A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 131

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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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131.

I stared at him with wide, startled eyes.
‘…He noticed that too?’
Even if my memories had returned, I hadn’t expected him to deny the purification Ruellin had performed on me.
Especially not if he were the male lead who had loved her so deeply.
Vincent wasn’t meeting my gaze directly—uncertain whether he’d spoken with conviction.
His delicate eyes, cast downward, trembled slightly.
His fingers fidgeted ceaselessly, unable to stay still.
His face was filled with confusion and anxiety.
‘Ah, perhaps not.’
Maybe he wasn’t uncertain at all—perhaps he was anxious because he couldn’t foresee what would happen next if that assumption proved true.
‘I thought revealing that Ruellin wasn’t the Purifier would be an eternally distant dream….’
Things were unfolding far more strangely than I’d anticipated.
I relaxed my rigid body, leaned back against the chair, and asked languidly.
“…Why did you think that?”
“No matter how much I think about it, something seems off.”
“What is?”
“The memories of being purified by Ruellin are so vivid….”
“….”
“But in my dreams, it’s not Ruellin purifying me in all those moments—it’s you….”
Vincent trailed off, swallowing dryly.
He glanced at me cautiously, then quickly averted his eyes, repeating this pattern.
Honestly, even if everything were exposed as a lie now and Edith Blake were revealed as the true Purifier, there wasn’t much practical benefit to be gained.
Perhaps some recovery of my trampled reputation and honor?
‘I might even get to see those male-lead-like Ruellin devotees regret their choices….’
The moment that thought crossed my mind.
A rather brilliant idea flickered through my consciousness.
‘…No, wait. Would she not be able to bear that?’
She’d always wished to be loved by everyone, had worked so hard to build that image—what if she witnessed it shatter before her very eyes?
To transform from a pitiful heroine oppressed by a villainess into a witch who manipulated that villainess and stole her power, only to be pointed at and condemned?
‘Would her insides boil with such fury that she’d desperately wish to return to this world?’
I suppressed the sneer threatening to escape and forced myself to feign composure.
Like Ruellin as she appeared in that novel—or rather, that damned prophecy or whatever it was.
Like someone harboring a hidden past, wearing a bitter smile.
Making myself appear somewhat forlorn.
“Didn’t I tell you before? Dreams are just dreams. There’s no need to think too deeply about it, Vincent.”
“….”
“Even if that dream held some truth, it hardly seems to matter now. After all, I awakened on Equinox Island.”
Vincent’s eyes widened momentarily at my loaded words.
But only for a moment.
His face then contorted sharply.
“…No, that’s not right.”
“…What?”
“You… you awakened before you even came to Equinox Island, didn’t you?”
He spoke with a trembling voice.
‘How did he figure it out?’
For once, I found myself genuinely flustered as I looked at him.
Perhaps he gained his certainty from my reaction.
Vincent, who had been avoiding my gaze all this time, now locked eyes with me directly.
And with an expression tinged with something like resentment, he spoke.
“I may not remember everything, but I do remember you pushing through the Magi barrier and walking toward me.”
“….”
“You were unharmed despite exposure to the Magi, and you remained unfazed even watching me show signs of rampage. As if….”
“….”
“You knew everything already.”
I’d thought he’d simply brush past such details given his nature, yet he’d remembered and somehow deduced the truth.
“You awakened before that… didn’t you?”
Vincent asked for final confirmation, his golden eyes wavering.
There was no point in hiding it any longer.
I nodded calmly.
“Yes.”
“You… why would you…!”
His lips trembled as shock washed over his face.
It seemed to be asking why I’d hidden it all this time.
I tilted my head slightly and countered.
“But what does it matter?”
“What?”
“Whether I awakened early or late. Whether Ruellin deceived you all this time, or whether I’ve been purifying you in her stead.”
“….”
“Shouldn’t you have kept such suspicions secret from me instead?”
“How could I keep it secret!”
He exclaimed loudly, his voice rising with agitation at my words.
“If that’s true, then we’ve all been toyed with this entire time!”
“Exactly. Which is why you should overlook it.”
“….”
“You love Ruellin, don’t you, Vincent.”
That’s what you would have done in your original self.
