A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 27

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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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27.

***

Several days had passed.
Fortunately, the Duke had not summoned me again since that day.
In the meantime, I had not ventured a single step beyond my room except to visit the Study.
Following the adage to keep silent as a dormouse, I even took my meals in my chamber—a peace that was nothing short of blissful.
Though I had combed through countless books without finding a single clue about possession, and the heroine’s whereabouts remained shrouded in mystery….
I had grown rather fond of this half-measure of tranquility.
‘If only I could continue like this, never crossing paths with those male leads….’
But when had this cursed world within a novel ever bent to my will?
“…An Imperial Palace banquet?”
I regarded the Butler, who had arrived early in the morning, with bewilderment.
In the novel, Imperial Palace banquets were often held following fierce battles or the clearing of large-scale Gates.
They were meant to commend the Awakeners who had distinguished themselves and to commemorate the victory….
As if.
‘It’s bound to be an episode where all the characters gather to praise the heroine.’
Or perhaps a scene where villainous extras like Edith Blake get thoroughly humiliated.
Or a date with one of the male leads.
In any case, it had to be one of those three.
Which was precisely why I found it so puzzling.
“Father and my brother should suffice—why am I being invited?”
“I’m afraid I don’t have all the details, but I understand this banquet is being held directly by Grand Duke Belnac to commemorate the suppression of a large-scale Gate in the Northern Region.”
“Belnac…?”
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.

― Merely drawing the suspicion of Grand Duke Belnac is enough to be branded a criminal and executed.

A name I had heard before in a conversation with the Duke days ago.
The names in this damned novel were unnecessarily long, and I had failed to memorize most of them.
That was why I kept asking who people were.
But regardless of the name, I distinctly remembered that there was only one person who held the title of ‘Grand Duke of the Northern Region’.
‘…Male Lead Four!’
The final male lead who made his proper entrance after Edith Blake’s death.
‘Didn’t I have absolutely no connection with him?’
Even among the nobility, the unawakened had no obligation to attend galas.
Because of this, external invitations typically arrived under the family name.
I gazed down at the envelope the Butler had handed me.

「To Miss Edith Blake」

My name, emblazoned right there.
Then I noticed the Imperial seal impressed into the golden wax that sealed the envelope.
‘No matter how much of a host he is, a Grand Duke using the Imperial seal….’
Something felt ominous about this.
I didn’t want to open it, but the Butler was watching intently, so I had no choice.
I broke the seal with a paper knife and withdrew the invitation to read it.

「A toast to those who have survived to the end.
In commemoration of this glorious victory, I shall host a gala and humbly request your esteemed presence to grace the occasion.

― Serge Belnak」

The content written in bold, forceful strokes was remarkably terse and unsettling.
‘The one who survived to the end. Surely, he’s not talking about me…?’
No. It was merely a conventional phrase congratulating victory—I was being paranoid.
‘But the Duke suspects this bastard as the cause of the heroine’s disappearance!’
It was definitely ominous.
“Butler, must I absolutely attend?”
“It would be best if you did, Miss. Since this is a direct invitation to you….”
“What if I decline on account of still being bedridden?”
“I cannot say for certain, but I’ve heard that Grand Duke Belnac’s temperament is not particularly mild.”
The Butler offered this counsel with an expression of deep concern.
Of course, I was well aware that the male leads’ personalities were atrocious.
But seeing him dissuade me so earnestly, the epithet “Butcher” attached to Male Lead Four seemed less like mere literary exaggeration.
As I sank into despondency, the Butler ventured cautiously to ask.
“…But Miss, what on earth is the content of that letter to make your expression so grim?”
“What’s wrong with my expression?”
“It’s exactly the same as when you were searching for the incense burner and the decorative piece….”
Sir. I said I was despondent.
I forced a smile.
“Then would you fetch it for me now?”
“Oh, oh, no! My apologies, Miss! I’ve just remembered something I’d forgotten, so I shall take my leave!”
The Butler fled as though his coattails were on fire.
Bang!
The moment the door closed, I dropped the smile I’d been forcing.
“Sigh….”
Trying to recall information about Male Lead Four that I’d buried in the depths of memory, thinking it had nothing to do with me, my head began to ache.
“Serge Belnak.”
The Grand Duke of the Northern Region.
The Emperor’s half-brother and the man who seized imperial authority while he lay bedridden.
An S-rank Awakener wielding the ability to manipulate gravity.
Beyond that came epithets like Butcher, Incarnation of Evil, Gate Massacre Perpetrator, Monster Slayer, and so forth….
Since he was the male lead appearing last, the author seemed to want maximum impact, bestowing Male Lead Four with all manner of settings.
First, the reason he came to be called a “Butcher” was, as the Butler said, a matter of his character.

