A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 79

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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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79.

Thankfully, once the meal began, they finally fell silent.
I worked through each course in order, skipping the fish dish.
Unlike at the Duke’s Mansion, this was a formal banquet attended by nobility, so the silverware was arranged according to proper etiquette.
Fortunately, I still remembered the manners I’d learned in my youth, so I managed to conduct myself adequately as a noblewoman.
Whenever I felt uncertain, I stole glances at Ethan and followed his lead.
He ate with such elegant grace, his posture the very picture of refinement from an etiquette manual.
I’d noticed it before when we dined together, but his appetite was remarkably delicate and particular—he’d take a bite or two before setting his fork down, which was his usual pattern.
Serge, by contrast, completely disregarded the prescribed courses and dove straight into the main dish.
It was a rare steak, bleeding profusely, exactly as he’d requested.
‘If he wanted raw meat, why not just ask for it? Why bother searing it over flame?’
His knife work was atrocious too—he practically tore through the meat rather than cutting it.
Every time crimson droplets splattered onto the white tablecloth with a soft *splat*, I found myself wincing.
‘Who exactly is the imperial blood here, and who’s the commoner?’
I couldn’t help but click my tongue disapprovingly at how voraciously he ate.
“What? Want a bite?”
Noticing my gaze, Serge grinned wickedly and speared a torn chunk of meat on his knife, holding it up for me to see.
Blood pooled thickly between his exposed teeth.
Truly, barbarism personified.
“…That’s quite alright. Please, enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”
I politely declined and instead crunched on the pistachio crumble that had replaced the fish course.
“It’s been so long since we last met, Your Highness! I trust you’ve been well?”
“Grand Duke, Your Highness! Is the meal to your satisfaction? This chef was actually my recommendation…”
“Your Highness, this wine is produced in our territory, and I’d like to present you with a bottle…”
So much for eating alone being lonely and all that nonsense.
Throughout the banquet, a steady stream of nobles made their way to the Grand Duke’s table.
Thanks to this, Serge and Ethan didn’t end up clashing again.
What surprised me, however, was how Serge didn’t dismiss these visiting nobles as nuisances—he handled them with reasonable courtesy.
‘…Watching him like this, he almost seems capable of normal social interaction.’
Well, it would be difficult to seize control of the Imperial Palace in such a short time otherwise.
No matter how formidable one’s military might, the Crown Prince was still the legitimate heir apparent.
Then a question suddenly occurred to me.
‘In the novel, it said he seized control of the Imperial Palace because of the female lead. Is that still the case now?’
I couldn’t be sure.
Everything had gone awry when the female lead was suddenly kidnapped.
And thinking back on it, compared to the other male leads, Serge hadn’t shown much obsession with the female lead up to this point.
‘Now that I think about it… wasn’t there a kidnapping episode?’
I had been so preoccupied that I completely forgot about it.
The male lead 4, who witnessed the female lead returning from the villa with male lead 1, goes mad and kidnaps her to the Northern Region.
The incident that should have occurred before the Equinox Ceremony passed without incident….
And by some cruel twist of fate, the two main characters of that episode were sitting right beside me.
‘Is this really allowed to happen like this?’
I was gazing at them both with a somewhat melancholic expression.
“The Empress and the Crown Prince have arrived―!”
A servant’s resounding voice suddenly rang out through the hall.
The music that had been flowing ceased, and the nobles seated throughout the room rose to their feet in unison.
Ethan and I hastily stood as well.
Yet only a single person remained seated, calmly continuing their meal.
Naturally, it was male lead 4.
Meanwhile, a group of people descended the staircase that led from the Central Building.
At the forefront was the Crown Prince, whom I recognized, and beside him stood a middle-aged woman with a somewhat irritable expression.
She appeared to be the Empress.
She too seemed to be an Awakener, as the number “21%” was visible above her head.
The rest who followed appeared to be attendants, though there were some peculiar individuals among them.
A woman wearing a veil and a figure in white robes adorned with a deer mask.
The mask was remarkably lifelike, as if a real deer had been taxidermied, but it was the white robes that made my brow furrow involuntarily.
They resembled the garments worn by the followers of the Sephiroth Sect.
‘What is this? Based on their build, they seem to be a woman…are they attendants of the Empress?’
As I observed them closely, the Crown Prince and Empress took their seats at the place of honor.
Along with the other attendants, the figure in the deer mask stood behind them.
Yet strangely, the veiled woman took a seat directly beside the Crown Prince.
As I examined her, my eyes widened in an instant.

