A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 24

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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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24.

A familiar ceiling greeted me as I opened my eyes.
It was my room in the Duke’s Residence.
‘My room? Impossible!’
I shook my head reflexively, recoiling from the thought.
I had barely escaped one dream only to find myself trapped in another.
The despair of remaining imprisoned within the novel’s narrative, the pity I had felt for Edith Blake in that dream, the fury directed at Dylan—all of it crashed over me at once.
A tempest of emotions ravaged my mind, leaving it in complete disarray.
‘…This can’t be a dream.’
I couldn’t deny the truth any longer.
That vivid scene I had witnessed moments ago—it was something Edith Blake had actually experienced.
Had it been merely a dream, the details would never have remained so crystalline in my memory upon waking.
A villain and the male lead’s past that never appeared in the novel.
‘I thought Edith Blake was simply using him on a whim….’
As I recalled how intimately familiar the two of them seemed with each other, an indescribable feeling stirred within me.
‘So that’s why it felt natural for him to call me by name.’
They were the same age, and shockingly, Edith Blake appeared to rely quite heavily on her attendant.
I couldn’t say what their relationship had been before, but perhaps Dylan felt the same way.
Since arriving at the Duke’s Residence, Edith Blake was the only one he had to depend on….
As my thoughts progressed to their natural conclusion, I found myself frowning.

— I intend to propose to Ruellin.
— From now on, do not presume to order me about.

‘Is this why people say you change when you go into something versus when you come out?’
It was infuriating beyond measure.
No matter how dismissively Edith Blake had behaved, she was still my benefactor in her own way.
I wasn’t even seeking revenge—did she really have to propose to a woman she absolutely despised?
‘And what kind of audacity does it take to come deliver that news in person?’
On top of that, the moment her status rose slightly, she started calling herself “Lady Blake,” and it made my blood boil!
Yet when we crossed paths in Tollen, she had the nerve not to use my name.
“Tsk, tsk. This is why you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast….”
Ah, not black-haired—red-haired, perhaps?
I was muttering under my breath while clicking my tongue.
Thud!
A dull sound suddenly echoed through the room. And then.
“I-I’m so sorry, Miss!”
“Nancy…?”
I lifted my head in surprise and saw the Maid kneeling not far from the bed.
“What are you doing there?”
“Y-you can yell at me, hit me if you want. B-but please don’t cast me out!”
Nancy bowed deeply before me, revealing the crown of her head.
Her hair happened to be a deep burgundy, nearly black.
‘So she heard what I said….’
This was awkward.
I sat up and spoke gently.
“I wasn’t talking about you—now get up.”
“B-but….”
Yet Nancy didn’t rise.
After hesitating for a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut and confessed.
“The Duke asked me who gave you the maid’s uniform, and I said it seemed you took it yourself while I was momentarily distracted!”
“…Ah.”
Only then did I realize I couldn’t remember how I’d come to the Duke’s Residence.
‘I was definitely being chased by intruders in Tollen, met Dylan, and we struggled together….’

― I shall escort you to the Duke’s Residence.
― Send a carriage to the Duke’s Mansion at once and have word delivered.

The man’s voice, which had spewed nothing but chattering teeth sounds, echoed vividly in my ears.
And I had no memory of what came after.
Apparently, I had simply collapsed and lost consciousness.
“…Damn it.”
“I-I’m so sorry, Miss! I’m truly sorry!”
As I spat out the words, Nancy trembled violently and prostrated herself in apology.
“B-but… the Butler told the Duke that you frequently resort to threats, so I had no choice!”
“….”
“If I had honestly told him that you asked me for a maid’s uniform, I was afraid the misunderstanding would only grow worse….”
“Enough. You did well, so don’t apologize anymore, Nancy.”
“Ah, Miss….”
“I won’t strike you or cast you out, so please get up now.”
At my words, Nancy’s face brightened with emotion as she finally rose to her feet.
In truth, now that my outing had been discovered, what she had said mattered little.
I pressed my temples and asked.
“Did Count Frederick bring me back here?”
“Yes? Yes… Dylan, ah, no! The Count personally carried you up to the Second Floor, Miss.”
“Insane!”
At my harsh curse, Nancy gasped in shock.
But this time, I couldn’t soothe her.
‘That madman! He’s practically announcing to everyone that the Duke’s Household’s fool has snuck out and caused trouble again. Why?’
If he had shown me even a shred of consideration, he should have simply left me at the front gate.
Or he could have called someone trustworthy and secretly brought me back….
‘Then again, where in this household would I find someone trustworthy?’
Dylan didn’t understand Edith Blake’s circumstances, and it was impossible for Nancy or Eston to move me without being noticed.
‘No matter what path I took, it all led to ruin.’
Having thought that far, I released a deep sigh.
It was pointless anger. Everything was my fault for not being able to endure.
“So you understand everything now.”
“Yes….”
Nancy, who grasped exactly what I meant, answered dejectedly.
I asked in a tone of half resignation.
“Who is waiting for me now? Father? Brother?”
“The Duke, Miss.”
“…I see.”
Even if I hadn’t been discovered leaving today, I would have faced the Duke eventually anyway.
After convincing myself of this, I spoke to Nancy.
“Go and fetch the Butler.”

