A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 6

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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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06.

When the Duke asked me that yesterday, I couldn’t muster a single response.
‘What was I thinking? A villain simply does what villains do.’
In the novel, the catalyst for Edith Blake dragging Ruellin to the Gate was never made explicit.
She’d always viewed Ruellin as a thorn in her side, after all….
If I had to pinpoint something, perhaps it was the ridicule she’d endured at the banquet when the male leads kept requesting dances with Ruellin instead?
But did the reason for a villain’s cruelty really matter that much?
‘Right. An assassination attempt should make an appearance around this point.’
I’d simply skimmed over it as one of the many crises befalling the protagonist.

「Small-scale Gates erupted simultaneously across the entire Empire.
The male leads scattered to various regions to launch their campaigns.
And then, a Gate tears open near the Capital.
Edith Blake seizes the opportunity to kidnap Ruellin and drag her there.
They’re attacked by monsters, and the carriage carrying both of them is sucked into the Gate….」

I rummaged through my memories to recall the episode where Edith Blake dies.
I’d assumed she dragged Ruellin to the Gate site to commit the perfect crime.
The setting was that the kind and virtuous heroine purifies demonic energy across the world without the male leads.
‘Was she trying to make it look like an accident during a purification mission?’
It was a fairly fitting plan for an assassination attempt.
Yet throughout that episode, I’d felt nothing but bewildered.
‘Wait, why does the noblewoman go along with her? Doesn’t she establish an alibi?’
She could’ve simply ordered a servant or hired an assassin to do the deed.
The fact that Edith Blake, lacking any real ability, would personally go to kill the heroine felt like a sloppy plot development.
I’d wondered if the author had forced a desperate move to emphasize the villain’s tragic downfall….
“…Miss, Miss. Are you alright?”
At the sound of that voice, I suddenly snapped back from my reverie.
Nancy was staring at me with startled eyes as I’d abruptly stopped eating.
“Is the food not to your liking?”
“…No.”
“Your expression looked so troubled….”
At her words, I set down the fork I’d been holding completely.
My stomach felt heavy, as though I’d swallowed something indigestible upon learning this unexpected truth.
“I’m sorry. I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Shall I bring dessert?”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it—just clear the table for me?”
I forced a smile, and Nancy, reading the moment, quietly cleared the dishes before leaving the room.
As I turned my gaze away from her, I caught sight of my reflection in the massive window beside the table.
“…Oh.”
I froze momentarily at the unfamiliar visage staring back at me.
Lustrous golden hair gleaming in the sunlight, eyes the color of deep, crashing waves.
Across skin so pale it seemed translucent, captivating eyes and rosy lips were arranged as if drawn by an artist’s hand.
‘This is me now.’
Wrapped in an indescribable feeling, I lifted my hand and traced my cheek.
For someone dismissed as merely a villainess who met a futile end, Edith Blake was devastatingly beautiful.
“…So young and lovely. Why did you cling to such worthless things?”
Perhaps my earlier reasoning had been mistaken.
Edith may have truly kidnapped Ruellin to kill her, not to protect the Villa.
Yet even so, I couldn’t bring myself to see her as truly evil.
I alone could understand that it was her own desperate struggle for survival—
I alone could comprehend it.
I merely felt pity and sorrow for the girl who had vanished somewhere, stripped of her body and left to me.
“I won’t live begging for attention the way you did.”
I lowered my hand from my cheek and spoke coldly to my reflection.
The somewhat innocent expression that had seemed to linger vanished like a lie.
Seeing the cold and arrogant face reflected in the window, I finally felt like a proper villainess.
“I could destroy the things you cherished and loved.”
Ethan’s rampage index from yesterday flashed through my mind.
Whether with the Duke or the male leads, if I revealed the truth about my awakened ability and embraced them, I could easily mend those relationships.
But I had no intention of doing so.
‘Why should I? What do I lack?’
It was Edith who desired them, not me.
If necessary, I was prepared to sever all ties and live as I had in reality.
There was no benefit in keeping stress factors close.
“So don’t feel too wronged.”
If another miracle were to occur, just as I was resurrected in your body—
‘Then perhaps everything would return to its place.’
I whispered one last farewell to the pitiful girl who had vanished somewhere unknown, then rose from my seat without hesitation.
Now, Edith Blake was me.

