Disqualified as a Villainess - Chapter 18

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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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#18.

“Might I borrow Lady Octavia for a moment?”
Cutting through the commotion of the hall, May approached the Admiral with a radiant smile and posed her question.
It was her way of saying that the gift Octavia had given her was the one she treasured most among all those received today.
“I’ll take her right aw—”
“Of course, naturally.”
Octavia stepped forward with a gracious smile, and before the Admiral could finish, she vanished into the crowd amid laughter, leaving him behind.
The Admiral exhaled deeply, finally liberated from her presence.
‘So I wasn’t merely a tool to provoke petty jealousy, then.’
May’s public declaration of support was nothing less than a proclamation that she would turn her back completely on the Prince.
Had she used him as a means to win back a repentant Dominic, it would have left a bitter taste indeed.
Once entangled with him, her only choices were marriage or death—nothing more.

***

The following day.
Dominic made his way to the headquarters of the Esper Division under his command.
Upon arrival, his Aide, who had been waiting, approached him with a troubled expression and delivered his report.
“Your Highness, a letter has arrived from the Ludovski Corporation.”
Dominic exhaled with a mixture of resignation and relief.
‘As expected—mere intimidation. They’re likely proposing we renew our engagement.’
Yet his arrogance proved short-lived.
“What is the meaning of this…?”
As he unfolded the letter, his eyes widened in shock.
The letter’s contents were not a negotiation proposal.
It was a definitive notice: effective immediately, all funding to the Esper Division under his command, all magical engineering technology support, business investments, and state activity sponsorships would cease.
The Esper Division, in particular, was a quasi-military organization under private command, relying primarily on external investment and sponsorship for operational funds.
He had recklessly expanded the organization’s scale, recruiting high-ranking Espers at premium rates, banking entirely on the Ludovski Family’s substantial financial backing.
“At this rate, we won’t be able to cover operational costs that far exceed the Royal Treasury’s budget. Allow me to visit them and attempt persuasion.”
Despite his Aide’s concern, Dominic remained composed.
‘They think they can threaten me with pocket change? How absurdly presumptuous.’
“No matter. We’ll simply find new sponsors.”
With his position already firmly established, there would be no shortage of those eager to sponsor a member of the royal family.
‘They thought I’d come crawling back to them.’
His Aide, seeing that Dominic still failed to grasp the gravity of the situation, spoke with mounting anxiety.
“The recent large-scale recruitment of Espers has depleted our budget entirely. We’re now unable to even pay our members’ salaries immediately. There’s a real risk that our top-tier Espers will defect.”
Only then did Dominic grasp the severity, exhaling heavily.
In that case, he merely needed to hold things together until new sponsors could be secured.
“Summon the Ludovski Representative to the Royal Palace.”
“I’ve already requested a visit, but they refused, citing a prior engagement.”
Dominic’s brow furrowed with displeasure. His pride had been wounded.
‘Cursed commoner house…’
How dare they make royalty grovel for their attention.
The audacity was utterly intolerable.
“Then summon that daughter at once. Octavia Ludovisi.”
“Anticipating as much, I issued a palace summons beforehand, but…”
“How difficult can it be to bring one commoner woman to heel!”
Dominic’s voice rose, unable to contain his exasperation and fury.
Cold sweat beaded on the Aide’s forehead.
“I am deeply ashamed.”
The Aide’s reluctance to elaborate on the refusal of the palace summons meant only one thing—she had been summoned by someone of higher rank than Dominic.
“Who is she meeting?”
“She claimed to have a prior appointment with Admiral Kelsedny.”
Dominic’s eyes blazed crimson with rage.