***

I deliberately asked the Butler for guidance instead of Nancy.
It was intentional, of course.
As I followed him to the Study, where he kept glancing at me with subtle wariness, I finally opened my mouth as we entered the East Wing of the mansion.
“Butler.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Father said I’ve been threatening him frequently, didn’t he?”
“Pardon?”
The Butler, unable to immediately grasp my casual tone, suddenly turned pale and looked back at me.
“Ah, no! W-who would say such nonsense…! Did Nancy tell you that?”
“No. I didn’t even need to ask Nancy—I already figured it out.”
“That’s, that can’t be…! No, Miss! Please believe me! I, I, I would never spread such gossip…!”
“Of course I believe you. You’re not the type of petty person to go around blabbering that your master made a joke and calling it threats, are you, Butler?”
“….”
The Butler had no response for me.
Silence descended upon the empty corridor.
I gazed at the noon sunlight streaming through the window and smiled wickedly.
“Ah, the weather is lovely. How fortunate. Shall I play some croquet for the first time in a while?”
1)
“Should we paint it a bit?”
“….”
“Butler, if you don’t mind, could you stand in place of the wicket? I’m still rather clumsy at it…”
“Ah, Miss…! I, I have committed a grave sin! This old man’s heart has grown so petty with age that I…!”
After sufficiently intimidating the Butler for his loose tongue, we had somehow arrived at the Duke’s Study.
Knock, knock.
“Duke. I have brought Miss Edith Blake.”
“Come in.”
“…Please enter, Miss.”
At the permission from within, the Butler grasped the doorknob with proper respect and turned it.
In that brief moment, he had aged a decade.
I took a short breath to steady the rising tension and stepped inside.
The Study’s interior was vast and austere.
The Duke, seated at his desk, was conducting business while conversing with an Aide.

45% 53%

Both the Duke and the Aide bore respectable rampage gauges above their heads—they were Awakeners as well.
I caught a glimpse of the numbers before letting my gaze drift downward.
When I’d first regained consciousness, my mind had been too muddled to notice, but now, seeing him up close, the Duke’s features bore a striking resemblance to Edith Blake’s.
Yet the weight of years had scattered silver through his platinum hair, and his eyes held a paler blue than hers.
Those subtle differences made him look far more like Ethan than like Edith Blake.
A bitter reality indeed.
Whether they were too absorbed in conversation or deliberately ignoring me, neither of them turned around until I drew near.
“…You called for me, Father.”
Unable to help it, I spoke first.
Only then did the two of them spin around simultaneously.
“Ah! Good day to you, Miss!”
The Aide feigned recognition a beat too late, his expression cheerful.
The Duke, by contrast, withdrew his gaze from me, his face heavy with exhaustion.
“Langton. Go fetch the tea.”
“Yes, sir!”
Eager to escape the awkward atmosphere, the Aide bolted from the room the moment the order left the Duke’s lips.
“Sit.”
Rising from his chair, the Duke gestured toward the sofa.
I obeyed without protest, settling into the seat across from him.
“Edith Blake.”
The Duke called my name in a heavy voice without delay.
It seemed he had no intention of offering his daughter a warm word after so long—only to cut straight to the matter at hand.
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t restrain yourself and ventured outside anyway.”
“….”
“Are you aware you collapsed and were carried back in Count Frederick’s arms?”
“…Yes, I heard.”
“I warned you not to entangle yourself with that man. Yet through your foolish conduct, you’ve not only tarnished your own reputation—now you’ve brought shame upon the entire household.”
He scowled at me, his tongue clicking in disapproval. “Tsk.”
It wasn’t my fault I’d collapsed. The injustice of it burned.
But faced with eyes brimming with contempt, my head bowed of its own accord, as though I were truly a criminal.

― Failed to Awaken again?
― Tsk. How old are you now, and you’re still gallivanting about like a street brawler… When will you stop dragging my name through the mud?

At the sound of someone’s voice brushing past my ear, I clenched both fists tightly.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that it wasn’t a cheap shot—that I’d been hit by the adopted son he’d brought into this household.
That look of contempt in his eyes hurt far too much.
“…I apologize.”
I decided to think of it as simply repeating the same thing once more.
‘Still, Edith Blake is in a far better position than I am.’
The Duke has only one adopted son, Ethan, and he wouldn’t openly beat me to a pulp….
It was around the time I was desperately trying to console myself with such thoughts.
The Duke, having heard my apology, suddenly flinched and trembled.
“You… who are you.”
He was pointing at me with his eyes wide open.
“…Pardon?”
“Edith Blake would never say such a thing. My daughter would never. Reveal your true identity!”
* A ball sport played by striking a ball with a mallet-shaped tool and passing it through six wickets.

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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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