「The possessor of jet-black hair and eyes resembling demonic energy,
Serge Belnak was a man as pitiless and tearless as a demon itself.
Rejected and abused from childhood due to his distinctive appearance, he grew into an emotionless, cold-blooded man.
Then, the moment he awakened his ability to freely manipulate gravity at age fourteen, he was sent to a massive Gate.

After earning recognition for suppressing countless Gates and ascending to the rank of Grand Duke, Serge Belnak’s notoriety only grew.
It stemmed from his chilling tendency to indiscriminately annihilate all living creatures in his vicinity during combat, regardless of whether they were enemy or ally.

Then one day, having overextended his abilities and showing signs of a rampage, he happened to be purified by the female lead who visited the Northern Region.
Upon learning that she remained in the Imperial Palace, he harbored ambitions to devour the entire Imperial Palace itself….」

In summary, it could be described as ‘a monster devoid of emotion meets the female lead and learns what love is, blah blah blah’.
Whether Male Lead 4 learned love or learned nonsense was none of my concern.
What mattered was that he suspected me as the reason behind Ruellin’s disappearance.
And the only thing left was that I had to attend this damned banquet episode as Villain 1 because I hadn’t died according to the novel’s script….
“…Wait.”
Then, a sudden realization struck me.
I opened my eyes wide and murmured to myself.
“This… is the novel’s plot.”
That’s right. The content after Edith Blake’s death was also the Imperial Palace banquet hosted by Male Lead 4.
In other words, this was the first time since possessing this body that events were unfolding according to the novel’s progression!
‘There’s no need to think of this negatively.’
This banquet was essentially a dramatic reunion scene between Male Lead 4 and the female lead.
Therefore, there was no way the secluded female lead wouldn’t make an appearance.
“Right. Let me attend first and clear up the suspicion.”
I had felt uneasy ever since the female lead disappeared right after I possessed this body.
Moreover, I had been burning with frustration, constantly facing situations that didn’t appear in the novel.
‘I need to directly confirm that this damned plot is still intact.’
And from my role as a villain,
moreover, I should explore a way to escape this godforsaken place.

***

The day of the banquet.
In the novel, the female protagonist—a commoner—underwent a complete transformation at the hands of the Imperial Palace attendants, who had grown close to her by the day of the banquet. The description was relentless in its detail.
Exfoliation, polishing, facials, makeup, and countless other treatments.
The point was that once all the preparations were complete, she had become an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
‘But why do I have to endure this when I’m not even the heroine?’
Roused from sleep at the crack of dawn, I found myself being kneaded and molded by the Maids’ hands.
And remarkably, the one orchestrating it all was the Butler.
“Now, now! Next we need one depilatory cream, two natural plaster masks, and one argan oil. That’s all!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the Butler’s command, the Maids scattered in perfect unison.
Lying on the massage bed in my robe, I asked wearily.
“…Butler. Do we really have to go this far?”
“Of course, Miss! You are practically the star of today’s event…!”
“I’m not the star. I’m the host.”
“Well, yes, that’s true, but… oh, this is no time for such distinctions!”
The Butler suddenly rushed out of the Powder Room.
He returned moments later, cradling a large velvet box in his arms.
“Miss, do look at this.”
“What is it?”
Click.
The Butler unlocked the box with an oddly excited expression.
As the lid opened, I gradually widened my eyes at what lay within.
Blue gemstones that matched the exact shade of my eyes shimmered like a sun-dappled sea, rippling with brilliant light.
But the surprise did not end there.
“It is an accessory set that the Duke purchased for today’s banquet.”
“Father did…?”

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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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