A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 101
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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101.
Upon hearing the man’s identity, I furrowed my brow.
‘…Dylan Frederick? Dylan Frederick?!’
Why had he suddenly come to see me….
Though I wanted to wonder, the reason was obvious.
‘He found out I’m The Purifier, so he’s probably come to interrogate me again. Ugh, what a persistent fellow!’
I could have simply let it pass.
But, fed up as I was, I responded with indifference.
“…What is it?”
“I have something to convey to you. If you don’t mind, might I trouble you to open the door for a moment?”
I didn’t want to open it.
But this wasn’t the Duke’s Residence—my own domain—so it wasn’t easy to turn away another noble at the threshold.
‘If only Nancy were here, I could have said she hadn’t woken up yet….’
I glanced sideways at the culprit responsible for sending Nancy away.
The man who had settled himself in a chair before the table as if he owned the room cast an interested look my way, tilting his chin slightly.
It seemed to suggest I should go ahead and open it.
‘Fine. Judging by his appearance, he’ll say what he needs to and leave.’
I made no effort to conceal my nightclothes and turned the doorknob.
Click.
The moment I opened the door, something pink suddenly loomed before my face.
“What the——”
The sweet, fragrant aroma wafting from it made me instinctively step back.
Then I saw more clearly what Dylan’s Aide was holding out.
It was an enormous bouquet laden with plump, heart-shaped flower buds.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Was this some new assassination method?
I quickly covered my nose with one arm, contorting my face in displeasure.
The man then answered with a bewildered expression.
“This… was sent by the Count in hopes of your swift recovery, Young Lady.”
“I have pollen allergies. Take it away at once.”
Upon my cold dismissal, the man lowered the bouquet he had been thrusting toward me.
And with a dejected expression, he said:
“This, this isn’t a flower, Young Lady.”
“…What?”
“It’s called Charbloom—a fruit plant that grows only in the Western Region.”
My eyes widened at the Aide’s explanation.
Looking at the bouquet again, I realized the ends of what I had mistaken for flower buds were indeed blunt.
The fruit had only recently ripened, and delicate pink sepals still clung to it in scattered patches—easy enough to mistake for a flower still in bloom.
“Ordinarily, this plant bears no fruit during this season, but since the island enjoys such warmth, a single specimen has grown here. The Count personally plucked it during his morning walk.”
“….”
“It was the Young Lady’s favorite plant, or so I’m told….”
At the Aide’s supplementary explanation, I felt something stir uncomfortably within me.
‘…The man who despised Edith Blake, and yet he still remembers such a thing?’
Of course, I had no knowledge of it.
Whether Edith Blake favored such vegetation or not.
And even if he did remember it, I couldn’t fathom why he would offer it to me.
What manner of relationship did he and I share?
‘…He couldn’t have already forgotten the agreement to remain as acquaintances with hazy memories… Why. Now that I am The Purifier, has his circumstances become somewhat regrettable to him?’
Does he harbor some faint hope that I might purify him?
― It looks rather unbecoming.
When he extended his hand before Ruellin as though performing some charitable act.
The moment she died, he shifted his stance entirely—and I couldn’t even muster a laugh at such shamelessness.
‘So it was Edith Blake’s favorite plant. What of it. What does he expect me to do.’
My mood twisted into something bitter.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but….”
“….”
“You and I, Dylan Frederick—we’re hardly the sort to exchange such tokens, are we?”
When I fixed Dylan’s Aide with a cold gaze, he flinched visibly.
I expected him to bristle and argue back.
In this hierarchical society, to reject another noble’s gesture was tantamount to rejecting the noble himself.
“Yes, I understand.”
Yet contrary to my expectations, Dylan’s Aide neatly withdrew the bundle of plants he’d been holding.
More than that, he concealed it entirely behind his back, removing it from my sight altogether.
“Please, think nothing of it. The Count instructed me not to press the matter further should the Young Lady decline.”
The man offered me a good-natured smile as I registered my surprise.
Yet his words left me feeling oddly unsettled.
‘Why do I feel like the villain in this exchange?’
Coupled with the thought that such a persistent man would never retreat so readily.
I narrowed my eyes with suspicion and pressed further.
“…Is that truly all you came for?”
“Ah, no!”
As I suspected.
The Aide hastily shook his head and revealed his true purpose.
“If… the Young Lady has no pressing engagements, the Count would be grateful for a brief audience before evening. He mentioned there is an urgent matter he wishes to discuss….”
“I see. I’m sorry, but I’m terribly occupied at the moment. Please convey my regrets.”
Before he could even finish speaking, I flatly refused without hesitation.
I immediately tried to shut the door, but—thud!
The Aide grabbed the door with one hand and cried out urgently.
“P-Please! The Young Lady hasn’t even received proper healing treatment, and he’s been waiting this entire time for her to awaken!”
“….”
“C-Couldn’t you just meet with our master once…?”
The man clung to me desperately.
Anyone watching would think he was chasing after a lost lover.
I quickly glanced down both sides of the corridor, just in case.
Fortunately, there were no passersby in sight.
“Whether your master receives healing or not is none of my concern.”
With that reassurance, I could speak freely.
“I’m busy because I have a guest inside.”
“A-A guest, you say? I rushed over the moment I heard the news….”
“Who told you about it?”
“….”
