you little dwarf."

Ansel had already planned to give the ring of the pact head to Helen, but his beloved daughter calmly refused.

["Allow me to prove my worth before I have the confidence to wear that ring."]

These were Helen's exact words.

To this, Ansel readily agreed, as Helen clearly wanted to demonstrate that her capabilities were in no way inferior to that of Ravenna, in addition to her loyalty to Ansel, and he certainly had no reason to refuse.

"If there comes a moment when I need your strength, then I will surely ask for your help, Father."

Helen was not so stubborn, tilting her face slightly, she kissed Ansel's cheek: "Please, always keep your eyes on me, Father."