I stared at him without blinking, and Vincent slowly closed his mouth as if at a loss for words.
“….”
Confusion flickered across his eyes as they wandered aimlessly through the air, as though he too was bewildered by his own contradiction.
“…I don’t know.”
After a long pause, he mumbled uncertainly, like a lost child.
“I was certain I thought that way….”
“….”
“But now that Ruellin is dead, I don’t think about her much. Rather, it’s just….”
“….”
“I’m just… worried about you, Edith.”
Finally, he whispered softly, as if confessing a sin through trembling lips.
“…That’s why I rushed all the way to Acarna that dawn.”
His voice was quite poignant, almost as though he were confessing love.
Yet despite that, I felt remarkably unmoved.
Only doubt remained.
‘Why? Why now?’
Had Ruellin manipulated his emotions rather than his memories?
Had he originally liked Edith, only to harbor hatred for a time due to her schemes?
Or was he simply concerned now that she was The Purifier? Worried she might refuse to purify him if their relationship soured?
Dylan wasn’t enough—now Vincent too.
It was absurdly laughable, this sudden change in stance.
‘At least he didn’t spout nonsense about love like last time.’
Had he done so, I might not have been able to suppress my revulsion and would have shown it.
‘That won’t do.’
To call Ruellin back to my side.
To return to my own body, I had to endure my disgust for now.
“I see.”
I replied in a tone so dry it seemed devoid of sincerity.
Then Vincent called out to me with a gaze thick with anxiety.
“…Edith.”
“What?”
“Are you still… angry with me?”
Of course. A question befitting him.
My declaration to sever our bond had clearly already evaporated from his mind.
I was too tired to say anything more.
‘Perhaps this is for the best.’
I decided after witnessing Ruellin’s indignation in the dream, lamenting that I had already forgotten myself.
For now, I would deliberately maintain good relations with the male leads.
So that her jealousy would spike even higher.
To accomplish this, I needed to first withdraw my declaration of severance—but fortunately, he was already acting as though it had never happened, so it worked out well.
“Ah. I actually had something to say about that anyway.”
“…?”
“My anger has completely dissipated.”
After taking one deep breath, I suppressed my emotions as much as possible and spoke rapidly, as though discussing someone else’s affairs.
“When I think about it, you must have been overwhelmed too, so I wondered if I’d been too emotional in my response. Besides, I did say I’d accept your apology.”
Perhaps he hadn’t anticipated that I would say such things.
Vincent’s eyes, which had carried an undercurrent of discomfort throughout our conversation, widened in a way I’d never seen before.
His face, which had been scrutinizing me in disbelief, soon brightened.
“…Really?”
“But I don’t think we can return to the casual relationship we had before.”
Fearing he might misunderstand in an unpleasant way, I quickly added to clarify.
“I mean I won’t chase after you again or develop romantic feelings for you.”
As I drew the line clearly, his face, which had briefly brightened, immediately hardened.
Regardless of his reaction, I poured out everything I had meant to say.
“I won’t childishly refuse to purify you, nor will I abandon you the way you would have abandoned me.”
“I’m not….”
“Vincent.”
I cut off his words without mercy as he attempted to voice more unnecessary excuses.
I hadn’t agreed to this meeting to hear his lengthy justifications or apologies.
‘…Yes. For now, let’s bury the past.’
What had transpired between Edith Blake and him was deeply regrettable.
And the thought of having to face this detestable man again and live alongside him made my stomach turn and heat rise through my chest….
‘But summoning Ruellin again comes first.’
No matter how much I racked my brain, this was the only method available to me right now.
For now.
I faced Vincent, gritted my teeth, and offered a strained smile.
“Let’s forget everything that happened before and start fresh, getting along well.”
As I extended my hand in a gesture of reconciliation, he blinked blankly for several seconds before hastily grasping my hand with both of his.
“…Thank you, Edith Blake.”
He recited the words earnestly, his gentle eyes drooping as though he might weep.
“I’ll do better from now on.”
“….”
“If there’s anything you’ve suffered unjustly… I’ll uncover it all.”
“….”
“Just trust me.”
I simply smiled without speaking.
Thinking that I would never have reason to trust him.

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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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