The Aide faltered at my sharp question.
‘So he’s planted spies somewhere.’
These people never cease to amaze me.
Narrowing my eyes, I spoke swiftly.
“Make sure this reaches him clearly: what I said in the Lobby two days ago wasn’t limited to Marquis Leandro alone.”
“Y-Young Lady…!”
“That’s all.”
Slam!
I shut the door firmly before he could grab it again.
“Sigh….”
I couldn’t understand why exhausting situations kept piling up the moment I woke.
As I turned away with a weary shuffle.
Knock, knock.
Another knock sounded from behind me.
My face twisted in frustration.
The Aide truly resembled his master—he simply refused to give up.
‘This won’t do.’
I’d been far too lenient.
Resolved to make it absolutely clear that I found his master utterly detestable, I yanked the door open again with a scowl.
Fling!
“Really! Even though you said you have a guest…!”
“Oh, hello there, Young Lady Blake!”
But standing before the door was not the Aide, but a young Maid I’d never seen before.
The Aide who hadn’t yet left stood awkwardly to the side.
“Who… who are you?”
“I am the personal maid of Marchioness Clonella.”
The maid introduced herself as I stood there bewildered.
‘Clonella?’
The name felt both familiar and foreign at once.
As I tilted my head in confusion, the maid continued.
“The Marchioness will be hosting a tea party during the commemoration ceremony in two hours, and she earnestly hopes that you will attend and grace the occasion with your presence.”
So suddenly?
According to the original story, various gatherings both large and small would be held throughout the three-day, four-night commemoration ceremony.
This must be what the Duke meant when he said, ‘Don’t just stay cooped up in your room—go out and engage in social activities.’
But unfortunately, without the Duke present, there was no way the proud high-ranking nobility would include me in their circles.
And yet…
“And this…”
The maid suddenly thrust something she had been cradling into my hands.
It was an elegantly wrapped luxury box.
“What is this?”
“The Marchioness heard that you enjoy chocolate and prepared this welcome gift! Please open it slowly when you have a moment alone…”
“Oh, Young Lady! You’ve awakened?”
That was when it happened.
Tap-tap-tap!
The sound of footsteps announced a new presence.
I shifted my gaze and saw a purple-haired man with an oily demeanor rushing toward me.
“Allow me to introduce myself! I am Liu Pellis, the eldest son of the Pellis Baronial House.”
The purple-haired man, who had closed the distance in an instant, rudely pushed the maid aside as he greeted me.
The maid glared at him with evident displeasure, but unable to openly defy a nobleman, she pressed her lips firmly together.
Meanwhile, the purple-haired man confidently claimed the space before me and spoke with a boastful air.
“I’m an S-rank extreme poison ability user.”
“Ah, yes… but what brings you here…?”
“When I heard that you were dancing with death, I simply couldn’t bear it! Haha! But do you know what I caught during this subjugation campaign? I captured a high-grade Caldur!”
Even so, I had no idea what that was.
But the purple-haired man, unbothered by my bewildered reaction, hastily pulled something from his pocket.
It too was an elegant box.
“Look at this—a Caldur horn. They say if you grind this into tea and drink it, even an eighty-year-old man will spring to his feet…”
As the purple-haired man rambled on while opening the box, I stared at him in confusion.
“Imperial decree! Make way!”
Suddenly, two men appeared.
“Greetings, Young Lady Blake. I am Michel Albert, of the Crown Prince’s personal guard.”
“I am Royce Kendel.”
The two knights in golden armor, who had roughly pushed the purple-haired man aside, bowed respectfully to me.
“You must come with us at once. His Highness the Crown Prince awaits.”
“What? Right now…?”
“Yes, right now.”
I surveyed the corridor before me, now teeming with people, unable to hide my bewilderment.
‘What in the world is this mess….’
Everywhere I looked, people were clamoring to find me.
Moreover, why was the Crown Prince—the very one who fled first when the Gate erupted—now searching for me?
‘Because Ruellin died and I awakened as The Purifier?’
But this quickly?
Hadn’t the Crown Prince harbored some affection for Ruellin?
After much deliberation, I opened my mouth.
“…I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I have a prior guest.”
“Does this matter take precedence over the Crown Prince’s command?”
The question came back swift and sharp, as if demanding whether I dared refuse the Crown Prince’s orders.
I hesitated for about a second.
If I abandoned the one inside and followed them, I would surely face grave consequences.
“Possibly.”
“My apologies. The Young Lady said we may use our abilities if you do not cooperate.”
“What? What do you——”
“Royce.”
Snap.
At the knight’s gesture, another knight who had accompanied him seized my arm.
I had no chance to react before it happened.
Whoosh!
Brilliant light erupted from the knight’s hand, and my vision began to blur.
‘A Space Ability User…?!’
“Wait, hold on! You can’t just do this! At least let me change my clothes…!”
I belatedly realized they were forcibly dragging me away and struggled fiercely, but it was already too late.
Just as I was about to be swept into the spatial transfer.
Crash—!
The knight gripping my arm and wielding the ability suddenly flew backward, slamming hard into the opposite wall.
And then.
“…I’ve been patient, but I can’t overlook this any longer.”
“….”
“Are your ears clogged? You said there was a prior guest who takes precedence over the Crown Prince.”
A chilling, low voice pierced through from behind me.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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