A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 74

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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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74.

“Of course you would…!”
Ethan suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his words catching in his throat.
After glaring at me with fierce intensity for a moment, he abruptly turned his head away.
“Never mind.”
And with that, he stormed straight out through the Entrance Hall.
‘…What on earth was that about?’
I stood there, utterly bewildered.
I had no idea why he’d gotten so worked up when I was simply stating the obvious about what I’d do with that man.
Blinking stupidly, I turned my gaze toward the Butler, who looked equally confused.
“That’s why you shouldn’t go blabbing every little detail.”
“I merely wished to boast of your achievements, Miss. I had assumed the Young Master would already know the full circumstances to some degree.”
The Butler replied with a dejected expression.
I knew his intentions weren’t malicious.
He simply lacked tact.
I sighed and suddenly asked, “By the way… what do you think the Grand Duke is thinking? Do you have any idea?”
“No, I’m afraid I….”
He trailed off, pondering deeply.
“Hmm… Since the Young Master is unaware of the cursed letter’s existence, might he have interpreted it as a conventional gift of accessories between lovers?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Usually such gifts are exchanged between lovers to commemorate an occasion, or as a betrothal gift, or perhaps a proposal….”
“Ugh―!”
I cut off the Butler’s words and shuddered violently.
“Are you insane, Butler?!”
“Oh, no! That’s not what I meant, Miss!”
“Everyone just hasn’t seen that cursed letter! Do you know what was written on it? It’s just something lying around the house…!”
“Pardon? Lying around the house…?”
I nearly blurted it out in my agitation before barely managing to close my mouth.
I couldn’t bring myself to say aloud that it was ‘one of those things scattered about the estate’.
“Ah, forget it… I’m leaving.”
“Please take care, Miss.”
As I stepped outside with the Butler’s farewell, I spotted Ethan standing in front of the waiting Carriage.
He turned to look at me with cold eyes.
“Miss, I’ll take the baggage Carriage instead!”
Unable to bear the frigid atmosphere any longer, Nancy hastily fled.
‘No, Nancy! Please don’t leave me alone with that man…!’
“No, Nancy! Please, don’t leave me alone with that guy…!”
He was staring at me so intently that I couldn’t bring myself to hesitate.
In the end, I reluctantly approached him, swallowing my pride.
“Take it.”
Ethan suddenly extended his hand toward me.
True to his reputation for fastidiousness, he wore white gloves.
I couldn’t fathom why he’d storm out in a fury one moment, yet refuse to ignore something like this the next.
‘Well, he is the first male lead, after all.’
Ethan was crude in many ways, but among the male leads, he treated Edith Blake with the most restraint and respect.
Just as he had apologized to me for what happened at the Imperial Palace last time.
It was likely due to his reverence and sense of duty toward the Duke who had adopted him as his son.
‘…So why did he let Edith Blake waste away and die?’
The fact remained that he was a bastard, and I was about to curl my lip in disdain when—
“Why aren’t you taking it?”
An irritable urging came from him.
I had no choice but to gently place my hand over his gloved one.
He took my hand and smoothly escorted me into the carriage.
Then he swiftly climbed in himself and sat across from me.
Snap!
The door closed.
I already felt suffocated.
Fidgeting nervously, I finally managed to speak as the carriage began to move.
“…I believe you’ve misunderstood something, brother.”
“Misunderstood what?”
He turned his gaze from the window toward me, his expression grim.
I expected to be torn apart, but he surprised me.
I calmly addressed his absurd misunderstanding.
“This gift was truly given only as a token of gratitude, and I understand that Your Highness the Grand Duke has another woman he cherishes.”
Presumably…
I didn’t bother adding that part.
Of course, as a male lead, he would naturally favor the female lead, wouldn’t he?
‘That’s probably why he’s searching for her.’
Though his inexplicable grudge against the Sephiroth Sect seemed to be a separate matter.
“Obviously, that’s not it.”
I added with conviction in my voice.
‘Just know that such a misunderstanding is deeply insulting to me.’
Perhaps my aggrieved expression softened his mood slightly.
“…I was excessive.”
Ethan let out a short sigh and accepted my reconciliation.
“I’m a man of poor character, so I was concerned. Wasn’t I suspecting you of being behind Ruel’s…The Purifier’s abduction until recently?”
My eyes widened at his words.
I hadn’t expected him to mention the matter so openly, given how sensitive he was about the lady.
As if it had nothing to do with him.
“…That sounds like you’re saying you didn’t suspect me, brother.”
“You’ve lost your memories—what kidnapping would you even attempt? Besides, I’ve seen how you collapse from aftereffects at the slightest provocation.”
“…”
“And didn’t you say you’d apologize to her?”
As I listened to Ethan’s words, my expression grew peculiar.