***

Ludovisi Mansion.
Draped in a silk gown as soft as feathers, I lay with cucumber slices pressed against my eyes, savoring the tranquility and comfort afforded by luxury.
The morning meal had been exquisite, enjoyed while gazing out at the garden and lake beyond the terrace.
The ban on entering the mansion had been lifted, and I’d stopped by briefly to relay information regarding my support for May.
Unfortunately, the lack of familial warmth meant I couldn’t share a meal with them.
‘In my past life, I never dreamed I’d witness such beauty while basking in sunlight.’
The world I’d inhabited was one that had endured a nuclear winter—a civilization-level reset triggered by large-scale warfare.
A frozen world, perpetually darkened skies, a dead earth.
If what this world called ‘a chaotic realm consumed by disorder’ truly existed, it would have been exactly where I came from.
In my childhood, the sky and sea were blue, mountains were verdant, and people went about their ordinary lives—school, work.
Even when news of wars between nations appeared in the media, daily life remained largely unchanged.
The collapse of that orderly existence happened in an instant.
Through scientific advancement, we barely maintained modern civilization, yet the average lifespan had plummeted to forty years, and the environment, ecosystem, and human lives were all twisted beyond recognition. As a member of the Military Research Institute, I died even sooner.
Though this world lagged in progress and development, compared to the ruined world of my past life, this place was nothing short of paradise.
I had no family left there to miss. My only family had been a single dog.
“I must have died and arrived in heaven.”
And how generous—even trials are provided to keep boredom at bay.
Having survived the nuclear war era, I possessed a mental fortitude that rendered most hardships trivial.
Human emotions were equally meaningless to me. It mattered not if someone despised me.
“A secretary from hell delivers an invitation to such a lady.”
Lothear’s calm voice pulled me from my reverie.
I removed the cucumber slices from my eyes and quickly sat up to receive the invitation.
“An invitation to a tea party has arrived from the Royal Palace. This time, they sent a messenger in person.”
As I’d anticipated, the Princesses sent me a tea party invitation first.
The fact that they dispatched a courier directly, fearing the invitation might go astray, suggested they genuinely hoped I would attend.
“Furthermore, May has granted you free access to the Royal Palace.”
I accepted the pass that Lothear offered, smiling faintly.
I had successfully accumulated the calculated goodwill of those around me.

“Such cunning in leveraging public attention. The risks are considerable, but I view it favorably.”

Though I’d lost considerably after encountering Father this morning, I’d still gathered enough favor to weather most scrutiny.
Just then, a maid entered to inform me that someone had come calling.
“Prince Dominic has arrived.”

***

Dominic sat in the Guest Room with a rigid expression.
In a few days, Octavia would naturally come to the Royal Palace to attend the tea party, but he couldn’t wait that long.

“Already, two high-ranking Espers have expressed their intention to leave the Division. It seems the cessation of support and the return of the specialized weapons manufactured by Ludovisi have been significant factors.”

The specialized weapons that the Ludovisi Family distributed free of charge to divisions they sponsored.
Because their performance matched their reputation for excellence, Espers prioritized Ludovisi’s patronage when choosing which division to join.
Before key personnel departed, he had to find a way to reverse the withdrawal of support.
Octavia had dared to make him wait for an entire hour.
‘She’s probably dressed up to the nines trying to impress me.’
After all, this was the first time she’d sought him out.
Exactly two hours later, when his patience had long since been exhausted, Octavia appeared.
“…Ha.”
Dominic laughed incredulously at the sight of her.
She wore casual indoor clothes one might lounge in at home, her hair loosely tousled without care.
“What were you doing to be this late?”
“I fell asleep by accident. What brings you here so suddenly?”
She sat across from him with a yawn.
Anger kindled in his chest, but this wasn’t the moment to address her demeanor.
If he swallowed his pride and coaxed her this once, that hollow woman would go running back to her father demanding he reverse the support withdrawal.
He opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“I know you’re very angry.”
“I’m not.”
“You must be. So why are you withdrawing the support?”
“Pardon?”
Octavia’s expression turned utterly flabbergasted.
“You truly believe I halted the support project out of mere emotional retaliation over such a substantial financial matter? Seriously?”
“You would have done exactly the same. You even created a scandal with the Admiral just to capture my attention.”
Dominic, searching for words to placate her, found himself falling silent the moment he glimpsed her face. Her expression—one of utter contempt for a pathetic fool—and the disdain burning in her eyes rendered him mute.
Dominic attempted to justify himself regardless.
Yet his conclusions amounted to nothing but accusations and deceptions aimed at her.
“Octavia, I told you it was unavoidable. I genuinely wished to honor our betrothal, but your tarnished reputation would obstruct my future. If you were to restore your standing and gain social acceptance, then I would reconsider….”
“The key personnel of the Military Division are failing to execute their missions properly, aren’t they? Despite receiving the most substantial funding and salaries.”
Octavia’s soft yet razor-sharp voice severed his words mid-sentence.
“Subpar results relative to expenditure, deficits from reckless expansion, omissions in evaluation reports, breach of conditions for specialized weapon sponsorship. This warrants not merely suspension of support, but pursuit of breach-of-contract penalties. A corporation is not a charitable organization, after all.”
She reclined leisurely against the sofa and raised her teacup to her lips.
“If you’ve come to renegotiate, shouldn’t you at least have arranged a prior appointment—or minimally, prepared solutions to these problems or performance documentation?”
Contrary to Dominic’s expectations, she had been delivering nothing but business-related remarks, when suddenly her eyes widened as though struck by a thought.
“Wait… You didn’t actually come here believing this could be resolved simply by appeasing my anger, did you? Unbelievable.”
Veins bulged across Dominic’s forehead as he was treated as an inefficient resource—a thoughtless fool.

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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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