***

After I finished bathing, Nancy seated me before the vanity and carefully dried my hair before braiding it elegantly to one side.
“How do you like it, Miss? Does it suit you?”
She finished by pinning a delicate lilac corsage into the braid, then gazed at me with hopeful eyes.
With such enchanting features, what wouldn’t look becoming on me?
With my hair bound up, the youthful softness vanished, and I appeared quite the elegant noblewoman.
I nodded with satisfaction as I studied my reflection in the mirror.
“Yes. You’re quite skilled at this.”
“Hehe.”
I smiled back at Nancy, who beamed with pride, and spoke gently to her.
“Nancy, would you go downstairs and ask them to prepare the carriage for me?”
In that instant, Nancy’s smile vanished.
“An, an outing?”
“Yes. I need the carriage.”
“Oh….”
Her eyes trembled as if shaken by an earthquake.
I’d anticipated it wouldn’t be easy to leave, but it seemed orders had already been issued.
When I stared at her as if asking what to do, Nancy squeezed her eyes shut and cried out.
“I, I’ll go ask the Butler first!”
“When you come back, I’d like you to choose an outfit for me to wear.”
I waved lightly at her as she hurried from the room.
‘Not bad at all.’
I’d worried about what would happen if she prioritized the Duke’s orders and didn’t even pretend to listen to me.
In any case, Nancy had been obedient to my wishes without causing friction so far.
If I was to live here going forward, I needed a capable ally.
Just as I was gauging how much Nancy’s affection for Edith Blake truly ran, she returned.
“Miss! You’re, you’re going out!”
Unfortunately, it appeared to be a failure.
The Butler I’d glimpsed yesterday came rushing in with a haggard expression.
“Where are you intending to go?”
“Well, just. I’ve been cooped up inside the whole time, and I’m feeling restless. I thought I’d get some fresh air.”
“It’s only been a day since you awakened. For the sake of your recovery, it would be best to refrain from outings for the time being.”
“You sound just like the Physician yesterday, Butler. He said I’m perfectly fine.”
“However, your memories are still not entirely intact….”
“Why?”
I tilted my head and smiled mischievously.
“Did Father order you to keep me from going out?”
“That…!”
The Butler’s mouth fell open, as if I’d struck a nerve.
I furrowed my brow and complained playfully.
“I’ve only been awake for a week… this is too much.”
“…”
“Actually, I was thinking of going to Ezennia. Nancy told me about the Villa there. She said it was the place I loved most because of my memories with Grandmother.”
“Miss…”
The old Butler’s stern expression softened with a flicker of compassion as he abandoned his efforts to prevent my outing.
‘As expected.’
I knew invoking the Late Duchess would work.
Edith Blake lost her mother in childhood and was cast out by her father for failing to awaken her abilities.
That she grew up so arrogant and headstrong could only mean the Late Duchess’s influence permeated every corner of this estate.
‘Without her, I would have grown into a timid wretch, despised even by the servants, unable to speak a single word properly.’
In such an environment, it was extraordinarily difficult to avoid being cowed, to meet someone’s gaze directly and speak with confidence.
I knew better than anyone that it took blood, sweat, and tears just to appear remotely composed, and I smiled bitterly at the thought.
“Honestly, I’m terrified because I can’t remember anything. I thought maybe if I went there, something might come back to me. When I heard about Grandmother, my heart just… stirred.”
“…”
“I’ll return before Father arrives. So couldn’t you just turn a blind eye for me? Please?”
It would have been pointless to throw a tantrum like the original Edith Blake before someone whose loyalty lay first with the Duke.
As I adopted a dejected expression to stir his sympathy, the Butler wavered as I’d anticipated.
“…Miss.”
“…”
“The Duke’s orders are orders, but I believe it would be best if you did not go to Ezennia at this time.”
He shook his head, regarding me with pitying eyes.
I already knew from Nancy that Ethan had gone there first.
But I feigned ignorance and asked back.
“Why?”
“Because if you went there now, you’d be pelted with stones, wouldn’t you?”
The answer came not from the Butler, but from an unexpected source.

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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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