It was curious when he’d begun to trust me this completely.
Not long ago, he’d been pestering me about whether I’d truly lost my memories.
“Well… at least the Grand Duke’s misunderstanding has been cleared up thanks to this opportunity.”
In any case, since the misunderstanding was resolved, I concluded the conversation.
Since we weren’t particularly close, silence quickly settled over the carriage.
Just as I turned my gaze toward the window, uncomfortable under his steady blue stare—
Ethan uttered something unexpected.
“…Have you decided to sever ties with Vincent Leandro completely?”
“How did you…”
I reflexively asked in return, then immediately dropped the question.
As an S-rank Awakener, he likely heard our quarrel from a distance.
I answered lightly.
“Yes. That’s what happened.”
“Truly… remarkable. That you’d consider severing ties with Vincent.”
“I apologize, brother. You must interact with him frequently, and I’m worried this has made things awkward for you.”
“…What?”
At my words, Ethan’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Who said I interact with Vincent frequently?”
“…Wasn’t that the case?”
“No. It was you who wanted me to befriend him in the first place…”
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and shook his head.
“Besides, you won’t remember anyway, so there’s no point in telling you.”
That was true.
I was genuinely indifferent about it.
‘Edith Blake told me to befriend Vincent, so I did?’
It was hardly believable—utterly absurd.
Would that rigid man follow orders from just anyone?
Orders from his despised stepsister, no less?
‘A convenient excuse.’
He’d grown close to Vincent through gossip about Edith Blake, and now he blamed me for it.
Of course, it was possible that Ethan spoke the truth and Edith Blake had actually said such things.
Ethan and Vincent were once people she held dear, and in her childish heart, she may have wanted to play with them all together.
“I haven’t said this because I’ve thought well of you all this time, but that man isn’t nearly as level-headed as you seem to think.”
Ethan murmured at precisely that moment.
It was somewhat amusing—the kind of remark that could easily sound like he was trying to drive a wedge between us.
“I agree with you on that, but… by your standards, it seems there’s hardly anyone you’d consider acceptable?”
“I’m not joking.”
Ethan’s expression grew serious.
“Still, I’m your older brother in name, and it wouldn’t look good for me to deceive you while harboring feelings for another woman, would it?”
“I see.”
Yet here he was, having conspired with Vincent to save only the heroine while treating Edith Blake’s fate as if it were none of his concern.
The way he flipped his position so easily, like turning over a palm, was distasteful and infuriating.
I let a faint, derisive smile slip through naturally.
“Don’t worry. As I mentioned before, there’s no chance I’ll come to care for him again in the future.”
“…That’s a relief.”
He nodded quietly.
For some reason, unlike me, he seemed quite satisfied with my answer.
Then, abruptly, he added something more.
“But… when are you going to stop using that strange formal speech?”
“Formal speech?”
“Yes. You never used formal speech with me before.”
I tilted my head slightly.
Today, he seemed to be bringing up unexpected topics one after another.
But he wasn’t wrong.
In the novel, Edith Blake had always spoken casually to Ethan and rarely called him “older brother.”
‘But why should I change now?’
I wasn’t sure what he was thinking by suddenly pointing out my speech pattern, but I had no desire to comply.
Riding in the same carriage was already awkward enough; casual speech was the last thing I needed.
“I’m comfortable with this now. Since I’ve been speaking this way all along, suddenly dropping the formality would feel strange.”
“…”
“I’m an adult now, and I think it’s better for both of us if I maintain proper courtesy toward you.”
I answered reasonably.
I naturally assumed he would think the same way.
Honestly, wasn’t this far better than before, when she spoke so casually and didn’t even acknowledge him as her older brother?
Yet, surprisingly, Ethan’s eyes widened as if he’d been struck.
“I’m… awkward?”
He asked blankly.
I was bewildered by his reaction but answered honestly.
“I heard you two weren’t particularly close.”
“Who told you that? The Butler? Or the Servants?”
His gaze sharpened immediately.
I had a premonition that if I confirmed it, they would suffer greatly.
Besides, I’d learned it from the novel anyway.
So I could only manage an awkward smile in response.
“…I see.”
Ethan’s expression hardened, as if he were weighing how to interpret my silence.
He remained quiet for a moment, lost in thought, before finally speaking with a chilling edge to his voice.
“Do as you see fit.”
Then, as if unwilling to exchange another word, he crossed his arms and turned his gaze toward the window.
From him emanated a glacial, crystalline coldness.
As if the brief warmth had never existed, the air inside the carriage turned frigid in an instant.
I was left utterly dumbfounded by the sudden shift in atmosphere.
‘Why on earth is he acting like this today!’

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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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