93%

An astonishingly high number gleamed above the woman’s head.
She was an Awakener.
‘…Who is she? A Healer? Or perhaps a concubine, something like that?’
But wasn’t the Crown Prince a bit young to already have a concubine?
She appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen, barely past adolescence, and it seemed unlikely he would bring a concubine to an official gathering where even the Empress would attend.
‘And why is her number so unusual?’
I checked the woman in the deer mask as well, but fortunately there was nothing above her head.
The nobility stirred—I wasn’t the only one who found something amiss.
Everyone seemed curious about the identity of the veiled woman.
“Everyone, be quiet and take your seats.”
As the murmuring grew louder, the Crown Prince commanded with a casual gesture.
He looked somewhat haggard.
It seemed he had suffered greatly due to the Emperor’s critical condition.
As those who had stood rushed back to their seats, suddenly the Crown Prince’s and Empress’s gazes turned toward us.
More precisely, toward the man who had been sitting so carelessly all along.
At the sight of the Grand Duke calmly continuing his meal, both their faces crumpled like crumpled tissue paper.
“Here. Bring another bottle of wine.”
Serge raised his hand to the servant standing ready, as if to make a show of it.
Finally, the Empress could no longer contain herself and burst out.
“What do you think you’re doing, Grand Duke! How dare you be so vulgar—maintain your dignity!”
The hall froze for a moment.
But Serge grinned as if he felt none of that tension.
“I’m an uneducated commoner, so I can’t help it, Your Majesty the Empress.”
His flippant behavior was so outrageous that even I sitting beside him was left speechless, and the Empress flew into a rage.
“What? Grand Duke Belnac!”
“…Your Majesty, I’m fine, so please stop.”
Then the Crown Prince restrained his mother.
And he shot Serge a look filled with hatred.
“What’s the point of scolding a beast that doesn’t understand words? We might as well throw him a few chunks of meat and be done with it.”
It was treatment no different from calling him a beast outright.
‘Hey, you’re not even an Awakener—do you have multiple lives?’
I completely agreed with the Crown Prince’s words, but I was terrified that the male lead would get angry and use his powers.
I kept my head rigidly fixed while stealing glances at the adjacent table.
Clang!
Suddenly Serge threw down the fork and knife he had been holding.
My heart sank as I feared the worst was about to happen.
But then.
Clap, clap, clap!
“Hahaha! Our nephew really gave the Previous Emperor a good cursing! A beast-spawning Emperor—this will go down in history!”
He suddenly burst into loud laughter while applauding.
“Pfft!”
“Ugh…!”
Stifled laughter erupted from various corners of the hall.
The Crown Prince and Empress’s faces flushed crimson.
The Empress let out a shriek.
“Grand Duke Belnac—!”
“…It is quite alright, Your Majesty. Please, let us proceed. We have already lost considerable time.”
The Crown Prince ground his teeth, attempting to calm the Empress.
He clearly understood that when it came to verbal sparring, he was no match for the Grand Duke.
The Crown Prince, who had been grinding his teeth, forcibly suppressed his irritation and fixed his gaze forward.
“…Due to His Majesty the Emperor’s indisposition, I shall preside over this Equinox Ceremony in his stead. This ceremony marks the 481st iteration of…”
The opening remarks had begun.
I clutched my trembling chest, listening with one ear while letting it pass through the other.
Perhaps it was because the backing that had so strongly supported me was now wavering.
Compared to the last banquet, the Crown Prince recited his prepared speech with considerable dignity.
“…Let us honor the noble sacrifices of our ancestors, and I trust you shall all demonstrate your exceptional capabilities in this coming campaign. That concludes my remarks.”
The opening address, which had stretched on quite lengthy, finally came to an end.
The Crown Prince lifted the champagne glass placed before him.
And he proclaimed words akin to a toast.
“For the peace and glory of the Empire, we pledge our lives!”
“For the peace and glory of the Empire, we pledge our lives!”
The nobility raised their glasses in unison and echoed the cry.
I followed Ethan’s lead, raising my glass somewhat awkwardly and mumbling along.
It hadn’t appeared in the novel, but it seemed to be a rallying cry unique to this nation.
Of course, the fourth male lead did nothing as expected.
“And, along with the opening remarks, I have one matter to inform you all of.”
The Crown Prince, who had drained his champagne in one gulp, continued speaking.
“I have recently heard troubling rumors circulating about the Purifier. Nonsensical gossip claiming she has fled, or been abducted by a foreign power—nothing but absurd hearsay.”
He was speaking of Ruellin.
I flinched and looked toward the Crown Prince.
Not only I, but everyone perked up their ears at the mention of the recently famous Purifier.
“Of course, it is true that she has recently experienced health complications and refrained from public activities. However, she has since recovered fully, and her purification ability remains intact, naturally.”
“…”
“Words alone would be difficult to believe, so I have specially invited her to this ceremony. Everyone knows of the Purifier’s dedication to the Empire, so I trust there shall be no objections.”
“…”
“Come to think of it, this is the Purifier’s first attendance at the Equinox Ceremony.”
Having finished speaking, the Crown Prince turned to look beside him.
“Ruellin.”
At the soft call, a veiled woman rose gracefully from her seat.
“I ask you all to celebrate the Purifier’s return.”
The Crown Prince began clapping with a satisfied expression.
At that same moment, the woman lifted her veil.
“…Everyone, it’s been a while.”
At the sound of that clear, delicate voice, I held my breath.
Soft caramel-colored hair, luminous doe-like green eyes that sparkled with life.
Not merely someone who bore a faint resemblance to the person I’d seen at the Sephiroth Sect Base….
It was her—the true female lead.

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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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